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Chao Praises Bush Economy, Rips Dems: Unemployment Was 4.7% In 2007
Eric Kleefeld | December 3, 2009, 3:12PM
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Appearing on Fox News today, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao -- who is also the wife of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) -- said that the economy is entirely the Democrats' fault, not the Bush administrations, by citing the low unemployment in 2007.
Chao dismissed Democratic objections that the Bush administration was responsible for the bad economy, through the costs of war spending and other issues. "You know it's pretty audacious of them to still claim that. Basically, this is their economy," said Chao. "In 2007, the unemployment rate was about 4.7%, and now with all this massive government spending the unemployment rate is 10.2%."
The recession began in 2008, while George W. Bush was still president (and Chao was still Labor Secretary). The large Democratic spending that Chao refers to, presumably the stimulus, did not begin until 2009, when the recession was already well underway.
Also, Fox News introduced Chao as "a former Labor Secretary under President George W. Bush and a Fox News contributor." Fox never identified Chao for viewers as also being the wife of the Senate Republican leader.
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robertecrump
December 3, 2009 3:41 PM
Looks like someone drank too many triple crazy mocha bourbon latte's.
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biff diggerence
December 3, 2009 3:49 PM
Smell anything peculiar on you husband's breath, Madame Chao?
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ilovebacon
December 3, 2009 6:12 PM in reply to biff diggerence
Dick Cheney's weenie.
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Cool Blue Reason
December 3, 2009 3:59 PM
Presumably they're trying to pick off the handful of low-information voters who aren't already Republicans. In this country we call them "swing voters" and dutifully cater to their idiocy with 90% of our political discourse.
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Why oh why
December 3, 2009 4:14 PM
"Former anti-Labor Secretary" would be more accurate.
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absurdity 007
December 3, 2009 4:14 PM
The audacity of memory loss,....It's one of those GOP revisionist skill sets that is dominating their party. Let's pretend that everything is the Democrat's fault. It's like them saying "Eight years of George who?" Even seven years into the Iraq war, they were still blaming Clinton for not doing anything against Saddam Hussein. The American people cannot trust a party who is incapable of being honest with themselves. Madame McConnell, here's a little history lesson for your dumb revisionist ass. The US recession started in 2008 while George Bush was president. now repeat after me, madame.....US Recession/George Bush/2008/US Recession/George Bush/2008/US Recession/George Bush/2008/US Recession/George Bush/2008/US Recession/George Bush/2008/US Recession/George Bush/2008/US Recession/George Bush/2008/US Recession/George Bush/2008/
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ohyeathatsright
December 3, 2009 4:21 PM in reply to absurdity 007
Americans who are not honest with themselves can trust a party that's not honest with themselves.
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pdxer
December 3, 2009 4:19 PM
At least the Fox "News" anchor didn't let her get away with it. And the other guests didn't nod their heads in idiotic agreement with her. Oh wait...never mind.
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Nandemosan
December 3, 2009 4:25 PM
Also, Fox News introduced Chao as "a former Labor Secretary under President George W. Bush and a Fox News contributor." Fox never identified Chao for viewers as also being the wife of the Senate Republican leader.
Of course they didn't bother to point out that the recession began in 2008 and the economy belonged to Bush until January of 2009.
I hate FOX. I hate Republicans.
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Snig
December 3, 2009 4:58 PM
What it reminds me most of? The scene in Tommy Boy where he breaks the door and blames it on the Spader character.
http://usmle.tv/videos/150/tommy-boy-gas-station.html
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DancingBear
December 3, 2009 4:59 PM
This from the administration with the lowest post WWII job creation record. From the left-wing rag Wall Street Journal:
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2009/01/09/bush-on-jobs-the-worst-track-record-on-record/
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commie atheist
December 3, 2009 5:09 PM in reply to DancingBear
What's even more interesting about that chart: it shows jobs created per year going up every time a Democrat is in office, and down every time a Republican is in office. Even St. Ronnie Reagan did worse than History's Greatest Monster, Jimmy Carter.
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rbe1
December 3, 2009 5:24 PM
Ah shit ! It appears not all of the assholes are gone, after all.
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Matt Jones
December 3, 2009 6:05 PM
Apparently she got a hit off what Dana Perino was smoking the other day...
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ilovebacon
December 3, 2009 6:09 PM
The token Asian turd muffin of the GOP
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Riggsveda
December 3, 2009 7:22 PM
Oh, hell, from the end of 2007 the weekly unemployment numbers skyrocketed to a high of over 650,000 by the time Obama was sworn in, and Chao oversaw every week of it. The lying sack fed fake numbers to Congress to make her Department look good, she defied the Hatch Act and campaigned for Repugs with taxpayers' money, and screwed workers every chance she got. And while she sat in the Labor chair, her boss started the bailout ball rolling. She has a good goddam nerve.
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bdf
December 3, 2009 8:34 PM
The Bush/GOP depression actually started in 2007, see http://www.nber.org/cycles/cyclesmain.html
It was the second recession to start on Bush43's watch.
Always use this link when arguing with Rethugs, NBER is the official source for recession dating.
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deuce
December 3, 2009 11:19 PM
She's from a very powerful Hong Kong family that has put a lot of money into Washington for lots of sweetheart shipping and other deals.
Her alliance with McConnell is one of the ugliest, most putrid deals of all time.
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deuce
December 3, 2009 11:21 PM
Oh, did I mention that she's immensely wealthy due to all those connections? Don't know who's the whore in the relationship - Mitch or Elaine? Both, I guess.
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Seeryer
December 4, 2009 9:55 AM
The recession actually began in DEC of 2007 according to government statistics.
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Antigua
December 4, 2009 11:05 AM
If you take away the wig, she looks like a soft boy/man....I'm just saying.
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jsdc007
December 4, 2009 11:14 AM
This woman did absolutely nothing but commission portraits of herself (very expensive ones, may I add) to be hanged in government buildings, while exploiting her political connections including her marriage of "convenience" to her closeted right-wing husband. I guess she lies with the same ease about her personal reality as she does about her political failings.
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Tosh
May 23, 2010 2:28 PM
The audacity of memory loss,....It's one of those GOP revisionist skill sets that is dominating their party. Let's pretend that everything is the Democrat's fault. It's like them saying "Eight years of George who?" Even seven years into the Iraq war, they were still blaming Clinton for not doing anything against Saddam Hussein. The American people cannot trust a party who is incapable of being honest with themselves. Madame McConnell, here's a little history lesson for your dumb revisionist ass. The US recession started in 2008 while George Bush was president. now repeat after me, madame.
kamagra m65
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