Boehner Video Stars "Job-Sniffing Bloodhound" To Whack Obama

The loss of 467,000 jobs in June, driving the national unemployment rate to 9.5 percent, is unwelcome news for the Obama administration, which has spent half a year trying to turn the tide of the economic downfall. Already the president has conceded that 10 percent unemployment is likely in America's future. But the job front remains a particular vulnerability for this White House -- the one major chink in the Obama armor, far more politically delicate than the president's handling of foreign affairs or health care.

And so, it shouldn't come as a surprise that within minutes of their release, Obama's political opponents turned the porous June job numbers against him. Obviously anticipating the bad news, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) released a web video featuring a job-sniffing bloodhound named Ellie Mae asking: "Where are the jobs."

The clip, a Boehner aide says, is meant to be tongue-in-cheek. Narrated by Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga), it is based off a 1984 TV commercial by the Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

"This is a light-hearted web video, but the underlying point is no laughing matter," Boehner said in a statement. "At a time when Americans are looking to Washington for leadership, the trillion-dollar 'stimulus' isn't working. Americans were promised the stimulus would keep the unemployment rate from going above 8 percent. It's now skyrocketing above 9 percent. Where are the jobs?"

WATCH:

Obama's allies will point out that the foundation of this current wave of job loss is rooted in the policies of the Bush administration. Economic models hold that the stimulus spending by the administration won't take affect fully until months from now. But, six months into office, it is also a widely accepted that the White House now "owns" much of this economy. Even Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has insisted that the success of the administration's policies should be measured in the number of jobs created.

"A good starting point is looking at broad measures of economic performance, like jobs," Geithner said in a response to questions posed by Huffington Post readers.

The Treasury Secretary went on to note that "job losses in the month of May were at their lowest level since September 2008." That talking point, however, now seems inoperative as pace of job losses in June was nearly 50 percent greater than the month before.

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Comments

[taddles]

Huh, considering that the present failed economy is a direct result of the failed Republican policies of which Boehner was an architect and vocal supporter, I think the first place his job sniffing hound should look is in Beohner's house.

[OliverTwist]

The Republicans were indifferent to jobs before and are doing everything they can to avoid quick implementation of the components of the stimulus which are expected to create/retain jobs.

We can blame the Republicans for our unemployment problems.

[genia]

The fact that any of this is reflecting on Obama is the fault of the media...Pa­rt of their job should be to inform people...n­ot to repeat talking points.
Even here....ah­em...Sam.
"particular vulnerability" ? ..........­"one major chink in the Obama armor"...?
The way the media presents an issue influences peoples opinions..­...media has a responsibility to report factually.
After the past 8 years the republicans and their views on this matter should be reduced to a joke. They simply should have no credibility when it comes to our national or global economy. Fact is they F'ed it all up...left it for someone else to fix and now...now after a few months.... have the nerve to turn around and point their fingers at the mess and claim we made the mess. !!
And ...everyon­e...goes along with this stupidity.
Come...gro­w a pair !

[IDIOTA]

Boehner always has a bone to pick.

[KLordsha]

LOL

[Truelee]

I'm still waiting the jobs the Republicans promised with their tax cuts made in the last 8 years!! I want to see every dollar cut translate to jobs created when Bush was in the White House and Republicans controlled both houses. My bloodhound was a young pup when it started sniffing for jobs, now she is old and still has not found any jobs promised by the Republicans with their tax cuts.

[chedet]

Their tax cuts made companies outsourced their jobs. Still boehner doesn't know this. Must be really ignorant or really stupid.

[IDIOTA]

Or perhaps tipsy, followed by weepy then sleepy.

[Reighben Labilles]

Tax cuts to the rich and their corporations is counter-productive if its not combined with certain conditions. A good condition before awarding a tax cut would be the one Obama said during his campaign. Corporations will only get tax cuts it they stop outsourcing and generate jobs in the US.

Here's the thing, my country is reliant on outsourced jobs coming from the US. A lot of our youth can now afford an upwardly mobile lifestyle because of the salaries outsourced jobs provide. But the practice itself is not beneficial for your people and my people in the long run.

It makes us, the poorer country, reliant on foreign investment and jobs for employment. With a shortcut to use in solving job shortages, the government is not that pressured to reform the economy to make us self-reliant. And the bane on your side is that with many more countries opening itself to receive outsourcing companies, blue collar jobs and grunt-level white collar jobs will bleed out of the states--the kinds of jobs poor people from your country need.

Globalization is a generally good thing as long as it does not hamper the capacity of any country to be self-reliant. World economies too heavily intertwined would be incredibly vulnerable to any market decline. Because if something goes wrong in one end, a whole bunch of crap might start falling everywhere else too.

[Victor Figueroa]

hey , it's true what they say dogs look like their owners .
this is guy is dork ! So where r ur ideas ?

[lagumbo]

Poor Boehner. He nd his GOP cohorts don't have the smarts to come up with a budget, no plans for health care, no nothing. These bafoons have been sitting on their hands for so long, they haven't got a clue to help this country. So they take their frustration, and their lost, to come up with obstruction. From the first day of OBAMA'S Adm. all Boehner and the GOP can come up with is lies, fear mongering and their funny little informericals. Boehner said if AL Franken is seated there will be world war III, this is how they thing. Billions of dollars for war, but no to health care. What a bunch of low-life these guys are.

[wayicit]

John, if you were so concerned about the jobs that have not been created. Then, why didn't you do something in the last administration. When corporations were off shoring manufacturing jobs. Where were you John? When the construction jobs that were lost during the housing downfall. Where were you John? When the autoworkers & steelworkers were losing their jobs. Where were you John?

All of this started when your party was in power. You saw this problem coming. If you really thought by cutting taxes for the small business, would create new jobs. Then why didn't Bush and the GOP do that. Why? Because, all they wanted to do was cut taxes to benefit the corporations and the rich.

John, Don 't forget the name of that dog. Maybe that bloodhound will find you a job in the after the next election, hopefully not in Congress.

[Layman23]

John, that car you sold me saying it runs great and gives great gas mileage is worse than a caterpillar. Can i get my money back ?

[chitown8]

How cute he matches his puppy.

[ladyearth]

There goes John again, with his gimmicks. He has nothing of substance to offer.

[alice09]

How about some answers from you, John, about jobs instead of spending all your energy thinking of ways to obstruct and criticize. Ask yourself that question.
Ask Bush Cheney that question, as they are the ones that set these losses in motion. We are dealing here with attempts to FIX what they did.
Any ideas from you, John?

[Poorsarah]

The GOP definitely counts on gullible people to side with them. Boehner's argument is invalid because all of these jobs being lost are a direct result of Bushonomics. Boehner counts on the low infrmation voters to selectively forget that it was during Bush's tenure that the economic downfall happened. Boehner also needs reminded that President Obama needs to stop the profuse economic bleeding before recovery can begin. Also, it was the Republican majority congress who shoved through legislation that was totally anti-worke­r/pro-corp­orate deregulati­on/outsour­cing...hel­luva job by the Repub majority congress. Now, the Democrat majority congress needs to grow a spine and stand against the failed ideas of the GOP and make the proper changes so our economy can work for ALL of us. Real healthcare reform that will benefit ALL Americans, the Employee Free Choice Act which does NOT take away the secret ballot from worker's voting rights. The EFCA gives the workers the freedom needed to vote for a good union to bargain in good faith for a better life; fair wages and affordable benefits. Our politicians need to start making decision based on justice...­what is good for ALL Americans instead of making poor decisions based on lobbyists money being stuffed in their pockets.

[sviolette]

He doesn't have anything new. Rehashing a 1984 comercial isn't what's going to get the economy moving in the right direction. Niether will a 3 page budget proposal that contains no numbers. This guy is really a Boener.

[audadvnc]

Of course, the jobless figures have been going in the same direction since January 2008, as a result of 25+ years of mostly Republican mismanagement.