Mitt Romney On April Job Numbers: Recovery Should Be 500,000 Jobs A Month

WASHINGTON -- Friday's news of yet another month of tepid job growth in April provided Mitt Romney with an opening both to criticize the president's policies and to paint a picture for what a more effective recovery would be.

"We should be seeing numbers in the 500,000 jobs per month," the former Massachusetts Governor said on "Fox & Friends." "This is way, way, way off from what should happen in a normal recovery."

Half a million jobs a month is certainly an ambitious goal. But it's an arbitrary one as well. During George W. Bush's presidency, there was never a single month in which job growth topped 400,000, let alone 500,000, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, as Think Progress pointed out, "there have only been 16 months since 1939" in which the economy added half a million jobs in one month.

Obama inherited a more severe recession than Bush, which meant that he had a greater likelihood (and need) for a quick and pronounced recovery. Also, as Bush was dealing with the bursting of the dot.com bubble, September 11th happened, further elongating the timeline for recovery.

And yet, by strictly numerical measures, Obama at this point is doing better than Bush. From January 2001 (when Bush took office) to April 2004, the United States lost 1.43 million jobs, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. From January 2009 (when Obama took office) to April 2012, the United States lost 1.39 million jobs.

Monthly job totals, in thousands

It's difficult to tie the job numbers of the first several months of a presidency to the sitting president. They are, after all, inheriting a situation left by their predecessor. Obama's first three months witnessed a loss of 2.34 million jobs; Bush saw a growth of 20,000.

What that meant, in economic terms, was that the current administration had a greater need to pass policies that would spur short-term employment. And while the stimulus package helped spur growth, the current numbers suggest that more was and is still needed. As The Huffington Post's Mark Gongloff noted, roughly 12.5 million people are still unemployed, with 88.4 million people still considered as "not in the labor force."

"Clearly the American people are wondering why this recovery isn't happening faster, why it's taking years and years for the recovery to occur," Romney said on Fox. "And we seem to be slowing down, not speeding up. This is not progress. This is very, very disappointing."

If, however, Obama is politically vulnerable on the economy, he has a blueprint to follow: The Bush reelection campaign focused heavily on foreign policy and threats of terrorism. But they didn't leave domestic matters untouched. Below is an ad they ran, touting the president's achievements on the job front and attacking John Kerry for criticizing (even marginal) success.

"After recession, 9/11 and war, now our economy has been growing for ten straight months ... 1.4 million jobs added since August," the ad goes. "John Kerry's response? He's talking about the Great Depression. One thing is for sure: pessimism never created a job."

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[i3lackops]

10:55 AM on 05/29/2012

There should be 100 BILLION jobs created each month...........Evil Jobs.

[gladhart1]

02:01 PM on 05/07/2012

Oh yea, Mitt - release your tax records.

[gladhart1]

02:00 PM on 05/07/2012

He should hire some more people if that is what he truly believes.

[djaikins]

11:32 AM on 05/07/2012

Romney has proven to be a politician who is insincere and synchronistcally polymorphic. Don't ask me to explain it. It just made sense to me at the time.

[Jradxit]

10:48 AM on 05/07/2012

What republicans mean when they say "job growth" is to have more people clamoring to do menial service jobs for lower pay so they can live lives as far removed from the difficulties of the masses as possible. It would be charitable to say that they don't care if that difference is because their standard of life is more elevated or because everyone else's is further lowered, but their behavior suggests they strongly prefer the latter.

[Soulcatcher]

10:14 AM on 05/07/2012

We wouldn't need economic recovery and job growth if the stupidity of his own party hadn't caused the problems in the first place. Why doesn't he ever talk about that?

[Soulcatcher]

10:11 AM on 05/07/2012

I don't expect to agree with the Republicans, but I don't think it's too much to expect any serious political party to be able to field candidates who don't appear to be functionally retarded. There are almost 300 MILLION people in this country--can't you manage to find even one who can at least pretend to be intelligent and informed once in a while? 300 million people...and this is the best you could do? And you expect me to take you seriously? Sorry, that's not going to happen--unless you're secretly conducting job interviews for the circus.

[wtf2009]

10:08 AM on 05/07/2012

Well Mittens if you know how to do it and have known all along how to do it, then why haven't you told the President.....seems rather un-American to withhold that information.

[janmB]

09:39 AM on 05/07/2012

If Romney had been in a business that created jobs.... I might listen to him.....but Romney, made a fortune through investments that often ruined the lives of workers and their families and created no jobs.

[djaikins]

09:08 AM on 05/07/2012

Romney continues his relentless campaign against the facts.

[RC Hindle]

08:36 AM on 05/07/2012

Once again, Mitt gets his numbers and facts wrong. If this man was HALF as smart as he thinks he is, he'd know that his own company's (Bain) actions created much of the unemployment that BO is erasing.

Sorry Mitt......It's just not working.

[ruthtruth]

08:25 AM on 05/07/2012

Mitt is fast and loose with all his nasty comments about the President but what has he offered to the American people in the form of his policies? NOTHING. What's the hold up Mitt? Are you waiting for someone to tell you what to say or are you afraid that if people see what you really have to offer they will say NO. You embrace the Ryan plan , called it marvelous, and that plan is just like the plans in Europe which have worked very badly. What do you have to say about that? Do you need to ask the Mrs.?

[paulabflat]

08:52 AM on 05/07/2012

didn't he already tell us that if he told us what he plans to do, we won't elect him?

it's as if he doesn't know that we're already not going to elect him.

[ruthtruth]

12:34 PM on 05/07/2012

The independents need to get it. Romney is just the puppet Grover has been looking for.

[stalcom]

08:10 AM on 05/07/2012

I suppose that, with his record of job "creation", there's no way the numbers would be anywhere close to that should Romney actually be elected President. Let him say what he wants to say; at the end, Romney's lies will catch up to him.

[oftenon]

02:57 AM on 05/07/2012

it must be so cool to just come out with whatever superstoopid thing flies into your head and have it broadcast and get people all excited and stuff.

[ericinkw]

10:16 AM on 05/07/2012

“I love this state. The trees are the right height." —Mitt Romney, campaigning in Michigan (February 2012)

"I'm running for office for Pete's sake, we can't have illegals" –Mitt Romney, recalling his reaction when he learned that there were illegal aliens working the ground on his property, employed by a firm that he subsequently fired (October 2011)

[ncal]

10:21 AM on 05/07/2012

subsequently fired? for his own gaffe? Great boss.

[Igor Kisil]

02:57 AM on 05/07/2012

Romney?