I thought this quick analysis from Rachel Maddow on how to judge the Obama administration’s progress is worth remembering:
- The Romney Standard: Mitt Romney said during the 2012 campaign that if Americans elect him, he’d get the unemployment rate down to 6% by 2016. Obama won anyway and the unemployment rate dropped below 6% two years faster.
- The Gingrich Standard: Newt Gingrich said during the 2012 campaign that if Americans re-elected the president, gas prices would reach $10 per gallon, while Gingrich would push gas down to $2.50 a gallon. As of this morning, the national average at the pump is a little under $2.38.
- The Pawlenty Standard: Tim Pawlenty said trillions of dollars in tax breaks would boost economic growth to 5% GDP. Obama actually raised taxes on the wealthy and GDP growth reached 5% anyway.
Romney’s prediction was as good as predicting the sun will come up in two years if he’s elected.
I don’t know anyone who predicted the gas price swing.
Pawlenty’s prediction was made possible by the first Obama administration. Without the Bush/Obama Stimulus packages, we would be far behind now.
I look forward to seeing how Dinesh D’Souza’s predictions turn out in 2016.