# Which candidate would make the worst president? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [August 18, 2011, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149 "2011-08-18T13:08:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/81 "2011-09-05T03:37:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Just to be clear, here… Are you calling yourself an idiot? Because it sure looks like that’s what you’re saying, there. Can you read? ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/82 "2011-09-05T03:49:20Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Because it was far too small by a factor of three, thanks to Republicans in the Senate." You must be joking. Can you imagine what our credit rating would be if that happened? > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Job creators" are sitting on trillions of dollars of cash; lack of captal is not what is depressing job creation. Can you imagine why? Probably the uncertainty created by Obama’s policies. > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > My guess is that we would be far deeper in a true Depression. That is what Republicans wanted, to tar him with in 2012. They were too clever by half, and now it will bite them in the ass. Yeah, Republicans are out to destroy the economy.:rolleyes: I’m not immature enough to accuse Obama of doing the same…he is merely clueless like most on the left. ---
**Author:** ![hocuspocusfocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f07891/32.png) [@hocuspocusfocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hocuspocusfocus)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/83 "2011-09-05T10:34:23Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Obama has created more jobs in 3 years than Bush did in 8 years. I do not know where Fear obtained his information but it is a: **LIE,aspersion, backbiting, calumniation, calumny, deceit, deception, defamation, detraction, dishonesty, disinformation, distortion, evasion, fable, fabrication, falsehood, falseness, falsification, falsity, fib, fiction, forgery, fraudulence, guile, hyperbole, inaccuracy, invention, libel, mendacity, misrepresentation, misstatement, myth, obloquy, perjury, prevarication, revilement, reviling, slander, subterfuge, tale, tall story, vilification, white lie, whopper, falsehood, LIE, LIE, LIE, LIE** ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/lf/aat1.txt In 2000 the employed labor force was 142,583,000 in 2007 the employed labor force was 153,124,000 net job creation under Bush 153,124,000-142,583,000=10,541,000 In 2008 the employed labor force was 154,287,000 in 2010 the employed labor force was 139,064,000 in aug 2011 the employed labor force was 139,267,000 [http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm](http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm) net job creation under Marxist Obama 154,287,000-139,267,000=\*\*minus, negative,loss 15,020,000 jobs gone under Obama \*\* There are 15,020,000 out there, and you know who you are, that need to provide for your families, want the good things in life, seeing no opportunity, with dismal prospect and outlook of the future, seeking meaning and a sense of worth and value. Well your life sucks under Obama. You do know that the 3 trillion dollars that obama spent on his wall street crooks, union henchmen, green wacko environmentalists would have done more good, if he had put $200,000 in each of your pockets. Obama is a communist, Marxist, Socialist, liberal, Democrat Obama is bad for jobs, Obama is bad for America, Obama is bad for you. Pst: communist, Marxist, Socialist, liberal, Democrats are bad for you too! Obama has proven he is the worst president in the History of American. And would be the absolute worst president in 2012. ```auto Civilian labor force Civilian Employed Unemployed Not in Year noninsti- labor tutional Percent force population Total of Percent Nonagri- Percent population Total of Agri- cultural Number of population culture industries labor 2000 (1)...................... 212,577 142,583 67.1 136,891 64.4 2,464 134,427 5,692 4.0 69,994 2001.......................... 215,092 143,734 66.8 136,933 63.7 2,299 134,635 6,801 4.7 71,359 2002.......................... 217,570 144,863 66.6 136,485 62.7 2,311 134,174 8,378 5.8 72,707 2003 (1)...................... 221,168 146,510 66.2 137,736 62.3 2,275 135,461 8,774 6.0 74,658 2004 (1)...................... 223,357 147,401 66.0 139,252 62.3 2,232 137,020 8,149 5.5 75,956 2005 (1)...................... 226,082 149,320 66.0 141,730 62.7 2,197 139,532 7,591 5.1 76,762 2006 (1)...................... 228,815 151,428 66.2 144,427 63.1 2,206 142,221 7,001 4.6 77,387 2007 (1)...................... 231,867 153,124 66.0 146,047 63.0 2,095 143,952 7,078 4.6 78,743 2008 (1)...................... 233,788 154,287 66.0 145,362 62.2 2,168 143,194 8,924 5.8 79,501 2009 (1)...................... 235,801 154,142 65.4 139,877 59.3 2,103 137,775 14,265 9.3 81,659 2010 (1)...................... 237,830 153,889 64.7 139,064 58.5 2,206 136,858 14,825 9.6 83,941 ``` ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/84 "2011-09-05T12:43:39Z")
> [@hocuspocusfocus](#): > > I do not know where Fear obtained his information but it is a: > **LIE,aspersion, backbiting, calumniation, calumny, deceit, deception, defamation, detraction, dishonesty, disinformation, distortion, evasion, fable, fabrication, falsehood, falseness, falsification, falsity, fib, fiction, forgery, fraudulence, guile, hyperbole, inaccuracy, invention, libel, mendacity, misrepresentation, misstatement, myth, obloquy, perjury, prevarication, revilement, reviling, slander, subterfuge, tale, tall story, vilification, white lie, whopper, falsehood, LIE, LIE, LIE, LIE** What an effective debating technique. I’m convinced. > [@hocuspocusfocus](#): > > ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/lf/aat1.txt > > In 2000 the employed labor force was 142,583,000 > in 2007 the employed labor force was 153,124,000 > > net job creation under Bush 153,124,000-142,583,000=10,541,000 I guess this would be useful data if Bush had actually left office in 2007 instead of January 2009. > [@hocuspocusfocus](#): > > net job creation under Marxist Obama 154,287,000-139,267,000=\*\*minus, negative,loss 15,020,000 jobs gone under Obama \*\* > > There are 15,020,000 out there, and you know who you are, that need to provide for your families, want the good things in life, seeing no opportunity, with dismal prospect and outlook of the future, seeking meaning and a sense of worth and value. > > Well your life sucks under Obama. You do know that the 3 trillion dollars that obama spent on his wall street crooks, union henchmen, green wacko environmentalists would have done more good, if he had put $200,000 in each of your pockets. > > Obama is a communist, Marxist, Socialist, liberal, Democrat So, you’re advocating just handing out $200,000 to each unemployed person. Isn’t that…socialism? ---
**Author:** ![hocuspocusfocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f07891/32.png) [@hocuspocusfocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hocuspocusfocus)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/85 "2011-09-05T13:13:04Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > [http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/152201/3\_reality-based\_charts\_your\_right-wing\_relatives\_will\_have\_a\_hard\_time\_ignoring/](http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/152201/3_reality-based_charts_your_right-wing_relatives_will_have_a_hard_time_ignoring/) > These charts clearly show the difference between the Bush admin and Obama’s. It also shows that the bleating of the rightys is totally misplaced as always. The charts are crap!!! Chart #1 here is the true comparison [spending as % GDP](http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/downchart_gs.php?year=1900_2010&view=1&expand=&units=p&log=linear&fy=fy12&chart=F0-total&bar=0&stack=1&size=l&title=Spending%20As%20Percent%20Of%20GDP&state=US&color=c&local=s) The chart clearly shows that government was well managed by GOP leadership in the 10 years prior to the Obamanation with 34% of GDP being spent by the government then jumped catastrophically to 42%, a whopping 23% increase by Broke Insane Obama-nation . You never ever show spending in absolute dollars. I don’t care if it is in a family budget or business budget or a government budget, you never do it if you expect to draw any meaningful conclusions or make comparisons. You always show it in relation to income. In the case of the government income is Gross domestic Product. Chart #2 here is the true comparison [deficite as % GDP](http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/downchart_gs.php?year=1996_2016&view=1&expand=&units=p&log=linear&fy=fy12&chart=G0-fed&bar=1&stack=1&size=l&title=&state=US&color=c&local=s) Under the GOP leadership the debt increased only 1% to 3% per year and then skyrocketed to 11% under Broke Insane Obama-nation it is no wonder that Broke Insane Obama-nations credit rating was reduced. This debt and the more to come under Broke Insane Obama-nation are like the toxic mortgages that got the US in this economic nightmare in the first place. Again, You never ever show debt in absolute dollars but always as percentage of income. You go to a bank to qualify for a loan and what is the first thing the banker does? He looks at your income and calculates a % of income that is available after other living expenses are paid. If it does not meet the loan guidelines then no deal. Bank are rated/regulated based on % basis as well. Chart #3 Statistics only satisfy the Folks who make them. The Chart is skewed to show one year under the Republican Administration–Democratic controlled House, Split Senate, and OVER two years of the Democratic Administration–Democratic Controlled House and Senate, with exception to the Republican Controlled House starting in Jan. 2011. So, it’s manipulated from the start. However to get a better perspective on how our economy actually works, there should be a chart of DECADES of DATA concerning job growth so we could see what worked in the past to help, and whether this is cyclical in nature or not. In 2000 the employed labor force was 142,583,000 in 2008 the employed labor force was 154,287,000 net job creation under Bush 154,287,000-142,583,000=11,704,000 In 2008 the employed labor force was 154,287,000 in 2010 the employed labor force was 139,064,000 in aug 2011 the employed labor force was 139,267,000 [http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm](http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm) net job creation under Marxist Obama 154,287,000-139,267,000=\*\*minus, negative,loss 15,020,000 jobs gone under Obama \*\* There are 15,020,000 out there, and you know who you are, that need to provide for your families, want the good things in life, seeing no opportunity, with dismal prospect and outlook of the future, seeking meaning and a sense of worth and value. Well your life sucks under Obama. You do know that the 3 trillion dollars that obama spent on his wall street crooks, union henchmen, green wacko environmentalists would have done more good, if he had put $200,000 in each of your pockets. Figures never lie only liers figure. The lefties, communists, Marxists, socialists, liberals, democrats are hell bent on wrecking havoc and outright destroying the American family wealth and their children’s future. Obama is a communist, Marxist, Socialist, liberal, Democrat Obama is bad for jobs, Obama is bad for America, Obama is bad for you. Pst: communist, Marxist, Socialist, liberal, Democrats are bad for you too! Obama has proven he is the worst president in the History of American. And would be the absolute worst president in 2012. ```auto Civilian labor force Civilian Employed Unemployed Not in Year noninsti- labor tutional Percent force population Total of Percent Nonagri- Percent population Total of Agri- cultural Number of population culture industries labor 2000 (1)...................... 212,577 142,583 67.1 136,891 64.4 2,464 134,427 5,692 4.0 69,994 2001.......................... 215,092 143,734 66.8 136,933 63.7 2,299 134,635 6,801 4.7 71,359 2002.......................... 217,570 144,863 66.6 136,485 62.7 2,311 134,174 8,378 5.8 72,707 2003 (1)...................... 221,168 146,510 66.2 137,736 62.3 2,275 135,461 8,774 6.0 74,658 2004 (1)...................... 223,357 147,401 66.0 139,252 62.3 2,232 137,020 8,149 5.5 75,956 2005 (1)...................... 226,082 149,320 66.0 141,730 62.7 2,197 139,532 7,591 5.1 76,762 2006 (1)...................... 228,815 151,428 66.2 144,427 63.1 2,206 142,221 7,001 4.6 77,387 2007 (1)...................... 231,867 153,124 66.0 146,047 63.0 2,095 143,952 7,078 4.6 78,743 2008 (1)...................... 233,788 154,287 66.0 145,362 62.2 2,168 143,194 8,924 5.8 79,501 2009 (1)...................... 235,801 154,142 65.4 139,877 59.3 2,103 137,775 14,265 9.3 81,659 2010 (1)...................... 237,830 153,889 64.7 139,064 58.5 2,206 136,858 14,825 9.6 83,941 ``` ---
**Author:** ![hocuspocusfocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f07891/32.png) [@hocuspocusfocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hocuspocusfocus)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/86 "2011-09-05T13:19:39Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > So, you’re advocating just handing out $200,000 to each unemployed person. Isn’t that…socialism? Broke Insane Obama-nation gave it to wall street crooks, union henchmen, green wacko environmentalists which is no less than a failed communist attempt to control the means of production. > [@Finagle](#): > > I guess this would be useful data if Bush had actually left office in 2007 instead of January 2009. Corrected [above](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14220303&postcount=85) ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/87 "2011-09-05T13:42:16Z")
> [@hocuspocusfocus](#): > > Corrected [above](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14220303&postcount=85) Still not good enough, hoss. Unless you were expecting Obama to wave a wand on inauguration day and make everything better. A President’s policies are going to take some time to take effect. Much of the drop in employment in the first few month’s of Obama’s presidency can be laid to the economic tsunami that started back in 2008. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/88 "2011-09-05T14:24:27Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > The Obama programs also saved a lot of jobs. Just counting new jobs is bad analysis. Surely, gonzo, you understand the inherent problem with this whole “It would have been worse if not for Obama” logic. Any President could use it. Hell, Bush could say that the world economy went into the toilet through no fault of his own and if not for his astute leadership, unemployment would have been 87% with the 13% of people employed giving $15 blowjobs in rest area bathrooms. There is simply no way to get a time machine and see what would have happened. The only measure that you can use is the results that happened. Obama’s job is to get this economy moving. I don’t consider 9% unemployment and the continuing malaise getting that done. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/89 "2011-09-05T17:08:06Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > There is simply no way to get a time machine and see what would have happened. The only measure that you can use is the results that happened. I understand the rationale here, but this is an approach to presidential politics that always irks me. If we acknowledge that there are causes and effects we simply can’t account for, is the best approach really just to look at results correlated to the sitting president? Doesn’t that prior acknowledgment undermine “results-focused” evaluation as a whole and suggest that it’s much better to analyze a president in terms of the actions they take rather than the state of the economy during their tenure? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/90 "2011-09-06T16:24:25Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > You must be joking. Can you imagine what our credit rating would be if that happened? Nobody cares what our credit rating is: **[10-Year Treasury Yield Lowest In Over 50 Years](http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=201109052305dowjonesdjonline000316&title=10-year-us-treasury-yield-hits-record-low)** ---
**Author:** ![New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Deal_Democrat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/91 "2011-09-06T22:51:01Z")
> [@Implicit](#): > > Maybe that’s how she’s gonna deliver on that $2 gas promise. Maybe Jesus will come again and lower it for her. Republican economic promises depend on Divine intervention for their achievement. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Deal_Democrat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/92 "2011-09-06T22:57:36Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > What about Obama’s Democrat challengers? I think Hillary would do a better job. She packs more IQ power, and her chief adviser is a Rhodes Scholar. Unfortunately, if anyone runs against Obama in the primary, that opposition will almost certainly fail, and doom Obama’s chances in the general election. This is what happened when Eugene McCarthy ran against Lyndon Johnson in 1968, and when Ronald Reagan ran against Gerald Ford in 1976. The best scenario would be for Obama to pull out of the race, like Harry Truman did in 1952, and invite Hillary to run, like Truman invited Adlai Stevenson to run. Unfortunately, the historical precedent is against that too. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Deal_Democrat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/93 "2011-09-06T23:02:01Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Obama. > > No one is even in the same zip code with him for damage done to the country. He’s making Jimmy Carter look like Albert Einstein. Jimmy Carter was less successful than Ronald Reagan, but he was a better president. There was more job creation per year when he was president than when Ronald Reagan was president. [http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2009/01/09/bush-on-jobs-the-worst-track-record-on-record/](http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2009/01/09/bush-on-jobs-the-worst-track-record-on-record/) Unemployment never got as high under Carter as it did under Reagan. [http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0104719.html](http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0104719.html) Carter paid down the national debt. Reagan nearly doubled it. > **[Voodoo Economics, and the National Debt Takes off Again](https://zfacts.com/national-debt/)** > > Watch G H W Bush call Reagan's supply-side economics "Voodoo" then deny it when he's Reagan's VP. > **[File:US Federal Debt as Percent of GDP by President.jpg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_Federal_Debt_as_Percent_of_GDP_by_President.jpg)** > >   > Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. > You cannot overwrite this file. The following 3 pages use this file: ---
**Author:** ![New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Deal_Democrat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/94 "2011-09-06T23:10:17Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Obama has created more jobs in 3 years than Bush did in 8 years. Can you document that? I want to agree with you, but an assertion like that needs to be substantiated with a credible source. When Barack Obama was inaugurated in January 2009 the unemployment rate was 7.8 percent. It grew to 10.1 percent in October 2009. Now it is 9.1 percent. > **[Table Data - Unemployment Rate | FRED | St. Louis Fed](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/UNRATE)** I do not know how you can claim net job creation from those statistics. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Deal_Democrat)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/95 "2011-09-06T23:16:32Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Perry, Bachmann, and Palin are a group taking ignorance to a brand spanking new level that should embarrass all Americans. Conservatives should run hard away from them. They will sink the party .They should. The right wing deserves ridicule for the class of politicians they are trying to foist on the country. Unfortunately, one of those nut cases could be elected president. When the voters get scared they can do dangerous things. The Great Depression gave us Franklin Roosevelt. It gave Germany Adolf Hitler. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/96 "2011-09-07T00:45:00Z")
> [@](#): > > The best scenario would be for Obama to pull out of the race, like Harry Truman did in 1952, and invite Hillary to run, like Truman invited Adlai Stevenson to run. I’ve mentioned this in another thread, but Truman declined to run again for the simple reason that he’d served (most of) two terms. He was just following the tradition of (almost) every president before him. Obama’s situation is not comparable; if he declined to run again, it’d be seen as a concession. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/97 "2011-09-07T19:33:45Z")
> [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](#): > > Can you document that? I want to agree with you, but an assertion like that needs to be substantiated with a credible source. > > When Barack Obama was inaugurated in January 2009 the unemployment rate was 7.8 percent. It grew to 10.1 percent in October 2009. Now it is 9.1 percent. > [Table Data - Unemployment Rate | FRED | St. Louis Fed](http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/data/UNRATE.txt) > > I do not know how you can claim net job creation from those statistics. I think the short answer is that it depends upon how much the labor force grew as well. I recall hearing, I think on Marketplace, that the labor force grew as a whole because more grads enter the market, and fewer people are choosing to retire, they are holding onto the jobs they’ve got. therefore the labor force can grow, jobs can be added, but the percentages could still match your quote above as a percentage of the total. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/98 "2011-09-08T04:54:31Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve mentioned this in another thread, but Truman declined to run again for the simple reason that he’d served (most of) two terms. He was just following the tradition of (almost) every president before him. Obama’s situation is not comparable; if he declined to run again, it’d be seen as a concession. I think the big reason Truman didn’t run again wasn’t the two term thing, so much as that his popularity had tanked and that he lost the New Hampshire primary to Kefauver. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/99 "2011-09-08T17:19:34Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Surely, gonzo, you understand the inherent problem with this whole “It would have been worse if not for Obama” logic. Any President could use it. Hell, Bush could say that the world economy went into the toilet through no fault of his own and if not for his astute leadership, unemployment would have been 87% with the 13% of people employed giving $15 blowjobs in rest area bathrooms. > > There is simply no way to get a time machine and see what would have happened. The only measure that you can use is the results that happened. Obama’s job is to get this economy moving. I don’t consider 9% unemployment and the continuing malaise getting that done. Wrong. There were lots of jobs saved particularly in police, firemen and government jobs. This is not speculation but the facts. What do you think Obama should have done to decrease unemployment, nothing? Plenty of departments can point to not losing their budgets making it so people did not have to get laid off. ---
**Author:** ![NNN99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac91a4/32.png) [@NNN99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NNN99)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149/100 "2011-09-11T23:46:39Z")
If you compare all the Republican candidates to the man who is currently in the office as president, none, in my opinion could do a worse job. Obama thought the presidency would give him free reign to fly and talk without reprecussions. He was/is wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-candidate-would-make-the-worst-president/593149.md?page=6)