President Barack Obama is using virtually every type of political pressure available to him to force Congress to approve his new $447 billion ''stimulus'' proposal. He has been leaving one thing out of his speeches, however: the truth.
The Associated Press analyzed Obama's claims about his jobs bill recently. Here is a sampling of misstatements of fact the news organization found:
While the president claims Republicans are blocking his plan, many Democrats oppose it, too.
Regarding the same claim, Democrat lawmakers control the U.S. Senate, but have not made the president's bill a priority.
Obama insists Republican leaders won't tell him what they find objectionable in the bill. They have done so in detail, the AP notes.
Proposals in the jobs bill are similar to those that have had bipartisan support in the past, Obama maintains. That simply is false; massive tax increases such as those the president wants have never been backed by Republican lawmakers.
And this, not mentioned by the AP: Obama insists his proposals are proven job creators. Yet much of his package merely copies features of his previous $787 billion ''stimulus.'' Most Americans understand that initiative was ineffective.
Fortunately, many in the public seem to understand Obama is not being candid. There certainly has been no groundswell of support - and there certainly should not be one. The president's proposal would waste hundreds of billions of dollars and should not be considered by Congress.