16 Fact-Challenged Statements in One Trump Speech

[KeithE]

For instance, the 5th fact: Trump says the Obama recovery after the 2008 Bush crash, was only 1.2% per year. Truth is that is the lowest GDP growth rate over the whole period that averaged 2.1% per year (which is a relatively weak short term gain in an expansionary periods). But what he fails to say it has been the longest expansionary period in US history (mostly due to the stimulus in 2009-11).

Or Fact 7: Trump claims that the unemployment rate is anywhere from 23% - 43%. When the truth is the unemployment has shrunk from a high of over 10% in 2009 to 4.9% under a uniform definition. Even if one considers so-called underemployed people, and yes this does include the unemployed. Btw, to reduce this underemployment we need another stimulus this time on infrastructure and green energy.

Trump may be right about #13, the one about Hillary may sign the TPP despite her campaign promise not to. The TPP might not be so bad if they stuck with the trade aspect articles (1-6), article 7 (human rights), and article 8 (workers rights). Read . But the other 16 provisions are mostly to help multinational corporations earn even more profits and having rights to sue countries who they say reduce their profits by say environmental regs, OSHA-type laws, or to avoid taxes via offshore tax havens. Thus signing an appropriately modified TPP might be OK but, as is, it is NAFTA on steroids. NAFTA (btw) was near unanimously approved by Republicans and Bill Clinton managed to get some Democratic support. NAFTA has had many bad consequences (ruining indigenous farmers which has caused much immigration into he US, encouraging border sweat shop businesses, removing manufacturing jobs in the US) among the chief consequences. Btw, . Ridiculous. May be a crowd pleaser but it would tank our economy (read last link).

[Sandy]

The conservative media outlets have a way of taking the most positive economic news in a decade, and turning it into a gloom and doom report of meaningless figures. Those who "have given up looking for work," are still included in the unemployment figures, and there is a relatively accurate picture of "underemployed" which is pretty low now compared to what it was during the Bush recession. The number of people who are out of the job market, and not necessarily looking for work includes an increasing number of baby boomers who are now retiring, which is one of the reasons why medicare, social security and pension funds are being pressed hard, not because the administration is finding statistical ways to hide the "real" unemployment. COmpare all the figures equally, and it is clear that the only period in the last 50 years that was better economically than the current period was the Clinton administration.

It's funny to see Republican governors trumpeting about the economic booms in their states, where Obama administration policies and the government stimulus contributed to economic recovery. The lack of attention to detail, and the carelessness of thinking through that is apparent in the Trump economic plan is probably more of an indicator that his supporters don't really care, or will believe anything that is said. The most common statement from his surrogates in interviews is, "No, I completely disagree with him on this issue, and I think what he said was wrong....but....."