Missed It By That Much

In 2008, Barack Obama promised five million new green jobs.

ScreenHunter_1529 Aug. 02 07.53

The actual number turned out to be 2,642.

In 2008 candidate Barack Obama promised to create 5 million green jobs. He laid out a plan to invest $150 billion over 10 years that would advance a clean-energy economy built around biofuels, hybrid cars, low-emission coal plants, and renewable sources such as solar and wind. How many has he actually created?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking green jobs two years ago, but it counts only how many existed as of the end of 2010. It doesn’t keep a running total of newly created jobs, so there’s no way to tell how many existed before Obama’s election. The Brookings Institution also has a tally, but it too goes only through 2010, and of the nearly 2.7 million green jobs it identifies, most were bus drivers, sewage workers, and other types of work that don’t fit the “green jobs of the future” that Obama imagined. The report does zero in on cleantech, which includes the wind, solar, fuel-cell, and smart-grid industries. In 2010, Brookings shows, there were 184,699 such jobs nationwide—up 2,642 since the president took office in 2009.

The 5 Million Green Jobs That Weren’t – Businessweek

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41 Responses to Missed It By That Much

  1. nigelf says:

    Another Obama lie, surprise, surprise.
    Another interesting figure to see would be the number of billions spent to try and create all these non-existent jobs.

  2. James Strom says:

    It’s pretty meaningless unless it’s a net figure. You must also count, or at least estimate, the number of jobs extinguished as a result of implementing green programs.

  3. pesce9991 says:

    No mention of the Great Recession that occurred after Obama made these promises. No mention of the Republicans blocking every jobs bill he proposed. No mention that in January, Bushes last 2/3 of a month, 750,000 jobs were lost in that month alone. Strange.

    • No mention that Dems spent $1 trillion on an economic stimulus package which couldn’t overcome the fear of Obama which crashed the economy after his election.

      • bobmaginnis says:

        Steve, the economy crashed well before Obama was elected, but has recovered nicely
        (Dow Jones 16,493.37.)

        • Unemployment was 4.3% and falling on election day 2006, when Democrats took over the Congress.

        • Maybe we’re confusing the stock market and the economy. The market which has no firm ties to the economy has done nicely but the economy has lagged and will never, in our lifetimes, boom as in the past. Sorry.

        • Shazaam says:

          Sorry Bob,

          The DJIA is *NO* indicator of economic health. If anything the recent increases are exposing the underlying inflation. http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/inflation-charts

          If unemployment statistics were kept using the same methods used in the 1970’s and 1980’s the current unemployment number would be reported at about 23%. When the liar-in-chief mouthed the oath of office, that unemployment number was approaching 13%. Source: http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/unemployment-charts

          Bush the lesser was no prize. The laughingstock-in-chief is far, far worse.

          I would bet he shuffled a sum much larger than that 150 billion off to his campaign contributors who promptly embezzled the cash and bankrupted the green energy companies they used as a conduit for their “paybacks”. (Solyndra et al)

        • darwin says:

          Bob, Wall Street is not the economy.

        • _Jim says:

          re: bobmaginnis says on August 2, 2014 at 2:20 pm
          … but has recovered nicely (Dow Jones 16,493.37.)

          How stupid and uninformed can little “b” bob actually be?

          Way, waaay waaaaay stupid and uninformed … in fact, there is no real lower bound (or limit).

          And he votes, ladies and gentlemen. He and quite a few like him. Like Peace1999. “Low-info” voters.

          .

        • pesce9991 says:

          Imagine, bob, how a clueless rube like Jim here is allowed to vote. Apparently he believes that the economy crashed after Obama became president! Shall I correct him on this? I shall!

          Jim, the recession began in December, 2007 when the housing market showed signs of faltering. The stock market began its six month decline in September of 2008. By January, 2009 we were losing jobs at the rate of 750,000 a month.

          We were well into the recession by the time Obama took office.

          When Obama signed the stimulus bill the hemorrhaging ceased. By March the stock market began a long climb upward to where it has now reached record territory. For the past six months we have seen job recovery at a rate exceeding 200,000 jobs per month.

          Now Jim says the stock market has nothing to do with the recovery.

          This proves that Jim is a bobble head who believes whatever he wants, facts be d&#%@d. And he has the hubris to call us “low information voters”.

          HELLOOOOOO, Jim. Anybody home?

        • One really should not call other commenters names, specially when you have partaken of as much of the Kool Aid as you obviously have.
          The POTUS, no matter how well meaning nor from what party, has absolutely nothing to do with the longer term condition of the market nor the economy. The QE itself had absolutely nothing to do with the market, economy or hiring. That money was never and NEVER was intended to be in play. The rise in the market has more to do with uninformed but hopeful investors than anything else other than some increase in productivity corporate-wise. The real economy has not effectively budged from bad, where it will stay for generations. The pitiful 200,000 monthly job increase will barely cover the newbies coming into the job market and to piss a bit further into your shoe, most of those jobs were part-time. It’s the uninformed creatures who are 100% in denial that have attempted to jawbone forward the campaign of the current, do nothing but destroy, administration. Maybe before name calling one should look into the mirror.

        • I’ve noticed the increasingly shrill and desperate tone of progressives recently, as their reign of terror comes to an end.

        • pesce9991 says:

          I think you’re projecting, Steven.

        • Shazaam says:

          @pesce9991

          Toto ain’t projecting. And you sir, are either wearing some nifty rose coloured glasses, or smokin’ some really mind-altering / fine choom.

          Go to the BLS page. Select a plot from 2007 to 2014 (since you are blaming Bush or Booooosh). http://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet — Make sure you click go.

          So, it kinda looks like the laughingstock-in-chief and his merry band of czars have turned things around and we’re back to 2008 right?

          6 years for the laughingstock-in-chief and his merry band of czars to get back to his starting point? That’s what you call progress????

          Now for the little sticking point that is conveniently swept under the media rug. Mr Williams states that 146,000 new jobs are needed monthly to keep up with population growth. http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/unemployment-charts

          That means the laughingstock-in-chief has not yet matched the percentage of the population when Bush left office. To do that he needs to make up for a 6 year deficit of 146,000 * 72 or 10.5 million jobs.

          Thus just to match the employment rate under Bush, the current employment number on that BLS chart should be 148,000 not 137,500 as it stands.

          Thus, despite spending more money than all previous administrations combined, the laughingstock-in-chief is a massive failure. He has absolutely no idea what to do thus all the wag-the-dog efforts to distract from the most corrupt administration ever. And all his devoted minions in all the little government agencies are busy doing the opposite of what is needed. More regulations and more taxes and more police-state just dig the hole deeper.

          I know, I know, math is hard and Obama is your hero. And you believe everything good said about him. And all critics are racist.

          {sighs}

        • Robert Kearns says:

          I assume, Shazaam, that any link you post would not be factual but rather just as biased as yourself and therefore of no use to me. Your motive is clear. You do not hide your hatred. I can’t take you seriously. So you are referencing, it seems, the record high that the market hit in 2008. Well it was hit within the previous year on 10/9/2007. It was a high of 14,164 It was the peak before the crash. Do you remember what it was on GW Bush’s last day in office? No? Well it ended at 8000 and a few pennies on 1/20/2009. (That was 56% of the record high just 13 months before). It continued to bleed until it went below 6,500 on March 6, 2009. Obama had been in office less than 2 months by then. Then it stopped and turned around. Business began to have some confidence that a Depression had been diverted. If you look at my other report about the GREAT DEPRESSION you will see that it took 25 years for the stock market to climb back to where it was in 12/3/1929.

          Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2014 20:12:28 +0000 To: [email protected]

        • _Jim says:

          re: pesce9991 (‘Peace1999’) says August 2, 2014 at 7:05 pm

          It’s already been decided you’re a f*cking idiot; refutations of your posts are not required (although Shazaam ABSOLUTELY cleaned your clock with his reply).

          Not only are you innumerate (determined previously) and a f*cking idiot (ditto), but you’re now certifiably economically illiterate as well.

          The f*cking idiot does not realize PAYOUTS to Wall Street via Quantitative Easing (look it up, f*cking idiot) has been largely responsible for the stock market ‘rise’.

          .

        • Robert Kearns says:

          This is a disgusting reply, Jim. If you are not capable of intelligent back and forth then just don’t respond. You’ve brought the forum to a new low. It truly sounds like you are foaming at the mouth and in a rage without control. I don’t think the forum needs anyone so full of venom and so lacking in decency.

          Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2014 22:42:14 +0000
          To: [email protected]

        • There Is No Substitute for Victory. says:

          Bob confuses economic growth with drawing one’s “pennies” which is an alternative term for Unemployment Benefits. But alas, all Democrats are a little bit confused over what constitutes work and what welfare is. But when it comes to pure pork, the Democrat Party Rent Seeker neither knows nor do they respects any bounds.

        • Phil Jones says:

          Amazing how Progressives refused to acknowledge how Clinton passed on a Recession to Bush… Then 9/11 happened…

          Sure Obama inherited a big Banking crash… Many believe this was brought on by BOTH parties who repealed Glass-Stegal… Which kept investment banks from mixing with bank banks…

    • darwin says:

      Just mind boggling how stupid liberals are.

      • pesce9991 says:

        Too bad, darwin, you haven’t ‘evolved’ like the rest of us.

        • darwin says:

          Thank God because you’ve evolved to survive without a brain. I’m always amazed at the power propaganda has over the brainless, and how willing they are to believe it.

        • _Jim says:

          darwin, they end up being ‘a drain’ on the rest of us, who may be properly called the ‘productive’ members of society, the ones who can (and do) actually *do* something constructive and productive, no matter what that might be (‘arts and crafts’ are probably rightfully excluded from this ‘productive’ category.) Liberals do not appreciate reading or hearing this kind of talk either, so one can expect ‘blowback’ when covering this kind of ground.

          So many liberals can be classified (as the more verbose on Zerohedge would put it:) as “useless eaters”. Note: I do not necessarily endorse this classification, but I can nonetheless appreciate the frustration of those who do use it.

          BTW, I would not be surprised to learn that Peases19999 weighs in at over 300 pounds.

          .

        • Phil Jones says:

          Darwin?? How about Galileo…. Wasn’t he jailed for not going along with the Consensus at the time… The Consensus said the Earth was flat and the Sun revolved around it…

          Galileo is right here… Your side represents the Flat Earth Consensus…

        • Robert Kearns says:

          Today we have scientists making the observations as Galileo did 400 years ago and the deniers not doing the work pretending they know more as the flat earthers did back in the day. Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2014 17:47:41 +0000 To: [email protected]

    • Greg Locke says:

      You do realize that Mr. Obama has been in office for over five years, during the first two of which the Democrats had complete control of Congress. The President wasted that time on the debacle that is the ACA. And, he cares little for Congress in any case, taking executive action and letting his executive agency minions regulate every which way, including environmental matters. It’s time to stop blaming Bush and the Republicans for the mess that is the Obama Administration, don’t you think?

      • Phil Jones says:

        No doubt… I agree… I wonder if pece9999 or anyone else will respond…

        Yep,they spent their time on Obamacare… Since it’s enact ion my rates have gone up 20% and my deductible doubled…. Don’t see much reporting in the MSM…

        • Robert Kearns says:

          Obama cares little for congress? I wonder if that had anything to do with their total lack of cooperation after the many times he sought their support? You s’pose? Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2014 17:49:46 +0000 To: [email protected]

    • SMS says:

      Wasn’t it strange how during the last election there were months when no jobs were created and the unemployment rate went down? And isn’t it strange how the downturn took effect when the Democrats took charge of the house and senate? And can’t we all remember Nancy, Harry and Chuck telling us every night how bad the economy was, even though the unemployment rate was only 4.7%? The Democratic Party is slime. Democrats are absolute politicians with only one goal; to further their party no matter what the cost to the taxpayers and country.

      I want my representative to sacrifice his political aspirations for the good of the country, not sacrifice the country for the good of his political aspirations.

    • Unfortunately “Jobs Bills” don’t do a thing for the labor market per se. Real jobs are created by private enterprise when there is a need for additional output. Jobs are lost when the demand for output lessens. Demand is created by consumers so the demand curve will be, for many years to come, diminishing in part caused by jobs lost to the second cause, technology. We have technologied our workers into a corner…unintended consequences anyone!

      • Shazaam says:

        Yes and no. The manufactures are moving their facilities and jobs to less hostile lands en mass.

        By less hostile, I mean regulators who are merely concerned with safety and hold no political agenda against commercial enterprises. And the overseas facilities do get to keep far more of what they earn overseas since they are viewed in those countries as the source of jobs and prosperity.

        As opposed to the US where commercial firms are viewed as a necessary evil to be milked and regulated for all they are worth to keep the tax parasites well financed and employed (in government agencies).

        Somehow, the US population has been brainwashed to view government money as the solution to problems.

        Forgetting of course that every dime the government has, had to be either taken from the productive individuals (and firms) or printed out of thin air (thus devaluing the remaining currency).

        The government has no wealth, and cannot create wealth. It just takes from one and gives to another (whilst keeping a cut for itself).

        Government employees don’t pay taxes. They are merely paying a kickback to their employers.

        • You are so right but you are certainly opening yourself to brutal criticism by the progressives who think that the government is the provider of ALL good things. And beware the IRS too.

    • Phil Jones says:

      Pesce1991…. Did Obama not have several years worth of Democrat Controlled Congress AFTER he was elected? What did Pelosi/Reid do about the economy during that time?

      Obama spent a Trillion dollars on a stimulus… What happened to that money… That’s a hella lot of money… Certainly Warren Buffett could have invested this money well in the economy… Created a net benefit on the Trillion… How did Obama and the Government do?

      • Robert Kearns says:

        Economists in favor of stimulus (most of them as it was clearly feared we were heading headlong into a Depression) were encouraging a larger stimulus. Some of it was used to loan money to the once largest industry in the country, Detroit. Romney, et al were saying ‘let ’em go. Money which has been paid back plus interest. More billions went to bailing out and saving those ‘too big to fail’ guys. And so on Then you have to count that the DOW went from 8000 when Bush left office to 6500 when Obama was less than 2 months in office and it stopped dead in its tracks on March 6, 2009 and proceeded upward. The job hemorrhaging also never saw a 750,000 per month loss once Obama got into office. I mean, really?! Why are these simple facts so hard for the right wing to hold onto. Same question same answer year in and year out as if you never saw a fact worth remembering. GOOD GRIEF! Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2014 17:44:34 +0000 To: [email protected]

  4. Pathway says:

    This is what happens when we put people in charge who are not qualified to run a 7-11.

  5. gator69 says:

    Maybe Skeeter was referring to a different kind of ‘Green Job’, like those created in Colorado recently.

  6. _Jim says:

    … he still has ~ 2 years, but, don’t hold your breath …

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