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Romney Campaign Press Release - President Obama's New Promises to Iowa Students: Same as His Old Promises

April 25, 2012

"Nearly four years ago in Iowa, President Obama promised jobs and a robust economy to help improve the fortunes of college graduates. Today, when he returns to Iowa, President Obama will have to run on his record of failed economic policies that have produced one of the worst job markets for college graduates in decades. Young Americans don't need more campaign slogans and promises—they need a president who will build an economy that helps gets them back to work." -Andrea Saul, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

Nearly Four Years Ago, Candidate Obama Traveled To Iowa And Spoke About His Jobs Plan For College Graduates:

Candidate Obama, On His Plan For Ensuring College Graduates Have Jobs: "The First Thing Is To Make Sure That The Economy Is Growing." QUESTION: "I have a son and a daughter in college. They're a junior and senior. And they're concerned about job opportunities. What strategy and plan do you have in place for college graduates for jobs and employment?"  OBAMA: "Well, the first thing is to make sure that the economy is growing. And I've talked about some of the things we have to do to make the economy grow." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks, Davenport, IA, 8/25/08)

What Type Of Record Has President Obama Compiled? A Series Of Failed Economic Policies And "One Of The Worst Job Markets In Decades" For Young Adults:

Candidate Obama, In Iowa: "Redesign Our High Schools, So That Young People Are Starting To Get A Taste Of The Work World..." OBAMA: "But one of the things that we should be doing is thinking about how do we redesign our high schools, so that young people are starting to get a taste of the work world and what's out there, and are starting to connect the skills they learn in the classroom with employment opportunities." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks, Davenport, IA, 8/25/08)

  • The Current Unemployment Rate Among Young Adults Ages 16 To 19 Is At 25%. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, Accessed 4/22/12)
  •  "Only One In Four U.S. Teenagers Held A Job In 2011, The Smallest Percentage In Decades And Half What It Was In 1999-2000." "Teenaged workers, whether it was students seeking summer jobs or school dropouts and graduates looking for full-time work, were particularly hard-hit by joblessness. Only one in four U.S. teenagers held a job in 2011, the smallest percentage in decades and half what it was in 1999-2000." (Andrew Stern, "Job Market Hurt Teens Most: Study," Reuters, 1/24/12)

Candidate Obama, In Iowa: "Matching The Education System So It Works With Employers More Effectively..." OBAMA: "So, job growth generally is something we have to deal with. But the second thing is matching the education system so it works with employers more effectively, and we figure out what the jobs in the future are going to be." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks, Davenport, IA, 8/25/08)

  • "Young Americans Graduating From High School And College Over The Last Several Years Have Been Confronting One Of The Worst Job Markets In Decades." (Josh Sanburn, "Fewest Young Adults In 60 Years Have Jobs," Time, 2/9/12)
  • In 2011, More Than Half Of All College Graduates Under The Age Of 25 Were "Jobless Or Underemployed, The Highest Share In At Least 11 Years." "About 1.5 million, or 53.6 percent, of bachelor's degree-holders under the age of 25 last year were jobless or underemployed, the highest share in at least 11 years. In 2000, the share was at a low of 41 percent, before the dot-com bust erased job gains for college graduates in the telecommunications and IT fields." (Hope Yen, "1 In 2 New Graduates Are Jobless Or Underemployed," The Associated Press, 4/22/12)

Candidate Obama, In Iowa: "Clean Energy. That Is Going To Be A Job-Generator In The Future..." OBAMA: "Clean energy. That is going to be a job-generator in the future, if we're smart about it. I was in Seattle at a company that had started off as a mom-and- pop plumbing outfit. And they got a few jobs doing HVAC work and making buildings a little more efficient, and they decided, you know what? This could generate some money. ... Those are jobs of the future." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks, Davenport, IA, 8/25/08)

  • The Obama Administration Loaned Over Half A Billion Dollars To Solyndra, Which Went Bankrupt And Laid Off 1,100 Workers. "In a blow to the Obama administration's efforts to create green jobs, solar-cell maker Solyndra announced Wednesday that it will close its remaining Fremont factory, lay off its 1,100 employees and file for bankruptcy.  The news marked an abrupt end for a company once considered among the most innovative in a fast-changing industry. The bankruptcy also represents a high-profile failure for a federal stimulus program that gives loan guarantees to green-tech manufacturers." (David R. Baker and Carolyn Said, "Solyndra Closes Fremont Plant - Stimulus Hopes Dim," San Francisco Chronicle, 9/1/11)
  • Of The First Twelve Obama Administration Loans To Clean Energy Companies, "Two Firms Filed For Bankruptcy, A Third Has Faced Layoffs And A Fourth Deal Never Closed." "The bonuses and bankruptcies come against a growing wave of trouble for companies financed with Energy Department dollars. Of the first 12 loan guarantees the department announced, for instance, two firms filed for bankruptcy, a third has faced layoffs and a fourth deal never closed."  (Ronnie Greene and Matthew Mosk, "Green Firms Get Fed Cash, Give Execs Bonuses, Fail," ABC News, 3/6/12)

Candidate Obama, In Iowa: "We've Got To Stabilize The Housing Market." OBAMA: "And I've talked about some of the things we have to do to make the economy grow. We've got to stabilize the housing market. And not only do we have to deal with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, but we also have to build off legislation that we just passed, and expand it to help people stabilize their mortgages." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks, Davenport, IA, 8/25/08)

  • Since President Obama Took Office, Millions Of Homes Have Been Lost To Foreclosures With Another 4 Million "In The Foreclosure Process Or Seriously Delinquent." "Meanwhile, 2.5 million homes have been lost to foreclosure since 2009, an additional 4 million are in the foreclosure process or seriously delinquent, and home prices are still falling in much of the U.S., shrinking household wealth for millions of Americans." (Julie Schmit, "What Went Wrong With Foreclosure Aid Programs?," USA Today, 12/12/11)
  • Housing Experts Have Noted That "Every Program" From President Obama "Has Fallen Far Short Of Goals." "'Every program has fallen far short of goals. I can't think of one that's been largely successful,' says John Dodds, director of the Philadelphia Unemployment Project, a non-profit that's been involved in foreclosure prevention for decades." (Julie Schmit, "What Went Wrong With Foreclosure Aid Programs?," USA Today, 12/12/11)

Mitt Romney, Romney Campaign Press Release - President Obama's New Promises to Iowa Students: Same as His Old Promises Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/301307

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