Grim Milestone: Failed $862 Billion "Stimulus" Turns Two

Guy Benson | February 17, 2011 1:08 PM

Today marks the second anniversary of the passage of President Obama's so-called "stimulus" bill. Time flies when you're spending yourself into oblivion, I suppose. It seems like just yesterday that the president, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader Reid bestowed this wonderful $862 Billion gift upon the American public (sticking us with the bill, naturally) -- without

a single House Republican vote.

We were told it would stave off fiscal calamity by spurring economic growth while "saving or creating" 3-to-4 million jobs. In fact, we've lost millions of jobs. We were famously warned that without the massive federal spending, unemployment could reach as high as 9 percent. Where do we sit today, again? Ah yes: Exactly 9 percent -- although the reality is actually significantly bleaker, with more bad news on the way.

To celebrate this very special day, I'll leave you with a classic quote from a very special lady. In fairness to Madame ex-Speaker, this was obviously a slip of the tongue, but it's still (a) hilarious, and (b) emblematic of the sky-is-falling rhetoric Democrats used to rifle through a wasteful, counterproductive, unaffordable bill:

Parting statistic: The Democrats' failed "stimulus" bill cost more than eight years of the Iraq war, which at least had some side benefits, such as ridding the world of three evil tyrants and freeing 30 million people.

UPDATE - ABC News' Jon Karl notices that Democrats have been mighty quiet today about their big "achievement" today:

I've received lots of press releases from Republicans marking the 2nd anniversary of the stimulus, but not one yet from a Democrat ....

UPDATE II - A tale of two worldviews:

John Boehner:

U.S. Debt on February 17, 2009: $6.48 trillion
U.S. Debt today: $9.5 trillion

Number of jobs the “stimulus” was supposed to create: 3.5 million
Private sector jobs lost since the “stimulus” was signed: 1.8 million

Obama Administration’s projected unemployment rate: 7 percent
Actual unemployment rate: 9 percent

Number of jobs the WH said there would be if the “stimulus” passed: 137.6 million
Number of jobs there are today: 130.7 million

Nancy Pelosi:

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said on the two-year anniversary of President Barack Obama signing the stimulus package into law that she has no regrets about it, even if the spending measure helped fuel a GOP victory in the House this fall.

“We’re very, very proud of it,” she told reporters Thursday. “It was definitely worth it.”

“It created and saved jobs for our country. People from all over the world have been very complimentary. It proved President Obama was an innovator from day one,” she said.