Romney Campaign Press Release - A Record He Can't Match: Obama Convention Turns To Clinton

"After nearly four years in office, middle-class Americans aren't better off under President Obama, with fewer jobs, lower incomes, and increased poverty – so he's turned to a president whose record he can tout. But from 20 million new jobs to historic welfare reforms, President Clinton has a record President Obama simply can't match. Americans deserve a president willing to run on his own accomplishments, and not the record of a predecessor." – Amanda Henneberg, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

President Obama Removed The Bipartisan Work Requirements Contained In President Clinton's Historic Welfare Reforms:

President Obama "Tossed Out The Clinton-Era Welfare Reform That Required Able-Bodied Aid Recipients To Work." "Democrats and Republicans alike should be distressed by President Barack Obama's disregard for constitutional limits on his authority. The president's flouting of the separation of powers risks turning this country into something other than a representative democracy. Congress should move in a bipartisan rebuke of Obama's overreach before he neuters that institution. In a blatant challenge to the legislative branch, Obama by executive order tossed out the Clinton-era welfare reform that required able-bodied aid recipients to work, saying the federal government will no longer enforce the law." (Editorial, "Obama's Power Grab Flouts Constitution," Detroit News, 8/6/12)

• The Obama Administration's Welfare Changes "Quietly Opened The Door For States To Seek Major Changes" In Work Requirements. "The Obama administration has quietly opened the door for states to seek major changes in how they meet federal welfare-to-work requirements for some of their poorest residents, and leading conservatives are crying foul." (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "Obama Administration Opens The Door For States To Seek Major Changes In Welfare-To-Work Law," The Associated Press, 7/13/12)

In 1996, President Clinton Signed Welfare Reforms That Provided "An Historic Opportunity To End Welfare As We Know It" And Transform Welfare To Promote "The Fundamental Values Of Work." "Today, I have signed into law H.R. 3734, the 'Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.' While far from perfect, this legislation provides an historic opportunity to end welfare as we know it and transform our broken welfare system by promoting the fundamental values of work, responsibility, and family. This Act honors my basic principles of real welfare reform. It requires work of welfare recipients, limits the time they can stay on welfare, and provides child care and health care to help them make the move from welfare to work." (President Bill Clinton, Statement, 8/22/96)

President Obama Has Presided Over An Economy That Has Lost Jobs, While The Economy Added Millions Of New Jobs While President Clinton Served In Office:

Under President Obama, The Unemployment Rate Has Increased From 7.8% To 8.3% And Has Remained Above 8% For 42 Straight Months. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 9/1/12)

• Since President Obama Took Office, The U.S. Economy Has Lost 316,000 Jobs. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 7/26/12)

Under President Clinton, The Unemployment Rate Fell From 7.3% To 4.2%. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 9/1/12)

• During President Clinton's Time In Office, The U.S. Economy Created 22.7 Million New Jobs. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 9/1/12)

President Obama Has Presided Over Four Straight Trillion-Dollar Deficits, While President Clinton Presided Over Balanced Budgets:

"The Federal Budget Deficit For Fiscal Year 2012 ... Will Total $1.1 Trillion ... Marking The Fourth Year In A Row With A Deficit Of More Than $1 Trillion." "The federal budget deficit for fiscal year 2012 (which ends on September 30) will total $1.1 trillion, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates, marking the fourth year in a row with a deficit of more than $1 trillion." ("An Update To The Budget And Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2012 To 2022," Congressional Budget Office, 8/22/12)

• Since President Obama Took Office, The National Debt Has Surpassed A Record $16 Trillion – An Increase Of More Than $5 Trillion. (Department Of The Treasury, www.treasurydirect.gov, 9/4/12)

Under President Bill Clinton And Republicans In Congress, Federal Budgets Were Balanced. "Democrat Bill Clinton was president the last time the federal budget was balanced, and Republicans controlled Congress." (Jim Dexter, "CNN Fact Check: The Last President To Balance The Budget," CNN, 2/3/10)

• During The Clinton Administration, The Nation Had Three Years Of Budget Surpluses. (Office Of Management & Budget Website, Accessed 9/1/12)

President Obama Has Presided Over Record Levels Of Poverty, While Poverty Declined When President Clinton Was In Office:

Under President Obama, The Number Of Americans Living In Poverty Has Increased By More Than Six Million. (U.S. Census Bureau, www.census.gov, 9/1/12)

• The Number Of Americans Living In Poverty Currently Stands At "A Record 46 Million." "The number of Americans living below the poverty line rose to a record 46 million last year, the government said on Tuesday, underscoring the challenges facing President Barack Obama and Congress as they try to tackle high unemployment and a moribund economy." (David Morgan, "Number Of Poor Hit Record 46 Million In 2010," Reuters, 9/13/11)

During President Clinton's Tenure In Office, The Number Of Americans Living In Poverty Declined By More Than Six Million.  (U.S. Census Bureau, www.census.gov, 9/1/12)

President Obama Has Presided Over An Economy That Is Driving Down Household Incomes, While Incomes Increased During President Clinton's Time In Office:

Since President Obama Took Office, Median Household Income Has Declined By Over $4,000. "In January 2009, the month President Obama entered the Oval Office and shortly before he signed his stimulus spending bill, median household income was $54,983. By June 2012, it had tumbled to $50,964, adjusted for inflation. (See the chart nearby.) That's $4,019 in lost real income, a little less than a month's income every year." (Editorial, "Negative $4,019," The Wall Street Journal, 8/24/12)

Under President Clinton, Median Household Incomes Increased By 14 Percent. "The median household income increased during the two terms of Clinton (by 14 per cent, as we'll see in more detail below), Ronald Reagan (8.1 per cent), and Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford (3.9 per cent). ... Under Clinton, the median income increased 14 per cent."  (Ronald Brownstein, "Closing The Book On The Bush Legacy," The Atlantic, 9/11/09)

• President Obama's 2008 Campaign Sent Out A Press Release That Noted Median Household Income Under President Clinton Increased By $6,200. "Under the Clinton Administration, median household income increased by $6,200." (Obama For America, "Statement From Senator Obama On Census Income, Health Insurance And Poverty Numbers," Press Release, 8/26/08)