Stephanie Cutter: 'Absolutely,' Americans Are Better Off Than They Were Four Years Ago

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On Sunday, Maryland's Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley told CBS News that it Americans are not better off than they were prior to the economic collapse of 2008 under President George W. Bush. Stephanie Cutter, President Barack Obama's deputy campaign manager, appeared on NBC's Today on Monday where she pushed back against that assertion, saying that Americans are measurably better off today than they were four years ago.

RELATED: Democratic Governor Tells CBS We're Not Better Off Than Four Years Ago

'Are we better off today than we were four years ago when President Obama was elected,' Today host Natalie Morales asked Cutter.

'Absolutely,' Cutter replied. 'In the six months before the president was elected we lost 3.5 million jobs. Wages had been going down for a decade. The auto industry was on the brink of failure. Our financial system ' this was just about the time we were seeing banks go under.'

Cutter said that 4.5 million jobs have been added under President Obama's administration and the automotive industry is more stable than it was when the president took office. Cutter acknowledged that Americans want to know how the president will continue to grow the economy, 'and that's what this week is about.'

Morales asked how Obama's second term would be different from the first.

'There is a piece of legislation sitting before Congress right now, the American Jobs Act, which the President sent up there a year ago that would create jobs right now,' Cutter replied. 'We need a willing partner on the other side in the Republican party ' we don't have one right now.'

Cutter said that Mitt Romney's economic proposals would 'crash our economy' and 'punish the middle class.'

Morales asked how 'politics as usual' would be any different from the past four years. 'I think the American people need to decide that,' said Cutter. 'They're going to decide that on November 6.' She went on to say that the present state of inaction on Capitol Hill was due to Republican intransigence on the issue of rising taxes on wealthier Americans.

Watch the segment below via NBC:

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• I am better off than I was four years ago.

  I can see why lazy and stupid Teabaggers would be worse off, since they have no marketable skills.  

• Stephanie Cutter is so much better at her job than anyone that Romney throws out there.. 

• She is mental.  Totes deranged.  

• Norman has gone from OWS to a tent in his parents backyard, I'm thinking that is why he's better off. The Tea Party folks at least pay their taxes to support Norman's sorry ass.

• do you mean like the Teabaggers who claim the President has raised taxes even though he's actually lowered them, who claim that the President is a secret Muslim who wants to destroy the country from within even though his administration has destroyed the ranks of Al-Qaeda in 4 years more than George Bush did in 8 years, who claim that the President was not even born in the United States even though he has released his long form birth certificate and every single person who wanted to see it did and verified it?

  Now THAT, my friend, is the definition of 'mental' and 'totes deranged' ' making up things that are flat out untrue, looking for side arguments that somehow enhance your crackpot beliefs and holding on tight to them. 

• 'I'm thinking'.'

  Ha!

• I'm better off. I'm self-employed and provide what is considered a luxury. And so far this year has been sweet.

• What a liar she is; but leave it to NBC to help Team Obama straighten out the message.

  Lie, lie lie'by Team Obama and by Team NBC (National Barak Channel).

  4.5M new jobs is a big fat old lie; why doesn't the media call her on it?

• Stephanie Cutter is a world class serial liar. Not very bright either to allow herself to be made a fool as she carries Dear Leader's water. Of course she adds that we'd be further along if not for the obstructionism of those mean old Republicans.

  Quite painful to watch.

•  Thank you Stephanie. All you have to do is look at your 401k and the stock market to know we are better off.

• US poverty on track to rise to highest since 1960s ( http://news.yahoo.com/us-poverty-track-rise-highest-since-1960s-112946547'finance.html ) at the expense of over $5 trillion of new debt.

  'As long as we continue borrowing $0.40 for every dollar we spend, we are doing great at the expense of the future generations' ' Stephanie Cutter

  It will all come crashing down (http://demonocracy.info/infographics/usa/us_debt/us_debt.html ) and the left doesn't even care. 

• A lot of truth in that. Whatever your political persuasion, and whatever you think of Stephanie Cutter personally, she's very good at her job. Contrast her with say Andrea Saul who has committed numerous gaffes which have hurt their campaign and you have to ask why Romney hasn't gotten better people to work for him.

• More 'DNC PROPAGANDA TALKING POINTS'.

  Most people are worse off than they were 4 years ago. Their homes are worth less, the cost of goods and sevices cost more.  

  Gas prices in my area has more than doubled, from $1.85 to $4.35'etc, etc, etc.

  'DO YOU WANT 4 MORE YEARS OF HYPE AND CHAINS'

  'FOReWARneD 2012'

• This bimbo has been drinking gallons of koolaid.  Ms Cutter, shut your mouth and stop speaking for the millions who are STILL looking for a job.  You surely don't speak for me so shut up.  You and your Obama must go. Liars both of you.

• And yet you did just that.

  Whether you regard it as 'laying out the facts' or just more 'campaign spin' the fact that she gets out there and does that rather well is the entire point, regardless of what one thinks of the content.

• If President Obama lowered taxes he is nothing but a despicable Bush Drone.

• I always like to look to the opinion of a proven liar, Steffi.

• Republicans are desperately hoping that their low IQ base has forgotten how things really were 4 years ago.

  4 years ago, US was in the worst financial crisis most Americans had seen in their lifetime. This crisis was a direct result of terrible Republican policies.

  Republicans are very bad for the economy. Last Republican President to balance a budget was Nixon.

• Gloves will be voting for a serial flip-flopper with a Swiss bank account

• That is why Gloves has such a high opinion of himself'

• I'm just beginning to find the whole point of the question, 'are you better off now'.' somewhat silly since there appears to be more than just a few under the Democrat tent who have already conceded that in many ways, we are not. It's almost as if the media is continuing to ask the question until they find someone ' anyone to say yes.

  Then the media can breathe a collective sigh of relief and move on.

• If I were a person who thinks that free expression of opinion does not apply to those  I disagree with, I would make the same kinds of loving remarks about Stephanie Cutter as those lovely and honorable and honest and adorable comments liberals made ' and keep on making ' about Sarah Palin, Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, Condi Rice and Michelle Malkin.

  But, being an honest and decent Republican an conservative, I won't.

  And that is the difference between me and Democrats. Key word being 'HONEST'.   

• 'Oh yeah. Better off ' fer sure. In every way imaginable. Two thumbs up.'

  Historic levels of poverty and unemployment. The forces of Marx have been unleashed by solving problems in all the wrong ways and wrong places. Cuz that's how moron's roll.

• And I continue to ask, that's your bowling average, right?

• Okay, sure.  Of course, you do understand that you just admitted she is also mental and totes deranged.  You, rightly, assert Stefanie Cutter makes up things that are flat untrue which enhance her crackpot beliefs.

• **Yes, we're better off than 4 years ago when W. Bush left office.  Here is why:

  1. When W. Bush left office, our GDP was at minus 9 and today is positive 2.

  2. When Bush left office, Down Jones was at 7,949.09 point, minus 24%, and
  today is at 13,000 points, up 61% since Mr. Obama took office. Similarly, when
  Bush left office, my 401K was half value, and today is double.

  3. When Bush left office, we had over 12 months jobs lost consecutively, 800K
  jobs lost per month, spiral to a depression. Mr. Obama stops the bleed, and he
  has produced 29 month jobs growth consecutively.

  4. When Bush left office, corporation profits was down at 1 trillion dollars
  level, and today is up 1.7 Trillion dollars, which is 58 % increased.

  5. When Bush left office, Export was down at minus 30%, and today is positive 7
  percent. Both export and import are growing again.

  6. When Bush left office, we have higher trade deficit, and today is a lot
  less.

  7. When Bush left office, household income was down, and today much higher. In
  fact, it's much higher than real GDP.

  8. Manufactures employment has gone up since Bush left office.

  9. When Bush left office, we had a depression in auto industry, and today GM is
  saved and the industry is profit again, thanks to Mr. Obama and his courage.

  10. If GOP congress approves American job Act that produce 1-2 million jobs,
  instead of sitting on it since last summer, unemployment rate would down by 1%
  point or 7.2% overall according to WSJ.

  11
  During the 28 years of Democratic presidents, 57.5 million new jobs were
  created, an average of 2.05 million per year vs. During the 36 years of
  Republican presidents, 36.2 million new jobs were created, an average of 1.0
  million per year. 

  12. Why do we need a Wall Street raider that created this financial crisis
  in 2008, and who provide no specific solution to address our problem?  Don't we have enough?

  http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/05/the-white-houses-economic-case-for-reelection-in-13-more-charts/256745/

  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/07/27/the-gdp-report-in-6-charts/

  http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/22/has-obama-made-the-job-situation-worse/?hp

  http://social.dol.gov/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Monthly-Private-Emp-Change-07-121.jpg

  http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?graph_id=82586&category_id=0

  http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?graph_id=82587&category_id=0

• Those that can afford luxury are doing quite well in this economy.

•  And Romney//LyinRyan want to return to those same failed policies that gave us what we had four years ago. And the only way is to lie and make sure their lower than their pulse IQ bagger fans forget how dreadful the ideology they're sooooo dumb to be supporting vote for it all over again.
  They've done a good job of not mentioning Dumbya// GFY-Cheney and what a disaster their regime was.

•  WE do not have a spending problem we have a cash flow problem. so until we start taxing people at the proper rates we will be behind' Let's go back to the Eisenhower tax rates. All of you teabaggers long for the 50's Let's start taking the country back to those times by starting with Ike's tax plan.  (Please call Ike a Marxist/socialist while you are at it. lol!!!!)

• Ms. Cutter is not even in the minor leagues of liars compared to the $716 billion lie and liars of the republican ilk.

•  I am way better off than 4 years ago. My business is up 16% over last year. Plus, I never have to hear George W. step on the English language on a daily basis. That is enough right there to say we are better off than 4 years ago.

• The Dimwitcrats think, 'IT'S NOT A LIE IF WE BELIEVE THE LIE'.

•  Baggers can't grasp facts, you're confusing them because their bubble has obscured their silly regressive view, it's just hazy and delusional.

•  If?
  So you were in a coma when he sighed the extension of the Bush tax cuts??

  Reagan raised taxes many times during his 8 years, Obama hasn't raised taxes once but you baggers still call him a Marxist, commie, socialist, Stalinist, Maoist Kenyan.

  Get a grip of the facts for a change.

• Check out my post.  When Bush left office, we had over 12 months jobs lost consecutively, 800K jobs lost per month, spiral to a depression. Mr. Obama stops the bleed, and he has produced 29 month jobs growth consecutively.   GM is save, and Osama Bin Laden is dead.   How are we not better off than when W. Bush left office?  If Mr. Obama is the Republican, he would be elected tomorrow by Fox News & Rush Limb, don't you think? 

• The American Jobs Act has been sitting in the in box of republicans who control the house in congress for over a year now.  It's the lying republicans who must now shut up and put the American people ahead of their broken policies and politics.  Ms. Cutter is a noble advocate for the President who Business Insider magazine(not a liberal publication) called 'the most moderate President since 1945'.  Take off your blinders and put America first. 

• This is Stephanie's dog-whistle: 'I LOVE OBAMO, so whatever it takes to get him back in there, I'll lie about.'

  Happily, NO ONE shares her 'world view' and OBAMO will be sent to the bottom of the sea where he should have been sent all along.

• Mitt Romney is not what this country needs. When Mitt Romney ran for Governor of Massachusetts he promised more jobs, decrease debt, and smaller government. Here's what we got instead:

  1) Jobs: 47th out of 50 states in job creation

  2) Taxes and fees: Increased more than $750 million per year

  3) Long-term debt: Increased more than $2.6 billion

  4) Job creation fell from 37th to 47th during Romney's term compared to the previous term:

  1998-2002 = 37th
  2002-2006 = 47th

  A drop of 10 places in four years. What were 48, 49, and 50, you ask? Ohio, Michigan, and Louisiana (after Katrina!).

  5) During his 4-year term, Romney only increased the number of jobs by 1% compared to 5% for the rest of the nation.

  6) Between 2002-2006, the number of people working in Mass declined by 8,500 people, the only state in America to actually lose jobs. The rest of the country added 8 million jobs. Romney lost 14% of the manufacturing jobs in the state, including 40,000 high paying manufacturing jobs.

  7) When Romney left office, his job approval rating was hovering somewhere around 34%.

  Romney is the LAST thing America needs! How did Romney go from 37th to 47th in job creation in M.A among 50 states? If Romney cannot fix M.A, how could he fix 50 states?

  We've already had three CEO presidents: Herbert Hoover, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney. How'd that work out for us? Why would we want a Wall Street Raider who create this financial collapsed in 2008?

• And let us not forget, the last Democrat President re-elected was Bill Clinton, who despises Obama for what Obama did to Clinton's wife.

  It was not a Republican who said: 'Shame on you, Barrack Obama!' although it could have been. It was Hillary Clinton.

  It was not a Republican, but Bill Clinton who asked to give him a break, reacting to Obama's lies in 2008. Though it could have been. It was William Jefferson Clinton.

  When the Obama campaign has to rely on a personage that is so clearly above Obama in every respect, one that Obama denigrated time and time again, one that may say something in the key note speech that Obama may regret, is the clear indication of the desperation of the Obama campaign.

  The last Democratic President sent more than 50,000 DRAFTED military to their deaths. The most reviled Republican President ended that war.

  Democrats love talking about what could have been. As with all of their other talking points, nothing that could be proven, only fantasized.

   

• Three and three quarter years after Bush and it's still bushes fault' Ha Ha Ha Ha , and Obozo did 'NOTHING'to try to fix it. In fact he made it worse.

• i appreciate reading and comprehension might be a little difficult a concept for you to grasp, so hear me out. I did NOT assert Cutter makes up things which are 'flat untrue which enhance her crackpot beliefs'. I would have thought the thesis of my statement would be enough to lead a clear thinking interlocutor to infer my meanings, but perhaps the error on my part was assuming that everyone who read it would be intelligent enough to pick up the pieces themselves.

  Or maybe you DID understand but are being wilfully ignorant. Either way, your loss really.

• Dems picked a totally unqualified nincompoop in 2008 and plan to stick with this disaster.

  Obama's 'mistake was assuming he could pursue his political agenda without compromising the recovery. Passing the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) weakened the economy. For starters, the complex law discourages job creation by forcing some firms to provide health insurance or pay a fine.

  If you make hiring harder and costlier, you will get less of it.

  The struggle over the ACA also fostered a take-no-prisoners political climate that, by fanning policy uncertainty, further undermined recovery. What followed were stalemates on budget policy, last year's debt-ceiling brinkmanship and today's anxiety over the 'fiscal cliff.'

   Uncertainty spawns fear, and fear causes consumers and companies to step back ' to postpone purchases, investment projects or hiring.'

  http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/robert-j-samuelson-grading-obamas-economics/2012/09/02/e7a22d9e-f387-11e1-adc6-87dfa8eff430_story.html?hpid=z2

• Seriously though, how can anyone vote for a man who doesn't even believe in this country enough to keep his money in it's banks.  Romney was flying the flag of the Cayman Islands on his yacht where he held a fundraiser the day he was nominated to be the President of the U.S.A.   He'd be better off running for president of the Cayman Islands or Switzerland where he keeps most of his money, hidden from U.S. taxes in dummy 'blocker corporations.'

  Note: I'm speaking of Romney for those who don't realize.(republicans)

•  In the sense that we are no longer in a recession, sure.

  But recessions have to end. You can't give all credit to Obama for the recession ending. He can't take credit for business cycles, a phenomenon that has existed since we started measuring economic data.

  I mean, two economists won Nobel prizes for describing the flawed thinking of stimulus spending. They basically reiterated the same criticism of Keynesian economics that has been levied for 40 years now. It gives you a short-term boost, but ultimately dampens your recovery and extends recessions. The data certainly reflects that.

  But Democrats keep repeating 'Hey, it's getting better!' While ignoring that we are currently in a shockingly tepid period of economic growth. They blame the recession, but you typically come booming out of recessions.

• Look at what was going on in 2008 ' FOUR YEARS AGO.

  Employment    Dow
  Jan-08   41,000    12,800 
  Feb-08  (84,000)   12,743
  Mar-08  (95,000)   12,361
  Apr-08 (208,000)   12,891
  May-08 (190,000)   12,986
  Jun-08 (198,000)   11,346
  Jul-08 (210,000)   11,100
  Aug-08 (274,000)   11,734
  Sep-08 (432,000)   11,388
  Oct-08 (489,000)    8,451
  Nov-08 (803,000)    8,046
  Dec-08 (661,000)    8,515
  Jan-09 (818,000)    8,000
          (4,462,000)   (4,986)
  source: OMB, Dow

  Four years ago in 2008:
  We lost 4.4 million jobs in 12 months
  The dow dropped 5,000 points, 40% in less than a few months
  The Federal Budget ran the highest one year deficit in history ' $1.4 trillion
  We wrote a $13.9 trillion dollar blank check to the entire financial system to keep the banks afloat. 
  Total home equity dropped by $4.2 trillion
  Savings and investment assets lost $1.2 trillion
  Pension assets lost $1.3 trillion. 
  Total household wealth was down $14 trillion

  We were told that Secretary of Treasury needed unprecedented power to make decisions in concert with the Federal Reserve Chairman to keep the global economy from collapsing and the entire country was living in panic that their homes, savings and jobs were about to go away, and the last President gave them everything they asked for because no body knew what to do.

  Outside of our financial mess, Osama Bin Laden was living in Pakistan in a million dollar home in the very city where the Pakistani Military has their national training academy presenting a looming threat to revive his terrorist network.

  No one could possibly say that 4 years ago things were better.

  Could they be better, absolutely, but only someone who is insane would want to repeat the mistakes of 2008 that crippled the global economy and despite seven years, trillions in spending and two wars we had still failed to neutralize the one person who had unleashed a global terrorism threat on Sept 11, 2001.