Obama Job Gap (updated)

More jobs lost last month, with the unemployment rate rising to 9.8%, its highest level since 1983. Thus far in 2009, employment has dropped 4.1 million. Earlier, President Obama promised his stimulus plan would create or retain 3-4 million jobs by 2010 (average 3.5 million). The resulting gap between what Obama promised and the actual job count currently stands at 7.9 million jobs [chart]. We follow the Obama job gap in the same spirit as former “Meet the Press” host Tim Russert followed Bush’s job count throughout Bush 43’s first term, at least until Bush’s numbers turned positive (the term ended with Bush up 4.2 million jobs; Obama too is likely to be in positive territory by 2012).