President’s Jobs Council Shuts Down, Jobs Crisis Continues Forward

January 31, 2013

Comments

Two years ago, the President formed a “Jobs Council” made up of CEO’s and other executives from some of America’s largest companies. The last time that council met was in January of last year, and it’s now being formally disbanded:

The panel of CEOs, labor leaders and economists President Barack Obama tapped in 2011 to stimulate job creation in the United States is shutting down, the White House confirmed Thursday.

POLITICO reported last July that the 26-member President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness had not held an official meeting in six months, apparently because of political sensitivities about such a meeting in the campaign season. The council never met again. Its charter expired Thursday, though it could have been extended by the president.

Council officials said the lack of public meetings over the past year did not indicate that the council was dormant. The group met four times in 2011 and 2012, fashioning about 60 proposals that were largely adopted by the administration and 30 legislative proposals that remain largely unfulfilled. The group convened monthly conference calls where it got private updates on its recommendations from administration officials.

The White House said Thursday that shuttering the council was part of an effort to broaden the administration’s outreach to the business community.

“The White House will begin a new, expanded effort to work with the business community and other outside groups to advance specific policy priorities promoted [by] the Jobs Council. Those include: expanding new skills and talent initiatives, promoting entrepreneurship and small businesses, expediting permitting for infrastructure projects across the country, and continuing progress on fiscal issues and tax reform,” said a White House official who asked not to be named. “The President, his economic team and his senior advisors will broaden the number of voices involved in the new effort to include not just members of the Jobs Council but also other leaders in the business community, academic and economic experts, and labor and non-profit leaders.”

Boy I’m glad they solved that problem.

17 responses to “President’s Jobs Council Shuts Down, Jobs Crisis Continues Forward”

ernieyeball

January 31, 2013 at 1:22 pm

Well, you could say they were laid off for lack of work.
Maybe we will see them at the Unemployment Office applying for benefits.
JKB

January 31, 2013 at 1:22 pm

“…include not just members of the Jobs Council but also other leaders in the business community, academic and economic experts, and labor and non-profit leaders.”

What is wrong with that statement? Only one of those groups has ever created a job. The last four are decidedly not knowledgeable or useful in creating sustainable, long lasting jobs. But it is good to see that 4 years on, the Obama administration is finally decided to invite job creators to their “Jobs Council” meetings.
JKB

January 31, 2013 at 1:23 pm

@ernieyeball: applying for benefits.

Presidential cronies don’t have to stand in line down at the unemployment office. They get their benefits straight from the Oval Office.
Tsar Nicholas

January 31, 2013 at 1:32 pm

What’s funny about this post, in a tragicomedy sense, is that you easily could cut and paste that precise lede and that exact story into one of those news parody sites.

In any event, obviously there’s no reason for them to continue with that silly dog & pony show of a “Jobs Council.” It’s a moot point. Obama’s been sworn in for another four years.

Concerning the larger issue — our unemployment and underemployment crisis — the scary thing is that it’s poised over the next several years substantially to get worse. Obamacare only recently began having its inevitable effects on the labor markets (less hours, fewer benefits, less hiring). Hell, that disaster doesn’t even fully kick into gear until 2014. The tax hikes from a few weeks ago will take a quarter or two to have their inevitable effects. Interest rates and inflation won’t stay this low forever. Then Social Security inevitably will go supernova.

Europe West with much higher crime rates and even worse demographic schisms are sad denouements to the American experience, but truth be told when the vox populi decides to commit national suicide there’s no way to avoid the resulting mess.
Dave Schuler

January 31, 2013 at 1:34 pm

It accomplished its objective so closing it down is appropriate.
bandit

January 31, 2013 at 1:59 pm

When the spokesliar said

‘The President is focused like a laser on jobs’

he meant on his and his bundlers.
ernieyeball

January 31, 2013 at 2:12 pm

@JKB: …stand in line down at the unemployment office.

Actually in Illinois folks can apply over the Internet so standing in the unemployment line is soon to become an anachronism.
john personna

January 31, 2013 at 2:27 pm

The amazing thing about Doug’s snark is that there is no jobs plan he can offer or defend on libertarian or conservative grounds.

The poor guy is caught in a public contradiction. He doesn’t want austerity, or spending either. So what can he do about jobs?

Of course, this is complicated for him, and the president, by twin elephants in the room. Globalization and automation have allowed US companies to prosper, to build huge cash reserves, without hiring. From a capitalist standpoint, they should hire why?

Now, it has been a staple of conservative thought that the just-so story works out that companies prosper, and so they hire. But with globalization and automation, why again?

.. so conservatives would like to bite the ankles of the council … never mind that they have no plan nor useful contribution themselves.
rudderpedals

January 31, 2013 at 2:36 pm

Doug: Boy I’m glad they solved that problem.

The group met four times in 2011 and 2012, fashioning about 60 proposals that were largely adopted by the administration and 30 legislative proposals that remain largely unfulfilled.

Those stupid commissioners
mantis

January 31, 2013 at 2:42 pm

President’s Jobs Council Shuts Down, Jobs Crisis Continues Forward

Please define “crisis.”

The group met four times in 2011 and 2012, fashioning about 60 proposals that were largely adopted by the administration and 30 legislative proposals that remain largely unfulfilled.

One branch of government clearly does not function.
stonetools

January 31, 2013 at 2:43 pm

How about this for a more accurate headline:

“President’s Job Council Proposals Rejected by Obstructionist Republican Legislators, Job Crisis Continues Forward.”
wr

January 31, 2013 at 4:15 pm

@john personna: Well, clearly you’re just not smart enough to understand that the vox populi is committing national suicide, so the irony is thick enough to butter five bagels. Or should I say “crepes,” since Europe West, although sun rises in the east. If irony was a stock I’d short it.
gVOR08

January 31, 2013 at 5:09 pm

Maybe Obama just found out, as others have realized, that CEOs generally don’t have a clue in the world about macroeconomics or how to create jobs.
CB

January 31, 2013 at 5:13 pm

I love the attitude that academic, labor, and economic experts have absolutely no place at the table. As if its an affront to even consider the academic, labor, and economic aspects of the problems with jobs growth.
bill

January 31, 2013 at 7:50 pm

mission accomplished!
Just ‘nutha ig’rant cracker

January 31, 2013 at 10:22 pm

@Tsar Nicholas: “Europe West with much higher crime rates.”

Is this the new “if X were a stock…?” It’s good to see some development in material even if the thinking is still…well…Tsar-like.
That Other Mike

January 31, 2013 at 11:06 pm

@Just ‘nutha ig’rant cracker: I’m starting to think that he’s just a random word-salad generator created to parody wingnuts.