Democratic Presidents Are Best For Jobs And The Economy

Republicans like to say they are the party that is best for the economy, and brag that they are the best job creators. Neither of those things is true. They may put more money into the pockets of the rich (and the giant corporations), but their policies don't do much for the vast majority of Americans or the economy in general. The charts below, from Politics That Work, exposes the Republican claims as false.

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data analyzed by California economist Steven Stoft, in the 75 years from Fiscal Year 1940 to Fiscal Year 2014, Democratic Administrations have generated 58 Million private sector jobs. Republican Administrations during that time have generated 26 Million private sector jobs.

Because the U.S. population has grown so much during the last 75 years, it is perhaps clearer to look at job growth as a percentage of population. So, as a percentage of population, since fiscal year 1940, jobs have increased 3% per year under Democrats and 1% a year under Republicans.

This graph plots the GDP growth of every year since 1930. The points in the "All Republican" column represent years in which the GOP controlled the presidency, and held majorities in both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate. The "All Democratic" column indicates the same for the Democratic Party, and the "Divided" column includes years in which each party controlled at least one of those three institutions. The "X" in each column represents the average for the column.

GDP Growth is highest when Democrats control the White House and both House of Congress... 5.2% annual GDP growth. When the White House and Congress are controlled by different parties, GDP growth averages 2.9%. When Republicans control both the White House and Congress, GDP growth is 1.2%.