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By the Numbers

Since 1940, Democrats have had far greater success creating jobs than Republicans.

David Cay Johnston

July 17, 2009

Since 1940, Republicans have controlled the White House for thirty-six years; Democrats for thirty-three. Yet Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that almost two-thirds of new jobs were created during Democratic administrations. What about the years since Reagan was elected, promising prosperity through lower taxes, balanced budgets and less regulation? The Clinton years resulted in 21 million jobs, more than two decades of Reagan, Bush I and Bush II. One last detail: these numbers reflect only private-sector jobs; including the public sector would widen the gap in the Democrats’ favor.

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David Cay JohnstonDavid Cay Johnston is a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter, formerly with The New York Times, and a four-time best-selling author. He teaches at Syracuse University College of Law.


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