Changes

The day after Barack Obama was sworn in, on January 21, 2009, an [[economist]] and [[television]] host of ''Mad Money'', Jim Cramer, created a stock index to track the new president's progress. Cramer chose companies that operated in the very sectors that needed the most help, and he suggested their performance would tell [[Americans]] how effective Obama had been and whether or not his plans to save the economy had worked. Solely based on the performance of the [[stock market]], Cramer created the "Obama Accountability Index."<ref>[http://www.cnbc.com/id/28753120 Cramer's 'State of the Market' Address], CNBC, Jan. 21, 2009.</ref> It consisted of six stocks: Bank of America (BAC), Citigroup (C), Caterpillar (CAT), [[General Electric]] (GE), [[General Motors]] (GM) and JPMorgan chase (JPM). It’s an equal-weighted index that starts at 100, using closing prices on the day the index was created as a baseline. Cramer said, "This index will grade Obama’s success as president. If he fails, so does the stock market."<ref>[http://derekerwin.blogspot.com/2009/02/obama-lied-our-economy-died.html Obama Lied, Our Economy Died], A 1-In-100 Blogger, February 2009.</ref>  

The day after Barack Obama was sworn in, on January 21, 2009, an [[economist]] and [[television]] host of ''Mad Money'', Jim Cramer, created a stock index to track the new president's progress. Cramer chose companies that operated in the very sectors that needed the most help, and he suggested their performance would tell [[Americans]] how effective Obama had been and whether or not his plans to save the economy had worked. Solely based on the performance of the [[stock market]], Cramer created the "Obama Accountability Index."<ref>[http://www.cnbc.com/id/28753120 Cramer's 'State of the Market' Address], CNBC, Jan. 21, 2009.</ref> It consisted of six stocks: Bank of America (BAC), Citigroup (C), Caterpillar (CAT), [[General Electric]] (GE), [[General Motors]] (GM) and JPMorgan chase (JPM). It’s an equal-weighted index that starts at 100, using closing prices on the day the index was created as a baseline. Cramer said, "This index will grade Obama’s success as president. If he fails, so does the stock market."<ref>[http://derekerwin.blogspot.com/2009/02/obama-lied-our-economy-died.html Obama Lied, Our Economy Died], A 1-In-100 Blogger, February 2009.</ref>  

On February 20, 2009, Jim Cramer graded the president's ability to rejuvenate the economy, based on the ''Obama Accountability Index''. Reviewing Obama's 30-Day Report Card, Cramer said, "Well, the index is down 35% since Jan. 21, the day it was created. The S&P 500 over that same period has declined just 8%."<ref>[http://www.cnbc.com/id/29308202/ Obama's 30-Day Report Card], CNBC, Feb. 20, 2009.</ref> So Obama, at least according to Cramer’s portfolio, wasn't doing too well.

On February 20, 2009, Jim Cramer graded the president's ability to rejuvenate the economy, based on the ''Obama Accountability Index''. Reviewing Obama's 30-Day Report Card, Cramer said, "Well, the index is down 35% since January 21, the day it was created. The S&P 500 over that same period has declined just 8%."<ref>[http://www.cnbc.com/id/29308202/ Obama's 30-Day Report Card], CNBC, Feb. 20, 2009.</ref> So Obama, at least according to Cramer’s portfolio, wasn't doing too well.

On July 8, 2009, Jim Cramer on ''Mad Money'' again graded the performance of Obama's administration and economic policies against the performance of the stock market. He commented, "The same force that so hurt the markets this [[winter]] has yet again reared its ugly head: the [[White House|White House’s]] anti-business rhetoric. [...] Investors don’t seem to trust President Obama to create jobs and stimulate the economy, not when he prioritizes [[global warming|climate change]] and [[ObamaCare|health care]]." Moreover, the ''Mad Money Obama Accountability Index'' score had dropped to 96.1 from its starting point of 100. Cramer reminded viewers that, while the score of 96.1 may not sound bad, this measure of Obama's job performance "has been on the downswing." On a technical basis alone, Cramer warned, "The OAI could drop to 84 if all this anti-business chatter continues."<ref>[http://www.cnbc.com/id/31802202/site/14081545 Cramer: Obama Hurting the Economy], CNBC, July 8, 2009.</ref> He urged Obama to postpone his agenda in favor of boosting the economy. "Without more job creation," Cramer said, "the president’s agenda and his tone will continue to slowly and inexorably squeeze the life out of this stock market."<ref>[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_031009/content/01125108.guest.html The Founders Wanted Presidents to Fail If They Deserved To Fail], rushlimbaugh.com, March 10, 2009.</ref>

On July 8, 2009, Jim Cramer on ''Mad Money'' again graded the performance of Obama's administration and economic policies against the performance of the stock market. He commented, "The same force that so hurt the markets this [[winter]] has yet again reared its ugly head: the [[White House|White House’s]] anti-business rhetoric. [...] Investors don’t seem to trust President Obama to create jobs and stimulate the economy, not when he prioritizes [[global warming|climate change]] and [[ObamaCare|health care]]." Moreover, the ''Mad Money Obama Accountability Index'' score had dropped to 96.1 from its starting point of 100. Cramer reminded viewers that, while the score of 96.1 may not sound bad, this measure of Obama's job performance "has been on the downswing." On a technical basis alone, Cramer warned, "The OAI could drop to 84 if all this anti-business chatter continues."<ref>[http://www.cnbc.com/id/31802202/site/14081545 Cramer: Obama Hurting the Economy], CNBC, July 8, 2009.</ref> He urged Obama to postpone his agenda in favor of boosting the economy. "Without more job creation," Cramer said, "the president’s agenda and his tone will continue to slowly and inexorably squeeze the life out of this stock market."<ref>[http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_031009/content/01125108.guest.html The Founders Wanted Presidents to Fail If They Deserved To Fail], rushlimbaugh.com, March 10, 2009.</ref>