Will Media Report Pelosi's Claim 500 Million Lose Jobs Each Month?

February 4th, 2009 10:29 AM

If former President George W. Bush said 500 million Americans are losing their jobs each month, do you think media would report it?

Probably every hour on the hour until all 300 million Americans had heard about it, right?

Well, during a press conference on an undetermined date, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cali.) -- you know, the second in line for presidential succession right behind the vice president!!! -- said, "Every month that we do not have an economic recovery package 500 million Americans lose their jobs."

Amazingly, she's made this same comment at least twice in the past month -- in front of cameras, mind you!!! -- without creating a media firestorm: (video embedded below the fold):

In reality, this isn't the only time she's made this absurd -- and IMPOSSIBLE!!! -- claim, for this is what transpired when she was being interviewed for the January 18 installment of "Fox News Sunday" (relevant section 1:15):

NANCY PELOSI: Well, I believe that - I know that President-elect Obama is a strong supporter of America's workers. I myself am a strong supporter of that legislation. We passed it with a strong vote in the House in the last Congress, and I continue to be supportive of it.

But in terms of what we have to do in the first 100 days, we must address the needs of this country. Five hundred million people will lose their jobs each month until we have an economic package.

CHRIS WALLACE, HOST: No, 500,000.

PELOSI: What did I say, million?

WALLACE: Yes, 500 million. That would really be a recession.

PELOSI: Oh, no. Excuse me. Thank you for correcting me.

WALLACE: Yes.

PELOSI: It feels like 500 million. Five hundred thousand Americans will lose their jobs each month until we have a recovery package.

Yes, Madam Speaker, it feels like almost twice the entire population are losing their jobs each month.

Of course, one has to wonder given her poor grasp of the facts whether SHE's part of this population and why media didn't make an issue of this when it happened.