White House spokesman Josh Earnest compared Barack Obama to Pope Francis as having dedicated his life to helping the less fortunate.
“Both men have talked, quite publicly, about their commitment to social justice. And both men have dedicated their, not just their careers, but their lives, to that effort,” Earnest said.
Earnest went on to say he thinks Pope Francis has made a “unique and singular” commitment to the less fortunate, he said Obama lives out and shares the same values. He went on to describe how Obama refused high-paying jobs in order to work on Chicago’s South Side.
Interesting story lines from the White House, but they certainly don’t stand up to scrutiny.
When Obama entered the Oval Office in 2009, 14.3 percent of the country lived below the poverty line. Six years and trillions of dollars later, 15 percent of country live below the line. The number of Black Americans living in poverty increased from 25.8 to 27.2 percent.
Additionally, media household income fell across the country from $53,285 in 2009 to $51,017 in 2012. Black Americans have seen their paltry incomes drop even further from $34,880 to $33,321.
Food stamp enrollments have swelled from 32.8 million in 2009 to 46 million in 2012. For Black Americans, 1 in 4 are on food stamps.
We do know one thing Obama and Pope Francis share: Ideology. Francis denied rumors the other day that he’s a Leftist, however, he counted that among his roles and beliefs the effort to combat “economic imperialism”.