---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Obama's explanation for the slowdown in…"
description: "\"Obama's explanation for the slowdown in economic growth is that the public sector is hurting, and that's where Washington must step in and act.\" — John..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/john-podhoretz-4983_economic_obama-s-explanation-for-the-slowdown-in_2325002.jpg"
---

#  Obama's explanation for the slowdown in economic growth is…

![“Obama's explanation for the slowdown in economic growth is that the public sector is hurting, and that's where Washington must step in and act.” quote by John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/john-podhoretz-4983_economic_obama-s-explanation-for-the-slowdown-in_2325002.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/john-podhoretz-4983_economic_obama-s-explanation-for-the-slowdown-in_2325002.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/john-podhoretz-4983_economic_obama-s-explanation-for-the-slowdown-in_2325002.jpg)

> “Obama's explanation for the slowdown in economic growth is that the public sector is hurting, and that's where Washington must step in and act.”

[John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The slowdown is blamed on government interference, suggesting that public sector reform is needed to revive growth.

**In simple terms:** Government policies are hurting the economy; reform is required.

Key Takeaway

Advocate for reducing regulatory burdens.

Themes

economics politics policy

Mood

critical analytical

Type

opinion political

When to use this quote

- legislative debate
- business planning
- public discourse

Key Concepts

public sector impact economic slowdown

Questions to Reflect On

- What specific policies are most detrimental?
- How can private sector innovation complement reforms?

A Different Perspective

May oversimplify complex macro factors beyond government control.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Economic growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-growth/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Public sector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-sector/)

## Related quotes

> [“Washington was the richest man of his day. Whatever he did to help the business interests of the country helped him more than anybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/washington-was-the-richest-man-of-his-day-whatever-he-did-to-help-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Democrats want to use the slowdown as an excuse to do what their special interests are always begging for: higher taxes, bigger government and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/democrats-want-to-use-the-slowdown-as-an-excuse-to-do-what-their/)

[Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/)

> [During an economic slowdown, one needs to be cautious, but I think it's equally important to not get sucked into the vortex of defensive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-patel/during-an-economic-slowdown-one-needs-to-be-cautious-but-i-think-it-s/)

[Pankaj Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-patel/)

> [People stop buying things, and that is how you turn a slowdown into a recession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/people-stop-buying-things-and-that-is-how-you-turn-a-slowdown-into-a/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [In everybody's career there comes a moment when there is slowdown but one has to have that conviction and belief in themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satish-kaushik/in-everybody-s-career-there-comes-a-moment-when-there-is-slowdown-but/)

[Satish Kaushik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satish-kaushik/)

> [We do see significant signs of a slowdown, in the economy worldwide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marek-belka/we-do-see-significant-signs-of-a-slowdown-in-the-economy-worldwide/)

[Marek Belka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marek-belka/)

> [I think public sector banks need to have greater private participation of people who have skin in the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajay-piramal/i-think-public-sector-banks-need-to-have-greater-private/)

[Ajay Piramal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajay-piramal/)

> [As many have pointed out, it is not clear that we need so many public sector banks. The system could be better off if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/urjit-patel/as-many-have-pointed-out-it-is-not-clear-that-we-need-so-many-public/)

[Urjit Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/urjit-patel/)

> [Tax reduction has an almost irresistible appeal to the politician, and it is no doubt also gratifying to the citizen. It means more dollars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-gardner/tax-reduction-has-an-almost-irresistible-appeal-to-the-politician-and/)

[John W. Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-gardner/)

> [During the early 1960s, I decided to supplement research support for quantitative economic studies at Pennsylvania by selling econometric forecasts to private and public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/during-the-early-1960s-i-decided-to-supplement-research-support-for/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [One of the things that the public sector banks need to do is to raise private capital from the market and not rely on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/urjit-patel/one-of-the-things-that-the-public-sector-banks-need-to-do-is-to-raise/)

[Urjit Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/urjit-patel/)

> [Rethinking capitalism means rethinking the role of the public sector, the role of the private sector, the role of finance, and the relationship between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-mazzucato/rethinking-capitalism-means-rethinking-the-role-of-the-public-sector/)

[Mariana Mazzucato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-mazzucato/)

> [Jobs in the public sector are increasingly dependent on technology, and more and more government services are available online in developed and developing countries.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tae-yoo/jobs-in-the-public-sector-are-increasingly-dependent-on-technology/)

[Tae Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tae-yoo/)

> [We can all agree that government cant solve the obesity crisis alone. Its an ongoing issue that will require a collaborative effort across private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-samuelsson/we-can-all-agree-that-government-cant-solve-the-obesity-crisis-alone/)

[Marcus Samuelsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-samuelsson/)

> [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/)

[Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/)

## More by John Podhoretz

> [The great mystery is why robots come off so well in science-fiction films when the human characters are often so astoundingly wooden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/the-great-mystery-is-why-robots-come-off-so-well-in-science-fiction/)

[John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

> [The exit polls suggest that after a relatively disappointing first term, Obama managed to reassemble almost all of his 2008 electorate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/the-exit-polls-suggest-that-after-a-relatively-disappointing-first/)

[John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

> [For Obama to save himself, he should be thinking about the example of an unlikely Republican predecessor: Richard Nixon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/for-obama-to-save-himself-he-should-be-thinking-about-the-example-of/)

[John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

> [Your race and gender don't change, but you can choose to change your political affiliation at will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/your-race-and-gender-don-t-change-but-you-can-choose-to-change-your/)

[John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

> [Imagine his delight after it 'leaked' that he will propose raising taxes on the wealthy by $320 billion over the next 10 years, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/imagine-his-delight-after-it-leaked-that-he-will-propose-raising/)

[John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

> [Robots have a rich and storied history in movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/robots-have-a-rich-and-storied-history-in-movies/)

[John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

> [Aside from being bad sportsmanship - Romney basically said Obama won by cheating - he was displaying the same obtuseness about the wants and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/aside-from-being-bad-sportsmanship-romney-basically-said-obama-won-by/)

[John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

> [There is a new conservative establishment in America, made up of those who claim to be the anti-establishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/there-is-a-new-conservative-establishment-in-america-made-up-of-those/)

[John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

> [As the Republican nominee, it was Romney's job to find a way to speak to some of those groups of voters and offer practical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/as-the-republican-nominee-it-was-romney-s-job-to-find-a-way-to-speak/)

[John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

> [Memories of the last nine years have turned Ground Zero from a site of horror, to a reminder of grief, to an occasion for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/memories-of-the-last-nine-years-have-turned-ground-zero-from-a-site/)

[John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

> [Some candidates need to say provocative things that make noise to break through the media muffle and get themselves noticed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/some-candidates-need-to-say-provocative-things-that-make-noise-to/)

[John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

> [Let us now praise Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/let-us-now-praise-barack-obama/)

[John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

> [All non-incumbent campaigns promise hope and change, but Obama took the promise to a new level of absurdity. He suggested that a vote for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/all-non-incumbent-campaigns-promise-hope-and-change-but-obama-took/)

[John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

> [By the time Obama came into office, Washington had already agreed over a period of a few weeks to a $700 billion government infusion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/by-the-time-obama-came-into-office-washington-had-already-agreed-over/)

[John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

> [The defense of ObamaCare's constitutionality relies mainly on the truism that everyone is sure to get sick at some point in their lives, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/the-defense-of-obamacare-s-constitutionality-relies-mainly-on-the/)

[John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

[Explore all 104 John Podhoretz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/)

## More Economic quotes

> [It makes no sense to talk of the social obligations of the corporation without reference to its economic obligations. The two are intertwined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-r-raymond/it-makes-no-sense-to-talk-of-the-social-obligations-of-the/)

[Lee R. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-r-raymond/)

> [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/)

[Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/)

> [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/)

Brian Reade

> [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/)

Sheila Kamerman

> [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/)

[Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/)

> [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/)

[Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/)

> [Right now, for many Americans, class is being foregrounded like never before because of the economic situation. It doesn't mean that race doesn't matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/right-now-for-many-americans-class-is-being-foregrounded-like-never/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [The average well-being of our societies is not dependent any longer on national income and economic growth. ... But the differences between us and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-wilkinson/the-average-well-being-of-our-societies-is-not-dependent-any-longer/)

[Richard G. Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-wilkinson/)

> [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/)

[Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/)

> [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/)

F. A. Harper

> [Business school graduates from the best schools earn large salaries and frequently rise to positions of great power. It would be nice if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/business-school-graduates-from-the-best-schools-earn-large-salaries/)

[Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/)

> [In short, both experience and economic theory imply that the US could now t to a more competitive dollar without experiencing either increased inflation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-feldstein/in-short-both-experience-and-economic-theory-imply-that-the-us-could/)

[Martin Feldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-feldstein/)

> [Put plainly, China seems determined to steal its way up the economic ladder, at our expense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-a-wray/put-plainly-china-seems-determined-to-steal-its-way-up-the-economic/)

[Christopher A. Wray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-a-wray/)

> [There are no two countries with the same style of economic mechanism, with the same capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/there-are-no-two-countries-with-the-same-style-of-economic-mechanism/)

[Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/)

Browse all 6,235 Economic quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Obama's explanation for the slowdown in economic growth is that the public sector is hurting, and that's where Washington must step in and act.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Podhoretz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/obama-s-explanation-for-the-slowdown-in-economic-growth-is-that-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Economic"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/obama-s-explanation-for-the-slowdown-in-economic-growth-is-that-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/john-podhoretz-4983_economic_obama-s-explanation-for-the-slowdown-in_2325002.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/john-podhoretz-4983_economic_obama-s-explanation-for-the-slowdown-in_2325002.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7e/john-podhoretz-4983_economic_obama-s-explanation-for-the-slowdown-in_2325002.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Obama's explanation for the slowdown in economic growth is that the public sector is hurting, and that's…” — John Podhoretz",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "John Podhoretz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Obama's explanation for the slowdown in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/obama-s-explanation-for-the-slowdown-in-economic-growth-is-that-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/obama-s-explanation-for-the-slowdown-in-economic-growth-is-that-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
