First term records : Obama vs Reagan.

[J. J.]

In term of actual jobs since the start of the term (January) to August of the election year.

Reagan:

+5,208,000

Obama:

-441,000

GWB during the same respective period:

+1,795,000

http://www.dlt.ri.gov/lmi/laus/us/usadj.htm

[J. J.]

Difference was Reagan had a strengthening economy when he came into office and Obama had a finacial meltdown. Also with dubya thats pretty much all the jobs he got in 8 years.

Ah, no. 

In 1/80, the unemployment rate was 6.30%; in 1/81, it was 7.50%.

In GWB's case:

1/05:  140,245,000

1/09:  142,187,000

+2,062,000 jobs

Now, yes, the economy was weakening at the start of Obama's term, with unemployment going from 5.0% to 7.8%, but it was at the start of Reagan's first term as well, and weakened (in terms of unemployment) though 1982.  The difference is, it improved under Reagan.  It hasn't under Obama.

http://www.dlt.ri.gov/lmi/laus/us/usadj.htm

Facts stand up to historical revision. 

[J. J.]

Reagan had stagflation. He needed an economic downturn to force people to lower their expectations. Unemployment was high because of millions of baby-boomers entering the workforce in the mass of low-paying jobs in retail sales and fast food. We went from an overheated economy to something more normal, one in which people who got travesty wages had to change their ways, remain dependent on parents, or live in poverty.

Go back and reread.

The actual number of people employed increased under Reagan's first term.  We wentr from slumping economy to to one expanding by the end of Reagan's (and GWB's first term).  While this might change, Obama is the only president not to increase the number of jobs under his first term.