According to you we need to consider gravity the culprit. Yes, it was coincidence that the economic cycle broke near the same time as stimulus was enacted. From that point forward stimulus slowed economic recovery.
I don't know that it was all that coincidental. I think Obama was shown some favorable indicators, and in true liberal fashion, was unable to resist jumping in and meddling so he could take credit for anything good that might happen. Of course, also in true liberal fashion, he did exactly the wrong thing and stomped all over any chance at a recovery.
That may be the most ignorant, dogma driven crap posted here.
Conservative Economists Own Methodology Demonstrates the Success of Stimulus
Add conservative economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin to the ranks of experts whose work shows that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 operated exactly as intended, growing the economy and creating millions of jobs. It may seem surprising that Holtz-Eakin, the former Congressional Budget Office director, former chief economic advisor to Sen. John McCains 2008 presidential campaign, and current president of the conservative American Action Forum, would throw his support behind the stimulus bill. But thats what hes donewhether he likes it or not.
Why? Because the very methodology he repeatedly used to discredit the stimulus actually shows it was a remarkable success.
You see, for much of last summer, Holtz-Eakin had a favorite graph that he used whenever he got the chance. The graph purported to show that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was utterly ineffective at spurring economic growth. He loved this graph so much that he used it in no less than three different columns during the course of just two months, and even included it as part of his testimony before the Senate Finance Committee. (see chart)
Heres what Dr. Holtz-Eakin believed this graph showed:
The chart
shows actual GDP during 2009. It also shows what would have happened if the trajectory at the start of 2009 had continued the entire year (labeled Continued Decline)that is, the graphical version of the economy was falling off a cliff. The shaded area is the differencethe additional GDP from not continuing to declineand totals $268 billion.