Today is the five-year anniversary of President Obama signing his stimulus package into law. President Obama promised that the stimulus would “save or create” jobs, but five years later, the country still struggles with high unemployment and record numbers of Americans dropping out of the labor force. The latest cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office says the stimulus added $830 billion to the spiraling out-of-control national debt.

Many vulnerable Democrats are trying to distance themselves from Obama, hoping the voters will forget they supported the first of Obama’s major policies. Among the endangered House Democrats who voted for the stimulus bill not once, but twice, are Reps. John Barrow (D-GA), Tim Bishop (D-NY), Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ), Nick Rahall (D-WV), Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH), John Tierney (D-MA), and Tim Walz (D-MN).

These members can run, but they can’t hide from the fact that many still vote for Obama’s agenda the majority of the time, and they should be held responsible for the failed policies that they helped advance.

The Washington Post reported this morning that about 100 House Democrats will be skipping an annual three-day meeting where they’ll be discussing strategy for the upcoming midterm election. Among those who will be absent are vulnerable Reps. Patrick Murphy (D-FL) and Joe Garcia (D-FL), as well as Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH) and Rep. Pete Gallego (D-TX).

Not only are they running from Pelosi and House Democrat leadership, but they’ll also skipping out on a private meeting with President Obama, as the article notes:

The no-shows will miss President Obama, who is planning to visit the Hyatt resort here for his third face-to-face encounters with House Democrats in three weeks.

If one thing is clear, it’s that these endangered Democrats would rather be anywhere else than at a secluded resort with Pelosi and Obama.

“This bill is their remedy,” said Shea-Porter on the House floor in 2010, extolling the benefits of ObamaCare for small businesses.

Fast forward: according to a new survey by the National Small Business Association, small business healthcare costs for employees have nearly doubled in the past five years. This has led them to either lay off employees or hold back hiring altogether. 

We’re no doctors, but usually a remedy is not supposed make a condition worse.