Obama: Anyone Who Says We’re Not Better Off Than We Were Seven Years Ago Is ‘Not Telling The Truth’

During a speech Friday afternoon in Jacksonville, Florida, regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, President Barack Obama said that anyone who says that the nation isn't better off than it was seven years ago is “not telling the truth.”

“Anyone who says we’re not absolutely better off today than we were seven years ago, they’re not leveling with you,” Obama said. “They’re not telling the truth.”

By any “significant measure,” he said, “we are better off.”

“None of this was an accident,” Obama added.

Remarking on the race for the White House, the president said that he doesn’t know when it became “fashionable” for candidates to campaign by “talking down” America.

He praised his administration for implementing "smart policies," including the Recovery Act, a $760 billion economic stimulus bill, which he called a “success.”