Aug. 5, 2011: Credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s on Friday downgraded the credit rating of the United States. (The first downgrade.)_
September 14, 2012: Just as EQ3 is announced, the ratings firm Egan-Jones cut its credit rating on the U.S. government to “AA-” from “AA,” citing its opinion that quantitative easing from the Federal Reserve would hurt the U.S. economy and the country’s credit quality.
Apr 7, 2011: Obama: “If you’re complaining about the price of gas and you’re only getting 8 miles a gallon, you know,” Obama said laughingly. “You might want to think about a trade-in.” “Well, you definitely need a hybrid van then.”