By the end of the day President Obama’s less-than-stellar debate performance may be a thing of the past. The President struck something like numerical gold today, after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the unemployment rate dropped from 8.1% to 7.8%, the lowest number since President Obama took office.
Blatantly worried that the rate will only help President Obama politically, some Republicans turned to some of their favorite age-old past times: debunking math and devising conspiracy theories.
Former GE CEO Jack Welch kicked things off with a tweet: “Unbelievable jobs numbers. These Chicago guys will do anything…can’t debate so change numbers.” That was followed by a Facebook post by Rep. Allen West, in which he managed to sprinkle in other Republican scare tactics with the ludicrous idea that nonpartisan statisticians are cooking the books. "I agree with former GE CEO Jack Welch, Chicago style politics is at work here,” Rep. Allen West wrote. “Somehow by manipulation of data we are all of a sudden below 8 percent unemployment, a month from the Presidential election. This is Orwellian to say the least and representative of Saul Alinsky tactics from the book "Rules for Radicals"- a must read for all who want to know how the left strategize.”
On the show today, CNBC's Eamon Javers may have coined a new term, referring to these conspiracy theorists as "jobers."
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I hope that means that the number of people on food stamps went down as well. If not then the jobs gain most likely are low paying part time sesonal help. Unfortunalty the real unemplyomrnt rate stayed the same. The average household income is down and gas prices have reached record highs. The economy is a mess and not to many people with common sense sees this .3% as a great thing. However people on this site are naive as they thought the terriost attack on 9/11 wasnt a terroist attack but was an angry mob.
"It had been unearth that some businesses were under reporting their "New Hires" data to the Department of Labor and Statistics as early as July 2011." The July and August 2012 jobs figures were revised upward, because of #1. The household survey of 50,000 participants yielded an increase of 800,000 plus new hires in the self-employed and in farming. #2. Some businesses were still under reporting their employment data. #3. The mean measurement of these two surveys brought the unemployment rate down from 8.1 % to 7.8 %.
Sadly, Mitt Romney and his GOP/Taxed Enough Already cohorts, had locked themselves into the mantra of "Obama's unemployement record will remain above 8 % throughout his presidency. The moment the figure dropped below 8 %, it took away a major attack and talking point away from the Republicans. Now they are crying "fowl". Eventhough it was the Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, and the Republican controlled House who respectively excercised a record amount of filibusters, and blocked votes on President Barack Obama's Jobs plan for America, and the other for returning Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan
Couldn't there be a argument that the Republicans on unemployment simply didn't want to be part of Obama's 47% so they quickly got off unemployment?
This was a great argument on the conspiracy theories about the unemployment. Great work Ms Alex.....