On the day I affectionately call "Jobs Day," the most important news comes at 8:30 a.m. eastern, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes its latest report. The other thing to look forward to, though, are the press releases issued at 8:35 a.m., when the various political players try to tell us what we should think of the latest jobs report.
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The RNC's Priebus seems to have forgotten what "improving" means.
The morning's strangest reaction comes by way of Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus:
"Today's jobs report is yet another reminder that far too many Americans are out of work, and the situation is clearly not improving."
I don't mean to sound picky, but the word "improving" generally means "getting better." Under the circumstances, to argue that the nation's jobs situation "is clearly not improving" is pretty silly.
The economy has added 734,000 jobs in the last three months, 1.2 million jobs in the last six months, and 3.4 million jobs over the last three years. The last year has been the best for job creation in the last five years, and December-January-February totals represent the best three-month span in six years. The U-6 unemployment number -- suddenly the only metric Fox News cares about -- has fallen to its lowest level in three years.
If the RNC wants to argue that the status quo isn't nearly good enough, I'd strongly agree. If Priebus issued a statement saying we still have a long way to go, I'd endorse the line enthusiastically.
But to look at a jobs picture that's clearly improving, and argue in print that it's "clearly not improving," gives the impression that the RNC is rooting against good news -- and that's generally not a good position for a political party to be in.
I'm not unsympathetic to the tricky situation Republicans find themselves in, but that doesn't excuse a press release like this one.
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"I'm not unsympathetic to the tricky situation Republicans find themselves in, but that doesn't excuse a press release like this one."
It does when one lives in rethugnikan land where everything is totally the opposite of reality.......That's their excuse and they're sticking with it because it's worked so well for them up til now....
?totally the opposite of reality?
Hyperbole from someone who does not understand that republicans create their own reality and that belief trumps fact every day!
Republicans believe what they believe (or are told to believe) and belief is much more important than fact or science or subjective reality.
They live on the Bizarro Planet, where everything is opposite of what it really is. That's the problem. Hey, do you think Reince got his name because someone thought that's how you pronounce RNC?
Depending on their choice of media, and friends, people get brain washed.
Fox News and the Republicans leaders already had their talking points planned out last night. They don't care if it is a flat out lie! It is just their version of the truth. And it supports their ONLY goal. (Putting on my best Michelle Bachman voice) To Make Obama a one term President.
Well, who are going to believe? Fox or the facts? Everyone knows Fox is fair and balanced.
Mary I totally agree with you,they started being partizan yesterday and intend to try and make it look like they are responsible for the improving economy with their bills they have sent to The senate about womens haalth and abortions, but I believe they waited too long ,and the stupidity is taking its toll on them .if one of these idiots becomes our leader we will be up crap creek with out a paddle !
The abortion and contraception issues are just an excuse to make people lose their focus on the economy, because they have no solutions except to make the middle class pay more taxes. and lower taxes for the rich and on corporate gains. Then they say they are going to cut the deficit, stop deficit spending, and balance the budget. Go figure. They need someone with a math degree.
Poor Rance: He's trying to make a silk purse out of what has become his sow's ear - an economy that keeps getting better and thus forcing Republicans to root around in the swill to find some social issue to use in firing up its base. I'm ecstatic they picked the wrong one - women's health and contraception - which not only proved to be a disaster as a policy and political fight, but alienated millions of independent and moderate Republican women in the process.
Charley, I think you have it backwards. Poor Rance is actually trying to make a "sow's ear" out of something that is looking more and more like a "silk purse"! ;)
"Don't look at this good news and see it as good. The glass isn't filling! See! There are still some parts of the glass that are empty! Just look at those! Just look at the empty parts, I say! It's empty! It's empty!"
That's the problem with current Republican rhetoric; it's very pessimistic and empty. Hollow even.
You would think someone over on the right would realize that the "doom and gloom" message doesn't work, and that they need a more positive one such as "our obstructionist tactics are now working to stop Obama's agenda and it's showing up in the jobs reports. So elect us!"
It's no more true than Reince's ridiculous statement, but you would think they could lie a little more convincingly that that.
The current Republican party is certainly anything but "Morning in America"!
More like "Mourning in America".
Once you start lieing you know what happens? They really blew this one they have underestimated the intellegience of the American People. That's why we're not in politics, the devils' playground.. When you start playing God he's gonna come after you.
I'm sure that a lot of men aren't too happy about this either whether they are married or not. Not that many men or women are intent on having litters.
Perhaps the mainstream media selectively edited Priebus's quote. Perhaps he really said, "... the situation is clearly not improving our chances of holding on to power."
thank you for the first good chuckle of the day.
Republicans 2012: "Keeping millions out of work in order to cost one man his job."
When Rush Limbaugh said he hope Obama would fail (despite the cost to the country), everybody condemned him, but the GOP took it as marching orders.
So many are "conservative Christians" but they seem to worship an immoral mortal more than they do their God.
I believe you will enjoy this shirt: Mitt Romney Will Never Be The President
I really hope you are right for everyones sake!
But he will have become a God among his people.
Santorum scares me more than Romney. I think if Romney got the presidency, he would take a more moderate stance. Santorum concentrates on social issues like contraception, geesh, what country are we living in? Of course Romney seems a little flaky and sneaky and running a business is hardly the same as running a govt. He bankrupted companies and pocketed what he could. If we was made pres., first of all there is nothing to pocket and you don't try to bankrupt countries. The government is also responsible for a lot of humanitarian programs while big business is not.
.... maybe Priebus is taking his cues from Politifact?
Priebus is a backstabbing, slimy, lying weasel. He is part of the doom and gloom crowd. At least Michael Steele tried to rebuild the 'brand' of the RNC. Priebus doesn't care because he thinks the people will go along with whatever he TELLS them is the brand.
Well, it's about one would expect from someone - Rance Priebus - who had been Scott Walker's political bum boy until he was elected chair of the RNC.
I am sure Reince Priebus misspoke about today's figures and is referring to the situation in his home state of Wisconsin. The job creation rate here-- under his good buddy, Scott Walker--is horrible. Since the 2008 recession job losses, Wisconsin has gained 5% of its jobs back--according to BadgerStat, a non partisan group. Walker promised to create 250,00 jobs during his term; he is at 8,500 now. Weasel.
!
There has been such a decline in republican behavior. They no longer have the pride to help pass a bill or compromise. Maybe their hatred of Obama is so intense, they only have one train of thought, and that is to remove him from office. He is already the no.1 target for an assassination, imagine if he does get a second term what with all these NRA lovers.
Asking the Republicans to issue a simply optimistic statement about a positive jobs report is folly. It's like when an ex starts dating someone new and asks "can't you just be happy for me!?" No. The answer is no.
Funny.
that wouldnot be in their best intrest so they will try and defuse the truth
Good analogy.
Just proves how out of touch with reality they really are. How many jobs have we added on the moon this month ? That's what they're concerned about.
They better come up with some ideas about improving the economy, and they better be good, or they don't have a chance, unless we discover that colony on the moon.
I am. The Repugniphants are in a pickle of their own making. It could be argued that the Clinton administration had more to do with the current economic mess than we'd like (hell, any is too much), but 8 years of Incurious George put us in a position where the effects of the recession were far worse than they had to be. They could be out there telling us how they're gonna get everything fixed, you know. They could be talking about economic policy that doesn't consist solely of tax cuts for the wealthy and austerity for everybody else. They could be talking about foreign policy that consists of something besides bombs. But it seems like they can't get past zOMG, there's a ni*CLANG!* in the White House, and their brains are on fire. Well, the smoke coming out of their ears is kind of a hint...
this mess started with reagan and his trickle down style of economics,It didnt work then and it will never work,the economy only grows when the working class can go out and spend money because the rich will just put it in a foreign bank !
What exactly was wrong about Clinton economics? We were more prosperous then than we had been in years, and then the years to come.
This is as Bill Maher says "Dispatches from the Bubble". Their messaging is only to their base. It is clear fabrications. Just like the hot video of President Obama giving a "radical" speech at Harvard. Radical.. what a joke... the guy eating the sandwich in the background was pretty radical...
You just do not understand! To fully understand, view the editorial page political statement by their political cartoonist Gary Varvel.
http://blogs.indystar.com/varvelblog/2012/03/09/the-pilot-2/
Sigh... I sure do miss the 'good old days' when the Pullian family owned the Indy Star and they had Dan Quayle as a guest editorialist each Saturday to provide a more liberal perspective.
I laughed at Michael Steele along with everybody else, but he is starting to look downright statesman like compared to this Reince Priebus character. The guy has a screw loose.
not loose he has lost them and his head just bobbles like a bobble headed cartoon!
Michael Steele is respectable at least.
The poor GOP "hatriots"; the wish so bad that America be in a depression for their own selfish needs, but it just isn't going their way.
His name reminds me of some sort of E.D. that you should see a physician if it last over 4 hours
Priebus' only job is to keep repeating the lie.
He and a few others. If the republicans do get into office, they will try to own the economic recovery that we already have.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't this House vow that jobs were their No. 1 Priority? So if the jobs situation is truly that bleak more than a year into their reign, shouldn't they be apologising?
They really don't know anything about jobs. They've never really had one.
Ruck Feince
I agree 100% with MEGO!
More of the same:
Blather, Reince, repeat.
There you go again, acting like the right wing cares anythhing about facts. The mantra is "tell a lie often enough (and loud enough) and people will believe it"
I can remember when Dubya and the tealiban thought it was fantastic when we had job growth of 56,000 when my state lost just about that many in the same time frame. DOH!!!
There was high unemployment during the Bush Adm. That is one thing the war was good for, providing manufacturing jobs. The economy was blah under Bush. There was a period of stagflation where we, as consumers, had to pay so much for necessities that we didn't have the cash flow to spend much on anything else, causing inflation in a couple of areas, and recession like properties in others.
Without their job's suppression plan working,the repubs are drowning in their own bullsh!t.Thing's are looking up in America and repubs are mad as hell and just cant take it anymore.They know the economy is picking up steam and if they can get their people into office next year they can claim it's their policies that are responsible.Which anyone with one brain cell can figure out is wrong.And they stoop to new low's and stop at nothing to discredit the President.They claim to be so religous and yet do nothing but lie about the man personally and any of his accomplishments.They are nothing but economic terrorist's,trying to sink the economy in order to score political points,no matter how many lives they destroy doing it.
Absolute truth SIR!
Everything is political anymore. If we do go to war with Iran, it will strictly be for political reasons. Even if one stands their ground, the other side will spread such propaganda, in order to discredit the party that made the decision. It's sick, yet they preach about the constitution, which is not a here and now. It's a shame that the congress people who don't work for a common cause, can't be fired, suspended, or receive a pay cut. Or maybe we need more activists as in the Scott Walker case, so we get a chance to vote them out of office before their term is up.
Why doesn't this surprise me? Because the GOP will have a reason for putting down ANY indication that the economy is getting better. Trust me, if the jobs growth had been 2 million last month and unemployment was down to 6% the GOP would be crying that the recovery was going to quickly and wouldn't last.
thats their next ploy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I said a long time ago, that the Republicans bet the farm on this strategy. Economy was royally screwed in 2008. Everyone will blame Bush, and parenthetically us (as they should). We have two options. Work with the President hope for the best and share the credit. See generally the Democrats in the House i.e. the early 80's, or oppose everything he does, and I mean everything on principle and hope and hope things get worse. If the latter happens, then we will get back in power. If the economy naturally and cyclically gets better, then the voters will award credit to President Obama, see generally Reagan in 1984, and we will have nothing to say about it. They have to hope for bad news or they are royally screwed.