After the new job numbers were released this morning, Fox News' Stuart Varney hinted at a possible conspiracy theory: "Oh how convenient ... five weeks before the election."
Prominent businessman and Romney backer Jack Welch was less subtle.
In terms of responding to Welch, I think Austan Goolsbee struck the appropriate tone -- "Love ya, Jack, but here you've lost your mind" -- but the underlying argument underscores the larger issue of rampant far-right denialism.
Long-time readers may recall that this has come up before. Earlier in the year, when job growth was quite robust, many prominent voices on the right responded to the news in predictable fashion: they insisted the Obama administration was manipulating the data for political reasons. It just had to be a conspiracy.
In the ensuing months, the job totals deteriorated, and the Republican conspiracy theorists moved on -- that is, until this morning.
Of course, this dynamic only reinforces the point. If you're arguing, "Bad news on jobs is proof Obama's a failure; good news on jobs is proof Obama's manipulating the data," you're clearly an intellectually lazy hack. No serious person can credibly argue this way.
For the record, there is absolutely zero evidence to suggest the unemployment data has been manipulated in any way. The monthly report is compiled by career officials at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, who are walled off from political influence and who've done nothing to have their integrity called into question, and if Republicans are going to raise the specter of an elaborate conspiracy theory, it's incumbent on them to offer at least some kind of proof.
But the larger problem is that this kind of twisted thinking isn't limited to job numbers.
I'm reminded of something Alex Seitz-Wald wrote earlier this year, when Fox News became heavily invested in the argument that the job numbers were illegitimate:
If it weren't improper to psychologically analyze strangers, one might think the Fox hosts are displaying a textbook example of cogitative dissonance here, a psychological phenomena in which people who hold on strong belief about something invent (sometimes farfetched) explanations for new evidence that conflicts with their existing views. Obama is bad for the economy, the jobs numbers show the economy is doing better, so there must be something wrong with the jobs numbers.
But doesn't this sound familiar? The polls look bad for Romney, but rather than deal with the evidence, Republicans assume there's a conspiracy to "skew" the data.
Climate scientists present evidence of global warming, but rather than deal with the evidence, Republicans assume there's a conspiracy to scare the public.
Forget politics for a minute and consider this thesis: it's just not healthy for an entire political party to be so uncomfortable with reality that they deal with it, frequently, by cooking up elaborate and implausible theories, based on no evidence whatsoever.
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Of course we didn't see this coming. /snark
Kevo, I don't know why your view of Fox News is important for you to state other than to say you lean left. Fox News provides a point of view with their opinion shows for those on the right. No one is asking you to watch so why get yourself all worked up.
Malicious misinformation cannot legitimately be considered a "point of view" or "diference of opinion", so Fixed Noise serves no legitimate purpose.
$27,000 a year is better than $0.00 even if your're a die-hard, racist republican!
Well Jack Welch has no skin in the game, his opinion has to be completely unbiased and honest *facepalm*
Hey Fred, what if I told you I'm Hespanic, so please try and be respectfull when you don't know someones race.
Collaborationists deserve no respect, no matter what their race is.
Lower wages is just economy at work. When you have many unemployeed an employer is in the drivers seat to say take it or leave it for the next guy in line. If the unemployment rate is closer to 4% the wages go up. Thats just the way it works folks.
Not when you have millions of undocumented workers willing to work off the books or for minimum wage. That is why the Republicans are not really against illegal immigration nor will they do anything about it. It keeps wages down. And that is in addition to outsourcing jobs to Asia.
As well as 100s or 1000s of EMPLOYERS willing to pay for "off the books" or below standard wages...supply and demand don't occur in isolation of each other, Mike.
Michael, it sound like your employer isn't paying you enough.
Well, if anyone knows about cooking the books, it's Jack Welch!
Mike P., the President was on Univision (Spanish speaking TV) a few weeks ago and was asked why he didn't pass imigration reform during his first two years in office when democrats had majority control of House and Senate. And you want to blame Republicans? Very Short sited on your part.
Thanks once again for the daily demonstration of moron stupidity from the wingnut brigade, and how stupid stupid has to be to be one of you.
Now run off an urinate on the fire hydrants somewhere else before we have to call animal control and have you captured and sent to the pound.
You are all amazing. The President and his goons DO have the power to manipulate the numbers, and they do it every single month...then, after 30 days go by, they will quietly announce that their original numbers were incorrect, and it's worse than they originally thought. The fact that you are all reading something written by anyone from MSNBC, and considering it newsworthy is proof that you are the ones in denial. I've never looked so forward to an election. On November 7th, you will ALL find out how badly the polls have been manipulated all year as well. The press can only protect a tyrant for so long...the majority of Americans are not this stupid.
What is the weather like on your planet?
TC...,
They create their own reality, of course.
Don't forget Jack Welch ran General Electric, which runs NBC/MSNBC.
The term cognitive dissonance is used to describe the feeling of discomfort that results from experiencing two conflicting beliefs. When there is a discrepancy between beliefs and experiences, something must change in order to eliminate or reduce the dissonance. For example, consider the situation where a conservative who values the unemployment rate as a marker of the economy is faced with a dro
p in these numbers under a democratic administration. The conflict:
-It is important for unemployment rates to be low.
-The unemployment rate is lower than 8% under a rival administration.
Becoming aware of how conflicting beliefs impact the decision-making process is a great way to improve the ability to make faster and more accurate choices. Improve accurate choices today! Help your nearest conservative out of the cognitive dissonance hole. Be warned -- A pacifier may be required.
(adapted from What Is Cognitive Dissonance? By Kendra Cherry)
Jack Welch created the culture at GE that allows them to pay no taxes. He's a rich dick!
Jack Welch is over rated, bits on 60 Minutes, books, lauded and laureled, as a CEO because he has gravitas, his pal Rmoney has a paler version of success.
I beg to differ, both are louded and larded edifices in the pantheon of American corporatism. More like gravy-toss when they count their money in a safe room over in the Caymans like Scrooge Mc Duck.
This country has struggled, my story is a good example, health issue but still performing well, then nepotism (bosses daughter) got my job ("not over performance ") after a 10 year successful position, small business starting up from what savings I had at the time (2010) finally cleared health issue, COBRA still provides a good mugging every month taking over half of my on hand income but I pay it, finally scraping up enough work on my own but no guarantees...the list is typically endless and enduring.
During the onset, unemployment money saved me from God knows and Obama had a tax credit co-pay in place from the Stimulus that allowed me to afford COBRA, which reverted to my full responsibility last year. So good on Mr. Obama for helping me and millions of others through this era.
So, my cryptic comment about Welch and Rmoney, well, it's seasoned with a TON of yeah, come on down and stand around the bum fire with the rest of us.
Oh yes, I pay taxes or not, an actual accountant who does know what the rules are gets his yearly fee.
Looking for another gig in my industry? That business is still limping along (MI/AV) and anyone in it can tell you, good luck with that. I gave up trying and started a freelance photography business shortly after being laid off. By taking advantage of Nikon's latest HD enabled DSLRs and low light technology, I carved into some work.
The nepotism, sure, it's acceptable, the gal was being booted from B of A's mortgage VP division (there were hundreds of VP's being shot at dawn after Countrywide broke open, she was just one of them) but being sick, and successful over 50, that was the underbed reason, let's not mince reality. Although nothing provable in redress was actionable. It was because the process favors those like Welch and Rmoney, so why bother because that side will bury you, in legalities.
Not whining, just saying hey, WTF Obama finally sees some daylight, I can only offer my heartfelt congratulations then and if Can't-or and Rayn had half a brain, the numbers would be even better.
If you look at the U6 numbers put out by the Bureau of Labor statistics, the under-employed and the unemployed (etc.) that number has not moved. It sits at 14.7%. Just to keep up with population growth, we need at least 150,000 new jobs every month. It's still isn't looking good.
Here's the link: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm
On the Chris Matthews Show, Mr. Welch first characterized the jobs report as incredible, and that such a number as 7.8% unemployment had not been forecasted by most economist. However, in the same segment Mr. Welch revealed that he had predicted on his own that the jobs report for this month would be 7.9%. Obviously, the capacity to bring unemployment down has been available.
I honestly am not surprised that the October report is very favorable, and I would not put it past the President to have worked on the numbers. However, the method of pressuring the BLS is too foolish and unnecessary. The obvious method for the President to bring down the jobs numbers is for him to call up his numerous millionaire donors like Jeff Immelt at GE and ask them to hire a few more folks. The donors ask when, and the President says by October. The donors say okay, companies will need more workers anyway during the holiday season. It is not rocket science.
To hear this many lies and remain sane, there will be market strong market as profligate lying becomes so common place.
If nothing else we will know all the enemies of the working person after Romney is elected.
I know the working person and Jack Welch and Mitt Romney are not that person.
The contrasting vision is heart breaking, and you'd tear your own heart out after a simple description.
These men of great wealth have not the decency of holding their gilded tongue.
The simple day to day comparisons or living in shoes of poor man's struggle.
We are society as we define it, and it was not defined as the days of the 17th or 18th century in the same way.
We have harnessed energy, material, and intellectual capabilities, and have done to with industrial success with the simple sharing of these betterments.
But some where we hear no, no, no from the owners, yes the owners of these vast resources; the owners of energy resources earning a premium, the owner of materials speculating on advancing prices, the owner of intellectual properties held in marketing thrall, we own these things, and have every right to them, selling enough here and there to keep the working person living hand to mouth.
Why we ask if the vast free energy from the Sun and the treasure of the Earths are available to all then why must reserve so much wealth for so few?
I have heard my fill of a lot of belly aching, from the top wealthiest in the nation from Romney's class and up.
The entire crowd would not fill a large theater
So what is with these wealthy people, asking the working person to take less, and give more, and do dance as well?
What is known is that these wealthy people, and their families for generations head, could just live on their vast wealth forever without doing anything productive, permanent retirement in the havens of luxury.
The ordinary person would die of boredom within the empty existence of the rotating country club.
The wealth is a proxy for power, and this is the motivation, of the wealthy, but is having the financial power concentrated in the bodies of a few thousand magnates, worth it?
An informed electorate would realize that those industrial strength places of all business are the capital collections. Capital collections of the efforts of all working persons. It is from these marvels of technology that must come in support the working person's betterment. Where in any of this is a need to assign monopoly proprietary ownership of the world greatest intellectual capacity to so few individuals that make the empty stomach of staving man turn down food, seek escape.
Does the expression 'no dammed good' apply to the wealthy? Then it is quite possible that you would not want to vote them 'of all people into' office.
Who needs a venture capitalist running a country for business when they would not inspire a ham sandwich?
If you do recover your senses, then these oligarchs are not the least bit interested in the working person, believing Romney in anything but his vacuous business suit is self-deception.
Come on Rachel, I watched Morning Joe and Joe was inferring the numbers were bad before Welch even twited. Why does no one call Joe on this!!!
Even cannibals (repubs) get the blues.
Even cannibals (repubs) get the blues.
Wrong approach.
The right should rightly criticize Obama for claiming economic triumph when the new jobs have low pay and no benefits. They should insist that jobs should pay well and provide benefits and should redouble their support of organizations that fight for these things. You know... unions.