Every month, without fail, White House officials respond to monthly job numbers in the identical way: there will be month-to-month fluctuations and it's best not to make too much of any one report.
And while the official line hasn't changed, President Obama seemed awfully eager to talk about the new jobs numbers at an event in Virginia this morning.
For those who can't watch clips online, Evan McMorris-Santoro had this report.
"This morning we found out that the unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level since I took office. More Americans entered the work force. More people are getting jobs," Obama said Friday at a campaign stop at George Mason University in Fairfax County, Virginia.
The president said the unemployment figure "reminds us that we have still got too many of our friends and neighbors who are looking for work, and they're too many middle-class families that are still struggling to pay the bills," but it was clear he viewed the drop below eight percent as a reason to vote for his reelection.
"Today's news certainly is not an excuse to try to talk down at the economy to score a few political points," Obama said. "It is a reminder that this country has come too far to turn back now."
Also note, the president stressed the fact that America's private sector has added 5.2 million jobs over the last 30 months. In fact, U.S. businesses have added more jobs under Obama in one term than it did under Bush in two terms.
It's true that it's best not to make too much of any one jobs report, but under the circumstances, and with just 32 days left before Election Day, it's hardly surprising the president would be eager to share some good news.
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True, it don't amount to a 'hill of beans', but, since the Right has been foaming at the mouth, GuanoNutz off the charts, since 8:30 this morning, it is only right that Obama use these largely meaningless numbers to plead his case.
Americans are smart enough to separate the few kernels of wheat from the bushels of chaff.
On the other hand, if the rate had gone UP from 8.1% to say 8.4%, the GOP would think THAT amounted to a mountain of beans.
Watch the Republicans accuse Obama of telling people the bald-faced truth: that something he's done is actually working.
What chutzpah. What arrogance. Only Republicans are supposed to do that.
I suspect that Obama knew the numbers would be good at Wednesday's debate. Maybe not the specific numbers but that there were signs of positive news. If I were a political advisor, I'd say, "Let Romney have his news cycle, because by Friday everyone will forget about it."
Obama gets to carry this jobs report right into the election (and one assumes the next report is decent, also). Or as Newman would say, "That's gold, Jerry, gold!"
I don't think anyone has forgotten that Obama got his ass kicked in the debate. 114,000 jobs doesn't even keep up with population growth. To get to 7.8%, new jobs would need to be above 200,000. Take a look at Sept's U-6 unemployment rate of 15.7% which includes under employed and those who have given up looking for work. Go ahead and gloat about a 0.03% reduction in "unemployment" while there is a record number of Americans on food stamps while our debt and Fed printing of money continues unabated. Yeah I would be smug about this.
I noted the other day that last month we had 50 less families using our food shelf in our Minnesota district. We serve the Eastern Carver County area and we serve an average of about 375 families a month. So a drop of 50 families is significant. We also have had several of our clients come in to announce that they have found jobs and won't be needing the food shelf much longer.
To me that says the numbers are consistent with what we have seen.
In this hyper-polarized electorate, with relatively few undecideds, what will make the difference?
Low and mis-information voters are not the undecideds. The undecideds are looking for something real, some evidence they can use to tell themselves that they made the right decision. A flashy debate performance doesn't create jobs. An unemployment rate less than 8% and falling is real thing they can understand.
I know many people are unhappy with the way Obama has run things, and I'm also aware of the number of supporters he has. Either way, make sure you vote! If you own a business, close your business for 2 hours, or give your employees paid time off to vote.
If you're interested, visit: www.2hours4yourcountry.org
According to the Department of Labor at the end of July there was 3.2 million unfilled jobs. The reason is that people are not trained, they have been out of work to long need and are rusty, reluctant to changing careers and need training.
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm
So, why is it that corporations are not asking for "loans' from banks that are sitting on 2 Trillion, to train Americans for these jobs? No, many of these major corporations are hiring those from other countries at $10,000 a year instead. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! How can there be 8-12 million unemployed Americans who are incapable of being trained for these jobs? We can do better, folks. I taught for 37 years and American students/adults/workers are fully capable of learning to do the work required in these corporations. Ask your local corporations how many they have hired? Pressure them. Talk to the White House - 302456 1111. Call your Congressperson/Senator. It's called "pushback".
When I turned 50 I was working in a 7-11 and felt that I could no longer support myself and my son on the minimum wage I was earning. I took classes to improve my abilities toward an administrative assistant position. The job I obtained after that training helped me into a position as Administrator of the MLS for the Realtor Association.
At present I am looking for part time work to help me find a position when my federal program to help seniors get back into the workforce, in October. I know that I will need to brush up on Excel and Access programs. I'm almost 75 and have no car, making it difficult to get to the classes. But between friends, family and an inadequate bus line, I have so far been able to take advantage the classes.
The people who are not trained to perform at new work will be more than willing to be trained and are more than capable of learning new skills, if there are programs they can attend. However, if we continue to cut teachers and education funds that cannot happen. We need more vocational/technical forums to help these people.
I don't see the Republicans being willing to move in that direction.
I'll bet Romney hate's it that more American's are going back to work.The economy has created 5million job's under President Obama without the help of a dysfunctional congress and their big corporate friend's.Not only without their help but despite their constant roadblock's.This President deserve's reelection more than any President since Clinton.And we all know who was the President between Clinton and Obama.
You sir are a puppet, and are obviously lost. If u really believe that there has been a net 5 million gain in jobs over the last 4 years u r a simple person. Come to Florida where the Avg household income is under 35000 and the real unemployment rate is in the low to mid teens. Your candidate will lose Fla. and it wont even be close. Say all u can now sir because in a few weeks it will all be over for you and your socialist President....
The Prez will win Florida unless all of the folks under 55 years old want a voucher when they retire. I think not.
Well, gee maybe your Republican Governor can do something to help those job numbers, instead of working so hard to disenfranchise anyone that may possibly vote against him or his party or putting in place useless programs that only line his pockets.
Start doing some real research outside your party line and find out what the real world knows.
Mitt will simply stick with the 43 months above 8% line. Perhaps say "we had 43 months" instead of "we've had 43 months."
We have been stuck at around 8% all year, and probably something will have to change to get it to move much in the next year. A policy change. The end of obstruction in the congress. Something. Otherwise it will go down very very slowly.
Mitt keeps saying Obama's policies haven't worked. But because of GOP obstruction, very little has changed policy-wise. The stimulus expired, and the teachers and firefighters and police we kept from layoffs for two years, have since been laid off. Due to low revenues at the local level.
When he says we don't want big government, he is including local government employees in the mix. If there is anything worth "borrowing money from China to pay for" it's teachers.
I say "tout" is not the word I would use to describe Obamas reaction to todays numbers. He gave way too many caveats to go as far as "tout" IMHO. Obama has handled these monthly reports very carefully, and again here he was not spiking the football. Nonetheless he will be accused by the right wing media of doing exactly that...
Agreed. He was not "touting" or "bragging" at all.
Just the beginning of job lost under the last republician. Can you trust them?
In December, the number of unemployed persons increased by 632,000 to 11.1 million and the unemployment rate rose to 7.2 percent. Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed persons has grown by 3.6 million, and the unemployment rate has risen by 2.3 percentage points.
Among the unemployed, the number of job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs rose over the month by 315,000 to 6.5 million in December 2008. Over the past 12 months, the size of this group has increased by 2.7 million.
The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) rose to 2.6 million in December and was up by 1.3 million in 2008.
These data are from the Current Population Survey and are seasonally adjusted. More information can be found in "The Employment Situation: December 2008" (PDF) (HTML), news release USDL 09-0004.
another month of manufacturing job losses- this time 16,000. 382,000 new unemployment fillilngs for last week alone. 385,000 the week before that, 1.4 million new filllings in August. These numbers courtesy of the US labor department. How is this an improving economy?????????????
Obviously you don't understand the relativity of those figures to the size of the entire economy and job market. And obviously you're choosing to ignore the comparison of those numbers to what we had at the end of Bush's second term. Every single week, even in the best of times, Americans file new unemployment claims. And economists will tell you that when that number of new claims is about where it is now, it's a sign that jobs are being created and the economy is growing. You don't have to believe me; do some research and that's what you'll learn.
This was the largest single monthly unemployment drop in our countries history. Pretty fishy after that butt kicking at the debate earlier in the week. Americans are not stupid and the voters that are left undecided aren't going to be swayed by this obvious munipulation of the numbers. All the lefties need to get there jabs in now, because in a few short weeks it will all be over for them and their socialist President....Maddow included........ROMNEY/RYAN 2012
Wow! How sad for you. I am sure if the unemployment report stated an upswing you would believe that, right? Our Prez will be re-elected plain and simple. You can't honestly think Vulture/Voucher are going to win. Seriously.
Tennessee Dad
Does inbreeding have anything to do with the way you see things, or are you just one of those poor people that watch fox "news"?... You do know that fox was denied a broadcast license, and/or broadcast rights to send their signal across the Canadian boarder don't you? Yeah, those pesky Canadians... they demand a "NEWS" corporation broadcast the TRUTH... they don't trust fox, because fox does not verify anything!
Dear FSM, better trolls please!
True, I graduated from school over forty years ago, but I understood that spelling and grammar were still part of the curriculum. Grade school level, at that.
Great news...that Electrical engineer just got a job flipping pancakes!
Better news...Mitt just made another million on his holdings in offshore accounts.
(whoa I dig this trolling when I stay on the surface. I would try going deeper but that might require bigger tackle and a little more effort.)
Paul,
At least the Electrical Engineer is working, and not collecting a "welfare"check, That Engineer is being responsible! Do you have blinders on? Are you stuck to the RIGHT WINGS ANAL SPHINCTER so tite that you can't see the Engineer is being responsible? Taking charge of they're life, trying to do better than collecting unemployment... is that person you are writing about one of the 47% that willard's job is NOT TO WORRY ABOUT?
Working for minimum wage makes him a non-tax payer -that is how mitt the twit got his 47% figure you dolt.If you get your tax refunded then you are not a tax payer.
Gee i wonder if the current president or Ms. Maddow, or Matthews, or Ed, or O'Donnell will come to the defense of the Pennsylvania high school student who wore the Romney t-shirt to school. I bet they will not even mention it during their shows today, why won't they you ask ? answer = because msnbc and nbc executives will tell them not to, and they don't dare mention "freedom of speech" that is contrary to their own jaded views.
I see,so you support political ads in public schools. Well no I think you just want to try and use some little incident as a demonstration of liberal bias. Shame you fail to watch the show often enough to see that Rachel is far more fair and balanced than you imply.
Some People are actually mad about today's Bureau of Labor Statistics report of lower unemployment and question its results? That is strange because today, for some strange reason, I received a Romney campaign leaflet in the mail with the open headline on it quoted from the Bureau of Labor Statistics!! Huh, isn't that an endorsement of and trust in their " statistics"?
Did you ever see one of those crazy inked prints that when held a certain way reveal another underlying print? (The ones that I had trouble with since I wear glasses and such?) The right can see such things even when there are no underlying prints.
The President is a fighter for all Americans, and his joy for America moving forward is emotionally honest. The response of the "Radical Right Wingers" was that of a bunch of paranoids. The pure hatred for the President of the United States by Jack "the Jerk" Welch is UnAmerican, UnPatriotic, and he is a Closet Rascist. "Jerky Jack" is a bitter old individual who still believes in the "Boogy Man." The GOP/RNC are truely out to destroy an American President on all issues, and will give this President NO credit at all. They are truely a joke America!
Even in the WORST month in the current administrations tally... there were 6,000 jobs created!
With friends like you ....
What's your problem with our president owning these numbers? It's ok to slam him when the number is high, but dismiss when the numbers look good? Lord knows, if the number was 8.2 everyone would be screaming how President Obama has failed us. Sorry, but I don't get the tone of this article. Does Rachel know you wrote it and put it here? Where she has to take ownership of it?
Even in the WORST month in the current administrations tally... there were STILL 6,000 jobs created... the repubs just can't admit the fact that POTUS is doing a great job! They (tea-party/republicans) are still sticking to the inauguration threat of DENYING the POTUS of anything good for AMERICA! I think the DOJ should investigate the tea-party/republican party leadership on the charge of CONSPIRACY !
Another thing... thanks to BONER or however he spells it, congress has only worked (been in session) for 12 days since AUGUST 1,2012.... let's demand they only get paid (GOVERNMENT CHECKS) for the days THEY ACTUALLY WORK!...We could save MILLIONS or BILLIONS of our precious TAX DOLLARS if we only pay them when they work!... If they all go to their individual states to campaign for their jobs, the individual states should pay for that time and travel!.....Just a thought...
And a great one. The work ethic of our federal legislature is ludicrous, considering what exorbitant salaries and benefits they have. If they were doing a real job, I wouldn't care as much, but considering they have done nothing for the past 2 years but play politics, cause the lowering of our credit rating and disrespect the President we voted into office, I think they should all be convicted of malfeasance in office.
I never hear it said, but the last thing they did in the financial crash was vote themselves an increase in wages. This has to be changed. The congress has to be held accountable for their jobs and the only way to do that is to deny them pay for not showing up or not working to repair the state of the country.