11 comments

  • This graph is a crock. Unemployment has increased since Obama took office, not decreased.

  • You should read what the words on the chart say. Have a great day!

  • @Matthew The correct reading of the chart (I was a math major, trust me on this) is that the increase in job losses stopped right around the time Obama was sworn in, and from there the overall trend was positive, turning into job gains about one year into Obama’s first term. Without a month of overall job loss since.

    Further, that this is _private sector_ employment, so no one can say that the improvement in the employment picture was just Obama creatin’ jobz for publick yoonyunz.

  • Source, please? And what’s “payroll employment”? If someone loses one good forty-hour job and gains three shitty 10-hour a week jobs, does she count for an increase of three in “payroll employment.”

    Here’s another graph, sourced, that shows what a loyal servant of the boardroom Obama has been: http://rwer.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/chart-of-the-day-us-profit-and-wage-shares-1970-2011/

    As Glenn Greenwald (gasp!) says, one almost has to pity the poor Republicans: Obama has stolen so much their platform, and has earned Wall Street’s profound gratitude and money, that they have to act and talk completely nuts to differentiate themselves.

  • They have to act and talk completely nuts to differentiate themselves.

    Been doing pretty well with that, gotta hand it to them.

  • The graph is from here: http://www.barackobama.com/news/entry/did-you-see-the-employment-situation-in-november/.

    It’s based on statistics from here: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm. The employment rates do seem to be better.

  • The Genco family has been marginally better during the first Obama term and should be marginally better in a second Obama term (unless he doesn’t win which I hope.)Unfortunately, we live in an insulated bubble that adjusted 20 years ago to a shitty economy when our blue collar jobs split. Charts showing national unemployment don’t matter in my life or even the lives of the unemployed folks I know.

  • Jonathan Wellintn-Fidrych III

    There are plenty of jobs going begging at my offshore production facilities. No need to fill out an application, just show up. We pay very competitive wages for the region. Work days are now limited to 18 hours and children over 8 years of age are welcomed.

    Wellinton-Fidrych III Enterprizes
    9th Floor, Puyuan Science Park, Building A
    396 Guilin Road
    Shanghai 200233
    P.R. China

  • Alan forgot to mention his graph derives from the Obama-Biden campaign site. This sort of information is important.

    The caption to the original Obama-Biden graph states, “The unemployment rate fell from 9 percent to 8.6 percent in November.” The linked Labor Department source that reveals the correct rate was 8.7%. Even when the statistics are on their side, even when they can be easily checked, the Obama campaign people lie. Not too surprising given the source–but that’s why we need to know the source.

    The same Bureau of Labor site contains some less cheery news that didn’t inspire the Obama people to a colorful graph: “About 2.5 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in December, little different from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in
    the 4 weeks preceding the survey.”

    • The graph was originally posted on December 2nd, before the BLS revised the figures for November.

      I found the graph via Twitter.

      Have a great day!

  • You have a great day too, Alan–no, a GREAT day! Happy twittering.

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