Unemployment drops to 7.8%, labor force up.

[Franzl]

I think we can safely call this good news for Obama.

Key point -

You must be logged in to read this quote.

What debate?

Maybe mediocre jobs reports are good news in Europe, but America expects better.

So employment keeping up with population growth, your mantra for the past few months doesn't matter anymore?

I'm sorry, but cheering over 114,000 jobs being created almost half a decade after the start of the recession is downright pathetic.

This is clearly not good enough. We've had this malaise, it's not an outright recession but it's not a recovery either, for almost half a decade. It needs to change and soon before it's too late.

We have 23 million people out of work.

Politico, I realize Obama's staunchest partisans argue unemployment remains to this day 100% George Bush's problem, but at the same time do you seriously attibute every job lost after the minute he was inaugurated to be Obama's fault?

I have admitted on repeated occasions that Obama inherited a bad situation. However, he has been president and got everything he wanted his first two years. He needs to man up and take responsibility for at least the last year or two.

He got everything he wanted his first two years? What?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

He had a congress that was full blue-dogs from 2006 and 2008... Obama had a horrible time with his own party... then those people got wiped out and replaced by a group of people who were literally certifiable...

[Torie]

In other news, anecdotally at least, hiring is picking up in Socal in the construction industry at last.  My poor unemployed roommate is sending out more resumes. That also suggests that the market thinks housing prices have bottomed and are on an upswing, which also seems true - anecdotally.

[Politico]

If only 114,000 jobs were created each and every single month moving "forward," it would take about 202 months (approximately 17 years) just to create 23 million jobs. As we all know, 23 million people are out of work today. Even 50% of new college graduates are unable to find work in this economy (and who the hell wants to say, "do you want fries with that degree?"?). 47 million people are dependent upon food stamps, with a good chunk of these individuals wanting to regain their independence.

If we still had everybody employed or looking for work who was employed or looking for work in January 2009, the unemployment rate would be over 11% today. This is coupled with millions and millions of people who only have part-time work but want full-time work (the official unemployment rate treats somebody who works one hour per week the same as somebody who works 40+ hours per week)

America is burning. The 21s Century Nero is just fiddling around with his teleprompter written by 21st Century Ciceros...

If we do not change course soon, America will burn to the ground...

[Politico]

I think we can safely call this good news for Obama.

Key point -

You must be logged in to read this quote.

What debate?

Maybe mediocre jobs reports are good news in Europe, but America expects better.

So employment keeping up with population growth, your mantra for the past few months doesn't matter anymore?

I'm sorry, but cheering over 114,000 jobs being created almost half a decade after the start of the recession is downright pathetic.

This is clearly not good enough. We've had this malaise, it's not an outright recession but it's not a recovery either, for almost half a decade. It needs to change and soon before it's too late.

We have 23 million people out of work.

Politico, I realize Obama's staunchest partisans argue unemployment remains to this day 100% George Bush's problem, but at the same time do you seriously attibute every job lost after the minute he was inaugurated to be Obama's fault?

I have admitted on repeated occasions that Obama inherited a bad situation. However, he has been president and got everything he wanted his first two years. He needs to man up and take responsibility for at least the last year or two.

He got everything he wanted his first two years? What?

He had stronger majorities of his own party in Congress than any incumbent since Jimmy Carter. Nobody will have such strong majorities again for a long, long time.

Why won't defenders of the president just man up and admit that the president is ultimately responsible for at least the last year or two? Obviously he is not responsible for four years ago, but that was a presidential term ago. He needs to man up and accept responsibility for at least the last year or two.

[opebo]

In other news, anecdotally at least, hiring is picking up in Socal in the construction industry at last.  My poor unemployed roommate is sending out more resumes. That also suggests that the market thinks housing prices have bottomed and are on an upswing, which also seems true - anecdotally.

Yes, cyclical boom is baked in the cake by Obama for Romney's first term.  It will be most gratifying to you and yours to watch him take credit for it.

By the way, you have a 'poor unemployed roommate'?!  Isn't 'rentboy' a paying profession anymore?

[Ichabod]

If we still had everybody employed or looking for work who was employed or looking for work in
America is burning. The 21s Century Nero is just fiddling around with his teleprompter written by 21st Century Ciceros...

If we do not change course soon, America will burn to the ground...

One big difference. Nero started himself the fire. Maybe, he could have done more (I believe that), but come on, I don't think that any modern President had to deal with such a big obstruction levels form the Republicans.

And by the way, Nero's tutor was Seneca, not Cicero.

[Wisconsin+17]

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Name the last prez with supermajorities in both the house and the senate?

[後援会]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Name the last prez with supermajorities in both the house and the senate?

Possibly LBJ, but he had to deal with incorrigible Dixiecrats, so not really.

Probably FDR.

[Politico]

If we still had everybody employed or looking for work who was employed or looking for work in
America is burning. The 21s Century Nero is just fiddling around with his teleprompter written by 21st Century Ciceros...

If we do not change course soon, America will burn to the ground...

One big difference. Nero started himself the fire. Maybe, he could have done more (I believe that), but come on, I don't think that any modern President had to deal with such a big obstruction levels form the Republicans.

And by the way, Nero's tutor was Seneca, not Cicero.

It does not matter who started the fire when the president is fiddling with a teleprompter instead of solving America's challenges.

The president is simply unable to deal with numbers. I think it's beyond obvious after the debate.


Furthermore, few know who Seneca was. Many know who Cicero was.

[opebo]

The president is simply unable to deal with numbers. I think it's beyond obvious after the debate.

Um.. you seem to have a misunderstanding about the job of the 'commander in chief'.. don't you realize he has lots of staff for the adding and subtracting and so forth?  There's no need for him to do that - or carry out the trash at the whitehouse either.

Obama's problem at the debate wasn't something he could change.

[Torie]

In other news, anecdotally at least, hiring is picking up in Socal in the construction industry at last.  My poor unemployed roommate is sending out more resumes. That also suggests that the market thinks housing prices have bottomed and are on an upswing, which also seems true - anecdotally.

Yes, cyclical boom is baked in the cake by Obama for Romney's first term.  It will be most gratifying to you and yours to watch him take credit for it.

By the way, you have a 'poor unemployed roommate'?!  Isn't 'rentboy' a paying profession anymore?

He's not one of my boy toys. He's straight.

[opebo]

Yes, cyclical boom is baked in the cake by Obama for Romney's first term.  It will be most gratifying to you and yours to watch him take credit for it.

By the way, you have a 'poor unemployed roommate'?!  Isn't 'rentboy' a paying profession anymore?

He's not one of my boy toys. He's straight.

Well, let me apologize for my teasing.  I was genuinely surprised that a wealthy man like you had a 'roommate'.  Is he more like a majordomo or head butler, managing the Mexican staff and generally taking care of life's little annoyances?

[Torie]

Yes, cyclical boom is baked in the cake by Obama for Romney's first term.  It will be most gratifying to you and yours to watch him take credit for it.

By the way, you have a 'poor unemployed roommate'?!  Isn't 'rentboy' a paying profession anymore?

He's not one of my boy toys. He's straight.

Well, let me apologize for my teasing.  I was genuinely surprised that a wealthy man like you had a 'roommate'.  Is he more like a majordomo or head butler, managing the Mexican staff and generally taking care of life's little annoyances?

I am helping the chap out, Ron, because he needs help, and most particularly because of his two boys (ages 7 and 11), who live with their alcoholic bi-polar mother, who smokes pot in front of them, along with their 15 year old older brother (sired by a different man). She sometimes fails to feed them, and they have to fend for themselves, and they have no set bedtimes and stay up all hours of the night. When around her, they don't do their homework either. Ron has custody of the boys about a third of the time, and then they stay at my house, which is about 15 miles from the sicko mother's house.

Ron is looking for a job, and when his kids with him at my house, for the first time in my life I am doing a cameo appearance as a quasi parent (it is quite interesting willing to get the brats to do it your way through psychology rather than yelling at them). When his kids are around, the pot and bongs and pipes go upstairs into my bedroom, although sometimes a boy toy will join us for dinner. The kids don't comment on that at all; it is all just part of the landscape. Kids I find (at least these two) are quite adaptable. Ron does a few repairs because he is handy, and picks me up at the airport now and then, and does a bit of shopping at the grocery store with my money, and we share cooking duties. 

When Ron gets a job, and his own digs, I will assist him in obtaining legal custody of the kids. If the mother gets much worse, I will be forced even if Ron is in no position to take custody now, to sic social services on the mother.

Helping the gang out, and seeing the kids improve gives me great personal pleasure opebo. I like helping people, particularly if I think I am doing it in a positive rather than enabling way, as is the case here. Ron is working his heart out to find work, not only for the obvious reasons, but as  a lifeboat for his kids. He's a good man.

Any other questions, opebo?

I must say I am quite impressed with your fantasies about my life style. I'm flattered.

[opebo]

He's looking for a job, and has his kids with him at my house about a third of the time (for the first time in my life I am doing a cameo appearance as a quasi parent - it is quite interesting willing to get the brats to do it your way through psychology rather than yelling at them). He does a few repairs because he is handy, and picks my up at the airport now and then, and does a bit of shopping at the grocery store with my money, and we share cooking duties. His name is Ron. Any other questions, opebo?

I must say I am quite impressed with your fantasies about my life style. I'm flattered.

And I'm genuinely impressed with the reality of it - you sound amazingly like Larry David with the Blacks.

[Politico]

That's really nice of you, Torie. You should be proud. Hopefully Ron finds what he's looking for, and sooner rather than later.

[milhouse24]

There are still "Less people employed nationally than during September of 2011"

More people have either left the workforce or forceably retired from their jobs. 

The forgotten middle class has been forgotten. 

Obama only helps the very poor, and seems to be pushing everyone into the very poor, so they qualify for government services like Obamacare.

[Maxwell]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Name the last prez with supermajorities in both the house and the senate?

Possibly LBJ, but he had to deal with incorrigible Dixiecrats, so not really.

Probably FDR.

LBJ WAS an incorrigible Dixiecrat until it was politically viable not to be one.

[Politico]

There are still "Less people employed nationally than during September of 2011"

More people have either left the workforce or forceably retired from their jobs.  

The forgotten middle class has been forgotten.  

Obama only helps the very poor, and seems to be pushing everyone into the very poor, so they qualify for government services like Obamacare.

You're absolutely right. If millions had not lost hope, had not dropped out of the labor market over the past four years, then unemployment would be about 11% today (and this figure still excludes people who have part-time work but want full-time work).

I hate to say it, but a lot of people (not all, but a lot of folks) in the Obama Administration want America to eventually be a nation filled with people who have a defeatist mentality like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpAOwJvTOio

God bless this poor lady. She is one of the many victims of liberalism. Whether or not liberals realize it, this lady is a symbol representing the end game of most liberals and the policies they hold in their heart. The end game is a Frankenstein Monster that arises due to their seemingly well-intended policies (Like Victor Frankenstein, liberals created the Monster because they had good intentions, but it's the results that matter, not the intentions, as Victor Frankenstein and the Monster himself learned before it was too late). Not all Democrats are bleeding heart liberals, of course, so there is still hope if Obama's liberalism is overwhelmingly rejected on November 6.

[J. J.]

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Name the last prez with supermajorities in both the house and the senate?

I can think of George W Bush in 2007-9, Bill Clinton in 1995-01, George H W Bush, 1989-93, Ronald Reagan, 1987-89.

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

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Name the last prez with supermajorities in both the house and the senate?

I can think of George W Bush in 2007-9, Bill Clinton in 1995-01, George H W Bush, 1989-93, Ronald Reagan, 1987-89.

Obama only had a filibuster-proof majority in the senate for about 6 months. Al Franken wasn't seated til about June or July, Teddy Kennedy died in August and Scott Brown was seated in January or February.

[Badger]

I think we can safely call this good news for Obama.

Key point -

You must be logged in to read this quote.

What debate?

Maybe mediocre jobs reports are good news in Europe, but America expects better.

So employment keeping up with population growth, your mantra for the past few months doesn't matter anymore?

I'm sorry, but cheering over 114,000 jobs being created almost half a decade after the start of the recession is downright pathetic.

This is clearly not good enough. We've had this malaise, it's not an outright recession but it's not a recovery either, for almost half a decade. It needs to change and soon before it's too late.

We have 23 million people out of work.

Politico, I realize Obama's staunchest partisans argue unemployment remains to this day 100% George Bush's problem, but at the same time do you seriously attibute every job lost after the minute he was inaugurated to be Obama's fault?

I have admitted on repeated occasions that Obama inherited a bad situation. However, he has been president and got everything he wanted his first two years. He needs to man up and take responsibility for at least the last year or two.

Okay, we might nitpick over semantics as to sweepingly saying Obama got 'everything he wanted' (e.g. he had to settle for a smaller stimulus. Package than he wanted; Lieberman almost single-handedly killed super-majority support for the public option, etc), but we basically agree.

Now the fair question is, how would you characterize economic growth and the unemployment rate over the last year or two?