In your opinion is the economy doing well?

[Politico]

A "good" economy is hard to define, but you know it when you see it. Alas, this is not a good economy.

[Politico]

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I've not heard a single Democrat mention workforce participation levels have dropped to 1983 levels, before the massive boom of the 90s. This means more single worker families, where one parent stays at home.

Is this really what you folks want? I mean if we want to go back to the 50s, we're well on the way there.

I have heard a Democrat say that 4.5 percent unemployment is cause to get rid of Bush, but 7.9 percent unemployment is cause to retain Obama.

Yep, and don't forget Democrats who were outraged by $2.00/gallon gas in 2004 who are defending $4.00/gallon gas in 2012.

Obama's record is so awful and this environment is so god-awful that I am confident this is going to break heavily in Romney's direction. Even a lot of people who hate Romney and his positions on certain social issues will hold their nose and mark their ballot for him even though they'll never admit it to anybody until things finally turn around under Romney's stewardship. Consider this a forewarning for those of you who play on Intrade: The exit polls are probably going to underestimate Romney's support by a significant margin (think 2004 but on an even greater level).

[Politico]

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I've not heard a single Democrat mention workforce participation levels have dropped to 1983 levels, before the massive boom of the 90s.

Workforce participation is a misleading statistic because secular long-term trends have been causing workforce participation to decline that have nothing to do with cyclical economic factors or job availability. More young people are getting education at all levels; more teens are participating in extracurricular activities rather than taking the 'summer job'; a greater share of the population is over 65 (a trend which accelerated with baby boomers hitting retirement age beginning in 2011), and workforce participation statistics include them; prime, working-age men 25-54 have seen a long-term decline in workforce participation across business cycles; womens' rate of joining the workforce has also slowed across business cycles. In fact, in the plentiful jobs environment of the mid-to-late 1990s is when womens' workforce participation stopped rising.

No one is saying the job market is good at the moment [the argument is over what policies will help], so there's no need to use misleading statistics to try and make such an argument.

You don't want a thing to change because Washington, DC is doing well and you're in the thick of it. We understand. What we don't understand is why you refuse to admit that the rest of America is seriously struggling...

[Politico]

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These secular forces are working against - not for you. That's my point. As bad as the numbers are now - they will be even worse later on. The 55+ crowd isn't going to work forever, but right now, the numbers are looking better than they actually are because they are going back to work.

I want to hear you say to my face that it's a good thing that men under forty have the lowest workforce participation rates, since the Great Depression.

Don't' worry, Ben: Washington, DC is just fine! Support Obama and keep it that way!