It seems like only yesterday that Obama was whinging (yet again) about the public's failure to applaud his economy:
Obama: 'VFW Halls All Across America' Have Warped View of Economy
And today we get a gruesome jobs report:
US created 38,000 jobs in May vs. 162,000 expected
Ooops! I saw flickering headlines about downward revisions to the March and April payroll figures as well.
Some possible non-exclusive explanations:
(1) It is not the public that has a warped view of the economy, it is the guy who is a few months away from an eight-figure book deal.
(2) Obama is proving that the President has no advance information about US economic reports - this is one more thing he'll read in the papers.
(3) Obama is cleverly creating the illusion that he has no access to the numbers so that when the fix is in come September/October we will all be fooled.
So which is it? This is one of the many problems we caused for ourselves by electing a time-traveling genius for President.
First
Posted by: -peter | June 03, 2016 at 08:57 AM
Obama: 'VFW Halls All Across America' Have Warped View of Economy
Even for BOzo, that's bizarre. All the people available for him to demonize and he picks veterans of foreign wars who he imagines are dissing his wonderful economy in their private gatherings? He's gone full Queeg.
Posted by: DebinNC | June 03, 2016 at 09:06 AM
Bitter climbers deb, but then went Norman the android, so even he doesn't believe it.
Posted by: buccaneer morgan | June 03, 2016 at 09:11 AM
Yes this is the beginning of the final meltdown. The Ferret won't be able to keep the cracks from expanding.
Posted by: Captain Hate on the iPhone | June 03, 2016 at 09:12 AM
Carter trusted khomeini back in 1979, that worked out well.
Posted by: buccaneer morgan | June 03, 2016 at 09:13 AM
Dhimmi Carter let his joooo hatred tinge everything, including his attitude toward Begin.
Posted by: Captain Hate on the iPhone | June 03, 2016 at 09:25 AM
What resemblance do these numbers have with reality over the past 8 years? At some point they need to end up at a measurable number of employed Americans just in case a R gets in the White House and asks for an audit.
Posted by: henry | June 03, 2016 at 09:27 AM
Deb:
All the people available for him to demonize and he picks veterans of foreign wars who he imagines are dissing his wonderful economy in their private gatherings?
Think of the Rolling Thunder rally in DC over the Memorial Day weekend and the yuge support they gave Trump.
Posted by: Jeff Dobbs | June 03, 2016 at 09:31 AM
henry-take a look at this analysis going out to state and local government officials across the country.
http://www.routefifty.com/2016/06/states-benefit-when-they-expand-medicaid/128771/?oref=rf-today-nl
Only as long as the feds can keep up these deficits. Pitched as way to grow the economy and prosper. I guess this is Kasich's philosophy.
Posted by: rse | June 03, 2016 at 09:34 AM
When he spoke in Elkhart yesterday he didn't get an enthusiastic reception on the economy. It upset Gwen Ifil. Here is my sad faceđ
Posted by: Miss Marple | June 03, 2016 at 09:35 AM
But, but, the unemployment rate went down!!!
Anyway, Janet Yellen will come riding in to the rescue on her white horse with more free money.
Posted by: jimmyk | June 03, 2016 at 09:36 AM
Too bad rse isn't still here; Vargas Llosa is absolutely scathing on the decline of education. Maybe I'll contact her through her blog.
Posted by: Captain Hate on the iPhone | June 03, 2016 at 09:39 AM
From the BLS report, it looks like mining and manufacturing took the hit, offsetting more healthcare bureaucrats being hired to cope with the Obamacare mess.
Big increases in part-time employment for people who would rather work full-time.
Posted by: jimmyk | June 03, 2016 at 09:40 AM
thanks rse. they do use the "don't look behind that curtain" approach to where the money comes from (or more importantly doesn't after a couple years).
Posted by: henry | June 03, 2016 at 09:41 AM
Whoa, so much for refreshing!! D'oh.
Robin, are you aware of Notes on the Death of Culture by Mario Vargas Llosa, specifically the essay Forbidden to Forbid?
Posted by: Captain Hate on the iPhone | June 03, 2016 at 09:43 AM
jimmyk, our Chitown friend send me this yesterday: "NY Inst of Supply Mgmt May Index falls off a cliff: May = 37.2 vs April 57.0" that would be manufacturing falling off a cliff. In Milwaukee we had Joy Global slashing its workforce (mining equipment) on Tuesday. Yet the Fed seems set on raising rates. That object going over the cliff is the real economy -- I do not see a soft landing. (So much for the Ray Fair model supporting a Hillary win based on positive economic performance).
Posted by: henry | June 03, 2016 at 09:46 AM
I guess congress doesn't care. They just keep funding.
Students for Life
Students for Life â â@Students4LifeHQ
"How is the pancreas forecast today?" New docs on #PPsellsbabyparts scandal are damning
http://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/republicans.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/114/letters/20160601HHSHIPAA.pdf âŚ
Posted by: Lurker Susie | June 03, 2016 at 09:46 AM
The Bezos Daily Worker gives space to a concern troll after his old employer's family business comes to an end.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-most-depressing-moment-of-2016/2016/05/30/bdb1807a-2457-11e6-aa84-42391ba52c91_story.html
Posted by: Dave (in MA) | June 03, 2016 at 09:49 AM
The full Medicaid bill will come due for the citizens of Ahia well after the Mailman's son is on another another route. At that point it will be completely clear that it was sold based on a bunch of blatant lies that goof has never had to face.
Posted by: Captain Hate on the iPhone | June 03, 2016 at 09:54 AM
I will catch up with yesterday eveningâs posts but first, I just took the newsroom to task for its political coverage.
Front page yesterday featured about 20 column inches on âClinton will paint Trump as danger to foreign policyâ and nothing about Trump news.
I went to the AP feed and discovered stories are slugged âDEMâ, âGOPâ, âTRUMPâ, etc. and the editor, through laziness or design, had picked a single recent DEM lead as the âpoliticalâ story of the day.
So the ânewsâ provided was not an accurate map of what was significant, nor was it in context to provide readers what they need.
This morning, before schooling editors what news is, I looked again at the AP feed. The GOP story on Trump University goes with the first graf, âDonald Trump said that the federal judge presiding over a lawsuit brought by former Trump University students has an "absolute conflict" in handling the case because he is âof Mexican heritage.ââ with NO mention of Judge Curielâs La Raza connection. The article ends with this quote:
With the CLinton campaign quote and without the La Raza connection, this is, intended by AP or simply used by politicians, a political hit piece.I told our editors that it was part of our job to see that what we reported was balanced and in context, and they needed to know enough from other sources to be sure that what we printed from AP included enough context to be an accurate map of the political scene.
The editors seemed to understand. We will see.
What bothers me is that readers all over the country are swamped by such lazy editing.
Posted by: sbw | June 03, 2016 at 09:56 AM
Gerson: Trump was attempting to punish Martinez because she has been noncommittal about endorsing him.
My recollection indicates it wasn't because she was noncommittal, it was because she was ATTACKING him. And I think it is fairly unprecedented for the presumptive nominee to be attacked at this stage of the ballgame by his own party.
Don't attack your nominee -- what the hell is so hard to comprehend about that?
Posted by: RattlerGator | June 03, 2016 at 09:59 AM
Re: Dave's link
Gerson can (say it with me!) go die in a fire.
It amazes me how riled all the pundits are about Trump attacking Susanna Martinez.
When a President directs funds away from states that didn't vote for him, or refuses disaster aid to them, that's just politics and nothing wrong with it.
When a presidential candidate says something mean about a governor who doesn't support him, it's unprecedented in the history of the Republic and cause for widespread panic.
Is that about right?
Posted by: Free James D. | June 03, 2016 at 09:59 AM
A lot of people call Mr. Trump a "bs artist" but I think it's his uncompromising honesty that is causing the great unmasking of just about everyone, including Obama.
Posted by: cheerleader | June 03, 2016 at 10:01 AM
For the most part these days, "balanced" means that they include a pro-Dem and an anti-Repub story.
Posted by: Dave (in MA) | June 03, 2016 at 10:02 AM
Trump has modified his comments wrt Martinez.
Negative coverage will continue for Trump because of the dishonest media.
Good thing most people don't read newspapers anymore.
Posted by: maryrose | June 03, 2016 at 10:07 AM
What bothers me is that readers all over the country are swamped by such lazy editing.
sbw, how much of it is laziness and how much of it is a convenient chance to reinforce the editors' world view?
Good for you that you are trying to keep your paper honest! No doubt, a thankless job.
Posted by: JeanD | June 03, 2016 at 10:12 AM
If Mr. Trump is going to take marching orders from Mitch McConnell, he will not win.
Posted by: cheerleader | June 03, 2016 at 10:14 AM
This is how Argentina was deepsixed, menem kept national spending down, but the provinces spent like sailors in leave.
Posted by: buccaneer morgan | June 03, 2016 at 10:15 AM
mr: As I understand Martinez Attacked Trump without provocation at a big GOP donors meeting in FL. He was gentle under the circumstances. She did not choose wisely.
sbw: Rome is fortunate to have you and your family newspaper. I sent your blog contact form a while ago about the narcisolator2. If you didn't get it would you let me know here so I can try again. Thanks.
Posted by: asw | June 03, 2016 at 10:24 AM
JeanD: sbw, how much of it is laziness and how much of it is a convenient chance to reinforce the editors' world view?
I canât know and shouldnât know that particular editorâs political persuasion.
Ordinarily I donât pre-edit what goes into the newspaper. After something is printed I ask questions and hold them accountable for justifying what they did. Today I did -- blue penciling an AP story that included political hits and circling words like âbrash billionaireâ that have no place.
Across the country I suspect laziness. Decades ago businesses could feel safe selecting any computer so long as it was blue (IBM), an editor feels safe cutting and pasting Associated Press copy.
Editors at small newspapers across the country need to learn that AP writers feel âsafe" reporting conventional wisdom even if, because it doesnât accurately map the situation, it isnât wisdom.
I may be one of the few that emails AP regularly to challenge their reporting. All wire editors should.
Posted by: sbw | June 03, 2016 at 10:33 AM
This is exactly right -
For the most part these days, "balanced" means that they include a pro-Dem and an anti-Repub story.
Posted by: Janet | June 03, 2016 at 10:33 AM
asw, regarding narcisolator2, send sentinel at rny.com an email specifically directed to the publisher and I should get it.
Posted by: sbw | June 03, 2016 at 10:35 AM
Agree 100% with asw re sbw and his newspaper and its fortunate readers.
Posted by: cheerleader | June 03, 2016 at 10:35 AM
Yes, kudos to sbw, and it's noteworthy that he is a survivor in an industry where many of his competitors have gone down in flames, or at least have lost their independence to the big media companies. Remarkable how maintaining standards and integrity can be a recipe for success.
Posted by: jimmyk | June 03, 2016 at 10:39 AM
For the most part these days, "balanced" means that they include a pro-Dem and an anti-Repub story.
LOL, Dave--heads they win, tails we lose.
Posted by: jimmyk | June 03, 2016 at 10:40 AM
thnks, jk.
Posted by: sbw | June 03, 2016 at 10:46 AM
--Some possible non-exclusive explanations:--
Probably the bad weather in January which was the result of climate change which was exacerbated by Barry's predecessor = it's Bush's fault!
Posted by: Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki | June 03, 2016 at 10:53 AM
Why doesn't Michael Gerson just put on some pink panties, do a pirouette into the little girl's room, squat to pee and call it a day?
Posted by: Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki | June 03, 2016 at 10:58 AM
sbw, thanks for your reply.
I applaud you for fighting this uphill battle with AP and others.
One problem I think we have is that few people read critically or think to challenge the "facts" that they read/hear in the news reporting.
Love Trump or hate him, he does seem to be emboldening others to say "Hey, wait a minute! That's not true!" An exciting development for those among us who already knew, but a revelation for quite a few of our fellow citizens.
Posted by: JeanD | June 03, 2016 at 11:48 AM
I saw Michael Gerson in TARGET moments ago.
Posted by: GUS | June 03, 2016 at 12:16 PM
VFW halls around the country sometimes rent out space for various events. I've been to two or three different VFW halls here in Metropolitan Los Angeles in the last few years. They tend to be downscale working class places. One thing for sure--unlike Obozo who flew into Elkhart on Air Force One, the VFW members aren't arriving at the halls in their private jets. Down at ground level things are tough--but this arrogant airhead can't see that.
Posted by: Comanche Voter | June 03, 2016 at 02:57 PM