Slog
News & ArtsFriday, October 5, 2012
2012 John McCain Basically Says Obama Rigged the Jobs Numbers
Posted by Paul Constant on Fri, Oct 5, 2012 at 11:15 AM
This is an incredibly irresponsible thing for a senior US senator to say: John McCain says he's “not enough of an economist” to say anything about the jobs numbers, but that he wouldn't put “anything past” the Obama administration.
He's basically accusing the president of faking the jobs numbers for a bump in the polls. Now, a few irresponsible news outlets are reporting the accusations of forgery as though they're fact. Look. Here's an article from March explaining how these jobs reports are assembled. It's not a partisan process.
Republicans are really botching their response to these jobs numbers. This is politics 101: You want to sound positive, but forceful, and present a clear choice to voters. Republicans should be welcoming the good news, but in their next breath, they should present a different plan for America's future. As it is, they're moaning about the numbers being faked, Romney is saying it's not good news at all, and they basically sound like cartoon villains. This booing and hissing some genuinely good news is undoing all the positive gains they made in the last few days.
3
Also, this is excellent news for John McCain. Maybe now they will finally book him on the Sunday talk shows.
4
Sore loser party of one!
Seriously everything this man has said and done since 2008 has been in a knee jerk attempt to slam Obama. Once I respected the guy....but LORDY.
Seriously everything this man has said and done since 2008 has been in a knee jerk attempt to slam Obama. Once I respected the guy....but LORDY.
5
I can't wait to say on November 7th, to certain Republican friends: "Well, but Romney won the first debate. That's the main thing."
8
I haven't taken McCain seriously since he picked Palin. Anyone who does something that dumb doesn't deserve respect. Also, I bear grudges forever. That woman is still out there, publicity-whoring, and it's ALL MCCAIN'S FAULT.
9
John McCain is all about the numbers.
He dumped his first wife Carol after she lost four inches in height from surgery following a car accident and her body shape changed due to pain and disability.
He dumped his first wife Carol after she lost four inches in height from surgery following a car accident and her body shape changed due to pain and disability.
10
Who cares if they sounds like cartoon villains? They're certainly not talking to Obama voters, they're rallying their Red base by painting O as a faker. Those people become more impassioned, and in turn try to swing their friends who might be on the fence. Let's call it "passion politics".
Er, no. That's a terrible name. Let's just stick with "emotionalist politics".
All that America really has at this point.
Er, no. That's a terrible name. Let's just stick with "emotionalist politics".
All that America really has at this point.
11
I don't know why they shouldn't pull this kind of shit all the time. It works with a great swath of the population and there isn't enough of the press calling them out on it. Not to mention, what press is likely to call them out on it, has already been demonized by these fuckers in the same minds as the lies work on. So, futility.
It's... brilliant. Better even than Dr. Evil.
It's... brilliant. Better even than Dr. Evil.
13
The less desperate they are for work, the more uppity those 47%ers get. Uppity peons are not good news for the moneyed class. Republicans like high unemployment to keep the workers in line and low inflation to protect their wealth.
This election isn't about who "wins" debates or "optics" or "momentum". It's about fundamental truths.
This election isn't about who "wins" debates or "optics" or "momentum". It's about fundamental truths.
14
If the polls show President Obama is leading, they're fake. If the statistics show that the unemployment rate is going down, they're fake.
When President Obama wins on Election Night, it's because he cheated and the count was fake.
Rightwingers are stupid and crazy. And quite frankly, I don't care how they feel about anything. If they're angry, I'm ecstatic.
When President Obama wins on Election Night, it's because he cheated and the count was fake.
Rightwingers are stupid and crazy. And quite frankly, I don't care how they feel about anything. If they're angry, I'm ecstatic.
15
Another charming iteration of the republican strategy of "lie, and insist that everyone else is the actual liar."
16
And of course it goes without saying that the GOP is perfectly comfortable with monthly jobs numbers that come from the EXACT SAME SOURCE when they show anemic job-growth.
It's just really pathetic: even they must be aware that at some point in time the unemployment rate would go back down to early 2009 levels, even despite their efforts to kill every piece of legislation put in front of them that might have helped generate jobs. I guess they were hoping they'd be able to scare employers sufficiently to hold off on adding jobs until after the election, but you know what? Employers, real job creators that is, only care about one thing: making money. And if they think now's the time to add to their payrolls because, presumably, their businesses are on the upswing, then I guess that's just bad news for the GOP, which now can't cudgel the President with the "lackluster economy" stick they've so desperately been wanting to swing.
It's just really pathetic: even they must be aware that at some point in time the unemployment rate would go back down to early 2009 levels, even despite their efforts to kill every piece of legislation put in front of them that might have helped generate jobs. I guess they were hoping they'd be able to scare employers sufficiently to hold off on adding jobs until after the election, but you know what? Employers, real job creators that is, only care about one thing: making money. And if they think now's the time to add to their payrolls because, presumably, their businesses are on the upswing, then I guess that's just bad news for the GOP, which now can't cudgel the President with the "lackluster economy" stick they've so desperately been wanting to swing.
18
Yep, it's pretty absurd for McCain and the wingnuts to go after the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of course, the Democrats have done it in the past. And then there were the nutcases who blamed Obama's debate loss on the moderator. No Kool-Aid shortage, is there?
19
@18:
Given the sheer number of mis-statements, errors and flat-out prevarications Romney has been called out on since Wednesday evening, I don't think "debate loss" means what you think it means...
Given the sheer number of mis-statements, errors and flat-out prevarications Romney has been called out on since Wednesday evening, I don't think "debate loss" means what you think it means...
20
I guess this is progress. 40 years ago, when the Bureau of Labor released numbers that made the GOP look bad, Nixon blamed it on the goddamn Jews cooking the books. Now they just blame it on one black guy.
21
Looks like a concerted effort to further demonize Obama because the Rethugs could just as easily (and accurately for once) have made a point without invoking a malevolent conspiracy: the employment to population ratio has been nearly flat since late 2009, i.e. the economy is barely adding new jobs to keep up with population growth but not enough to recover from the millions lost in 2008 and 2009.
http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS123000…
http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS123000…
22
Out of context, and misinterpreted. McCain was referring to other matters when he said he wouldn't put anything past the Administration.
He specifically disclaimed any "truther" position re BLS, and his spox amplified this view later.
See http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/en…
He specifically disclaimed any "truther" position re BLS, and his spox amplified this view later.
See http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/en…
25
Somebody should print this out large, glue it to a giant plywood paddle, and spank the fuck out of those fucking, lying propagandists with it. In public.
http://bloomberg.econoday.com/showimage.…
It's a graph of the last 5 years of unemployment figures. Note the trend. Note the bumps and valleys in the trend. Note how the bumps start every fucking summer. Nobody cooked anything, except some Republican brains. Get off the meth, boys!
http://bloomberg.econoday.com/showimage.…
It's a graph of the last 5 years of unemployment figures. Note the trend. Note the bumps and valleys in the trend. Note how the bumps start every fucking summer. Nobody cooked anything, except some Republican brains. Get off the meth, boys!
27
oh you precious credulous darlings....
the afternoon of the Libyan murders the Right (and The Troll) told you it was a terrorist attack but it took a week before the Administration copped to it.
(has Slog EVER posted that news?....)
Mark our words.
Within a week you will learn that these numbers are doctored.
the afternoon of the Libyan murders the Right (and The Troll) told you it was a terrorist attack but it took a week before the Administration copped to it.
(has Slog EVER posted that news?....)
Mark our words.
Within a week you will learn that these numbers are doctored.
29
28
we forgive you, darling.
we know the Truth hurts sometimes.
and, sorry- we're out of lube.....
many credulous often burned Liberals
like yourself
find snark helps the buttsore
we forgive you, darling.
we know the Truth hurts sometimes.
and, sorry- we're out of lube.....
many credulous often burned Liberals
like yourself
find snark helps the buttsore
31
everybody is jumping on the messenger, not one person is asking when all his friends and relatives that were looking for a job for a very long time got hired over night and how come they did not tell everybody a word about it? did you see all the closed stores around your neck of the woods? where are those people working today, in china? wake up everybody!
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