NYT: Republicans Highlight Strong Economy: Seizing on drop in unemployment rate

[DeepModem Mom]

Republicans Highlight Strong Economy
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and DAVID STOUT
Published: November 3, 2006

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 — Republicans seized on a drop in the unemployment rate to its lowest level in more than five years to assert today that tax cuts are working and the economy is strong, giving the party an opportunity four days from Election Day to highlight an issue it has counted on to offset bad news about the war.

Hours after the Labor Department announced that the unemployment rate had fallen to 4.4 percent in October — down from 4.6 percent in September and the lowest rate since May 2001, when it was 4.3 percent — President Bush mocked Democrats for predicting that the administration’s tax and spending policies would wreck the economy.

“If the Democrats’ election predictions are as good as their economic predictions, we’re going to have a good day on November the 7th,” Mr. Bush said, drawing a long cheer from a crowd in Joplin, Mo., where he was campaigning for Senator Jim Talent, who is in a dead-heat race....

***

“The facts are in,” Mr. Bush said at another campaign stop today. “The tax cuts have led to a strong and growing economy, and this morning, we got more proof of that.”

The figures showed that the pace of job creation for the month was somewhat lower than anticipated. But the government substantially increased its job growth estimates for the previous two months. Stock prices fell, in part because investors concluded that the Federal Reserve would judge the economy to be so strong that it could not consider reducing interest rates....

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/us/politics/04electcnd.html?hp&ex=1162616400&en=45c0747f2e0ae129&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. Christ, how many hamburgers can we eat?

Roaring economy, my butt.

[C_U_L8R]

2. Wall Street Guffawed

at these bullshit numbers....they are fooling no one.

I'm looking forward to more Democratic prosperity
like we had in the 90s . but first we need to clean
up this mess the republicans made. geeez

[rodeodance]

3. IT IRAQI STUPID!

[ozymandius]

4. based on what? manufactured figures?

This is really par for the course for a dumbass snake oil salesman. Try explaining this alternative reality to an unfiltered crowd of real people.

[WePurrsevere]

6. Exactly! The "real people" know better & when the GOP spouts this

absolute nonsense they look like what they are, liars and cons and most "real people" are not buying it any more, if they ever did.

The reality is that many of us probably know people who either have not been able to find a regular job and basically fell off the unemployment "map" or took minimum wage jobs out of desparation. Many I know are scrounging like crazy. They're selling their belongings on ebay, offline auctions or garage sales just to squeek by for a bit longer. If it were not for ebay I know of a few that would have been starving, frozen and/or homeless by now.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

5. Uh, huh.

[Vinca]

7. I feel so much better now.

Maybe I'll price health insurance again. :sarcasm:

[Roland99]

8. Want some (not-so) pretty pictures of the real employment situation. Click here >>>>>>>>

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2571776