Bush, Kerry Duel Over Economy's Health

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&e=3&u=/ap/20040403/ap_on_el_pr/bush_kerry_economy

<snip>
The incumbent president running for re-election and the Massachusetts senator who wants to replace him went head-to-head on the jobs issue, each via the traditional weekly radio address for their parties.


Polls consistently show that jobs and the economy are voters' top concerns and that a majority favor Kerry on those issues. With nearly 2 million jobs lost since Bush took office in 2001, Democrats eager for an area where the president is politically vulnerable have hammered him for months for having the worst job-creation record since the Depression.

As a result, Bush reveled for a second day in a Labor Department (news - web sites) report showing the nation's employers swelled payrolls by 308,000 in March. He also gave the figures top billing during an appearance Friday in West Virginia — one of the many politically key industrial states where job losses are an especially sensitive issue.

"This week we received powerful confirmation that America's economy is growing stronger," Bush said in his radio address. "People are finding jobs, and the nation's future is bright. America's families and workers have reason to be optimistic."

[LittleApple81]

1. Do you know if anybody from DU is sending the reality of the 308,000

jobs to the Kerry campaign?

[Webster Green]

2. Kerry gave the chimp a little pat on the back for the new jobs....

Instead of dissecting the work of ChimpCo's spin-surgeons.

The Kerry campaign should be de-bunking this shit as soon as it is released. Maybe Nader could be his spokesman.

This administration is self-destructing. The truth is finally emerging and they are going down. Kerry needs to start throwing some blows to get these guys lined up for the knockout punch.

[Sulldogg]

3. I think he's in a tough spot

If he comes out and disimisses the current numbers (which Krugman said were good), then he loses credibility on the whole job argument.

He loses credibility because he's saying I want you to look at this report, but only from X to Y dates, and ignore the recent one.

[leftchick]

4. Krugman said the numbers are credible?

I missed that.

[Webster Green]

5. The numbers may be credible, but the spin is not......

Obviously they will take any positive fluctuation and tout the raw numbers as indicating that the "economy is back".

[Sulldogg]

6. On the O'Franken Factor

During his interview he said something like 'this is the first good jobs report' in this administration. And was generally positive about the reports numbers.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

7. Does anyone know?

What is the breakdown of the types of jobs that have been created? I read a broad description in this morning's WP, but of course there's no mention of how many new positions created are for burger flippers and hotel maids. The majority of the openings were in the construction field; which would make sense since the change of seasons creates a boom for pothole fillers.

[David Dunham]

8. In many key states, the job losses increased. Kerry should focus there.

[Jabbawalkiedingdong]

9. Get UP Stand UP

Kerry needs to grow a spine here and address the fact that these numbers are a huge distortion. Take away the Grocers strike, the seasonal construction jobs, and the part-timers and you're left with squat!

[Sulldogg]

11. Question

If the grocers strike put people on the jobs list, were they taken off of it before? If so, should we have counted them as job losses?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

12. Kerry needs definitive statistics to back up distortion claims

Once he has them, he'll show his spine.

[Zhade]

10. or, "Bush, Kerry Hold Fiddling Contest While Rome Burns"

It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.