As Netroots Rage at Gibbs, Long-Term Jobless Left Behind

[Joanne98]

Amid the anger among progressives over White House spokesman Robert Gibbs' attack on the"professional left," a leading cause of the wide-ranging disenchantment with President Obama that threatens Democrats in November remains untouched: long-term joblessness. The new, scaled-down legislation signed by Obama yesterday to save teachers' jobs and help states pay for Medicaid won't help the nearly 30 million unemployed or under-employed to find work. And it's paid for, in part, by cutting $12 billion in food stamps benefits.

On Wednesday, a troubling new report from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) underscored the weakness in the economy -- and in the hopes of Democrats to retain Congress and the White House. The report by Heidi Shierholz looked closely at the five to one ratio of officially counted unemployed workers to available jobs, and pointed out in an especially clear way: "The 5-to-1 ratio means that there is literally only one job opening for every five unemployed workers (that is, for every four out of five unemployed workers there simply are no jobs)," she declared (emphasis added).

She also clarified a common misunderstanding that this figure means that there are only five applicants for any one job. That's hardly the case, as shown by news stories of hundreds of people waiting in line for days for a chance to apply for a single union elevator operator job. "Importantly, this ratio does not measure the number of applicants for each job. There may be throngs of applicants for every job posting, since job seekers apply for multiple jobs," she noted.

She also explained on Bloomberg News the continuing double-digit unemployment in the District of Columbia and 16 states, devastated by the collapse of the housing market and the downturn in manufacturing. As EPI's interactive state economy tracker reports, "New state unemployment data show that while jobs are returning, the pace of recovery remains slow. The June unemployment rate was 14.2% in Nevada, 13.2% in Michigan, 12.3% in California and 11.4% in Florida."

http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/6316/as_netroots_rage_at_gibbs_long-term_jobless_left_behind/

[SarahB]

1. Part of the reason that progressives are angry at Obama is BECAUSE

his policies have done little or nothing to help the economic situation. He's shown little courage or leadership on the subject, and has endorsed a series of weak band-aids instead of the comprehensive change that's needed.

This article is bullshit because it implies that progressives are taking our eyes of the ball in order to be angry at Gibbs. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are angry at Gibbs and the administration because we've KEPT our eyes on the ball.

[LiberalEsto]

2. +1

K&R

[glitch]

7. K & R for this post. nt

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. Netroots = Responsible For Jobless

Alternate Headline

[ThomCat]

6. How the hell are the netroots responsible for jobs, the economy and/or

government policy over the jobs or the economy?

Isn't that what the Senate, the President, the Dept of the Treasury, the Fed, and Wall Street firms are all variously responsible for?

Where the hell do you see the netroots having any power or control among that group? Where do you see the netroots having any power or control over anything?

:wtf:

[Deep13]

4. "...by cutting $12 billion in food stamps benefits. "

Right, because the problem is that poor people are too well feed. Fuck you, cowards!

[patrice]

5. Jobs don't matter. We're going to show everyone what big Professional Lefties we are.

Didn't you get the memo?

Jobs matter WHEN the Professional Lefties say they do and that ain't until after November.

:sarcasm: