Double standard? Today's 9.4% unemployment rate "fueled hopes" that the economy was recovering, but 4.6% unemployment rates during the Bush administration were characterized as "job growth slowing to a crawl."More from Waters:
As the economy continues to shed jobs, is the Obama administration getting a pass? The front-page story Saturday by Peter Goodman and Jack Healy came under the relatively cheerly headline "Hints of Hope in Jobless Data Even as Rate Jumps to 9.4%."Read the full post, "Is Obama Getting a Pass on the Bad Economy?" at TimesWatch.
Eduardo Porter in October 2006 marked a 4.6% unemployment rate under the headline "Job Growth Was Slack Last Month."
Yet three years later, a jump in the unemployment rate to 9.4% is grounds for optimism. What changed? Besides a liberal Democrat being in the White House, of course.
Also check out "Good Thing We Got That Stimulus!" at POLICY BLOG, which shows that the unemployment rate has gotten worse since Obama signed the "stimulus" package to create jobs. Go figure.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS