The economic news keeps getting better and better, and the Republicans will take the credit

[potassiumnitrate]

The jobs report this morning only continues the trend that started when Obama took office. His economic policies averted a disaster and slowly but surely, the news continues to improve.

Yes, it's slow. No, the news is NOT bad.

Month after month, on an almost consistent basis, job losses have been shrinking. This TREND will only continue in the coming weeks, months, and years.

GDP is positive, manufacturing is up, consumer confidence and retail sales are up, this economy is in RECOVERY and things will only get better from here.


You know who is going to take credit for the economic boom that is about to happen in the next few years? The Republicans. But only if you let them. Only if the Republicans win the house and senate in these elections will they be able to say that because of their "leadership", the economy recovered. Even though it was all Obama's policies that turned this around.

It's time to get down to business. Is Obama perfect? Hell no. Time for all liberals and progressives to put aside differences and WORK TOGETHER to ensure that the Democrats keep their majorities in Congress.

Who here wants the Republicans to take the credit for the Democrats' recovery? I don't.

[EnlightenedOne]

1. That's why the corporations are holding on to

$1.8 TRILLION dollars and the banks are flush with cash - waiting for the Repubs to win in November so they can say the Repubs "saved" the economy.

[Coyote_Bandit]

2. The economic news keeps getting "better and better"?

The reports I heard said that the unemployment rate ***INCREASED*** above what it had been the previous month.

Keep drinking whatever it is that you're drinking. I'm sure the warm fuzzies help sustain your faith.

Meanwhile, those of us who chose not to inbibe are left with the knowledge that our ecoomy is in the shitter. And isn't improving. But then why the hell would it? The dumbshits in Washington (of all political persuasions and affiliations) don't have the intelligence or the stones to address the fundamental problems in our economy.

[Atman]

6. You're obviously not paying attention

The economy IS improving. There is no denying it, although you seem to prefer denial to actually reading the numbers and looking at the data. Go ahead and be miserable if that is what you prefer. But don't try to bring everyone else down with you. I'm sorry if your personal situation isn't improving yet. YET. Everyone's life will not improve on the same day. As the OP said, it's a slow process. The GOP destroyed the economy, many will say intentionally (me among them) and now they want suckers to believe they'll fix it. They're counting on people like you to be uninformed and pissed off. Don't let them make you a dupe.

[Coyote_Bandit]

8. The area where I live is still in recession

Nothing here is getting better.

You kid yourself to think that Wall Street measures mean that Main Street folks are seeing real economic improvements. Perhaps you should look and see what kinds of jobs are being created to replace the jobs that were lost. Most are low wage jobs replacing jobs that paid higher wages. A downward wage spiral. Perhaps you should check to see if the number of those shitty jobs that are being created are even enough to provide employment to new workforce entrants. They aren't. And the labor force participation rate - a far better measure of long-term employment trends - has been declining for many years.

There are things that could be done to change that but our bought and paid for corporatist politicians are either too stupid or too spineless to pursue those kinds of changes. Historically, most job creation comes from the small business sector. But what did the idiots in Washington do to stimulate the economy and "create" jobs? They threw money at the large corporations and multi-nationals. And they bailed out the fucking banks and investment houses. Likewise there are changes they could make with respect to healthcare, taxes, and a host of other issues that would better the economic prospects of everyday Americans. But they haven't and likely won't make those changes.

Wall Street measures have little to do with Main Street America. A stock index that measures market performance of companies that utilize international labor and resources and sell to international markets is not a good reflection of any single national economy. Neither are most of the economic measures that influence those markets. It is simplistic to think otherwise.

But, hey, Washington just might throw a few bucks your way so that you can go shopping, buy a new toy and feel a little better while continuing to prop up the same house of cards. Ours is an economy built on consumer spending and wealth creation rather than real productivity. Such an economy is ultimately unsustainable.

Drink all the kool-aid you want. The economy for Main Street Americans sucks and it isn't getting significantly better in the near future.

[EC]

10. Unemployment usually does increase when economy

starts improving because people that previously were not looking for jobs were not counted in the unemployed, they were counted as people who dropped out (discouraged #'s) - now they are looking for jobs again, putting them back into unemployed #'s.

[Coyote_Bandit]

12. Unemployment numbers

have little to do with whether or not our economy is healthy and strong. Ours remains an economy that is sustained by fucking consumer spending. Not real productivity.

The jobs that are being created pay lower wages than the ones that went away - and they are inadequate to provide employment to new workforce entrants much less replace lost jobs.

As I said elsewhere in this thread those Wall Street measures are largely irrelevant to Main Street Americans who continue to struggle and see little improvement.

[Dawgs]

3. Bill Clinton got almost all of the credit for the economic boom in the late nineties.

You're motivation to try and keep Republicans out of power really doesn't hold water.

[OHdem10]

4. Of course, they will. They continuously take the credit for Bill

Clinton's economy. They claim they forced him to balance
the budget.

Reality: Bill Clinton in the first term set the stage
for his Recovery AND NOT ONE REPUBLICAN VOTED FOR HIS
PACKAGE.

THEY CAN TAKE CREDIT FOR NAFTA AND CUTTING WELFARE TO THE
BONE.

NAFTA WAS POORLY MANAGED AND HAS CREATED THE JOB
LOSSES WE ARE FEELING TODAY. The poorly designed
and poorly managed Trade Policies are the reason
we cannot get the jobs numbers to improve. If
it were not for this Globalization failure, the
Recession caused by the Bank Meltdown would be
over and we would be in a state of real recovery.

Until both parties come to grips with this, we will
continue with no improvement.

They ignored this and made the stimulus too small.

[geckosfeet]

5. increasing unemployment, bank failures at record rates, depressed housing markets,

housing foreclosures at record rates - I could go on but that's enough for now. But what is your point? That the dems are responsible for this? This is all, repeat ALL a direct result of not only 8 years of bush co., but reganomic policy changes - that MUST be reversed by the way. But we can't even turn around 1% of bush co. policy, much less revert reganomic polices.

And the federal reserve bank continues to loan money at zero percent to huge financial institutions so that they can buy federal bonds from the organization that writes policy for the federal reserve bank. And the American taxpayer is on the hook to make good on the bonds. Does anyone see anything wrong here?

[Atman]

7. All valid points, but they don't negate what the OP said.

So what is YOUR point? That we should cede control to the Republicans AGAIN, so they can make it even BETTER for them (and worse for everyone else)? We as a country got royally fucked over by the GOP and the damage was severe. There is a LOT of work still to be done, but giving everything back to the robber barons to control makes even less sense than the system we have now.

[geckosfeet]

13. No. I do not advocate giving anything to the gop. Every dem who is campaiging needs

to point out that reckless tax cuts, wars and banking regulation - practically all courtesy of the republiscum got us where we are now.

Dems also need to point out that ultra rw teabaggers are simply repackaged recycled republiscum.

I like the new frame for letting the tax cuts expire. Funnel a lot of the tax income into small businesses and away from Wall St. Ideally I would like to see it funneled into Main St. but this should help.

I don't think the happy happy everything is looking up message will wash. And I don't believe it either.

[ixion]

9. "better and better?"

Hardly.

[WI_DEM]

11. they can't get away with that.