Anyway You Spin it...This is Not Progress

The Labor Department reported today that the economy added 115,000 jobs.  The bad news? This is down from the 154,000 jobs created in the month of March--a slowdown in job creation in a recovering economy is cause for great concern.

So what's the number that everyone cares about?  Unemployment?  The unemployment rate slid slightly from 8.2% to 8.1%, but economists are quick to point out that the drop is not a reflection of job growth, but rather simply a decline of people who are actively seeking employment.

During the month of April, 342,000 people dropped out of the labor force.

President Obama was desperate to find a flicker of hope in the dismal reality of these numbers.  He said, "After the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, our businesses have created more than 4.2 million jobs over the last 26 months, more than 1 million jobs in six months alone.  So that's good news."

Good news?

Romney Campaign Spokesperson Andrea Saul said, "Today's anemic jobs report may be 'good news' in President Obama's view, but it's not good enough for America.  With nearly twenty-three million Americans struggling for work and a labor participation rate that sits at a thirty year low, America needs a president who isn't satisfied by yet another disappointing jobs report."

I fully agree.

This morning in an interview with Fox News, Mitt Romney reacted to the dismal Labor Report numbers by saying, "It's a terrible and very disappointing report.  Clearly the American people are wondering why this recovery isn't happening faster, why it's taking years and years for the recovery to occur.  And we seem to be slowing down, not speeding up.  This is not progress."

Jeff Swensen for The New York Times

Amid the scrutiny of the Labor report, Democratic strategist Paul Begala did his best to spin attention away from the reality that this is a poor reflection on the president.   He was quick to pounce on the Romney camp's reaction to the job report.  He said, "Every time there's bad economic news for the middle class, the Champagne corks pop at one of Mitt Romney's many mansions."  Begala cautioned the GOP not to celebrate "bad times."

Really?

I would hardly call Mitt Romney's concern for the economic well-being of Americans "celebration of bad times."

But the spin will continue.  The left will try to portray the GOP as celebrating poor economic news.  This is foolish and ridiculous.  A poor economy affects more than the standing of one political party.

Are Democrats under the impression that these labor reports only affect the president's job?

These dismal numbers do not just mean job security for this president and his reelection campaign.  These numbers are a reflection of our livelihood.  These numbers are an indication of whether or not our friends and neighbors can stay in their homes.  These numbers are a reflection of our personal economic security.

These numbers show that the stability of our future remains unknown.

The spin will inevitably continue.  Because since Franklin D. Roosevelt, no sitting president has won a second term when unemployment rates were above 8%.  This time around, when polls show that the economy is the number one priority for voters, this is obviously bad news for the president.

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As Americans, we need to remember that this president campaigned under the promise that he could help.  He assured us that he would know what was needed to fix the grim economy he was handed.  We believed him.

(Joshua Roberts/Getty Images )

We hired him to fix it.  We hired him to help us.  We believed him when he said that he could.  We trusted him when he said that he was up for the job. Yet, we have watched him try dozens of programs and policies that have all failed.  We have watched him "throw darts at a board" hoping that the next effort would be the magic trick to resuscitate our lifeless economy.  We have watched him borrow trillions of dollars trying.  It has not worked.

Giving him more time only assures the security of his job.

The truth remains.  America has experienced 36 months straight of unemployment above 8%. This simply indicates that Obama is not up for the job.  He has tried to help and spent billions of dollars to do it.  It has not worked.

We deserve better.

Mark Lyons/Getty Images

It is time for Americans to fight for our job security and not just the president's.  It's time to get someone who offers more than flattery speeches full of inspiring rhetoric.

We need a leader with a proven record of fixing the broken.  To quote Mitt, we need to remember that "This is not progress."

We deserve more.