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This Is What Democracy Looks Like
Today's Note From a Madman
June 8, 2008
Another Friday Afternoon's Bad News
Elton John told us all that Saturday Night's alright for fighting over thirty
years ago. So one has to figure that the other days, evenings and nights of the
week are good for something as well, right? The Bush administration - a.k.a. The
Administration of Diminished Responsibility - have found a great use for Friday
afternoons: It's good for releasing bad news.
It's really an old trick, and works especially well in the Summertime. People
pay less attention on Friday afternoons, so if you have no choice but to
actually tell the American public the truth, that things aren't going well, what
better time to get it out of the way than then?
So this past Friday, like so many before them, was no exception, The bad news
released was a little document which the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor
Statistics (bls.gov) puts out each and every month called the Employment
Situation Summary. It's the same statement telling the same stats that President
Bush, just a few scant month ago, touted during the week as showing job creation
for a whole slew of consecutive months.
It didn't matter that those few months of job creation were preceded by a whole
first term of job losses - it's all about the message. Last Friday's message was
horrifying for anyone in need of a job, let alone those of us in jobs we hate
but can't afford to leave. In this past month of May, the US economy lost an
additional 49,000 jobs. When added to the all of the past first Friday's of the
month reports from 2008, it all adds up to a loss of some 325,000 jobs so far
this year, and all the spinning in the world won't change that.
Even the number which the President likes to spin the most - the unemployment
number which doesn't count those who have given up hope of ever finding a job
during the remaining days of the Bush years - can't be spun today. The
unemployment rate from April was an even 5.0 percent. That same number in May
rose to 5.5 percent. That's a staggering increase of ten percent.
Of course ten percent is a devastating number, but it just tells a small part of
the story as gas and food prices rise. Just take a look at the long-term
independent trucking industry: If the roads which connect our nation are our
veins and arteries, the trucks which carry our goods to market are the cells
keeping us alive. At $1,000 and rising per tank to keep their trucks filled with
diesel, many of them have taken to leaving their trucks parked instead of losing
money and working.
The BLS numbers show that an additional 577,000 people entered the workforce in
the month of May. And while 285,000 were removed from the "employed" statistic,
861,000 "officially" joined the measured unemployed.
Some of you may wonder what, if anything, President Bush is doing about the job
situation. In is weekly radio address, he had this to say:
"At the beginning of next month, civilian employees may face temporary layoffs.
The department will have to close down a vital program that is getting potential
insurgents off the streets and into jobs."
-President Bush
That's right, President Bush was taking about getting more of our middle class
dollars into Iraq to keep the insurgent employed. He used his radio presence to
push Congress to continue funding the Iraq war without a mention of the bad jobs
numbers, the economy or any possible solution.
Here's what Dana Perino, the latest White House Press Secretary had to say about
the economy when pressed during her latest briefing:
PERINO: We're obviously not happy with the unemployment number that had gone up.
We do think it was in line with the expectations for the current economy...
MADMAN: And just how low were those expectations anyway? If and when those
numbers decrease next month, will they have met your low expectations yet again?
Certainly this President has ridden the low expectation saddle all the way from
2001 to today and he certainly will continue that dangerous ride well for as
long as he can.
PERINO: ...and we do also believe that it's important to look at a couple of
things. One, the number in large part was increased by new job applicants, and
it usually takes new job applicants a little while longer to find work.
MADMAN: One has to wonder where new job applicants come from. One place they
come from are those 285,000 people who used to have jobs.
PERINO: So while it's a concern that the unemployment rate jumped to 5.5
percent, that is still historically low, and lower than the averages of the
'70s, '80s and '90s.
MADMAN: Yeah, we knew that one was coming. After all, by changing the method of
how we measure the employed versus unemployed, one can control the data. In
fact, the number of Americans who are currently able to work without jobs is the
lowest it has been in recent memory, even worse than during the lean years of
the George H.W. Bush administration.
PERINO: The most important thing we can do now is, first of all, make sure
Congress does no harm.
MADMAN: That's right - doing harm is the President's job, and he's quite good at
it.
And this President has shown his distaste for his constituents. Not once during
his nearly eight years in office has President Bush even suggested adding
thirteen weeks of federal money to those collecting unemployment insurance. And
there is no sign that he'll do that today. Why? Because it would make his
numbers that much worse and, as we all know, it's all about spin and
perception...
... and the odd photo-op.
This presidency can't end soon enough for me.
-Noah Greenberg
Open letter from an Obama supporter to
Clinton supporters
Barack Obama has captured the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination by winning
a majority of the delegates to this year's Democratic National Convention. As a
supporter of Obama, I am thrilled about his achievement, but I realize that many
of my Democratic friends and colleagues are brokenhearted about Hillary
Clinton's loss. All I can say
is: I have been there before, and I sympathize with you.
I have twice volunteered for a candidate who lost the race for the Democratic
nomination: Jerry Brown in 1992 and Bill Bradley in 2000.
Both times, I was so disillusioned with the winner of the race that I did not
support them or vote for them in the general election. In 1992, I actually voted
for George Bush Sr. (the last time I voted for a Republican for President), but
did not rue the consequences, since Bill Clinton won and certainly went on to
become a better President than Bush Sr. was (though I'm still upset with Clinton
for all the trade deals).
In 2000 Al Gore's arrogance towards Bill Bradley during the brief primary season
was one of the reasons I went on to vote for Ralph Nader that year. This was a
far more serious mistake, as Gore lost an extremely narrow race and George W.
Bush's presidency has been one of the most destructive in American history. I
readily admit that I made the wrong choice in 2000.
To all Hillary Clinton's supporters: once your sadness has subsided a bit,
please consider which of the two remaining candidates better represents your
interests. Is it really John McCain, whom many of you have vowed to support if
Obama is the Democratic nominee? Do you want a president who will try to get our
troops out of Iraq within 16 months, or one who has said he would leave them
there for 100 years? Does John McCain represent your positions on the economy,
the environment, and health care? I know that you have opposed Obama throughout
the primary season, and it may seem difficult - if not impossible - to support
him now. So, I'm not asking you to immediately jump aboard the Obama bandwagon.
But sometime between now and November, just ask yourself: who would you really
rather have as President: Barack Obama or John McCain?
-Eddie Konczal
McCain / Bush Oil Economy; it's a
slippery slope
What a train wreck! The economic indicators continue to signal recession
(technically two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth). On Friday, there
was a twin economic nightmare. Oil spiked up 10 dollars a barrel to 150 dollars
a barrel along with the biggest leap in unemployment in 20 years from 5.0% to
5.5%. The DOW fell by nearly 400 points.
Meanwhile, back in the DC Wonderland, the Republicans managed to filibuster the
Climate Security Act which would have addressed global warming, job creation and
oil conservation efforts.
The Republicans did manage to gum everything up yesterday as they forced a
reading of the 500 page bill on the floor to protest not appointing more Bush
right wing judges. Congratulations obstructionist GOP on once again
accomplishing nothing. Now, what exactly is the GOP's plan for global warming,
oil price shock and job creation in this country? Have the GOP even considered
that their Iraq occupation is a major factor in the prices of oil? Oh yeah I
forgot, they like the high prices for their base of haves and have mores.
-Robert Scardapane
McCain's Ads
Living next door to New Jersey, where there was an election this week, I saw a
lot of John McCain for president ads. And they were good. Very good. In fact
they were so good, that if I didn't know who John McCain was, I'd think he was
someone I might want to vote for.
But he isn't. Those ads were a preview to me of what to expect. Those who think
that McCain won't present a formidable candidacy are dreaming their way to
nightmare.
And McCain is one politically savvy guy, no matter what people might think. He
is sucking up to the miserably unhappy Clinton supporters who can't stand Obama
while Obama's people can't get enough of trashing both Clinton and her
supporters.
Democrats have a knack for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. If Obama
is indeed someone who will bring change, he needs to start with his own party
and smooth the extremely ruffled feathers of his opponent's supporters before
McCain welcomes them--half the Democrats who voted--into his fold.
-Victoria Brownworth
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-Noah Greenberg