Job Growth Alters Playbook for Obama and His Critics (NY Times)

[pinto]

Job Growth Alters Playbook for Obama and His Critics

By Jackie Calmes
Published: April 1, 2011

President Obama has not had a lot of good news in a term defined by assorted crises. But on Friday he reported the “good news” about job growth in March to an appreciative audience at a United Parcel Service shipping facility here — and did so with a bit more of a celebratory air, and less caution, than in the past.

After 12 months of up-and-down job creation, the significant increase in March suggested that maybe, just maybe, the economy was gaining enough strength to grow and bring unemployment down substantially this year.

And as the unemployment rate ticked down, the hopes of Mr. Obama and his party ticked up: perhaps by the approaching election year they could claim vindication for the stimulus policies Democrats have enacted, or at least dodge the sort of blame that Republicans so effectively stuck them with last November in the midterm elections.

At the same time it has given Democrats new ammunition to argue that Republican efforts to cut spending could hurt the recovery just as it is gaining traction, and that forcing a government shutdown could put more people out of work.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/02/business/02obama.html

[Denninmi]

1. Fine, but how long will job growth last.

Spiking prices on oil specifically, as well as food, plus all of the other crap going down in the world have already caused consumer confidence to fall again. Oil spikes were a factor in causing the big 2008-2009 crash. It's just going to happen again.

SOS, different day.

[pinto]

2. I've no idea about how it will go forward from here.

:hi:

[eridani]

3. Not hardly. Nowhere enough to make a dent in our disaster of an economy

Has the US ever experienced 15 years of no net job gains in its history?

[pinto]

4. Surely not enough. I look at it as a snapshot.

The piece is about political implications, though, which tend to run on snapshots. :hi:

[eridani]

5. As if your average voter (who is not paying attention)--

--votes on the basis of charts and graphs and laundry lists. They vote on what is happening in their lives--underemployment, foreclosures, bankruptcies, etc.