Edwards Seizes on Job Numbers in Bid to Oust Bush

yahoo news ^ | 2/6/04 | Jeremy Pelofsky

[shhrubbery!]

Politics - Reuters

Edwards Seizes on Job Numbers in Bid to Oust Bush

13 minutes ago

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By Jeremy Pelofsky

BLACKSBURY, Va. (Reuters) - Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards (news - web sites) on Friday seized on the latest economic data that showed fewer jobs were created last month than expected to press his campaign to oust the Bush administration.

Reuters Photo

Latest headlines:

·	Kerry Nominations, Donations Coincided AP - 12 minutes ago

·	Edwards Seizes on Job Numbers in Bid to Oust Bush Reuters - 13 minutes ago

·	Kerry's Front-Runner Status Revives Book AP - 16 minutes ago

Election 2004

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"The increase in jobs did not go up as much as people expected ... yet again a continuation of the loss of manufacturing jobs," he told several hundred supporters on the campus of Virginia Tech.

"Providing for America's security also means providing for security of American jobs, we need to keep jobs here in this country," the North Carolina senator said.

The U.S. economy created just 112,000 new jobs in January, far fewer than the 150,000 new jobs analysts had expected. The department revised the December figure to an increase of 16,000 instead of just 1,000.

Edwards has been zigzagging his way across an ice-covered southern Virginia and northern Tennessee rounding up supporters ahead of primary contests in those states on Tuesday, stressing his plan to create more jobs. Despite the weather conditions, hundreds showed up at rallies in Blacksbury and at a high school in Wytheville.

Edwards, who won his first primary this week in South Carolina, is trying to establish a Southern base in his effort to make himself the alternative to front-runner John Kerry (news - web sites) in the race to challenge President Bush (news - web sites) in November.

RAPS NAFTA

Edwards has repeatedly complained about more than one million manufacturing jobs that he says have been shipped overseas where cheaper labor is available since the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement. He also criticized the widening federal deficits and fattening corporate bottom lines while blue-collar workers are being laid off.

"This economic policy is great for corporate bottom lines but it is bad for our workers and spits in the face of our values," Edwards said.

He has proposed tax credits for companies that keep manufacturing jobs in the United States as well as the creation of a venture capital fund to assist hard-hit areas.

But before launching into his standard campaign speech, Edwards had an unusual request for a handful of the College Republicans who showed up at the rally -- to hold up their Bush-Cheney signs.

After they tentatively did, Edwards shouted "That's whose leaving the White House come November," to sustained applause from the audience.

One Bush supporter criticized the North Carolina Democrat for bashing the North American Free Trade Agreement but voting in favor of permanent normal trade relations with China.

"He complains about the loss of textile jobs but if you didn't notice, he voted for permanent normal trade relations with China," said Beau Correll, a senior and head of the College Republicans.

Edwards' campaign also called the latest attack by rival candidate retired Gen. Wesley Clark (news - web sites) -- this time on health care for veterans -- "absurd." Clark has engaged in a sustained attack on Edwards in an effort to establish himself as the candidate to challenge Kerry, a senator from Massachusetts.

[Jackson Brown]

Payrolls Lag As Companies Use Contractors
BY JED GRAHAM

INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

For nearly a year, a debate has been brewing over which of the government's employment measures is wrong.

Monthly payroll figures, derived from a survey of 160,000 employers, show a net loss of 537,000 jobs the past two years. But the monthly survey of about 60,000 households shows the U.S. has added 2.4 million jobs in that span.

http://www.investors.com/editorial/general.asp?v=2/6

[You Dirty Rats]

OK, so we fell behind by 38,000 in January, but picked up 15,000 in February. We fell short by 23,000 jobs.

The Horrah!

There are almost 300 million people in this country, and this genius thinks 23,000 jobs in two months overall make a big difference?

[tractorman]

So does this mean that there are still 23,000 liberal radio talk show hosts looking for jobs?

[shhrubbery!]

Thanks for the explanation. I was wondering what was meant by the household survey.

[JohnnyZ]

So does that mean that 496 - 422 = 74k jobs were created, taken up by the people already in the job market?

496,000 more jobs
422,000 more people (net) in the labor market (people turning 16 + coming to the US + discouraged unemployed folks starting to look for a job again, minus people who retired, decided to stay home with the kids, gave up looking, died)

Could be 1.2 mil enter the labor force, 700k leave, but how many of the newbies start out unemployed and how many previously unemployed got jobs, I've never seen #s for that.

[templar]

When people are happy, fat, employed and prosperous they re-elect the imcumbents. That's why Clinton got re-elected in spite of impeachment. Come election time Bush will be re-elected if the majority of people are happy, fat, employed and prosperous. Congress too.

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

Next step for the desperate dems--get another left-wing economist to make the prediction for next month much too high. He could predict "One million new jobs next month." And then, next month, when only 430,000 new jobs are created, the dems can cite their phony expert and say how "disappointed and saddened" they are that job creation under George W. Bush is 57% below expectations.

[Monitor]

I'm not an administrator, nor do I have the ability to correct links.

[talleyman]

So does this mean that there are still 23,000 liberal radio talk show hosts looking for jobs?

No, some of those used to work for the Dean campaign.

[commish]

Just another sign of how much trouble the Dems are in

Rehashing old AWOL charges, Screaming that the President used the word "imminent" but not mentioning the context, and NOW the Coup d'grace "Not as many jobs were created AS EXPECTED"

THey are reduced to no longer B8tching about the ecomnomy but about the rate of the Recovery - ROFL!!!!

[shhrubbery!]

Oops, sorry. That probably should have been 'moderator.' (Are you named for the battleship?)

I found a way to get in touch with the administrator and the link has been fixed.

Someone please tell me, what do you put in the reply line when you want to get the attention of the moderator?

[shhrubbery!]

Come election time Bush will be re-elected if the majority of people are happy, fat, employed and prosperous. Congress too.

Is it too much to hope for a veto-proof Senate? Such is devoutly to be wished.

[shhrubbery!]

Oops, make that filibuster proof Senate, not veto-proof. I'd better go get some coffee.

[speekinout]

Given the incredible disruption caused by much higher levels of snow and ice in the Northeast and Midwest during January, these employment numbers are simply amazing.

That's a very good point. Construction jobs have been high for a long time, but this winter the industry has been dormant.
March or so might bring a huge surge of construction, highway and landscaping jobs.

I weep for the Dems when that happens. Not.

[Jorge]

The department revised the December figure to an increase of 16,000 instead of just 1,000.

Don't expect the Demoncrats to revise their number upward after ragging in the 1,000 jobs number repeatedly this month.

[fhayek]

On the one hand, these quasi-socialists push for extending federal unemployment benefits, effectively paying people not to work. Then they get on their high horse and complain that there are fewer jobs created than expected. Next thing you know they are going to condemn Bush for not squaring the circle.

[Notasoccermom]

Beau Correll for president 2020!

[Constitution Day]

Indexing to Edwards Watch...

[beaucorrellgroupie]

Watch it Notasoccermom! You're just trying to butter him up so he will name you as veep candidate on his ticket!

I'm already lined up for the position!

Beau Correll for prez, 2020!