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Unemployment falls in battleground states ahead of election
The Hill ^ | 10/19/2012 | Bernie Becker

Posted on 10/19/2012 9:04:21 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Several swing states saw their unemployment rate drop in September, the Labor Department reported Friday in the final state-by-state breakdown before the election.

Ohio and Florida — two of the most contested battlegrounds in the race for the White House — were among the states to see employment gains.

The new data comes just weeks after the Labor Department reported that the unemployment rate had unexpectedly fallen to 7.8 percent in September, the lowest level of President Obama’s term. The economy added a total of 114,000 jobs last month.

In all, seven states being contested by Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney saw a jobless rate drop in September, the government said Friday. Two other states that saw no change — Virginia (5.9 percent) and New Hampshire (5.7 percent) — already have rates well below the national average.

The figures could shed some light on the state of the tight race between Obama and Romney, which is largely centered on the economy.

Romney has surged to the lead in several national polls in recent weeks, following a strong performance in this month’s first presidential debate. But at the same time, Obama has maintained leads in some key battleground states. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist Poll survey released Thursday, for instance, gave the president an 8-point lead in Iowa and a 6-point advantage in Wisconsin — the home base of Romney's running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan.

(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2012swingstates; bhoeconomy; layoffs; swingstates; unemployment
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1 posted on 10/19/2012 9:04:28 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
the Labor Department reported....

"The Hill" is reporting this with a straight face?

2 posted on 10/19/2012 9:06:20 AM PDT by kevao (Is your ocean any lower than it was four years ago?)
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To: SeekAndFind

SURPRISE SURPRISE SURPRISE!!!!


3 posted on 10/19/2012 9:06:46 AM PDT by US Navy Vet (Go Packers! Go Rockies! Go Boston Bruins! See, I'm "Diverse"!)
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To: SeekAndFind

You can “Report” all you want but the people out of a job know who they are and how they got there.


4 posted on 10/19/2012 9:08:41 AM PDT by Don Corleone ("Oil the gun..eat the cannoli. Take it to the Mattress.")
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To: SeekAndFind

Too late for Florida. Ohio is the concern. Despite the GOP candidate polling better in Ohio than nationally since 1976, so far 2012 seems to be counter to that.


5 posted on 10/19/2012 9:09:23 AM PDT by CatOwner
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To: Don Corleone

Amen. Try to convince the 4 people I work with who were told yesterday that they were getting let go that the job outlook is better.


6 posted on 10/19/2012 9:12:20 AM PDT by reegs
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To: reegs

I forgot to mention that I’m in Cleveland, OH in the banking industry. According to Obama, I’m one of those “greedy bankers” (I work in communications). Dodd-Frank has had a deleterious effect on us.


7 posted on 10/19/2012 9:15:01 AM PDT by reegs
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To: SeekAndFind

“Unemployment falls in battleground states ahead of election”

What a coinky-dink!!!


8 posted on 10/19/2012 9:18:38 AM PDT by lowbridge (Joe Biden: "Look, the Taliban per se is not our enemy.")
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To: reegs

“Try to convince the 4 people I work with who were told yesterday that they were getting let go that the job outlook is better.”

Yeah, the official statistics are meaningless to the people who will be voting; they know better. On top of those already without work or working part-time, Obama has to contend with those that see the writing on the wall and know their jobs will be done soon as well. The struggling businesses don’t struggle forever; at some point they just close. Some already have, and more will continue to do so.

Obama holds out no hope for anyone in this economy.


9 posted on 10/19/2012 9:26:26 AM PDT by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic war against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: SeekAndFind

As an Ohioan, it is clear to me that Governor Kasich’s balancing the budget, starting a number of jobs initiatives, and actually reaching out to companies about jobs is what has turned the jobs numbers around in this state.

It hasn’t a damn thing to do with Obama whose war on coal and other wacko-enviro policies has shut down jobs and is threatening a huge number of major power plant jobs as I type this.

Obama is the problem, and hasn’t resulted in one bit of solution.


10 posted on 10/19/2012 9:50:27 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Too little, too late. Obie. This eleventh hour hat trick isn’t going to save you. You and Mooch need to start measuring for drapes in your new mansion in Hawaii.


11 posted on 10/19/2012 9:53:19 AM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: SeekAndFind

7.3% to 6.9% just before election.
Mark my word. (Participation rate 61%)


12 posted on 10/19/2012 10:16:28 AM PDT by griswold3 (Big Government does not tolerate rivals.)
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To: SeekAndFind

So....how can over 873,000 people come off the unemployment line......

when there were only a little over 114,000 jobs created?????
Luckily I found a transcript of a conversation between two eminent economists
discussing this very question!
Today’s unemployment report explained —

COSTELLO: I want to talk about the unemployment rate in America .

ABBOTT: Good Subject. Terrible Times. It’s 7.8%.

COSTELLO: That many people are out of work?

ABBOTT: No, that’s 14.7%.

COSTELLO: You just said 7.8%.

ABBOTT: 7.8% Unemployed.

COSTELLO: Right 7.8% out of work.

ABBOTT: No, that’s 14.7%.

COSTELLO: Okay, so it’s 14.7% unemployed.

ABBOTT: No, that’s 7.8%.

COSTELLO: WAIT A MINUTE. Is it 7.8% or 14.7%?

ABBOTT: 7.8% are unemployed. 14.7% are out of work.

COSTELLO: IF you are out of work you are unemployed.

ABBOTT: No, Obama said you can’t count the “Out of Work” as the unemployed. You have to look for work to be unemployed.

COSTELLO: BUT THEY ARE OUT OF WORK!!!

ABBOTT: No, you miss his point.

COSTELLO: What point?

ABBOTT: Someone who doesn’t look for work can’t be counted with those who look for work. It wouldn’t be fair.

COSTELLO: To whom?

ABBOTT: The unemployed.

COSTELLO: But they are ALL out of work.

ABBOTT: No, the unemployed are actively looking for work. Those who are out of work gave up looking and if you give up, you are no longer in the ranks of the unemployed.

COSTELLO: So if you’re off the unemployment roles that would count as less unemployment?

ABBOTT: Unemployment would go down. Absolutely!

COSTELLO: The unemployment just goes down because you don’t look for work?

ABBOTT: Absolutely it goes down. That’s how Obama gets it to 7.8%. Otherwise it would be 14.7%. He doesn’t want you to read about 14.7% unemployment.

COSTELLO: That would be tough on his reelection.

ABBOTT: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Wait, I got a question for you. That means there are two ways to bring down the unemployment number?

ABBOTT: Two ways is correct.

COSTELLO: Unemployment can go down if someone gets a job?

ABBOTT: Correct.

COSTELLO: And unemployment can also go down if you stop looking for a job?

ABBOTT: Bingo.

COSTELLO: So there are two ways to bring unemployment down, and the easier of the two is to have Obama’s supporters stop looking for work.

ABBOTT: Now you’re thinking like the Obama Economy Czar.

COSTELLO: I don’t even know what the hell I just said!

ABBOTT: Now you’re thinking like Obama.


13 posted on 10/19/2012 10:36:40 AM PDT by sanjuanbob
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To: SeekAndFind
In battleground states, and only in battleground states.

Were I Romney, I would bring up this "cooking the books" issue in a debate, as an example of how Zero will do anything to win, even destroy all vestiges of faith in government statistics as manipulated and political.

14 posted on 10/19/2012 10:38:09 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (Islam offers us choices: convert or kill, submit or die.)
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To: sanjuanbob

you hit the nail on the head....


15 posted on 10/19/2012 11:04:29 AM PDT by rolling_stone
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To: Don Corleone

“You can “Report” all you want but the people out of a job know who they are and how they got there.”

Exactly. And their friends, neighbors and relatives know also. Pretty much this is a case of don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining.


16 posted on 10/19/2012 12:04:01 PM PDT by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: SeekAndFind

What a load of crap.

388,000 filed new claims for unemployment. That’s “adding jobs” ?


17 posted on 10/19/2012 12:07:36 PM PDT by jimt (Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed.)
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To: catnipman
“Pretty much this is a case of don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining.”

****************************************************

I was telling my wife how Obama was saying that gas was “only” $1.79 in 2008 because the economy was so bad, and is now over $4.00 because the economy is doing so great.

“WHAT!!!! Is he nuts!!?? No he didn't!!!”

I told her “I know, trying to lie about something that even idiots know isn't true shows him as a manipulator and lying.”

Wife: “Are you calling me an idiot?!”

(She doesn't follow politics or the economy all that much, but no - she's not an idiot.)

18 posted on 10/19/2012 12:14:16 PM PDT by 21twelve (So I [God] gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. Psalm 81:12)
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To: SeekAndFind

Job creation, the democrat way. Just concoct new statistics to help shore up the boss.


19 posted on 10/19/2012 12:24:50 PM PDT by ScottinVA (Record high turnout is our hope for sending 0bama home. Pray hard!!!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Job creation, the democrat way. Just concoct new statistics to help shore up the boss.


20 posted on 10/19/2012 12:27:52 PM PDT by ScottinVA (Record high turnout is our hope for sending 0bama home. Pray hard!!!)
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