Job Growth Weak

The Associated Press reports on the most recent job statistics, and the news is bad. Hat tip to Drudge Report for the link.

Employers added just 142,000 jobs in September, and the government sharply lowered its estimate of gains in July and August by a combined 59,000. Monthly job growth averaged a mediocre 167,000 in the July-September quarter, down from 231,000 in the April-June period.

The unemployment rate remained a low 5.1 percent, but only because many Americans have stopped looking for work and are no longer counted as unemployed. The proportion of adults who either have a job or are looking for one is at a 38-year low.

Not only is the economy in tough shape, so are Democrats' chances a year from now if the economy stays bleak.