I tend to think of columnist Salena Zito as an anthropologist specializing in the Rust Belt states, something she does very well. Today writing for the Washington Examiner, she turns economist and nails that too.
Her topic is the continuing malaise of the economy, despite Democrat claims to the contrary which she debunks. Our government has been lying to us, as this passage shows.
The latest jobs report for July showed that not only has job growth slowed to an alarming number, only adding 114,000 jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis when experts had been expecting 176,00 new jobs, but the June and May jobs reports were revised lower by 29,000 jobs.
This means that 10 out of the last 14 reports have now been revised lower. (emphasis added)
Which means all of those jobs report headlines that we’ve read for the past year, suggesting the economy is booming, were mistaken. The truth is that jobs numbers in this country are weak and the new unemployment rate of 4.3% is now the highest it has been since 2021.
Initial jobs reports get publicity, revisions don’t. Ten out of 14 reflects intentional agency upside bias in initial reports.
Zito reminds us of James Carville’s political aphorism “It’s the economy, stupid!” She suggests Harris has something of a hill to climb, as people remember the actual good times under Trump.
