Fox's Varney conveniently forgets about the temporary Census jobs he told us about in June
September 04, 2010 12:21 am ET by Jocelyn Fong
Back in May the economy added over 400,000 jobs, and Fox News' purported business expert Stuart Varney made sure we knew that "the vast majority" of the new jobs created "were temporary government Census workers, which will be gone by the late summer." From the June 4 edition of America's Newsroom:
VARNEY: I have to tell you, Martha [MacCallum], this is an extremely disappointing unemployment report. Yes, the unemployment rate went down to 9.7 percent -- got it -- but the fact that of all these new jobs created, the vast majority were temporary government Census workers, which will be gone by the late summer -- that is very bad news indeed because after spending a trillion dollars on stimulus, we only have tens of -- just a few ten thousand -- basically it's 20,000 new private sector jobs. Very disappointing.
Well now it's "the late summer" and the federal government has been shedding those "temporary government Census" jobs for the past three months. The following chart of the monthly change in government jobs clearly shows the impact from hiring several-hundred-thousand Census workers and the subsequent end of their employment:
So of course Varney will explain that the loss of those jobs in June, July and August tells us as little about the economy as their addition did in May, right? Well here's Varney today, guest hosting for Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto:
VARNEY: A recovery summer? One hundred and seventy-five thousand jobs lost in June; 54,000 lost in July; another 54,000 lost in August -- well, summer's up, so where is that recovery?
Welcome, everyone, I'm Stuart Varney in for Neil Cavuto. Eight hundred and fourteen billion dollars in stimulus and still no jobs? Another 54,000 lost just last month. Yet, the president says he has no regrets, continuing his push today for another $30 billion in tax breaks for small businesses.
To drive home this unbelievably misleading point, Fox added up the jobs lost in June, July and August and declared: "283,000 Jobs Lost During 'Summer of Recovery'":
Varney's claim echoes Fred Barnes, who said during the August 30 edition of Fox News' Special Report that "the ultimate embarrassment may be, and I think this will happen, the so called summer of recovery will probably wind up with net loss of jobs in June, July, and August, a net loss of jobs in the Obama administration so called summer of recovery" (accessed via Nexis).
Again, these "283,000" jobs lost in June, July and August can be attributed entirely to the Census employees' completion of their work, as any credible newsperson would explain. While the job growth isn't as strong as anybody would like, the private sector has added jobs every month this year.
It's becoming quite clear that Stuart Varney is deliberately misinforming Fox News viewers to advance his partisan and ideological agenda.
Behold:
In the 1st paragraph above, MMA says that "the economy added over 400,000 jobs", and then in the 3rd paragraph, "the federal government has been shedding those "temporary government Census" jobs".
Hypocrisy anyone?
They aren't disputing that the census jobs were temporary. They are pointing out that when those jobs were created and were giving people work they needed Varney was quick to point out that they were temporary and thus not "real" jobs.
Fast forward to the end of summer and he's conveniently ignoring what jobs are disappearing and that those were the temporary jobs he had knocked previously to go, "Oh look at all the job loss! What 'Summer of Recovery?'" Because it wouldn't make much of a point to go "well there went those temporary jobs." In fact you'll notice he doesn't even bother mentioning census jobs at all now.
So in Varney's and Fox's world you can knock some new jobs as not real job growth because they are temporary jobs but then treat them as real job loss when they go away. So they don't count when they are created but do count when they go away? In their minds census jobs are effectively negative jobs.
In their world:
+0 new jobs when they are created
-283,000 jobs when they go away
So Obama loses when he creates the jobs and he loses again once they end.
Fuzzy math is fun.
That's exactly what they did, in a nutshell. Nice sum-up.
And KKKarl should really be worried about November due to his recent successes in 2006 and 2008.
I am a holdout and believe the Democrats will be unleashing a torrent of hell onto the Repubs. I also look for Pres. Obama to take it to the street and start bashing the lies about him. Yes, it may cause a backlash from those that already hate him(Fox) but who cares. The Repubs want ot battle for control, then the fight must be taken to them. Use Limbaughs name which has become a joke. Use the dimwit Palins name which has become a joke. Go after them.
Umm, Stuart, I thought tax cuts were a good thing. You know, businesses shackled by taxes don't hire and are even forced to lay-off employees. (I don't believe that, but it's part of the tax cut meme.)
The modern crop of Republicans and their media mouthpieces really make me sick. I want my party back!
Notice now how these same shreik monkeys are not b!tching about the plan to cut taxes for small businesses.
I think this great nation of ours deserves one big face palm for the sheer idiocy demonstrated by these baboons.
Of course, this was completely ignored by the MSM-- but it's great news for the Democrats, because it means people are NOT ncessarily switching sides now.
But the MSM is rooting for the GOP, and love to interpret any loss of popularity for the Dems as an automatic gain for the other side. It ain't so.
Classic A.D.D.