News came this morning that the U.S. unemployment rate increased in August, to 9.6 from 9.5 percent in July. The job loss was less than Wall Street had predicted.
With the announcement came the good news that 67,000 new jobs were added to the private sector, including 28,000 in health care, 17,000 in business services and 19,000 in the construction industry. At the same time, the federal government laid off 110,000 workers, many of whom were hired for the census, trimming public spending.
This growing number of private sector jobs and the cutback of the federal workforce is exactly what the GOP/Tea Party has been demanding. But you would never know it from the instant response of the Fox media axis setting the agenda these days for GOP/Tea Party followers. The headline in Glenn Beck's aptly named new "news site," "The Blaze" shouted: "Wrong Way for Labor Day."
Fox followed suit, burying any positive news in their story, "Jobless Rate Rises, Republicans Press Obama to 'Change Course'":
New employment figures released Friday fueled Republicans' call for President Obama to replace his economic team and "change course," as the president sought to put the best face on what many say is just more evidence of an economy stuck in neutral.
The unemployment rate rose in August for the first time in four months as more people entered the job market looking for work and struggled to find openings. The rate rose from 9.5 percent to 9.6 percent. One Republican called the numbers 'anemic.'
Only Lucia Mutikani at Reuters was evident first thing this morning in offering the good news that:
"U.S. employment fell for a third straight month in August, but the drop was far less than expected and private hiring surprised on the upside, easing pressure on the Federal Reserve to prop up economic growth . . ."
with the caveat that
". . . the data will likely do little to take the political heat off President Barack Obama over his handling of the economy or improve the Democratic Party's chances in November's mid-term congressional elections."
After nearly two years where the Obama administration demonstrated its preference for building consensus over getting effective legislation passed, there are many who hope that the administration has learned the lesson that short of leaving office, there is nothing President Obama can do to please the GOP/Tea Party. And while there may not be an opportunity to get major legislation passed before the November elections, the Obama administration certainly has the opportunity to "seize the narrative" of such important national issues as the economy, health care, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and religious and racial tolerance.
With just 60 days until the November 2, 2010 elections, they need to start now, or else suffer the Fox and Beck headlines on November 3rd.