Economy Alarm: Obama’s Townhall Optimism Deflated, Unemployment Headed in the Wrong Direction

Obama Promised ‘We are Headed in the Right Direction’ and Urged Americans to Stick With His Economic Policies

“President Obama cited some good parts of today’s unemployment report… ‘Make no mistake, we are headed in the right direction,’ Obama said… Obama said the economy is continuing to recover from a crippling recession and is also fighting ‘headwinds from volatile global markets.’… ‘We’re moving forward,’ Obama said. ‘And to every American who is looking for work, I promise you, we are going to keep on doing everything that we can, I will do everything in my power, to help our economy create jobs and opportunity for all people.’” (“Obama on jobs: ‘We are headed in the right direction,’ USA Today, 07/02/10)

“President Obama urged a crowd today to stick with his economic policies as the nation slowly recovers from an economic crisis more than a decade in the making.” (Obama: ‘A lot of people out there are still hurting’, USA Today, 09/20/10)

Credibility Crash: Yet 27 States Report Higher Unemployment Rates in August as “the Jobs Picture Continues to Look a Lot More Grim”

The national unemployment rate may have only ticked up slightly in August, but on a state-by-state basis, the jobs picture continues to look a lot more grim in places like Nevada, Michigan and California.

A total of 27 states reported higher unemployment rates in August, nearly double the 14 that saw increases in July, the Labor Department said in its monthly report on state unemployment Tuesday.

While the rate remained at 9.6% for the country as a whole, Nevada, Michigan and California have consistently racked up rates above 12%.

Nevada had the worst rate for the fourth month in a row, at a record high of 14.4%, up from 14.3% in July. Michigan followed with 13.1% unemployment, unchanged from the prior rate, and California was third with a 12.4% rate, an increase from 12.3% in July. (Annalyn Censky, “Jobs picture gets worse in 27 states,” CNN, 09/21/10)

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