Dispute over unemployment ludicrous

You would think Americans everywhere rejoiced at the unemployment numbers of September, which showed a significant drop from 8.1 percent to 7.8 percent since August, a strikingly important sign that the economy and the country are moving forward.

Well, most Americans did appreciate this advancement. Except for the people at Fox News.

Sean Hannity, the host of the Sean Hannity Show, screamed foul as he claimed that the Obama administration “cooked up” numbers in order to offset the president’s mediocre first debate performance. Hannity referenced economist Jack Welch, who claimed Obama’s “Chicago-style politics” caused him to lie. Welch in turn referenced hard evidence, stating that the economy “doesn’t feel like the unemployment fell to this level” and wondered if “maybe it’s just a coincidence.”

The accusations coming from Hannity are not unusual; the man who will do anything to attack the president. He brought on TV show host Jerry Springer to his show and vilely ridiculed Springer for supporting the president from the very first minute of the conversation, asking if Springer had been dropped on his head as a child.

However, Hannity is not the only skeptic of this new unemployment number; many Republicans believe that the 7.8 percent is not an accurate figure.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said unemployment levels dropped because fewer Americans are even bothering to look for work anymore. He claimed that “the real reality of what’s happening” was that Americans who dropped out of the workforce are not accounted for in the September unemployment numbers. Anything to attack the president, right?

Economists projected an addition of more than 100,000 jobs in September, but did not project an unemployment rate like 7.8 percent, the lowest it’s been since Obama took office. Republicans seem to have a hard time accepting the idea that a Democrat could have actually done something good for the economy.

Even though Romney did not outright accuse the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of lying, Rep. Allen West (Rep.–Fla.) claimed “somehow by manipulation of data we are all below 8 percent unemployment.”

The last president to exercise illicit control of the BLS was the infamous Richard Nixon, who was later impeached following the Watergate scandal.

These skeptics, all Republican, have little to no evidence to base their claims on. Even Welch, a previously trusted economist and former CEO of General Electric, had nothing to say for himself but a few lightweight opinions. In fact, he attacked all of Chicago by saying that the sneaky politics of the Windy City influenced the president to use dirty tricks.

These skeptics simply do not want to see Obama have even the smallest of successes without giving him a hard time for it. Since a drop in unemployment would make the Obama ticket more favorable, the Republican ticket would take a hit.

They stooped to a new low by accusing the current administration of creating the numbers, turning a decrease in unemployment rate into a negative idea.

So Hannity, your ability to so manipulate good news is rather creative. Then again, your name does rhyme with vanity and insanity.