'President Obama's team touted the new Job numbers as a sign the economy is improving. Mitt Romney, along with several economists, expressed deep skepticism about the report.

Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch, tweeted: "Unbelievable jobs numbers..these Chicago guys will do anything..can't debate so change numbers."

The Labor Department reported that the rate dipped in September from 8.1 percent to 7.8 percent. How they came upon these numbers are being hotly contested. It was a however, glimmer of hope for Obama, who's trying to recover from a disappointing beating he took in the debate. His central faulty argument is that the economy is moving in the right direction.

'This morning, we found that the unemployment rate had actually fallen to its lowest level since I took office,' Obama implied at a Virginia rally Friday.

But skeptics pointed out that not only is 7.8 percent unemployment hardly a "real recovery," but the report reflected an uptick in part-time jobs and the number of self-employed people who're trying to do what the economy can't. Further, they stressed that there appeared to be a huge disconnect between the modest number of new jobs reported and the significant decrease in the unemployment rate.

The Labor Department, based on a broad survey of employers, said 114,000 jobs were added in September.

But the unemployment rate itself is based on a separate "household survey," which showed a whopping 873,000 new jobs in September according to the pollsters.

"This must be an anomaly," former Congressional Budget Office director Doug Holtz-Eakin said in a snap analysis of the numbers. Their numbers are "out of line with any of the other data." he said.

Holtz-Eakin noted the household survey is smaller, suggesting it is not as reliable. He also called the estimate of 873,000 new jobs "implausible."

He said the report was otherwise "solid," but reflected "the economy is merely moving sideways." Not forward or Up.

Liberal economist Dean Baker, with the Center for Economic and Policy Research, called the September rate drop "almost certainly a statistical fluke."

[Edited for length and content.]

...............

Jack Welch, the former chairman of General Electric Co, provoked cries of outrage in Washington on Friday when he suggested that the White House manipulated September job figures for political gains.

White House officials dismissed as "ludicrous" a tweet Welch sent to his more than 1.3 million followers that gave the impression President Barack Obama's administration may have rigged the data as a way of recovering from a poor showing at Wednesday night's debate with Mitt Romney, his Republican challenger for the White House.

"Unbelievable jobs numbers these Chicago guys will do anything! can't debate! so change numbers," Welch said in a posting on Twitter. Obama formerly served as a senator from Illinois.

The tweet was repeated more than 2,000 times, with many posts comparing Welch to New York real estate tycoon Donald Trump, who during his bid for the presidency loudly argued that Obama was not born in the United States, and Clint Eastwood, who gave a widely admired speech at the Republican National Convention in August.

Welch, who with his wife, Suzy Welch, writes a column for Reuters, said he is not "accusing anyone of anything." He stood by his tweet. 'Anyone' being the key word for the moment.

"These numbers just don't go with the economic activity." Welch said. "You draw your own conclusions."

Officials in Washington quickly dismissed the idea that the Labor Department report - which showed unemployment falling to a near four-year low of 7.8 percent - could be rigged. And why wouldn't they say that? They are in defense mode seeking to use this little bit of sunlight in their dark world after the debate.

In response to the Welch statement: Alan Krueger repsponded "That's a ludicrous comment. No serious person believes that the Bureau of Labor Statistics manipulates its statistics," said Krueger, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. "The jobs report and all of their other statistics are prepared by career employees. They use the same process every month. They use the same process for Republican and Democratic administrations." And this is where the back peddling will begin.

Later on MSBNC, Welch told host Chris Matthews: "You don't think it's coincidental that we've had the biggest job surge since 1983? These numbers defy logic." And that is a good point. And true as well. They do defy logic.

The tweet was by no means Welch's first criticism of Obama on his Twitter feed, where he has regularly spoken out in favor of Romney. During the presidential debate in Denver, Colorado, on Wednesday night, Welch tweeted: "HOW can anyone vote for Obama after this performance? he has demonstrated his incompetence."

Other tweets agreed with Welch's assertion.

"In regards to today's jobs report---I agree with former GE CEO Jack Welch, Chicago style politics is at work here," said Florida Representative Allen West, a Republican, on Twitter.

Officials with the Bureau of Labor Statistics defended their own methods and findings, noting they are compiled by career civil servants, not political appointees. BLS is, however, only one of two operations that together combine their accounted information and then release that data as noted by an NBC report.

As for Welch, 76, he says he went through reviews of more than a dozen companies in different industries this week and none were stronger in the third quarter than they were in the second.

"You can't just call me old and senile," he said. "Figures don't Lie. But liars figure they say."

that sums up the political circus,, figures dont lie but liars figure,,,


excellent, can be applied to the 'side' of choice,,,

Welch's comments are correct. The economics simply don't justify the employment numbers which make the drop in unemployment suspect.

The recession is growing long in the tooth. Many unemployed folks are beginning to see their benefits run out before finding work.

The ultimate irony -- being let go by the unemployment office.

Of course, once your benefits run out, the government no longer numbers you among the nation's jobless. Neat trick. That should make you feel better.

Despite the fact that Brevard's unemployment rate is now 10.2%, a number not seen here since 1977, job losses appear to have leveled off a bit. Trouble is, there have been very few jobs created in that time. And those workers still employed desperately cling to the hope that their jobs are safe.

Then there are all those KSC workers poised for post-shuttle layoffs...

these are the type of lies that uninformed voters believe. Pass the cell phones out, more kool-aid please.

According to the recent speeches by Obama, the doctored numbers are proof we "are on the right track".

BTW, the number of manufacturing jobs in the US dropped. That is NOT a sign of recovery.

I don't claim to know if the numbers or figures are correct or not..But all the complaining about the numbers could backfire on the GOP since they complained about the polls just a little while ago. (I heard some GOP pundits say this.)...It's never good to look like a "bad sport" and this applies to Democrats too. Anyone who tried (too hard) to defend Obama's performance in the debate wasn't really helping anything.

Ain't defending anyone.
Just showing the facts.

Another matter of fact.

The two losers MSM are selling follow the same agenda.