Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis did use the chart by Steve Benen on Dylan Ratigan, just a few moments ago. However, she made the far more important point that we have a real unemployment rate of 17.1% due to the chronic unemployed, who no qualify for unemployment insurance. So, while, the 290,000 is encouraging, many of those jobs have been only stop gap and are not of the long term meaningful ones with benefits. Personally, knowing a fellow, who has been in that category, his stop gap with the census has helped, but, in a few days he will be back walking the streets trying to find employment while no longer being able to collect unemployment. Thankfully, his wife is drawing her Social Security and has Medicare.

If I get the time I am going to go back, 2003-04 time era when the economy was going south and democrats were making this known...and I'm gonna dig for quotes.

At the time the Republicans response, in essence, was that the democrats were "rooting for failure" of the economy and likening it to treason (well, at that time period what weren't they likening to treason?)

It would be nice, interesting if you will, to juxtapose those right wing thought with what they are saying now.

I wouldn't characterize Pence's statement as a "response", because it appears that he didn't even look at the job report. More likely, he just had one of his interns cut and paste a few lines from an old press release.

As we knew then "it was the least stimulative part of" the stimulus package.

"basic patriotism and concern for their fellow Americans should give Pence pause before describing a heartening jobs report as "more bad news."

Quite honestly, I used to actually believe this. Not anymore. Republicans only care about Republican. Party first - every time!

How many of those jobs were in the government sector? Those are so helpful because they really add products to the market place.

9.9% unemployment, that is real convenient to overlook when you are spouting the administration talking points Steve. Only 6 million more jobs for Obama to create until we are back to where we were when he took over.

Don't confuse me with the facts....

Good piece on the Orwellian bent of the Rethugs of late. Of the typical array of Orwellian statements, "up is down," "black is white," "war is peace," etc., I think they got one correct, though it is not a standard RW edict..."right is wrong"!!

Pence and the rest of the Rethug Clowns are trying to uphold the tradition of Herbert Hoover.
We do completely understand that Sue Lowden is for putting a chicken in every MD's pot.

I know you're partial to the rhetorical question or phrase, Steve but, really: know a stronger economy interferes with their election plans, but basic patriotism and concern for their fellow Americans should give Pence pause before describing a heartening jobs report as "more bad news."

C'mon. The GOP is in it for one reason only, for the power. Power to start foreign wars that benefit their friends, and the power to raid the Treasury...to benefit their friends. And themselves, of course.

They're not patriots. They don't give a shit about this country and the people in it. Back when white-people (their people) held all the power in this country, the political ancestors of the current GOP were busy screwing everyone in sight, just like they do now. That never changes. Just the tactics change.

I've always been intrigued by the Big Lie. The GOP appears to subscribe to the Big Lie program hook, line, and sinker. They figure, the more obviously blatant and egregious the lie, the less likely anyone (the Village gasbags, their voters) will actually think they're lying..or accuse them of it. Our Right-wing has been using Goebbels' Big Lie for its entire existence. And it keeps working. That's what so damned demoralizing. until millions of adult voters (notionally adult, anyway) keep voting for these quislings.

... basic patriotism and concern for their fellow Americans should give Pence pause ...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Pence? Basic wha?

Thank you for the sic following Pence's misuse of "Democrat" as an adjective.

Only in the bizarro world of the Mike Pences of the world, does a tax cut represent a tax increase. Taxes have been cut for the majority of this land, and, yet, all you ever hear from the RepuGs, whether it be Pence or Rep. Bill Culberson (R-TX) on C-Span, yesterday, is the need to cut taxes. "OOOH, the crushing burden and the endless regulations, yada, yada, yada". They are all windup voodoo dolls.

Only 6 million more jobs for Obama to create until we are back to where we were when he took over.
Posted by: orwell

... is this a joke ... or standard republican stupidity? I can't tell anymore.

So who's going to call Pence out for the lying sack of shit he is?

Calling Alan Grayson . . .

I'm not even sure what Pence is trying to say when it comes to policy. The government recovery efforts that rescued the economy are "having a chilling effect"? How's that, exactly? -- Steve Benen

Chilling effect on Repub prospects in November, that's how. There's a whole pound(£) of fear in that there Pence.

"The Democrat [sic] policies of taxing, spending and bailouts are having a chilling effect on job creators across the country."

That's not a bad strategy by the Republicon. The Democrats were, generally, for bailing out the banks. It doesn't matter that Bush and Repubs started the bailout, and continue to support it, nor that Republicans spend more than Democrats, historically.

Just doesn't matter. They are trying to get the Dems to own the (unpopular) bank bailouts in the public eye. And they will probably succeed.

"but basic patriotism and concern for their fellow Americans should give Pence pause before describing a heartening jobs report as "more bad news."

When Democrats OR Republicans get all huffy and indignant, impugning the other's *patriotism*, it's a garbage move, IMO. The speaker, Mr. Benen here, doesn't really care, nor even believe himself. We're all just floating media narratives that we think will work on the mass muddled middle; aka, the other, stupid people.

Mr. Benen also doesn't believe that Pence was "describing a heartening jobs report as "more bad news." The economic report was mixed, reported unemployment was up, job creation was up. A lame attempt. But Mr. Benen is admirably prolific, so there are bound to be quite a few duds as he throws everything against the wall to see what sticks.

"Only 6 million more jobs for Obama to create until we are back to where we were when he took over".

What a fucking liar. Seriously, lying is just in Republicans DNA. Lying and stupidity.

"The American people want..."

Obviously not a Daily Show fan. Pence doesn't "get it."

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-may-5-2010/american-apparently

Flubber, unemployment is "up" while job creation is up because more people are actively looking for work. Meaning, they see an opportunity for employment that they didn't see before. Those that aren't looking are not counted among the unemployed. You can argue with the BLS as to whether or not that makes sense. But, the job creation numbers are good news and there's nothing "mixed" about that.

fast-acting tax relief for working families
But it's horrible that 47% pay "no Federal taxes" and that means most working families. WTF? They just use that crap as a lure to elect themselves and their plutocratic agenda/

It's not certain that the jobs report was actually all that good. From zero hedge:

Fake +290K Payrolls "Added", Real Number Is 36K After Census And Birth-Death, Unemployment Goes Back To 9.9%, Underemployment At 17.1%

Jesus, where did all the fucking trolls come from today? Why do you guys root for bad news for the economy? Are politics that important for you? That's really sad.

Anon - not sure what kind of fast-talking psychotics you've found there, but here are the real numbers. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.b.htm (establishment), http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm (household). The real number is 290K, and there is good news in many categories. On the other hand, it's important to note that these are one month's numbers, and they're also frequently revised later.

And for whatever reason you must state that, yes, flubber, it is not all good news in the report -- the one that any one can just click on and read right there. For instance, only 20 out of 22 categories of jobs gained employment. I'm sorry if that sad news made your unicorn spit out her skittles.

Bleh, links fixed.

• Establishment
• Household

These proven know nothing goobers make these outlandish statements only in venues where they know they will not be called our on them or challenged by people who know what they are talking about. The MSM stenographers merely report on what is being said without question or challenge. The ONLY way repubs will gain congressional seats in 2010 is by a complacent media willing to allow misinformation to go unchallenged. Republicans offer no new programs or policies and wish to continue along a path that nearly destroyed our nation. Voters have such short memories to forget what republicans did to our nation and the shape they left the country in. Yet they want to push the nation toward the very cliff we almost went over with : more tax cuts for the wealthy, deregulation of the financial industry, drill baby drill and nuclear power whose accidents are destroying the whole earth and it inhabitants for 100s of yrs to come...turning our nation into a plutocracy and corporatocracy by buying our government.

Our government works good to deal with over 380 million people and their life styles as individuals. Government is NOT the problem but the "
solution" to combat multinational corporations and their greedy self destructive agenda which guarantees a major profit for the few major inheritors of wealth busy manipulating the poor misinformed voters out of their way of life. By law, gun or knife, multibillionaires must be eliminated for the survival of the many.

ANYONE VOTING FOR A REPUBLICAN IN 2010 HAS FORGONE ALL INTEGRITY,CURSED PROSPERITY AND COULD FIT THEIR DEPTH OF UNDERSTANDING ON A BUMPER-STICKER. THEY HAVE CURSED THE FUTURE OF OUR DEMOCRACY SETTLING INSTEAD FOR SHORTSIGHTED SELFISHNESS AND PERSONAL GREED AND JUSTIFYING IT ALL WITH SCAPEGOATS

Someone (possibly on the earlier thread on the same subject) has asked for the breakdown of the new jobs -- how many were in the govt sector and how many it the private. Think Progress has these numbers:
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/05/07/gop-jobs-point/

Mr. Benen,

You aren't that naieve.
Mr. Pence is calling for tax cuts that help the wealthiest among us. The job creators.

Middle class people don't open businesses and hire people. Only the rich do. Every business, every single one of them is owned by a millionaire. No exceptions.

This should be plain because the Bush Tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 are solely responsible for the economic turnaround that began the moment he was out of office.

Hopefully, president Obama will wise up soon, cutting the capital gains tax and cut the deficit drastically before the economy goes back into the dumper. It's what Bush would do.

Let us pray.