corrente

Of course, journalism isn't so easy to outsource, so the MWs have been safe. But it looks like the SCLM is finally starting to question the jobs numbers, and what they mean. Sheesh! How long has Atrios been writing that "Lucky Duckies" headline? Over a year, I think. And how long as the Wecovery been a fake and a fraud—for everything except the corporate bottom line? As long as it's been happening. Anyhow, the idea that something might be wrong has finally started to penetrate the tiny brains of reporters at the Times:

Job growth slowed sharply in June, the government reported yesterday, pulling back from a recent period of strong employment gains and casting doubt on the vigor of the nation's economic expansion.

The Labor Department reported that employers added only 112,000 jobs in June, less than half the average monthly increase of the first five months of the year.

The reported increase, which includes adjustments intended to account for normal seasonal variations, was under the 150,000 threshold of jobs needed for employment to keep pace with natural labor force growth. It was also well below the 250,000 forecast on average by Wall Street economists, who have been consistently wrong about jobs for the better part of the last year.

Gee, I wonder why? Do they just want to support Bush, or are is it some form of market manipulation?

The unemployment rate, which essentially has not budged all year, remained unchanged from May at 5.6 percent.

"It's pretty clear the economy downshifted in June," said Sung Won Sohn, chief economist of Wells Fargo & Company in Minneapolis.

Now comes the "balance" part:

"It will take more than one weak month to convince us that the economy is struggling," said Henry Willmore, chief United States economist at Barclays Capital.

At the White House, where President Bush spoke before a group of small-business owners, Mr. Bush sought to cast the new job figures in a positive light. "The jobs increased by 112,000 in June, which means we've had a total of 1.5 million new jobs since last August," the president said. "To me, that shows the steady growth."

N. Gregory Mankiw, the White House's chief economic adviser, dismissed the job report as an aberration.
(via the flaccidly written, slow to react, and unevenly edited not-the-Los Angeles Times)

Translation: Who you gonna believe? Me, or your lyin' eyes?