Monday, June 22, 2009

Speak English, please.

WASHINGTON - Despite signs that the recession gripping the nation's economy may be easing, the unemployment rate is projected to continue rising for another year before topping out in double digits, a prospect that threatens to slow growth, increase poverty and further complicate the Obama administration's message of optimism about the economic outlook.
Look, sport, I know you're doing your best to slip Barry some tongue here, but it strains the credulousness of even the simplest among us when you say things like "the recession is easing" and "but you're all broke, out of work, and prices are rising" in the same breath. This must be some new definition of the word "easing" that I'm not familiar with.

Look, one of the saddest sights in the last couple years was watching the Bushbots loyally chanting "What bad economy?" with the pathetic earnestness of a coworker explaining that her shiner was caused by accidentally running into a doorknob. Don't y'all start, too.

15 comments:

Vote For David said...

Too late. All the alphabet networks started around, oh, about December, trying to rah-rah us into thinking it's not so bad.

OA said...

"Despite signs that the recession gripping the nation's economy may be easing..."

The government desperately trying to inflate a bubble in the green sector whilst talking about how the economy will take off once people "believe" in it again means the recession is easing? Or does this tool speak of the market rally that's been driven by inflation? Either way, lottery tickets and liquor would be a better investment than "hope".

karrde said...

There's a difference between (i) may be easing and (ii)is easing.

And (ii)bad times easing off is different from (iii)better times here again

I note that if anything is happening, it is item (i), not (ii) or (iii).

OA said...

Well in that case, I may be the Pope of China.

Jim said...

Snark in the ten-ring, but this clown is guilty of egregious style sin as well. One of my first j-profs and editors was Mr. Kramer (late of Terra Haute, a town west of Broad Ripple.) He would have tossed that lead back at me with: "F------, stop trying to insert your famous 10 pounds of pshitt into the five-pound bag. Rewrite."

staghounds said...

To quote The Other McCain,

"Economics is not a popularity contest".

Although I've long said this "recession" isn't nearly as bad as its "Worst since the Great Depression" notices from October and November made it out to be. Yet.

Funny- the media spun it as a big problem to get a saviour, now look what he's saved us from...

Uh, wait, that's LOOK WHAT HE SAVED US FROM.

Economy, that's your cue, perk up!

Joanna said...

*ahem*

Cheer up, smile, nertz.

I may finally be employed again, but I'm nowhere near rosy. Call me when my unicorn gets here.

Anonymous said...

The IMF projections of worldwide contractions in GDP just keep on getting "worster and worster". Our administration has to keep doing the happy-face dance or admit the failure of its monetary policies.

Trouble is, the policies are 180 degrees off-course.

The weirdly is that they're following Bush's idiocies while trying to blame him for the ongoing problems. Duh?

Panic now; avoid the rush...

Artnogene

Anonymous said...

I've heard / read similar, to the effect, "The economy / depression / recession / unemployment still sucks, but it's sucking at a slower rate."

Still doesn't help the poor schmuck that's out of work.

B Woodman
III

Steelghost said...

Look these are the same people who gave the Bushbots that shiner, drove them to the clinic, told the nice officer she fell on the door knob, all while blowing a .9 BAC (Barak Adulation Content).

mts1 said...

It's not a depression, it's an inverted recovery. Turn the newspaper upside down, and all's Peachy-keen. It worked for Cubs optimism back in the Wrigley days. Invert the paper, and they're #1 in the standings!

I swear, at least the press could have a tiny bit of decorum about their Obama love, and not show it off like Monica's stained dress.

Steve Skubinna said...

Unemployment? No, no, get with the program.

It's "funemployment."

Stranger said...

615,000 a month is really no slower than 620,000 more unemployed a month. I take a dim view of Herr Goebbels counterpart in this Administration. He's even less competent than the original.

But I can remember much of Hoovers Depression. Obama's depression is starting out differently, in that 1933's 23% unemployment was almost entirely among 40 hour a week men.

Obama's is no exception - but employers are cutting hours before workers, and most families are two income families. So most manage to drag along without unbearable pain. Until the pink slip comes and the husband's unemployment runs out. It's not funemployment when that happens.

Stranger

Anonymous said...

"Hoover's Depression"? Giggle-snort. I guess this one is Bush's Depression, even though he wasn't even in politics in 1977 when the seeds of this garden were sown. Bush was still the Texas Goobernator when ACORN/B.Frank/Clinton set us up for an even more egregious sub-prime debacle.

Yeah, Bush paralleled Hoover, a bit, but Obama's outdoing FDR for egregious stoopid.

After all, it's the same old crowd shuffling back and forth between Wall Street and K Street, as they have been for decades.

Art

alath said...

Obama has a contradictory - sorry, "heavily nuanced" - message to sell here, and it's giving his people problems in the old Sound Like You're Making Sense department.

In order to complete the government takeover of all sectors of the economy, he has to beat the doomsday "worst depression ever" drum.

In order to keep the blissful ignorant and the ignorant blissful, he has to repeatedly assert that his policies are working and things are getting better.

Flipping back and forth between these contradictory messages is testing even His powers of Heavy Nuancing.