The Obama Economic Record

[snopes]

Comment: Could you please tell me the accuracy of this chart?

[wanderwoman]

Just at first glance, a rise in unemployment rate from 7.8% to 8.5% is an increase of .7%, not 9%.

[Dropbear]

Originally Posted by wanderwoman

Just at first glance, a rise in unemployment rate from 7.8% to 8.5% is an increase of .7%, not 9%.

It would roughly be a 9% increase - which would be equal to .7%.

Dropbear

[Mickey Blue]

I have no idea if its accurate or not but considering Bush and Co. threw us into a major depression due to their policymaking while engaging us in two expensive wars its not unexpected that the effort of digging us out (all the while with conservatives fighting him at every turn) may take a while and result us being worse off economically than we were at the beginning of the Bush/Republican caused recession.

[rockland6674]

When I tried to play The Obama Economic Record, it sounded scratchy and unmusical. Maybe I need a new needle?

[wanderwoman]

Originally Posted by Dropbear

It would roughly be a 9% increase - which would be equal to .7%.

Dropbear

Ok, 'splain it to me. The straight percentage is .7%. How is it right to take a percentage of the percentage? Not being snarky or anything.

[ganzfeld]

It makes a bit more sense if you look at unemployment as a number (for example number of unemployed) rather than a percentage. But it's not a good criticism of Obama. Unemployment was on a steep rise for all of 2008 (an increase of several hundred percents if you go by this method!). That rise stopped and began to fall during his first year in office. It's down from a high of just over 10% (at the end of 2009).

[wanderwoman]

I guess I'm just math-challenged, then. Are we looking at it as a percentage change of the percentage change?

[Don Enrico]

Originally Posted by wanderwoman

Just at first glance, a rise in unemployment rate from 7.8% to 8.5% is an increase of .7%, not 9%.

The unemployment rate has risen by .7 percentage points, which is 9% of what it was before (7.8% of the employable population).

[damian]

The chart does not include:
- the number of Osama Bin Ladens alive on Inauguration Day (1) compared with today (0).
- the number of wars the US is engaged in on Inauguration Day (2) compared with today (1).
- the number of Wall St investment bankers that have faced charges over their actions that led to the Global Financial Crisis on Inauguration Day (0) compared with today (0).

[jimmy101_again]

Originally Posted by damian

The chart does not include:
- the number of Osama Bin Ladens alive on Inauguration Day (1) compared with today (0).
- the number of wars the US is engaged in on Inauguration Day (2) compared with today (1).
- the number of Wall St investment bankers that have faced charges over their actions that led to the Global Financial Crisis on Inauguration Day (0) compared with today (0).

- Average number of US citizens killed per year by terrorists under Bush (~1,200) compared with Obama (~100).
- Average number of US buildings hit by hijacked planes under Bush (3) compared with Obama (0).
- Number of conservatives on the edge of an apoplectic fit under Bush (none) compared with Obama (millions).