With 5.5% unemployment? You have been listening to the MSM too long. Yes, they will try and make this bad news, but I remember when 10% unemployment was the norm.
The problem here is not the numbers, but the spin the media will use. They want Kerry to win, and they will "manage" the news to do it - whatever it takes.
Unemployment was over 10% for just a ten months in the early 80s. Ever. That's the only time, since we began recording data, that it was at or above 10%.
Ignoring facts doesn't help us. Economists--both for Bush and against--agree that the real measure of the economy's strength is job growth, not unemployment.
The problem here is the numbers. 32,000 is terrible for an economy that has "turned the corner."
I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, 5.5% is an estimate - right? It's based on the most recent data regarding unemployment claims. If you are unemployed and no longer eligable for unemployment, you fall off the roles are are thusly unreported. That is the beauty of estimates - you can fudge the numbers by what you can claim ignorance on and push the number off as a fact. Sounds like modern junk science.