Posted by Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its July jobs report this morning — an assessment that didn’t exactly show considerable growth in the economy over the past month. And from a political perspective, that means one thing: President Obama is running out of time.
Why?
Because polling — both in this campaign and in past races — suggests that public perception on major issues (economy, Iraq, etc.) cements several months in advance of the actual vote, barring some sort of cataclysmic event.
The consistency of Obama’s numbers on the economy is remarkable. Not since 2009 has a majority of Americans approved of how Obama is handling the economy in Washington Post-ABC News polling Couple that fact with the sustained pessimism about the direction of the country and faltering economic confidence ratings, and you get a very dangerous political brew for Obama — particularly this close to an election (95 days!).
What all of the data cited above mean is that, while there will be three more monthly jobs reports prior to voters voting, it may not ultimately matter what they say, unless of course they show massive gains (or losses).
Timing matters too — and could also hurt Obama.
Read More @ THE WASHINGTON POST
