AP's Pace, Covering Krueger Nomination: Obama Struggles With 'Perceptions the Economy Is Stuck in Low Gear'
Maybe AP stands for "Alternative Planet."
In an early version of Julie Pace's coverage of President Obama's selection of Alan Krueger to be the next head of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, the following paragraph appeared (bolds are mine):
The decision completes a wholesale shake-up of the team that Obama brought with him to the White House over three years ago. Advisers Larry Summers, Christina Romer and Goolsbee have now all departed, and Obama continues to struggle with perceptions the economy is stuck in low gear on his watch.
Two obvious points:
- Obama has been President for just over 31 months, which is over five months short of "over three years ago." It has been about a week short of 34 months since he won the presidential election and started acting like he was already president during his transition. It only feels like it's been over three years, Julie -- wayyyyy over three years, as the Obama administration's policies have set industries like housing back by decades.
- In Pace's Place on Planet AP, Obama's problem isn't that the economy is sputtering; it's just the perception that it is. The economy's average annualized growth this year of less than 1% is some kind of mirage.
Actually, there's a name for the planet on which Pace and a large and influential portion of the wire service which employs her reside: Planet DC. In that never-never land, Gallup's Economic Confidence Index is at +11. Meanwhile, each of the 50 states has a confidence index of -13 or lower. Additionally, as noted by Catherine Rampell at the New York Times:
In every state, a majority of residents think the economy is getting worse. In the nation’s capital, however, a full 60 percent of people think the economy is getting better.
This may be good evidence for those arguing that Washington exists in its own disconnected bubble.
Or, in other words, on Planet DC, a land made rich largely on the backs of the 50 states from which it receives its sustenance.
Planet DC has two aspects. Its current condition is one where things are great no matter what the silly economic data says. On the other hand, when a Republican or conservative is in the White House, as was the case during the eight years before President Obama took office, I don't recall the press ever claiming that George W. Bush's economy was facing "perception" problems. In fact, Planet DC's media residents worked tirelessly to create negative and largely false economic perceptions during those years.
Pace's early errors are in the process of being washed clean and flushed down the media memory hole in the AP's updates. A Google web search on the second bolded segment above (in quotes) returned 68 items without duplicates at about 1:30 p.m. But clicking on many and perhaps most of the results returned (examples here and here) brings one to an updated version of Pace's story without the timing error and "perception" howler. A Google News search on the same string returns only one item at NPR.com which as of 1:40 p.m. hadn't been revised.
You see, in addition to having no accountability for differentially reporting on the economic performance of presidents regardless of the underlying economic reality (Republicans/conservatives - "weak," "trying to avoid a recession"; Democrats - "booming," -- or if not, "struggling with perceptions"), being on Planet AP means almost never having to say you're sorry.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
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Comments
Stuck in low gear?
Submitted by E.S.Blofeld on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 2:19pm.
A Pontiac?
Ernst
"Isn't it pretty to think that way?"-EH
No... Not quite...
Submitted by DumbCanuck on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 2:27pm.
...a perception it's stuck in low gear.
A Volt!
"There... Are... Four... Lights!"
I perceive...
Submitted by almostacowboy on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 3:07pm.
you are correct, Canuck!
I'd like to give him a "Volt" (or 50,000 - high amperage).
Well, you know what they say....
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 2:25pm.
Perception IS Reality.
Um.....so is reality.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Yep
Submitted by Galvanic on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 3:07pm.
I have friends in southern Maryland who have a perception that their homes are without electric power, and will likely remain so for days.
My cousin in Queens, NY has a perception that a tree came down and crushed the roof on her Toyota Corolla.
Like you said, perception is reality.
If only...
Submitted by c5then on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 2:25pm.
Everybody would take a vacation on Martha's Vinyard like the Dear Leader...Then the economy would be kicked into 2nd gear and we would all be fine.
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
Isn't this guy a big
Submitted by killa37 on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 2:29pm.
Isn't this guy a big proponent of the 'value-added tax'.................which is some fancy sounding name for another way of confiscating and extorting money from us...........thus decreasing our own VALUE!!!!
Yes he is ...
Submitted by Tom Blumer on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 2:56pm.
... or at least he just sort of put it out there as something to think about in 2009 at a NY Times blog -- a classic case of floating ye olde trial balloon.
Well, you KNOW that Boy Barry
Submitted by killa37 on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 3:08pm.
Well, you KNOW that Boy Barry has got to be loving that!!! Another way to increase 'revenue'!!!!
This is why liberal should NEVER be allowed to run government.
Submitted by hbnolikeee on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 2:40pm.
They think with their testicles. It feels this way it should be that way cause I feel this way or that way.
Economics are numbers and the numbers a crap. This is not perception, it's fact.
Ever try to confront a liberal with facts that they cannot refute? Their answer is always to marginalize.
It is my perception that liberals think with their vagina.
Submitted by no tingly legs on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 3:11pm.
That's regardless of what sex is indicated on their driver's license.
Usually, if you confront a lib with facts, they walk away.
Submitted by UpNorth on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 7:46pm.
Or run.
I see that the O administration has frozen any federal assistance to any disaster area in the country that wasn't hit by the storm named Irene. Too bad, Joplin, get in the back. Tennessee, join your friend, Joplin. West Texas? You didn't get any assistance to start with, so don't ask. Quad Cities, still dealing with the floods from last year? Too bad, so sad, for you guys.
Thank You Mr. President
Submitted by Chris Norman on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 3:02pm.
On the positive side, hopefully, this is the kind of detached-from-reality rhetoric that will get Obama defeated next year.
President Downgrade, I Perceive That YOU Are Stuck..
Submitted by Motormouth KOS on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 3:08pm.
In low gear?
Nope. More like reverse.
Perception?
You are a congenital moron, devoid of talent, and dumber than a bag of cat turds.
Oops, does that make me racist?
The Obamination... A crisis leading to a catastrophe..(please donate to MRC)
At least a bag of cat turds
Submitted by no tingly legs on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 3:13pm.
can't make things worse.
"Cash for Clunkers'," Alan Krueger - now running US Economy
Submitted by Gary Hall on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 3:43pm.
The WH proudly announces Alan Krueger . .
"Cash for Clunkers." Ought to be a good musical jingle for that one. Hmm - oh, here's a video on how this program operated:
You see, the regulations required that the cars turned in, in order to qualify for the $cash$ hand out from the federal government to help purchase a higher gas mileage vehicle, be disabled such that they could not be resold, or used by others. So, the engines had to be destroyed - and there was a process for doing just that. In the video, the engine is drained of it's lubricating oil, which is replaced by a couple quarts of water and abrasive silicone (sand). The engine is then raced at high RPM's until it blows up, or seizes. In many cases, they literally blow up - cracking the case wide open - sometime spilling all sorts of presumably hazardous waste on the ground - some oil, antifreeze, etc. In all cases, ya get a heck of a lot of smoke, aka, pollution - global warming inducing CO2. Hmm.
Seems to me that their must be thousands and thousands of poor folks out there who can't afford to buy a car, and can't even make it to their doctor's office when they are sick, or injured. Would not it been better to have given these cars away to those in need? No "Obama Caring" there.
What a great plan, Dr. Krueger. Now, about our economy. Oh - the plan just came to me:
Can't wait for the big speech.
(;~/ gary
Wealth destruction
Submitted by upcountrywater on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 4:07pm.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870395080457524243343533872...
And the mother of wealth destruction...
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/08/29/russia-delays-sending-new-crew...
....
You Didn't Build That.
Not low gear
Submitted by jon_torlin on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 3:57pm.
Nay, not low gear, it's more like it's OUT OF GAS! People are running out of money to do things, including buying gas which is the thing we need to get around with.
When you're out of gas, you are going NO where. So while someone might perceive that DuhOne is struggling with it, he's pushing for high gas prices which affect a lot of people and that means less money spent elsewhere.
I'm thinking this joker Krueger (any relation to Freddy?) is Romer part 2.
How long before he says we're f**ked?
-Jon
I guess Obama decided he wasn't destroying the economy
Submitted by Dave. on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 4:02pm.
...fast enough, so he went out and found hisself somebody who will help him destroy it even faster.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
I Prefer "Axis Powers" for the Associalist Propagandists
Submitted by farstar99 on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 4:21pm.
They should be more careful.
Some of Goebbels' people were hanged for doing what they're doing for Obama.
'Surprisingly Unexpected'
Submitted by ChrisNH on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 7:27pm.
These Leftist media hacks are such an imbecilic lot. When Obamo loses next November, they'll describe his bludgeoning as 'surprisingly unexpected.' Guaranteed.
Oh No, Not Another Academician
Submitted by HardRightTurn on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 9:18pm.
Isn't it clear by now that the goverment cannot be run from textbooks?
To more fully comprehend the Left, one must read “Leftism As Psychopathy” by John Ray, M.A., Ph.D. Caution, it might scare you a little bit.
http://jonjayray.tripod.com/psycho.html
You mean we left the garage?
Submitted by drsamherman on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 8:28pm.
How can the economy stall when it is still up on the rack in the garage?