Obama aide's comment on unemployment a gift to Republicans
Americans will base their votes not on the unemployment rate, but on their own economic situation, says top political adviser David Plouffe. The GOP jumps all over the comment.
Washington
It鈥檚 still the economy, stupid. And the Obama White House knows that, a year and a half away from the next election. Friday morning, after the release of the disappointing June jobs report, President Obama himself made clear that 鈥渨e still have a long way to go鈥� in the economic recovery, and he listed various measures Congress could take that, in his view, would help.
But one line of argument from other White House officials 鈥� that voters don鈥檛 view the economy through the 鈥減rism鈥� of statistics like gross domestic product and the unemployment rate 鈥� has left a big, wide opening for Republicans to drive through.
David Plouffe, Mr. Obama鈥檚 top political adviser, got things started Thursday at a breakfast sponsored by Bloomberg News.
鈥淭he average American does not view the economy through the prism of GDP or unemployment rates or even monthly jobs numbers,鈥� Mr. Plouffe said. 鈥淧eople won鈥檛 vote based on the unemployment rate; they鈥檙e going to vote based on: 鈥楬ow do I feel about my own situation? Do I believe the president makes decisions based on me and my family?鈥� 鈥�
Republicans have wasted little time in jumping on Plouffe. Mitt Romney, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, put the adviser at the center of his reaction to the new unemployment rate.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 abysmal jobs report confirms what we all know 鈥� that President Obama has failed to get this economy moving again,鈥� the former Massachusetts governor said in a statement. 鈥淛ust this week, President Obama鈥檚 closest White House adviser said that 鈥榰nemployment rates or even monthly jobs numbers鈥� do not matter to the average American.
鈥淚f David Plouffe were working for me,鈥� Mr. Romney continued, 鈥淚 would fire him and then he could experience firsthand the pain of unemployment. His comments are an insult to the more than 20 million people who are out of work, underemployed, or who have simply stopped looking for jobs. With their cavalier attitude about the economy, the White House has turned the audacity of hope into the audacity of indifference.鈥�
At a Monitor breakfast Friday, former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie also riffed on Plouffe鈥檚 statement, paraphrasing it thus: 鈥淚t鈥檚 not the economy stupid, and don鈥檛 pay any attention to the jobs number and the unemployment in your neighborhood and your house, because we鈥檒l tell you what鈥檚 important to you, and it鈥檚 not really you losing your job or your neighbor losing [his] job or your cousin losing his job or her job.鈥�
Speaking at his midday briefing Friday, White House press secretary Jay Carney chalked up Romney鈥檚 comment to politics. But he didn鈥檛 exactly back away from Plouffe鈥檚 assertion, either.
鈥淢ost people do not sit around their kitchen table and analyze GDP and unemployment numbers,鈥� Mr. Carney said. 鈥淭hey talk about how they feel their own economic situation is.鈥�
Technically, Carney may have a point. Most people aren鈥檛 poring over the economic data in The Wall Street Journal. They鈥檙e going with their gut, and what they see around them.
But one Democratic strategist argues caution when discussing unemployment. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want any perception that you don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 important, or you鈥檙e in trouble,鈥� says Peter Fenn, a Democratic communications consultant. 鈥淓ven if you鈥檙e making a good point, you have to be very careful as to how you word it.鈥�