Recovery Anniversary

I respect David Plouffe as a political strategist and as a communicator who knows how to use numbers to tell a story. In the email that I got today, he points to a graph that I am posting that depicts the dramatic job losses begun in the Bush administration and the near stop-loss during Obama’s first year in office. He suggests that year one of the “recovery anniversary” was to stop the losses.

Not said is that the jobs lost are not being replaced. It does not explain that stop-loss is at horrendous debt and that jobs are not being created in the private sector at a rate to bring about real recovery.

So, my admiration for the chief strategist can quickly turn sour when I see that I am being messed with. That is, I am being manipulated and wordsmithed. I would be much more impressed when the President and his strategist get to the heart of solving problems as that is what will make us all better.

I am searching for a metaphor, but basically, you cannot fix my broken leg with a Band-Aid. I cannot walk again until my leg is fixed. I need to walk to work. I need to work to care for my family and my own obligations. So, doc, if all that you have is a shear-strip, then come back when you have my real fix and stop celebrating my broken leg.