Americans have once again finished a presidential campaign season in which the quality of the debate over economic policy was abysmal. On the Republican side, hacks, spin masters, and many people who ought to have known better suddenly developed an extraordinary appreciation for something called the "CPS Household Survey of Employment" as a supposed guide to month-to-month changes in the labor market. The CPS survey was never designed to do this, but it offered the most favorable gloss on the Bush administration's dreadful record on employment.
Americans have once again finished a presidential campaign season in which the quality of the debate over economic policy was abysmal. On the Republican side, hacks, spin masters, and many people who ought to have known better suddenly developed an extraordinary appreciation for something called the "CPS Household Survey of Employment" as a supposed guide to month-to-month changes in the labor market. The CPS survey was never designed to do this, but it offered the most favorable gloss on the Bush administration's dreadful record on employment.