In a heated appearance on MSNBC’s Hardball Friday, Jack Welch doubled down on his unsupported conspiracy theory that the Obama administration cooked the books on today’s improved jobs numbers.
Chris Matthews asked the former General Electric CEO to explain where the accusation came from. Welch said:
“All I can talk about are some of the numbers. We had 600,000 government jobs added in the last 2 months. We had 873,000 jobs by a household survey which is a total estimate from 50,000 phone calls. Of those 600,000 were temporary workers. Chris, these numbers are all a series of assumptions. Tons of assumptions. And it just seems somewhat coincidental that the month before the election, the numbers go one tenth of a point below where they were when the president started, although I don’t see anything in the economy that says these surges are true.”
Matthews voiced his suspicion that Welch’s assertions are based in political bias against Obama, not economic concern. He asked Welch what evidence he has that the Obama administration got to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and doctored data. Welch confirmed he hadn’t spoken to any economists, analysts, or accounting specialists:
“I have no evidence to prove that, I just raised the question.”
Matthews wasn’t satisfied; accusing a presidential administration of manipulating data is “Nixon stuff,” that goes beyond raising a question. He gave Welch one last opportunity to walk back the claim. Welch declined, “I don’t take back any part of that tweet.”
Former Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Keith Hall dismissed Welch's claim on Friday, telling The Wall Street Journal it is "impossible to manipulate labor survey data." Leading economist Jared Bernstein called Welch’s accusation “outrageous;” Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis dubbed it “ludicrous.”
UPDATE at 11:09 p.m. ET: In a later appearance on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, Welch said “I should have put a question mark on the end of that [tweet], let’s face it,” Welch said.
*NBC Universal, the parent company of NBC News and MSNBC, is a joint venture of Comcast and General Electric since 2011. Jack Welch was General Electric’s CEO until 2001.
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Neutron Jack Welch apparently thinks he's so special that nobody will question his credibility while he questions that of the BLS.
A slander suit from BLS personnel might set him straight on that. I think it meets the test. The BLS protocols and procedures for data collecting are very reliable and open to audit, so the claim is demonstrably false - with a little work. But Neutron Jack knows that, in fact he knows what he says is not true, because he admits he has no evidence for it. Finally, the accusation is made with a transparently malicious intent in the context of this political campaign.
Of course the numbers can be manipulated , every month they "revise" previous months numbers so what does that tell you about the accuracy of the analysis. If President Obama wins in November we are all doomed. How could anybody who has lived through the last four years want four more. And celebrating more people getting part time work.. Now that is just sad.
When you say "WE are all doomed" you must be are referring to the 1% billionaire crowd, right?
No I am thinking of all of the citizens of the United States. Of course if you are one of the 49% not paying any federal income taxes Im sure you love the current state of affairs. You cant hate on the wealthy all you want but last time I checked they are paying all of the bills. Ever hear the expression dont bite the hand that feeds you?
Would you rather go back to Bush and the financial meltdown of 2008 which Obama had to dig us out of first to be able to move us forward, rather than continuously lose between 750,000 -800,000 jobs per month, and inherited from Bush when he took office? Apparently, you forgot it was Obama who stopped the bleeding and has been moving us forward? Oh yes, I know you expected him to provide a "quick fix" and provide jobs for almost everyone immediately. And you think reinstalling the " trickle down fairy dust theory" of economics by Romney, which got us into this Great Recession, will make it possible for Romney to restore jobs immediately. If so, you just might read a few history books about the Great Depression which lasted from 1929 to approximately 1940, even though FDR was slowly getting us out of it by 1934.
Nothing to see here folks; just another old, rich, lying and bald-headed Republican. Same old, same old.
If Obama supporters think part time jobs is the new norm, then line up to re-elect him! They do not have healthcare insurance under Obama care and they are not entitled to unemployment insurance ...but they and those who have given up looking for full time jobs are not counted in this new world or its administration under Obama. You desere what you vote into office!!
More evidence is needed? Well, I'm sure Repugnicans can cook up something. It's not as though they need facts, just FUD.
G9 you're right on the money.
The Great Manipulator of GE data and arrogant leader who refused to clean-up the many environmental messes GE created under his reign is entitled to his opinion with no facts to support it. After all, he is one of the 1% to whom we middle class are expected to worship and adore for all the jobs they have created for us.
Jack Welch, just another angry old white guy.
This is B-S. We know what shape this economy is in. We know that there is NO middle class left. We know that both parties allowed our industrial plant to go to China and India.
This is clearly stewed... cooked, whatever. But the GOP would have done the same so, no thrills, please.
I got a conspiracy for you. The average price of gas in June of 2008 was $4.12 (look it up) By November ( right before the election ) it dropped below $2.00 gallon for and went to a 10 year low. It has gone now where but up since and now is raising as we go into the election Anyone find that odd back then. Maybe Jack could comment on that!
Hmmmm. Who should we believe? The Bureau of Labor Statistics or the former CEO of a huge, multi-billion dollar corporation that paid exactly ZERO dollars in taxes.
My money's on the BOL.
It's called school back in session Mr. Belch.
If you have no evidence then don't waste everybodys time with your opinion. This is getting tiresome when anybody can shoot off their mouth with nothing to back it up. Remember it isn't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. Its what you know for sure that just isn't true.
First let's get a better interviewer- Chris Matthews is pathetic and I don't want to see him stroke out on his show. Instead of "HArd Ball" it should be MAtthews "Hardhead".
You cannot discuss your theory when you have an idiot interviewer screaming at you. Also get real- every administration has a formula for the unemployment, the employment, the number of jobs soon to be. They all play around with the reports to make the WH look good.
Statistics is a faulty science because figures can be manipulated anyway you want. And ask about the formulas used and you will get a bunch of jibberish but let's make every administration look good!
But that OK America we will be going the way of the Euorpean Countries with our debt. and then what do all you people above, arguing and fighting with your insults, have to say?
This is a sham first Obama went into the debate to argue against mitts economic plan and mitt pulled a switcharoo and said thats not my plan, and created a new plan right their on stage. This is one of the reasons I said for Obama not to debate this guy, because in fact there is no plan or policy nor are their any specifics you can argue against. This guy has been campaigning for years now and no one knows what he stands for or what he will do. His rhetoric; tell them what they want to hear. even if you told someone else differently yesterday.
As far as Mr. welch well his statements are out of context with an honest man.
On msnbc he was given the opportunity to retract his attack on the obama people>
It's one thing to be suspicious and provide reasons for that suspicion, but he was dead wrong in accusing people of minipulating the numbers.
And I also believe that the president's integrity would not allow something so disdainful as suggested by Mr. welsh. Mr. welsh is an admired and accomplished businessman, But that don't make his opinion and accusations hold any creedance in the political sphere then joe blow who has read a newspaper...
Mr. welsh shut up and HIRE...
the debate was the first time since he became president that he had to answer real questions, and was not in complete control of the questions and the questioners. The slobering "journalists for obama" could not jump on on the stage and save him, or else they would have. Now, the headline is exactly like your weak comment. Mitt lied. If mitt lied, why didn't the great thinker, great orator, w/ the hightest iq, ever, call him on his lies? He got his butt kicked because he is an empty suit. No telepromter = no obama. Got it?
Jack:
Shut the devil up and pay your taxes.
all of you snivelin' little babies. I am sure you like GE much more now, as it was baiscally funded by the taxpayers for the first 2 years of this administration. That's what I don't understand about all of these comments that say jack welch is "no friend of the working man". He is a "working man". He worked his way up from the bottom, and turned GE into a great company that employed tens of thousands of people all around that world. That's good, right, all of you "global thinkers". The current CEO is a joke, and another participant in the handing over of as much of the economy as this administration can get its paws on. And of course, let's not forget that GE and msnbc cannot be separated. And if you ever listened to Jeff E. (ceo) you could tell that he was under the boot of this administration. And of course, the current GE paid no taxes here in the US, but did you hear anyone at the fake and phony msnbc say anything....NO!! THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE ON TO MSNBC, YOUR SELDOM VIEWED JIG IS UP!!!
Welch looks like a sex predator and pedophile. I have absolutely no evidence to support that but he looks like one to me.
The Republicans, and Jack Welch, apparently believe they can lie their way to winning; say whatever they want with no credible evidence to support their assertions, from Romney's tax garbage to Welch's deliberate false accusation. Fortunatley, the better part of the U.S. public sees through this stuff. And Obama will be propelled to victory in November.
Jack Welch is a LOT less intelligent than we all thought he was in business school!! Oy!
BINGO,Jack Welch! No conspiracy theory here,IT'S THE TRUTH! Obama cooked the books and more!
Of course all of Obumbo's gullible and adoring fans are jumping all over this one.
Welch, Limbaugh, and Romney should all be wearing white sheets like the bigots they are!
It shows again that Mitt Romney is THE candidate for insanely rich white men. Determined never to pay their fair share in taxes, they rush to fight for him and defend him, even to the point of making reckless and transparently untrue allegations. See also: Donald Trump.
LmarcT. Bring on the next debate??? Are you serious? If your zero qualified to do anything marxist hero doesn't have everything spelled out for him on his teleprompters he's doomed. He has zero knowledge, zero talent. He's never done anything other than sling BS at his blind deaf and dumb fawning acolytes like you. I take small solace in the knowledge that your children will suffer just like mine in the post Obama apocalypse.
At least we want to keep Big Bird and Elmo.
Fascinating. Right after the "president" gets his A$$ handed to him in an evironment where he actually has to think for himself, suddenly, miraculously we get the highest one month jump in labor statistics in TWENTY NINE YEARS??? Forget about what the old guy named Welch looks like and open your freakin eyes? You really WANT four more years? you deserve it. Big Bird and Elmo will be just fine.
TWIT of the year award frontrunner!!!