Deal describes an “influence” on the unemployment rate in Republican states. Deal questions employment data

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, a Republican, says something fishy is going on with his state’s unemployment numbers — and he thinks federal bureaucrats may have something to do with it.

The state saw its unemployment rate tick upward in August despite what his administration describes as robust job growth that month.


At a public event Thursday, Deal described an inexplicable “influence” on the unemployment rate in Republican-led states.

“It’s ironic that in a year in which Republican governors are leading some of the states that are making the most progress, that they almost, without exception, are classified as having a bump in their unemployment rates,” he said in a clip circulated by the Democratic Governors Association. “Whereas states that are under Democrat governors’ control, they are all showing that their unemployment rate has dropped. And I don’t know how you account for that. Maybe there is some influence here that we don’t know about.”

Asked to clarify the governor’s remarks, a Deal spokeswoman pointed out that the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics had in previous years reported high unemployment rates in July and August only to revise them downward the following year.

“Given the increase in jobs we’ve seen this month, the BLS’ pattern of downward revision and the drop in unemployment claims, the number doesn’t make sense,” said the spokeswoman, Jennifer Talaber. “States with Republican governors across the country are also seeing spikes in their unemployment rates.”

The assertion is reminiscent of Republican claims in 2012 that President Barack Obama’s administration had manipulated unemployment data to show positive economic momentum in the final months of his reelection campaign. Deal’s spokeswoman pointed to the episode and said it warrants “closer examination of unemployment rates.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a branch of the Department of Labor, often notes that its monthly job figures are estimates, prone to significant revision as better data come in.

The 2012 claims by some on the right were roundly ridiculed. On Thursday, the DGA weighed in on Deal’s remarks, calling him an unemployment “truther,” a reference to conspiracy theorists.

“Governor, it’s time to put the tinfoil hats away and get to work for Georgia’s devastated middle class,” the group said in a statement. Deal is in the middle of a tough reelection race against Democrat Jason Carter.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ parent agency.

CORRECTION: Corrected by: Daniella Diaz @ 09/19/2014 02:45 PM CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ parent agency.

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