(CNN) On Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 1,175 points, the single largest point decline in the history of the market.

"Look, markets do fluctuate in the short term, we all know that and they do that for a number of reasons," said White House spokesman Raj Shah. "But the fundamentals of this economy are very strong and they are headed in the right direction, for the middle class in particular."

Which is a TOTALLY reasonable argument to make. Focusing on any one day -- or even one week -- of stock market performance is akin to standing six inches away from a picture and trying to define what is depicted.

Except...

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