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Pundits Pick Romney to Win First Debate with Obama


Barack-Obama-pointing-finger-standing-at-lectern.pngOn Wednesday, Oct. 3, an estimated 10 million television viewers are expected to watch the first of three public debates between President Barack Obama and presidential candidate Mitt Romney.  They will face off in the auditorium at the University of Denver in Denver, CO.

Talking TV Heads already have dubbed Romney as the winner of the first debate - even though he trails the President in every national poll at this writing. I predict Obama will be considered the winner of all three debates.

The next two debates are scheduled  for Oct. 16 at Hofstra University in Hemstead, NY and Oct. 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL.  The election is Nov.6.

Obama and Romney will hurl charges and counter-charges at each other on every subject from the economy, the debt, international trade, health care, national security, jobs and unemployment, of course.

Mitt-Romney-in-Colorado-May-2012.jpgUnemployment will surface as a hot topic with both Obama and Romney - especially the definition on how to accurately count the jobless. An Election Channel viewer has sent this corner a fictional scenario on how the unemployment data scenario might be played out at the first debate in Denver.

The viewer selected the comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, those hilarious actors from the 1940s and 1950s, to explain the counting of jobless in America today.

COSTELLO:  I want to talk about the unemployment rate in America.

ABBOTT:  Good Subject. Terrible Times. It's 8.1%

COSTELLO:  That many people are out of work?

ABBOTT:  No, that's 16%.

COSTELLO:  You just said 8.1%.

ABBOTT:  8.1% Unemployed.

COSTELLO:  Right 8.1% out of work.

ABBOTT:  No, that's 16%.

COSTELLO:  Okay, so it's 16% unemployed.

ABBOTT:  No, that's 8.1%...

COSTELLO:  WAIT A MINUTE. Is it 8.1% or 16%?

ABBOTT:  8.1% are unemployed. 16% are out of work.

COSTELLO:  If you are out of work, you are unemployed.

ABBOTT:  No, you can't count the "Out of Work" as the unemployed. You have to look for work to be unemployed.

COSTELLO:  BUT THEY ARE OUT OF WORK!!!

ABBOTT:  No, you miss my point.

COSTELLO:  What point?

ABBOTT:  Someone who doesn't look for work can't be counted with those who look for work. It wouldn't be fair.

COSTELLO:  To whom?

ABBOTT:  The unemployed.

COSTELLO: But they are ALL out of work.

ABBOTT:  No, the unemployed are actively looking for work.  Those who are out of work stopped looking.  They gave up.  And, if you give up, you are no longer in the ranks of the unemployed.

COSTELLO:  So if you're off the unemployment rolls, that would count as less unemployment?

ABBOTT:  Unemployment would go down. Absolutely!

COSTELLO:  The unemployment just goes down because you don't look for work?

ABBOTT:  Absolutely it goes down. That's how you get to 8.1%.  Otherwise it would be 16%. You don't want to read about 16% unemployment, do you?

COSTELLO:  That would be frightening.

ABBOTT:  Absolutely.

COSTELLO:  Wait, I got a question for you. That means there are two ways to bring down the unemployment number?

ABBOTT:  Two ways is correct.

COSTELLO:  Unemployment can go down if someone gets a job?

ABBOTT:  Correct.

COSTELLO:  And unemployment can also go down if you stop looking for a job?

ABBOTT:  Bingo.

COSTELLO:  So there are two ways to bring unemployment down and the easier of the two is to just stop looking for work.

ABBOTT:  Now you're thinking like an economist.

COSTELLO:  I don't even know what the hell I just said!

ABBOTT: Now you're thinking like a politician. 



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