Dueling data drive jobs debate

Washington • Is the U.S. job market dismal as Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney says? Or is it steadily improving as President Barack Obama contends? Not to dodge the question or anything, but both men are correct. It’s all about how you slice the data. Romney and his Republican allies like to point to the unemployment rate. It’s stuck at 8.3 percent, compared with 7.8 percent when Obama took office. Most economists say “normal” unemployment is 6 percent or less. Obama naturally prefe...