A new poll shows Mitt Romney jumping into the lead in three key swing states in the wake of his victory over President Obama in the first debate.
We Ask America has Mr. Romney up by three percentage points in Virginia and Florida, and one in Ohio.
Meanwhile, former General Electric CEO Jack Welch is one of many expressing skepticism at the Department of Labor employment statistics released today, which show an unemployment rate of 7.8%- the lowest since January of 2009, representing the biggest one-month jump in 29 years. A Welch tweet, this morning calls the numbers "unbelievable," and goes so far as to questiontheir geunineness.
Various discrepancies in the report, combined with the convenient timing for the administration, caused it to be met with such skepticism by many in the private sector and even in the media. Former CBO head and McCain economic advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin called the statistics "implausible," and Neil Irwin of the Washington Post tweets, "Weird that payrolls are exactly on forecast but household survey is far better."
The first two questions asked Labor Secretary Hilda Solis on CNBC this morning were whether the numbers in the report were 'cooked:'
Improving unemployment stats finally below 8% in the next-to-last report before the election could work strongly to Mr. Obama's benefit. But if- as many of those skeptical experts predict- the report issued days before the election shows the unemployment rate above 8% again, what seems like good news for the president's campaign today could backfire.
HT: Drudge
ADDENDUM: Several other new polls essentially confirm what We Ask America found about Virginia, Ohio and Florida.
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