MO GOP Thinks Economy In Southeast Missouri Is Just Fine

As you all know, yesterday Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama appeared in Cape Girardeau, MO to talk about the economy.

A spokesperson for the Missouri GOP was trying to spin that everything was just fine in Southeast Missouri and sent around this pic as proof.

Unsurprisingly, KC Star reporter Dave Helling picked right up on the GOP spin and quickly put up this smarty pants post trying to suggest that the Obama campaign was foolish to be appearing in Southeast Missouri because unemployment is "so low" in Cape Girardeau County.

Using the same Bureau of Labor Statistics that Helling relied on, the map above shows the unemployment rates for the Missouri  counties in the Cape Girardeau, Jonesboro and Memphis media markets--the area where coverage of Obama's trip will dominate. (Click on the map or here for a full size version.)

Counties in red indicate unemployment levels in 2007 at or higher than the national average.

This is a part of the state where 50 mile round trip commutes to work are common place, and 100 mile commutes are not unheard of. So whoever ends up taking that job in the pic circulated by the GOP better be careful, or they may go in debt buying gas to get to their job if they have to keep paying GOP gas prices.

One other thing worth noting, previous studies have indicated that many of the counties in this part of Southeast Missouri have poverty, illiteracy, and infant mortality rates that rival some third world countries.

So, if the GOP wants to claim that things are A-OK, that's their business (An aside: Do Kenny Hulshof and Sarah Steelman agree with the GOP spokesperson that things are just fine down there?).  But in my book, Dave Helling should stick to subjects he knows something about, like licking Todd Graves' boots.