While there had been speculation that the BLS may delay the release of its
October nonfarm payroll number until after the election, it turned out there was
no reason to worry. Perhaps this is because the number, while at stall speed,
was not quite as horrible as some had expected (even if the change in average
hourly earnings did tumble to
new
all time lows) and so boosted Obama's reelection chances. There was,
however, another closely tracked number which perhaps is far more indicative of
the economic "growth" in the past 4 years, which certainly had a delayed
release. The number of course is that showing how many Americans are on
foodstamps, and usually is released at the end of the month, or the first day or
two of the next month. This time the USDA delayed its release nine days past the
semi-official deadline, far past the election, and until Friday night to report
August foodstamp data. One glance at the number reveals why: at
47.1
million, this was not only a new all time record, but the monthly
increase of 420,947 from July was the
biggest monthly increase in one
year. One can see why a reported surge in foodstamps ahead of the
elections is something the USDA, and the administration may not have been too
keen on disclosing.