Missouri GOP to Nixon: Are we better off now than we were four years ago?

(From the Missouri Republican Party)

As Jay Nixon travels to Charlotte for the Democratic National Convention, members of his party, including President Obama himself, are on the defensive about whether Americans are better off than they were 4 years ago.

Nixon, of course, has repeatedly claimed that Missouri’s economy is turning the corner—so it’s important that he now answer the question: “Are Missourians better off than they were 4 years ago?”

Consider the facts:

* More than 45,000 fewer Missourians are working today than when Jay Nixon took office. (source: BLS)

* More than 95,000 Missourians have dropped out of the labor force—meaning they have simply given up looking for work. (source: BLS)

* Missouri’s labor force participation rate—64.1% in July—is at its lowest level since 1985. (source: BLS)

“Despite the fact that fewer people are working and fewer people are looking for work, Jay Nixon stubbornly insists that Missouri’s economy is turning the corner,” said Lloyd Smith, Executive Director of the Missouri Republican Party.  “Survey after survey shows that Missourians believe that the economy is poor and the state is headed in the wrong direction, so it’s important for Jay Nixon to answer the simple question: Are Missourians better off than they were four years ago?”