Don't Read Too Much Into it': June Jobs Report Marks 32nd Time the White House Advises Voters to Ignore Data

After the Labor Department announced on Friday that only 80,000 jobs were added in June, the Obama administration was quick to assure voters that this is somehow a "step in the right direction" and that we shouldn't read too much into the data.

“[I]t is important not to read too much into any one monthly report and it is informative to consider each report in the context of other data that are becoming available [emphasis added],” Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Alan Krueger writes on the White House’s official website.

Really? We shouldn’t read too much into the Labor Department's figures? Okay, let’s play along for a moment and agree that, yes, one monthly report does not provide enough historical data to let us conclude that the job market is doing poorly. We would need several reports spanning several months to do that.

Actually, you know what? We do have several reports and we do have months of figures. And you know what else? Krueger advising on Friday that we shouldn't "read too much into” the Labor Department's June report isn’t even the first time this has happened.

The White House has been telling people that they shouldn't “read too much into” unemployment figures since November 2009! In fact, the White House has now said those exact same words 32 times over the last three years.

Don’t believe us? See for yourself [via obamaisntworking.com]:

June 2012:“Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report and it is informative to consider each report in the context of other data that are becoming available.”

May 2012:“Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report and it is helpful to consider each report in the context of other data that are becoming available.”

April 2012:“Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report and it is helpful to consider each report in the context of other data that are becoming available.”

March 2012:“Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report, and it is helpful to consider each report in the context of other data that are becoming available.”

February 2012:“Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report; nevertheless, the trend in job market indicators over recent months is an encouraging sign.”

January 2012:“Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report; nevertheless, the trend in job market indicators over recent months is an encouraging sign.”

December 2011:“Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

November 2011:“Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

October 2011:“The monthly employment and unemployment numbers are volatile and employment estimates are subject to substantial revision. There is no better example than August’s jobs figure, which was initially reported at zero and in the latest revision increased to 104,000. This illustrates why the Administration always stresses it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

September 2011:“Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

August 2011:“Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

July 2011:“Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

June 2011:“Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

May 2011:“Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

April 2011:“Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

March 2011:“Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

February 2011:“Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

January 2011:“Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

December 2010:“Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

November 2010:“Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

October 2010:“Given the volatility in monthly employment and unemployment data, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

September 2010:“Given the volatility in the monthly employment and unemployment data, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.”

July 2010:“Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report, positive or negative.  It is essential that we continue our efforts to move in the right direction and replace job losses with robust job gains.”

August 2010:“Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report, positive or negative.”

June 2010:“As always, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report, positive or negative.”

May 2010:“As always, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report, positive or negative.”

April 2010:“Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report, positive or negative.”

March 2010:“Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report, positive or negative.”

February 2010: "As always, it is important not to read too much into any individual data release, positive or negative."

January 2010:“Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report, positive or negative.”

December 2009: "Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report, positive or negative.  It is essential that we continue our efforts to move in the right direction and replace job losses with robust job gains."

November 2009:“Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report, positive or negative.”

Naturally enough, the Romney campaign has pounced on this, turning the above list itself into an argument against the President on their website. And why not? Facts are facts, and given that the president’s staff -- for almost the entirety of his first term -- has treated over 30 lousy jobs reports as if each one was an isolated event and not, in fact, part of a troubling trend line, we'd be surprised if the Romney campaign didn't use this attack.

Exit question: After three years of these reports, at what point does the White House think we shouldread into the data?

This story has been updated.