Six numbers to ignore from the presidential campaign
The presidential race has been replete with statistics and data tossed out by the candidates that purport to show something threatening or wrongheaded about their opponent's policies. Typically, they don't just make up their numbers; instead, they take research produced by someone else (often an ideologically friendly source), then apply their own spin. And in many cases, that spin takes the statistic so far out of context, it becomes misleading at best. Here are six examples of numbers frequently cited by the Obama and Romney campaigns that voters should either ignore or take with a very large grain of salt. --Jon Healey
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23 million( Julie Jacobson / Associated Press )
In both of his debates with President Obama, GOP rival Mitt Romney has asserted that there are "23 million" Americans "out of work." That figure combines estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of people who are out of work -- the unemployed, who number about 12 million -- with part-time employees who'd rather be working full-time -- the underemployed, about 8.6 million -- and those who've given up finding work or are only marginally attached to the labor force -- 2.5 million. It's fair to say these people are struggling to find enough work, but Romney's statements imply that they're all jobless.
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