OBAMA II: NOW THEY TELL US

http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/111612-633815-bad-economic-news-emerges-after-election.htm

Obama II: In the "now they tell us" file, add a vast array of reports that have come out since the election showing just how weak the economy really is. Looks like the president will need a new scapegoat soon.

Here's just a sampling of what we've learned since voters decided to give Obama four more years to "experiment" with the economy.

Earnings falling: The Labor Dept. reported on Thursday that real average hourly earnings dropped again in October for the third month in a row, and are now down 2% from when Obama took office.

Poverty rising: A new Census Bureau report, also released after the election, finds that the number of poor people in America climbed 712,000 in 2011. The "official" report that came out in September had the number dropping by 96,000. So much for Obama's claim that things are getting better.

Food-stamp enrollment skyrocketing: Another government report conveniently timed after the election found that food stamp enrollment exploded by more than 420,000 in August. The number of people getting food stamps has climbed more than 15 million — or 47% — under Obama. That's a bigger increase than in all of President Bush's eight years. Today, almost 15% of the population is collecting food stamps, up from 7% just a decade ago.

Jobless claims jumping: The number of new jobless claims shot up to 439,000 last week, up 78,000 from the week before, due largely, it's said, to Hurricane Sandy. But the two states with the biggest increases in jobless claims the week before that were Pennsylvania and Ohio, thanks to layoffs in the construction, manufacturing and auto industries.

Inflation creeping up: We also learned that the annual inflation rate climbed to 2.2% in October, according to the BLS, which is the third consecutive monthly increase.

Coal plants closing: A report by the liberal Union of Concerned Scientists, released (naturally) a week after the election, finds that as many as 353 coal-fired plants will close as a result of Obama's environmental rules.

Small banks disappearing: Fortune reported three days after the election that the "overwhelming conclusion" of industry analysts and consultants was that Dodd-Frank would cause thousands of small banks to disappear. As a side note, one month before the election a Fortune "fact check" (by the same reporter, no less) blasted Romney for saying during one of the presidential debates that Dodd-Frank was "killing regional and small banks."