Irrationality in Action

“Republicans Assail Obama in Wake of Disappointing Jobs Report” says the New York Times headline. This is also the dominant talking point on cable news today, and most people agree that it is likely to lead to a drop in Obama’s poll numbers. But let’s think about that headline for a moment.

1) The Republican belief that Obama’s handling of the economy has been bad is actually independent of the details of the jobs report; in previous months, when jobs reports have been better, they have attac...