Ever since the last election, there's been a lot of talk about the "red states" and the "blue states." The metaphor has been invoked in service of cogent commentary about America's urban vs. rural cultural divide, not to mention heavily anecdotal cultural analysis of that same perception gap (and one especially half-baked, asinine quiz in Slate.)

But this post isn't about that.

This post is about the utter failure of Bush's economic policies. He talks a big game about "creating jobs", but 81% of job growth in the past year was in low-end industries, according to Morgan Stanley. According to the same report, 97% of the cumulative increase in employment over the past four months was in the part-time sector.

Which brings me back to the red-state/blue-state dichotomy. Look at that map at the upper left of this post. Click on it so you can see it bigger. Figured it out yet? The red states -- 46 of 'em -- are the states in which the unemployment rate is worse than it was in March 2001. The blue states -- all three of them -- are the states in which the unemployment rate is better than it was in March 2001. (And Louisiana is white because the rate there is unchanged.) (Source)

That's your real red-state/blue-state issue right there: Where are the jobs? You know, the ones the President is promising? And what is the President saying about these failed policies of his?

The economy is strong. It is getting stronger. The tax relief we passed is working.

I honestly don't know what to make of Bush's statement above. Is it ignorance? Optimism? Delusion? A shameless lie? Stubbornness? Absolute certainty, untempered by actual facts? Who knows? It doesn't really matter...but it's unmistakably bad for our country.

(The reporting, the idea for this post, and the map all came from the excellent Talent Show. Go check it out.)