The economy added 96,000 jobs in August. Is that enough to sway undecided voters toward Barack Obama? Or does it support Mitt Romney's view that the nation isn't recovering fast enough? Yahoo! News asked voters to weigh in. Here's one perspective.
COMMENTARY | Democrats cannot be pleased with Augusts' jobs report as they seek to hold onto the White House and Senate and regain a majority in the House of Representatives. With just 96,000 net new jobs created, a 0.2 percent drop in the unemployment rate came more because Americans stopped seeking work than because they found it.
As a California Democrat in my late 20s, I know full well my state will vote Democrat. So, here in Los Angeles, my choice is not so much between President Obama and Mitt Romney as it is between Obama and a third-party candidate.
Because I do not believe my vote for president will have any effect on the electoral college, I could choose to vote my conscience for a third-party candidate who better represents goals of personal freedoms, anti-war foreign policy and the maintaining of social programs that help those most in need.
If anything, today's relatively weak jobs report has instilled in me a greater resolve to vote for President Obama. Our nation should be judged on how we treat the least of our own. With continued economic uncertainty, it is as important as ever to treat the poor, aged, disabled and destitute with the same respect as our most fortunate individuals.
