They couldn't bring down George W. Bush, but the leftist media's misery loves the company of sour grapes. At 8:30 EST this morning, the Commerce Department released its monthly sales report. Expert consensus expected January's vicissitudinous stock market would be matched by a post-Christmas lull, and predicted a drop in sales by one-half percentage point.
According to the report, sales dropped by only half that amount, and automobile sales picked up the most since October. A few categories did suffer from lower demand but other gains were made:
Other sectors showed solid demand. Sales at clothing stores and gas stations surged 1.8 percent in the month, general merchandise sales rose 0.9 percent, food and beverage sales climbed 0.3 percent, and health and personal care sales increased 0.6 percent.
Given the circumstances, a perfectly acceptable beginning to the year. So what, you ask, is the favored elite headline and lede (capture here)?
"RETAIL SALES WEAKEST IN FIVE MONTHS."
And journalists wonder why the blogosphere is trampling their kingdom. Or why a majority of Americans distrust them.
DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN! LOSES TO TRUMAN! WHICHEVER IS RIGHT, THAT'S WHAT WE INITIALLY SAID!: Early this morning, the Associated Press released a negative article on the Commerce Department report with headline as above, "Retail Sales are Weakest in Five Months." Oh, but that was before Wall Street's opening bell. Just after two o'clock Eastern, in light of the stock market taking a decent report and an inflation-hunting Federal Reserve in stride, the Associated Press released a report with headline, "Stocks Move Higher on Strong Retail Data."
I'd make a piquant reference to our swapping ally Eurasia for Eastasia but ham-handed doublespeak doesn't deserve it. I'm satisfied with the image of a poorly coordinated two-man horse team tearing their costume in half.
