The top 25 economists in America evaluated employment numbers for September 2012 and concluded that 113,000 jobs were created and that the unemployment rate rose from 8.1 percent to 8.2 percent.

However, when the federal government released the official September jobs report, it declared that 14,000 jobs were created and that the unemployment rate dropped to 7.8 percent.

How convenient this is for President Barack Obama, coming out one month before Election Day. Two days after Mitt Romney crushed him in the first of three debates, suddenly the unemployment rate drops below 8 percent for the first time in four years.

It also magically reflects the largest one-month drop in the unemployment rate in 29 years. Ronald Reagan was president and America was growing by 500,000 to a million jobs per month. Everyone wants our economy to improve – but not like this.

Of course, the national media loves this headline grabber to benefit Obama. He needed it, and they're happy to help him.

Our gross domestic product is barely growing at 1 percent. The economy is so bad that the Federal Reserve Board recently announced and has implemented a third round of economic stimulus at the rate of $40 billion per month of borrowed cash until the labor market turns around.

Former General Electric Chief Executive Officer Jack Welch said Obama failed miserably in his debate with Romney, so he just "changed the numbers."

Even if you believe that there was a total employment gain of 873,000, more than 600,000 of these jobs are part time. There had been no movement in this number, yet 873,000 people suddenly returned to work.

No president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has been re-elected with an unemployment rate more than 7.2 percent. Since FDR, the unemployment rate has been 7.2 percent or higher only three times.

President Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush lost, and President Ronald Reagan won, but unemployment was steadily dropping when he was running for re-election.

Most likely the reason President Bush I lost was more due to the third-party candidacy of Ross Perot than the unemployment rate, as Bill Clinton won with only 43 percent of the popular vote.

Still, high unemployment during a re-election bid is typically electorally fatal. 

Seven presidents have sought re-election since FDR, so the sampling is limited in size. 

My theory is this: The first presidential debate was so damaging to Obama's campaign that he played games with the unemployment numbers to give himself a false lift.

Does anyone really believe that 873,000 people suddenly went back to work in time to be reflected in the September 2012 unemployment report?

The more important U-6 report (part-time workers who want a full-time job) remained unchanged at 14.7 percent unemployment. This is because the alleged growth announced for September is comprised of mostly part-time jobs. 

There is no doubt in my mind that the Oct. 3 debate is the reason for this peculiar unemployment report.

Romney was so superior to Obama that Obama had to create his own game changer. It remains to be seen if the American people will be fooled by this fakery.

A number of public opinion polls have been released since Romney's debate win, and he has pulled even or ahead in Florida, Ohio and Virginia. If Romney wins these three, he is the next president of the United States. 

"This is not what a real recovery looks like,” Romney said about the September jobs report. “We created fewer jobs in September than in August, and fewer jobs in August than in July, and we’ve lost over 600,000 manufacturing jobs since President Obama took office.

"The jobs picture is still bleak, particularly because of the millions who have dropped out of the market altogether.

“If not for all the people who have simply dropped out of the labor force, the real unemployment rate would be closer to 11 percent,” said Romney. 

“The results of President Obama’s failed policies are staggering: 23 million Americans struggling for work, nearly one in six living in poverty, and 47 million people dependent on food stamps to feed themselves and their families. Under President Obama, we’ll get another four years like the last four years.”

Romney has promised if he is elected to "have a real recovery with pro-growth policies that will create 12 million new jobs and rising incomes for everyone.”

The media has thrown away all standards during this campaign to try and help re-elect Obama.

Harry Hurley is president of Harry Hurley Consulting and Communications LLC. He hosts the daily talk radio program "Hurley in the Morning" 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Townsquare Media, ESPN 1450 AM Radio. He has hosted various programs for local television and is the editor and publisher of his news and information website, www.harryhurley.com. Send comments to Harry  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .