Do liberals still defend the notion the economy is improved since Obama took charge?

A record 92.26 million Americans ages 16 and over did not have a job last month and the labor force participation rate stood at 62.8 percent, matching a 36-year low.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) employment figures are based on the "civilian noninstitutional population," which consists of all Americans 16 or older who are not in the military or an institution such as a prison, mental hospital, or nursing home.

Those who did not have a job and did not actively seek one in August are not considered to be in the labor force, along with retirees, students, and Americans collecting disability benefits.

Of the 155.9 million who did participate in the labor force, 146.3 million had a job and 9.5 million were out of work but actively sought a job.

The labor force participation rate has been as low as 62.8 percent in six of the past 12 months, but before October 2013 it had not dipped that low since 1978.