WATCH THE JOBS REPORT STATE BY STATE – AT 9:55 A.M. ET:  The national unemployment picture is muddled, with contradictory reports confusing an already tough situation.  But it's important to see unemployment not only nationally, but state by state.  The political implications are heavy.  We vote by state in presidential elections, and unemployment in key states can have a large impact on President Obama's reelection chances.  From The Hill:

The April jobs numbers offered tentative hope for President Obama’s reelection bid, but a potentially more telling indicator will come later this month -- the latest state-by-state unemployment data.

Despite a slight uptick in the national unemployment rate -- now at 9 percent -- the economy added more private-sector jobs last month than economists predicted, allowing Obama to claim Friday that there had been further "progress" toward a full economic recovery.

But in several key 2012 battleground states, where economic progress will likely be critical to Obama's reelection hopes, the unemployment rate remains above the national average.

New data is set for release May 20, but the current numbers hover near or over double digits.

Unemployment in Florida, Nevada, Colorado and North Carolina is above the 9 percent mark, with Nevada claiming the highest unemployment rate in the nation at 13.2 percent.

Florida's rate is the nation's third highest, coming in at 11 percent. North Carolina's unemployment rate stands at 9.7 percent with Colorado at 9.2 percent.

Florida is considered a must win for Obama if he wants a second term, while North Carolina is among the states the president would like to keep in the purple column.

COMMENT:   This may be the deciding issue, and the 2012 election looks, at least from this distant point, to be potentially very close.  One or two states with high unemployment (or low) could make the difference. 

We will be looking at unemployment figures in the battleground states – the ones actually in contention.  Some states are solid for either party.  California will vote Democratic until an earthquake sends it out to sea.  And then it will demand recognition as a multicultural island republic.  Other states are more reasonable in their ambitions.

May 9, 2011