As Ed Morrissey asks, did President Bush ever enjoy this type of “Hey, it ain’t so bad!” coverage of (comparatively miniscule) unemployment figures during his Oval Office tenure?

…The experience, coming at a time of crisis in their lives, has been surprisingly powerful for many of them. Volunteering, they say, restores some of what they lost along with their jobs: a place to go every day, a reason to put on a clean suit, people to work beside, a sense of purpose.
And for some of the jobless, the experience has triggered a profound reassessment.
Yukyong Choi, 36, a former litigator who has not worked in a year, is now an unpaid volunteer for P.J. Kim, a City Council candidate in Lower Manhattan.
“One thing that I’ve discovered through this process is I don’t really want to go back to that life,” Mr. Choi said. “That was a life filled with 18-hour days, and having to work with people you may not enjoy. It’s not the money anymore; I want to do things that will have a real effect on people’s lives, as opposed to just trying to get a company out of a situation.”
Charles Costanzo used to be a commercial litigator in Manhattan. But after his firm merged with another one late last year, he found himself out of a job — with a newborn daughter.
He was intrigued by Brad Lander, a community organizer in Brooklyn who is running for City Council. So he volunteered. He has offered legal advice, called supporters, canvassed neighborhoods, trained volunteers. He now hopes to work in the nonprofit field.
“There was a time of being kind of ashamed and humiliated,” he said. “There was a time of, ‘I’m never getting a job, what next?’ And I would look at the crib, and saying, ‘Oh my God,’ and going through our savings as opposed to putting money away for college.
“But it’s an odd blessing. I love the campaign. My wife says that when I come home from canvassing, from volunteering, I’m always in a good mood.”

Recap

President (R): Jobless recoveries, McJobs, grave economic forecasts, etc.

President (D): Odd blessings, surprisingly powerful / profound reassessments, etc.

The New York Times: All the shifting narratives based on political favoritism fit to print.