Well let's see here - in 8 years as president, George Bush NEVER had unemployment hit 7%. Under Barack Obama (aside for a fleeting second or two) - it has NEVER been below 8%.
Facts: Unemployment rate for December 2008: 7.3%
Unemployment rate for January 2009: 7.8%
So yes, it did go over 7% under Bush.
For Obama, the UE rate has been under 8% since September 2012 and has not gone back up over 8 yet.
Using BLS raw data shows the figure including underemployed, etc., is at least another six percent
The U6... is currently at 14.4% so yeah, 6.5% higher.
... my money says there are as many underemployed as unemployed and that the total number of Americans unemployed and underemployed (working for less money than in a previous workplace or below their qualifications) runs closer to 25%.
There's no way to objectively define or measure that.
Taking your last point first, there is no claim that is an objective measure. Glad you were able to glean that from my post. Further, we're not going to debate the extent to which government workers jig data as it suits the party in power. To people who want the facts adjusted statistics are as worthless as a bucket of whorehouse slop.
But I digress...
We were speaking of "objective"...
Your description of the U6 seemed lack objectivity, leaning as it did toward a point of view rather than the hard definition. Why don't we just show how the BLS defines the U6? To wit:
U-6 Total unemployed, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force.
The part of your post cited in red may or may not imply ALL "underemployed", there is no objective method to determine what you meant; but the BLS is very clear that the only "underemployed" in the U6 are "part time" and "marginally attached"; so yeah, 14.4% of Americans are FUNCTIONALLY unemployed.
And here I thought it was only about 12%. My experience dealing with sceptics is it is best to err on the low side, d'ye see?
The reality is that "underemployed" also covers every single person in the United States who would like a better job but can't find one and so is working a job for which they are overqualified by experience and/or education. It won't be much of a trick to look into one of the 526,000 Google links fleshing that out more than we have time for here.
To recap: my money says that total American citizens unemployed, U6 figure, 14.4% + unemployed wild ass guess, 10.6% = around 25%. Wags will vary.