Having It Both Ways

This morning, we were told by the government that unemployment has fallen to 7.0%, a decline of three tenths of a percent in just one month.  That is a huge move in the unemployment rate, a move much larger than is normally seen.  Also in the last two days, we were told by the government that the economy grew at the rate of 3.6% in the third quarter.  That too is a rate much higher than we have seen for years.  So here is the question:  earlier this week, Nancy Pelosi said that the Democrats would not agree to any deal to fund the government moving forward unless it extended the emergency unemployment compensation payments that were put in place at the start of the recession.  If the economy is really so strong and unemployment is falling so quickly, why do we need to extend the extra unemployment benefits.  And why are the Democrats threatening to shut down the government if they don't get that extension?