Yglesias is optimistic:
It’s just difficult, as a writer or an advocate, to convince people that ARRA is creating jobs when everyone knows that there’s no net job growth. If there’s no job growth, then what jobs are being created? Then you get into counterfactuals and nobody is persuaded. But we’ll be into positive territory very soon. Which means you won’t be able to ask “where are the jobs?” The answer will be “the jobs are right here!” And when the jobs are right here, suddenly the datawhich makes it perfectly clear that ARRA is playing a large role in supporting employmentwill start to get the place they deserve in the narrative.
Drum isn't so sure. Nor is Derek Thompson.