Brian Koenig
Youth Joblessness May Hurt Obamas 2012 Reelection
Last week�s jobs report could spur further anxiety for President Obama�s 2012 reelection campaign, as the President�s core constituencies continue to struggle with high unemployment. The Labor Department reported dismal jobs numbers for August, with unemployment continuing to hover around 9 percent � a grave concern for Obama�s approval ratings. Young workers, aged 18 to 24, are now burdened with 16.4 percent unemployment, while many more are underemployed. Such affliction for America�s youth could prove fatal for Obama�s 2012 presidential aspirations, as he garnered nearly 70 percent of 18 to 29 aged voters in 2008.
White House Developing Online Petitions Webpage Called We the People
The White House announced Thursday that it is building a new webpage, entitled "We the People," designed to give Americans the ability to digitally create and sign petitions to propose various government actions, particularly regarding job creation.
Obama Picks Krueger as Economic Council Chairman
President Obama has nominated Princeton University�s Alan Krueger (left) for Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), and if approved by the Senate, Krueger, a labor economist and the Treasury Department�s former chief economist, will replace Austan Goolsbee. "I am very pleased to appoint Alan and I look forward to working with him," Obama stated, shifting his eyes between two flat-screen teleprompters during a statement on Monday. "I have nothing but confidence in Alan as he takes on this important role as one of the leaders of my economic team."
July Fundraising Numbers Show Democrats Ahead of Republicans
While GOP presidential hopefuls surround President Obama in election polls, the Democratic Party is scrambling to revamp its fundraising efforts. Through July, the three national Republican party groups � the Republican National Committee (RNC), the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) � have raised a combined $105 million this year, a whopping 19 percent less than the combined $129 million pocketed by the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).
New Study: The Media Stonewalls the "Ron Paul Revolution"
The "Ron Paul Revolution" is political kryptonite for the liberal mainstream media, despite Rep. Paul�s noteworthy gains in public opinion polls and polished performances during the GOP presidential debates. In the early parts of the 2012 presidential race, the freedom-touting constitutionalist has fallen victim to an American media that picks its political winners and losers. But for how long?
Special Interest Groups Give Congressional Democrats $15M in 2011
Congressional Democrats have brushed off President Obama's personal decree to swear off special-interest campaigning for his reelection bid. According to an Associated Press analysis on campaign fundraising, Democrats aspiring to regain control of the House in 2012 have pocketed more than $15 million from political action committees this year, including donations from labor unions, sugar producers, and defense contractors. Over $1 million alone went to campaign committees of House Minority Leaders Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif., left), Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), and DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).
Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack Says Food Stamps are Economic Stimulus
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack (left) claims food stamps and other forms of government welfare are camouflaged stimulus programs that stir job growth by pumping money into the economy. After questioned about the cancerous issue of unemployment and the growing number of impoverished Americans forced to live on food stamps, Vilsack responded that the reason so many Americans are on food stamps � 46 million, or one in seven people � is because the Obama administration has helped states get "the word out" about the program.
Obama Announces New Rural Economic Plan During Midwest Bus Tour
At the White House Rural Economic Forum in Peosta, Iowa, on Tuesday, President Obama unveiled new economic initiatives to help stir job growth and capital investment in rural America. "These are tough times for a lot of Americans — including those who live in our rural communities," the President said in a press release. "That’s why my administration has put a special focus on helping rural families find jobs, grow their businesses and regain a sense of economic security."
Ron Bloom, Manufacturing Czar, to Leave White House
The White House announced Tuesday that Ron Bloom, Assistant to the President for Manufacturing Policy and leading engineer of the auto bailout, will be leaving the Obama administration this month. White House officials say Bloom will be replaced, but in the interim, Gene Sperling, the Director of the National Economic Council, will expand his day-to-day focus to manufacturing.
Democrats Call S&P Decision a "Tea Party Downgrade"
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), among other prominent Democrats, blamed the Tea Party for S&P’s downgrade of the U.S. government's long-held AAA credit rating. In the aftermath of this historic U.S. fiscal shift, which arrived despite the $2.5 trillion deficit reduction plan passed last week, the congressional blame game is an inevitable outcome, and Sunday shaped the springboard for Congress to indulge the media in partisan pandering.