June 9, 2011 - Issue 430 |
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This Jobs Crisis
Is
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Many
commentators and observers, including this writer, argued for a far more
aggressive and comprehensive strategy from the White House for getting
Unemployment is high, twice as high for blacks, and the jobs aren’t coming. 80 percent of recent college graduates are moving back home. And there is talk of a double-dip recession on the way, as housing prices are falling, with a faltering real estate market threatening to pull us back down into the hole. The President’s abysmal failure of a foreclosure relief plan is blamed, in part, for the economic woes. A new Washington Post-ABC poll reveals that President Obama has lost his post-Bin Laden bump in popularity. And more importantly, by a 2-to-1 margin, Americans believe the country is seriously on the wrong track. Nine in 10 rate the economy negatively, and six in 10 say the economy is not on the road to recovery. About six in 10 give Obama negative marks on the economy and the deficit. This comes on the heels of the departure of Austan Goolsbee - one of Obama’s progressive-leaning economic advisors - who was frustrated that the President abandoned more stimulus investment to spur the economy, opting instead to pursue the folly of attacking deficits. Polls at this early stage in the game don’t mean a whole lot, but it is worth noting that Obama leads 5 of 6 Republican contenders, and is in a dead heat with Mitt Romney. I believe that Obama could handily beat any empty suit the GOP throws his way. Given the proclivities of the Republican primary electorate, I’ll bet that Romney’s status as frontrunner will be short lived. I will bet on Sarah Palin or someone of her ilk. Howard Dean said himself that Sarah Palin could defeat Obama in the general election, particularly with unemployment as it is. Now,
do I really think that Palin is presidential material? Not for a moment.
Her latest gaffe - actually a botchery of the historical account of Paul
The results of the 2010 midterm elections provide all the evidence you need of that proposition. Voters cast their ballots for some of the most regressive governors, state legislators and members of Congress one can imagine. The country is hurting, but instead we get voter ID legislation, decimation of labor rights, criminalization of abortion, Vouchercare, and laws banning sagging pants. We knew they would do something like this, even though they didn’t explicitly say they would. The Republican track record on overreach speaks for itself. And the lackluster Democrats did their best to bring a GOP victory last year, eager as they are to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Although
Palin and the other Republican hopefuls hardly seem viable candidates
at first glance, consider Ronald Reagan. People laughed at the prospect
of an actor becoming president. His opponent, the incumbent, was smart
and capable, and didn’t drag the country into war. But he was done in
by stagflation and the If the economy continues to suffer enough, as it appears it will, Obama should take heed. Americans will elect the factually challenged, knowledge deficient and intellectually starved if given half a chance, which is why Obama needs to get serious about jobs, jobs, jobs. Regardless of how much he can accomplish on that front between now and Election Day 2012, he needs to get started yesterday. And it is time for him to ignore the Republicans. They have two goals in mind: First, to wreck the economy for 2012, and second, to establish a nation fully owned and operated by religious fanatics, the greedy and the unstable. They are making good on both these promises. That’s
the short term situation. Obama must find some jobs or he’ll be out of
one. Now here’s the long term problem, which leads us back to the short
term: Say
what you will about These are the problems that President Obama must face, because hell, world leaders are paid to do that. He can solve this whole thing tomorrow if he just calls for a new New Deal program already. But will he have the courage? Time will tell, but the President, like this sad nation, is short on time. BlackCommentator.com Executive Editor, David
A. Love, JD is a journalist and human rights advocate based in |
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