Quote:WASHINGTON â The improving economy is swinging the pendulum in President Barack Obama's favor in the 14 states where the presidential election will likely be decided.
Recent polls have shown Obama gaining an edge over his likely Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, in several so-called swing states â those that are considered up for grabs.
What's made the difference is that unemployment has dropped more sharply in several swing states than in the nation as a whole. A resurgence in manufacturing is helping the economy â and Obama's chances â in the industrial Midwestern states of Ohio and Michigan.
And Arizona, Nevada and Florida, where unemployment remains high, are getting some relief from an uptick in tourism.
"The biggest reason for the president's improving prospects probably is the economy," says Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
The Great Recession of 2007-2009 hit several swing states particularly hard. Unemployment peaked at 14.2 percent in Michigan, where the auto industry faced ruin. It also hit double digits in Arizona, Nevada and Florida, which were at the center of the housing bust, and in North Carolina, which lost jobs in textile and furniture plants.
In 2010, the economic misery helped Republicans retake control of the House and gain seats in the Senate. But the GOP can't count on a repeat when voters return to the polls â with much more at stake â on Nov. 6.
After an agonizingly slow recovery, several swing-state economies are finally accelerating:
â The job market is improving in Michigan and Ohio. In Michigan, unemployment fell to 8.5 percent in March from 10.5 percent in March 2011. And in Ohio, it dropped to 7.5 percent from 8.8 percent over the same period, putting it well below the national average of 8.2 percent. A Fox News poll released Friday showed Obama leading Romney 45 percent to 39 percent among registered voters in Ohio.
Many blue-collar workers in Ohio and Michigan credit the federal bailout of General Motors and Chrysler for saving tens of thousands of auto industry jobs, says Paul Allen Beck, a political science professor at Ohio State University. The bailout began under President George W. Bush, but Obama expanded it. "There's a feeling the administration went out of its way to protect jobs that are very important," Beck said.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-5...hances-up/
"The administration went out of its way to protect jobs" In turn, means that there was no demand for the product that was being produced so the administration had to bail out the auto industry. Which means unless demand is there in the future this is nothing more than a short term fix.
I hate bailouts and tax breaks. It flies in the face of Adam Smith and the ideas of capitalism. This is so sad. The federal taxes that I had to pay went to this and to make sure that Japan has a military base on it.
I have no problem paying taxes if the money is used wisely and not vote buying. I would prefer to see my money being used to educate children in schools, make sure roads are safe, good water supply, upgrade telecommunications, I would even rather see my money help the poor for 6 months.
Instead, we spend money on this, artifically showing demand, same way with the military, make me want to :Sad04:
Unions are putting their money where their mouths are. Workers' Voice has raised a combined $5.4 million over the last two quarters and has $4.1 million in cash on hand. The Service Employees International Union, the lead organization in the AFL-CIO's rival labor federation, Change to Win, recently donated $1.5 million in seed money to the main pro-Obama Super PAC, Priorities USA Action. And other unions, including the Teamsters, AFSCME and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, each have made six-figure donations to Democratic Party Senate or House PACs. The Teamster contribution led the way at $920,000. Ohio is big union and just may go for Obama agai. But I hope not. I think his efforts have fell short.
the other guy Wrote:Unions are putting their money where their mouths are. Workers' Voice has raised a combined $5.4 million over the last two quarters and has $4.1 million in cash on hand. The Service Employees International Union, the lead organization in the AFL-CIO's rival labor federation, Change to Win, recently donated $1.5 million in seed money to the main pro-Obama Super PAC, Priorities USA Action. And other unions, including the Teamsters, AFSCME and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, each have made six-figure donations to Democratic Party Senate or House PACs. The Teamster contribution led the way at $920,000. Ohio is big union and just may go for Obama agai. But I hope not. I think his efforts have fell short.
Good for them. Good to see the good brothers putting the money up.
Union thugs helped put Obama in the White House but it is very doubtful that the SEIU goons will be able to free him from the ball and chain of his failed economic policies and the unemployed masses.
Hoot Gibson Wrote:Union thugs helped put Obama in the White House but it is very doubtful that the SEIU goons will be able to free him from the ball and chain of his failed economic policies and the unemployed masses.
I hope they fail as well... however, look who is support Romney....
tvtimeout Wrote:I hope they fail as well... however, look who is support Romney....
Do you want a take another crack at writing a coherent sentence? That last one fell way short.
You are obviously not a student of recent American history. As a consequence of gerrymandering of Congressional district lines, there has never been a bigger gulf between the Republican and Democratic Parties. There are very few moderates in either party because there are so many homogeneous, "safe" districts where very conservative and very liberal candidates enjoy large edges in their respective primaries. Only the Ron Paul fanatics seem to have trouble recognizing and acknowledging the sharp polarization of the only two viable national political parties.
So, bury your hand in the sand and pretend that it does not matter whether the biggest deficit spender in American history gets reelected. If the nation survives long enough, Ron Paul will retire on a fat government pension, leaving you to vote for whatever liberal is promising to gut our military and legalize recreational drug use.
tvtimeout Wrote:I hope they fail as well... however, look who is support Romney....
Maybe not the greatest choices, but if change was a good ideal in 2008 I think it's a better ideal now. I still think term limits on congress would help more than anything.
romney made his money by buying up company's then filling Bankruptcy
selling the company off in pieces then everthing that was promised
to you pension's medical insurance is gone now obama is not perfect
he inherited the biggest mess since the great Depression
romney want's to go back to what got us in this mess
cut more tax's on the rich and hopes it will trickle down to the
rest of it don't work
this election is going to be one of the most important election's in
our lifetime
it's going to come down to hand full of states
now hoot romney said he is going to cut federal Government
by 20% be careful watch you wish for hoot you could be part of
that 20% since you do work for the taxpayer's
vector Wrote:romney made his money by buying up company's then filling Bankruptcy
selling the company off in pieces then everthing that was promised
to you pension's medical insurance is gone now obama is not perfect
he inherited the biggest mess since the great Depression
romney want's to go back to what got us in this mess
cut more tax's on the rich and hopes it will trickle down to the
rest of it don't work
this election is going to be one of the most important election's in
our lifetime
it's going to come down to hand full of states
now hoot romney said he is going to cut federal Government
by 20% be careful watch you wish for hoot you could be part of
that 20% since you do work for the taxpayer's
I, for one taxpayer, would love nothing more than to fire Hoot's ass. I would love nothing more than to see him sweat it out for awhile.
hell he could not make it in the real world
vector Wrote:romney made his money by buying up company's then filling Bankruptcy
selling the company off in pieces then everthing that was promised
to you pension's medical insurance is gone now obama is not perfect
he inherited the biggest mess since the great Depression
romney want's to go back to what got us in this mess
cut more tax's on the rich and hopes it will trickle down to the
rest of it don't work
this election is going to be one of the most important election's in
our lifetime
it's going to come down to hand full of states
now hoot romney said he is going to cut federal Government
by 20% be careful watch you wish for hoot you could be part of
that 20% since you do work for the taxpayer's
Where did you learn your awesome writing skills? They are right up there with your grasp of how businesses are run. Romney's company bought distressed companies and some of them did fail and were scaled down or went out of business. Others thrived, thanks in part to Romney's efforts, and added thousands of jobs.
With the exception of a few months that he described as "working behind enemy lines," Obama has not even been employed in the private sector, let alone met a payroll or created any jobs.
I will repeat this fact one more time for you, vector, because you seem like a really slow learner and I am a pretty patient sort. I am not a federal employee and I do not collect government checks.
Here is a free tip for you, vector. There is no need to make every line of a post bold. Just place a bold tag before the text that you want to be bold and then post a closing bold tag when you want to turn "bolding" off. You are doing things the hard way and the results are not very impressive.
Hoot Gibson Wrote:Where did you learn your awesome writing skills? They are right up there with your grasp of how businesses are run. Romney's company bought distressed companies and some of them did fail and were scaled down or went out of business. Others thrived, thanks in part to Romney's efforts, and added thousands of jobs.
With the exception of a few months that he described as "working behind enemy lines," Obama has not even been employed in the private sector, let alone met a payroll or created any jobs.
I will repeat this fact one more time for you, vector, because you seem like a really slow learner and I am a pretty patient sort. I am not a federal employee and I do not collect government checks.
Here is a free tip for you, vector. There is no need to make every line of a post bold. Just place a bold tag before the text that you want to be bold and then post a closing bold tag when you want to turn "bolding" off. You are doing things the hard way and the results are not very impressive.
If you work on a military base, yes you collect government checks, even if second, third, or fourth hand.
TheRealVille Wrote:I, for one taxpayer, would love nothing more than to fire Hoot's ass. I would love nothing more than to see him sweat it out for awhile.
Says a guy who is too lazy to work for more than a few months a year at a job for which he relies on a union to protect.
nicker:
you work for the taxpayer's which is the federal gov
Hoot Gibson Wrote:Says a guy who is too lazy to work for more than a few months a year at a job for which he relies on a union to protect. nicker:
Here in lies the rub, I don't have to work more than a few months a year. I don't have to work for a union. I don't even have to work at all, unless I wish.
TheRealVille Wrote:If you work on a military base, yes you collect government checks, even if second hand.
I have earned every dollar that I have ever collected in my life, RV. No union has had to find work for me or protect the jobs that I have held.
National defense is one of the few things that the U.S. Constitution requires the federal government to provide. I am proud to be supporting our military efforts in whatever small way that I can.
TheRealVille Wrote:Here in lies the rub, I don't have to work more than a few months a year. I don't have to work for a union. I don't even have to work at all, unless I wish.
Do you ever work under a government contract? The way things are now no one has to work there's enough government programs for everyone(at least untill the money is all gone).
TheRealVille Wrote:Here in lies the rub, I don't have to work more than a few months a year. I don't have to work for a union. I don't even have to work at all, unless I wish.
Yes, we all know where your money came from. I earned mine...every penny.
vector Wrote:romney made his money by buying up company's then filling Bankruptcy
selling the company off in pieces then everthing that was promised
to you pension's medical insurance is gone now obama is not perfect
he inherited the biggest mess since the great Depression
romney want's to go back to what got us in this mess
cut more tax's on the rich and hopes it will trickle down to the
rest of it don't work
this election is going to be one of the most important election's in
our lifetime
it's going to come down to hand full of states
now hoot romney said he is going to cut federal Government
by 20% be careful watch you wish for hoot you could be part of
that 20% since you do work for the taxpayer's
Okay, so let's say this is all true. Doesn't matter. I'm not a big Romney fan, but anybody with open eyes can see that this administration is NOT the answer our country needs. With a sky high debt, failed economic countries, and a president that seems to take pride in dividing our counrty, I don't see how anyone would not choose Romney (or anyone else, for that matter) over obama. I don't care who or what runs for office, this administration needs to go!
i believe he will fall under the 20% romney want's to cut out
National defense is one of the few things that the U.S. Constitution requires the federal government to provide.
One point for Hoot.
Hoot Gibson Wrote:Yes, we all know where your money came from. I earned mine...every penny.
I earn mine. You faulting my dad for dieing and leaving me his, for my kids?
WideRight05 Wrote:Okay, so let's say this is all true. Doesn't matter. I'm not a big Romney fan, but anybody with open eyes can see that this administration is NOT the answer our country needs. With a sky high debt, failed economic countries, and a president that seems to take pride in dividing our counrty, I don't see how anyone would not choose Romney (or anyone else, for that matter) over obama. I don't care who or what runs for office, this administration needs to go!
The republicans aren't doing the same thing? They go against everything he proposes.
TheRealVille Wrote:I earn mine. You faulting my dad for dieing and leaving me his, for my kids?
No, I am not faulting anybody but you for laying around the house, supporting a socialist for president, and finding fault with those of us who work hard for a living.
TheRealVille Wrote:The republicans aren't doing the same thing? They go against everything he proposes.
What has Obama proposed that Republicans should have supported, in your opinion? What has he proposed that does not go against their principles, that they did not support purely for political reasons?
Hoot Gibson Wrote:No, I am not faulting anybody but you for laying around the house, supporting a socialist for president, and finding fault with those of us who work hard for a living.
I work hard for a living. I am working right now, on a plant to clean up the mess of people you support. You have no clue how I make money when I am not on a union job. I definitely am not laying around. I am definitely making money when I am not working on a
real job, as you say.
TheRealVille Wrote:I work hard for a living. I am working right now, on a plant to clean up the mess of people you support. You have no clue how I make money when I am not on a union job. I definitely am not laying around. I am definitely making money when I am not working on a real job, as you say.
Well, good for you. I am glad that you have found work.
Hoot Gibson Wrote:Well, good for you. I am glad that you have found work.
I didn't find it. I work my side, union job when I want to, to pay for insurance and a retirement boost.
BTW, My union job pays me enough that I wouldn't have to work but 8 months a year, anyway. How much would you say is enough to make in a year, at a regular job?
National defense is one of the few things that the U.S. Constitution requires the federal government to provide.
One point for Hoot.
Section 8 - Powers of Congress
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties,
Imposts and
Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general
Welfare of the United States; but all Duties,
Imposts and
Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;