http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/67525-obama-democrats-show...
wing-anxiety-as-unemployment-numbers-surge
President Barack Obama’s announcement Thursday of a White House jobs
summit is the latest evidence the economy will drive the 2010 agenda.
President Barack Obama’s announcement Thursday of a White House jobs
summit is the latest evidence the economy will drive the 2010 agenda.
Democrats at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue are digging in to take
down the unemployment rate in time for the 2010 midterm elections.
October’s report from the Department of Labor showed the unemployment
rate hitting 10.2 percent last month, the highest level since April
1983.
Unemployment wasn’t expected to hit double digits that soon, and many
economists now warn they do not expect the jobless rate to drop until at
least next summer; in the most recent recessions, unemployment has not
stopped rising until a year after the recession’s end.
That could doom dozens of incumbent lawmakers in the House and Senate,
jeopardizing the large majorities Democrats enjoy in both chambers.
That, in turn, could make it impossible for Obama to move his agenda
forward in the latter half of his first term.
The gloomy statistics are “a wake-up call,” according to Heidi
Shierholz, an economist at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute.
“Unless Congress authorizes substantial additional spending for job
creation, unemployment will remain elevated for years to come,”
Shierholz said in a statement responding to the Labor report.
Obama and Democrats in Congress appear to be heeding that message.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday announced to
Senate Democrats that he will take up an initiative on jobs, though he
did not offer specifics. Reid is facing a tough reelection battle
himself; Nevada has been hard hit by the recession and housing crisis.
In the House, Democratic leaders have resisted suggestions for a second
stimulus, but they are working on a variety of proposals they believe
would create new jobs, including a program that provides small
businesses with new loans.
Obama on Thursday said he would invite investors, CEOs, small-business
owners, academics, nonprofit officials and labor and financial figures
to the White House for the jobs summit.
“We all know that there are limits to what government can and should do,
even during such difficult times,” Obama said in brief remarks that
preceded his trip to Asia, which will be dominated by talk about the
global economy.
“But we have an obligation to consider every additional, responsible
step that we can [take] to encourage and accelerate job creation in this
country,” Obama said.
Republicans have criticized Obama and congressional Democrats over the
rising unemployment numbers, and have zeroed in on the $787 billion
economic stimulus package. The GOP argues the stimulus was mismanaged,
and added hundreds of billions to the nation’s record deficit without
lowering unemployment.
“Hopefully the White House summit is a sign that the administration is
finally ready to join us in providing real solutions that will get
Americans back to work,” House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said
Thursday in a statement.
Cantor claimed the stimulus proposal put forward by House Republicans,
which focused more on tax cuts, would have created twice the jobs at
half the cost.
Liberal groups and economists have argued that the stimulus was too
small given the nature of the crisis. The recession is regarded as the
worst to hit the United States since the Great Depression.
Obama on Thursday said the stimulus had “created and saved more than a
million new jobs.” The result of the stimulus and other actions is an
economy “now growing again for the first time in more than a year,”
Obama said.
Obama also noted that a report by the Labor Department on Thursday
showed new jobless claims falling to 502,000. That’s the lowest level of
claims in the weekly report since the beginning of the year.
“As I’ve said from the start of this crisis, hiring often takes time to
catch up to economic growth,” Obama said. “And given the magnitude of
the economic turmoil that we’ve experienced, employers are reluctant to
hire.”
At the jobs summit, Obama suggested he’d try to focus discussions on why
employers aren’t hiring. He said both small businesses and large firms
are increasing employee hours and adding temporary workers, but “have
not yet been willing to take the steps necessary to hire again.”
“Meanwhile, millions of Americans — our friends, our neighbors, our
family members — are desperately searching for jobs. This is one of the
great challenges that remains in our economy, a challenge that my
administration is absolutely determined to meet.”
Democrats would be expected to lose seats in the midterm elections
because of history alone; generally the party in power of Congress and
the White House loses seats in a midterm.
But the economy has exacerbated the fears for Democrats. Last week’s
losses by the party in gubernatorial contests in Virginia and New
Jersey, two states carried by Obama in 2008, underlined the risks to the
party.
I wonder when he will realize that tax cuts are the answer to job
creation just like they were in the mid-80s and after 9/11. BY Kevin
Burton on 11/12/2009 at 12:29
As you know, it is a year into Obama's presidency with no results. While
most would agree that a year in not much time to accomplish a lot, this
administration set unrealistic expectations from the start and the
public is now holding them accountable. This is extremely foolish for
anyone to do let alone a President. He would have been better advised to
set timetables for his initiatives and explain them clearly to the
American people v. letting Congress take the lead with Healthcare (and
his other initiatives), while taking Goliath on all at once. Huge
beginner's error. As the saying goes, "be careful what you wish for".
The Democrats ,now, know they have made very little inroads on any
substantive policies and they are under the microscope…through no one
else's fault but their own. The American public is smart enough to know
that using George Bush as their excuse anymore for not accomplishing
anything a year into Obama's Presidency has come to an end. Albeit: it
was very effective for the first 6-8 months of Obama's Presidency and
perhaps it was true to a certain degree. However, it does not resonate
anymore with the American public only the Far Left. It's all on Obama
now!! As it should be…he's the President. I think? Democrats and the
President are accountable for not delivering on their agenda on a
timetable they set up. BY Fran on 11/12/2009 at 12:31
It is clear to all, after Clinton's visit on Tuesday, the Democrats were
told to quickly close out the healthcare bill with anything. Just get it
done and move onto the economy because they know they are off target. It
is way too late to lay claim to any success when it comes to turning the
economy around. This was and always has been the issue and the Democrats
were hoping they could deflect dealing with the economy by making
Healthcare the issue of the day. They just did not expect to meet the
resistance that they have met and never thought it would take so long to
get done. Coinciding with the length of time it has taken to pass
Healthcare the economy has tanked even more. Healthcare is now cutting
into their timetable and they want it done regardless of what's on the
bill. Rushing through a reckless healthcare bill (just to get it done)
and trying to remedy the economy before 2010/2012 are now losing
propositions. BY Fran on 11/12/2009 at 12:33
If Obama was serious about creating and opening up jobs for Americans,
then he will vigorously enforce immigration laws. About 7 million
illegal aliens hold jobs in the U.S.; these are 7 million jobs that
won't go to American citizens because Obama refuses to enforce
immigration laws! Until Obama acknowledges and addresses this, he has 0
credibility on this pressing issue. BY Enforce our laws on 11/12/2009 at
12:51
Yes, will this jobs summit address the millions of illegal immigrants
that have stolen our jobs? Why has Obama stopped workplace raids, and
weakened the 287(g) enforcement law? As this bad economy has shown,
Americans will do any job and we need these jobs! BY Joe on 11/12/2009
at 12:58
This presidency is effectively over.Period…
BY JIM WHITTAKER on 11/12/2009 at 12:59
Obama's posse could have saved themselves alot of embarrassment by
listening to the Americans that they work for…instead they continued to
throw good money after bad and, with this Health Care bill, will
continue to do so. It is not the taxpayers' responsibility to pay off
Mr. Obama's campaign debts to the unions, ACORN or MoveOn.org for that
matter. They work for us and, because of that, should listen to what we
want. It would make their lives alot easier. I don't care if Mr. Obama
wants health care reform. This is a very bad bill at a very bad time. BY
DiAnne on 11/12/2009 at 12:59
All this government has created is GOVERNMENT!Wait ing for the rock to
drop when they realize that the Obama agenda IS THE PROBLEM. This
massive out of control spending THAT WE DON'T WANT…the looming threat of
Health Care Reform increasing our premiums and taxes…killing small
business and more jobs not to mention our health care. All the while
they are trying to sneak in Cap and Trade to raise our taxes even more
and kill what's left of small business.and lose yet more jobs. What is
wrong with them…deaf and dumb? OR perhaps their ultimate plan to destroy
America. It certainly seems to be the case! God bless America…HE is all
we have left…if government allows it! BY katiesue on 11/12/2009 at 13:03
This government also needs to get immigration under control which is
bankrupting our cities, and states and
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