Will Unemployment Sink the Obama Agenda?

The Nation's Washington, D.C. Correspondent, John Nichols, explains how the rising rates of unemployment could imperil The Obama Presidency. Nichols looks at the political risks of joblessness, and discusses the need for a second stimulus.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Stimulus package
• Second stimulus
• President Obama
• Barack Obama
• unemployment
• joblessness
• John Nichols
• The Nation

[Grey80002]

The Federal and State unemployment rates do not currently include the number of people who are no longer eligible for unemployment.

They also don't reflect the number of people who never collected unemployment. They also don't include part time employees.

The un-employment rate is near 20%... so everything that this guy is saying is utter bullshit.

Ohio has had a 20% unemployment rate for 6 years... or more. Everyone knows it except the government.

[JamesTCA]

Why does this country continue to import foreigners when there is not enough work for our own people?

[whereismybailouttv]

Where will you get the money for a second stimulus?

[armi555mw]

Correct, true numbers of unemployment are around 16%. Three years ago I was working over 40 people, now just six. Most haven't found work and I'm barely hanging on. Construction just died here and each week another contractor is laying off , closing or going bankrupt. I had one Contractor that owed me 100K and went bankrupt. In turn I couldn't pay some of my creditors in time and the effect continues. I'll probably be looking for a different line of work.

[armi555mw]

It doesn't matter, both parities are corrupt. Each in power will sell out to their own special interest. Obama totally sold out with this massive spending. It wasn't a spending program for America, it was paying back those that voted him in. He talks about terrible corporate America and gives them billions, so they will help to fund his next campaign. All this money went to the rich, much of it wasted and no accountability. Both parties do it and that's why we're a screwed nation.

[moniequa]

How do you propose to keep businesses from hiring lower wage workers in a country saturated with highly qualified unemployed people? According to basic economic law, supply and demand, if the supply of work force exceeds the demand wages will decrease. If you allow the market to choose between 20%unemployment with robust wage and 4% with poor wage, the market will choose the later 100% of the time.

[moniequa]

I love our president, I voted for him. I think he'll save our country alright. He'll save it by extracting every dime from us and plunges us into the abyss of debt and misery and then when there is nothing left to take he'll probably sell our internal organs to China. Yes, he'll save the country but not us the people.

[moniequa]

how do you prepare for a perfect storm that seems to envelope the entire planet. There is no place to run and no where to hide. This is going to be worse than great depression our great nation has fallen and she can't get up.

[randall828282]

If the president fails he doesnt get re-elected and the country moves on....

[HarveyRex23]

As far as Rush Limbaugh saying that he hopes President Obama fails. What this drug addict obese piece of human waste fails to realize is. If President Obama fails, the country's fucked.

[informedskeptic]

If Obama is holding a bomb, he is doing exactly the wrong thing. Granted, Bush's economic policies stunk as well.  Spending money at a time when we have only borrowed money from China is absolute foolishness. Both gov't run healthcare and cap and trade would be extremely detrimental to whatever economy is left after our current contraction. We will have a total meltdown soon if we don't drastically cut gov't spending. No more bailouts, dump GM and let the free market right itself.