The primaries are in full swing as we speak, but the real test will be in November when the many general elections will take place…..there are many reasons to vote….smaller government, the deficit, hatred of a Rep….many reason….but I believe that the main reasons for voting this year will be the economy and its solutions…..
Eavon Javers of Politico has put together a very fine list of economic reasons to vote…..
1. August jobs report
August jobs report — which comes out September 3rd — will likely set the tone for the fall political campaigns. A strong, upward trending number will mean the Obama administration and congressional Democrats can hit the campaign trail bragging that their policies are working. An anemic report, and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other Congressional Republicans can — credibly — continue to complain, “Where are the jobs, Mr. President?”
2. Third round of stimulus reporting
News from the first reporting period last fall was anything but reassuring: jobs reported in non-existent congressional districts, bogus zip codes, and a debate over the meaning of “saved or created” jobs. The Obama administration’s protests that some amount of human error is inevitable in such an unprecedentedly large transparency effort notwithstanding, stimulus critics had a field day. The Obama administration says it has fixed the reporting problems that bedeviled the first data rollout.
Now, with the federal budget deficit and Obama’s spending serving as rallying cries for an increasingly potent conservative tea party movement, the numbers due to be submitted to the government by a July 10 deadline are going to be watched more closely than ever, as Obama’s critics seek any evidence to show that the stimulus isn’t working, and Democrats sift for data that prove it is.
3. Second quarter GDP report
But just how much growth will be the key question. The first-quarter number showed the economy expanded at 3.2 percent in early 2010, which was less robust than the 5.6 percent growth that it saw at the tail end of 2009. That gave political bears (that is, Republicans) a chance to argue that Obama’s policies weren’t achieving traction, and the U.S. might be headed for a “double dip” recession.
The second-quarter number will establish a trajectory — and let both bulls and bears know whether a double dip is in our future or not.
4. Third quarter trends
Many economists estimate that the economy will begin to tail off in the third quarter of 2010 as federal stimulus spending begins to taper off, too. So the months of August and September — which will help set the public’s impression of the economy ahead of the election — will be crucial. If the estimates are right, watch for the White House to argue that the economic softening is less than expected — and for Republicans to pounce on any evidence that the economic recovery is faltering.
5. Bernanke’s choice
The Fed has injected more than a trillion dollars of liquidity (read: cash) into the U.S. economy in the wake of the crash of 2008, and as the economy recovers, Fed Chief Ben Bernanke & Co. will be under increasing pressure to pull back and raise interest rates to stem nascent inflation.
Interest rates have been at close to zero for a year and a half, and some in Fed land are beginning to openly talk about raising rates. During a speech June 3rd, for example, Atlanta Fed chief Dennis Lockhart said, “The time is approaching when it will be appropriate to consider recalibrating interest rate policy.”
Yeah – it’ll be the economy, stupid!
Unless they find another subject to push…….
That is where greed comes in
True, but in my opinion, greed is a perfectly natural (if somewhat unsavoury) human emotion and should be harnessed for the benifit of as many as possible rather than trying to deny it.
It’s the old chestnut of not trying to fight human nature, but using it to your advantage – as the GOP certainly will. If the Dems recognised this (and the economy IS in one sense part of the greed factor) and reacted accordingly, then they might do a whole lot better.
But greed is okay when it is you (generic) that is doing the the thing…..no we will not do away with greed and there will ALWAYS be those that care less about any harm they may do because they can afford it…..