Polls Opinion by the Editor of 'Obama in the White House' Blog

Opinion of the Editor....


Each month new labor statistics come out, and for the most part, they show a continued growth in jobs since President Obama has been in office. Now the statistics show 146,000 jobs added in November, bringing the unemployment rate down to 7.7%. It sounds so great, but all you have to do is dig into the reports a little more to find out that not every state is feeling the goodness. How about Nevada, with the worst unemployment rate, setting at 11.5%, then Rhode Island at 10.4%. To me, it is utterly amazing how this country seems to respond on polls. Then you look at North Dakota at 3.1% and Nebraska at 3.8% unemployment rates. The country is divided, and unless the U.S. Congress gets their act together, rates may just rise again, and going over the 'fiscal cliff' will not help things. If it happens, what will the law makers say was the cause? The Republicans will say that it wasn't them who let the economy go over the cliff, but it was President Obama. The President and the Democrats will point fingers at the Republicans. The U.S. was downgraded in their credit rating from AAAA to AAA just a year ago because the Congress couldn't get their act together. Do the law makers realize this? But instead of tackling the problem staring them in the face, for starters the Congress decided to go home early this week. Some of the representatives will go home and talk to their constituents to try and understand what they want their representatives to do, but others will just go home to rest from their "hard job" of 'doing-nothing.
I am sick and tired of the polls, as you look at them one way, for example seeing that the unemployment rate is dropping, but if you look at the whole picture, you will see that almost half as many Americans just stopped looking for work, so they are not counted anymore. The Democrats know this, the President knows this, and the Republicans know it. When will it be time for the Congress to really give Americans some real good news about what we really need to hear, instead of constantly make everyone feel scared, worrying what will happen next? Why must Americans enter the Christmas season not knowing what is going to happen to their 401K's after the holidays?
What I've learned is that you cannot trust the lawmakers anymore. The President is standing his ground, to prove his point that the Congress cannot continue to temporarily fix the problems. Permanent tax cuts need to be put in place and this President doesn't need to visit this issue again in his second term. The Congress must also realize that they are now put on the spot, not President Obama. He will be around for the next 4 years, and the Congressional leaders who will be up for re-election in 2014 may be gone in just 2 years if we go over the cliff. The leader of the House Boener is feeling the heat right now from the American people, but he doesn't know what heat is unless he continues to not get things done, especially if he doesn't find a way to get his House to approve a tax plan that President Obama will sign.
If things are not done, the President will have the power to do things on his own, but at this time he seems willing to let the American process work. It has to work, but it is really disheartening that all you hear in the news is what the Congress doesn't do.  Will there ever come a time when the Democrats and Republicans will agree on something?