Archive for September, 2011
Jen Rubin hopes and in a way, so do I.
Republicans are now confessing openly: The current field is weak, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry leaves them with substantial doubts. This conversation from the “Panel Plus” discussion of “Fox News Sunday” is illuminating…..
There are several factors at play here.
First, Perry has not yet coaxed the big donors off the sidelines.There is plenty of money for Christie to scoop up.
Second, none of the candidates in the field has been able to put together all factions of the party. As Evan Bayh noted on Fox, Christie is someone who embodies the Tea Party spirit (feisty, anti-D.C. establishment) but is more than sophisticated enough to satisfy mainstream conservatives, business leaders and policy wonks.
From what I gather, most Republicans will accept Rick Perry over Mitt Romney, but are really looking for somebody else. A team of Chris Christie and Paul Ryan would be awesomeness for grass roots and establishment Republicans.
If not, then the fight (and it will be a media battle royale) will be in the GOP primary elections/caucuses on whether to go “do no harm” with Romney (a safe candidate) or “go long” with Rick Perry (grass roots conservative who shoots from the hip).
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels maintains there is room for another candidate in the race. I don’t think he means Sarah Palin.
Tags: Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, President 2012
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According to the latest Gallup Poll.
Unemployment, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, is 8.8% in mid-September — down from 9.1% at the end of August and the same as it was at the end of July. However, the apparent improvement in unemployment from August to mid-September may merely reflect normal seasonal hiring patterns and not be an indication that the employment situation is improving. On the other hand, current unemployment is considerably better than the 9.4% of a year ago.
But……
Underemployment remains stuck at 18.5% in Mid-September.
Underemployment, a measure that combines the percentage of workers who are unemployed with the percentage working part time but wanting full-time work, is 18.5% in mid-September — the same as the 18.5% at the end of August and the 18.6% of mid-September a year ago.
Number Forced to Take Part-time Work Increases
Offsetting the drop in the percentage of unemployed is an increase to 9.7% in the percentage of part-time workers who want full-time work in mid-September — up from 9.4% at the end of August and its highest level since mid-June. It is also up from 9.2% in mid-September last year. It is this increase, coupled with the downturn in unemployment, that yields the stability this month in the measure of overall underemployment.
The chart:
Gallup’s issues a caveat that the improving unemployment rate may not indicate that the employment situation is improving appreciably because of the difference in their polling methodology as compared to the government’s. Gallup maintains that the underemployment rate is a better indicator.
Nearly one in five Americans remain underemployed this year, as was the case a year ago, and the figures are worse for certain subgroups, including 28.9% underemployment for those 18 to 29, 23.1% for those who have not attended college, and 27.8% among blacks.
More Americans are now being forced to take part-time jobs when they really want full-time work. Focusing merely on unemployment instead of underemployment tends to ignore the hardship facing the millions of Americans forced to work part time. The long-term implications of this jobs situation — particularly among specific groups of Americans — for U.S. society as a whole may be more important than any of the major topics currently being debated nationally.
In other words, the employment situation is not improving appreciably.
Tags: American Economy, Polling, Unemployment Rate
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Day By Day by Chris Muir
But, wait, Chris.
Obama and his redistributionist socialism gets better and better.
Today it is the Buffett Rule and $1.5 Trillion in new taxes to share the wealth around.
Key features of Obama’s plan, as described by senior administration officials Sunday evening:
- $1.5 trillion in new revenue, which would include about $800 billion realized over 10 years from repealing the Bush-era tax rates for couples making more than $250,000. It also would place limits on deductions for wealthy filers and end certain corporate loopholes and subsidies for oil and gas companies.
- $580 billion in cuts in mandatory benefit programs, including $248 billion in Medicare and $72 billion in Medicaid and other health programs. Other mandatory benefit programs include farm subsidies.
- $430 billion in savings from lower interest payment on the national debt.
By adding about $1 trillion in spending cuts already enacted by Congress and counting about $1 trillion in savings from the drawdown of military forces from Iraq and Afghanistan, the combined deficit reduction would total more than $4 trillion over 10 years, senior administration officials said.
The proposal is dead on arrival in the GOP House but the President does not care because this proposal is to fire up his base of Far Left Democratic supporters as he gears up for re-election.
Senate Republicans are already using the Obama missive as a wedge issue, insisting that Democratic Senators running for re-election next year take a position on the Obama plan. I doubt Harry Reid will take up the matter even if it made its way to the Senate.
Tags: Barack Obama, Day By Day
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Posted by Flap in Twitter
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Perhaps.
Three promising formulations could be used in a vaccine to treat methamphetamine addiction, U.S. researchers say.
Kim Janda of the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., and colleagues note methamphetamine use and addiction cost the United States more than $23 billion annually due to medical and law enforcement expenses, as well as lost productivity.
The highly addictive crystal meth can cause a variety of problems including cardiovascular damage and death.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, found three of the new formulations that produced a good immune response in mice were particularly promising.
Here is the paper.
Let’s hope for a break through….
Tags: Methamphetamine
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Flap’s old Congressional District CA-24 and the new one CA-26
I have known Rep. Elton Gallegly for almost 30 years. While I have not discussed his re-election propsects with him, I do know that he is doing campaign events and recently moved his Congressional office from Westlake Village to Camarillo.
I say Gallegly is running, despite the referendum (which I understand the campaign for which is NOT actively gathering signatures). There is NO groomed successor and Elton is quite aware that there would be a split in the Ventura County GOP, if he retires at this time. He does not want such a split to be his legacy.
Elton is also aware that Democrat Rep. Brad Sherman WILL run in CA-26, if Elton retires, since Sherman has represented some of the Congressional District previously. The GOP would be quite content to have Sherman and Howard Berman face off against each other in a San Fernando Valley centric Congressional District.
So, sorry to California State Senator Tony Strickland and Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks. If you want CA-26, you will have to beat Elton and his $800K bank roll.
Here is Timm Herdt’s analysis of the race.
Here are the demographics of the new CA-26 Congressional District.
And, how the CA-26 performed in previous elections.
Tags: Elton Gallegly
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