Obama: Unemployment and Re-Election | Barack Obama and 2012 Election News

Monday, November 21, 2011

Obama: Unemployment and Re-Election

Obama: Unemplyment and Re-Election

So long as the unemployment rate is stuck at 9%, President Obama's reelection chances are in doubt.

Obama isn't likely to produce nearly enough jobs before the 2012 election to greatly improve his prospects. What he can do in the absence of an unexpected burst of economic growth is demonstrate that the jobless rate is a special focus.

That's no easy feat on a tour of the Asian-Pacific, which Obama wrapped up on Saturday. The trip was a blur of summits, state dinners, arrival ceremonies, bilateral meetings, speeches and news conferences — many held in gorgeous tropical settings.

How would Obama persuade voters that his week away was connected to their everyday concerns?

Through image and message.

For starters, Obama ditched a tradition dating back two decades in which leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit donned silly-looking shirts and paraded before the cameras.

read the rest: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politicsnow/la-pn-obama-trip-20111120,0,595674.story

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ON UNEMPLOYMENT ▼

President Barack Obama’s Remarks on June Unemployment Report
Friday, July 8, 2011
With only 18000 jobs added in the last month, the official unemployment rate increased to 9.2%. Bad news for most of us, and especially those who are still looking for jobs, and also for business that looking forward to invest in the private sector. President Obama addressed the issue today at the White House:
"The economic challenges that we face weren’t created overnight, and they’re not going to be solved overnight. But the American people expect us to act on every single good idea that’s out there. I read letter after letter from folks hit hard by this economy. None of them ask for much. Some of them pour their guts out in these letters. And they want me to know that what they’re looking for is that we have done everything we can to make sure that they are rewarded when they’re living up to their responsibilities, when they’re doing right by their communities, when they’re playing by the rules. That’s what they’re looking for, and they feel like the rules have changed. They feel that leaders on Wall Street and in Washington –- and believe me, no party is exempt –- have let them down. And they wonder if their efforts will ever be reciprocated by their leaders."

American Unemployment At New Low - 8.8% With 230 000 Private Sector Jobs in March
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Figures released by the U.S. Labor Department, this morning, show that unemployment has fallen to 8.8%. Speaking earlier today, President Obama said:
Nearly two years after one of the worst recessions we’ve ever seen, our economy is showing signs of real strength. Today we learned that we added 230,000 private sector jobs last month. That makes 1.8 million private sector jobs created in the last thirteen months. And the unemployment rate has now fallen a full point in the last four months. The last time that happened was the recovery of 1984.
Now, despite this good news, we still have plenty of work to do. There are still millions of Americans looking for a job that pays the bills. I know there’s a lot going on in the world, and the news is filled with images of the Middle East and Japan, but you should know that keeping the economy growing and making sure jobs are available is the first thing I think about when I wake up every morning. It’s the last thing I think about when I go to bed each night. And I will not be satisfied until every American who wants a good job can find one; until every family gets a shot at the American Dream. That’s our North Star. That’s what we’re fighting for.