Archive for September, 2011
Obama’s Recession means a lost Generation
Last Updated on Thursday, 22 September 2011 02:19 Written by rslcpol Thursday, 22 September 2011 02:19
From the Associated Press:
Young adults are the recession’s lost generation.
In record numbers, they’re struggling to find work, shunning long-distance moves to live with mom and dad, delaying marriage and raising kids out of wedlock, if they’re becoming parents at all. The unemployment rate for them is the highest since World War II, and they risk living in poverty more than others – nearly 1 in 5.
New 2010 census data released Thursday show the wrenching impact of a recession that officially ended in mid-2009. There are missed opportunities and dim prospects for a generation of mostly 20-somethings and 30-somethings coming of age in a prolonged period of joblessness.
“We have a monster jobs problem, and young people are the biggest losers,” said Andrew Sum, an economist and director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University. He noted that for recent college graduates getting by on waitressing, bartending and odd jobs, they will have to compete with new graduates for entry-level career positions when the job market does improve.
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Governing Magazine’s New AG Race Rankings: Dems Remain on the Defensive
Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 September 2011 01:48 Written by rslcpol Wednesday, 21 September 2011 01:48
From Louis Jacobson at Governing:
The outlook for the 2011-2012 state attorney general races has changed only modestly in the nine months since we last analyzed them. Our ratings have shifted slightly, but six of the 13 races are still competitive.
Currently, the national balance is split evenly: 25 Democrats to 25 Republicans, down from a 32-18 Democratic lead prior to last year’s election. The rapid erosion of Democratic control of state AG offices is an ominous development for the party, since it robs the party of a meaty policy office and a key job for building an in-state farm team for higher office.
For the 2011-2012 cycle, we rate four contests as tossups — two of them Democratic-held Montana and West Virginia, and two of them Republican-held Washington state and Pennsylvania. Two other AG seats, all held by Democrats, are rated lean Democratic (Kentucky and Missouri).
Meanwhile, seven contests in 2011-2012 look strong for the incumbent party — Utah, Indiana and Louisiana for the Republicans, and Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon and Vermont for the Democrats.
Of these, two were competitive when we last analyzed them. But with Buddy Caldwell’s party switch from Democrat to Republican in Louisiana, the race is now safe for Republicans. And in Mississippi, the GOP opponent to long-serving Democratic AG Jim Hood has yet to demonstrate a strong likelihood of an upset.
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GOP States fight vote fraud to ensure fair elections heading into 2012
Last Updated on Tuesday, 20 September 2011 01:25 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 20 September 2011 01:25
From The State:
After years of expanding when and how people can vote, state legislatures now under new Republican control are moving to trim early voting days, beef up identification requirements and put new restrictions on how voters are notified about absentee ballots.
Democrats claim their GOP counterparts are using midterm election wins to enforce changes favorable to Republicans ahead of the 2012 presidential election. They criticize such legislation, saying it could lead to longer lines in Democratic-leaning urban areas and discourage people from voting.
Supporters say bolstering ID rules helps prevent fraud. And at a time when counties face tough budgets, they contend local elections officials don’t have the money to keep early voting locations staffed and opened.
The process of changing voting rules may be nonpartisan on the surface but it is seething with politics just below the surface.
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RSLC Chairman Ed Gillespie Discusses Future Majority Project
Last Updated on Tuesday, 20 September 2011 01:24 Written by rslcpol Tuesday, 20 September 2011 01:22
Check out RSLC Chairman Ed Gillespie on Univision:
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Poll Shows Obama is in Deep Trouble
Last Updated on Thursday, 8 September 2011 01:53 Written by rslcpol Thursday, 8 September 2011 01:53
Check out the latest poll results from Resurgent Republic:
By almost every measure, President Obama’s prospects for reelection are bad.
Most Americans:
- Think the country is on the wrong track (67 percent);
- Believe Obama has turned out to be a weaker leader than they expected (60 percent);
- Think his policies have made things worse for most Americans (50 percent);
- Disapprove of Obama’s job performance (50 percent);
- Disapprove of his handling of the economy (57 percent);
- Think it is time to give someone else a chance to be President (52 percent).
Moreover, intensity is very much on the side of those who view Obama unfavorably, including among Independent voters:
- Those who believe he has turned out to be a much weaker leader than they thought he would be outnumber those who believe he turned out to be much stronger by 33-13 percent (with Independents at 36-7);
- Those who think his policies have made the economy much worse outnumber those who think they made it much better by 32-13 percent (with Independents at 33-6);
- Those who strongly disapprove of his job performance outnumber those who strongly approve by 36-23 percent (with Independents at 37-14 percent);
- Those who strongly disapprove of his handling of the economy outnumber those who strongly approve by 45-18 percent (with Independents at 48-10).
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Court Upholds WA AG’s Authority to pursue Health Care Challenge
Last Updated on Friday, 2 September 2011 12:39 Written by rslcpol Friday, 2 September 2011 12:39
From Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna:
In a 9-0 ruling, the Washington State Supreme Court denied the City of Seattle’s request to require Attorney General Rob McKenna to withdraw Washington from the multi-state lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the federal health care law passed in March 2010 and upheld the Attorney General’s authority to defend the public interest.
“I’m pleased the court affirmed the authority and responsibility of the Attorney General to challenge the constitutionality of federal laws that threaten the constitutional rights of this state and its people,” McKenna said. “It’s important that the state’s constitutionally-established, independently-elected Attorney General – whomever it may be — have the authority to protect the legal rights of the state and its people in the years to come.”
The city argued the Attorney General overstepped his authority when he joined more than a dozen state attorneys general in filing the suit in late March 2010.
The state argued the courts have consistently recognized that the Attorney General’s constitutional and statutory role requires him or her to exercise independent legal judgment that takes into account the legal interests of the state of Washington as a whole when determining how to best protect its legal rights.
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