Friday, April 24, 2015
Rubio, Clinton --Jobs, Economy, Presidential Polls --Numbers Tell a Story
For the third straight week, the number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits rose, but the underlying trend points to some improvement in the labor market. The US economy is recovering from a soft start this year, and other data released Thursday showing weak new home sales and manufacturing activity suggest that the economy's recovery could continue to be weak. Economic activity was held down by harsh winter weather, weak global demand and a labor dispute at West Coast ports that is now settled. The strong dollar and lower energy prices have cut into profits for some companies. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 295,000 for the week ended April 18, the Labor Department said. Despite the increase, claims remained for a seventh consecutive week below the 300,000 threshold, a level economists associate with a strengthening labor market. The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends as it smoothes out week-to-week volatility, increased 1,750 last week to 284,500. The four-week average of claims fell 20,750 between the March and April survey periods, suggesting an acceleration in job growth, which had slowed sharply in March. Federal Reserve members say they would like to see further improvements in the labor market before beginning to raise interest rates, and a June rate hike now seems unlikely. ~~~~~ In a precursor of these weak job numbers, the April 18th Real Clear Politics opinion poll averages showed President Obama's job approval rating at 44.9% approving and 50.0% disapproving. The poll also found that only 29.4% of Americans think the country is going in the right direction, while a whopping 60.4% think the country is on the wrong track. These poll numbers undoubtedly reflect the fact that middle class America is being left behind by the very soft economic recovery and they lay the blame on President Obama's domestic policies. ~~~~~ In another poll result published today, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida has jumped to the head of the line of Republican presidential aspirants. The Quinnipiac University poll surprised political analysts and pros because it has been just a little more than a week since Rubio formally launched his campaign and stepped up his fundraising efforts. Rubio, 43, the son of working-class Cuban immigrants and a former Speaker of the Florida House, kicked off an ambitious campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination on April 13, calling for a “new American century” and asking voters to reject the “stale leadership” of older Democrats and Republicans alike. Yet, he also delivered a message for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, his one-time mentor and likely rival for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination : “I’ve heard some suggest that I should step aside and wait my turn. But I cannot because I believe our very identity as an exceptional nation is at stake and I can make a difference as President.” Until this Quinnipiac poll, Rubio had been in the second tier in national polls. But the new Quinnipiac survey shows Rubio with the support of 15% of Republican primary voters, followed by Bush with 13% and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker with 11%. No other GOP candidate tops 9%, including the two other announced Republican presidential candidates, Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas. Fourteen percent of those surveyed were undecided. On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - who formally entered the race last weekend by video and then launched a low-key listening tour in Iowa and New Hampshire -- continues to dominate the Democratic field with 60%. She is followed by Vice President Joe Biden at 10% and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent, at 8%. Former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who recently suggested that he will probably challenge Clinton, has just 3%, while 14% are undecided. Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said in a statement : “This is the kind of survey that shoots adrenalin into a campaign. Marco Rubio gets strong enough numbers and favorability ratings to look like a legit threat to Hillary Clinton.” Indeed, in a Quinnipiac hypothetical general election matchup, Clinton gets 45% of likely voters to 43% for Rubio -- the best showing of a Republican. Hillary Clinton leads other top Republicans as follows: 45 – 40% over New Jersey Governor Chris Christie; 46 – 42% over Rand Paul; 47 – 42% over former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee; 46 – 39% over Jeb Bush; 46 – 41% over Scott Walker; and 48 – 41% over Ted Cruz. ~~~~~ Dear readers, if we match up today's unemployment numbers with Obama's low favorability ratings and the latest presidential polls, we see the following relationships. The US economy's recovery is struggling to create any sense of real upward momentum. And it is hourly workers and the salaried middle class who are not benefitting from the weak recovery. That they blame President Obama by giving him low favorability ratings is normal ~- every President is rightly held responsible for the economy because his policies, implemented by his cabinet, create economic growth or stagnation and failure. And so far, the weak US recovery unemployment data has driven home for average Americans the fact that Obama economic policies are not working for them. With a presidential election campaign heating up, the economy and employment are front and center. Senator Marco Rubio's personal life story is the playing out of the American Dream. His success is the success of every hard-working American. He is not the son of a political dynasty. He does not belong to a rich, coddled family whose lifestyle is beyond imagining. With Cuban immigrant parents who worked hard as a bartender and maid, became citizens and raised their children to be hard-working, honorable Americans, Marco Rubio is the real thing. He polls well against Hillary Clinton because he identifies with the vast majority of middle class Americans and they identify with him. Add to that the fact that Rubio is the only candidate of either party who has a coherent, clearly stated and easily understood program for America that resonates with the middle class. Marco Rubio is going to be standing at the end of the primary season next year. He will be a voice to reckon with as the GOP chooses its 2016 presidential candidate.
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I firmly believe that the Labor Department are so skewed and altered to fit the needs of the Obama Administration, that is the truth be known Obamas standing in the popularity contest he’d be slightly under 40 % approval ratings.
ReplyDeleteThis whole Obama administration is one big lie, and is conducted with “smoke & mirrors.”
I could be very happy with Sen. Rubio as candidate. But right now I question if he is the heavyweight it will take. I wish him well. And it appears that he has a very heavyweight contributor – Sam Adelson – warming up to support him. That will tilt the playing field in Rubio’s direction.
We need a candidate that is going to acknowledge the fact that the Unites States is at war against these Progressive Socialists – the likes of Obama, both Clintons, most of the elected Democratic officials, their appointees, their ‘handlers’ like John Podesta, the Inner Circle at the White House, the major news networks (excluding cable), that sole aim is the destruction of the Constitution and the vanquish of the Rule of Law.
ReplyDeleteThe White House Press Secretary stood yesterday and said flat out that Congress has no business involved in immigrations, or any foreign affairs. He isolated “treaties” with foreign government as being far too complicated for that of Congress.
Friends if something as all the attributes of a duck, we need to get into the habit of calling them ducks- and shelf this political politeness. A case in point is Sen. John Cain should have been called on the carpet for his statement about Sen. Rand Paul the other day. But not one republican stood up to be counted. John McCain is a duck friends – Sen. Paul comes at problems with suggested solutions, not rehashed failed policy.
After years of griping about Barack Obama’s abuse of executive power, the GOP finally has a chance to do something about it. So what do they do?
ReplyDeleteMitch McConnell makes a deal: If Democrats agree to stop blocking a human trafficking bill over some boilerplate language regarding abortion funding—a position that made them look unreasonable—Republicans, with all the leverage imaginable, will help confirm another attorney general nominee who will rubber stamp the president’s many overreaches.
Loretta Lynch was confirmed in a 56-43 Senate vote. McConnell was a Yea. And the Obama train keeps rolling on down the track. Lynch has NO sense in being the U.S. Attorney General. She is there because some were afraid to be falsely branded as “racist” for voting against a black woman whose resume was never questioned – only her ethnicity.
My point – Things will not get done for the betterment in Washington DC until we change who is in Washington DC.
Americans to a single one knows and understands that Hillary Clinton is a liar, a cheat, an influence peddler to foreign governments for monetary returns to the Clinton Foundation, a misfit as a public servant, and whose only drive is the gathering of as much wealth as possible for the “Criminal Clinton Clan’.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet the Democratic Party just keep bring her up as a pillar of the American Way. Is the Democratic Party that destitute for candidates or are they just extensions of the Clinton's?
What does Hillary Clinton bring to the table as a potential POTUS … over 40 years of shady deals, illegal activity, scandals, investigations, murders, lies, cover ups, secrecy, and immoral activities? Not exactly a resume maker to be president?
ReplyDeleteWhat Hillary wants more than anything is to be the first female President of the United States. But how can the American people trust someone to hold the highest office in the land, when she is more concerned about what’s good for her personally, and then hides from public scrutiny when it comes to what’s good for the nation?