Unemployment and the Upcoming Election

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With the election coming up this year, the topic of unemployment is a hot one. It seems almost all of the political ads I have seen have been focused on jobs. The funniest thing I find is that they are both pretty much saying the same thing about each other, so it sounds like neither candidate has any history of doing anything beneficial to turn the tide on the topic.

 

Earlier in the year, there was a slight buzz that the jobless rate may break below the eight percent mark before the election, which, as the New York Times said, would be a “major symbolic victory for the incumbent.” However, in March the growth slowed, and then in April and May did little to nothing. So, when the unemployment report for June was released, it appears that the slowdown was not just a fluke, but has now become more of a streak.  In June, the reports show about 80,000 jobs added, with the unemployment rate staying at 8.2 percent, which was only a slight increase over the May numbers of 77,000. These numbers barely make a dent in the thirteen million unemployed workers out there.

 

While the possibility of an additional stimulus package to be applied before the election does rise as the sluggishness increases, it still appears unlikely that Congress will pass any further stimulus measures before then due to their being in gridlock, but also because it has been hard to determine if additional monetary stimulus would even be effective. Many say that these recent numbers are affected by the seasonal changes this time of year, and so they are a bit imprecise.

 

So, when it comes to the topic of unemployment and the election, how much will it affect the way you vote? Will you still vote for “your party” if you align with one, or do you think the state of affairs will cause you to vote a different way?

 

Do you think the President has as much control over the economy, so that any candidate that gets in office will make that major of a difference? Obama made big promises when he ran, but they have seemingly fallen flat and things are in a worse condition than before. Will four more years of him do much better? Will someone else do much better you think? If so, what do you feel would make the difference?

 

What do you feel is needed to turn this situation around? Share your comments below.

 

 

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  • Kathy M
    Kathy M
    I am not as concerned about which candidate can turn the situation around as being able to find a job and pay my bills.  I have a college degree in Business Administration and I have been looking for a job for six months.  It is unbelievable.  What do we do when our savings dry up and there is no economic stimulus to help us out. As American citizens we have the right to work and feed our families. Both parties need to understand that they created this mess and us voters are tired of paying taxes and bailing out banks when we can't afford to feed our families any longer.
  • Sahil
    Sahil
    One of the things that these stats don't indicate is the other factors that I am interested in knowing.Age, gender, occupational sectors that people worked in prior to becoming unemployed. Educational levels of the individuals.  I suspect that there are people who have other factors working against them. Is part of this number the ex-offender population?  I also wonder if the rates are in states who have lost certain types of jobs? We don't do much manufacturing in my part of the O-State.  We have a lot of jobs that are technically based.  I also question if the people ran into the same wall that I did.  There are some employers who think that they can offer sub-standard wages and you'll jump for them. I refused to even talk to people who started out below my requirements. Which was not easy to do. I have a lot of expertise and experience. I am not earning what I use to but I also know how much I need to live.
  • Wade T
    Wade T
    To Whom It May Concern - I vote for whoever is going to benefit ME the most.  As far as the two frontrunners in the news now NEITHER one will get my vote.  Obama hasn't done anything for me (not to mention he's a Muslim) and Romney won't disclose his tax records which should be a requirement, (not to mention he's a Mormon [polygamy?] and wants to send jobs overseas.  Listen all of you who are running for offices - FIX THE PROBLEMS IN AMERICA before you start worrying about the rest of the world.  Mind you, you don't want me as President - I would have leveled Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran, closed the borders, shipped everyone back to where they came from and given the jobs to Americans!  Yes most of us are immigrants if you can trace your family tree back to England in the 1500, 1600 and 1700's but since most of us can't Go with what we have so far.  If you don't speak English go back to where you came from until you can, then go through the proper channels to obtain citizenship.

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