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New Web Ad: Stop Spending, Start Growing
New Web Ad: Stop Spending, Start Growing
Arlington, Va. – Bankrupting America, a project of Public Notice, today released a new web video titled “Stop Spending, Start Growing” highlighting the trillions of taxpayer dollars wasted on failed efforts to reinvigorate the economy in the last four years. The ad features a cash register printing off a receipt for $12.9 trillion of new spending that includes 7.9 percent unemployment, 23 million Americans unemployed or underemployed, 46.7 million on food stamps and 1 in 6 living in poverty. The message is simple: After spending all this money, what did we get? It’s time to stop spending and start growing.
Public Notice Weekly Polling Analysis
POLLING ANALYSIS
October 27- November 2, 2012
MUST READ:
According to Fox News, when given two choices, 50% of likely voters (54% of Independent likely voters) think the federal government is doing too many things that are better left to individuals and businesses. 36% (30% of Independent likely voters) think the federal government should be doing more.
According to CBS/New York Times, 30% of adults (30% of Independents) say the best way to bring down the budget deficit is through spending cuts alone. 2% (2% of Independents) say the best way is through tax increases. 64% (61% of Independents) prefer a combination of the two.
President Obama: Average approval from mid-October to early November was 49.9% according to RealClearPolitics. Average disapproval was 47.3%. (Last week’s average, which covered mid- to late October, was 49.3%. Average disapproval was 47.3%)
Here are the polls released this week on Presidential job approval:
- CBS/New York Times: 50% of adults (42% of Independents) approve and 42% (44% of Independents) disapprove.
- DailyKos: 46% of registered voters approve (43% of Independent registered voters) and 50% (52% of Independents) disapprove.
- Economist: 47% of adults approve and 48% disapprove.
- GWU/Politico: 50% of likely voters approve and 49% disapprove.
- NPR: 49% of likely voters (42% of Independent likely voters) approve and 49% (54% of Independents) disapprove.
- Public Policy Polling: 45% of likely voters (35% of Independent likely voters) approve and 51% (55% of Independents) disapprove.
Gallup tracks President Obama’s job approval on a weekly basis. Last week’s average (Oct. 15-21, 2012) showed 50% approved and 45% disapproved. The latest weekly numbers available (Oct. 22-28, 2012) showed 50% approve and 45% disapprove. Last year at this time (Oct. 24-30, 2011), 43% approved and 49% disapproved.
Rasmussen conducts a daily tracking poll. One week ago (Oct. 26), 48% approved and 51% disapproved. On Nov. 2, approval was 50%; disapproval was 49%. Last year at this time, the President’s approval was 44% and his disapproval 55%.
Congress: Average approval for mid-September to late October was 17% according to the RealClearPolitics average. Average disapproval was 75%. (Last week’s average, which covered early August to mid-October was 15.4%. Average disapproval was 76.8%)
Here are the polls released this week on Congressional job approval:
- CBS/New York Times: 15% of adults (11% of Independents) approve and 75% (79% of Independents) disapprove.
- Economist: 10% of adults approve and 69% disapprove.
- NPR: 16% of likely voters (10% of Independent likely voters) approve and 79% (87% of Independents) disapprove.
Right Track/Wrong Track: According to the RealClearPolitics average, which covered mid- to late October, 39.4% think the country is headed in the right direction while 54.6% think it is headed in the wrong direction. (One week ago, the right track average, which covered mid- to late October, was 39.7%. The wrong track average was 54.5%.)
Here are the polls released this week on the direction of the country:
- CBS/New York Times: 39% of adults (30% of Independents) think the country is headed in the right direction and 54% (63% of Independents) think it is headed in the wrong direction.
- DailyKos: 42% of registered voters (36% of Independent registered voters) think the country is headed in the right direction and 54% (58% of Independents) think it is headed in the wrong direction.
- Economist: 36% of adults think the country is headed in the right direction and 53% think it is headed in the wrong direction.
- GWU/Politico: 37% of likely voters think the country is headed in the right direction and 56% think it is headed in the wrong direction.
- NPR: 41% of likely voters (30% of Independent likely voters) think the country is headed in the right direction while 55% (64% of Independents) think it is headed in the wrong direction.
- Rasmussen: 39% of likely voters think the country is headed in the right direction and 57% think it is headed in the wrong direction.
ISSUE SPECIFIC
Budget Deficit & Spending:
According to the Economist, 9% of adults believe the budget deficit is the top issue facing the country – the economy (43%) and health care (13%) received a higher percentage. Social Security was tied. Still, 62% of adults say the issue is a “very” important one to them. According to GWU/Politico, 13% of likely voters think the economy is the top issue facing the country. The economy (32%) and jobs (14%) received higher percentages. According to Pew, 8% of adults think government spending and the deficit are the top issue facing the country. That was behind the economy (25%), jobs (25%), and general dissatisfaction with government (9%).
President Obama approval on the issue:
- Economist: 39% of adults approve and 53% disapprove.
- GWU/Politico: 40% of likely voters approve and 58% disapprove.
Economy & Jobs:
According to Gallup, its “Economic Confidence Index improved to -14 for the week ending Oct. 28, the highest level of weekly confidence in the economy since Gallup began Daily tracking of economic confidence in 2008.”
According to Pew, 30% of adults would say the economy is recovering. 31% say it is not yet recovering, but will soon and 36% say it will be a long time before the economy recovers. According to Fox News, 45% of likely voters (34% of Independent likely voters) think the economy is getting better while 43% (51% of Independent likely voters) think it is getting worse.
According to the Economist, 31% of adults think the economy is getting better; 38% say it is getting worse; and 24% say it is staying the same. According to CBS/New York Times, 36% of adults (27% of Independents) say the economy is getting better, 28% (35% of Independents) say it is getting worse, and 35% (37% of Independents) say it is staying the same.
According to Pew, 1% of adults would rate current economic conditions as excellent; 12% would say they are good; 42% would say they are fair; and 44% would say they are poor. According to CBS/New York Times, 2% of adults (0% of Independents) would rate current economic conditions as very good; 30% (24% of Independents) say fairly good; 36% (38% of Independents) say fairly bad; and 31% (36% of Independents) say very bad.
According to the Economist, 43% of adults believe the economy is the top issue facing the country. 81% of adults say the issue is a “very” important one to them. According to GWU/Politico, 32% of likely voters think the economy is the top issue facing the country. No other issue received a higher percentage. According to Pew, 25% of adults think the economy is the top issue facing the country. That tied with jobs (25%).
President Obama approval on the issue:
- CBS/New York Times: 46% of adults (37% of Independents) approve and 47% (53% of Independents) disapprove.
- Economist: 45% of adults approve and 49% disapprove.
- GWU/Politico: 45% of likely voters approve and 54% disapprove.
- NPR: 47% of likely voters (39% of Independent likely voters) approve and 52% (60% of Independents) disapprove.
Entitlements:
According to CBS/New York Times, 39% of adults (42% of Independents) think Medicare needs major changes; 39% (XX% of Independents) think it needs minor changes; and 13% (10% of Independents) think it doesn’t need any changes at all.
According to CBS/New York Times, 63% of adults (60% of Independents) think Medicare should be kept pretty much as is. 29% (31% of Independents) think it should be changed.
Health Care:
According to Rasmussen, 54% of adults favor repeal of the 2010 health care law; 39% oppose.
According to Fox News, 29% of likely voters (29% of Independent likely voters) want the 2010 health care law to be completely repealed; 26% (33% of Independent likely voters) want parts of it repealed; 17% (15% of Independent likely voters) want it expanded; and 22% (18% of Independent likely voters) want it kept as is.
According to CBS/New York Times, 22% of adults (21% of Independents) think the 2010 health care law should be expanded; 21% (17% of Independents) think it should be kept in place as is; 19% (21% of Independents) think only the individual mandate should be replaced; and 29% (31% of Independents) think the entire law should be repealed.
Taxes:
According to CBS/New York Times, 35% of adults (33% of Independents) think the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts should be extended for all Americans. 42% (41% of Independents) say they should only be extended for families earning less than $250,000 a year and 15% (14% of Independents) say they should be allowed to expire for everyone.
Public Notice is an independent non-profit dedicated to providing facts and insight on the economy and how government policy affects Americans’ financial well-being.
Pelosi Holds Secret Fundraiser With Islamists, Hamas-Linked Groups
Via Daily Caller:
Democratic leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi headlined a high-dollar fundraiser in May that was attended by U.S.-based Islamist groups and individuals linked by the U.S. government to the Hamas jihad group and to the Egypt-based Muslim Brotherhood movement.
The donors at the undisclosed May 16 event included Nihad Awad, the co-founder of the Council on American Islamic Relations, according to data provided by the nonpartisan Investigative Project on Terrorism.
The CAIR group was named an unindicted conspirator in a 2007 trial of a Hamas money-smuggling group.
A covertly-taken photograph provided by the IPT shows Pelosi standing near Awad at the fundraiser. Roughly 30 people attended the fundraiser, according to the IPT.
The cheapest tickets cost $5,000, and the most expensive were $30,800 per couple, according to the event invite from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which used the cash to fund Democratic candidates.
13-Year-Old Jenny Gives Report Cards to Obama and Romney
Jenny is a 13-year-old 8th grader who’s been interested in politics for a couple of years. She was confused about the claims of the Democrats and the claims of the Republicans. So, she decided to look at the facts and do a report card for President Barack Obama and one for Governor Mitt Romney. She compared them and now presents her findings in this video.
ForAmerica Final Election Social Media Blitz Will Reach Over 7M in 9 Target States
Biggest Independent Social Media Campaign in History Will Also Directly Contact Conservatives in Target States 10 Times or More in Last 3 Weeks
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – ForAmerica Chairman Brent Bozell announced today that the social media powerhouse will contact (through Facebook posts, videos, emails, etc.) more than 7 million people in 9 battleground states from October 1st until Election Day. The push is aimed at motivating Americans to go to the polls and vote against the liberal agenda in Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Florida, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri and Montana.
“We have spent more than two years building and educating the largest online conservative network. And that network is now educated and mobilized to make an impact. Through social media, ForAmerica will directly reach millions of independents and conservatives in target states and encourage them to bring their friends and family when they vote. Based on our engagement numbers, the conservative base is motivated as much or more than it was in the 2010 midterms. The intensity meter is off the charts,” said Bozell.
On Facebook alone, ForAmerica will directly contact conservatives in those 9 target states 10 times in the last three weeks leading up to November 6th. Additionally, ForAmerica will directly contact its own fans in those 9 target states an additional five times in the last three weeks of the campaign.
Key metrics about ForAmerica’s last month blitz:
- Directly contact more than 7 million people in the 9 target states from October 1st through Election Day
- Directly contact or “touch” conservatives in the 9 target states 10 times in the last 3 weeks of the campaign
- Directly contact or “touch” ForAmerica Facebook fans in the 9 target states 5 times or more in the last 3 weeks of the campaign
Additionally, ForAmerica’s Facebook following outnumbers Obama For America in eight of the nine targeted states. Below is the state-by-state breakdown:
State ForAmerica OFA
Ohio 118,140 88,133
Florida 219,180 87,837
Virginia 95,380 62,235
Colorado 49,440 41,580
Iowa 23,500 26,509
Wisconsin 46,820 29,514
Pennsylvania 97,340 39,279
Missouri 79,320 7,628
Montana 16,480 2,078
ABC & CBS Ignore Own Reporters; Benghazi Blackout Now 7 Days
ALEXANDRIA, VA – For the seventh night in a row, ABC’s World News, CBS Evening News, and NBC Nightly News refused to give one single second of coverage to the Obama administration’s deceitful response to the terrorist attack on the US consulate in Benghazi on September 11. According to the Media Research Center, the last time Benghazi was discussed on one of the flagship network evening news casts was the October 25 edition of CBS Evening News.
Since then, ABC News and CBS News have relegated coverage of the Benghazi terrorist attack to their websites. Jake Tapper’s November 1 report for ABC News landed on the Drudge Report, while a post from CBS News’ Sharyl Atkisson that same day was picked up by Real Clear Politics. But the millions of viewers who tune in to ABC’s World News and CBS Evening News were not permitted to hear these stories on the evening broadcasts.
Media Research Center President Brent Bozell reacts:
“The stories about the Benghazi terrorist attack written by ABC’s Jake Tapper and CBS’s Sharyl Atkisson clearly demonstrate that there are some serious journalists who believe this is a major story and are looking for answers from the Obama Administration. ABC’s World News’ and CBS Evening News’ refusal to present these stories to the millions of Americans who count on them as their primary source of news shows how corrupted they have become. They’re trying to rig this election for Barack Obama, deliberately spiking news stories even their top reporters believe to be important.
“The litany of failures that led to the deaths of four brave Americans in Benghazi on September 11, and the contradictory answers, is long and getting longer, but the big question the Obama Administration must answer remains unasked by the liberal media: if the administration was repeatedly warned of danger, and requests for help were repeatedly turned down, and four brave Americans died, who is responsible for this catastrophe, and why did the Obama Administration dishonestly try to blame it all on a video?”
New Romney / Ryan Ad: More Than A Number
For some, this election is about numbers, but it is so much more than that. It’s about businesses closing after generations. It’s about college graduates being forced to move back in with their parents. This election is about lives, careers, futures. That is why the choice is so very clear.
Why Mitt Might Lose (Hint: It’s Not the Economy, Stupid!)
Romney’s Willful Failure to Address Libya May Have Doomed His Chances
“Out of these characteristics [of the conflict] a certain center of gravity develops, the hub of all power and movement, on which everything depends. That is the point against which all our energies should be directed.”
– Carl von Clausweitz, On War
I don’t want Mitt Romney to lose this election, but if he does, here’s why he’ll have lost it: He never read Clausewitz.
Pace Team Romney, the center of gravity in this campaign is not the economy; it’s leadership — or the lack thereof. Yet, Romney has foolishly adopted James Carville’s mantra, “It’s the economy, stupid” as his own, and thus forfeited any and all opportunities to attack Obama over the Benghazi fiasco and cover-up.
But make no mistake: what Obama did and did not do in Benghazi is emblematic of his entire presidency.
There was the lack of understanding of the problem, a failure to comprehend the threat; the dithering and delay and manifest failures of leadership — nay, the complete lack of leadership! And then the willful denial of reality in the face of all evidence, and the assertion of the primacy of domestic political concerns above all else.
It’s a story we’ve seen play out in this administration time and time again.
Obama’s Record of Failure. The Iranian dissidents? Ignore them. Our allies? Screw them. Our enemies? Appease them. Fracking? Kill it. Coal? Kill it. The Iranian nuclear threat? Play with it.
The budget? Drive over the fiscal cliff. The Bowles-Simpson debt reduction commission? Forget it. Iraq? Also forget it. Afghanistan? Get out of it. Taxes? Raise them. Medicare? Raid it. Entitlement reform? Dismiss it.
And all the while: deny, deny and deny.
It is Obama’s determined refusal to lead, and to address the nation’s very real and serious problems, that makes him an unworthy chief executive officer and commander in chief. And that is why Romney should have devoted his entire campaign to undermining Obama’s pretensions to leadership — from the budget to Benghazi, and from the fiscal cliff to the foreign policy ledger.
But unfortunately, Romney hasn’t done that. He’s largely ignored foreign policy and has completely ignored Libya. He’s thus forfeited the opportunity to make a deeper, broader and more compelling indictment of Obama.
This has been a huge political mistake. It’s not that the American people care deeply about foreign policy per se (though they care more about it than the polls and the pundits suggest). It’s that foreign policy fluency and commitment in a presidential candidate is a proxy for competence and leadership, which voters very much do care about.
Yet, Romney has been campaigning as if the only thing of concern to the American people are jobs and material wellbeing. These are important, to be sure; but economic issues are not as politically determinative and as electorally decisive as Romney seems to think.
The economy, after all, is still growing (albeit anemically); and people can collect unemployment for almost two years (99 weeks). Surely, this helps to explain why so Americans have dropped out of the labor market. In any case, American economic misery and deprivation are not all that severe.
Moreover, since its founding in 1854 by anti-slavery activists, the Republican Party has been concerned with much more than economics. It’s been animated by larger-scale issues and concerns: liberty and opportunity, emancipation from the state, freedom from crushing regulation, victory in our nation’s wars, and cultural integrity and restoration at home.
The GOP’s Lost History. Lincoln, for instance, freed the slaves and restored the Union. Theodore Roosevelt championed the “manly virtues” and a robust U.S. foreign policy. Calvin Coolidge gave U.S. citizenship to American Indians and pushed for anti-lynching legislation. Dwight Eisenhower used covert forces to support liberty abroad and overt forces to protect liberty at home (Little Rock, 1957).
Richard Nixon won in 1968 because he promised to restore law and order at home and peace and honor in Vietnam. And of course, Ronald Reagan won in 1980 in part because of the economy, yes; but equally important was his commitment to defending America against Soviet and Iranian-Islamist aggression. Reagan also inspired millions of socially conservative Democrats through his commitment to life and religious liberty.
His vice president, George H.W. Bush, won Reagan’s third term by running as a cultural conservative who would be no less steadfast in his defense of traditional American values. And Bush’s son, George W., won election in 2000 as a “compassionate conservative” who would harness the power of the state for conservative ends.
Bush was reelected in 2004 because he was perceived as a more resolute commander in chief, and also because culturally conservative voters (in Ohio especially) were motivated by his commitment to defend the institution of marriage from radical legislative and judicial assault.
My point is that economics has never been enough for the Grand Old Party and its supporters; that’s not how we win elections. We Republicans win elections when we successfully weave economic issues into a more elevated program of national renewal and achievement.
That’s why taking Obama to task for his manifest failures of foreign policy leadership is so important politically: Because it confirms for voters that the problem is not simply that Obama was dealt a bad economic hand. The problem is that, whatever hand he’s been dealt, Obama, more often than not, has played it very badly. Simply put, he has failed as a leader.
Yet, Romney never says that.
Sure, Obama agreed to let the Seals take out bin Laden. But the effort to take out bin Laden was a long-standing initiative that began in the Bush administration; it was not a new initiative begun by Obama.
Libya was a new and worthwhile Obama initiative; but as the Benghazi fiasco shows, Libya has failed due to presidential neglect and dereliction of duty. Romney needed to say this, but he hasn’t.
And now, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, we have the spectacle of Obama, with Chris Christie’s fawning assistance, pretending to be a leader. Obama recognizes what Romney does not: We Americans elect leaders, not treasury secretaries. And so, leadership, not economic prowess or understanding, is what moves voters.
Strategic Mistakes. Romney may still win this election, and I certainly hope that he does. It may be that whatever strategic mistakes Romney has made have been dwarfed by Obama’s own. But even in victory, no Republican should think that Romney has run a wise or model political campaign, because he hasn’t.
Oh, Romney’s done some things well. His first debate performance was arguably the greatest presidential debate performance that we have ever seen. Romney successfully undermined Obama’s pretensions to leadership.
But ever since that first debate, Romney hasn’t been playing to win; he’s been playing not to lose, and it shows. His momentum has slowed and the race has froze. Romney dropped a winning strategy because he failed to grasp Obama’s center of gravity upon which this election will be decided — not the economy, but leadership.
We’ll find out Tuesday if Romney’s mistake, motivated by extreme and misguided caution, has cost him the presidency. I hope not.
Cross-posted from ResCon1
Heritage: Unemployment Rate Inches Back Up
Originally Posted at The Foundry by Amy Payne
The October jobs report essentially agrees with the rest of the current data on the economy—the economy is growing slowly, too slowly to bring down unemployment rapidly. In fact, the unemployment rate rose to 7.9 percent in October and the economy created about 171,000 jobs, roughly equal to the usual number of new workers in the labor force.
The October report partly reversed the mysterious drop in the unemployment rate in the September jobs report. At the time, J.D. Foster, Heritage’s Norman B. Ture Senior Fellow in the Economics of Fiscal Policy, predicted that September’s jobs report would be sorted out later:
The September household survey is one to set aside to wait for a more reliable report next month, which will almost certainly reverse the odd results from September. If it does, then we have both confirmation of the power of statistics and of the weakness in the economy.
With the jump back up in the unemployment rate in October to nearly 8 percent, we have at least the beginnings of an answer to the mystery.
In addition to possible quirks in the way the government collects information on unemployment, the Administration is playing some more overt games with the economy, holding new regulations and even layoff notices until later in the year.
As research fellow Diane Katz described yesterday, the Obama Administration has missed two legally mandated deadlines to let them know about new regulations that are coming, adding to the overwhelming uncertainty they are facing.
Meanwhile, to keep too many pink slips from going out immediately, the Obama Administration has been encouraging federal contractors to break a law that requires them to notify employees of impending layoffs. The Administration has offered to pay the penalties for the companies if they will just hold off. As Heritage’s Hans von Spakovsky explained:
Massive defense spending cuts under sequestration are scheduled to hit on January 2, 2013. Defense contractors affected by the budget cuts would have to issue notice letters to employees by November 2 (four days before the election) to meet the January 2 start date for the spending cuts.
With businesses in such a holding pattern, it’s no wonder the recovery is sluggish. And the anticipation of Taxmageddon hitting January 1 is only adding to the crisis.
Not only will Taxmageddon mean individual tax increases—if you’re a middle-class family, your taxes will go up around $4,100—but the whole economy will also suffer. The Congressional Budget Office has said that unless Congress and the President act, we will be plunged into a new recession extending through 2013—when we haven’t even recovered from the previous one.
When the new Congress takes office on January 3, reversing Taxmageddon should be at the top of its to-do list. The congressional leadership and the successful presidential candidate should make clear right after the election that reversing Taxmageddon will be their top priority, to reassure businesses and employees as soon as possible. The economy cannot recover while businesses are hamstrung by government interference, looming regulations, and tax increases.
Muth’s Truths: When It Comes to Creating Jobs, It’s YOUR Job
By Chuck Muth
I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of hearing politicians bloviating about how they’re going to create jobs, especially those who have never created a job in their life.
And I’m also sick and tired of people sitting on unemployment for months at a time. 99 weeks? That’s almost two YEARS! Gimme a break.
In fact, at the risk of losing the “Humanitarian of the Year” award, allow me to suggest it’s high time to kick most of these people off the unemployment rolls and force them to start taking care of themselves again. Sink or swim time, baby!
I’m not talking about people who are physically or mentally incapable of working. I’m talking about the able-bodied who aren’t seriously looking for work and/or refuse to take available jobs because they believe the work involved is “beneath” them.
Why should I work my butt off to pay for them to sit on their butts eating potato chips and watching game shows on TV all day? Seriously, if you’re collecting an unemployment check, maybe we should take all the televisions out of your house until you get a job. Talk about motivation!
I guess what troubles me most about this, though, is that so many Americans are sitting back waiting for someone else – especially the government – to step in and take care of them instead of taking care of themselves. Whatever happened to our fabled frontier spirit of self-reliance? Are we really now a nation dependent upon community organizers? Have you no self-respect?
This whole “Stark Raving Muth” rant was sparked by something I read recently, written by marketing consultant Dan Kennedy:
“(Here’s) a social truth very inconvenient for politicians and bureaucrats whose fortunes are tied to the welfare industry – being aggressively expanded by (the Obama) administration – and the liberals who love it: Just about anybody can employ themselves starting today and start making money tomorrow.
“I’m reminded of a client I worked with about 10 years ago. With a family business in tatters, a need to make money, no money to do it with, she put together bucket, mop, sponge and knocked on doors offering cleaning services. A few years later she sold the company she built for a few million dollars. You could even start without the mop. Most folks have one.”
In other words: Stop waiting for the government to “create” a job for you. And stop waiting for someone to “give” you a job. Instead, get your butt out there and create your OWN job.
After all, if unemployment is 12 percent, that means that 88 percent of us are working and have money to spend on…something. Why not figure out a service you can provide that makes that “something” YOU?
