The global slowdown has had a significant effect on American unemployment and growth figures and with a fiscal cliff in the offing the recovery methods currently being employed are coming into question. Nowhere are these questions being asked more forcibly than in the Presidential election ring.
Republicans are reminding the world of the economic ground that has been lost since Barack Obama took office whilst Democrats are pushing back by warning that without Obama the current situation would be far worse. With personal stories and grievances coming into play the gloves are well and truly off.
Last week Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney bounded from his corner and declared that he would ‘restore the promise of America’.
After this modest opener Romney proceeded to lay some heavy blows on the term served by his democrat opponent. He claimed that President Obama had failed to deliver on his promises and told his American audience that whilst Obama’s priorities may have been to ‘slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet’ his priorities were ‘to help you and your families’.
During the climactic speech of the three-day Republican convention Romney also attempted to dispel fears that he is actually some kind of poor quality robot by showing his human side. He recounted tales of his Mormon childhood and punctuated his attack on the current American leader with charmingly romantic tales.
Millions of U.S citizens were watching when Romney stated; ‘I wish President Obama had succeeded because I want America to succeed.’
The Obama camp retaliated by claiming that Romney would take America backwards as he had ‘no tangible ideas’ to support his big promises. During the opening night of the Democratic Party’s convention Obama’s wife reflected positively on her husband’s policy achievements and for bringing the American economy ‘from the brink of collapse’.
Although some feel that Obama’s government has not done enough to stimulate American growth and create much needed employment opportunities Mrs Obama was keen to remind the world that: ‘the issues that come across a President’s desk are always the hard ones – the problems where no amount of data or numbers will get you the right answer […] we are playing a long game here […] change is hard, and change is slow, and it never happens all at once […] Eventually we get there. We always do.’
And it seems that it’s not just his wife lending Obama support. Despite the average middle-class family being literally less well off than when Obama took up residence at the White House, the majority claim that they feel better off.
A poll asking how citizens felt their circumstances had changed since Obama’s inauguration was taken by random members of the population and the results show that 45% felt they were better off. Almost 10% less (36%) felt they were worse off, and the rest weren’t sure.
Although a CBS News poll has revealed that a majority of 62% of American’s think the country is on the wrong path, this figure is actually 27% lower than it was in 2008 (at the start of the global financial crisis) and so not quite as alarming as it might seem.
Some good news for the Obama administration came yesterday when Augusts’ data for U.S. automotive sales was released. It beat analyst’s forecasts, showed the best performance for five years and gained 10 per cent for the third consecutive year.
Whilst American’s might not actually be better off individually Obama’s supporters have claimed the nation is better off as a whole – something Republican’s are using as many figures as they can lay their hands on to dispute. Consequently they won’t be fond of the latest cat to be thrown among the Presidential pigeons; a report indicating that there has been an improvement in the Country’s long term unemployment rate.
Just like the story of the economic downturn, this fight for the White House is far from over.
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