On Friday, the Labor Department reported a loss of 216,000 more jobs in August, bringing the unemployment rate up to 9.7 percent for the first time since 1983. What is the most important takeaway from this report? Is Joe Biden right when he says the stimulus created or saved one million jobs? And what Obama policies could be a major hindrance to these jobs coming back? We ask Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the Center for Employment Policy at the Hudson Institute and former chief economist at the Department of Labor for President George W. Bush.
Archives for September 4, 2009
Massachusetts Maneuvering
Just days after the burial of Sen. Ted Kennedy, the race to replace him in Congress is underway. The first to enter the ring is Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. How strong of a candidate will she be? Who else might join the race? Will there be any Kennedys? How about members of the House? Who will run on the Republican side? Will state Democrats change the succession law again in order to make sure they have a Democrat voting on the health care bill? How do they defend this obvious hypocrisy? We ask Erin McPike, political reporter for Congress Daily.
The Reality in Afghanistan
Combat veteran and author Bing West has just returned from Afghanistan. Are we in a position to win there? Do our troops even know what the major goals are? What does President Obama need to do if he doesn’t want the American people to lose resolve for the mission in Afghanistan? Is the Karzai government competent? How much corruption is going on in his government? Can an Iraq-like counterinsurgency work there? We ask Bing West, author of “The Strongest Tribe”.
Listen to the interview here and share your thoughts.