Free Republic

The White House today predicted that unemployment would likely stay above 9 percent through the 2012 election as President Obama campaigns for a second term, and will not drop below 6 percent until 2016. “In sum, economic growth and job creation, while positive, have not been strong enough to bring down the unemployment rate to an acceptable level,” according to the Mid-Session Review released today by the Office of Management and Budget. “We are still seeing sustained and steady growth, so we are not forecasting a double dip recession,” Council of Economic Advisers Member Katharine Abraham told reporters on a...

(Reuters) - A spree of bad news -- market gyrations, fears of a double-dip recession, stubborn unemployment and fallout from a debt deal -- has shaken confidence in President Barack Obama's leadership and could cloud his chances for winning re-election. Obama is seeking a second term in office in an election that is still far off -- November 2012. But a persistently weak economy coupled with rising perception of political dysfunction in Washington could complicate his political fortunes.

WASHINGTON – A majority of Americans disapprove of how President Barack Obama has handled the devastating Gulf oil spill though far more blame BP for what people call a sluggish two-month response, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll released Tuesday. It comes as the president seeks to show more forceful leadership in confronting the nation's worst environmental crisis and convince a skeptical public he's up to the task. The survey found that 52 percent don't approve of Obama's handling of the spill, a significant increase from last month when a big chunk of Americans withheld judgment. But Obama's overall...