Bad News That's Good for Business
America's job picture stinks. Few outfits know that better than the Economic Policy Institute, which has recently gained notoriety by telling the world just how badly the employment situation reeks. Recent EPI analyses: "Good jobs now harder to come by, hardest for minorities," and "Good jobs scarcer, especially for men." Media outlets from Forbes to The New York Times to The Wall Street Journal can't get enough of the bleak assessments, such as the think tank's calculation that there are currently 6.1 job seekers for every opening.
EPI President Larry Mishel is glad about his group's impact, even if bad economic news is driving it. And being left of the salad fork isn't a problem. "We're progressive, liberal, left-of-center -- and not shy about it. We focus relentlessly on the situation of working people."
The group has released a biennial report called "The State of Working America" since 1988. The 50-employee shop is now pushing an "American jobs plan," parts of which are showing up in legislation on Capitol Hill. "We have a lot of people that take our ideas seriously," Mishel said. -- Randy Barrett
Troubling Omen
If Americans vote their pocketbooks in 2010, persistent joblessness bodes ill for Democrats' prospects in congressional elections. The Federal Reserve Board now expects unemployment to sit between 9.3 and 9.7 percent next year. That would be the highest jobless rate since 1982, when unemployment stood at 10.8 percent and the GOP, which then controlled the White House, suffered a net loss of 26 seats in the House. Since '82, the president's party has lost an average of 14 seats in off-year congressional elections. But during that time, unemployment was 3 percentage points lower on average than it is likely to be come Election Day 2010. Bigger losses may be in store. -- Bruce Stokes
Murmurs
Psst! The Idaho State Society's holiday soiree is set for next week, but some of the invited guests may not feel so welcome. That's because the event is at the Capitol Hill Club, the meeting place for Republicans who are plotting to take back Congress. How does Rep. Walt Minnick, the state's lone Democrat in Washington, and a top GOP target for 2101, feel about the venue? Pleased, his spokesman said: Minnick is "looking forward" to attending the event in 2010 and in 2011, after he wins re-election... Speculation is mounting that U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk may leave the Obama administration soon to run for the U.S. Senate seat from Texas. It's sort of a chain reaction: Ambassador Tom Schieffer pulled out of the Democratic primary for governor, and many observers expect Houston Mayor Bill White to jump into that race, abandoning plans to run for the Democratic nomination for the Senate. That switch opens the way for Kirk, a former Dallas mayor, who lost a Senate race in 2002, to throw his hat in the ring. Kirk's office has repeatedly denied the rumors... Vice President Biden may be President Obama's alter ego on Iraq and Afghanistan policy, but the veep's wife, Jill Biden, is perhaps the administration's unofficial ambassador to wounded veterans. As part of her commitment to support military families, she and Joe threw an early Thanksgiving dinner at their Naval Observatory home for injured warriors and their families who are staying at Fisher House, the foundation that provides a residence for families of veterans under medical care at military hospitals, including Bethesda's National Naval Medical Center and D.C.'s Walter Reed Army Medical Center. When one family had to cancel because their veteran had medical complications, Jill Biden brought an early Thanksgiving to their hospital room... Troop numbers continue to shrink in Iraq: 115,000 American military personnel are now in that country, according to the Pentagon...
Ding-Ding
Move over Blanche DuBois, streetcars are making a comeback -- and they hail from the Czech Republic. Three streetcars manufactured by Skoda-Inekon are on their way to the nation's capital, according to the District's Transportation Department. Their arrival will help launch the streetcar project, which aims to connect neighborhoods, starting with Anacostia. A future line would run along H Street and Benning Road in Northeast Washington, and could eventually be linked with the Anacostia line in Southeast. Planning is under way for additional segments across the city. The 1.5-mile streetcar line in Anacostia is expected to be in service by fall 2012. According to the department, the streetcars are a cost-effective investment that will help meet the transportation needs of D.C. residents and stimulate economic development. -- Eliza Krigman
Trading Threads
December brings a conundrum for Washington women, according to Suzanna Pieslak: They have places to go but nothing to wear. Many women have myriad holiday parties to attend, says the Capitol Hill resident, but their government or nonprofit salaries leave only small change for gala garb. With a holiday bash at the W Hotel approaching for Pieslak, an architect and the mother of two, the frugal fashionista found a way to approximate the high life -- without maxing out her credit card. Pieslak posted to an e-mail list that reaches thousands of women in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, she said, inviting them to a Little Black Dress swap at her place. She drew professionals who shed old gala gear and grabbed new items at no cost. Pieslak picked up a BCBG number that, with some slight alterations and a new strapless bra, will allow her to avoid a repeat wearing of last year's dresses at this year's parties. That's high-rolling without the hangover, psychologically at least. "You don't feel as guilty," Pieslak said, "when it's free." -- Sara Jerome
Other Lives: Rock the Cradle
Melanie Sloan is no shrinking violet. As the executive director of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, she's a thorn in the side of corrupt lawmakers and lobbyists alike. But Sloan, a former prosecutor, does have a gentle side. She and her husband, Eric Anderson, adopted a baby, Ainsley, about eight months ago. "I'm not generally known as a particularly soft person, even to my family. You couldn't be that way and do this job all the time. But Ainsley makes me [into] mush," Sloan admits. She and Anderson went through a laborious adoption process, and they finally got a call in March. The couple was nervous, because in a previous situation the birth mother had changed her mind. In another instance, a baby they were planning to adopt died three weeks before birth. But this time, everything worked out. Sloan and Anderson flew to Los Angeles to meet their new daughter, who was born in Ohio and is African-American. Sloan, 43, wants Ainsley to know where she came from, and she's aware of the identity issues that often arise when white parents raise a black child. "It's not like it matters in that I [don't] love her less; but I'm conscious of it, and it's not a non-issue. You do have to think about how you're going to deal with these things," says Sloan, adding that when the time comes, she plans to enroll Ainsley in a racially diverse school. -- Gregg Sangillo
Graphic Detail
Campaign Crossover Fundraising responsibilities have shifted from the political parties to White House hopefuls because of changes in campaign finance laws and the trend among the party's presidential nominees to eschew federal primary matching funds and even public funding in the general election (as Barack Obama did in 2008).
Presidential campaign receipts, 1992-2008
National Committees (RNC, DNC) Candidate Committtees
1992 $335 million $287 million
1996 709 million 340 million
2000 800 million 390 million
2004 908 million 769 million
2008 688 million 1.096 billionNOTE: Candidate receipts include federal funds accepted by party nominees each cycle. SOURCE: Raymond J. La Raja, University of Massachusetts
This article appeared in the Saturday, December 5, 2009 edition of National Journal.
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