Dems Will Regret Not Being Bolder on Economy

Prez now ahead of all four GOP contenders

(NEWSER) - The rising economy may be enough to carry President Obama to a second term, according to the latest New York Times / CBS poll. The percentage of people feeling optimistic about the economy has surged over the last few months, the poll found, and Obama's approval rating is back above 50%, the highest since May 2010 apart from a brief bump after the killing of Osama bin Laden last year. Obama now leads all four of his potential Republican opponents, the poll found. More»

Firm to invest $580K in aviation plants amid effort to reboot economy

(NEWSER) - As General Electric prepares to host an economic summit in Washington, the firm has announced some fixes of its own: It will hire 5,000 US veterans over five years and invest $580 million in its aviation operations this year, Reuters reports. "We should have the confidence to act and to restore American competitiveness," said CEO and Obama adviser Jeffrey Immelt. The company will open new plants in Dayton, Ohio; Ellsville, Mississippi; and Auburn, Alabama. The four-day Washington gathering begins today, and will feature speeches by Boeing boss James McNerney and Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris. More»

Columbus, Indiana, and Casper, Wyoming top employment list

(NEWSER) - Recession—that's a big-city thing, right? Several mid-size cities around the US are making an argument for their economic superiority, boasting job growth higher than the 1.5% national average in 2011. You may not know these cities well, but the Christian Science Monitor recommends them:

1. Columbus, Indiana: No, not Ohio's Columbus: Indiana's version had 10% growth from 2009 to 2010, making it the best economic rebounder during the Great Recession. Jobs are up 6.4%.

Strikes occurring every 4 days under Obama: report

(NEWSER) - A few days back, President Obama said that US drone attacks in Pakistan had "not caused a huge number of civilian casualties." But a Bureau of Investigative Journalism report finds that somewhere between 282 and 535 civilians, including 60 children, have been "credibly reported" killed in the campaign. Secondary strikes target groups of rescuers shortly after attacks, while other drones have killed dozens at funerals. Obama has drastically escalated the drone program; some 260 strikes have occurred an average of once every four days under his administration. More»

Economy could propel him to re-election, or doom him

(NEWSER) - The better-than-expected jobs report yesterday lifts President Obama's chances of re-election, but the Wall Street Journal points out that he's going to need more good news if history is any guide. It could go one of two ways, a la Ronald Reagan or George HW Bush. At the moment, the unemployment numbers are similar to Reagan's at the same time in his first term—today's 8.3% vs. 8% then. But, crucially, the numbers kept improving all the way through the election, and Reagan won. More»