GOP leader: Rise in unemployment rate could sink Obama (VIDEO)
| Washington
The increase in the nation鈥檚 unemployment rate in June is a major moment in President Obama鈥檚 reelection campaign and comments by one of Obama鈥檚 top advisers minimizing the political effects of joblessness are 鈥渓ike nails on a chalkboard to voters,鈥� a top Republican strategist says.
Ed Gillespie, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, told reporters at a Monitor-sponsored breakfast Friday that recent focus groups show independent voters think unemployment 鈥渋s very important, and it is personal to them as we saw in these focus groups.鈥�
Mr. Gillespie is referring to a series of focus groups conducted among independent voters in June by Resurgent Republic. It is a Republican group aimed at shaping the debate on the role of government. Gillespie is on the board of Resurgent Republic.
The focus groups included 41 independent voters. These independents 鈥� 31 of whom voted for Obama 鈥� don鈥檛 hold the president solely responsible for the economy鈥檚 problems, but are skeptical of his leadership and spending policies. They 鈥渄on鈥檛 think he has made things better,鈥� Gillespie said.
Jobless figures released Friday morning, showing the unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent in June, are "reinforcing" data released last month which showed joblessness on the rise in May. Rising joblessness as the election draws closer 鈥渨as a seminal moment in the reelection campaign,鈥� Gillespie said. No modern president has been reelected with unemployment at its current level.
Gillespie blasted Obama confidant David Plouffe, who ran the President鈥檚 2008 election campaign and now carries a 鈥渟enior adviser鈥� title at the White House. Mr. Plouffe spoke at a Bloomberg News breakfast on Wednesday, where he said that 鈥渢he average American does not view the economy through the prism of GDP or unemployment rates or even monthly job numbers.鈥�
Instead, Plouffe said, voters will vote based on 鈥渉ow do I feel about my own situation? Do I believe the president makes decisions based on me and my family?鈥�
Voters 鈥渒now the economy is bad,鈥� Gillespie said. 鈥淲hen they hear people say, like the president of the United States, 'Well, just a bump in the road' or 'Things are not that bad,' it is like nails on a chalkboard to them. And for Plouffe to say, 'Well, unemployment doesn鈥檛 really matter in terms of the president鈥檚 reelection,' that will be more nails on the chalkboard to voters.鈥�
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