Red vs. Blue: Unemployment

Today, the high unemployment rate is a big topic for debate amongst politicians. Generally speaking, Democrats tend to support more government involvement in creating jobs and actively working to decrease unemployment rates. President Obama's $800 billion stimulus package that increased spending was created with the intent of creating jobs and stimulating the economy. While the package did reduce unemployment and boost G.D.P., these changes were so minimal that most Americans view the entire tactic as entirely ineffective. Supporters of the package argue that without it, unemployment would have soared to over eleven percent. This might be true, however when the government dumps hundreds of billions of dollars into the economy and unemployment doesn't notably decrease, people are rightfully dissatisfied. And, looking ahead towards the 2012 Presidential Election, it's going to be difficult for voters to find visual evidence of what the stimulus has done. Obama, by taking direct action to address the issue, is probably more negatively viewed upon than if he did nothing at all, given the results of his stimulus plan. People generally think that the President is always responsible for the state of the economy. So, if a Republican gets elected in 2012, the question of what will decrease and stabilize unemployment will arise. Now, the general Republican view regarding this topic is minimal involvement in regulating the economy. So, if a Republican were to be elected, there will most likely not be any immediate nor drastic action in terms of fixing the issue of high unemployment.