Dec 30 Iowa’s Emptying Nest Counties Could Spoil Romney’s, Gingrich’s Caucuses Weather-beaten farm buildings stand along Highway 6 in Marengo, Iowa. Marengo is located in one of Iowa's many "Emptying Nest" counties, where Republican presidential candidates are seeking support in next week's all-important Iowa Caucuses; photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images… Continue reading
Dec 27 Is Obama Getting His Mojo Back? President Obama speaks in the White House Rose Garden; file photo by Jim WatsonAFP/Getty Images. Barack Obama has not had an easy ride as president. He took office as the economy was collapsing on many fronts -- spikes in… Continue reading
Dec 12 What Would Impact of a Payroll Tax Increase Be in Your County? Like a very, very long episode of the TV series 24, the White House website's We Can't Wait clock ticks down. The clock, which displays the amount of time left before the current payroll tax cut expires, is… Continue reading
Nov 17 And Now, Some Good Economic News Job seekers and employers meet in Ontario, Calif.; file photo by David McNew/Getty Images Over the last four years, scanning the nation's business headlines has become something best done with a pack of Tums at the ready. From housing… Continue reading
Oct 11 Are Occupy Wall Street, Tea Party Signs of Building Populist Movements? Occupy Wall Street demonstrator. File photo by Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images What began in Manhattan more than three weeks ago with the rallying cry to "occupy Wall Street" has grown to become something more. The loosely organized liberal protest group… Continue reading
Sep 02 Obama’s Donor Base for 2012: What We Know, What We Don’t President Obama shakes hands with people after speaking about immigration reform in May in El Paso, Texas. Photo by Pete Souza/White House President Obama's public approval numbers may be down, but he still has a large number of… Continue reading
Sep 01 Romney Country, Bachmann Land, Paul-topia: Where the GOP Field’s Money Comes From, What it Means GOP presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Ron Paul; file photo Saying you like a candidate is one level of support. Putting a sign in your yard is a bit more. But when your support turns into dollars, ah, there's… Continue reading
Aug 26 Environment vs. Economy in 2012 Smokestacks belch out smoke at a factory; file photo In every election there are a few issues that shape the look and feel of the campaign, and even in the earliest stages of the 2012 race, one issue has… Continue reading
Aug 22 Military Bastions Join Defense Officials, Lobbyists in Fighting Possible Cuts Reniah Krause, 2, clings to her father Sgt. Joseph Krause in June at Fort Carson, Colo., after he and fellow soldiers arrived back from Afghanistan; John Moore/Getty Images The debt-busting congressional super committee has yet to hold its… Continue reading
Aug 19 How Many Americans Have Money on the Line Amid All the Market Volatility? Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Friday in New York; photo by Scott Eells/Bloomberg via Getty Images In an unstable time, the Dow Jones industrial average has become something of an economic zeitgeist checker. Continue reading