Brewer's Bad Gaffe

Now the question is how much will this hurt her.

Feingold: "I'm A Career Politician"

This one is hard to believe.

Feingold said at a news conference that Republican Ron Johnson's frequent use of the description in a derogatory way is unoriginal and falsely implies that being dedicated to public service is "somehow an awful thing."

"This man's campaign so far appears to be the constant repetition of a phrase, 'career politician,'" Feingold said. "And it's not very original because it's basically being used in every campaign in the United States of America. What it amounts to is an attack on me and what I've chosen to do in my life."

Feingold is facing a tougher-than-anticipated challenge from Johnson, a political newcomer Republicans hope can knock off the three-term incumbent and help put the Senate back in GOP control. Polls show a tight race eight weeks from the election.

I'm not sure if this is the year to run as the "career politician". If that's Feingold's strategy, this race goes from toss up to safe Republican.

As for his assertion that there's nothing wrong with a "career politician", I suggest he look around at the motley crue of thieves, liars, and opportunists we like to call Congress and he should get his answer for what's wrong with a career politician.

The Green Economy of HIlda Solis

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis knows the answer the our sluggish economy.

This Labor Day, many people throughout Indiana are struggling just to get by. Families that have played by the rules are being forced into incredibly difficult decisions. Do they pay for their children's college tuition or make that mortgage payment?

These people are on my mind every single day and, like President Obama, I am hard at work ensuring they have a real opportunity to succeed.The recession has caused a generational restructuring of America's labor market, and our future now depends on what we do to retrain and retool for the 21st-century work force.

The Department of Labor already has given $223 million to help meet the needs of workers in Indiana, including Recovery Act funds. Our investments are aimed at training for in-demand jobs in high-growth industries, like energy efficiency and renewable energy generation. Other grants have gone to YouthBuild and youth work- force activities, assistance for dislocated and trade-impacted workers, and career counseling.

Businesses are leaner and more selective about hiring these days. We recognize and are meeting this challenge in many Indiana communities -- and across America -- by helping workers upgrade their skills. People will have the skills they need to get good jobs, and businesses will have the trained employees they need to succeed. That's what I call win-win.

The president is all about protecting the environment and he has a cabinet full of like minded people. Don't get me wrong. We should all be stewards of the economy. Furthermore, if someone wants to make money providing green energy, green jobs, or anything else that's green more power to them.

If they're using their own money, I wish them luck. That's why I like T. Boone Pickens. He's not only championing the green economy but he's putting a significant portion of his seven billion dollars behind it.

The problem here is that the president has a vision of our society, and he's determined to see it transformed into that vision. That's one thing. The problem is that he's determined to use nearly unlimited government resources to accomplish the green economy. That's the government picking winners and losers.

Wind farms like this are popular in some parts of Indiana. That's because the level land makes the area perfect for wind energy. The reality is that most of the U.S. is not fertile for wind energy.

That's the problem with most alternative, or green, energy sources. They are simply not ready for any mass scale usage. Yet, the president and his team are determined to jam the green economy onto the economy no matter how ready it is for it.

Summertime in Chicago

Christine O'Donnell's Financial Problems

Christine O'Donnell has taken the mantle as the fiscal conservative in the Senate primary in Delaware. Her own personal finances don't fit the message it appears.

O'Donnell, a perennial conservative candidate in Delaware, is challenging moderate Rep. Mike Castle (R), the clear favorite of the GOP establishment. But she has come under fire recently for her personal financial problems. Reports have surfaced that she owed $10K in back taxes, defaulted on her mortgage and holds outstanding campaign debt.

I am in no position to criticize anyone else's finances. Still, it will be interesting to see if this becomes a story. She makes fiscal conservatisim a platform, and so if her own personal finances don't match that, this should be an issue.

A new poll shows that race with Mike Castle tightening.

Anita Moncrief on BTR

I did a series of features on Anita Moncrief last year. She has resurfaced as the target of this piece on Blog Talk Radio.

Listen to internet radio with One Black Man on Blog Talk Radio

Here's one of my features on her.

"Mixed Numbers on Employment"

The economy lost 54,000 in August including the reduction of 114,000 census jobs.

Nonfarm payrolls fell 54,000, the Labor Department said on Friday as temporary jobs to conduct the decennial dropped by 114,000.

Private employment, considered a better gauge of labor market health, increased 67,000 after a revised 107,000 gain in July. In addition, the government revised payrolls for June and July to show 123,000 fewer jobs lost than previously reported.

The decline in payrolls was about half as large as expected. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast overall employment falling 100,000 and private-sector hiring increasing 41,000.

Following an awful number from ADP on Wednesday, the predictions were downright awful. So, the numbers beat expectations and the Dow is up over one hundred points.

The hours worked weekly stayed the same at 34.2 hours and the unemployment rate inched up to 9.6%. Though, that maybe somewhat good news as that's because more people came back into the workforce. The unemployment rate including discouraged and underemployed is at about 18%. Watch for the president to proclaim that we've gained private sector jobs for the seventh straight month, and, in fact, the number for July was revised up over 100k.