Cagle Post: Why Nevada Matters

As I flew into Las Vegas, Nevada, for the CNN Presidential Debate and the Western Republican Leadership Conference last week, I saw firsthand what the Obama Recession has done to the Silver State. When you make your final descent into McCarran International Airport, you are struck by the streets and cul-de-sacs without any homes on them. Nevada has a 13.4 percent unemployment rate that ranks first amongst all states, and is 1.5 percent higher than California which ranks second with 11.9 percent. To make matters worse, Nevada’s unemployment rate has been number one for 16 straight months. This very high unemployment rate, coupled with the foreclosure crisis, has made times extremely tough for Nevadans.

That is why President Obama is flying into Nevada today, trying to stem the bleeding of his campaign where he has a 44 percent approval rating. President Obama has been tone deaf to the needs of Nevadans because he has focused on issues that do not fix the housing market and do not lower the unemployment rate. What President Obama says today will just be lip service to a state that he needs desperately to get reelected.

You would think Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid – who happens to be from Nevada – would understand the calamity that is the Obama Recession. However, while I was in his home state, Harry Reid said back in Washington, “It’s very clear that private-sector jobs have been doing just fine; it’s the public-sector jobs where we’ve lost huge numbers, and that’s what this legislation is all about.” What!? Harry Reid’s analysis of America’s unemployment crisis is just plain wrong and out-of-touch. Since the beginning of the recession, there have been over 6 million private sector jobs lost in America – a 5.4 percent decline. Public sector jobs – including federal, state, and local – have lost 392,000 jobs – a 1.8 percent decline.

Read more at Cagle here.