Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Opinion

Michael Barone

Obama Pitches Stimulus in Elkhart, Indiana, RV Capital of the World--Why?

February 09, 2009 12:42 PM ET | Michael Barone | Permanent Link | Print

By Michael Barone, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

Barack Obama is speaking today in Elkhart, Indiana, which had very high unemployment (15.3 percent) in December, a record. But why does Elkhart have such exceptionally high unemployment? The answer is that it is, as a promotional website tells us, "The RV Capital of the World." RV sales are down this year, and I don't suppose they'll be helped by the cap-and-trade system that Obama and most Democrats want to impose on our economy. Yes, Elkhart County trended hugely to Obama. George W. Bush carried it 70 percent to 29 percent in 2004, and, Obama lost it by only 55 percent to 44 percent in 2008. Obama made those gains because of what people in Elkhart County thought George Bush failed to deliver. Now Obama must deliver himself.

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Tags: economic stimulus | Obama administration

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Michael Barone is a senior writer for U.S.News & World Report and principal coauthor of The Almanac of American Politics. He has written for many publications—including the Economist and the New York Times.

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