Hell hath no fury like a member of Congress whose constituents are facing an unemployment “epidemic.” Rep. Maxine Waters continues to give voice to African Americans who know a rising tide does not lift all boats.
Days after urging the President to “fight harder,” Waters took the fight to Don Graves, the executive director of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. During the Congressional Black Caucus’ town hall meeting in Miami, Graves said “certain communities have been hit harder than other communities.”
Waters wanted a more targeted response:
Let me hear you say black.
According to the Miami Herald, Graves responded “meekly”:
Black, African-American, Latino –- we’re going to focus on getting people back to work.
It may be time for President Obama to get back to work. The latest Gallup daily tracking poll shows his approval rating has slipped to 38 percent; 54 percent disapprove of his job performance.
Obama’s support among whites and Hispanics is 32 percent and 44 percent respectively. The president is standing on shaky ground with swing voters. Just 35 percent of independent voters give him a thumbs up.
The bottom line: The 88 percent approval of black Americans is keeping Obama in the game.
