President Obama leaves for vacation on Martha's Vineyard today at 3:30 et. He's meeting with his economic and national security teams before he leaves. Will the Vineyard Vacation hurt the president, especially with the economy still in a rut? Seems like every August, every president faces the same question. The optics don't look great, but will anyone remember come election time?
Meanwhile, Gallup finds 71% disapprove of the job President Obama is doing on the economy. He's promising a major jobs speech after Labor Day, and one aide tells the AP it will have "fresh ideas". It better -- there's tons of work that could be done on bridges, roads, rail, and utilities all across the country. Interest rates are low and labor is plentiful. The federal government should be spending the money now to get people working for America again.
Even though President Obama's job approval numbers dipped into the high-30s of late, Truman, Reagan and Clinton all won re-election after their numbers hit similar lows.
Rick Perry had a rocky couple of days, but his debut in the New Hampshire polls looks strong. Meanwhile, Nate Silver examines Perry's general election electability.
Unnecessary Roughness? What's up with Michele Bachmann's bouncers? They're getting a reputation of being rough with reporters.