President Obama twice commented at a press conference in the White House that "the private sector is doing fine."  In response Republican Senator Mitch McConnell said the President must be on another planet. 

Following the quickly changing statements, The Weekly Standard
reports, "It’s absolutely clear the economy is not doing fine," Obama
said, following up his comments from the morning.

"That’s the reason I
had a press conference. That’s why I spent yesterday, the day before
yesterday, this past week, this past month and this past year talking
about how we can make the economy stronger. The economy is not doing
fine. There are too many people out of work. The housing market is still
weak, too many homes underwater and that’s precisely why I asked
Congress to start taking some steps that can make a difference,” Obama added

The president’s second round of comments on the economy are being called a ‘backtrack’ and a ‘clarification.’ But it actually appears that Obama decided to double-down on his earlier remarks.
 
"Now, I think if you look at what I said this morning and what I’ve been saying consistently over the last year, we’ve actually seen some good momentum in the private sector," Obama said in his follow-up remarks. "We’ve seen 4.3 million jobs created — 800,000 this year alone — record corporate profits. And so that has not been the biggest drag on the economy." 

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell responds to President Obama’s address made Friday morning in which he urged Congress to take action on jobs and said the private sector was “doing fine.”

FOX NEWS: Here’s a quote from the president he said, "After losing jobs for 25 months in a row our businesses have actually created jobs for 27 months in a row; 4.3 million jobs in all." It sounds pretty good. Your response?

SENATOR MITCH MCCONNELL: Well the President must be on another planet. I mean we just–you just saw the jobs figures last Friday. To argue that the private sector is in good shape. It seems to me as to be completely disconnect from reality. We’ve got a very, very sluggish economy; a very slow growth rate. We’re just barely bumping along and I commend his creativity in trying to find some bright spots, but I don’t think very many Americans see any.

Click here for the video on Fox News.

Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum announced this morning the launch of a new organization, Patriot Voices, to mobilize one million conservatives around this country who are committed to promoting faith, family, freedom and opportunity.

As a candidate for President, Rick Santorum earned the support of
millions of conservatives and energized countless Americans who felt no
one was representing their views. Senator Santorum’s 11-state victory
reminded voters that conservative values are alive and well all across
America.

Patriot Voices, with the goal of recruiting one million members, is a grassroots and online community of Americans from across the country who stand together to affect change that otherwise could not be accomplished alone.
 
Former Senator Santorum said, "Patriot Voices is committed to promoting faith, family, freedom and opportunity. We believe that we’re one nation under God and all we do must be consistent with the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. We support candidates who share our convictions and hold those accountable that serve us in elected office. The defeat of Barack Obama, and those who support his policies, will be our first priority."
 
"Patriot Voices believes that family is the foundation for a healthy society and a strong economy. We believe in freedom and American exceptionalism; entrepreneurship and opportunity; and personal responsibility. We are also a voice for those who often cannot fight for themselves – the unborn, the disabled, the elderly, and those struggling economically in these difficult times," Santorum continued.
 
"With a goal of 1 million voices united, Patriot Voices will transform the political landscape of our country, and we will defeat President Obama this November," Santorum concluded.
 
Patriot Voices will also work closely with the Red White and Blue fund to offer financial and other political support to candidates who will stand up for conservative values.
 
Patriot Voices will focus on the following core issue areas:
•    We stand for the defeat of Barack Obama and those who support his radical agenda. We cannot afford four more years of his disastrous policies.
•    We stand for healthy families and a healthy economy. We want to expand opportunities for all Americans by advocating policies that encourage traditional marriage, support children and free enterprise. Healthy families help produce a healthy economy.
•    We stand for freedom and its defenders. We stand with our military and veterans.We stand with Israel and against the threats and values of Radical Islam, and we believe that the Iranian Regime can never obtain nuclear weapons. We believe in a strong national defense including a missile defense system, which give us the ability to defend ourselves and our allies.
•    We stand for the repeal of Obamacare and other government dependency programs that infringe on our freedoms, including religious freedom. The overreach of government under President Obama will continue to erode the freedoms that our country was founded on if not stopped.
•    We stand for renewing America as an economic power by protecting our innovative spirit, restarting our manufacturing capabilities and unleashing America’s domestic energy potential through pro-growth tax and regulatory reforms that also strengthen working families, struggling communities, and our national security.
•    We will always stand up for the most vulnerable among us- the unborn, the disabled, the elderly and the poor. We believe in the dignity of each and every human life and we will support policies that ensure the value of each person.

Contributions to Patriot Voices, Inc. are not tax deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Patriot Voices, Inc. is a 501 (c)(4) nonprofit organization. There are no contribution limits. Corporate contributions are permitted.
 
Learn more at www.patriotvoices.com.  

U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) yesterday released a new oversight report, “Money for Nothing” highlighting more than $70 billion in federal funds left unspent years after being appropriated by Congress due to poorly drafted laws, bureaucratic obstacles and mismanagement, and a general lack of interest or demand from the communities to which this money was allocated.

Most importantly, this report shows how real people have been impacted due to Congress’ inability to ensure appropriated funds are spent. 

In allowing high priority programs to languish, billions of dollars intended to reach areas with the most critical of needs. For example, the report highlights billions in federal aid intended to help victims of Hurricane Katrina left unused, more than $1 billion of transportation funds idling, billions intended for HIV/ AIDS treatment and prevention unspent, and nearly one-fourth of Homeland Security disaster grants has been left unspent for the past nine years.

“The exception to the proverb ‘a penny saved is a penny earned’ is the federal government, where an unspent dollar represents lost opportunities to reduce the debt or to assist an individual, a family, or a community. Nearly every challenge we face conjures up the same response from Washington: spend more money,” said Dr. Coburn. “However well-intended the effort may be, Congress’ lack of oversight consistently hurts the very people these appropriated funds are intended to help. Severely disabled individuals and AIDS patients left without care, structurally deficient bridges in dire need of repair, and students in the classrooms of some of the nation’s worst schools should not have to suffer as a result of our failure to set priorities and budget wisely.”

Additional findings include the following:

•    The Emergency Homeowners Loan Program (EHLP), failed to disburse more than a half of the program’s $1 billion budget even as thousands of those eligible for assistance were denied aid.
•    Nearly 1 in 3 highway dollars earmarked for highway projects since 1991 had not been spent as of 2011.  In total, these unspent highway earmarks, referred to by some as “disappearmarks,” account for about $13 billion as of last year.
•    Detroit, Michigan failed to spend over $100 million in federal aid including education assistance to help students in the worst performing schools in the nation.
•    Maryland increased taxes to assist severely disabled residents, while the state’s Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) sat on $38 million.
•    $45 million earmarked to develop a futuristic train that would whisk across the Mojave Desert to Las Vegas in limbo forever as a result of repetitive drafting errors.

To read the full report, click here.