MSN Money's Charley Blaine answers Facebook users' questions about the presidential race.
Why? Two reasons: The president's blanket opposition to fossil fuels, and the coal and chemical money lobbying Congress.
With the White House unwilling to back oil or natural gas and a new strain of Republicans opposed to any kind of government involvement in industry, as many as 300,000 energy jobs go begging.
Industrial executives crave certainty from Washington and, cynical as it sounds, view the election as a distraction that could prevent the president from interfering with business.
The automaker likes to remind us that it didn't take a government bailout like its Detroit rivals, but does the story resonate with car buyers?
Passing the president's jobs plan would be worse than doing nothing at all.
Even if a deal comes through before Tuesday, it's unlikely that the government can cooperate well enough to prevent a downgrade.
A failure to reach an agreement on the debt ceiling by Aug. 2 wouldn't have to result in a default on US bonds. But how would traders react?
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TOP STOCKS
Try as the bears might, they couldn't break US stocks. But investors still face frothy prices and considerable headwinds.
MARKET DISPATCHES
The Market Dispatches column has been discontinued. Here's where to find the latest stock and business news on MSN Money, and the latest from market writer Charley Blaine.
FRUGAL COOL
Starting Monday, this site is joining forces with MSN Money Smart Spending. Here's why.
MONEY & POLITICS
Breaking up big banks is an untested solution to the too big to fail problem that attempts to isolate and dismantle large, troubled institutions while protecting the rest of the economy.
SMART SPENDING
A new federal safety report shows toddlers and minority children make up a disproportionate number of drowning victims.
SMART TAXES
The IRS is struggling to combat identify thieves who file fraudulent tax returns in the names of older residents who don't need to file.
