Jennifer Forsyth, the National Editor of the Wall Street Journal, will deliver the Keynote speech on how 2012 Presidential Election campaign coverage impacted the economy at the Austin Chamber’s annual Economic Outlook. Forsyth coordinates the news organization’s coverage of politics, economics and general U.S. news.
Previously, she served as Dallas bureau chief, in charge of southwest-regional coverage and energy. Before that, she was the Journal’s Law bureau chief in New York, in charge of legal and courts coverage and served as an editor and reporter in the Real Estate bureau. In her stint as Dallas chief, she oversaw the Journal’s investigation of the Deepwater Horizon oil-rig disaster, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting and won a Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism. She was named national editor in October, 2011, and has had a front-row seat in viewing how economics has shaped the election.
Forsyth’s previews her insights on the Election for the Austin Chamber:
The Republicans and Democrats have given voters a very clear choice.
Not long ago, both parties had moved so much to the center that it was hard to tell them apart. That’s certainly not true in 2012. The Republicans have articulated a vision of leaner government and less regulation that they say will allow businesses to grow and prosper, which in turn will benefit everyone by providing more jobs. The Democrats say the wealthy should pay a larger share of the tax burden. That, they say, would boost economic growth by giving middle-class consumers more spending money and by providing them access to better educational opportunities for today’s selective job market.
Given the divergent views, it’s remarkable how tight so many of the polls are. Most people have already made up their minds. They’ve bought one argument or the other, and say they plan to vote accordingly.
That means the party–and therefore the vision–that will prevail in November comes down to a relatively small group of people who say they are still undecided. The country’s fate is in their hands.
Hear more about what she has to say on December 6 at the Hilton Austin.
You don’t have to wait until December for news and insights, you can follow the national economic news coverage with Jennifer and her reporters on Twitter: @ForsythJenn; @DavidMWessel; @GeraldFSeib; @WSJ.
Reserve your seat at this event for $55 here. Late and onsite tickets will be available for $70 beginning November 30.
Presenting sponsor is Bank of America. Reception sponsors are Cushman & Wakefield, Oxford Commerical, and Time Warner Cable Business Class. Corporate sponsor is Live Oak-Gottesman. For information on sponsorships, please contact Bradley Napp, Vice President of Partnership Development, bnapp@austinchamber.com, 512-322-5619.
