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Sneak Peek for the week of June 3
These are some of the stories we are looking at this week.
Magic Number: On Tuesday, Mitt Romney hit the “magic number” of delegates necessary to win the GOP nomination. Today, a new battleground state poll shows, it's all tied up in some of the key battleground states that will decide the 2012 presidential election. The NBC News/Marist poll has the rivals statistically tied in Colorado, Iowa and Nevada. Voters there say the economy is their top issue headed into November.
FULL POST
Veterans face unemployment at home
Tim Tetz and Paul Rieckhoff on the value of hiring a veteran and how many veterans are coming home to an unemployment check.
Tetz: "The biggest, scariest number...is the fact of the 780,000 veterans who are currently out of a job, two-thirds of them are between the ages of 35 and 64. And they might not have the resources like the G.I. Bill and many of the other things that these younger veterans have to use."
VA backlog 'plagues' veterans nationwide
Tim Tetz and Paul Rieckhoff on the military and VA backlog that is keeping soldiers in limbo, saying it is an 'atrocity'.
"The average veteran is waiting six months for a disability claim to go through. If you appeal, it resets to two years. So the system is broken," said Rieckhoff.
Veterans are political "jump ball"
Tim Tetz and Paul Rieckhoff on efforts to court the military vote and what veterans are looking for in the 2012 election.
"Nobody has got this locked up, and especially this year where neither candidate is a military veteran themselves. So Mitt Romney and the president are both going to have to work hard and show how they've made an impact in the past, and how they're really going to get things like the backlog done," said Rieckhoff.
Gen. Chiarelli on treating PTSD and TBI
Fmr. Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Chiarelli on the challenges remaining in treating traumatic brain injuries and PTSD.
"We're doing as best as we possibly can but the problem is we just do not have the really good diagnostic tools we need that in every case we can see who's being afflicted both with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury."
Giuliani gets over ego and praises Romney
Rudy Giuliani, said he blames his ego for previous criticism of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
"Well, I mean, there's a certain amount of personal ego in that. At that point I was probably comparing his record to my record...That’s all part of campaigning."
Are veterans benefits in jeopardy?
Sen. Patty Murray (D) Chairwoman, Veterans' Affairs Committee talks about what is being done to protect veterans benefits in Congress.
"Sequestration is something that all of us have to be concerned about. We've got some real big decisions coming at us. We believe that veterans benefits are protected under that, as they should be, because we have asked these men and women to go to war. They should not be making the sacrifices."
Rudy Giuliani's advice to Romney "be yourself"
Rudy Giuliani weighs in on the 2012 race and talks about what Mitt Romney can do to make a personal connection with voters.
"Every candidate is, you know, 60/40, 70/30, 80/20, there's no perfect candidate, and the reality is all of us have our strengths and weaknesses. I think it's no secret that Governor Romney's problem during the primary was that idea of making a personal connection. It shows in the polls. And I think he's doing a much better job at it. And, frankly, my advice to him would be, be yourself. I mean, if, in fact, you are a somewhat formal person, that's okay be a formal person."
Schultz: 2012 will be a "close election"
DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said Sunday that the 2012 race will be a "close one."
"This election was always going to be close and it will be close probably right down to the wire. President Obama has acknowledged that while we've made progress, he is not satisfied with the progress that we've made. We need to continue to push hard.
Lost in the System
We want to hear from you.
We were struck by both the growing backlog at the V.A., as well as the stories of some service-members who have been deemed unfit for service due to an injury, but have to wait up to 400 days or more to be discharged.
If this is happening to you or someone you know; please send us an email and use "Lost in the System" in the subject line.
About This Show
From the country’s major political and policy issues to diplomacy on the global stage, State of the Union with Candy Crowley brings in the world’s top newsmakers and analysts to deliver the smartest, most comprehensive look at what matters most to you. Sundays at 9am and Noon ET.
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