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Unsurprising fact of the day: Small business optimism continues to tank

Natalie Gonnella
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With economic confidence sinking, unemployment soaring, and the country's fiscal future in flux, Gallup's latest poll results detailing the expectations of small business owners comes as no surprise.

According to the latest analysis:

Small-business owners turned less optimistic about future revenues and new hiring even prior to the events of recent weeks and the plunge in economic confidence. The percentage of owners anticipating that their revenues would increase over the next 12 months fell to 42% in July, down from 49% in April and 54% in January. At the same time, 18% expect their revenues to decrease. Small-business-owner revenue expectations are no better now than they were in October 2010.

And when it comes to future hiring expectations:

The percentage of small-business owners expecting the overall number of jobs at their company to increase over the next 12 months also fell in July, to 16% from 19% in April and 23% in January. Simultaneously, 12% of owners expect a decrease in the number of jobs at their companies over the next 12 months. Small-business hiring and firing intentions are now the lowest since this time a year ago.

As Obama claims to be turning his attention to job creation (something the GOP has regularly pursued in both the House and Senate throughout the current congressional term) the full results from Gallup's latest small business survey are available to view here.

When it comes to campaign cash, Wall Street pulls a u-turn favoring Romney over Obama for 2012

Natalie Gonnella
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A year after President Obama signed into law the most extensive financial regulations since the 1930's, Wall Street's doing a 180 when it comes to political contributions, favoring Romney over Obama when it comes to campaign cash for 2012.

As Republicans work to roll back the Dodd-Frank Act, according to Bloomberg:

Employees of Goldman Sachs Group gave Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney $238,250 in the last three months, more than workers at any other company, according to a computer-assisted analysis of Federal Election Commission data. Obama took in $10,113.

Four years ago, employees of New York-based Goldman gave $994,795 to Obama and $234,275 to Romney, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research group. For both candidates, it was more than any other company’s employees.

In addition, Romney took in $2.1 million from donors reporting a New York state address, where the financial industry is headquartered, FEC data shows. Obama raised $1.3 million during the same period. For the 2008 election, Obama raised $50.5 million in the state; Romney raised $2.8 million, according to the center.

Mitt Romney currently holds the lead in the fundraising fight among GOP contenders, adding more than $18.4 million to his campaign from April - June, outpacing even his closest rival Michele Bachmann by a 3:1 margin. 

The resignations continue for the Cain campaign as two more staffers quit

Natalie Gonnella
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As Newt Gingrich attempts to recover from staff resignations in June, Herman Cain appears to be finding himself in a similar situation this month. Just days after top staffers quit the businessman's presidential campaign, two others have also followed suit. CNN reports:

Tina Goff, the Iowa organizational director, confirms to CNN that she left the campaign on Friday. Goff also said that another Iowa staffer - Straw Poll coordinator Kevin Hart - resigned that day. The Cain campaign confirmed both developments.

The Cain campaign downplayed the significance of Goff's title. "She was a junior-level staffer," claimed Communications Director Ellen Carmichael. She said the campaign had not yet hired a director for the state, but that it soon will.

Goff told CNN that the conservative businessman "wasn't willing to make the commitment to Iowa necessary to win the [Ames] straw poll." That contest is seen as an early test of success in Iowa.

Goff added that she was concerned by the amount of money and time the Cain campaign was committing to that straw poll. However, she declined to discuss specifics.