Robert Kuttner, The American Prospect
The president did exactly what he needed to in tonight's debate: He used Romney against Romney. President Barack Obama laughs as he talks with audience members after the second presidential debate at Hofstra University.President Obama did what he needed to do tonight. He took the debate to Mitt Romney. He was relaxed, even jaunty, as he scored one point after another. He seemed to be enjoying himself at Romney's expense. He looked more comfortable and commanding as the debate wore on, while Romney looked more stiff, edgy, and salesman-like.
Why the 2012 Race May Come Down to Coal
On October - 17 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
David Roberts, Foreign Policy
Mitt Romney and the U.S. coal industry are engaged in a very public love affair. In August, the Republican candidate stood on a stage in Ohio and condemned Barack Obama's "war on coal," backed by a group of beefy, safety-helmeted men who looked like they just stomped out of a coal mine. Those miners later appeared in one of Romney's two September ads focused on coal, the "way of life" that, in his telling, Obama is ruthlessly attempting to crush. "By the way," Romney said in his first debate with Obama, lest America miss the point, "I like...
Mitt Romney and the U.S. coal industry are engaged in a very public love affair. In August, the Republican candidate stood on a stage in Ohio and condemned Barack Obama's "war on coal," backed by a group of beefy, safety-helmeted men who looked like they just stomped out of a coal mine. Those miners later appeared in one of Romney's two September ads focused on coal, the "way of life" that, in his telling, Obama is ruthlessly attempting to crush. "By the way," Romney said in his first debate with Obama, lest America miss the point, "I like...
Barack Obama: Says Mitt Romney "called the Arizona law a model for the nation."
On October - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Barack Obama says Mitt Romney called the Arizona immigration law a 'model for the nation.'
In the second presidential debate at Hofstra University, President Barack Obama repeated a claim that he and many of his allies have repeated for months. Referring to a high-profile Arizona immigration law known as S.B. 1070, Obama said Romney "called the Arizona law a model for the nation." Soon after Obama made that claim, Romney fired back. "I did not say that the Arizona law was a model for the nation in that aspect," Romney said at the debate. "I said that the E-Verify portion of the Arizona law, which is the portion ...
>> MoreMitt Romney: "Oil production is down 14 percent this year on federal land."
On October - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | Mitt Romney says 'oil production is down 14 percent this year on federal land'
President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney sparred during the second presidential debate over drilling policy on federal lands. Romney said -- among other things -- that "oil production is down 14 percent this year on federal land." That’s similar to a statement that PolitiFact Ohio checked last April-- "Last year, we produced 14 percent less oil on public lands than we did the year before." It’s also similar to a claim we checked a few weeks later, that oil "production's down where Obama's in charge." We’ll recap our ...
>> MoreLobbyists Ready for a Comeback Under Romney
On October - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Anna Palmer, Politico
President Barack Obama’s gone further than any president to keep lobbyists out of the White House — even signing executive orders to do it.But the mood on K Street is brightening.
President Barack Obama’s gone further than any president to keep lobbyists out of the White House — even signing executive orders to do it.But the mood on K Street is brightening.
Actually, Obama’s WH Is Stocked With Lobbyists
On October - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Tim Carney, Examiner
If Romney wins, will lobbyists defile the White House that Obama has kept so clean and so pure? That’s what Politico suggests with this piece today headlined “Lobbyists ready for a comeback under Romney.” President Barack Obama’s gone further than any president to keep lobbyists out of the White House — even signing executive orders to do it.
If Romney wins, will lobbyists defile the White House that Obama has kept so clean and so pure? That’s what Politico suggests with this piece today headlined “Lobbyists ready for a comeback under Romney.” President Barack Obama’s gone further than any president to keep lobbyists out of the White House — even signing executive orders to do it.
How Obama Sqaundered His Presidency
On October - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Victor Davis Hanson, NRO
The Obama narrative is that he inherited the worst mess in memory and has been stymied ever since by a partisan Congress - while everything from new ATM technology to the Japanese tsunami conspired against him. But how true are those claims?Barack Obama entered office with an approval rating of over 70 percent. John McCain’s campaign had been anemic and almost at times seemed as if it was designed to lose nobly to the nation’s first African-American presidential nominee.
The Obama narrative is that he inherited the worst mess in memory and has been stymied ever since by a partisan Congress - while everything from new ATM technology to the Japanese tsunami conspired against him. But how true are those claims?Barack Obama entered office with an approval rating of over 70 percent. John McCain’s campaign had been anemic and almost at times seemed as if it was designed to lose nobly to the nation’s first African-American presidential nominee.
Barack Obama: As governor, "Mitt Romney raised nursing home fees eight times."
On October - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly False | Obama ad says Romney raised nursing home fees eight times in Mass.
A new Obama campaign ad urges middle-class voters to pay attention to Medicaid, the government health program most commonly known for providing care to the poor, and to the changes Mitt Romney will make to it. Against images of middle-age couples caring for elderly parents, a narrator says "It’s one of the hardest decisions a family can make, realizing a nursing home is the only choice." It continues, "for many middle-class families, Medicaid is the only way to afford the care. But as a governor Mitt Romney raised nursing home fees eight ...
>> MoreObama Campaign Says It Has Set New Donor Record
On October - 13 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — President Barack Obama's campaign says it has surpassed 4 million donors, a record for a presidential campaign.
The president's field director Jeremy Bird announced the total in an email to supporters Saturday night.
Obama's campaign has relied on small donors to boost its fundraising totals through the summer and fall. The campaign raised $181 million in September, its biggest haul of the cycle.
Republican Mitt Romney's campaign has not yet announced its September fundraising numbers.
Paul Ryan: "The Canadians — they (dropped) their tax rates to 15 percent. The average tax rate on businesses in the industrialized world is 25 percent."
On October - 12 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly True | Paul Ryan says Canada now has 15 percent corporate tax rate
Canada doesn’t often get mentioned in political debates in the United States, but our northern neighbor had a cameo in the vice presidential debate, cited as a bastion of low taxes. Seeking to draw a contrast with the tax policies of President Barack Obama, Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin native, said, "Where I come from, overseas, which is Lake Superior — the Canadians — they drop their tax rates to 15 percent. The average tax rate on businesses in the industrialized world is 25 percent." We wondered whether Canada was really as much of ...
>> MoreHow Likely Is an Electoral Vote/Popular Vote Split?
On October - 12 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Sean Trende, RCP
The possibility that Mitt Romney could win the popular vote while Barack Obama wins the vote in the Electoral College has been discussed throughout this campaign. In recent days, we've seen pieces from Nate Silver, Nate Cohn, Harry Enten and RCP's Scott Conroy discussing the issue. Obama Campaign Manager Jim Messina has even referenced the potential discrepancy, urging reporters to look at the state polls rather than the national surveys.How likely is this, really? History suggests "not very," unless the race is extremely close. This is because the Electoral...
The possibility that Mitt Romney could win the popular vote while Barack Obama wins the vote in the Electoral College has been discussed throughout this campaign. In recent days, we've seen pieces from Nate Silver, Nate Cohn, Harry Enten and RCP's Scott Conroy discussing the issue. Obama Campaign Manager Jim Messina has even referenced the potential discrepancy, urging reporters to look at the state polls rather than the national surveys.How likely is this, really? History suggests "not very," unless the race is extremely close. This is because the Electoral...
Aggressive Joltin’ Joe Wins the Bout
On October - 12 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Roger Simon, Politico
Whatever Joe Biden was drinking Thursday night, Barack Obama ought to order a case of it. Biden took on Paul Ryan in the one and only vice presidential debate and did what Obama had failed to do last week in his debate with Mitt Romney: Biden not only won over the audience, but got under his opponent’s skin.
Whatever Joe Biden was drinking Thursday night, Barack Obama ought to order a case of it. Biden took on Paul Ryan in the one and only vice presidential debate and did what Obama had failed to do last week in his debate with Mitt Romney: Biden not only won over the audience, but got under his opponent’s skin.
Ghosts of Al Gore to Haunt Smirking, Fibbing Biden
On October - 12 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Toby Harnden, DM
Joe Biden came out swinging at Paul Ryan, flailing wildly and landing a few punches on his own jaw as well as his opponent's. He showed the kind of spirit and populaist anger that President Barack Obama was so conspicuously lacking and has cheered up many demoralised Democrats.But Biden's performance here in Danville, Kentucky was both comical and self-defeating. Just as Al Gore sighed and rolled his eyes in 2000, so Biden smirked and guffawed. He gesticulated wildly and jabbed his finger. He interrupted Ryan and the moderator Martha Raddatz. Many women and swing voters will have...
Joe Biden came out swinging at Paul Ryan, flailing wildly and landing a few punches on his own jaw as well as his opponent's. He showed the kind of spirit and populaist anger that President Barack Obama was so conspicuously lacking and has cheered up many demoralised Democrats.But Biden's performance here in Danville, Kentucky was both comical and self-defeating. Just as Al Gore sighed and rolled his eyes in 2000, so Biden smirked and guffawed. He gesticulated wildly and jabbed his finger. He interrupted Ryan and the moderator Martha Raddatz. Many women and swing voters will have...
Paul Ryan: Says Obama was in New York City the same day as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but went on a TV show instead of meeting with him.
On October - 11 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Paul Ryan said Obama was in NYC same day as Bibi but dissed him
President Barack Obama couldn’t manage to squeeze in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while they were in New York on the same day, but Obama did find time to go on a TV talk show, charged vice presidential candidate U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., during a debate on Oct. 11. Here is what Ryan said: "Let's look at this from the view of the ayatollahs. What do they see? They see this administration trying to water down sanctions in Congress for over two years. They're moving faster toward a nuclear ...
>> MoreJoe Biden: Says Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan would "eliminate the guarantee of Medicare."
On October - 11 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | Joe Biden says Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan would 'eliminate the guarantee of Medicare.'
During the vice presidential debate in Danville, Ky., Joe Biden attacked the Republican ticket’s proposal for Medicare. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, Biden said, would "eliminate the guarantee of Medicare." We tackled this point when President Barack Obama made a similar point in September. We asked: Are there "guaranteed benefits" for Medicare today? And if so, would they be at risk if Romney wins? A lot of it depends on how you define these words. What guarantees exist under Medicare today? Probably the clearest -- and ...
>> MoreMitt Romney: "Since President Obama took office, there are over 450,000 more unemployed women."
On October - 10 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | Mitt Romney ad says under Barack Obama, there are 450,000 more unemployed women
A new ad from Mitt Romney's campaign uses small-business owner Melanie McNamara to make the case that Obama hasn't helped the economy -- particularly for women. "He promised to bring us all together, that we're all going to be able to prosper," she says in the ad. "I don't see the prospering." She voted for him 2008 but won't this time, she says. An on-screen visual says, "Since President Obama took office, there are over 450,000 more unemployed women." In exploring whether that number is accurate, ...
>> MoreRomney Surges Into Lead in Latest Polls
On October - 10 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Lynn Sweet, Chicago Sun-Times
For the first time, Mitt Romney is ahead of Barack Obama in polls - chipping away at Obama’s hold on women voters and gaining in favorability ratings. Romney also has pulled ahead of Obama in surveys in several battleground states key to winning the 270 electoral votes needed to claim the White House.
For the first time, Mitt Romney is ahead of Barack Obama in polls - chipping away at Obama’s hold on women voters and gaining in favorability ratings. Romney also has pulled ahead of Obama in surveys in several battleground states key to winning the 270 electoral votes needed to claim the White House.
The Bill Comes Due for Obama & the Media
On October - 10 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Noemie Emery, DC Examiner
It was in Denver one week ago that the long-running romance between Barack Obama and the national press -- aka the "Slobbering Love Affair," as Bernard Goldberg put it -- hit the wall. The motel bill, unpaid these many long months and ages, at long last came due.It had been the real thing, not a commonplace fling with your generic Democrat, but the love of a lifetime, the genuine article, the sum of all dreams: He was not just a Democrat, he was also a liberal. He was not just a liberal, he also biracial, also multinational; also hip, cool, and clever. He was themselves as they...
It was in Denver one week ago that the long-running romance between Barack Obama and the national press -- aka the "Slobbering Love Affair," as Bernard Goldberg put it -- hit the wall. The motel bill, unpaid these many long months and ages, at long last came due.It had been the real thing, not a commonplace fling with your generic Democrat, but the love of a lifetime, the genuine article, the sum of all dreams: He was not just a Democrat, he was also a liberal. He was not just a liberal, he also biracial, also multinational; also hip, cool, and clever. He was themselves as they...
Can Republicans Scare Their Way to Victory?
On October - 10 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Robert Reich, Salon
Go to home page Topics: 2012 Elections, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, Republican Party, RobertReich.org, Politics News The latest Pew Research Center poll shows Mitt Romney ahead of President Barack Obama among likely voters, 49% to  45%. But the latest...
Go to home page Topics: 2012 Elections, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, Republican Party, RobertReich.org, Politics News The latest Pew Research Center poll shows Mitt Romney ahead of President Barack Obama among likely voters, 49% to  45%. But the latest...
American Crossroads: President Barack Obama’s "spending drove us $5 trillion deeper in debt."
On October - 9 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | Ad says Barack 'Obama’s spending drove us $5 trillion deeper in debt.'
In a new ad, the pro-Republican group American Crossroads takes aim at President Barack Obama’s economic policies. At one point, the narrator says, that "Obama’s spending drove us $5 trillion deeper in debt." We previously examined a similar -- but opposite claim -- when Obama said that "over the last four years, the deficit has gone up, but 90 percent of that is as a consequence of" President George W. Bush’s policies and the recession. We ruled Obama’s claim False, and a recalculation of the same numbers can shed some light ...
>> MoreWas Bob Woodward Right About Obama?
On October - 9 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Dennis Byrne, Chicago Tribune
Watching liberals unravel after last week's presidential debate has been almost as entertaining as witnessing the thumping that Republican candidate Mitt Romney applied to the Democratic incumbent Barack Obama.Spinning into orbit, liberals have concocted every known excuse for the trouncing: Obama was out of practice; he expected a different Romney to show up; he experienced incumbents' "opening debate syndrome" (that's a new one); he tried to look too presidential and above the fray; he inexplicably failed to exploit Romney's fallibilities (e.g. his reference to...
Watching liberals unravel after last week's presidential debate has been almost as entertaining as witnessing the thumping that Republican candidate Mitt Romney applied to the Democratic incumbent Barack Obama.Spinning into orbit, liberals have concocted every known excuse for the trouncing: Obama was out of practice; he expected a different Romney to show up; he experienced incumbents' "opening debate syndrome" (that's a new one); he tried to look too presidential and above the fray; he inexplicably failed to exploit Romney's fallibilities (e.g. his reference to...
Seeking to Rebound, Obama Is Urged to Get Tough
On October - 9 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Nicholas & Lee, WSJ
President Barack Obama is getting conflicting advice on how to rebound from his listless debate performance last week as he meets with donors and supporters in a swing through California.Those calls took on a new urgency as a Pew Research Center poll conducted after the debate and released Monday showed Republican Mitt Romney surging to a lead over Mr. Obama among likely voters, 49% to 45%.
President Barack Obama is getting conflicting advice on how to rebound from his listless debate performance last week as he meets with donors and supporters in a swing through California.Those calls took on a new urgency as a Pew Research Center poll conducted after the debate and released Monday showed Republican Mitt Romney surging to a lead over Mr. Obama among likely voters, 49% to 45%.
Obama And Romney Reverse Roles
On October - 8 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Zeke Miller, BuzzFeed
APOPKA, Fla. — Wednesday’s debate was more than a momentary setback for President Barack Obama: it has forced him, for the first time since the 2008 Democratic primary, to fight for his political identity.Mitt Romney, on the other hand, has appropriated for his campaign the slogan of a gritty fictional football team in a series also recognized for its honest depiction of enduring love.
APOPKA, Fla. — Wednesday’s debate was more than a momentary setback for President Barack Obama: it has forced him, for the first time since the 2008 Democratic primary, to fight for his political identity.Mitt Romney, on the other hand, has appropriated for his campaign the slogan of a gritty fictional football team in a series also recognized for its honest depiction of enduring love.
Barack Obama, Supportable and Inscrutable
On October - 8 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Nick Lemann, New Republic
EVERYBODY THESE DAYS is always complaining about hyper-partisanship, but the truth is that a much older complaint about American politics still has a lot of validity: that it takes place within a very narrow range of acceptable views, compared with the politics of most other democracies. How many major elective offices could you have won, as recently as four years ago, if you openly supported gay marriage? How about if you believed that capital gains and earned income should be taxed at the same rate? Or that Social Security eligibility should begin at age seventy? Or that there should be a...
EVERYBODY THESE DAYS is always complaining about hyper-partisanship, but the truth is that a much older complaint about American politics still has a lot of validity: that it takes place within a very narrow range of acceptable views, compared with the politics of most other democracies. How many major elective offices could you have won, as recently as four years ago, if you openly supported gay marriage? How about if you believed that capital gains and earned income should be taxed at the same rate? Or that Social Security eligibility should begin at age seventy? Or that there should be a...
