Poll: Romney Up 6-Points In Florida, 51%-45%…

Florida continues to look good for Mitt Romney. The Republican holds a 6-point lead in the state essential to his hopes of defeating President Barack Obama, according to a new Tampa Bay Times/Bay News 9/Miami Herald poll.

The poll shows slight tightening, with Romney's 51-45 lead down 1 percentage point from the Times'statewide poll a month ago. Other Florida surveys show a tighter contest and both campaigns are blanketing the state with appearances geared toward scraping together every last vote.

Still, nearly every key indicator in theTimes' pre-Election Day poll reveals Romney's advantage in a state Obama won four years ago.

Florida voters trust Romney more to fix the economy and give him an edge, 50 percent to 48 percent, on who will look out more for the middle class — a stark turn from past months when Obama and his allies unleashed a barrage of TV ads portraying Romney as an out-of-touch corporate raider.

Romney even has a slight advantage on foreign policy, with 2 percent more voters saying they trust him over Obama, who has faced criticism over the fatal attack on a U.S. consulate in Libya.

"Florida typically is a little bit more Republican than the rest of the country," said Brad Coker of Mason-Dixon Polling and Research, which conducted the poll for the Times and its media partners.

In 2008, Sen. John McCain "only lost by 3 points here and he lost by 7 nationally," Coker added. "Three points is not a lot of ground to make up in Florida for a Republican, particularly when the president's popularity is mixed, at best."

Via: Tampa Bay News

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USA Today: Obama 'Revenge' Comment Roils Campaign'

3:08PM EDT November 3. 2012 - CLEVELAND -- The new campaign buzzword: Revenge.

As Republican challenger Mitt Romney makes much of President Obama's comment in a Friday speech that "voting is the best revenge," Obama aides say the comment reflects Romney "scare tactics."

Obama made the comment as part of a familiar speech riff; when audience members boo the mention of Romney's name, the president habitually says, "don't boo -- vote"

On Friday in Springfield, Ohio, Obama added the phrase: "Voting is the best revenge."

Asked about the comment, Obama campaign spokesperson Jen Psaki said Obama made the comment in the context that Romney is "closing his campaign with an ad full of scare tactics that's frightening workers in Ohio and thinking falsely that they're not going to have a job."

On the stump, Romney has said, "vote for love of country, not revenge."

Via: USA Today

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Justice Dept. Dispatching 780 Observers To Monitor Tuesday’s Election

(CNSNews.com) - The U.S. Justice Department announced on Friday that it is dispatching 780 department personnel and federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management to monitor Tuesday's elections in 51 jurisdictions around the country--including Queens, N.Y.

The department said that in following out its duties under the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, and the Help America Vote Act it intended to make certain that people with disabilities, people who can't read or write, and people who don't understand English have their voting rights protected.

"The observers and department personnel will gather information on, among other things, whether voters are subject to different voting qualifications or procedures on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group; whether jurisdictions are complying with the minority language provisions of the Voting Rights Act," DOJ said in a press release.

Via: CNS News

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Report: NYC Mayor Bloomberg Wouldn’t Let National Guard Into Brooklyn Over Their Possession Of Guns…

Mayor Bloomberg has snubbed Borough President Markowitz’s impassioned plea to bring the National Guard to Hurricane Sandy-scarred Brooklyn — arguing that approving the Beep’s request would be a waste of federal manpower and turn the borough into a police state.

“We don’t need it,” Mayor Bloomberg said on Wednesday during a press update on the city’s ongoing Hurricane Sandy cleanup. “The NYPD is the only people we want on the street with guns.”

Markowitz demanded the National Guard’s help just an hour before Bloomberg’s press conference, claiming that the NYPD and FDNY are “brave — but overwhelmed” by all the challenges Sandy brought when it visited the borough on Monday night: flooding, power outages, and looting.

“All of our resources have been stretched to the limit,” Markowitz said. “In the name of public safety we need to send more National Guard personnel into Coney Island, Manhattan Beach, Gerritsen Beach, Red Hook, and any other locations.”

Markowitz hopes that the sight of an armed soldier would deter criminal activity in the still-unaccessible evacuation zones — such as the rash of break-ins that took place in Coney Island hours after Sandy kissed the borough goodbye — but the Mayor said the NYPD was more than capable of handling the job.

“There are plenty of locations upstate and in surrounding states where they don’t have a police department the size of New York and they can use help [from the National Guard],” said Bloomberg.

Markowitz said he was surprised by the Mayor’s response, but was sticking to his guns.

“We stand by our statement 100 percent,” said Markowitz spokesman John Hill. “We hope the governor will listen to our request.”

Via: The Brooklyn Paper

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Ohio Union Goons Charged With Stealing Romney Yard Signs…

Perrysburg police today issued misdemeanor citations to four men for allegedly being in possession of stolen political signs.

Those charged with receiving stolen property included John Russell, 39, of Toledo, and Chris Monaghan 41, of Rossford, who are both listed on the Sheet Metal Workers Local 33 Web site as business agents for the union’s Toledo district.

The men were in a pickup truck registered to Local 33 in Parma, Ohio, police said.

Also cited were Corey J. Beaubien, 37, and Sean Bresler, 33, both of Toledo.

A Tea Party Web site reported Friday the truck was loaded with the campaign signs of GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney and running mate Paul Ryan. Perrysburg police did not confirm that, but a police incident report said that the summonses were issued about 12:30 a.m. in the 11100 block of Fremont Pike “after several reports were taken of political signs being stolen in the city of Perrysburg.”

Via: Toledo Blade

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Painful Lessons from Hurricane Sandy

Having lived in the Tornado Alley for 30 years, I have learned many valuable lessons. After many raging tornadoes, straight line winds, and hurricanes I understood that churches and other Americans near and far, not the big government, were the first line of defense after a disaster.

Mennonites, Baptists, Mormons, and the National Guard came by truckloads with bulldozers, shovels, and chain saws to extricate their fellow Americans from trees and debris. Utility trucks from places as far away as Utah helped restore our power.

I have never met a Mormon who was not giving and caring to their fellow man. For this reason, I do not understand the sheer hatred against Mitt Romney’s Mormonism. At the same time, liberals bend over backwards to appease and co-exist with “religions” that preach hate and terrorism.

How can New Jersey turn down utility crews from Alabama who came to help restore their power, just because they were not union members? There are still one million people in New Jersey without power yet crews from Alabama were told to stand down. They are either going back home or to New York. Does the Democrat pro-union political machine trump the misery and suffering of Americans?

Via: Canada Free Press

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NEW JERSEY AN 'APOCALYPTIC VISION' TWO DAYS AFTER OBAMA PHOTO OP

Two days after President Obama flew into storm-ravaged New Jersey on Wednesday for a 90 minute photo op with Governor Christie, parts of the state have descended into what one local resident calls "an apocalyptic vision." On Friday, in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, this New Jersey resident described the situation there:

New Jersey right now is experiencing an apocalyptic vision. Gas lines are a mile long. Hundreds are standing in line with gas cans. Fights are breaking out. Police and national guard have been called out. I've not had power or taken a shower since Sunday. Pray for us here.

FEMA reps are meeting with people in their residences to assess how recovery assistance can be provided to them.

While FEMA representatives had finally arrived on the ground by Friday, most of them appear to be focused on providing financial assistance to victims of Hurricane Sandy at some point in the future. There is no indication yet that any FEMA representatives on the ground are actually doing anything to aid in the distribution of food, supplies, gas, or restoring electricity.

On Wednesday, President Obama promised to deliver a far rosier outcome to New Jersey residents over the next several days. In fact, the President made a specific promise that he would make sure supplies were delivered, as CNN reported. Two days later, he's failed to deliver on that promise, though he has been able to campaign in key swing states across the country during that time:

Many people across the region are still in need of basic supplies. President Barack Obama visited a shelter Wednesday in the hard-hit town of Brigantine, New Jersey, where he said he met a woman with an 8-month-old who has run out of diapers and formula.

"Those are the kinds of basic supplies and help that we can provide," he said. [emphasis added]

Obama promised the federal government "will not quit" until communities are cleaned up.

"We are not going to tolerate red tape, we are not going to tolerate bureaucracy," Obama said. "And I've instituted a 15-minute rule, essentially, on my team. You return everybody's phone calls in 15 minutes, whether it's the mayor's, the governor's, county officials.

"If they need something, we figure out a way to say yes."

The President may be right. The Obama administration has found a way to "say yes to something needed," by New Jersey victims of Hurricane Sandy, but it's not yet found a way to "do that something needed."

Via: Breitbart

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THE BIG FAIL: Obama Said That “Some Of The Businesses We Encourage Will Fail” But His Investments With Taxpayers’ Dollars Have A Dismal Record Of Success

Today, Obama Said “Some Of The Businesses We Encourage Will Fail.” OBAMA: “Today, there are thousands of workers building long-lasting batteries and wind turbines and solar panels all across the country. Jobs that weren’t there four years ago. And sure, not all technologies we bet on will pan out. Some of the businesses we encourage will fail. But I promise you this, there is a future for manufacturing here in America. There’s a future for clean energy here in America. And I refuse to cede that future to other countries.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks At A Campaign Event, Green Bay, WI, 11/1/12)

OBAMA TANKED MILLIONS OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS ON FAILED COMPANIES

A123 SYSTEMS: In October 2012, Taxpayer-Backed A123 Systems, A Maker Of Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Batteries For Electric Cars, Filed For Bankruptcy. “A123 Systems Inc. (AONE), a maker of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for electric cars, filed for bankruptcy after failing to make a debt payment that was due yesterday. The company listed assets of $459.8 million and debt of $376 million as of Aug. 31 in Chapter 11 documents filed today in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware. Chapter 11 is the section of the Bankruptcy Code used by companies to reorganize.” (Dawn McCarty and Craig Trudell, “Electric Car Battery Maker A123 Systems Files Bankruptcy Papers,” Bloomberg Businessweek, 10/16/12)

ABOUND SOLAR: Abound Solar Was Given A $400 Million DOE Loan Guarantee For “Plans To Open A Massive Solar-Panel Plant In Tipton,” Indiana. “Abound Solar Inc., a Loveland, Colo.-based manufacturer that plans to open a massive solar-panel plant in Tipton, has raised $110 million from investors and closed on a $400 million government loan guarantee to increase its production capacity, the company announced Tuesday.” (“Abound Solar Completes Financing For Tipton Plant,”Indianapolis Business Journal, 12/15/10)

• In July 2012, Abound Solar Announced It Would File For Bankruptcy And Lay Off 125 Employees. “Abound Solar, which filed for a Chapter 7 liquidation in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, had said last week that it planned to shut down and would lay off 125 employees.” (Caroline Humer, “Abound Solar Files To Liquidate in Bankruptcy,” Reuters, 7/2/12)

AMONIX SOLAR: In July 2012, “Amonix Solar Manufacturing Plant In North Las Vegas, Heavily Financed Under An Obama Administration Energy Initiative, Has Closed Its 214,000-Square-Foot Facility 14 Months After It Opened.” (Hubble Smith, “Amonix Closes North Las Vegas Solar Plant After 14 Months, Heavy Federal Subsidies,” Las Vegas Review-Journal , 7/18/12)

• Since Obama Took Office, Solar Company Amonix Has Received Over $20 Million In Combined Stimulus Grants, Tax Credits, And DOE Funding. (The White House, Accessed 11/1/12; Department Of Treasury, Accessed 11/1/12; Department Of Energy, Accessed 11/1/12)

Via: GOP.com

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THE BIG FAIL: Four Years Of Obama Has Left America Facing A Cruel New Normal Of Chronic Unemployment And A Stagnant Labor Market

OBAMA CAME INTO OFFICE PROMISING A RECOVERY BUT NOW ASKS FOR ANOTHER FOUR YEARS AFTER FAILING TO LOWER THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

“Obama, Who Came Into Office Promising To Bolster The Middle Class And Reduce Inequality, Has Presided Over A Turbulent Economy That So Far Has Done Neither.”“Analysts call continuing high levels of joblessness a prime factor in the income and wealth declines that have continued for most Americans even after the recession ended. Obama, who came into office promising to bolster the middle class and reduce inequality, has presided over a turbulent economy that so far has done neither.” (Michael A. Fletcher, “Obama’s Record: Struggling To Bring Back Jobs,” The Washington Post, 10/18/12)

Since Obama Took Office, The Unemployment Rate Has Increased From 7.8 Percent To 7.9 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 11/2/12)

• Obama’s Advisers Predicted The Stimulus Would Lower Unemployment To 5.4% By Today. (Christina Romer and Jared Bernstein, ” The Job Impact Of The American Recovery And Reinvestment Plan,” 1/9/09)

• James Pethokoukis: “10.6%: Unemployment rate if labor force participation rate was the same as when Obama took office” (James Pethokoukis, Twitter Feed, 11/2/12)

Since Obama Took Office, The Nation Has Lost 1,019,000 Construction Jobs And 586,000 Manufacturing Jobs. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 11/2/12)

• In October, Motor Vehicle And Parts Manufacturers Lost 2,100 Jobs. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 11/2/12)

There Are 23 Million Americans That Are Unemployed, Underemployed Or Marginally Attached To The Labor Force. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 11/2/12)

• In October, The Number Of Unemployed Workers Increased By 170,000 To 12.26 Million. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 11/2/12)

There Are 8.3 Million Americans Working Part-Time For Economic Reasons. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 11/2/12)

• 813,000 Discouraged Workers Have Given Up Looking For Work. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 11/2/12)

In October, The Unemployment Rate For 20 To 24 Year Olds Increased To 13.2 Percent From 12.4 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 11/2/12)

In October, The Hispanic Unemployment Rate Increased From 9.9 To 10.0 Percent.(Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 11/2/12)

• The African American Unemployment Rate Increased From 13.4 Percent To 14.3 Percent. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 11/2/12)

Via: GOP.com

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From 'hope' and 'change' to 'revenge'

Going off teleprompter yesterday, President Obama let the mask slip and revealed the ugliness at the heart of his political mission. Amie Parnes of the Hill:

President Obama called voting "the best revenge" on Friday at a rally in Ohio.

The line was a twist on Obama's usual "don't boo, vote" line that the president uses when crowds at this rallies boo Republican nominee Mitt Romney's name.

"No, no, no, Don't boo. Vote," Obama told a crowd in Springfield, Ohio. "Voting is the best revenge."

The media spinners will tell us that this is just a play on the old saying, "Living well is the best revenge," but in fact it reveals a disturbing consistency in the off-teleprompter comments of the president. Recall that he insisted a hike in the capital gains tax would be just, even if it resulted in less revenue. That is revenge against the successful.

Recall his Roanoke Doctrine: "You didn't build that!" The implication is that those who claim the credit (and reward) for building a business, do not deserve them, and that others deserve the fruits of their effort - a form of revenge.

Recall his comment four years ago to Joe the Plumber about spreading the money around. Once again, revenge against those who have earned more than others.

But what else would you expect from a man born to an anticolonialist, Marxist father and a mother who fled the United States to live overseas? What else from a man mentored by a communist, Frank Marshall Davis?  

What else from a man who passionately argued for violent revolution in college?

Via: American Thinker

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5 Effects Obamacare Will Have on Working Americans

Obamacare will certainly have a negative impact on every American, but here are five ways it will harm working Americans:

1. Two-thirds of American employees’ wages will decrease as employers deal with increasing costs. Heritage’s Drew Gonshorowski explains the results of an Urban Institute study: “The Urban Institute claims that mid-size firms will see spending per person increase by 4.6 percent, while large firms will see spending increases by 0.3 percent per person. According to the U.S. Census, this accounts for 65.1 percent of employees—or roughly 79 million—in the U.S. who are employed by medium- or large-size firms. The study suggests: ‘Any increase in employers’ health-related costs will be offset by decreases in other compensation—whether wages or other benefits.’ This means that individuals in mid- and large-size firms will receive less in take-home wages (or other benefits) and pay a greater proportion of their compensation to health care due to Obamacare.”
2. Loss of existing insurance coverage. Because of Obamacare’s high costs, experts predict that employers will stop offering employees health coverage, forcing employees into the new government-run exchanges. Although estimates vary, it is likely that millions of Americans will lose their current coverage. For instance, the non-partisanCongressional Budget Office estimates that between 5 million and 20 million Americans will lose employer-sponsored coverage, the American Action Forum estimates 35 million, and McKinsey, a consulting firm, estimates that 30 percent of employers will definitely or probably stop offering coverage after Obamacare takes full effect in 2014.
3. Premiums in the individual market are set to skyrocket. Obamacare’s new, extreme insurance rules and regulations will have dire effects on the cost of coverage that individuals and small businesses purchase on their own. As Forbes columnist and health policy analyst Avik Roy has pointed out in recent articles, “Obama adviser Jonathan Gruber has estimated that, by 2016, the cost of individual-market health insurance under Obamacare, relative to what it would have been under prior law, will increase by an average of 19 percent in Colorado, 29 percent in Minnesota, and 30 percent in Wisconsin. A prestigious actuarial firm, Milliman, has estimated that individual-market premiums in Ohio could increase by 55 to 85 percent.”
4. Full-time workers turned part-time to avoid the employer mandate. As Heritage predicted, businesses have already begun limiting the hours their employees can work, turning full-time workers into part-time workers, to avoid paying the employer mandate penalty or providing costly insurance coverage. For example, one of the nation’s 30 largest employers, Darden Restaurants, is experimenting with keeping employees under the 30-hour threshold established for Obamacare’s mandate. According to the Orlando Sentinel, “In an emailed statement, Darden said staffing changes are ‘just one of the many things we are evaluating to help us address the cost implications health care reform will have on our business.’”
5. The heavy burden of 18 taxes and penalties. Obamacare imposes 18 new taxes and penalties that will cost Americans over $836 billion between 2013 and 2022. These taxes will either hit consumers directly or be passed on through higher prices. For example, the infamous individual mandate to purchase health insurance will be imposed on 6 million Americans in 2016, many of whom are the working middle class. Nearly 70 percent of payers will be below 400 percent of the federal poverty level, and even those below the poverty level could be forced to pay the mandate tax.

Obamacare must be repealed in order to protect hard-working Americans from its harmful and far-reaching effects.

Via: The Foundry

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MEDIA CELEBRATE INCREASED UNEMPLOYMENT, LOWER WAGES

In January of 2009, when President Obama took office, the unemployment rate was 7.8%. Four years and around $5 trillion dollars in debt later, it's 7.9%. When Obama took office the long-term unemployment (U-6) rate was 14.2%. Today, it's 14.6%.

Obama promised us 5.2%.

And, still, the media celebrates the jobs numbers. If you weren't watching the cable nets, consider yourself lucky. It was nauseating. CNN's Erin Burnett and Soledad O'Brien were practically jumping out of their chairs. Need I even describe MSNBC? Keep in mind that the media collective isn't thrilled because these numbers are good news for millions of everyday Americans who are suffering. The media's celebrating because they think these numbers mean well for one person's job -- Obama's.

In the hours since, we've seen the exact same spin from almost every media outlet, analyst, and host.

What we were not being told, though, is that the only reason the unemployment rate increased a mere 0.1% over the last four years is due to millions giving up looking for work and dropping out of the labor force. If the labor participation rate was the same today as it was when Obama took office, the unemployment rate would be closer to 10.5%.

Still the media celebrates.

Under Obama, the growth of food stamp recipients is 75 times greater than the net number of jobs created since Obama took office.  

Still the media celebrates.

The long-term unemployment rose to 40.6% in October.

Still the media celebrates.

The unemployment rate for blacks jumped from 13.4 to 14.3% in October.

Still the media celebrates.

In October, average weekly hours of work, hourly earnings, and weekly earnings, all declined.

Still  the media celebrates.

Via: Breitbart

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Murdoch Warns Gov. Christie ‘Must Re-Declare For Romney Or Take Blame For Next Four Dire Years’

RELATED: Rupert Murdoch Slams Obama Admin: ‘Nightmare’ If Obama, Biden, Ambassador Rice Remain In Power

Murdoch opened his tweet giving credit to New York mayor Michael Bloomberg for doing what many New Yorkers were practically screaming about for the entire day and canceling the marathonscheduled to take place on Sunday.

But Murdoch also had some harsh words for Christie, who toured the damage with Obama earlier this week and had nothing but kind words for the president.

Meanwhile, Christie has ordered gas rationing in twelve New Jersey counties owing to a shortage. Vehicles with license plates that end in odd numbers will get to refuel on odd-numbered days (like tomorrow, November 3rd), and the same for even-numbered license plates.

Via: Mediaite

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Illegal Immigrant Challenging The Constitutionality Of Georgia’s Driver License Law In Front Of State’s Supreme Court…

An illegal immigrant from Mexico is challenging the constitutionality of the state’s driver license law in a case the Georgia Supreme Court is set to hear Monday.

Fernando Castillo-Solis says the law — which requires motorists who have lived in Georgia for 30 days or more to get a state-issued license before driving — discriminates against illegal immigrants.

At issue is a part of the law that says motorists can’t be convicted of driving without a license if they can later present their licenses in court. Since illegal immigrants are ineligible for Georgia licenses, they don’t have the same protection.

“Undocumented aliens are affected by the denial of an absolute defense,” Castillo-Solis’ attorney wrote in a court brief.

Castillo-Solis’ case stems from a 2010 traffic stop in Gwinnett County, where he was charged with driving without a license and failing to register his vehicle. Castillo-Solis, a Mexican citizen who has resided illegally in Georgia for more than 10 years, sought in a lower court to get the state driver license law thrown out. The court rejected his request. With his trial still pending, Castillo-Solis is now appealing to the Supreme Court.

Gwinnett Solicitor General Rosanna Szabo denied Castillo-Solis’ arguments in court papers, calling them unfounded and misleading. She said he never had a Georgia driver license and had no right to one. And she said people seeking to get their driving-without-a-license charges dismissed must “presents proof at trial that he or she actually was validly licensed to drive at the time of the traffic stop.”

Via: THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION

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Report: Biden Pressured Bloomberg To Endorse Obama, “Mike, There’s Too Much At Stake. We Really Need You To Do This”…

AP Photo

POLITICO's Mike Allen reports that it was Vice President Biden who nudged New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg into endorsing President Obama.

From Playbook:

Biden’s gift for reading people played a role in the endorsement. He and Bloomberg have been friendly for years, and have played golf together. The V.P. had called the mayor over the weekend, and the had talked several times this week about Sandy. Then yesterday morning, Biden was in Davenport, Iowa, about to go to church for All Saints’ Day. Finally, he made the ask, nudging Bloomberg toward the endorsement: “Mike, there’s too much at stake. We really need you to do this.” And the mayor did.

Bloomberg went on to endorse Obama in an op-ed at the news outlet that bears his name — citing Obama's positions on climate change, abortion, and gay marriage.

Via: Politico

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Obama Campaign Tries To Hold “Catholics For Obama” Rally In Colorado . . . Only 45 People Show Up…

Denver, Colo., Nov 1, 2012 / 04:03 am (CNA).- The Obama campaign attempted to schedule a rally-like event on a Catholic university campus in the key swing state of Colorado before settling on a dialogue with a co-chair of Catholics for Obama.

“Their original intent was to have more of a rally element to it,” said Paul Alexander, director of Regis University's Institute for the Common Good, which hosted the event.

“We just felt we couldn’t do a rally, but we felt a healthy dialogue among Catholics was important.”

About 45 people attended the Oct. 25 dialogue and small group discussion with Catholics for Obama national co-chair Nicholas P. Cafardi, a law professor and dean emeritus of Duquesne University School of Law.

The event was titled “Catholic Social Teaching: The Intersection of Faith and Politics.” Although it was hosted by the Jesuit university’s institute, it took place because of outreach from the Obama campaign.

Alexander told CNA Oct 26 that another Catholics for Obama national co-chair by the name of Victoria Kovari, the “main point of contact,” had sought out the university and asked if it would be willing to host an event.

Kovari is a former national field director and former interim president of the Democrat-leaning group Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good.

She attended the Denver event along with Broderick Johnson, a senior advisor to the Obama campaign.

At the Thursday evening gathering, Alexander said that the campaign had reached out to schedule the event, but had set no conditions on the talk.

“There was a strict adherence to bring a message that is totally non-political,” he said.

Via: Catholic News Agency

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BIG MO: RYAN TO MINNESOTA SUNDAY

This morning, the Romney campaign announced that Paul Ryan would go to Minnesota on Sunday for a pre-election campaign rally. Its a clear sign that the Romney campaign thinks Minnesota is winnable.  Where campaigns spend their time in the closing days of a race says much more about their view of the election than words repeated by campaign flacks. Candidates' time is a campaign's most precious resource, and it is deployed only if it's needed or can have an impact. 

You don't waste a candidate's time on a bluff in the final 48 hours. 

Last night, the campaign announced that Mitt Romney would go to Philadelphia on Sunday for a campaign rally. It is telling that both Romney and Ryan are spending some of the campaign's final hours in a bid for states that haven't voted GOP for president in decades. 

The Obama campaign has dismissed this as a sign the Romney campaign is "flailing." Yet, they have matched the GOP ads buys in the state and have dispatched Biden and Clinton to Pennsylvania and Minnesota. They have to be at least somewhat concerned that Romney could steal these states from them if they don't respond. That's a tell. So to that end, Obama will spend this weekend doing at least five events in Wisconsin and Iowa, two states he won by double-digits in 2008. 

Remember, in the closing days of the 2008, Obama devoted lots of time to states that had traditionally voted Republican. That wasn't a campaign "flailing", but rather one riding a wave of momentum and deep dissatisfaction with the Bush Administration. 

We'll know Tuesday if Romney will be able to repeat history.

Via Breitbart

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If Economy Is Recovering Why Is Obama Increasing Welfare Spending?

Rising welfare spending has served as a metric for the weakness of the economy, but a new report suggests that will change in the coming years, as Obamacare increases welfare spending even after the economy bounces back.

“As projected by the Congressional Research Service, spending on welfare will continue to rise over the next decade, even as the economy is expected to recover,” the Senate Budget Committee Republicans announced today.

This year, welfare spending was approximately $1 trillion. By 2016, that number will rise by $321 billion, according to figures released by Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.

“Altogether, the President’s health law would add a new means-tested federal benefit to 30 million more Americans (many of whom do not currently receive means-tested assistance),” Sessions’ office explained. “In total, fully one-third—approximately 105 million—of all non-elderly Americans will receive their health care through the government once the law takes full effect. That figure will be even higher if the economy continues to experience weak growth.”

Mitt Romney has promised to repeal Obamacare if elected. If President Obama wins a second term, he could veto any repeal of the law unless two-thirds of the House and Senate voted to override his veto.

Via: Washington Examiner

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Harry Reid: Senate Dems Working With Romney Is ‘Laughable’, A ‘Fantasy'

His mouth is the only this that working..

Five days before the election, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has ruled out trying to work with Mitt Romney should he win next week.

"Mitt Romney's fantasy that Senate Democrats will work with him to pass his 'severely conservative' agenda is laughable," Mr. Reid said in a statement on Friday, trying to puncture Mr. Romney's closing election argument that he'll be able to deliver on the bipartisanship President Obama promised in 2008 but has struggled to live up to.

Mr. Reid, a Nevada Democrat and a Mormon, like Mr. Romney, has become the Republican presidential nominee's chief critic this campaign, at one point accusing him of failing to pay taxes — a charge that Mr. Romney has refuted.

With Democrats appearing poised to keep control of the Senate, a President Romney would have to be prepared to work with Mr. Reid, who would set the upper chamber's schedule and determine what bills make it to the floor.

Mr. Reid flatly ruled out following Mr. Romney's agenda, saying he and his colleagues have already voted down many of those proposals, including House Republicans' budget, written by Republican vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan.

"Mitt Romney has demonstrated that he lacks the courage to stand up to the tea party, kowtowing to their demands time and again. There is nothing in Mitt Romney's record to suggest he would act any differently as president," Mr. Reid said.

Republicans retorted that Mr. Reid appeared to be preparing himself for a Romney win, and prodded the Democrat, pointing to all the things Mr. Reid wasn't able to get done even when he did have a fellow Democrat as president and Democrats in control of the House.

"While Senator Reid might want to continue Washington politics as usual, I'm confident that there are many Democrats who value balancing the budget, reducing burdensome regulations, investing in U.S. energy resources and will be willing to work with Governor Romney to help grow our stagnant economy," said Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus.

Via: Washington Times
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Goon Squad: AFL-CIO Chief Trumka Promises More Than 2,000 Union “Poll Monitors” In Battleground States…

(CNSNews.com) - Setting the scene for possible post-election legal challenges, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said his unions plan to deploy 2,000 “poll monitors” who will be linked with lawyers around the country as a way to prevent
"voter suppression" in states such as Ohio.

During a media conference call on Thursday, Trumka recalled being at an early voting site in Las Vegas where he saw “challengers inside.”

“We’re going to have over 2,000 people that are going to be available as poll monitors that’ll be connected to a number of lawyers around the country. So that if they [the opposition] attempt to deny them the right to vote, or hassle them we’ll be able to have a rapid response team that will respond immediately to that and protect them,” Trumka said.

“That will be up in the core states like Ohio, where we think there could be problems and so we’ll challenge those everywhere we can and protect the votes,” he said.

Via: CNS News

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THOUSANDS OVERFLOW ROMNEY SPEECH IN WISCONSIN

Thousands gathered to hear Mitt Romney deliver his "closing argument" in the suddenly-swing-state of Wisconsin--and two thousand more listened outside in 40-degree weather, according to Breitbart News correspondent Rebel Pundit, who is covering both campaigns as they compete for the state's ten electoral votes.

The photo above was taken at 10:26 a.m. this morning. The upper Midwest has become part of the Romney campaign's expanding electoral map, as Paul Ryan travels to address a rally in Minnesota on Sunday and Romney heads to Pennsylvania on Sunday as well. The Obama campaign is attempting to defend these formerly "safe" states by advertising and holding events in both. The turnout, however, seems to favor the challengers.

Via: Breitbart

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