THE BIG FAIL: Obama’s Defense Priorities: Wrong For Ohio

Obama’s Defense Budget And Inaction On Sequestration Threaten Ohio Jobs

Obama’s FY2013 Defense Budget Would Result In The Loss Of 794 Jobs Across Ohio, Including 209 Full-Time Positions And 485 Part-Time Positions. “According to a news release from the Ohio Adjutant General’s Office, ‘The net result of the proposed Air Force reductions and National Guard mitigation efforts involving Ohio is that 794 total jobs will be lost throughout the state. Of that, 309 are full-time positions and 485 are part-time positions.’” (Ted Hart, “Air Force Proposes Job Cuts In Ohio,” NBC4i, 3/7/12)

OBAMA’S DEFENSE PRIORITIES THREATEN JOBS ACROSS OHIO’S AIR FORCE BASES

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base – Dayton, Ohio

Today, Obama Will Campaign In Dayton, Ohio Where His Defense Cuts Threaten 452 Jobs At Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. “President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will appear at a rally Tuesday in Dayton at Triangle Park, 2500 Ridge Ave — their first joint appearance at an Ohio campaign event this election cycle.” (Joe Hallet, “Obama-Biden Dayton Venue Announced,” The Columbus Dispatch , 10/19/12)

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Will Lose 452 Positions Under Obama’s FY2013 Budget. “Wright-Patterson Air Force Base will lose 452 positions among active-duty and civilian ranks this year and next, part of a cost-cutting reduction of approximately 10,000 positions across the Air Force, defense officials said Tuesday. The 445th Airlift Wing, the unit at Wright-Patterson that flies C-17 transport aircraft for the Air Force, will see a net gain of 57 positions among weekend and full-time reservists, the Air Force said.” (John Nolan And Barrie Barber, “452 Positions To Be Cut At Wright-Patterson,” Dayton Daily News , 3/6/12)

• The 452 Positions Include 162 Active-Duty Military And 235 Civilian Positions. “The 452 positions — 290 civilian and 162 active-duty military — to be eliminated at Wright-Patterson this year and in 2013 include the base’s net loss of 235 civilian positions previously announced by the Air Force in November and January. The job cuts will affect the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Institute of Technology and the base’s Band of Flight musicians, among others, base spokesman Daryl Mayer said.” (John Nolan And Barrie Barber, “452 Positions To Be Cut At Wright-Patterson,” Dayton Daily News , 3/6/12)

• The Civilian Positions Being Eliminated Involve Intelligence, Surveillance And Reconnaissance Operations. “The bulk of the civilian positions being eliminated involve intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations, Mayer said.” (John Nolan And Barrie Barber, “452 Positions To Be Cut At Wright-Patterson,” Dayton Daily News , 3/6/12)

Wright-Patterson Drives $4.7 Billion In Business, 27,000 Direct Jobs, And An Estimated 35,000 Off-Base Jobs And Accounts For 14 Percent Of The Gross Domestic Product In The Dayton Area. “The huge military installation just outside Dayton is a full-throated, super-charged engine driving an estimateia: 

Via: GOP.com

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THE BIG FAIL: Look Out The Window

As Obama Travels Across The Country In A Last-Minute Bid For Votes, America’s Middle Class Deserves An Explanation For His Failed Policies

 

“Sometimes All President Barack Obama Has To Do Is Look Out The Window To Get A Firsthand Look At The Country’s Economic Woes.” (Julie Pace, “Rough Economy In Clear View For Obama On The Road,” The Associated Press, 10/2/12)

OVER THREE YEARS OF OBAMA’S FAILED POLICIES HAVE LEFT THE MIDDLE CLASS IN A SQUEEZE OF HISTORIC PROPORTIONS

“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)

• “The Tepid Pace Of Job Creation Looms As Perhaps The President’s Biggest Political Vulnerability As His Re-Election Campaign Enters Its Final Weeks.” “The tepid pace of job creation looms as perhaps the president’s biggest political vulnerability as his re-election campaign enters its final weeks. The unemployment rate had been stuck above 8 percent for 43 consecutive months before falling to 7.8 percent in September. Still, nearly 5 million Americans have been out of work for six months or more.” (Michael A. Fletcher, “Obama’s Record: Struggling To Bring Back Jobs,” The Washington Post , 10/18/12)

• “[T]he President’s Policies Have Failed To Ignite Anything Close To The Robust Jobs Growth Needed To Overcome The Horrific Losses Caused By The Downturn.” “The aggressive series of actions helped construct a floor under the most severe economic collapse since the Great Depression, many economists agree. Yet, the president’s policies have failed to ignite anything close to the robust jobs growth needed to overcome the horrific losses caused by the downturn.” (Michael A. Fletcher, “Obama’s Record: Struggling To Bring Back Jobs,” The Washington Post , 10/18/12)

The Washington Post Headline: “Census: Middle Class Shrinks To An All-Time Low”(Carol Morello, “Census: Middle Class Shrinks To An All-Time Low,” The Washington Post , 9/12/12)

“Far From A New Dawn Of Broad-Based Growth, America’s Middle Class Decline Is Getting Worse.” “Second, the hollowing out of America’s middle class – still politely described as median income stagnation rather than ‘decline’ – is accelerating rather than slowing. According to the US Census last week, the US median household is 4.8 per cent poorer now than at the start of the recovery in 2009. Median incomes have now fallen to the pre-internet level of 1993. All of the gains of the Clinton years have been lost. The decline in the past three years follows a 3.2 per cent drop during the recession, which itself followed a shrinkage during the 2000-2007 cycle. Far from a new dawn of broad-based growth, America’s middle class decline is getting worse.” (Edward Luce, “The US Economy Is Still In A Sorry State,” Financial Times, 9/23/12)

Via: GOP.com

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THE BIG FAIL: The Math Doesn’t Work

Obama Claims He Has A $4 Trillion Deficit Reduction Plan But The Obama Campaign Admits His Math Comes Up Short

OBAMA CLAIMS “THE MATH WORKS” BUT THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN DOESN’T “EXACTLY DISAGREE” WITH ANALYSIS THAT SHOWS IT DOESN’T

CLAIM: Yesterday In Ohio, Obama Said Of His Plan “The Math Works” For His Alleged Plan. OBAMA: “I’ve got a plan that will actually create jobs, a plan that will actually create middle-class security. And unlike Mr. Romney, I’m proud to talk about what is actually in my plan because my plan adds up. The math works. If you want to take a look, go to BarackObama.com/plans.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks At Campaign Event, Cleveland, OH, 10/26/12)

REALITY: CNN’s Erin Burnett Fact Checks Obama’s Deficit Plan Again And While “The Obama Campaign Did Not Exactly Like Our Analysis But They Also Didn’t Exactly Disagree With Us.” CNN’s ERIN BURNETT: “The plan doesn’t exactly add up. Inside the glossy it says, President Obama’s plan reduces the deficit by more than $4 trillion over the next decade but how he’s going to do it, well that’s still a bit of a mystery. Of course, the Obama campaign did not exactly like our analysis but they also didn’t exactly disagree with us.” (CNN’s “Out Front With Erin Burnett,” 10/26/12)

• CNN’s Erin Burnett: “Does It Add Up To The President’s Promise Of Cutting $4 Trillion From The Debt? Well, No.” CNN’s ERIN BURNETT: “But does it add up to the President’s promise of cutting $4 trillion from the debt? Well, no. The nonpartisan CBO analyzed this budget and concluded and I’ll quote them: ‘Over the 2013-2022 period, the cumulative deficit that would result from enacting the President’s budget – $6.4 trillion (or 3.2 percent of GDP) – would be $3.5 trillion larger than the cumulative deficit projected under current law.’ So, that’s $3.5 trillion in new borrowing they have to pay for before they even start the $4 trillion in cuts.” (CNN’s “Out Front With Erin Burnett,” 10/26/12)

Via: GOP.com

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THE BIG FAIL: Third Quarter GDP Report Indicates The New Obama Normal: Stagnation

THE THIRD QUARTER GDP REPORT CONFIRMS AN ANEMIC RECOVERY UNDER OBAMA

The First Of Three Estimates Of Growth For The July-September Quarter Sketched A Picture That’s Been Familiar All Year: The Economy Is Growing At A Tepid Rate…” “The first of three estimates of growth for the July-September quarter sketched a picture that’s been familiar all year: The economy is growing at a tepid rate, slowed by high unemployment and corporate anxiety over an unresolved budget crisis and a slowing global economy.” (“US Economic Growth Improves To 2 Percent Rate In Q3 On Higher Defense, Consumer Spending,” The Associated Press , 10/26/12)

National GDP Grew By 2 Percent In The Third Quarter. “Real gross domestic product — the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States — increased at an annual rate of 2.0 percent in the third quarter of 2012 (that is, from the second quarter to the third quarter), according to the “advance” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.” (Press Release, “National Income And Product Accounts – Gross Domestic Product: Third Quarter 2012 (Advance Estimate),” Bureau Of Economic Analysis, 10/26/12)

The Average GDP Growth For 2012 Thus Far In The Year Trails That Of 2011. “And the 1.74 percent rate for 2012 trails last year’s 1.8 percent growth, a point GOP nominee Mitt Romney will emphasize.” (Christopher S. Rugaber, “US Economic Growth Improves To 2 Pct. Rate In Q3,” The Associated Press , 10/26/12)

• “Growth Was Held Back By The First Drop In Exports In More Than Three Years And Flat Business Investment In Equipment And Software.” (Christopher S. Rugaber, “US Economic Growth Improves To 2 Pct. Rate In Q3,” The Associated Press , 10/26/12)

• “Growth Was Held Back By The First Drop In Exports In More Than Three Years And Flat Business Investment In Equipment And Software.” (“US Economic Growth Improves to 2 Percent Rate In Q3 On Higher Defense, Consumer Spending,” The Associated Press , 10/26/12)

• Sectors That Previously Drove Growth In The Economy “Are Now Fading.” “While growth remains modest, the factors supporting the economy have changed. Exports and business investment drove growth for most of the recovery, but are now fading. Meanwhile, consumer spending has ticked up. And housing is adding to growth after a six-year slump.” (“U.S. Economic Growth Improves To 2 Percent Rate In Q3 On Higher Defense, Consumer Spending,” The Associated Press , 10/26/12)

• “Weaker Business Investment Held Back Growth…” “Weaker business investment held back growth in the third quarter, a sign that companies are hesitant to spend amid broad uncertainty over policies in Washington and slowing demand from abroad. Nonresidential fixed investment, a category that includes business spending on structures and equipment, fell 1.3% during the third quarter, compared with a 3.6% gain the prior period.” (Jeffrey Sparshott and Eric Morath, “GDP Rises 2%, Helped By Consumers,” The Wall Street Journal, 10/26/12)

• “Since The Recovery From The Great Recession Began In June 2009, The U.S. Economy Has Grown At The Slowest Rate Of Any Recovery In The Post-World War II Period.” (“US Economic Growth Improves To 2 Percent Rate In Q3 On Higher Defense, Consumer Spending,” The Associated Press , 10/26/12)

Via: GOP.com

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GALLUP: 2012 ELECTORATE MORE REPUBLICAN THAN 2004

This morning, Gallup released a bombshell survey of likely voters this November. It wasn't a horse race poll, i.e. which candidate is ahead, but rather a look at the underlying demographics that will make up the electorate this November. They slap the survey with a very misleading headline, "2012 U.S. Electorate Looks Like 2008." While this is true in many respects, it obscures one very big difference. For the first time in a presidential election, more Republicans will vote than Democrats. 

In 2008, 54% of likely voters identified as Democrat or lean Democrat. 42% of likely voters identified as GOP or lean GOP. In other words, the electorate, including independents who lean towards a particular party, was D+12. This year, however, the Democrat advantage has disappeared. 49% of likely voters today identify as GOP or lean GOP. Just 46% of likely voters are or lean towards the Democrats. This is a 15-point swing towards the GOP from 2008 to an outright +3 advantage for the GOP. By comparison, in 2004, when Bush won reelection, the electorate was evenly split, with each party getting support from 48% of likely voters. 

If these numbers are within even a few points of what this survey suggests, then Romney will win decisively and the GOP will pick up the Senate. We are likely standing on the edge of another GOP wave election. 

Keep in mind, the Gallup survey suggests that voter turnout among Obama's biggest supporters, i.e. minorities and young voters, will generally match 2008 levels. Obama's problem is that, relatively speaking, there just aren't that many of these voters. Voters under 30 will make up 13% of the electorate, one point below '08 and even with '04. Minorities will make up 20%, up 5 from '04 and only up 1 point from '08. 

Obama's chief problem is that everyone else in the electorate has become much more Republican. 

Via: Breitbart

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Latest On Hurricane Sandy

East Coast braces for monster 'Frankenstorm'

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Hurricane Sandy becomes a hybrid weather monster some call "Frankenstorm" it will smack the East Coast harder and wider than last year's damaging Irene, forecasters said Friday.

The brunt of the weather mayhem will be concentrated where the hurricane comes ashore early Tuesday, but there will be hundreds of miles of steady, strong and damaging winds and rain for the entire Eastern region for several days, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The hurricane has killed at least 20 people in the Caribbean, and just left the Bahamas. It is expected to move north, just off the Eastern Seaboard.

As of Friday morning, federal forecasters were looking closer at the Delaware shore as the spot it will turn inland and merge with a wintry storm front. But there is a lot of room for error in the forecast and the storm could turn into shore closer to New York and New Jersey and bring the worst weather there.

Wherever Sandy comes ashore will get 10 inches of rain and extreme storm surges, Louis Uccellini, NOAA's environmental prediction director, said in a Friday news conference. Other areas not directly on Sandy's entry path will still get 4 to 8 inches of rain, maybe more, he said. Up to 2 feet of snow should fall on West Virginia, with lighter snow in parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania, regardless of where Sandy first hits.

A wide swath of the East, measuring several hundreds of miles, will get persistent gale-force winds in the 50 mph area, with some areas closer to storm landfall getting closer to 70 mph, said James Franklin, forecast chief for the National Hurricane Center.

"It's going to be a long-lasting event, two to three days of impact for a lot of people," Franklin said. "Wind damage, widespread power outages, heavy rainfall, inland flooding and somebody is going to get a significant surge event."

That storm surge will only be magnified by the full moon this weekend to make it a "dangerous period," Uccellini said.

Last year's Hurricane Irene was a minimal hurricane that caused widespread damage as it moved north along the coast after making landfall in North Carolina. With catastrophic inland flooding in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Vermont, federal officials say Irene caused $15.8 billion in damage.

Sandy is "looking like a very serious storm that could be historic," said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the forecasting service Weather Underground. "Mother Nature is not saying, 'Trick or treat.' It's just going to give tricks."

Via: Yahoo News

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Romney Jumps to 5-Point Lead in Gallup Poll

All registered voters are asked: "Suppose the presidential election were held today, and it included Barack Obama and Joe Biden as the Democratic Party's candidates and Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan as the Republican Party's candidates. Who would you vote for [ROTATED: Barack Obama and Joe Biden, the Democrats (or) Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, the Republicans]?" Those who are undecided are further asked if they lean more toward Obama and Biden or Romney and Ryan and their leanings are incorporated into the results.

These results are for likely voters, who are the respondents Gallup deems most likely to vote based on their responses to a series of questions asking about current voting intentions, thought given to the election, and past voting behavior. Each seven-day rolling average is based on telephone interviews with approximately 2,700 likely voters; margin of error is ±2 percentage points.

Via: Gallup

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Spending on White House dinners soars under Obama

President Obama has spent far more lavishly on White House state dinners than previous chief executives, including nearly $1 million on a 2010 dinner for Mexico's president, according to documents obtained by The Washington Examiner.

Presidents have long used formal dinners to court foreign heads of state and to dish out fine food and wine to reward political, financial and show business celebrities and supporters.

But current and former government officials said the documents obtained by The Examiner point to an unprecedented upsurge in White House spending on such events.

The Obama extravaganza two years ago for Mexican President Felipe Calderon, which included a performance by pop star Beyonce, cost $969,793, or more than $4,700 per attendee, the documents show.

The Calderon dinner was held on the South Lawn in a massive tent adorned with decorated walls, hanging chandeliers, carpeting and a stage for Beyonce's performance.

Guests rode private trolley cars from the White House to the tent. Celebrity guest chef Rick Bayless from Chicago’s Topolobampo restaurant was imported to prepare Oaxacan black mole, black bean tamalon and grilled green beans.

 The dinner for the prime minister of India -- which was famouslycrashed by Virginia couple Michaele and Tareq Salahi -- cost nearly half a million dollars. Dinners for Chinese President Hu Jintao andBritish Prime Minister David Cameron were of the same level of extravagance.

Via: Washington Examiner

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Economy Grew At Just 2% In 3rd Quarter

Average GDP Growth Less than Half of What Obama Predicted 

The average GDP growth for the first three quarters of this year is 1.77 percent, according to data released by the the Bureau of Economic Analysis this morning. That is less than half of what the White House predicted GDP growth would be this year, and less than a third of what the Obama administration projected when it first took office.

 

Here's a chart from the Republican-side of the Senate Budget Committee, detailing real GDP growth numbers versus those predicted by the White House:

 

 

Via: Weekly Standard

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Mooch Says She Sneaks Out Of White House In Disguise To Hang With The Little People…

Michelle Obama says her life isn’t that unusual.

The First Lady insisted on Thursday’s Jimmy Kimmel Live that she is still able to sneak out in public unnoticed and that her daughters with President Barack Obama – Malia, 14, and Sasha, 11 — are able to lead normal lives.

“There are times when I do kind of disguise it up, you know?” she said. “It’s a little harder because I’m so tall. You know, so you see people just kind of looking at me because I’m tall. And then it’s like… [gasps] ‘Oh, it’s you!’

“But every now and then I try to sneak out, but I don’t get to do it too much … It’s just a warm-up, cap,” she added before stopping herself: “I shouldn’t tell…”

Asked what she would do if she had just an hour to be a “normal” person, Obama replied: “I would walk out of the door of the White House like a regular person, walk down the street, go to the drug store, go to CVS, go in there, go shop. I’d go buy my toiletries, I’d pay money. I’d get a receipt. Yes. And then I’d go sit on the park, on the park bench and just watch people.

She also joked that she has to be more discreet when reprimanding her daughters in public, noting that she’s perfected the ability to speak to them without moving her lips and with a smile on her face. But she praised their ability to handle their lives as the kids of a sitting president in a “poised and gracious” manner.

Via: Red Alert Politics

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SHOCK REPORT: CIA OPS WERE DENIED REQUEST FOR HELP THREE TIMES DURING BENGHAZI ATTACK

From Fox News: Fox News has learned from sources who were on the ground in Benghazi that an urgent request from the CIA annex for military back-up during the attack on the U.S. Consulate and subsequent attack several hours later was denied by U.S. officials -- who also told the CIA operators twice to "stand down" rather than help the ambassador's team when shots were heard at approximately 9:40 p.m. in Benghazi on Sept. 11.

Former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods was part of a small team who was at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. Consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When he and others heard the shots fired, they informed their higher-ups at the annex to tell them what they were hearing and requested permission to go to the consulate and help out. They were told to "stand down," according to sources familiar with the exchange. Soon after, they were again told to "stand down." Woods and at least two others ignored those orders and made their way to the Consulate which at that point was on fire. Shots were exchanged. The quick reaction force from the CIA annex evacuated those who remained at the Consulate and Sean Smith, who had been killed in the initial attack. They could not find the ambassador and returned to the CIA annex at about midnight.

At that point, they called again for military support and help because they were taking fire at the CIA safe house, or annex. The request was denied. There were no communications problems at the annex, according those present at the compound. The team was in constant radio contact with their headquarters. In fact, at least one member of the team was on the roof of the annex manning a heavy machine gun when mortars were fired at the CIA compound. The security officer had a laser on the target that was firing and repeatedly requested back-up support from a Specter gunship, which is commonly used by U.S. Special Operations forces to provide support to Special Operations teams on the ground involved in intense firefights. The fighting at the CIA annex went on for more than four hours -- enough time for any planes based in Sigonella Air base, just 480 miles away, to arrive. Fox News has also learned that two separate Tier One Special operations forces were told to wait, among them Delta Force operators.

Via: Breitbart

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Report: Hillary Asked For More Security in Benghazi, Obama Said No

Last night, it was revealed that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had ordered more security at the U.S. mission in Benghazi before it was attacked where four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens were murdered by Al-Qaeda but President Obama denied the request.

The news broke on TheBlazeTV’s “Wilkow!” hosted by Andrew Wilkow, by best-selling author, Ed Klein who said the legal counsel to Clinton had informed him of this information.

Klein also said that those same sources said that former President Bill Clinton has been “urging” his wife [Hillary] to release official State Department documents that prove she called for additional security at the compound in Libya, which would almost certainly result in President Obama losing the election.

Klein explained that everyone knew what was happening in Benghazi from the CIA to the National Security Agency and that there’s intelligence cables that have not been released.

Wilkow asked, “If everybody knew this including the White House, who would have given the order to go in and save the ambassador?”

Klein, “The President…he should have given the order to use the rapid reaction force…”

Wilkow, “Not Petraeus?”

Klein, “Well it has to come from the president.”

Wilkow also asked Klein about Valerie Jarrett who’s the Senior Advisor to Obama and Assistant to the President for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, and her role in this cover-up.

Klein said, “We don’t know but we can only assume that every action that the president takes, and he said so, he is on the record saying “I don’t take any actions without passing it by Valerie Jarrett”... so we have to assume that Valerie Jarrett whose also by the way, hooked into the Chicago campaign line…she has a direct line to David Axlerod, was a part of this whole cover-up in the White House.”

Via: Examiner

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Report: Obama Has Begun Suggesting To Field Organizers In Florida Their Time Would Be Better Spent In Ohio…

Does Mitt-Mentum Signal a Surge to a Romney Win?

At this stage of a tight presidential race, a refreshing transparency reveals itself to even the casual observer. How campaigns actually view the state of the race emerges in plain sight from the long-cloaked inner sanctum of polling, focus groups, and micro-targeting of voter preferences.

When President Obama suddenly rolls out a 20-page pamphlet summarizing his second-term agenda, voters know it was because the campaign discovered a hole in its data dug by GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s monthlong criticism. Presidents don’t dance to a challenger’s tune unless the polling data dictate they must. The same can be said for Obama’s aggressive, zinger-filled performance in the third debate. He needed to challenge Romney on facts and energize the slackers in his base.

Similarly during the last debate, Romney ran away from previous confrontations with Obama over the terrorist attack in Libya that killed four Americans—the reddest of red meat for conservatives right now. Instead, he spoke plaintively of “peace” and of war with Iran being the absolute “last resort,” because he knew he needed votes from nonaligned suburbanites—especially women. Romney also ignored Obama’s taunts because one-on-one jousting cost him in the second debate.

In short, Obama is acting like a slightly irked incumbent who needs to make up ground on a challenger he thought he had put away last summer. Romney is acting like a challenger who can’t afford to risk losing what he gained in the first debate, trying to siphon off voters still loosely attached to Obama.

The central question is whether Romney is surging to victory or merely merging into a lane of GOP support observable in previous presidential elections but insufficient to overcome Obama’s built-in demographic and ground-game advantages. The Romney campaign knows it will outperform John McCain’s turnout averages in all the vital swing states. Romney also knows that Republican voters outperformed Democratic voters in 10 swing states in 2004 (50.7 percent turnout to 48.3 percent). Republicans were competitive with Democrats in 2000 (47.9 percent to 48.4 percent). The blowout year was 2008, when Republicans lost the turnout contest to Democrats 45.6 percent to 52.9 percent,

Via: National Journal

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Obama: Don’t “Underestimate” The Damage I Will Do In A Second Term…

In a Rolling Stone interview previewed in Politico’s “Playbook” morning email, President Barack Obama reportedly told the Rolling Stone’s Douglas Brinkley that people shouldn’t “underestimate” what he can and will accomplish in a second term if elected.

“We’re going to have a full agenda in the second four years, but people shouldn’t underestimate how much we can get done,” Obama said.

In the Oct. 11 interview for the upcoming cover of Rolling Stone Obama pointed out that despite “the gridlock and the ugliness of the process here in Washington” his administration was able to get the healthcare reform bill passed, crack down on Wall Street (Dodd-Frank bill) and establish an entire new regulatory agency (Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, although either Obama or the Rolling Stone mistakenly called it the Consumer Finance Protection Agency in the preview).

“We passed health care – something that presidents have tried to do for 100 years, and we will implement it,” Obama said.

Obama’s incorrect comment about the history of healthcare reform in America notwithstanding (the first President to attempt to reform the healthcare system was FDR, and that was not until 1933), his assertion that he has a “full agenda” for the next four years undoubtedly comes as a surprise to nearly everyone who’s not working for the Obama campaign or swimming in the “Hope and Change” Kool-Aid.

Tuesday, President Obama released a 20 page glossy booklet with his ‘plan’ for a second-term. Or as Rep. Paul Ryan called it: “a slick comic book.” However, even liberals have criticized his new plan of being devoid of any new information.

And what was Obama’s agenda for a second term before he released his glossy ‘new’ plan?

Via: Red Alert Politics

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Report: British Government Thinks Strike On Iran Would Be Illegal, Denies US Access To Air Bases…

The British attorney general has circulated legal advice to the prime minister’s office, Foreign Office and Defense Ministry warning that a preemptive military strike on Iran could violate international law, the Guardian’s Nick Hopkins reports. The existence of this secret document suggests that the U.K. government believes that Iran does not currently meet the legal threshold for a “clear and present danger” that would merit such an attack.

Though Iran’s illegal uranium enrichment is moving it closer to the capability to assemble a nuclear weapon, U.S. intelligence agencies do not believe that Tehran has affirmatively decided to build a bomb. The British legal memo would seem to underscore this view, as well as raise the question of whether Iran would have to cross that line for a military strike to meet the requirements of international law.

The Guardian also reveals that the U.K. is using this legal document to deny the U.S. assistance in contingency planning for a strike on Iran. The U.S. is reportedly asking for access to British airbases that are strategically located on remote islands.

The bases aside, the apparently staunch U.K. opposition to working with the U.S. on this is striking, particularly after British Prime Minister Tony Blair so closely joined U.S. President George W. Bush in planning and executing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The 2003 Iraq invasion became a source of considerable political backlash in the U.K., including a two-year official investigation that culminated in Blair being summoned to a bruising public inquiry.

Via: Washington Post

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Wisconsin company announces layoffs ahead of Biden arrival

OSHKOSH, Wis. - Bad news will greet Vice President Joe Biden when he arrives in Wisconsin Thursday night. Hours earlier, Oshkosh's largest employer announced that it will lay off 450 employees in January.

Oshkosh Corp., a truck manufacturer with Pentagon contracts, blamed the "difficult decisions" on looming cuts to the nation's defense budget.

"As Oshkosh and others in the defense industry have discussed on numerous occasions, domestic military vehicle production volumes will decline significantly in 2013 due to the reduction in U.S. defense budgets and the fact that military spending is returning to peacetime levels," the company said in a statement. "Unfortunately, these economic factors require Oshkosh to rebalance its defense production workforce starting in January 2013."

The company said the layoffs were not tied to the looming budget cuts set to take effect in January. And it will still have about 3,500 employees in its Oshkosh-based defense division after the job cuts.

The news came hours ahead of Biden's campaign appearance in the city on Friday morning. President Obama carried Winnebago County in 2008, but area Republicans said they believe Mitt Romney will be competitive here on Election Day.

Statewide tracking polls show that while Obama's lead has slipped, he maintains a slight advantage over Romney in Wisconsin.

Via: Washington Examiner

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American Workers Collecting Federal Disability Hits Another Record High

(CNSNews.com) - The number of American workers collecting federal disability insurance benefits hit yet another record high in October, according to the Social Security Administration.

This month 8,803,335 disabled workers are collecting benefits, up from the previous record of 8,786,049 set in September.

In February 2009, the first full month after President Barack Obama took office, there were 7,469,240 workers collecting federal disability insurance. Thus, so far in Obama’s term, the number of workers collecting disability has increased by 1,334,095. That works out to a net increase of about 29,646 per month (1,334,095 divided by 45 months), or an average increase of about 975 per day (1,334,095 divided by 1,369 days).

During George Bush’s eight years as president, the number of workers collecting federal disability insurance increased by 2,375,258, rising from 5,067,119 in February 2001 to 7,442,377 in January 2009. That equaled an average net increase of about 24,742 per month and 813 per day. In Bush’s second term alone, the number of workers on disability increased by 1,198,575, equaling an average monthly increase of about 24,970 and an average daily increase of about 820.

Via: CNS News

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AP POLL: ROMNEY ERASES OBAMA LEAD AMONG WOMEN

Less than two weeks out from Election Day, Republican Mitt Romney has erased President Barack Obama's 16-point advantage among women, a new Associated Press-GfK poll shows. And the president, in turn, has largely eliminated Romney's edge among men.

Those churning gender dynamics leave the presidential race still a virtual dead heat, with Romney favored by 47 percent of likely voters and Obama by 45 percent, a result within the poll's margin of sampling error, the survey shows.

After a commanding first debate performance and a generally good month, Romney has gained ground with Americans on a number of important fronts, including their confidence in how he would handle the economy and their impressions of his ability to understand their problems.

At the same time, expectations that Obama will be re-elected have slipped: Half of voters now expect the president to win a second term, down from 55 percent a month earlier.

For all of the good news for Republicans, however, what matters most in the election endgame is Romney's standing in the handful of states whose electoral votes still are up for grabs. And polls in a number of those battleground states still appear to favor Obama.

As the election nears, Romney has been playing down social issues and trying to project a more moderate stance on matters such as abortion in an effort to court female voters. The AP-GfK poll, taken Friday through Tuesday, shows Romney pulling even with Obama among women at 47-47 after lagging by 16 points a month earlier.

But now his campaign is grappling with the fallout from a comment by a Romney-endorsed Senate candidate in Indiana, who said that when a woman becomes pregnant during a rape "that's something God intended."

Romney quickly distanced himself from the remark by Republican Richard Mourdock. But Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the incident was "a reminder that a Republican Congress working with a Republican President Mitt Romney would feel that women should not be able to make choices about their own health care."

Via: AP

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Why Romney is Winning the Women's Vote

It is a poorly kept secret among students of female psychology that women are not attracted so much to beautiful men as they are attracted to men who are accompanied by beautiful women.

That is not to say that appearances don't matter to the ladies.  Of course they do.  The macho man in a tank top or the smooth-talking metrosexual guy in an Yves St. Laurent suit will garner that interested second look.  A handsome face, a good body, a whiff of money -- these are all promising entries in a man's résumé.

But in the mating and dating world, the advantages of a pleasing exterior don't go as far for guys as they do for girls.  It's great for a guy to be the eye candy at the party.  But in most cases, eye candy or not, the guy has still got an interview ahead (perhaps several) before he can land that coveted position with his lady of choice.

Now, on the other hand, suppose that you are lucky enough to be accompanied one evening by a beautiful woman.  Suppose you sashay into that party, larger than life, with your beautiful (let's say) blonde in a flashy red dress, clinging to your arm, and suppose (here's the killer) that as you enter the room, she is laughing at something you just said!  Well, then...you, my friend, have been certified.  Your lovely companion has placed your name at the top of all the lists in the room.  Those other guys have got a flashy résumé -- you've got a golden reference letter.

What you do with it, of course, is up to you.

Via: American Thinker

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OBAMA CALLS ROMNEY 'A BULL******* '

Politico reported on Thursday that President Obama recently displayed his idea of "the new civility" in an interview with historian Douglas Brinkley for Rolling Stone:

FIRST LOOK – Rolling Stone cover, “Obama and the Road Ahead: The Rolling Stone Interview,” by Douglas Brinkley: “We arrived at the Oval Office for our 45-minute interview … on the morning of October 11th. … As we left the Oval Office, executive editor Eric Bates told Obama that he had asked his six-year-old if there was anything she wanted him to say to the president. … [S]he said, ‘Tell him: You can do it.’ Obama grinned. … ‘You know, kids have good instincts,’ Obama offered. ‘They look at the other guy and say, “Well, that’s a bullshitter, I can tell.”’” (emphasis added)

After four years of privately insulting his opponents, President Obama has decided it's time to share his real approach to "cooperation" with the voting public just days before the election. Undecided voters are certain to notice the President's demeanor. It's a preview of the style and tone he's likely to display if he were to be elected to a second term.

Via: Breitbart

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MONSTER HAUL: ROMNEY RAKES IN $112M IN FIRST 17 DAYS OF OCTOBER

Rising enthusiasm for Mitt Romney’s surging presidential candidacy has driven Americans to the donation box: Romney’s campaign raised a whopping $112 million in 17 days of October, according to the Republican National Committee. Much of that giving was obviously driven by Romney’s stellar performance in the first debate.

Romney needed a good showing after incumbent President Barack Obama defeated him in fundraising for September, $181 million to $170 million. The Romney campaign has approximately $169 million to spend over the final two weeks of this campaign. Approximately $38 million of the money raised in October came in donations of $250 or under, suggesting burgeoning grassroots appeal for Romney.

Via: Breitbart

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