Obama seizes lead in race to define Romney

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Obama seizes lead in race to define Romney

Obama ads trashing Romney's work at Bain Capital and his tax record undermine the image the Republican wants voters to see.

By Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times
August 13, 2012

Hours after revealing his choice of Rep. Paul D. Ryan as his running mate, Mitt Romney slammed President Obama for running his reelection campaign "down in the dirt." The race, he said, could now focus on serious issues.

By selecting the Wisconsin congressman, who leads the Republican Party's drive for tax cuts for all — including the wealthiest — and dramatic spending reductions, Romney ensured a robust debate on sharply contrasting visions for America's future.

Obama/Romney negative ads going to new extremes

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Obama/Romney negative ads going to new extremes

August 10, 2012
By Nancy Cordes
(CBS News) WASHINGTON -- The presidential campaign ad season is already in high-gear.

The campaigns and political "super PACS" are flooding the airwaves, and critics on both sides say facts don't back up the charges made in the ads.

The claims in some of the ads have been so dubious, they're making some people in both parties uncomfortable.

Even President Obama and his presumptive Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, have condemned some of the ads -- but only the ones from the other side.

One such ad, from Priorities USA Action, a top outside group supporting Mr. Obama, features former Missouri steelworker Joe Soptic saying, "When Mitt Romney and Bain closed the plant, I lost my

Romney campaign slams Obama 'hypocrisy' over super PAC ad

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Romney campaign slams Obama 'hypocrisy' over super PAC ad

By Judson Berger
Published August 09, 2012
FoxNews.com

Mitt Romney’s campaign accused President Obama of “hypocrisy” Wednesday night after the president bemoaned the “crazy” behavior of super PACs – despite the mounting furor over a controversial ad put out by the super PAC cheerleading his own re-election effort.
The president complained about the outside political groups, which often have ties to the presidential campaigns themselves, during a Colorado campaign stop. “You got these guys writing $10 million

Bill Clinton slams new Romney welfare ad, says it is disappointing

Bill Clinton slams new Romney welfare ad, says it is disappointing

Published August 08, 2012
FoxNews.com
NEW YORK – Former President Bill Clinton is leaping to President Obama's defense after a new Romney attack ad accused the president of tearing down one of the signature bipartisan accomplishments from Clinton's term.

Romney raises $101 million in July

August 6, 2012                                                   http://sirifarm.com/index.html

Romney raises $101 million in July

By Leigh Ann Caldwell
CBS News) Mitt Romney's campaign and a joint fundraising committee with the Republican National Committee raised a combined $101.3 million during July, the Romney campaign announced Monday. This is the second consecutive month that Romney has raised more than $100 million in a month, having first broken his own monthly fundraising record in June by bringing in $106 million.
"Americans are clearly looking for a change in the White House," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement Monday morning. "Mitt Romney has a plan that will create jobs, grow the economy, and build a stronger middle class - that is why he is seeing such strong support."

Retired porn star Jenna Jameson supports Mitt Romney

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Retired porn star Jenna Jameson supports Mitt Romney

By Chris Moody
August 3, 2012
Retired adult film actress Jenna Jameson voiced support for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney at a strip club Thursday, CBS San Francisco reports:

"I'm very looking forward to a Republican being back in office," Jameson said while sipping champagne in a VIP room at Gold Club in the city's South of Market neighborhood. "When you're rich, you want a Republican in office."

Jameson was being interviewed "exclusively" by a CBS reporter who was "on assignment" at "an event marking the 8th anniversary" of the San Francisco-area strip club.

Obama praises Olympic athletes

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Obama praises Olympic athletes

By REID J. EPSTEIN | 8/4/12 7:03 AM EDT

President Barack Obama morphed into the first fan in his weekly radio address broadcast Saturday, praising the nation’s Olympic athletes competing in London.

The flag-waving continues the president’s effort to tether himself to popular winning Olympians — he congratulated gold medalists Michael Phelps and Gabby Douglas from the campaign stump this week during stops in Ohio and Virginia.

Jobs report provides little to sway voters either way

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Jobs report provides little to sway voters either way

The Labor Department's statistics indicate an economy that's improving but still tepid — in other words, not dramatic enough to make a difference for the crucial few voters who haven't yet made up their minds.
By David Lauter, Washington Bureau
August 3, 2012
WASHINGTON — The latest jobs report means the economic shape of the presidential battlefield is now largely set, with an economy that no longer appears headed back toward recession, but in which growth continues at a sputtering pace.

Obama’s 51st birthday wish: Florida’s electoral votes

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Obama’s 51st birthday wish: Florida’s electoral votes

by Jim Kuhnhenn, Associated Press | August 3, 2012
WINTER PARK, Fla. (AP) — President Barack Obama has a simple wish for his upcoming 51st birthday: Florida’s 29 electoral votes.

Obama was serenaded to the tune of “Happy Birthday” on Thursday during the start of a campaign rally in battleground Florida, an early nod to his birthday on Saturday. The Democratic president, locked in a tight re-election campaign against Republican Mitt Romney, was not too bashful about suggesting potential gifts.

For Whom The Attack Ad Tolls

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For Whom The Attack Ad Tolls

By MICHAEL FALCONE (@michaelpfalcone) and AMY WALTER (@amyewalter)
August 3, 2012
New polls out this week from the Pew Research Center and Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times show the negative attacks on Mitt Romney taking a serious toll.

"By a 52 percent to 37 percent margin, more voters say they have an unfavorable than favorable view of Mitt Romney," according to Pew's analysis of the results. "The poll, conducted prior to Romney's recent overseas trip, represents the sixth consecutive survey over the past nine months in which his image has been in negative territory."

And forget all the complaints about party identification for these surveys being "too Democratic." The Pollster.com aggregation of all polling since April shows Romney's favorable/unfavorable ratings consistently underwater. As of today, he's seen more unfavorably than favorably by an average of 8 percentage points.

Get more pure politics at ABC News.com/Politics and a lighter take on the news at OTUSNews.com

A look at the behavior from the Romney campaign and his allies suggests that they see some of the same things.

First, there are the ads that seek to portray Romney for who he is instead of who he isn't. His success at saving the 2002 Olympics as outlined in an ad paid for by the pro-Romney super PAC, Restore Our Future. And his "Believe in Our Future" spot that finally has Romney telling his story in his own voice.

Second, as Byron York, chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner writes, Romney's speech in Colorado yesterday focused as much on his plans for the future instead of just on Obama's failures.

"On Thursday afternoon, there was Romney, addressing supporters in Golden, Colo., in front of a giant banner that said 'ROMNEY PLAN.' In his remarks, Romney criticized Obama; nothing wrong with that. But he laid out his larger purpose at the very beginning. 'Today, I come to talk about making things better,' Romney said, laying out his plan. 'If we do those five things, those simple five things ... you're going to see this economy come roaring back.' 'This is the path to more jobs and more take-home pay and a brighter future for you and your kids,' Romney added. 'And I know that because I've seen it.'"

York notes: "Romney was clear, sharp and focused. If he stays that way, he'll likely quiet some of his GOP critics, at least for a while."

Of course, Romney's "five things" were short on details. But, the idea is an acknowledgement that he needs to start filling in the gaps about who he is and what he believes in before the caricature that Democrats have created ultimately defines him.

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AdWatch: Obama ad portrays Romney as favoring rich

AdWatch: Obama ad portrays Romney as favoring rich

August 2, 2012
WASHINGTON — TITLE: "Worried"

LENGTH: 30 seconds.

AIRING: Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, and Florida

KEY IMAGES: Black-and-white shots of worried-looking people, footage of the war in Iraq and people boarding a private jet.

"You watched, and worried," a narrator says. "Two wars. Tax cuts for millionaires. Debt piled up. And now we face a choice." The downbeat music turns upbeat, and a color image of Mitt Romney flashes on the screen, followed by an image of luxury yachts, an overhead shot of the Pentagon and, again, a pair of worried-looking voters.

Poll: Obama leads in Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania

Poll: Obama leads in Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania

Aug 01, 2012
By David Jackson, USA TODAY
A new poll gives President Obama solid leads in three key swing states: Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania.

The president hits 50% in all three states, according to the survey by Quinnipiac University, the New York Times and CBS News.

Obama leads Republican Mitt Romney by 50%-44% in Ohio, by 51%-45% in Florida, and 53%-42% in Pennsylvania.

"If today were Nov. 6, President Barack Obama would sweep the key swing states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania and - if history is any guide - into a second term in the Oval Office," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Romney to announce VP choice through a smartphone app

Romney to announce VP choice through a smartphone app

By Chris Moody
July 31, 2012
Four years ago, then-Sen. Barack Obama made his vice presidential choice public by sending a mass text message to supporters. On Tuesday, Mitt Romney's campaign announced they will make their announcement through a smartphone app.

The campaign launched an app called " Mitt's VP," which will send the news straight to a smartphone using push notifications and then allow the user to easily spread the word on social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

"The first official way to learn the name of the Republican Vice Presidential candidate is by using our new 'Mitt's VP' app," said Romney Digital Director Zac Moffatt in a statement. "Users of the app will be the first to get the news on the biggest political decision of the year through an instantaneous alert

Bill Clinton setting the stage for Obama at convention makes perfect sense

07/30/2012

Bill Clinton setting the stage for Obama at convention makes perfect sense

By Mary C. Curtis
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- North Carolina isn’t Arkansas. But it’s still the south. It’s been awhile since Bill Clinton occupied the White House. But he’s still awfully popular. Despite a little golf and a handful of fundraisers, Clinton and President Obama are not the best of friends.But, boy, does Bill Clinton love to be the go-to guy.

It makes perfect political sense that Clinton has been tagged, as The New York Times reported, to formally place President Barack Obama’s name into nomination at the Democratic National Convention here in September, in prime time, and make the economic argument for four more years. This from the president who presided over a flush economy, served two terms and has never strayed far from center stage. The Clinton Global Initiative is one thing, but this speech puts him back into TV rooms across America. “There isn’t anybody on the planet who has a greater perspective on not just the last four years, but the last two decades, than Bill

Palestinian official: Romney comments unacceptable

Palestinian official: Romney comments unacceptable

2012/7/30

JERICHO, West Bank (AP) — Mitt Romney's assertion that Jerusalem is Israel's capital is absolutely unacceptable, a senior Palestinian official said Monday, voicing the strongest Palestinian criticism yet of the Republican presidential candidate.
Palestinian officials had largely maintained diplomatic silence during Romney's current visit to the region, even as the candidate embraced Israeli positions and in an apparent snub, avoided meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Dick Cheney: picking Sarah Palin as running mate was 'mistake'

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Dick Cheney: picking Sarah Palin as running mate was 'mistake'

Dick Cheney, the former US Vice President, said John McCain's 2008 running mate pick of Sarah Palin was a "mistake" because of her inexperience
29 Jul 2012
In an interview with ABC News, Mr Cheney, who was George W Bush's running mate in 2000 and 2004, said the main criterion for anyone being considered as a potential future vice president "has to be: Is this person capable of being the president of the United States."
Mr Cheney, who remains an influential figure in Republican circles, said he personally likes Mrs Palin, who was a first-term governor of Alaska when Arizona Senator McCain picked her as his running mate four years ago.
"I like Governor Palin. I've met her. I know her. She was an attractive candidate," he said.
"But based on her background – she had only been governor for what, two years? I don't think she passed that test ... of being ready to take over. And I think that was a – a mistake."
Mr McCain and Mrs Palin lost to the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and running mate Joe Biden.
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Bill O'Reilly: New poll has President Obama up big

Bill O'Reilly: New poll has President Obama up big

Published July 25, 2012 | O'Reilly Factor | Bill O'Reilly
By Bill O'Reilly
A new NBC News/"Wall Street Journal" poll says the President is ahead of Mitt Romney by six points; 49-43. Wow, how about that?
However, that poll may not be accurate. In a Rasmussen Daily Tracking poll today, taken among the likely voters, Mitt Romney leads 47-44. That is a stunning nine point difference from the "Wall Street Journal"/NBC survey. So, what is going on?
Well, first of all the NBC deal is registered voters, not likely voters. Secondly, there is an 11-point difference Democrats over Republicans in the NBC/Journal poll. It's not that they stack the deck. It's just that the random sample came out that way.

Romney, Obama dig in over 'you didn't build that' furor

Romney, Obama dig in over 'you didn't build that' furor

Published July 25, 2012
FoxNews.com
The campaign debate over President Obama's "you didn't build that" remark raged on Wednesday even as Mitt Romney arrived in London for his overseas trip -- with Obama conducting damage control in a new TV ad and Romney's campaign rejecting the president's claim that his words were taken out of context.
The president over the past several days has argued that Republicans twisted his words. While Romney claims Obama was talking about businesses when he said, "if you've got a business, you didn't build that," Obama now says he was actually trying to make the point that business owners "didn't build" roads and bridges -- something he had referred to earlier in the speech.

Back on the trail, Romney and Obama avoid gun control issue

July 24, 2012

Back on the trail, Romney and Obama avoid gun control issue

By CBS News Topics In The News ,Domestic Issues ,Campaign 2012
(CBS News) Despite calls to address the gun control issue, neither President Obama nor Mitt Romney brought the issue up as they returned to the campaign trail Monday.
Romney was asked during a CNBC interview about the issue, which became a subject of debate following last week's shooting in Aurora, Colo. Romney said he didn't believe new laws would have made a difference in last week's massacre.

"There are -- were, of course, very stringent laws which existed in Aurora, Colorado. Our challenge is not the laws, our challenge is people who, obviously, are distracted from reality and do unthinkable, unimaginable, inexplicable things," he said.

Mr. Obama, meantime, spoke to the Veterans' of Foreign Wars and attended three fundraisers in

Romney puts focus on foreign policy with Israel trip

Romney puts focus on foreign policy with Israel trip

Published July 23, 2012 | Hannity | Sean Hannity
Special Guests: Tina Korbe, Ron Desantis

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," July 23, 2012. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: With 106 days to go until Election Day, the campaign is temporarily switching focus from the economy to foreign policy. Mitt Romney is planning to make his first appearance on the international stage with a trip to Israel, England and Poland.

Now it's no surprise that some of his stops will be with allies that the president has not exactly put on