09 | October | 2012 | The Obama Diary

Newseum

The San Francisco Examiner: … Four years ago, under a different owner, The San Francisco Examiner endorsed John McCain and Sarah Palin for president. Happily, the nation’s voters had a better idea. Today, as a different paper under new ownership, we wholeheartedly endorse Barack Obama and Joe Biden for a second term so that they can move forward with reforms this country needs.

A president’s second term is an opportunity to implement his legacy agenda. Nothing we have seen suggests that Barack Obama will be content to rest on his laurels in the next four years.

Full editorial here

****

Today (all times ET):

12:25: President Obama departs San Francisco

4:20: Arrives in Columbus, Ohio

4:30: Michelle Obama speaks to grassroots supporters in Loudoun County, Va. (CNN have this listed for live streaming, but for 5:20 – will check)

5:00: President Obama delivers remarks at a campaign event at Ohio State University in Columbus

7:15: Departs Columbus

7:30: Michelle Obama attends a campaign fundraising event in McLean, Va.

8:40: President Obama arrives at the White House

****

Miami Herald: From a Florida Democratic Party email: …. September is the 8th consecutive month that Democrats have out-registered Republicans …. registered 18,063 more voters than Republicans, beating them by 16-percent …. they had a nearly 30-percent registration advantage with Hispanics. Overall, Democrats are beating Republicans in Hispanic registration by roughly 10-points.

In September, Democrats had a 21-percent registration advantage with women. Overall, Democrats are beating Republicans in women registration by roughly 10-points….

Florida’s September voter registration data shows Democrats’ most impressive month yet: we’ve out-registered the GOP in Florida by over 16-percent in September, with over 43,000 new Democrats on the rolls.

Florida Democrats have built the strongest, largest ground game this state has ever seen – we are entering the final month in a strong position to win Democratic victories up and down the ticket.

Thank you for your handwork and support. We’ve got 29 days to bring it home and we can’t let up now.

More here

****

Gotta Register

****

Here’s a poll that probably won’t get much attention 😉

Washington Post

****

Deaniac83 (The People’s View): Last week, we talked a little bit about the Right’s attempt to play the refs by complaining that pollsters were polling too many Democrats – where in fact, the numbers were justified by both the Democrats’ registration advantage and last presidential election’s voting patterns. So what did our national media and pollsters do? They quickly groveled at the feet of the loud screeching noise-makers, of course.

Today, for example, there is a Pew poll out showing Mitt Romney has taken a lead in national polling of likely voters, 49-45, a full 11-point swing since the same poll from two weeks ago. Did the debate make all the difference? Don’t be silly. Here’s what really happened: Pew polled fewer voters altogether, and, they acquiesced to the wingnut browbeating and entirely took away the Democratic registration advantage documented in actual voting in 2008, registration data, and well, their own previous polling. Here, in a nutshell, is what really happened….

See here

****

Newseum

President Obama embraces United Farm Workers President Arturo S. Rodriguez as he arrives to speak at the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument, Oct. 8, 2012 (AP/Carolyn Kaster)

Thousands packed the grounds at La Paz to hear President Obama announce the establishment of the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument

(Felix Adamo/The Californian)

Newseum

****

Dana Milbank: …. Scrubbing one’s brain clean of previous positions has been Mitt Romney’s stock in trade. In fact, his foreign-policy speech Monday to the Virginia Military Institute was one long gargle-and-rinse of the candidate’s previous positions.

Last year, Romney called the Obama administration’s intervention in Libya “mission creep and mission muddle.” On Monday, he accused Obama of declining to use “America’s greatest power to shape history”…. Last year, Romney said American troops “shouldn’t go off and try to fight a war of independence for another nation …. On Monday, he spoke of that same conflict as a matter of the utmost national importance…. Last year, Romney reversed his earlier support for the Iraq war …. On Monday, he was back to his original view….

Just a few months ago, Romney said “there’s just no way” to achieve peace between the Israelis and Palestinians because Palestinians are “not wanting to see peace.” …. On Monday, he said he would “recommit America to the goal of a democratic, prosperous Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security” with Israel.

Rub-a-dub-dub! Four positions got scrubbed.

Full article here

****

NYT Editorial: Mitt Romney mounted a big foreign policy display on a flag-draped stage at the Virginia Military Institute on Monday, serving up a lot of tough-sounding sound bites and hawkish bumper stickers, some of them even bumping up somewhere close to the truth, to give the appearance that he would be stronger and more forceful on international affairs than President Obama.

He seems to consider himself, ludicrously, a leader similar to the likes of Harry Truman and George Marshall, and, at one point, he obliquely questioned Mr. Obama’s patriotism. The hope seems to be that big propaganda, said loudly and often, will drown out Mr. Obama’s respectable record in world affairs, make Americans believe Mr. Romney would be the better leader and cover up the fact that there is mostly just hot air behind his pronouncements.

…. Americans deserve an intensive, textured and honest discussion on foreign policy. They did not get it on Monday. Mr. Obama should respond, forcefully, to Mr. Romney on these issues, even before their next debate on Oct. 16, which will include issues of foreign affairs.

Full editorial here

****

Keep on tweeting this:

****

The Fact Checker (Washington Post): We will leave analysis of the GOP presidential nominee’s major foreign-policy address to the pundits, though we were pleased to see that he did not repeat his frequent claim that Obama “apologized” for America — a phrase we and other fact-checkers have long debunked.

Still, we were interested in his assertion about the size of the Navy. Is the Navy really in the worst shape it has been in 96 years?

…. The Pinocchio Test: This is a nonsense fact. In his counting of ships, Romney equates gunboats with aircraft carriers and torpedo boats with nuclear-powered submarines. For such an important speech, one would think the candidate would resolve to use the most relevant facts possible.

Full post here

****