Okay, some time in the next 24 hours – quite possibly when I’m asleep (and if anyone mentions again that I also slept through the death of bin Laden I’ll email you Newt in his mankini) – we’re gonna get to the 14 million hits mark. Unless the internet breaks down and never, ever comes back. đ„
Again, like on all these happy days, I’m going to spare you any mushiness, except to say: thank you so much for coming here, for everything you bring to the place – not least all the brilliant information – for all your kindness, and for your undying support of President Obama and your efforts to re-elect him and VP Biden.
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Absolutely no worries if you don’t, but if you have $14 dollars to spare, to mark this, um, historic landmark …… subtle hint:
NYT: A longtime aide to George W. Romney issued a harshly worded critique of Mitt Romney, accusing him of shifting political positions in âerratic and startling waysâ and failing to live up to the distinguished record of his father, the former governor of Michigan.
Walter De Vries, who worked for the senior Mr. Romney throughout the 1960s, wrote that Mitt Romneyâs bid for the White House was âa far cry from the kind of campaign and conduct, as a public servant, I saw during the seven years I worked in George Romneyâs campaigns and served him as governor.â
âWhile it seems that Mitt would say and do anything to close a deal â or an election,â he wrote, âGeorge Romneyâs strength as a politician and public officeholder was his ability and determination to develop and hold consistent policy positions over his life.â
⊠âGeorge would never have been seen with the likes of Sheldon Adelson or Donald Trump.â
⊠Mr. De Vries, who said he wished to the see the Republican Party return to its moderate roots, said he intended to vote for Mr. Obama on Election Day.
Reuters: Retail sales rose in September as Americans stepped up purchases of everything from cars to electronics, a sign that consumer spending is driving faster economic growth.
âŠ. expectations for third-quarter economic growth improved after the Commerce Department reported a 1.1 percent increase in retail sales during September.
The reading, which beat analysts’ forecasts, builds on other signs of growing economic momentum, including a drop in the jobless rate last month and a rise in consumer confidence.
“The news flow on the U.S. economy keeps getting better,” said Chris Williamson, an economist at Markit in London.
President Barack Obama walks with Chief of Staff Jack Lew during a break from debate preparations in Williamsburg, Va., Oct. 14. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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Heads up:
5:45 ET: Michelle Obama speaks at a campaign event at Cuyahoga County Community College, Cleveland
A supporter holds up a sign during First Lady Michelle Obama’s campaign rally at the Ohio Wesleyan University, October 15 (Jewel Samad/AFP/GettyImages)
2:45 ET: Michelle Obama speaks at a campaign event at Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware
5:45 ET: Michelle Obama speaks at a campaign event at Cuyahoga County Community College, Cleveland
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NYT Editorial: There are many unanswered questions about the vicious assault in Benghazi last month that killed four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. And Congress has a responsibility to raise them. But Republican lawmakers leading the charge on Capitol Hill seem more interested in attacking President Obama than in formulating an effective response.
It doesnât take a partisan to draw that conclusion. The ugly truth is that the same people who are accusing the administration of not providing sufficient security for the American consulate in Benghazi have voted to cut the State Department budget, which includes financing for diplomatic security. The most self-righteous critics donât seem to get the hypocrisy, or maybe they do and figure that if they hurl enough doubts and complaints at the administration, they will deflect attention from their own poor judgments on the State Departmentâs needs.
Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, October 13 (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
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Washington Post: President Obama is regarded as significantly more honest and trustworthy than Mitt Romney in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll â a finding that could inform the incumbentâs strategy heading into the second debate of the general election Tuesday night.
Fifty-five percent of likely voters said that Obama is âhonest and trustworthy,â while 41 percent said he was not. For Romney, on the other hand, 47 percent said he could be described as honest and trustworthy, while an equal 47 percent said that he could not.
âŠ. But in the handful of swing states identified by the Post (along with Democratic-leaning Ohio), Obamaâs lead is even more pronounced on the question. Fifty-six percent of swing-state voters said the incumbent is honest and trustworthy, while just 44 percent said the same of Romney.
Virginia Gazette: âŠ. The president arrived at the office, where he came into the lobby carrying a stack of pizzas …. he introduced himself to a small group of campaign workers in the lobby before heading into a back room, where 11 volunteers were phone banking. Obama introduced himself to the volunteers before taking a seat between Alexa Kissinger and Suzanne Stern to make his own phone calls to local volunteers. “I’ve got to get to work,” Obama said.
After joking with Stern about “old school” phones Obama …. then called Ellen and Chuck Hawkins. “Is this Ellen?” Obama asked. “Ellen this is Barack Obama.” Hawkins seemed not to believe she was getting a call from the president of the United States.
“It is. It is. Really, truly,” Obama said. “I’m over here in the Williamsburg office. They have told me some of the great folks that have been doing work, and I know you and Chuck have been working so hard.”
After making phone calls Obama, shook hands with and hugged a line of roughly 20 volunteers standing outside in front of the office, before heading back to Kingsmill to continue preparing for the debate.
With campaign volunteer Suzanne Stern at a campaign office in Williamsburg, October 14 (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
âŠ. greeting supporters outside the Williamsburg campaign office (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
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NYT: BOSTON â When the ceiling collapsed in the Big Dig tunnel here, Gov. Mitt Romney was at his vacation home in New Hampshire. When the Bush administration warned that the nation was at high risk of a terror attack in December 2003, he was at his Utah retreat. And for much of the time the legislature was negotiating changes to his landmark health care bill, he was on the road.
During Mr. Romneyâs four-year term as governor of Massachusetts, he cumulatively spent more than a year – part or all of 417 days – out of the state, according to a review of his schedule and other records. More than 70 percent of that time was spent on personal or political trips unrelated to his job, a New York Times analysis found.
Reuters: U.S. retail sales rose in September as Americans bought more cars and gasoline, while a gauge of consumer spending pointed to stronger-than-expected economic growth in the third quarter.
Retail sales increased 1.1 percent, the Commerce Department said on Monday, beating expectations after an upwardly revised 1.2 percent rise in August.
âŠ. The details of the report showed broad strength across retailers, with sales of motor vehicles and parts up 1.3 percent ⊠Other categories were also strong, with sales at electronics retailers up 4.5 percent, while sales at food and beverage stores rose 1.2 percent.
The Obama Diary 
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