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Today:
CST
2:40 The First Family departs Chicago
EST
5:30 Arrive at the White House
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Today:
CST
2:40 The First Family departs Chicago
EST
5:30 Arrive at the White House
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EDT
9:20: The President departs the White House
10:35: Arrives Green Bay, Wisconsin
10:40: Delivers remarks at Austin Straubel International Airport, Green Bay
11:45: Departs Green Bay
PDT
1:15: Arrives Las Vegas
2:10: Delivers remarks at Cheyenne Sports Complex, Las Vegas
3:25: Departs Las Vegas
MDT
5:55: Arrives Denver, Colorado
7:0: Delivers remarks at Coors Events Center, Denver
8:45: Departs Denver
EDT
1:05: Arrives Columbus, Ohio where he will stay overnight
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Steve Benen: If the White House hopes to see initial unemployment claims drop just before the election, officials got their wish. The new figures from the Department of Labor – the last report before Election Day – show a move in the right direction:
Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits fell by 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 363,000 in the week of Oct. 21-27, keeping them in a range that indicates little change in U.S. hiring patterns over the past few months. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected claims to fall to 365,000. Initial claims from two weeks ago were revised up to 372,000 from an original reading of 369,000, based on more complete data collected at the state level, according to the U.S. Labor Department.
More here
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Toledo Blade: In the final few days of the presidential contest, Mitt Romney evidently recognizes that his opposition to the federal rescue of General Motors and Chrysler is costing him voter support he needs in Ohio and Michigan. So the Republican nominee is conducting an exercise in deception about auto-industry issues that is remarkable even by the standards of his campaign.
…. Mr. Romney’s own words make clear he is no friend of the auto industry, on which Ohio relies for one of every eight jobs. Voters in Ohio and Michigan — and the nation — need to remember that.
Full editorial here
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NYT Editorial: When General Motors tells a presidential campaign that it is engaging in “cynical campaign politics at its worst,” that’s a pretty good signal that the campaign has crossed a red line and ought to pull back. Not Mitt Romney’s campaign. Having broadcast an outrageously deceitful ad attacking the auto bailout, the campaign ignored the howls from carmakers and came back with more.
Mr. Romney apparently plans to end his race as he began it: playing lowest-common-denominator politics, saying anything necessary to achieve power and blithely deceiving voters desperate for clarity and truth.
….. Mr. Romney is providing a grim preview of what kind of president he would be.
Full editorial here
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Greg Sargent: The chatter continues this morning about GOP Governor Chris Christie’s astonishingly effusive praise of Obama’s handling of Hurricane Sandy. After they toured the damage yesterday, Christie thanked Obama for their “great working relationship” and claimed Obama “sprung into action immediately.” The day before, Christie praised Obama’s storm response as “outstanding,” adding: “He deserves my praise, and he will get it regardless of what the calendar says.”
What’s striking about this is how directly it undermines one of the central arguments Mitt Romney is making against Obama, with only five days left until Election Day … Romney has been closing out the campaign with a series of ads claiming that he will work with Democrats to get things done in Washington and arguing that Obama utterly failed to persuade Republicans to work with him….
Now Americans are being treated to images of a Republican Governor extensively praising Obama for working with him cooperatively and displaying leadership and a propensity for quick action at a time of crisis.
More here
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President Obama and Gov Christie talk with local residents at the Brigantine Beach Community Center in Brigantine, N.J., Oct. 31
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Okay, this one’s a bit unfortunate…..
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Morning everyone 😉
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Today:
10:0: President Obama departs the White House
10:50: Delivers remarks at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va
12:05: Departs Va.
1:15: Arrives in Cleveland, Ohio
2:30: Delivers remarks at Cleveland State University in Ohio
4:55: Departs Cleveland
6:20: Arrives at the White House
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Washington Post editorial: Here is one way to distill the confusing charges and countercharges of the first presidential debate:
President Obama has no adequate plan to cope with the frightening level of debt the U.S. government is accumulating. His proposal would only worsen the level of U.S. debt.
Republican nominee Mitt Romney has a plan to make it worse.
To understand that harsh assessment, you have to spend a few minutes with some facts that Mr. Romney did his best to obscure Wednesday.
“First of all, I don’t have a $5 trillion tax cut,” he said. In fact, Mr. Romney has proposed lowering income tax rates, abolishing the estate tax and making other changes that would cost $5 trillion over 10 years…..
…. The Republican cites studies that he says prove that wrong, but when you look closely, they prove him wrong….
…. here’s the really scary part: Mr. Romney’s plan is irresponsible, even if he could pay for it….
Full editorial here
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(I have about three words of Spanish …. but even I get this)
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Today:
10:45: President Obama departs the White House
1:20: Arrives Miami, Fla.
2:10: Participates in a town hall hosted by Univision (Live on Facebook – and here)
5:25: Departs Miami
6:20: Arrives in Tampa
6:50: Delivers remarks at a campaign event (private residence)
9:05: Departs Tampa
11:10: Arrives Joint Base Andrews
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Michael Tomasky: ….. One of the things that really gets me is hearing people say things like, “I voted for Obama because I hoped he’d be able to unite the country, and he hasn’t, and I’m very disappointed by that.” ….. this is like blaming Sharon Tate for failing to make peace with Charles Manson. The Republicans operate from a mindset of wanting to crush and destroy the Democrats, and I bring this up today because the debate over the “freeloading” 47 percent is as good an exhibit as exists with which to make the case…..
….. it’s Obama’s fault that the tone in Washington hasn’t changed? It may have been idealistic and naive of him to promise it, but at least he tried, and I’ll take idealistic and naive over dishonest and cynical. It’s a sad thing to say, but the country will be united only when the liars and cynics see that their tactics no longer work.
Full post here
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USA Today: President Obama’s campaign raised $114 million in August, edging Mitt Romney’s haul of $111.6 million and ending the Republican’s three month winning streak in the money race.
“The key to fighting back against the special interests writing limitless checks to support Mitt Romney is growing our donor base, and we did that substantially in the month of August,” said Jim Messina, Obama’s campaign spokesman.
The $114 million in August is a big spike for Obama, who had raised only $75 million in July.
….. The new fundraising totals come right after the Republican and Democratic conventions, and at a time when Obama is taking a lead over Romney in daily tracking polls.
More here
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Today (all times ET):
10:0: President Obama, VP Biden, Michelle Obama and Jill Biden depart Charlotte en route Portsmouth, N.H.
11:45: Arrive in Portsmouth
12:20: President Obama and VP Biden deliver remarks at a campaign event at Strawbery Banke Field, Portsmouth. Michelle Obama and Jill Biden also attend
2:30: Depart Portsmouth
5:45: Arrive in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
6:30: President Obama and VP Biden deliver remarks at a campaign event at the University of Iowa. Michelle Obama and Jill Biden also attend
8:35: President Obama departs Cedar Rapids en route St. Petersburg, Fla.
10:55: Arrives in St. Petersburg
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President Barack Obama’s post-convention bus tour of Florida this weekend will include a speech at the Kissimmee Civic Center Saturday afternoon and Melbourne on Sunday …. The bus tour also will include a stop in Seminole on Saturday and Melbourne and West Palm Beach on Sunday. The President begins Saturday with a visit to the St. Petersburg College-Seminole Campus. From there he will be busing around Florida for the weekend…..
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Today:
3:30 ET: President Obama delivers remarks at a campaign event in Charlottesville, Virgina
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Washington Examiner: President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will tour seven swing states next week ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.
Obama will travel to Iowa, Colorado, Ohio and Virginia between Sept. 1 and Sept. 4 as part of his “Road to Charlotte” tour, the president’s campaign announced Tuesday. Among the cities Obama will visit include Des Moines and Sioux City in Iowa, Boulder, Colo., Toledo and Cleveland in Ohio and Norfolk, Va. Biden will travel separately to York, Pa., Green Bay, Wis., and Detroit between Sept. 2 and Sept. 4.
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NYT Editorial: …. the Republicans’ parade of truth-twisting, distortions and plain falsehoods arrived on the podium of their national convention on Tuesday. Following in the footsteps of Mitt Romney’s campaign, rarely have so many convention speeches been based on such shaky foundations.
…. Conventions are always full of cheap applause lines and over-the-top attacks, but it was startling to hear how many speakers in Tampa considered it acceptable to make points that had no basis in reality.
Gov John Kasich of Ohio, for example, boasted of the booming economy in his state, never mentioning that he and Mr. Romney opposed the auto bailout that has played an outsized role in the state’s recovery. (Apparently Mr. Obama’s destructive economic policies do not apply everywhere.)
…. Considering how Mr. Romney has conducted his campaign so far, most recently his blatantly false advertising accusing Mr. Obama of gutting the work requirement on welfare, it is probably not surprising that the convention he leads would follow a similar path.
Voters looking for a few nuggets of truth would not have found them in Tampa on Tuesday.
Full editorial here
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