PBS NewsHour: U.S. Presidency

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U.S. PRESIDENCY


	2012 MAY May 25, 2012 Financially Struggling Voters Split Between Obama and Romney As the nation prepares to spend a long weekend honoring the armed forces and gathering in backyards for barbecues, the economy continues to be the dominant issue in politics.

	May 24, 2012 Five Months - But Who's Counting? With a little more than five months to go until Election Day, Memorial Day about to signal the start of summer, and polls showing the presidential race very close, it's a good time to think about what to keep an eye on as the campaign kicks into high gear.

	May 24, 2012 The Daily Frame President Obama receives a painting of Air Force One during the U.S. Air Force Academy's graduation ceremony in Colorado Springs on Wednesday.

	May 24, 2012 New Romney Ad Gives Another Preview of 'Day One' in Office Mitt Romney continues to frame his campaign as the answer to a simple question: What would his presidency be like on Day One. A new television ad out Thursday -- like his first, also released in Spanish -- details three things the Republican would do on Jan. 20, 2013.

	May 23, 2012 New Poll, Same Story: Obama Holds Narrow Lead Over Romney For the second day in a row, a new national poll gives President Obama a narrow lead over Mitt Romney despite apprehension among voters about the state of the economy.

	May 22, 2012 Poll: Obama, Romney Deadlocked; Economy Remains Top Concern Will President Obama's re-election fate mirror what happened to Presidents George W. Bush or George H.W. Bush? A Washington Post/ABC News poll released Tuesday gives reasons to support both outcomes, depending on which metrics are examined.

	May 21, 2012 Obama: Romney's Bain Record 'Worth Examining' President Obama called Mitt Romney's business experience at Bain Capital fair game Monday during a press conference at the conclusion of the NATO summit in Chicago.

	May 21, 2012 Obama Campaign Renews Attacks on Romney's Tenure at Bain On Monday, the Obama campaign will again go after Mitt Romney's record as an executive at Bain Capital by focusing on a paper company that closed a plant in Marion, Ind. It's the second attack in a week that goes directly after Romney's business record.

	May 18, 2012 History's Romance: Why Politics Past Beats Politics Present Is it just my imagination, or have politics and politicians grown smaller?I've been flirting with this conclusion after diving into two enjoyable presidential history books by night while covering 2012 politics by day.

	May 18, 2012 In New Ad, Romney Previews Agenda for First Day in Office So, what would a Mitt Romney presidency be like? His campaign is giving voters a preview of what the Republican just might do on January 20, 2013, outlining a positive message in Romney's first television ad of the general election, a spot featuring upbeat music and three key promises.

	May 17, 2012 Conservative Group Rejects Ad Proposal Tying Obama to Wright A proposed $10 million TV ad campaign linking President Obama to his controversial former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, right, will reportedly not make it to the small screen.

	May 17, 2012 Report: Conservative Super PAC Planning 'Provocative' Attack on Obama The New York Times reports that a Republican super PAC is planning a major attack on President Obama, rehashing a ghost from the 2008 campaign. A 54-page document leaked to the newspaper suggests that the president's one-time, controversial pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, is the subject of a proposed ad campaign.

	May 16, 2012 Obama Campaign Raises $43.6 Million in April The Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee raised $43.6 million in April, a sign of the president's continued fundraising advantage over Mitt Romney.

	May 15, 2012 New Polls Show Public More Optimistic About Economy If polls are just a snapshot in time, then the picture at the moment reveals a growing sense of optimism among voters about the country's economic future.

	May 14, 2012 Obama Campaign Slams Romney's Business Record The Obama campaign is out Monday with a harsh new attack on presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney, a multi-platform push that outlines what his re-election team says is Romney's "business philosophy and what it would mean for the American economy."

	May 11, 2012 Donations Flood Obama Campaign After Gay Marriage Announcement President Obama's change of heart on same-sex marriage is helping him raise some serious coin. Since his announcement Wednesday, the president's re-election campaign has experienced "a major surge in contributions," reports the Washington Post.

	May 10, 2012 LBJ's 'Passage of Power': The Transformation of a 'Legislative Genius' Historian Robert Caro has spent nearly four decades telling the story of President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Gwen Ifill and Caro discuss the pivotal four years between 1960 and 1964 when Johnson rose from senator to an overshadowed vice president, and then to president -- the premise of his latest biography, "The Passage of Power."

	May 10, 2012 Biographer Caro: LBJ Used 'Full Potential' of Presidential Power Historian Robert Caro has spent nearly four decades telling the story of President Lyndon Baines Johnson. On Thursday's NewsHour, Caro sits down with Gwen Ifill. Here is an extended exchange from their discussion plus some photos from his latest book.

	May 10, 2012 Obama: Support for Gay Marriage 'May Hurt' Politically President Obama said it would be hard to argue that his personal support of same-sex marriage and his reversal on the issue are for political advantage. The president's team doesn't seem to think so, however.

	May 9, 2012 NRCC Chairman: Romney on Ticket Will Boost GOP House Candidates Mitt Romney's candidacy will help the GOP pick up seats in Congress this fall, Rep. Pete Sessions, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee told reporters Wednesday.

	May 9, 2012 Lugar's Loss Raises Questions for November s longtime senators, the media's chattering class and political consultants ponder the meaning of Sen. Richard Lugar's overwhelming loss in Indiana's Republican primary, the prevailing question will be: What does it mean for November?

	May 8, 2012 Santorum Endorses Romney Via Email, Offers Political Advice Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum finally endorsed presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, but he made clear he wants to have a say in the direction of the campaign.

	May 7, 2012 Obama, Romney in Tight Race for Battleground States President Obama and Mitt Romney received a fresh sign Monday of their standing in a dozen key battleground states where the fall election is likely to be decided.

	May 4, 2012 Romney Knocks Obama on Economy Ahead of Rally in Ohio With a mixed jobs report out Friday, Mitt Romney is keeping up his attacks on President Obama's economic record. The issue is where Romney stands strongest in a general election matchup -- one reason he keeps returning to it after diversions on other issues.

	May 3, 2012 Poll: Obama, Romney in Dead Heat in Florida, Ohio President Obama and Mitt Romney are locked in a dead heat in two states that will likely play a deciding role in November's election: Florida and Ohio.

	May 2, 2012 Obama's Trip to Afghanistan Eclipses Bin Laden Debate Mitt Romney got a stark reminder Tuesday of just how difficult it is to run against an incumbent president who has command of the bully pulpit.

	May 1, 2012 Obama Ad Knocks Romney for Outsourcing Jobs, Swiss Bank Account This May Day marks President Obama's first television attack ad aimed squarely at Mitt Romney.



	APRIL April 30, 2012 Former President Clinton: Obama 'Deserves to Be Re-Elected' Former President Bill Clinton summed up his arguments for the re-election of President Obama to high-dollar donors in Northern Virginia on Sunday night and issued a sharp rebuke of eventual GOP nominee Mitt Romney as too extreme for the country.

	April 27, 2012 House Speaker Boehner Enters Presidential Campaign Fray House Speaker John Boehner endorsed Mitt Romney just last week, and by Thursday he had turned into one of the presumptive GOP nominee's fiercest allies on Capitol Hill, launching a sharp rebuke of President Obama's trip to three college campuses, where he urged Congress to prevent a doubling of student interest loan rates.

	April 26, 2012 Obama Campaign: 'Welcome to the General Election' President Obama plans to kick off his general election campaign next weekend with a pair of rallies in two key battleground states -- Ohio and Virginia. Both events will be held at universities -- Ohio State in Columbus and Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond.

	April 25, 2012 Romney Sweeps Primaries in Five States, Turns Focus to Obama With his sweep of five states Tuesday, Mitt Romney seized the GOP nomination and made clear that his focus would now be directed squarely on President Obama.

	April 24, 2012 Romney Set to Take Care of Unfinished Primary Business While the GOP primary battle is all but over, Mitt Romney remains 447 delegates short of the total needed to clinch the nomination. But he is expected to put a serious dent in that number Tuesday, when voters in five states -- worth 231 delegates -- head to the polls to cast ballots.

	April 23, 2012 Economic Picture in Swing States Could Boost Obama While a pair of recent surveys have shown Mitt Romney with an advantage when it comes to having better ideas to fix the economy, the economic data in key battleground states appear to favor President Obama.

	April 20, 2012 GOP Establishment Gets Behind Romney It's a big day for Mitt Romney, who will be embraced by GOP establishment figures during the Republican National Committee's meeting of state chairmen and officials in Scottsdale, Ariz.

	April 19, 2012 Obama, Romney Set Sights on Battleground Ohio President Obama marked his 20th trip to Ohio on Wednesday, illustrating that while the path to re-election might go through multiple states, this crucial battleground will remain ground zero for his contest with Mitt Romney.

	April 18, 2012 Obama, GOP Begin Major Push for Hispanic Voters The next stage in identity politics has arrived, with both President Obama's campaign and the Republican Party making a major push to win over the growing number of Hispanic voters in major battleground states.

	April 17, 2012 New Polls Offer Different General Election Previews Three new polls took their first crack at the race between President Obama and Mitt Romney, and they each paint a different picture of the Nov. 6 contest.

	April 16, 2012 Obama, DNC Raise $53 Million in March President Obama's re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee raised $53 million in March, a figure they announced Monday morning via a peppy web video starring donors who outlined the totals.

	April 13, 2012 Mommy Wars Erupt in Campaigns' Fight for Women Voters While campaigns attempt to capitalize on a Democratic consultant's dig at Ann Romney, most of America likely isn't caring that much about what a television pundit thinks of the woman who could become first lady.

	April 12, 2012 Female Voters in Spotlight of Romney, Obama Battle A newly emboldened Mitt Romney, bolstered by his now-inevitable claiming of the GOP nod to challenge President Obama, knows his weakness. Multiple polls showing a gender gap between the Republican contender and the Democratic president were a clear warning sign for Team Romney.

	April 11, 2012 Game On! General Election Begins In this week's Political Checklist, political editor Christina Bellantoni chatted with senior correspondent Judy Woodruff about the challenges facing Mitt Romney and President Obama as they look at the general election.

	April 11, 2012 Romney Racing to Retool For November, Obama Team Readies Attacks Rick Santorum's exit from the presidential primary race made the next 140 days a whole lot easier for Mitt Romney. Instead of conversations about delegate counts, Team Romney will be laying out paths to victory in swing states.

	April 10, 2012 Poll Shows Obama vs. Romney Is Pitched Battle Over Economy A Washington Post-ABC poll finds that President Obama leads Mitt Romney in a general election matchup, 51 percent to 44 percent. The survey also shows that Mr. Obama "has a better than 2-to-1 advantage as the more friendly and likable of the two," but offers another indication this battle will be waged over the economy.

	April 9, 2012 American Crossroads Plans Anti-Obama Push, Romney Looks to Close Deal in Pa. With the day mostly quiet on the campaign trail and 30,000 kids and family members at the White House rolling Easter eggs on the South Lawn, it could be one of the last somewhat friendly days of this election season.

	April 6, 2012 Obama Campaign Slams Romney Over Financial Disclosure, Personal Taxes The disclosure wars began in earnest on Thursday, with President Obama's campaign lighting up the outcry machine over a Washington Post story about Mitt Romney's finances.

	April 5, 2012 Romney Takes Lead in Pennsylvania, Santorum Takes a Break A new survey from the left-leaning Public Policy Polling shows front-runner Mitt Romney leading Rick Santorum, 42 percent to 37 percent, in Pennsylvania, a swing of "23 points in the last four weeks."

	April 4, 2012 SCOTUS v. POTUS: The Role of the Supreme Court, Historically President Obama made his feelings known this week on the Supreme Court, "judicial activism" and "those who would overturn" the health reform law. Some say he's gone too far. Jeffrey Brown discusses the historical tug-of-war between the president and the Court with Georgetown Law's Louis Michael Seidman and Randy Barnett.

	April 4, 2012 For Santorum, Writing Is on the Wall Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum sounded defiant as ever in his speech Tuesday night, but after a sweep by Mitt Romney in contests in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin, the writing on the wall looks like it's been done in permanent marker.

	April 4, 2012 General Election Begins After Romney's Sweep Mitt Romney's decisive sweep Tuesday of Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington, D.C., solidifies what President Obama's team in Chicago has thought all along: The former Massachusetts governor is the president's sole foe.

	April 3, 2012 Translate This: a Campaign in Every Language Do you read or write a language other than English? If so, we need your help. In partnership with the Participatory Culture Foundation through the Universal Subtitles project, the all-volunteer PBS NewsHour captioning and translation team is up and running.