November 2012
Nov 19, 2012
Obama, in an emerging Myanmar, vows support
By Peter Baker, The New York Times
President Obama journeyed to this storied tropical outpost of pagodas and jungles on Monday to “extend the hand of friendship” as a land long tormented by repression and poverty begins to throw off military rule and emerge from decades of isolation.
Read moreNov 16, 2012
How to run a killer campaign
By John Dickerson, Slate MagazineEvery morning when Barack Obama’s campaign manager Jim Messina turned on his computer, he saw a snapshot of the state of the race. Campaign software engineers had built him a dashboard that showed how many doors volunteers had knocked on the night before, how many phone calls they had made, how much money had been raised, and what was moving on Twitter and other social networks. It also included a feed of traditional news feeds. “That allowed me to get a good sense in the morning of what was going on in our world.” Messina says it was about 10 days before Election Day when he looked at those numbers and the early-vote tallies that he began to smile. “That’s when I started to feel pretty good. I looked at the numbers and we were crushing it out there.”
Read moreG.O.P. Governors meet, amid whispers of 2016
By Jeff Zeleny, The New York TimesThe polite praise initially showered upon Mitt Romney for having waged a good fight against President Obama has given way to a plea from some Republicans: Please stop talking.
Read moreSenate works on financial cliff options
By Lori Montgomery and Zachary A. Goldfarb, The Washington PostAs congressional leaders prepare to meet Friday morning at the White House to discuss the looming “fiscal cliff,” much of Washington is focused on the potential for compromise between President Obama and House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).
Read moreThe 4 issues dragging down the economic recovery
By Jim Tankersley, National JournalIt seems bizarre even to mention this less than two weeks after the vote, but President Obama just won an election that was all about the economy. That’s what six in 10 voters on Nov. 6 told exit pollsters they were most concerned about. Not balancing the budget, reforming the social-safety net, or making the rich pay more in taxes—rather, improving an economy still laboring to find a growth groove more than three years after the Great Recession officially ended. “Our top priority has to be jobs and growth,” Obama said in a press statement on the Friday after the election, and he’s right.
Read moreDemystifying the fiscal impasse that is vexing Washington
By Jackie Calmes, The New York Times
Many Americans must be wondering: What is all this about a “fiscal cliff”? And why did it receive so little attention during the presidential campaign?
Well, it’s complicated — the so-called cliff, that is. And most solutions are politically painful. In a rare show of bipartisanship, or mutual protection, both parties ducked the debate until after the election. What follows is an attempt to demystify the issue, which President Obama and the lame-duck Congress now are struggling over, and which may occupy them right through the holidays.
Read moreNov 15, 2012
Libyan officials acknowledge they’ve arrested no suspects in Benghazi consulate attack
By Nancy A. Youssef, McClatchy NewspapersTwo months after the American ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed in assaults on U.S. facilities here, there have been no arrests of suspected attackers, and Libyan officials say it is unlikely any will be made anytime soon.
Read moreObama says no ‘red lines’ on top tax rate, signaling some flexibility in debt talks
By Lori Montgomery and Zachary A. Goldfarb, The Washington PostPresident Obama cracked open the door to compromise with Republicans on tax rates for the nation’s wealthiest households Wednesday, saying he is “open to new ideas” for increasing their tax bills without letting the top rate rise as scheduled in January to 39.6 percent.
Read moreObama meets C.E.O.’s as fiscal reckoning nears
By Helene Cooper and Nelson D. Schwartz, The New York TimesPresident Obama extended an olive branch to business leaders Wednesday, seeking their support as he prepared to negotiate with Congressional Republicans over the fiscal impasse in Washington.
Read moreDavid Petraeus to Testify on Benghazi attack
With Martha Raddatz, ABC NewsMartha Raddatz discusses the former CIA head's knowledge of the terror attack.
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Nov 14, 2012
The fiscal cliff: Will Obama, Congress cut budget deal?
Susan Davis, Richard Wolf and Tim Mullaney, USA TodayFive people will gather Friday inside the White House to begin making decisions that could affect the pocketbooks of 315 million Americans.
Read moreObama vows firm stance on deficit-reduction plan
By Jackie Calmes and Steven Greenhouse, The New York TimesPresident Obama reassured leaders of labor and progressive groups on Tuesday that he will not yield to Congressional Republicans and extend Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans as he negotiates for a deficit-reduction plan to avoid looming tax increases and spending cuts.
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