Falling pump prices could give Obama a lift

"In a week that saw President Barack Obama poll dead-even with Republican rival Mitt Romney in the race for the White House, it may have been some relief to Democrats that gas prices have shed 17 cents in the last 12 days.

While that could help boost the president's chances for another four-year term (or at least not hurt them), the drop in prices has more to do with luck than with White House energy policy.

After refinery bottlenecks sent prices surging ahead of a seasonal switch from summer to winter gasoline blends, those kinks have been cleared and gasoline has begun flowing smoothly again."


http://economywatch.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/23/14646886-falling-pump-prices-could-give-obama-a-lift?lite

Obama Reelection Odds Increase In Prediction Markets Following Foreign Policy Debate

From HuffPo:

The consensus after Monday night's third and final presidential debate is that Barack Obama was the winner. But the president's victory begs an important question -- does success in Boca Raton, Fla., mean he's more likely to win the election? Will voters care about foreign affairs at a time when things are so rough at home?

According to online prediction markets, which pool conventional wisdom about the probability of future events, voters do care. Numbers compiled by PredictWise, which averages Obama's reelection odds on political betting websites like Intrade, showed that Obama received a bump during Monday night's debate in the likelihood of winning on Nov. 6.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/23/obama-reelection-odds-prediction-debate_n_2005379.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

CNN: Romney in a bind over 'binders of women' comment

Jesse Mermell, a Democratic local official in Brookline, Massachusetts, who was executive director of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus from 2004 to 2008, took exception to Romney's statement that he initiated the search for qualified women for his cabinet.

A program her group oversaw provided Romney's transition team in 2002 with resumes of qualified women, Mermell told a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

"Mitt Romney did not request those," Mermell said, explaining that the program called MassGAP approached Romney and his Democratic opponent before the election to get their commitment for hiring women to state positions in proportion to the female population. "Then after the election, our group approached the Romney transition team with the resumes, or the so-called binders full of women."

She also cited a study that showed Romney initially hired 14 women among 33 appointments to his cabinet -- 42% of the total -- but by the end of his four-year term, the number of women in his administration was 25%, lower than the previous or subsequent governors.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/18/politics/campaign-women/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

GOTV in blue CA! Blue states can help flip the House!

Yes, Obama will get CA, but don't stay home thinking your vote is not needed. There are important down ticket races that need your vote! Besides voting NO on some of the heinous propositions out there (anti-union Prop. 32), a number of Congressional races are in play. For example, anti-marriage equality and anti-equal pay Republican Rep. Mary Bono Mack finds herself trying to fend off a challenge from Democrat Raul Ruiz in California's 36th Congressional District:

2012 ELECTION: Bono Mack, Ruiz race gets hot

Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, has cruised to easy victories in the past few cycles, despite Democratic predictions that she could be beaten. This year, however, Democrats are putting their money where their mouths are. The party and its allies have launched a series of TV ad campaigns attacking Bono Mack and released polling data that shows Ruiz, an emergency room doctor at Eisenhower Medical Center, is close behind the incumbent.

Leading political handicappers also view the race as tightening. In recent weeks, the Cook Political Report and analyst Larry Sabato each have moved the seat from “likely Republican” to “leans Republican,” a distinction that means they think Ruiz has a better shot at winning than before.

“It’s still uphill for Democrats, but polling in that race is encouraging for Ruiz,” said Dave Wasserman, who analyzes House races for the Cook report. “He’s within striking distance, and that’s the first time we’ve been able to say that about one of Bono Mack’s opponents in a long time.”

First elected to Congress after her husband, the late entertainer and Rep. Sonny Bono, was killed in a 1998 skiing accident, Bono Mack has represented eastern Riverside County for 14 years.



http://www.pe.com/local-news/politics/ben-goad-headlines/20121015-2012-election-bono-mack-ruiz-race-gets-hot.ece

Prop. 30 inspires voter registration drives aimed at students

Gov. Jerry Brown's tax hike measure is being touted as the only way to avoid tuition increases this year at California's public universities. Some predict a higher-than-usual turnout.

Cal State L.A. senior Jason Jimenez didn't hesitate when asked recently why he was registering to vote for the first time. "Prop. 30," he said.

Jimenez was referring to the November ballot measure that would temporarily raise state sales taxes and the income taxes of high earners. It's being touted as the only way to avoid tuition increases this year at California's public universities, and if it passes, Cal State students could get a tuition rebate.

...snip..

According to a recent USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll, 55% of registered voters would approve it, with 36% opposed and the rest undecided. Support was strongest — 77% — among voters 19 to 29.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-students-vote-20121014,0,1522296.story

Hilarious anti-Romney ad based on the "don't be that guy" commercial.

Night of Withering Ripostes, Mostly Delivered by Biden

Joe Biden knew Lloyd Bentsen.

Lloyd Bentsen was a friend of Joe Biden’s.

And the vice president made full use of his old Senate colleague’s 1988 debate playbook, shaking his head and scoffing pityingly at Representative Paul D. Ryan, trying to paint his opponent as a latter-day Dan Quayle.

Mr. Ryan was no Dan Quayle, but he did make the mistake of mentioning John F. Kennedy in an argument over whether tax cuts recharge the economy. Mr. Biden flashed a Cheshire Cat grin and said to Ryan, after waiting a beat to let the moment sink in, “So, now you’re Jack Kennedy?”


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/us/politics/biden-takes-off-gloves-in-vice-presidential-debate.html?hp&_r=0
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Another great headline for Joe!!

Laughing Joe Steals Show at VP Debate

Source: Yahoo! News

Big Bird has a new replacement, and his name is "Laughing Joe."

Vice President Joe Biden's chuckles, sighs and interruptions during the first and only vice presidential debate with Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., took off on the Internet during the debate.

Within minutes, a new @LaughinJoeBiden Twitter handle emerged and it added hundreds of followers every minute.

By an hour into the debate, more than 4,700 users followed the parody account which tweeted out photos and animated gifs of Biden's laugh, punctuated by "lol."



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/laughing-joe-steals-show-vice-presidential-debate-020832310--abc-news-politics.html

Obama Says He Was ‘Just Too Polite’ at Debate

Conceding that he failed to deliver at last week’s debate, President Obama says he was “just too polite” and that voters should expect “a little more activity” next week in round two.

In a radio interview on the “Tom Joyner Morning Show,” Obama compared the presidential race to a seven-game basketball series in which he was ahead two-nothing and lost one game to Mitt Romney at the debate.

“You have a seven-game series, we’re up two zero and we lose one,” he explained. “You know, this is a long haul and I think that it’s very important for folks to make sure that they understand that as long as people stay focused, we will win this thing.”

“The good news is that’s just the first one,” the president said of last week’s debate. “Governor Romney put forward a whole bunch of stuff that either involved him running away from positions that he had taken or doubling down on things like Medicare vouchers that are going to hurt him long-term.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/obama-says-he-was-just-too-polite-at-debate/

McCain: "It's terrible" that Americans "feel better" about the economy.

So I'm flipping through the channels while drinking my coffee this morning and I see future presidential debate moderator Candy Crowley on CNN's State of the Union ask John McCain why Romney is behind. McCain says, and I quote:

"Americans probably feel better than they did before about jobs and the economy. It's terrible. It's sort of the Stockholm Syndrome."

Of course, Crowley did not react to the "terrible" part, she challenged him on the premise that Americans feel better, interrupting him with a reference to the "right track /wrong track" poll results that suggest most Americans don't think we're on the right track. She is such a piece of work.

If Americans feel we're on the wrong track it's because Republicans are blocking EVERY jobs bill, even ones just for returning veterans. But, Candy, Americans also recognize the economy has come back from the abyss, thanks to the Stimulus, and is now very slowly improving, despite Republican obstructionism. Once we get those teapublicans voted out of Congress in November, then we can get jobs bills passed and more Americans will feel we're on the right track. And Americans will feel even better about the economy. Much to the horror of John McCain and the Republicans.