Free Republic

To remedy this, there will be more extensive preparation for Obama before the next showdown -- now much higher stakes for Obama -- at Hofstra University. Obama will set up debate camp at the end of next week in Williamsburg, Va.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) contends that Republicans are “poisoning the debate” and “suffocating the issues under a barrage of facts and statistics.” “All we are hearing from them is negativity,” Pelosi complained. “They say the economy is faltering, too many people are unemployed, taxes are too high, foreign policy is a shambles—just one unpleasant fact after another. This doesn’t lift up the country. It doesn’t boost morale.” The Congresswoman contrasted the GOP’s negativity with the Democrats’ message of “hope and change.” “Everyday, the President is out there trying to take people’s minds off their troubles,” she said. “He...

Dave Weigel points out the difference between the covert racism of a young cagey Pat Buchanan in the days of the Southern strategy, and overt racism of the pariah Pat Buchanan banished to Fox News (emphasis added): In May of 1970, when he was a young former journalist working for the White House, Pat Buchanan offered President Richard Nixon some tips that he'd never stop using. "I strongly endorse symbolic gestures toward groups," wrote Buchanan, "especially the blacks where symbols count for so much." In order to divide the country effectively, Nixon had to pretend that he wasn't dividing...

In an effort to make the economy look a little rosier than it is, the Obama administration is basically coercing defense contractors so as to prevent news of layoffs hitting voters before the election. With sequestration about to result in some major cuts to the defense budget, contractors will lose government business -- and that means, employees will lose jobs. But to prevent poor numbers ahead of the November election, the Obama administration has made it very, well, fiscally unwise for companies to issue layoff notices too early. The Labor Department issued guidance in July saying it would be “inappropriate”...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The White House on Friday told government contractors worried about fiscal cliff spending cuts to hold off on warning employees about possible layoffs. The government said it would cover legal costs if contractors are forced to slash their payrolls because of the looming $109 billion in automatic cuts next year and are alleged to have violated the WARN Act. .... Defense contractors in particular have warned for months that the upcoming sequester would cost jobs in their industry. And Lockheed Martin's CEO has said publicly he may be forced to issue notice this fall of possible...

Throughout this election cycle, I have often wondered how it could be as close as it seems to be. Looking at the record of President Obama, which he can not run on, I have often marveled that he would even attempt to run for reelection, given at the dismal failure he has been. But, of course, he doesn't seem himself as a dismal failure and tells us he needs more time to make the changes he wants to make to America. And why wouldn't he run, given that he has the media in his back pocket. They consistently run interference...

President Obama wants gamers in battleground states to vote early while they’re playing Madden football. According to Ad Week, the Obama campaign had teamed up with Electronic Arts again to run ads on their video games in hotly-contested states leading up to Election Day. The campaign first did this in 2008. “It was made clear in the last election that reaching consumers through video games makes a significant impact, so it’s no surprise to see this tactic used once again in such a competitive election,” Dave Madden, EA’s senior vice president of global media solutions, told ad week.

Please don’t believe …the … polls. The Romney Ryan campaign is not in disarray. Mitt Romney is not short on money; but Obama is. Romney has people like the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson ready to spend “whatever” is necessary to win. Obama burned through $120 million attacking Romney. Has anyone even heard the word Bain lately? How about “tax returns” “he’s a felon” or “off shore bank accounts” – not one of those words and phrases laid a glove on Romney – and Obama can’t get that $120 million back. Here are the facts. Barack Obama is not winning...