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Obama: 'The best is yet to come'
Happy post-Election Day. Or welcome to your 12th cup of coffee if you're still waiting to see how Florida voted for president. (Since it was a relatively early election night, we hope you were able to get some sleep in.)
President Barack Obama rode a wave of broad support from minorities, women and moderates to win re-election Tuesday, defeating Republican challenger Mitt Romney in Democratic strongholds and key battleground states.
“While the road has been hard, while the journey has been long … we know in our hearts, for the United States of America, the best is yet to come,” Obama told supporters in Chicago early Wednesday.
If you did decide to call it an early night and head to bed after the presidential race was called, look no further. You can watch his victory speech here:
Why Tuesday, why November, why donkeys and elephants? Election riddles solved
The finish line is almost here. Americans have weighed a plethora of questions in choosing their presidential candidate.
But amid the quadrennial explosion of political ads, bumper stickers and debates, some questions still baffle: Why is the Republican mascot an elephant? Why are Democrats linked to the color blue? And what happens if the candidates tie?
Here's a voter's guide to such perpetually confounding questions:
FULL STORY
Presidential race all tied up on election eve
On the eve of the 2012 presidential election, polls can't tell us who'll be president come January 20, Inauguration Day.
Major polls, including the CNN/ORC International poll, show the race between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney all even.
It's neck-and-neck in race for Florida's votes
The race for the White House is basically tied in Florida, a new CNN/ORC International poll shows.
Likely voters questioned in the key battleground state came out for Mitt Romney 49% to 48% for President Obama, but that's well within the poll's margin of error.
Here's the full analysis from CNN's Political Ticker and don't forget there's the final presidential debate on Monday.
Fact check: Will Romney send Big Bird to the unemployment line?
Mitt Romney said that he loves Big Bird but that the "Sesame Street" resident is not important enough for America to go into debt with China to subsidize him and his PBS friends. Does this mean our feathered friend could lose his job under a Romney administration? Would he then become a drain on our society? Are there retraining opportunities to become a St. Louis Cardinal or Baltimore Oriole? What family does Big Bird have? Who the heck is this yellow thing?
How likely is it that Big Bird gets the pink slip?
Our yellow feathered friend may be hoping he'll be able to mind his Ps and Qs on "Sesame Street" but might be feeling a little worried about his bills while the cloud of losing his job hangs over his head. How likely is it?
Sesame Workshop, which produces "Sesame Street," says on its website that 93% of production costs for the show are covered by licensing activities or corporate sponsorships, CNNMoney.com reports.
But Children's Television Workshop, which helps produce "Sesame Street," gets a decent number of grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Here are the numbers for those ready to count with the Count: In 2009, it received $2.5 million in total. In 2010, a federal Ready to Learn grant, which helps put on educational TV shows, provided about $1.5 million, and the overall digital presence for "Sesame Street" and friends got $8 million to help spread educational messages and games online in 2011.
So maybe Big Bird should be taking this seriously. Even if most of the funding goes to his friends, a change in funding might put them out of work too if Romney were to go through with his idea to cut subsides to PBS. And that doesn't sound like it'd help all the people in his neighborhood.
It isn't the first time Big Bird has found himself in the middle of a national budget debate.
Last year, he survived a brush with budget-cut-hungry Republicans in the House, who voted to slash funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, only to see it added back into the final government funding deal.
What happens to Big Bird's health insurance if he gets axed?
If our "Sesame Street" friend did join the 12.5 million Americans who are unemployed, his joyful tone may switch to a sad rendition of "Can you tell me how to get to the unemployment line?"
NFL owner more interested in winning election than winning games
His New York Jets are struggling on the field, but team owner Robert Wood "Woody" Johnson told Bloomberg News today that it's more important to him to see Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan get elected.
Johnson, chairman of Johnson Co. and a great-great-grandson of the founder of Johnson & Johnson, is the New York state chairman of the Romney-Ryan campaign.
His Jets are 2-2 this season, and fans are smarting after Sunday's 34-0 pounding at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers. Nevertheless, Johnson has his priorities. When an interviewer on Bloomberg Television's "Market Makers" asked him whether football or politics was more important, Johnson responded:
"Well, I think you always have to put country first. So I think it’s very, very important, not only for us but in particular for our kids and grandkids, that this election come off with Mitt Romney and Ryan as president and vice president.”
That might be the best news coach Rex Ryan and beleaguered quarterback Mark Sanchez will hear all week.
Sunday's live events
President Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney hold their first debate October 3 from the campus of the University of Denver. Watch CNN.com Live for all the latest coverage from the election.
Today's programming highlights...
9:30 pm ET - Romney high school rally - GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney spends part of his day in Denver, Colorado, where he will address supporters at a "victory rally" at a local high school.
CNN.com Live is your home for breaking news as it happens.
Romney's remarks huge mistake or plain truth?
David A. Rice feels like Mitt Romney wrote him off.
The 61-year-old has always been a values-based voter, generally votes Republican and could be a key vote in the swing state of Florida. But he's also among the 47% of Americans that Mitt Romney said don't pay income tax and rely on government support.
"There are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what," Romney says in a clip from a secretly filmed private donor meeting in May, which was first posted on Monday afternoon. "There are 47% who are with him, who are dependent on government, who believe that, that they are victims, who believe that government has the responsibility to care for them. Who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing."
Romney's '47%' – Washington's tax-break obsession to blame
Rice says he is working part-time and doesn't pay taxes because he can't find a good job. And the fact that Romney wrote him off in those comments is frustrating.
"I am insulted. I support you and you just wrote me off with the 47% who pay no taxes. In that group are those who cry every time they use food stamps; people who would trade them in a minute for a real job. In that group are Christians who shudder at the thought of voting for abortion and gay rights," he wrote in an iReport. "You have strengths that appeal to the demographic you just wrote off ... use it! In the middle of rich supporters you cannot afford to write off a huge group with a careless word."
The 61-year-old said that he has been forced once or twice to take food stamps - and unlike what Romney contends in his comments - he maintains it was not something he was proud of or hopes to ever have to do again.
"It really hurt me," the iReporter told CNN. "It was not something that I wanted to do, I did it because I didn't have a job."
Rice says he didn't think it was right for Romney to lump every low-income person into the same group.
"Not everyone who takes food stamps is a food stamps junkie," Rice told CNN. "There are people who think the government owes them a living and that the government ought to take care of them and be their momma and daddy all their life. That doesn't apply to everyone."
It all left Rice a bit uneasy.
Which leads to the big questions swirling around the Romney campaign: How much damage will Romney's comments do to his chances for winning the election? Were his comments a big enough gaffe, combined with previous missteps, to really dent his campaign? Were his comments just the brutal truth others don't want to hear? Will it sway the votes of Republicans, independents or the undecided?
CNN Prime Time: Paul Ryan's first interview; police show how man shot himself
VP Pick Paul Ryan gives first TV interview
Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan gives his first one-on-one interview since becoming the nominee.
Police reenact mysterious death
Police say Chavis Carter shot himself in the head when he was handcuffed in the back of a police car. They demonstrate how it may have happened.
Hope Solo: I have a bad rep
Olympian and U.S. soccer champ Hope Solo talks to Piers Morgan about her reputation in the media.
Romney to reveal VP pick Saturday, campaign says
Mitt Romney’s campaign has announced that the presumptive Republican presidential candidate will reveal his vice presidential nominee Saturday at a campaign event in Norfolk, Virginia.
Comments: Are Reid's tax allegations smart move or abuse of congressional power?
Editor's note: We're listening to you. Every day, we spot thought-provoking comments from readers. What follows is a look at some of the most talked-about stories of the day.
Politics took the reigns of Tuesday's fiery commenting discussions, followed by further debate over Mars exploration and a hard look at the influence of white supremacy groups in the United States. Here's the rundown.
1. Harry Reid vs. Mitt Romney
2. The big Mars rover question: Is it all necessary?
3. White supremacy groups
4. Lupe Fiasco gets heated response
5. Olympics update: Golden girls, dubious excuses
1. Harry Reid vs. Mitt Romney
This story generated more than 10,000 comments today, dominating conversation on the site. Republican sources say they're in a Catch-22 situation on how to reply to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's claims that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney went 10 years without paying taxes. They either play along with Reid and keep the conversation going, or they refuse to participate and risk rousing suspicions. Some of our readers say this situation is justified, especially after all the requests for President Barack Obama's birth certificate, while some other readers say they think Reid is playing dirty with Romney to harm his candidacy.
Reid puts GOP in a bind over Romney's taxes
What's Reid really thinking?
NoGasBags: "Harry's a genius. The only way for this issue to die down is for Romney to release the returns and disprove him. There's obviously something in there. Romney's too smart to evade taxes, but by some form of manipulation he may have avoided paying them for several years. I'd say keep the issue going. It's one more issue of secrecy in regards Romney, his ideas, plans and faith. Go too it Harry!"
oddjob3422: "A genius indeed. The move might be politically effective, but it's just another example showing how Harry Reid is the biggest embarrassment in our entire government. The man is absolutely reprehensible to abuse his power as Senate majority leader to hawk his unsubstantiated claims. Doubtless there is someone else pulling the strings, though, because Reid can hardly put together a sentence on his own. To watch the man talk on the Sunday morning political shows is to cringe in embarrassment. I didn't see the footage of his asinine Senate floor screed, but I have little doubt that he was, as usual, looking down at a cue card, slowly and haltingly sounding out words written by others. This is what we are down to – outright slander being tolerated, and the U.S. Senate floor being used as the vehicle to spread it."
Who's hunting who? FULL POST
Overheard on CNN.com: Where do jobs, economic growth come from?
Editor's note: This post is part of the Overheard on CNN.com series, a regular feature that examines interesting comments and thought-provoking conversations posted by the community.
After Democrats talked up reports that Mitt Romney was listed as Bain Capital's CEO after 1999, when he has repeatedly said he left the private equity firm, CNN columnists and our readers are discussing the Republican presidential candidate's views about jobs in America. Romney's date of departure is significant because some of the companies acquired by Bain later shipped jobs overseas. Romney claims he left the company before those decisions were made. Here are some varying views on the presidential race for "job creation."
Mitt Romney's painfully bad week
Facts don't support Obama's charges against Romney
Who are the job creators?
bigdil: "Here's Romney's problem and, for that matter, the GOP's problem: Rich people aren't neccesarily job creators. Some are. Some aren't. Romney can't just say, 'I'm a rich guy. Therefore, I'll be better at creating jobs and fixing the economy than Barack Obama.' Why should anyone believe this argument? Nothing in his Bain experience would suggest any talent in that area. Likewise, there is no reason to think that giving tax breaks to 'job creators' (i.e. rich people) will help the economy. It won't."
eddiev5: "True. But the same problem exists for Obama and modern-day liberals. The government cannot create jobs indefinitely - its not sustainable. You also cant have 'the rich' pay for half a centuries worth of spending - the math just doesnt add up. So therefore, either you tax the middle or lower class more, or you create more debt (which creates more problems), or you get rid of or reform the pricey parts of the budget. These are all options the left wing will not pursue. Big government inevitably grows to the point to where it hinders its own progress by stepping over its own toes. You can actually see this right now with Obamacare and Wall Street Reform. Sure, the GOP has a problem but its really no different than the same hard ideologically stance liberals have taken. They are both not logical."
Many readers said they don't care so much about Romney's business record. But who spends taxpayers' money? FULL POST
Some prominent supporters blast Romney for mixed messages on health care 'tax'
Some prominent Mitt Romney supporters are saying the presidential hopeful's campaign should stop sending mixed messages about the Supreme Court's health care ruling.
Romney and his staffers have been going back and forth on whether to call it a tax as an attack on President Obama or not a tax, to preserve the argument that Romney never raised taxes in his state despite having a similar health care law.
Head spinning a bit? We'll backtrack.
On Wednesday, Romney, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, said the federal health care reform mandate constitutes a "tax," contradicting the way his senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom, of the Etch-a-Sketch gaffe fame, characterized his position earlier this week. But the similar individual mandate and fee he signed into law when governor of Massachusetts is not a tax, he said in a separate interview, citing the Supreme Court's decision last Thursday.
In March, Fehrnstrom made headlines for saying in a CNN interview that the transition from the primaries to the general election was "almost like an Etch-a-Sketch. You can kind of shake it up, and we start all over again."
Some people are calling the tax chatter another Romney flip-flop. Others are calling it the Etch-a-Sketch redux. Others, like editor of The Nation Katrina vanden Heuvel, are saying this incident makes the previous gaffe look like solid campaign strategy.
[tweet https://twitter.com/KatrinaNation/status/220865306871078912%5D
And now, plenty of people, including his supporters, are hitting Romney on the issue and letting him know that either he needs to get himself aligned with his staff on these issues, or scrap some of the staff and get a new game plan as they charge into the general election.
Media baron Rupert Murdoch, never shy on his views, tweeted that while he supports the former Massachusetts governor he believes Romney needs to shake up his staff to have a chance to beat Obama's seasoned campaign staff.
[tweet https://twitter.com/rupertmurdoch/status/219393140245807104%5D
And apparently, that tweet upset the Romney campaign, which prompted Murdoch to follow up with a tweet on Monday. He said he wants Romney to win, but instead of the campaign upset about the criticism they should heed some of the good advice Murdoch feels Romney is getting about trying to get his campaign in order.
[tweet https://twitter.com/rupertmurdoch/status/219790585307992067%5D
Tuesday's live events
The Supreme Court may soon rule on the constitutionality of President Obama's health care law. Once a ruling is issued, CNN.com Live will be there for all the reaction and fallout.
Today's programming highlights...
9:10 am ET - Romney roundtable - GOP presidential Mitt Romney participates in a small business roundtable in Frankenmuth, Michigan. He'll later travel to Holland, Michigan, for a campaign event at 6:25 pm ET.
Monday's live events
The race to the presidency now turns toward the general election in November. CNN.com Live is your home for all the latest news and views from the campaign trail.
Today's programming highlights...
10:25 am ET - Romney in Wisconsin - GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks with supporters in Janesville, Wisconsin. He'll make similar stops in Dubuque, Iowa, at 2:30 pm ET and Davenport, Iowa, at 6:10 pm ET.
Thursday's live events
The race to the presidency now turns toward the general election in November. CNN.com Live is your home for all the latest news and views from the campaign trail.
Today's programming highlights...
8:45 am ET - Romney goes to school - GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney campaigns at a charter school in Philadelphia.
Overheard on CNN.com: Does money in politics amount to conflict of interest?
Editor's note: This post is part of the Overheard on CNN.com series, a regular feature that examines interesting comments and thought-provoking conversations posted by the community.
LZ Granderson's latest column asserts that politics on both sides of the aisle are fueled by large amounts of money. He takes a look at President Barack Obama's pricey campaign, as well as Mitt Romney's. Many of our readers agreed, and asked if it's even possible for a regular person to get elected to office nowadays. Should we do something about the potential influences of money? What?
In election, 'a seat at the table' costs $5,000
Should politicians just go ahead and wear their donors on their sleeve, literally?
IcObamafail: "Politicians should be forced to wear uniforms like in NASCAR so we know who owns them."
Is there a difference between the parties? Some say no.
hman1234: "Excellent article, LZ. Going back to what George Carlin said, 'You have the illusion of choice.' You may vote the D or the R, but you're getting the same old status quo."
If you're a regular person, do you stand a chance?
thggr: "LZ you should be really complaining that you have to be in the 1% to even consider running and campaigning for any office in DC. We will not ever have a true representative that can speak for the average person until an average person can afford to even run for office. How stupid we are, we listen to a 1%'er complain about another 1%'er being rich and out of touch with the 99%. All of them are out of touch on both sides of the aisle."
Or, conversely, is politics a self-selecting field? FULL POST
Romney: 'Dork factor' at play?
With the new backing of Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney now has the support of nearly all of his former Republican opponents. But the presumptive presidential nominee still faces a disconcerting divide with voters: They just don’t find him that likable. A new USA TODAY/Gallup poll released Monday found that just 31% of voters found him likable, compared to 58% for President Obama.
So what's the problem? Romney is smart, successful, polite and even handsome.
The answer may be hiding in plain sight. From the offhand comments muttered in homes and happy hours, to the repeat jokes on late-night comedy sketches, it seems some in America are asking if Mitt Romney is just too much of a dork.
“He was really awkward,” Otterbein University student Carissa Reed said of her experience sitting on stage with the former Massachusetts governor two weeks ago. “You could tell he was out of his element. … I was just, like, 'Should I clap?’ None of us knew what to do.”
Reed was witness to what may have been Romney’s most awkward speech of the year, with the least crowd response. During much of the 40-minute Otterbein address, students from various universities, who were on stage with the candidate, openly yawned, looked at their watches, sent texts or e-mails and in at least one case, appeared to fall asleep.
Romney, in a somewhat self-deprecating way, began the speech by pointing to problems on stage. The students were sitting behind him, facing his back. The blackboard he wanted wasn’t there. His voice trailed off as he spoke of the issues. In the body of his speech, the candidate made some significant philosophical points but drove few ideas home with impact.
He was not connecting.
The Romney campaign did not respond to CNN’s questions about the Otterbein speech and the idea that its candidate may be awkward, or dorky, in public.
“I got the impression that he’s someone smart, but who’s genuinely uncomfortable in front of a crowd,” said Otterbein political science professor Allan Cooper. “You actually see him standing up there … trying so hard to connect with these young people and failing so miserably at it.”
Cooper, who advises both the college Democrats and the college Republicans on campus, insists he is not partisan. He believes that Romney’s inability to connect is a significant issue and that it lost the support of all the swing voters in his class who saw him speak.
Full text of Rick Santorum e-mail endorsing Romney
Below is the full text of the e-mail Santorum sent out:
Friends,
Thank you again for all you did as one of my strongest and committed supporters. Your belief in our campaign helped us start a movement of Americans who believe deeply that our best days are ahead as long as we fight to strengthen our families, unshackle our economy and promote freedom here and around the world. Karen and I will be forever grateful for the support, kindness and commitment you showed us, as well as our children, over these last months.
On Friday, Governor Romney came to Pittsburgh for an over-hour long one-on-one meeting. The conversation was candid, collegial and focused on the issues that you helped me give voice to during our campaign; because I believe they are essential ingredients to not only winning this fall, but turning our country around.
While the issue of my endorsement did not come up, I certainly have heard from many of you who have weighed in on whether or not I should issue a formal endorsement. Thank you for your counsel, it has been most helpful. However, I felt that it was completely impossible for me to even consider an endorsement until after a meeting to discuss issues critical to those of us who often feel our voices are not heard by the establishment: social conservatives, tea-party supporters, lower and middle income working families.
Clearly without the overwhelming support from you all, I never would have won 11 states and over 3 million votes, and we would not have won more counties than all the other candidates combined. I can assure you that even though I am no longer a candidate for president, I will still continue to fight every day for our shared values – the values that made America the greatest country in the history of the world.
During our meeting I felt a deep responsibility to assess Governor Romney's commitment to addressing the issues most important to conservatives, as well his commitment to ensuring our appropriate representation in a Romney administration.
The family and its foundational role in America's economic success, a central point of our campaign, was discussed at length. I was impressed with the Governor's deep understanding of this connection and his commitment to economic policies that preserve and strengthen families. He clearly understands that having pro-family initiatives are not only the morally and economically right thing to do, but that the family is the basic building block of our society and must be preserved.
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Comments: Running mate Ryan spices up election, spurs economic conversation
Editor's note: We're listening to you. Every day, we spot thought-provoking comments from readers. What follows is a look at some of the most talked-about stories of the day.
Mitt Romney has announced his pick for running mate in the 2012 election: U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. Readers have mixed feelings about him, but they've definitely been talking. The next five stories are all about Ryan.
When the news initially broke, many readers argued about what it means. All seemed to agree that the game was suddenly a little more interesting. Several iReporters, like Mark Ivy of Farmersburg, Indiana, said they felt this choice was the right one.
And Matt Sky of New York said having Ryan around changes the conversation.
On CNN's Facebook page, readers were critical of Ryan's economic vision, which was the subject of an opinion article by Donna Brazile. But some were in support.
CNN.com commenters also had plenty to say.
1. Romney's pick of Ryan as his running mate energizes conservatives, opponents
This reader said they weren't originally planning to vote, but decided to do so. They were one of many who alluded to author Ayn Rand, author of the influential and controversial novel "Atlas Shrugged." Ryan has said conflicting things about his stance on Rand's work.
Another reader said they were glad that a person with vigor was joining the race. FULL POST
Filed under: Comments • Elections • Mitt Romney • Politics • Republican Party • Wisconsin