State Of The Union

THE DIVIDED STATES OF AMERICA
◼ Obama victory means four more years with no hope of change - John Hurt/Washington Times

All that for nothing. It was the billion-dollar election that did not decide one single damned thing.

Republicans control the House. Democrats control the Senate. And the White House remains in Democratic hands with absolutely no mandate whatsoever.
Another four years with no hope of change

◼ Dow Skids 200 as 'Fiscal Cliff,' EU Fears Resurface - CNBC

Stocks tumbled across the board Wednesday in the wake of President Barack Obama's re-election, triggered by worries over the looming "fiscal cliff" and as fears over Europe's economy reemerged.

Dollar Falls as Obama Win Paves Way for Monetary Easing...
◼ Treasury: 'Extraordinary Measures' Needed as Debt Limit Nears... - CNS News

On Aug. 2, 2011, President Obama signed a deal he had negotiated with congressional leaders to increase the debt limit of the federal government by $2.4 trillion. But, now, after only 15 months, almost all of that additional borrowing authority has been exhausted.

◼ REUTERS: 'Victory puts Obama in position to expand government's reach'...

Both sides called it a generation-defining race for the White House: a choice between Democrat Barack Obama's brand of government activism and Republican Mitt Romney's commitment to reducing Washington's role in Americans' daily lives.

Obama's victory, however, did not settle that question.

Instead, the hard-fought battle for the White House exposed an electorate deeply divided by race, age and party.

MSNBC: Too Few 'Angry White Guys?'

◼ Steve Forbes: US Heading for Recession With 2nd Obama Term - Bill Hoffmann and Kathleen Walter/Newsmax

From 'hope' and 'change' to 'revenge'

◼ Going off teleprompter yesterday, President Obama let the mask slip and revealed the ugliness at the heart of his political mission. - Thomas Lifson/American Thinker

◼ OBAMA CAMPAIGN TRIES (AND FAILS) TO EXPLAIN ‘REVENGE’ REMARKS - Becket Adams/The Blaze

Romney Draws Massive 15,000 Crowd In Florida

◼ 15,000 at Romney’s rally in Land O’Lakes, Fla., per fire marshal via campaign. One of Romney’s largest events to date. - Weaselzippers Via WaPo’s Philip Rucker

Florida Republicans receiving fake ineligibility letters aimed at suppressing their vote

◼ The Florida Department of State’s Division of Elections is investigating a number of fraudulent letters sent to voters in the state questioning their citizenship and voter eligibility, in a possible attempt to keep them home on Election Day. - Caroline May/Daily Caller

“We’ve received multiple reports of a fraudulent letter that impersonates supervisors of elections and indicates that eligible voters might be ineligible,” Chris Cate, spokesman for the Division of Elections, explained to the Tampa Bay Times, which reported the letters have gone mostly — if not entirely — to Republicans in the state.

“We’re working with the state’s supervisors of elections, as well law enforcement, to identify the source of the letters and put a stop to them,” Cate said.

Romney made absolutely no gaffes in last night's debate. The President, however, made quite a few.

◼ WSJ, POLITICO: OBAMA MADE GAFFE OF THE NIGHT - 'SEQUESTER' - John Nolte/Breitbart

For starters, those ships Obama doesn't want to build are built in the swing state of Virginia and we still use bayonets.
Obama's biggest gaffe, though, was his utterly bizarre comments about how there will be no "sequester" and how he had nothing to do with it. Both assertions are simply not true. He signed the sequester into law and it is law.

◼ D.C. caught off guard by Obama sequester vow - Philip Ewing/Politico

"It is a nice line, but for more than a year the president hasn't lifted a finger to avert the crisis,” said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) “Instead, his policies and positions have increased uncertainty for our troops and the men and women who support them. The effects of sequestration can already be felt. Jobs have already been lost. The president and his party in the Senate have failed to offer even a single real solution that could resolve sequestration. If the president is determined that these cuts won't happen, why has he drug it out this long?”

CNN: Obama's plan not "significantly new," just same old stuff repackaged

◼ Reporting the release of the new Obama agenda two weeks out from the election, CNN's Jessica Yellin came out visibly annoyed: "There's not anything significantly new in here, it's just all compiled in a nice booklet now." - J. P. Freire

3rd and Final Presidential Debate

◼ link - 2012 ELECTION CENTRAL

Topic: Foreign policy
Air Time: 9:00-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida
Sponsor: Commission on Presidential Debates
Participants: President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney
Moderator: Bob Schieffer (Host of Face the Nation on CBS)
The format for the debate will be identical to the first presidential debate and will focus on foreign policy.

◼ Live Blog of the Third Presidential Debate - CATO Institute

Join us Monday, October 22nd at 8:45 PM ET for live commentary during the third and final presidential debate between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. The debate this time will focus on foreign policy, covering these topics:

America’s role in the world
Our longest war – Afghanistan and Pakistan
Red Lines – Israel and Iran
The Changing Middle East and the New Face of Terrorism – I
The Changing Middle East and the New Face of Terrorism – II
The Rise of China and Tomorrow’s World

Follow the live blog directly on Twitter ◼ here. You can also join the conversation with the hashtag ◼ #Debate (or Debates) and by following ◼ @CatoInstitute and ◼ @CatoFP.