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Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. says he’s “starting to heal”

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Representative Jesse Jackson Jr., who has been undergoing medical treatment for four months, told constituents in a recorded message Saturday he is "starting to heal" and "anxious to return to work," according to a Chicago radio station. It was the Democrat's first public statement since going on medical leave in June. His office has said he has been treated for bipolar disorder. Jackson, first elected to the House in 1995, is favored to be re-elected on November 6 in his heavily Democratic … [Read more...]

From sidelines, debate moderator Crowley becomes part of story

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As in pro football this season, many of the noisiest complaints after political debates have been directed not at the participants, but at the referees. Tuesday's debate between Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney was no exception, as moderator Candy Crowley of CNN came under fire for siding with Obama during one of his sharpest exchanges with Romney. In that moment, Crowley walked into the middle of a national security controversy and contravened the wishes of … [Read more...]

Obama fights back after debate setback

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A day after a muted performance in a presidential debate, U.S. President Barack Obama fought back against Republican rival Mitt Romney on Thursday and the Democrat's re-election campaign vowed to learn lessons from the setback.   A feisty Obama told a rally of some 12,000 people that the former Massachusetts governor was untruthful during Wednesday's 90-minute debate in Denver, which most observers reckoned the Republican won.   "When I got onto the stage, I met this very … [Read more...]

Ann Coulter: ‘Civil rights are for blacks — what have we done to the immigrants?’

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On ABC's "This Week With George Stephanopoulos" on Sunday, Ann Coulter said the Democratic party has shifted its strategic campaign focus to the Latino vote ahead of the November elections. Of course, the conservative firebrand phrased it a little differently. "Democrats are dropping the blacks and moving on to the Hispanics," Coulter said during a roundtable discussion that featured Coulter, Univision anchor Jorge Ramos, former Clinton labor secretary Robert Reich and former Obama domestic … [Read more...]

Texas governor Perry’s debate gaffe due to lack of sleep: book

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Texas Governor Rick Perry's embarrassing inability to remember a government department he would eliminate if he became president, perhaps the biggest gaffe of the 2012 election campaign, was due to chronic lack of sleep, a new book says. "Oops," a diary of covering the Perry campaign by Texas Tribune correspondent Jay Root, says Perry suffered from insomnia for weeks before the gaffe. The blunder occurred during a Republican presidential debate in Rochester, Michigan on November 9, … [Read more...]

Southern whites troubled by Romney’s wealth, religion

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Sheryl Harris, a voluble 52-year-old with a Virginia drawl, voted twice for George W. Bush. Raised Baptist, she is convinced -- despite all evidence to the contrary -- that President Barack Obama, a practicing Christian, is Muslim. So in this year's presidential election, will she support Mitt Romney? Not a chance. "Romney's going to help the upper class," said Harris, who earns $28,000 a year as activities director of a Lynchburg senior center. "He doesn't know everyday people, except … [Read more...]

Romney slams Obama’s ‘dishonest’ attacks, rejects calls to release more tax returns

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In a Monday interview with "Fox & Friends," the presumptive Republican nominee rejected a claim from Rahm Emanuel, Chicago mayor and former White House chief of staff, who accused him over the weekend of "whining" about attacks on his record at Bain Capital. "I think when people accuse you of a crime you have a reason to go after them pretty hard, and I'm going to continue going after him," Romney said, arguing that Obama's attacks are "misdirected" and "dishonest." "What does it say about a … [Read more...]

Gingrich sued over use of “Rocky III” theme song

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Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich faces a lawsuit over his use of "Eye of the Tiger," the theme song to the movie "Rocky III," court documents show. The claim for copyright infringement, lodged on Monday by Rude Music Inc in an Illinois federal court, relates to Gingrich's use of the song at his political rallies. Rude Music Inc is owned by Frank Sullivan, who co-wrote the Grammy-award winning song. In addition to Gingrich, the complaint names his campaign, Newt 2012 Inc, … [Read more...]

Perry urges no criminal charges over Marines’ video

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Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry said on Sunday it would be "over the top" to file criminal charges against four US Marines who urinated on dead militants in Afghanistan. The incident, captured in a video posted online that depicts American troops desecrating the bloodstained corpses of fighters, has appalled Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai and embarrassed the Pentagon. "These kids made a mistake, there's not any doubt about it," Perry, the governor of Texas who is trailing … [Read more...]

GOP candidates wade into food stamp debate

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Politicians normally shy away from saying they want to cut food stamps, but this year's Republican presidential candidates are using domestic food aid as an example of a welfare state gone awry. Supporters of the program say it is one of the most reliable safety nets for families who suddenly find themselves unable to pay for food, and politically the program has proved almost untouchable over many decades. More than 45 million people received the benefit last year at a $75 billion cost to … [Read more...]

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