Obama edges Romney in polls
Media reports and opinion polls suggest President Barack Obama holds a narrow lead over Republican Mitt Romney in the race for the White House with less than two weeks before the November 6 U.S election.
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Meat Loaf bounds onto the stage in support of Romney
A US political storm is brewing as Hurricane Sandy hits
As America is braced for Hurricane Sandy, a political storm is brewing in the mid-western battleground states.
Read the full storyCandidates make their pledges in race to the White House
Here's a selection of media stories on Friday:
- The Obama administration is considering a possible tax cut that would increase workers' take-home salaries and replace the payroll reduction policy which is set to expire at the end of this year, reports The Washington Post.
- Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has vowed to generate stronger job growth in the economy, reports Reuters.
- Rock star Meat Loaf joins Romney on the campaign trail in the must-win swing state of Ohio. Source: Sky News Australia.
- Colin Powell, a retired four-star U.S. Army general perhaps best known for having served as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush, endorses Obama's bid for re-election. Source: CNN.
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Neck-and-neck in Presidential poll data
Here's a selection of polling data analysing the respective leaders:
- Reuters reports that President Obama holds a narrow one per cent lead over Republican Mitt Romney in the race for the White House. Source: Reuters/Ipsos.
- Obama (50%) edges Romney (46%) in the key state of Ohio according to CNN/ORC International.
- The Washington Post suggests that Romney has a slight advantage nationally, but Obama is reportedly leading in many of the swing states.
- Yahoo News' polling data suggests Obama holds a slender advantage.
- An average of national opinion polls released on Friday show Romney opening a modest lead of 0.9% over Obama.
Barack Obama answers questions from young people
Barack Obama has been answering questions put to him by young people, in a live broadcast by MTV.
Asked about providing jobs for young people, he said:
"The good news is that we've made real progress since I came into office. We acted fast, stabilising the financial system.
"I've put forward a very specific plan.
"One: bringing manufacturing back to our shores.
Two: We've got to make sure we have the best education system in the world.
"Three: I want to use clean energy to help replace some of our traditional energy sources, so we can cut our oil imports. That's good for our environment but it also creates jobs.
"Finally, I want to use some of the work we're saving from winding down in Afghanistan to put people back to work."
Obama has a narrow lead in the race for the White House
President Obama holds a narrow lead of 1 percentage point over Mitt Romney in the race for the White House, according to a Reuters/Ipsos daily tracking poll.
It suggests that Obama has a lead over Romney, among likely voters, of 47 percent to 46 percent.
The survey of 1,237 likely voters found that 18 percent had already cast their ballots.
Meat Loaf bounds onto the stage in support of Romney
by Michael Herrod: Washington News Editor
Meat Loaf bounded onto an Ohio stage in support of Mitt Romney's campaign, but did his energetic performance detract from the main man?
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Good US economic news is boost to Obama campaign
US economic growth improved to two percent rate in third quarter, according to figures released today.
The growth is a higher rise than expected and has been credited to defence and consumer spending.
The news comes just 11 days before the US election on November 6th.
US economy growth
US economic growth has improved to 2% rate in the third quarter on defence and consumer spending.
Report: Obama brands Romney a bull*******
Political website Politico.com reports it has received an advanced copy of Rolling Stone magazine in which Barack Obama calls Mitt Romney a bull*******.
Douglas Brinkley writes: “We arrived at the Oval Office for our 45-minute interview...on the morning of October 11th.
"As we left the Oval Office, executive editor Eric Bates told Obama that he had asked his six-year-old if there was anything she wanted him to say to the president. … [S]he said, ‘Tell him: You can do it.’
"Obama grinned...‘You know, kids have good instincts,’ Obama offered. ‘They look at the other guy and say, “Well, that’s a bull*******, I can tell.”’”
He'd do anything for a vote (But he won't do that)
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney was joined on stage during the campaign trail in Defiance, Ohio by Meat Loaf and country singer Randy Owen. The singers performed a rendition of 'God Bless America' during their appearance.