Mormons Posthumously Baptized Obama's Mother

First reelection bid outside DC in recent memory

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s reelection campaign will likely be based in Chicago, not Washington—a rare move for a sitting president, and one that his advisers hope will help him rekindle the energy of 2008, Politico notes. Usually, campaigns are kept close to the president’s DC home, where they’re easily accessible, said a Democratic consultant: "In modern presidential history, this is kind of revolutionary." More»

Kristen Jarvis came up in Obama's Senate office, and has proven stellar

(NEWSER) - Kristen Jarvis has had tough jobs. She joined Barack Obama’s office in 2004, when he was a newly minted senator. But that was nothing compared to last year’s presidential campaign, when she was given a different charge: Michelle Obama. As her "body woman," Jarvis did everything from watch her boss pace before her clutch DNC speech to keep her well-coiffed on the campaign trail. “Hairdressers in every state!” Jarvis exclaims to Newsweek of the trials of finding experts in black dos across the country. “It was a struggle.” More»

(NEWSER) - One of Barack Obama's top advisers during the campaign tells Politico he's "losing patience" with the White House and wants more "bold" leadership from the president on a host of issues including health care and gay rights. “I’m not going to just sit by the curb and let these folks get away with a lack of performance for the American people,” says Steve Hildebrand, the campaign's deputy manager who helped engineer key wins in Iowa and South Carolina. More»

(NEWSER) - Seeing Barack Obama’s success in the 2008 election, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has borrowed the US president’s most famous phrase for his own reelection campaign, the Guardian reports. In a campaign video, the Iranian president stands in front of a blackboard with the Farsi words “Ma Mitavanim,” or “We Can,” written on it. The video stresses Ahmadinejad’s previous life as an academic. More»

Romney emphasizes Bain, Olympics over time as governor

(NEWSER) - Four of the past six US presidents were also former governors, and the qualification is generally considered one of the best for the White House. Nevertheless, you won't hear Mitt Romney boasting of his term as governor of Massachusetts very often, preferring instead to talk about the Salt Lake City Olympics and Bain Capital. That's because Massachusetts talk equals RomneyCare, abortion-rights support, and closing tax loopholes for the rich—in other words, being a centrist, a fate worse than arugula this election cycle, reports Politico . More»