Politics

Despite Thursday night’s controversial showing during the first presidential debate, President Obama raked in $181 million in campaign donations in September. The campaign said that 1,825,813 people gave last month, and 567,000 were new financial supporters. Reuters reports that the average donation was $53. Obama’s campaign is proud of its base of low-dollar donors, believing…

If fear of racial perceptions was what kept the president from really going in on Romney, it’s time to get over it, Kelly Virella writes at the Huffington Post. Most likely, Romney’s logic is that if white independent voters are given a choice between a black man and a white man with the same ideas,…

The president let his opponent punch himself out in this week’s debate, Michael E. Ross writes in his Short Sharp Shock blog at Open Salon. Everyone thought Mitt Romney did a great job … but what did he do a great job doing? Testily going on offense from a defensive crouch; proposing to do what…

Keli Goff is The Root’s special correspondent. Follow her on Twitter. 

Despite claims that the president didn’t go far enough, he at least told the truth, The Root’s contributing editor Edward Wyckoff Williams writes at Ebony. Plus, he argues, the president strategically avoided an “angry black man” characterization. [The] first debate between President Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney may have disappointed the Washington chattering classes,…

(The Root) — Did you know that President Barack Obama promised at the beginning of his term that he would create a 5.6 percent unemployment rate? Oh, you didn’t? Then allow the American Crossroads super PAC to clear that up for you in its anti-Obama ad, released this week. The ad suggests that Obama has…

(The Root) — Gwen Ifill was sorely missed during the first of the presidential debates between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Had she or Candy Crowley or even Diane Sawyer moderated Wednesday night’s debate, my guess is that one issue that was completely AWOL would have been called into duty: women’s rights. Don’t get me…

THE WHITE HOUSEOffice of the Press SecretaryFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DAILY GUIDANCE AND PRESS SCHEDULE FORFRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2012 In the morning, the President and the Vice President will receive the Presidential Daily Briefing. This meeting is closed press. Later in the morning, the President will deliver remarks at a campaign event at George Mason University…

(The Root) — President Barack Obama got the switch from Mitt Romney, who, until their encounter at last night’s debate, had baited his hook as a conservative during 23 primary debates with GOP opponents campaigning to his right and under the swoon of the Tea Party. Working mightily during the primary to obscure his moderate…