For the first time in the rich and varied history of the US presidential inauguration balls, there will be two India-related balls. An Indian-American ball, sponsored by the non-profit group Indiaspora, and a Yoga Ball, hosted by Washington's Yoga community, are among the dozens of events that will celebrate the commencement of President Obama's second term. The Indiaspora Ball, scheduled to be held at the Mandarin Oriental hotel near Capitol Hill on Saturday night, has attracted … [Read more...]
US Presidential Election: Up to 35% of overall votes are expected to be cast before the polling day
The election to choose America's next president is still days away, but as of Tuesday, October 30 as many as 18 million Americans had already made their choices. In fact, up to 35 percent of the overall votes will likely be cast before November 6, the polling day. Because of the extremely close nature of the race, both the campaigns of President Obama and Republican Mitt Romney have made aggressive efforts to drive up early voting, especially in the swing states where the polls are very … [Read more...]
8 states, 39 hours, 5300 miles: Obama, Romney working round-the-clock to canvass undecided voters
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are in an around-the-clock dash to canvass as many undecided voters as possible in battleground states. With just a week left for the US presidential election, the inevitable conclusion one draws, looking at the schedule of the two presidential candidates, is this: All roads and airways lead to Ohio, Colorado, Florida and Virginia, and a handful of other battleground states. Both President Barack Obama and his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, are in an … [Read more...]
Race to the White House: Meet Mitt Romney, the new moderate
Monday's third and final debate between President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger saw Romney's transformation from a more hawkish to a more moderate position. The GOP nominee, who had advocated a muscular foreign policy throughout the campaign and during the primaries, rebranded himself Monday night as an advocate of peace. "We can't kill ourselves out of this mess," he said early during the Monday night debate in Boca Raton, Florida. Those who have followed Romney's foreign policy … [Read more...]
Obama is on Home Turf on Foreign Policy
If a week is a long time in politics as British Prime Minister Harold Wilson said nearly half-a-century ago two weeks are an eternity in an American presidential election. That’s what the first two debates between President Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney proved. Thanks to a decent bounce from the Democratic National Convention, Obama was coasting with a near lock on the electoral votes when the two men squared off for the first debate in Denver on October 3.But Romney, who had to put … [Read more...]
US Presidential Debate: Mitt Romney like to pick up from where he left; Barack Obama certain to go on the offensive
The second debate has now assumed far more significance after a strong performance by the Republican challenger in Round 1 appears to have altered the dynamics of the race. President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will faceoff for the second time in 13 days in a crucial presidential debate on Tuesday night at the Hofstra University campus, just 25 miles to the east of New York City. The second debate has now assumed far more significance after a strong performance by the Republican challenger … [Read more...]
US Presidential poll: A wink & a nod, all for the Oval office
Even before the current presidential election cycle began, the conventional wisdom was that the 2012 race to the White House would boil down to one issue and one issue only: the economy. The consensus among the political class all along has been that President Obama's reelection would depend on convincing enough voters that the American economy, in the midst of one of the slowest recoveries in history, has finally turned the corner. And on that all-important issue, the US president may have, at … [Read more...]
US presidential polls: On primetime TV, Barack Obama has edge over Romney
President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney will square off on Wednesday night in the first of their three presidential debates at the University of Denver in Colorado. Many see the first debate as the last chance for Romney's floundering campaign to convince the American voters that the former Massachusetts governor with a stellar business background is the best person to lead the country in the next four years, as it slowly pulls itself out of a prolonged economic … [Read more...]
Race for White House: Bill Clinton makes case for Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention
CHARLOTTE: Twenty-four hours after Michelle Obama delivered a magnum opus, it was Bill Clinton's turn to be the showstopper at the Democratic National Convention. In his nearly 50-minute speech, the former US president worked the 20,000-strong crowd in a way only he could do. Clinton used his legendary persuasive skills and command of facts to dismantle, one by one, charges Republicans made against Obama last week. Clinton - who was first elected to the White House in 1992, during a trying … [Read more...]
Race to White House: Heavy on optimism, Barack Obama spells out his goals for the next four years
In a speech that was thick on policy and heavy on optimism, Barack Obama accepted his party's nomination for president of the United States on Thursday night, the last day or the Democratic National Convention. Framing the election as "a choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future", the US president urged Americans not to turn the clock back on all the progressive initiatives he put in place in the past four years. "[Know] this, America," he said "Our problems can be … [Read more...]