Please join us next Friday, November 18, 2011 for a New England Steering Committee Meeting with Steve Kerrigan, CEO of the DNCC. The meeting will be held at the Law Offices of Foley Hoag located at 155 Seaport Blvd, World Trade Center West, Room 13M, Boston, MA, 8:30AM.

If you are not able to attend this meeting in person please join us over the phone by using the following conference line:

Call In Number: (877) 867-8879 (877) 867-8879″ alt=”" />
Passcode: 617-988-3513

News from Washington

As you have probably heard, the Obama Administration has announced that they will take more time to ensure a fully informed decision is made on the Keystone XL pipeline – a proposed pipeline project that would run from Alberta to the Gulf Coast.

President Obama released the following statement:“I support the State Department’s announcement today regarding the Keystone XL Pipeline proposal.  Because this decision could affect the health and safety of the American people as well as the environment, and because a number of concerns have been raised through a public process, we should take the time to ensure that all questions are properly addressed and all the potential impacts are properly understood.  The final decision should be guided by an open, transparent process that is informed by the best available science and the voices of the American people.  At the same time, my administration will build on the unprecedented progress we’ve made towards strengthening our nation’s energy security, from responsibly expanding domestic oil and gas production to nearly doubling the fuel efficiency of our cars and trucks, to continued progress in the development of a clean energy economy.”

Click here to read the State Department’s statement on this matter.

Please see below for a list of all upcoming regional and nation events.

See you soon,

Kathy, Justin, Ryan and Rachel

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Strong Start
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Please use the links below to find out more about Strong Start and how to get involved:

Notes

PowerPoint

One pager

To contribute to building a Strong Start for the field operations in New Hampshire, please use this link http://my.barackobama.com/StrongStart-NESC
If you would like to have a personalized fundraising page set up please contact Justin Brennan at jbrennan@barackobama.com.

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NEW ENGLAND EVENTS CALENDAR
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David Axelrod – Monday, November 21, 2011
Boston, MA
Tickets: $10,000 per person
Contact Justin Brennan at jbrennan@barackobama.com for more information.

Dinner with Debbie Wasserman Schultz –  December 13, 2011
Boston, MA
Tickets: $2,500
Contact Ryan Fleury at rfleury@barackobama.com for more information.

Reception and Dinner with Governor Deval Patrick and President Barack Obama – December 14, 2011
Washington, DC
Tickets: $17,900 per person
Contact Kathy Gasperine at kgasperine@barackobama.comfor more information

Chefs for Obama – January 31, 2012
Boston, MA
Contact Ryan Fleury at rfleury@barackobama.com for more information.

OUT OF REGION UPCOMING FINANCE EVENTS

Upcoming Conferences 

November 16, 2011
Technology for Obama
Chicago, IL
Staff Contact: Jim Green

Surrogate Travel

November 15, 2011
David Plouffe
Columbus, OH
Staff Contact: Roz Skozen
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News Articles
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U.S. to Delay Decision on Pipeline Until After Election
The New York Times // John Broder and Dan Frosch
The Obama administration is preparing to delay a decision on the contested Keystone XL pipeline while it studies an alternate route, effectively pushing any action past the 2012 election, officials and lobbyists who have been briefed on the matter said on Thursday. An announcement is expected as early as Thursday afternoon. The proposed project by a Canadian pipeline company had put President Obama in a political vise, squeezed between demands for secure energy sources and the jobs the project will bring.

Ohio Vote Shows Obama Winning Back the Rust Belt
Daily Beast // Michael Tomasky
Barack Obama is winning the Rust Belt back. The overwhelming repeal in Ohio of Governor John Kasich’s anti-labor bill from last year shows that the GOP has gone way, way too far—too far for Democrats, obviously, but also for independents. It shows the potential for something else, too: the populist message can stick. “Class warfare” can work. It can take hold even with the people who allegedly despise our Kenyan leader the most: the white working class.

Why Barack Obama Has a Good Chance of Winning a Second Term
Larry Sabato’s Blog // Alan I. Abramowitz
According to the Time-for-Change forecasting model, which has correctly predicted the winner of the popular vote in every presidential election since 1988, Barack Obama has a good chance of winning a second term in the White House next November. The main reason for this is that the Democratic Party has only held the White House since 2008. That makes Obama a first-term incumbent, and first-term incumbents rarely lose.

Poll Finds Voters Deeply Torn
The Wall Street Journal // Jonathan Weisman
A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll has found an electorate that is convinced the country’s economic structures favor an affluent elite and is still deeply torn as to whether President Barack Obama or any of his leading Republican rivals can pull the nation out of decline. The survey has some good news for both Mr. Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is solidifying his support among Republicans who don’t identify with the tea-party movement.

Univision News poll: Obama holds advantage with Latino voters, leaving GOP with uphill battle
Univision // Matthew Jaffe and Jordan Fabian
Despite loud complaints from Latinos about high unemployment and unfulfilled campaign promises on immigration, President Obama is well situated to repeat his strong performance with Latino voters in 2012. Obama holds leads over the top three Republican presidential candidates in a new poll conducted by Latino Decisions for Univision News, with the president enjoying far wider advantages among Latino voters, an area of strength that could ultimately prove crucial come next year’s election.

Obama campaign seizes on Ohio labor victory to pummel Mitt Romney
The Washington Post // Greg Sargent
One thing that’s getting a bit lost in the noise: Mitt Romney, after some hemming and hawing, firmly came out for the anti-union law that went down to resounding defeat last night in Ohio. How much of a role will that play in the battle for Ohio, should Romney become the GOP nominee? The Obama campaign is now seizing on Romney’s embrace of Governor John Kasich’s law rolling back bargaining rights, and Ohioans’ strong rejecting of it yesterday, to underscore an emerging theme: Republicans don’t care about the “economic security of the middle class.” We’ll be hearing a lot of that phrase.

Affordable Health Care Act benefits NH families
The Citizen // Editorial
There is no question that the Affordable Care Act — often referred to contemptuously as “Obamacare” — has its flaws. The legislation should be reviewed and many of the provisions should be tweaked or eliminated. However, calls for its wholesale abandonment are unjustified and would hurt New Hampshire families, as a report issued last Thursday by Families USA confirms.

While N.H. eyes are on GOP candidates, Obama and Democrats work quietly
Boston Globe // Shira Schoenberg
While all eyes in New Hampshire are on the Republican presidential primary, the Democratic campaign apparatus of President Obama is quietly gearing up for the general election. Last weekend, Obama’s grassroots organization Organizing for America had staff and volunteers fan out across 20 cities and towns in the state, knocking on thousands of doors. With Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in attendance, the campaign opened its first regional office, in Portsmouth, to complement its Concord headquarters.

Kaiser Health News on the Romney Preliminary Medicare Reform Proposal
National Review Online // Reihan Salam
Austin Frakt makes an important observation: Kaiser Health News, a source that many people rely on to understand health policy debates, has seriously misrepresented Mitt Romney’s Medicare reform proposal: Romney has promised that beneficiaries who like the current fee-for-service Medicare plan can opt for that instead of purchasing private insurance. But by giving beneficiaries a fixed amount of money to buy that government coverage, it is clear that Romney’s plan would move Medicare from a “defined benefit” program that pays a share of all medical bills a senior incurs.
‘Oops’ and a Long, Sad Pause at Debate When Perry Can’t Get to Three
The New York Times // Jeff Zeleny and Ashley Parker
Gov. Rick Perry of Texas arrived at the Republican presidential debate here on Wednesday night on a mission to get his candidacy back on track. The first hour passed without incident. The second hour did not. He emphatically declared that he planned to eliminate three government agencies in Washington. But as he began to explain, he could think of only two. “Commerce, Education,” Mr. Perry said before pausing for an uncomfortable moment as he looked from side to side, counting on his fingers and flipping through his notes.