Obama in campaign mode on swing-state jobs tour
By Matt SpetalnickGREENSBORO, N.C., Oct 18 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama
headed deeper into the electoral battlegrounds of the South on
Tuesday on a campaign-style bus tour that has underscored the
steep challenges he faces to win re-election next year.The second day of Obama’s slow-rolling journey, billed by
the White House as part of his nationwide push to get his jobs
plan past Republicans in Congress, remained focused on courting
voters in politically pivotal North Carolina and Virginia.Obama is using the road trip not only to test out a
sharper, more populist message as he seeks a second term but
also to gauge whether the two traditionally conservative states
he won in the 2008 election can stay in his column in 2012.All indications are it could be a daunting task for Obama,
whose poll numbers have fallen to the lows of his presidency
amid public discontent over the stalled U.S. economy and high
unemployment.Obama, whose re-election may hinge on his ability to spur
hiring, is pressing Republicans back in Washington to pass his
$447 billion jobs package in “bite-size pieces” after they shot
it down as a whole in Congress last week.His strategy is to force Republicans to accept his
proposals or be painted as obstructionists in the way of
economic recovery as campaigning for the November 2012
presidential and congressional elections heats up.Republicans, who see Obama’s plan as laden with wasteful
spending and job-killing tax hikes on wealthier Americans, have
accused the Democratic president of electoral gamesmanship.Their impasse has extended the deadlock that brought the
United States to the brink of default in August until Democrats
and Republicans agreed on the outlines of a deficit-cutting
plan as part of a deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling.CAMPAIGN MODEAs Obama’s black armored bus rolled along, there was little
denying the shift into full campaign mode in what political
experts see as must-win states for him next year.Speeches to wildly cheering North Carolina crowds on an
airport tarmac and in a high school gym on Monday, the start of
his three-day tour, were marked by full-throated attacks on
Republicans he exhorted to “do the right thing” on jobs.There were choreographed stops, like Obama buying Halloween
candy at a family-owned general store, and presidential
moments, like when he lifted a one-year-old from his mother’s
arms and pronounced him a “good-looking boy.”But a lunchtime visit to a barbecue restaurant demonstrated
North Carolina’s mixed views on the president’s record. A local
lawyer urged Obama to roll back regulations on business and a
Baptist pastor complained about bank bailouts.Even some of his Democratic supporters voiced doubts about
his prospects for holding onto North Carolina in 2012 — a
concern that also extends to some Western and Midwestern swing
states.Obama will deliver a speech at a community college in
Jamestown, North Carolina, on Tuesday before crossing into
Virginia for the final day and a half of his tour.North Carolina and Virginia had been solid Republican
strongholds until Obama carried both states in 2008, but polls
now show him in danger of losing them.A recent Elon University poll put Obama’s approval rating
at 42 percent in North Carolina, where Democrats will convene
their presidential convention next summer.A Quinnipiac University poll last week showed Obama’s
approval ratings at 45 percent in Virginia and put Republican
presidential contenders Mitt Romney and Herman Cain in a
statistical dead-heat with him in a theoretical matchup.Obama’s bus tour was taking place just over a year before
the election, a time when incumbent presidents generally are
spending their campaign time raising money.Obama’s focus on retail politicking at this stage suggests
he realizes he has a tough road in 2012 and has to start early
to hammer his message home.
Sprint says iPhone sales beat expectations
“Sprint today reported its best ever day of sales in retail, web and telesales for a device family in Sprint history with the launch of iPhone 4S and iPhone 4,” Fared Adib, Sprint product chief, said in a statement.Without giving specific numbers, Adib said Sprint reached the milestone at about 1 p.m. EDT on the day of the iPhone 4S store launch. It started taking preorders on October 7.”The response to this device by current and new customers has surpassed our expectations and validates our customers’ desire for a truly unlimited data pricing plan,” he said.Apple’s new iPhone went on sale in seven countries around the globe on Friday, prompting long queues at many stores from Sydney to Tokyo to New York.Sprint shares closed up 1 cent at $2.79 on the New York Stock Exchange. The shares edged up to $2.80 in after-hours trade.
UPDATE 1-Levi profit rises as demand in India, China grows
Revenue growth in Asia Pacific was primarily driven by the
Levi’s brand and expansion of the company’s retail network in
China and India, which offset a decline in Japan, the company
said.In the Americas region, where Levi Strauss gets half its
business, revenue rose 7 percent.However, gross margins slipped to 47 percent from 49 last
year.”In the third quarter, we saw continued revenue growth from
the Levi’s brand in markets around the world, but increased
cotton costs continued to put pressure on the margins of all our
products,” Blake Jorgensen, chief financial officer, said.Levi Strauss is a private company, but reports quarterly
results because it has publicly held debt. The company reported
net debt of $1.75 billion, compared with $1.6 billion at the end
of 2010.
When all that’s left is underwear…
The silhouetted figure in the foreground and square crop differentiate this image from an underwear fashion show in Seoul. The crop gets rid of distracting elements on the sides and focuses the attention on the male models.
View this week’s Your View showcase here.
