Gingrich's Manchester Union-Leader Endorsement Gives Campaign Boost (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | The Manchester Union-Leader, the influential newspaper in the first in the nation primary state of New Hampshire, has given its much sought-after endorsement to Newt Gingrich, granting his campaign a boost in a state dominated by his rival, Mitt Romney.

The Union-Leader endorsement can have an effect of the results of the New Hampshire Primary. It endorsed John McCain in 2008. McCain went on to edge Romney 37 percent to 31 percent. It endorsed Ronald Reagan in 1980, that year's winner of the primary and eventual nominee and winner in the general election. Pat Buchanan, who got the endorsement in 1992 and 1996, made a shocking strong showing against then-President George H.W. Bush in the former year and won the primary in 1996.

However, the newspaper endorsed Steve Forbes in 2000. Forbes came in a distant third.

Romney, who was governor of neighboring Massachusetts, remains in a strong poll position at about 40 percent. Gingrich is running third at 11 percent, behind Romney and Rep. Ron Paul. But with memories of 2008, losing a primary he had counted on winning, Romney cannot be happy with losing out on the Union-Leader's endorsement. A loss or a close first in the Jan. 10 primary would be devastating for Romney's hope of making a second time a charm.

Gingrich, who is surging in Iowa and nationwide, has gotten an undoubted boost to his campaign to be the conservative alternative to Romney. The flap over his somewhat soft view on illegal immigration has generated a lot of noise in the media and on the campaign trail, but it has not yet eaten into his poll numbers.

The endorsement is bad news to Gingrich's rivals on the right: Rick Perry. Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum, each of whom might have benefited from such a nod. A win by Gingrich in Iowa and a win or good second-place showing in New Hampshire could give him just enough momentum to propel him through South Carolina and Florida, knocking out the others, setting himself up to confront Romney alone. Romney, who has never cracked above 25 percent, would be the likely loser in such a contest.

Front-runner status also translates to more donations and more volunteers. That in turn adds up to a campaign that is on a roll and may be unstoppable.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111127/us_ac/10534991_gingrichs_manchester_unionleader_endorsement_gives_campaign_boost

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Obama promotes shops on "Small Business Saturday" (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama, eager to spur growth and hiring, took his daughters on an early Christmas shopping trip on Saturday in Washington as the U.S. retail sector got its vital holiday season underway.

Promoting "Small Business Saturday", the second annual event to help Main Street merchants in a tough U.S. economy, Obama visited a local bookstore with Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10, in the diverse, upscale Du Pont Circle area of downtown Washington.

"This is Small Business Saturday so we're out here supporting small businesses," said Obama, standing next to Malia who was hugging an armful of books to her chest.

To help merchants at the start of the most important shopping season of the year, Obama signed a message of support on Wednesday that noted small businesses "are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstones of our nation's promise."

On Saturday, when five-year-old Alexander Lee Mussehl stepped up to the president to say hello, the president told him he was getting an early start on Christmas shopping.

Alexander's grandmother Susan Lee, who brought him to the well-known Kramer's bookstore, got to shake Obama's hand.

"I wish I would've said something wonderful, told him to chin up, that he's doing a wonderful job," she told reporters. "It appears from the polls that there aren't many of us who think so. I wish I could have pulled myself together and told him."

Obama's approval ratings have been dented by unemployment stuck at 9 percent, and his hopes for re-election next year hinge on getting more people back to work and lifting the country's fragile recovery.

The Obamas bought eight books, including "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Cabin Fever" by Jeff Kinney; "Descent into Chaos" by Ahmed Rashid; "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick, and the Pulitzer-Prize winning "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz.

(Reporting by Alina Selyukh, editing by Philip Barbara)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111126/pl_nm/us_obama_business

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