US election: Daily Diet - 31 October
As the election looms, the bombardment of stories, figures and headlines can be overwhelming. But no longer - we've diced and sliced a daily helping of tasty political morsels for your consumption.
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Even as New Jersey and New York begin crawling out of the wreckage from super-storm Sandy, the media resumes trying to predict how the storm will affect the election. And one of Obama's hitherto harshest critics tours New Jersey with him, providing great television pictures.
Picture of the day
A really early voter - perhaps 15 years too early - turned up at an early voting site in Columbus, Ohio.
Quote of the day
I was on the phone at midnight again last night with the president personally... I have to say the administration, the president himself and Fema administrator Craig Fugate have been outstanding with us so far. We have a great partnership with them and I want to thank the president personally for his personal attention to this.
Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie gave what in context - a week before the election - rings as lavish praise for President Obama in the aftermath of super-storm Sandy.
The governor has earned a reputation as an attack dog for Mitt Romney for his fierce criticism of the president.
Political pundits speculated Christie has an eye on 2016, when it will be easier for him to run for president if Obama wins re-election next week. But others said just maybe Christie meant it - and was putting the people of his state before the politics.
On Wednesday, he and Obama will tour disaster sites together, providing terrific television pictures of Obama looking like a concerned, competent president.
"Whatever his motivation, and I should add for the record that obviously I don't doubt he's distraught about what's happened to his state, what he's doing here has big political ramifications," liberal columnist Michael Tomasky wrote.
Ad of the day
Barack Obama says he saved the auto industry. But for who? Ohio or China? Under President Obama, GM cut 15,000 American jobs, but they are planning to double the number of cars built in China, which means 15,000 more jobs for China. And now comes word that Chrysler is planning to build cars in - you guessed it - China.
In a radio advert running in Ohio, Romney kept up his attack on one of Obama's signature accomplishments in the state - the 2009 rescue of the auto industry which employs thousands of Ohioans - even after being pilloried in the press for its misleading character.
It's one thing to distort your opponent's record - and another all together to distort the record of a major multinational corporation.
This time GM itself struck back: "We've clearly entered some parallel universe during these last few days," GM spokesman Greg Martin said. "No amount of campaign politics at its cynical worst will diminish our record of creating jobs in the US. and repatriating profits back to this country."
26 - Percentage of registered voters who plan to dress up on Wednesday for Halloween, according to Public Policy Polling. Thirty-three per cent of Democrats say they plan to, compared to 23% of Republicans.
News from a swing state
The Toledo (Ohio) Blade newspaper leads with the two biggest stories of the year.
The BBC will be providing full online live results of the US presidential election on 6 November. Follow our coverage here
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