BY CHARLES LEVINSON CAIRO—Egyptians vote Wednesday in a historic presidential vote that is poised to shake up notions of what democracy will mean for the Arab world. The campaign has already challenged conventional wisdom—namely, that hard-line Islamist parties would coast to power in Egypt after last year's Arab Spring revolutions swept away the old guard. The election poses the biggest test yet of the country's rocky transition from military-backed dictatorship to democratic civilian rule. Polling in Egypt is unreliable, but four main contenders have emerged from a field of 13. The apparent front-runner is Amr Moussa, a liberal secularist who opposes establishing a ...BY CHARLES LEVINSON CAIRO—Egyptians vote Wednesday in a historic presidential vote that is poised to shake up notions of what democracy will ... Continue reading →
BY NEIL KING JR. AND DANNY YADRON Voters remain deeply pessimistic about the nation's future and uncertain of President Barack Obama's ability to set the economy on the right course, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll that finds Mr. Obama locked in a tight race with Mitt Romney. The president tops the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, 47% to 43%, when Americans are asked their choice today for president, a lead little changed from last month and within the poll's margin of error. But the poll found much to stir concern within the burgeoning Obama re-election campaign. Despite signs of economic recovery, nearly half of ...BY NEIL KING JR. AND DANNY YADRON Voters remain deeply pessimistic about the nation's future and uncertain of ... Continue reading →
BY GERALD F. SEIB President Barack Obama doesn't often dwell on similarities to his predecessor, George W. Bush, but here's one thing they have in common: Mr. Obama's re-election challenge this year is starting to look an awful lot like the one Mr. Bush faced in 2004. In fact, the president faces a political situation remarkably like the one his predecessor confronted as he sought re-election. That suggests a similarly close election—and a campaign where the key to victory is likely to turn on ramping up enthusiasm among core supporters. Like Mr. Bush then, Mr. Obama now has proved to be more polarizing than ...BY GERALD F. SEIB President Barack Obama doesn't often dwell on similarities to his predecessor, George W. Bush, but here's one ... Continue reading →
BY GERALD F. SEIB President Barack Obama doesn't often dwell on similarities to his predecessor, George W. Bush, but here's one thing they have in common: Mr. Obama's re-election challenge this year is starting to look an awful lot like the one Mr. Bush faced in 2004. In fact, the president faces a political situation remarkably like the one his predecessor confronted as he sought re-election. That suggests a similarly close election—and a campaign where the key to victory is likely to turn on ramping up enthusiasm among core supporters. Like Mr. Bush then, Mr. Obama now has proved to be more polarizing than ...BY GERALD F. SEIB President Barack Obama doesn't often dwell on similarities to his predecessor, George W. Bush, but here's one ... Continue reading →
BY DANNY YADRON President Barack Obama's re-election campaign is spending about half of what it raises to support a large political infrastructure that includes hundreds of workers and dozens of offices around the country. For now, it gives him at least one leg up on Mitt Romney, his presumptive Republican opponent, who still has far less money to spend despite making recent fundraising gains, according to federal filings released Sunday. The Obama campaign paid 631 employees in at least 42 states, plus the District of Columbia, in April, at a payroll cost of $2.5 million. Some 300 paid staff members work at the ...BY DANNY YADRON President Barack Obama's re-election campaign is spending about half of what it raises to support a large political infrastructure ... Continue reading →
