Doubletalk: Obama looks to reassure base

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Buzz Cut:
• Doubletalk: Obama looks to reassure base
• Consumer crisis
• Baier Tracks: Iran deal strains US-Israel ties…
• But who, Bubba? Who could it be?
• That’s some pricey squab

DOUBLETALK: OBAMA LOOKS TO REASSURE BASE - President Obama is holding an Internet pep rally for his supporters today. The event, hosted by the president’s permanent campaign arm, Organizing for Action, comes as liberal supporters of the commander in chief is pushing ahead with efforts to transform America’s health-insurance system. Obama, facing intense pushback for his decision to not honor a promise to allow Americans to keep their existing health plans, appeared to reverse himself last week.  Daily Caller has more.

[“[President Obama is] gracious and he’s taking responsibility. But that doesn't mean that there was anything in the law that said if you like what you had before [enactment] you couldn't keep it.” – House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”]

Different strokes, different folks - After spending several days last week trying to convince anxious and angry Americans that he was retreating on his effort to tear up the existing insurance market, the president now has to scramble to convince liberals that he wasn’t serious. Their support for the law depends on a belief that individual insurance, as well as employer-based plans, will change and shift to the government-run offerings under ObamaCare. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., didn’t mince words on ABC’s “This Week” saying, President Obama “should’ve just been specific” about Americans losing their current health care plans under ObamaCare and that “we [Democrats] all knew” it would happen.

[“…The fundamental question is once you have stabilized, how do you give confidence to the American people and to the president himself that you have this under control going forward. Because this law is going to be with us, I think, forever.” –Former White House Senior Adviser David Plouffe, on ABC’s “This Week”] 

The takeaway - The president and his team have long known the value of tailoring messages for different audiences. The trouble this time is that everyone is paying attention. Millions of cancelled plans and real worries about what is to come have regular Americans watching the political rhetoric out of Washington in a way they usually do not. Can the president tell his supporters that they should keep pushing while convincing consumers that he cares? That’s a tough sell for a lame duck with sinking approval ratings.

CONSUMER CRISIS - Ed Henry wants to know - “How low will the bar go after the WaPo reports that the White House will now consider the new federal insurance marketplace a success if 80 percent of users can buy health plans online?” – Ed Henry

On the ObamaCare frontlines - USA Today talks to consumers marooned by President Obama’s contradictory orders on health insurance: “‘I cannot afford to pay $200 more per month,’ said [Cathy Pedersen, who lost her insurance policy because of ObamaCare], who added that the cheapest alternative policy she’s found with the newly established federal government exchange would more than double the $186 monthly premium she paid in 2013. ‘We're more than halfway into November, and my insurance broker is telling me it takes up to 45 days to get on a plan. I just feel like this situation did not have to happen.’”

[ObamaCare’s individual mandate is being blamed for Wal-Mart’s 3rd Quarter drop in sales. WSJ has the story]

Insurance commish explains rule resistance - Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler was the first of his colleagues to refuse to comply with President Obama’s reversal on insurance regulations last week. He supports ObamaCare, but told WaPo: “It’s too late in the game, certainly for the state of Washington… And the last thing I wanted to see was the market destabilizing  or seeing significant rate increases impacting the number of people signing up for health insurance. All of those things were going to be compromised. It’s brought about a lot of consternation.”]

DC picks acting insurance boss to replace ousted Obama critic - The administration of Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray has appointed an acting insurance commissioner after the previous one was ousted following his statement that President Obama’s new insurance regulations would undercut the law and make it harder to enroll beneficiaries. Readmore from Fox News.

Oregon ObamaCare crash continues - AP reports Oregon has failed to enroll a single person in its ObamaCare exchange. The state has received nearly 18,000 paper applications at 19 pages each. Oregon has yet to fully launch its Web site due to software malfunctions. Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., offered a scathing statement saying, “The implementation of Oregon's health insurance marketplace has been abysmal…The current situation is completely unacceptable, and I expect much more from a state with a reputation for being an innovator in the field of health care.” The state has successfully enrolled 70,000 in Medicaid. – Watch Fox: Correspondent Peter Doocy, is tracking the latest security and safety concerns with healthcare.gov

ObamaCare poll gets Baronial treatment - Washington Examiner’s Michael Barone takes a deep dive on the latest Quinnipiac poll that shows the president and his signature entitlement program floundering with the public. Barone points out that the 55 percent of respondents that oppose ObamaCare nearly mirror the number that disapproves of the president. He also notes Obama’s popularity is waning with young people and Hispanics, two key groups that were crucial to his success in 2012. Young people disapprove of Obama 54 percent to 36 percent and Hispanics disapprove 47 percent to 41 percent. Young voters oppose ObamaCare 51 percent to 42 percent and Hispanic voters are opposed 50 percent to 44 percent.

BAIER TRACKS: IRAN DEAL STRAINS US-ISRAEL TIES…“The Wall Street Journal explores the growing tensions between the U.S. and Israel over the Obama administration’s handling of the Iran negotiations. This line really caught my eye: ‘In a sign of Israel's growing disaffection with Washington, French President François Hollande was given a hero’s welcome when he arrived in Tel Aviv on Sunday for a three-day visit that would showcase Paris's hard line against Iran’s nuclear program ahead of international talks in Geneva this week.’ There seems to be a growing sense not only by Israeli leaders but in leaders of several Arab Gulf States that the U.S. may not be their ticket to protection from or solutions regarding Iran. And even if a U.S. “leadership vacuum” is perceived - on Iran, Syria, Egypt, or a host of other issues affecting the region, it opens the door for others to step up:  ‘Entrez vous.’” –Bret Baier.

Putin plays peacemaker in Iran - Reuters reports: “Russian President Vladimir Putin told Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Monday he believes there is a ‘real chance' to resolve the international standoff over Tehran's nuclear programme… The presidents also discussed the conflict in Syria and expressed support for efforts to convene an international peace conference aimed at seeking an end to the civil war in the Middle East nation.”

[On Fox News Opinion: KT McFarland says as Iran’s Nuclear Clock Keeps Ticking “…[T]here is another option between bombing Iran and letting Iran get the bomb:  tightening economic pressure to the point where the Iranian people demand that their leaders trade sanctions relief for nuclear weapons.”]

WHITE HOUSE SEEKS TO LIFT GITMO BAN IN FUNDING PLAN - President Obama continues to face mounting criticism for his failure to deliver on his pledge to close the prisoner-of-war camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Now, the administration wants to use a pending military funding measure to lift a ban on transferring suspected Islamist militants from Guantanamo to the United States for detention, trial or emergency medical treatment. The funding measure looks headed for a vote after Congress’ Thanksgiving break. AP has more.

[Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., told ABC news that President Obama has an opportunity to exert “leadership” by backing her controversial bill on sexual assault in the military. More.]

WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE...New at Fox News Opinion, Myron Magnet considers What would shock our Founding Fathers most about America in 2013: “Though the Founding Fathers made a revolution because they hated the idea of taxation without representation, soon after independence they recognized that taxation with representation could be tyranny too.”

Got a TIP from the RIGHT or LEFT? Email FoxNewsFirst@FOXNEWS.COM

POLL CHECK - Real Clear Politics Averages
Obama Job Approval: Approve – 41.3 percent//Disapprove – 54.2 percent
Direction of Country: Right Direction – 22.0 percent//Wrong Track – 71.1 percent

CHRISTIE PITCHES TO BIG BIZ IN BELTWAY - Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., will seek to woo the business community when he addresses the WSJ’s CEO Council today. Christie will hope to impress top business brass on political leadership and how government can be made to work. President Obama and Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., will appear at the event tomorrow. The two-day conference features panels on a wide-range of policy areas including energy, health care and education.

WALKER THINKS GOP SHOULD NOMINATE SOMEONE LIKE HIM - Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis., told ABC’s “This Week”: “I think both the presidential and vice presidential nomination needs to be a former or current governor, people who have done successful things in their states, taken on big reforms, who are ready to move America forward.”  As for the possible ambition of fellow Wisconsinite Rep. Paul Ryan, Walker said, “I love Paul Ryan. Paul Ryan, if he had a fan club, I'd be the president of that.” When further pressed about his own presidential ambitions Walker said, “I don’t rule anything out.”

[Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., called the troubled ObamaCare rollout an example of the “hollowness of big government” during a Saturday birthday fundraiser for Gov. Terry Branstad, R-Iowa.]

BUT WHO, BUBBA? WHO COULD IT BE? - Speaking to a conference of Chinese business leaders, former President Bill Clinton said, “I hope we have a woman president in my lifetime, and I think it would be a good thing for the world as well as for America.” The South China Morning Post has details. Other than picking up speakers fees in China, the former president also had a meeting with that country’s leader, Xi Jinping.

DEMS HERALD CASH HAUL - The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is touting its best-ever haul during an October of an off year the Democrats raised $4.8 million compared to the $3.8 million collected by the National Republican Senatorial Committee. In total, the DSCC raised $43.5 million to the NRSC's $29.5 million so far this cycle. The Democrat committee also has more cash on hand, $11.1 million compared to the Republican’s $5 million. National Journal has the details.

CHENEY SISTERS IN ROW OVER GAY MARRIAGE - Liz Cheney, seeking to unseat Republican Sen. Mike Enzi in Wyoming, took a different tack than her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, in discussing sister Mary Cheney’s same-sex marriage. Liz Cheney told “Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace” that unlike her father, who changed positions and backed same-sex marriage in 2009, she is opposed to the practice on a state level. Wallace pressed the hawkish Senate candidate on her position, given that she favors benefits for same-sex partners of federal employees and opposes a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union of one man and one woman. She was adamant that her position – that marriage was a state-level issue and that she opposed allowing same-sex unions in her adopted home state – was for keeps. “I love Mary very much, I love her family very much, but this is just an issue on which we disagree,” she said. Mary Cheney criticized her sister on Facebook saying, “Liz – this isn’t just an issue on which we disagree, you’re just wrong – and on the wrong side of history.”

[Watch Fox: Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., appears in the 2 p.m. ET hour]

TOP TWEETS - @laurenashburn’s top tweet pick for this morning Taegan Goddard’s @politicialwire: “Mary Cheney on her sister: ‘What amazes me is that she says she's running to be a new generation of leader.’ http://t.co/ttSsFZdWXP .”

Lauren Ashburnof “#MEDIABUZZ” tracks the Twitterverse every day in Top Twitter Talk.]

POLITICAL ‘DYNASTY?’ - Vance McAllister bested fellow Republican, state Sen. Neil Riser, to win Saturday’s congressional runoff in Louisiana by nearly 20 points. McCallister, a political newcomer who seemed to buck the current trend by calling for Republicans to make compromises on ObamaCare, had a powerful ally: his friend, “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson. McAllister will serve through the end of 2014, completing the term begun by Rodney Alexander, R-La., who retired in August to become the state’s secretary of Veterans Affairs. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., welcomed McAllister to the Pelican State’s congressional delegation in a statement, saying she was heartened that he “wants to find solutions and common ground.” Fox News has more.

MASSIVE REGULATION PROPOSED - According to an Office of Management and Budget report, regulatory paperwork imposed by the government requires The IRS and National Credit Union Administration have proposed new regulations that would lead to 45.9 billion hours of new paperwork. The conservative American Action Forum points out that the new rules would be in addition to 10.3 billion hours of work from existing regulations, equal to “almost 5.2 million full-time workers exclusively to filling out government forms.”

YOU HAVE A SEAT ON THE PANEL - President Obama spared himself even more Democratic defections with an administrative change to his health law. That was the consensus among viewers of  Friday’s “Special Report with Bret Baier” All-Star Panel who mad etheir voices heard via Bing Pulse. There was agreement across the political spectrum when Charles Krauthammer said more House Democrats would have supported Rep. Fred Upton’s, R-Mich., that would allow customers to keep policies cancelled under ObamaCare, had the president not acted. WaPo’s Chuck Lane saw widespread disagreement when he suggested the president had the legal authority to act without Congress to make changes to his health law. Krauthammer’s claim that President Obama does intend for cancelled healthcare plans to be renewed spiked viewer response to 36,000 votes per minute. In total, there were 225,000 viewer votes, see the full results here. Join NPR’s Mara Liasson, George Will, and Krauthammer and take your seat on tonight’s panel.

MARS MAVEN - NASA's MAVEN spacecraft is set to blast off for a 10-month voyage to the red planet this afternoon. While earlier probes and rovers explored Mars’ surface, MAVEN is designed to study the Martian atmosphere and will help scientists understand why Mars is now dry and lifeless, after it was initially believed to be a moisture rich environment. Sky News has the details.

THAT’S SOME PRICEY SQUAB - A Minnesota man says thieves made off with $20,000 worth of pigeons from his backyard in St. Paul. John Kaiyalethe and his younger brother owned the 45 racing birds, which were nabbed early last week.  The theft’s expensive price tag is attributed to one pigeon known as “the Godfather,” worth $10,000.  Kaiyalethe said that “the Godfather” is so expensive because he's a reliable breeder and the son of a champion homing pigeon called Rambo. The pigeons are fitted with a microchip and would fly back home if they were released. He suspects whoever stole the birds knew what they were doing and will most likely not release the birds. KMSP has the story.

A MIGHTY FORTRESS…Severe storms and tornadoes ripped through the Midwest Sunday, leaving behind a trail of destruction. One family in Washington, Ill. recorded a tornado as it devastated their neighborhood, but instead of showing fear, Anthony Khoury and his family can be heard praying as the storm roared outside. Yahoo has the video. Watch here.

[If you’d like to help those affected by the Midwest storms, visit salvationarmyusa.org]

Chris Stirewalt is digital politics editor for Fox News. Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here. To catch Chris live online daily at 11:30 a.m. ET, click here.