Obama might do well to remember that his fast rise from the Illinois state Senate was due in large part to an uncanny ability to make friends and find mentors. – Ron Fournier
One of Obama’s most impressive attributes is his quiet confidence: Voters sense that he is comfortable in his own skin, a dedicated father and friend who won’t waste time with the phony rituals of Washington. – Ron Fournier
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is the most influential woman in Washington – for what she has accomplished and for what she may yet do: win the presidency. – Ron Fournier
Obama considers himself above deal-making and back-slapping, political necessities he often delegates to Vice President Joe Biden and other lesser sorts. – Ron Fournier
Andrew Jackson was the first president to claim that the desires of the public overrode Congress’s constitutional prerogatives. Virtually every president since Jackson has claimed the mantle, even while lacking two ingredients of an electoral mandate: a landslide victory and a specific agenda. – Ron Fournier
Obama does not need to worry as much as past Democratic presidents about being labeled soft on national security – not after giving the order that led to the assassination of Osama bin Laden. No, his biggest concern is being labeled tone deaf on joblessness and debt. – Ron Fournier
AP promoted me to the White House beat because I knew Clinton, his family, friends, and staff better than anybody in the national press corps. Those contacts helped me break a few stories and get my career in Washington jump-started. – Ron Fournier
I’ve been leading newsrooms for a while now and it’s been an honor serving as Editor in Chief of N.J., but I really think that my best shot at moving the needle in politics is by getting close to it – by reading, reporting, tweeting and writing. – Ron Fournier
To be fair, my analysis failed to spell out Obama’s first-term accomplishments, although I did acknowledge his ‘enormous skills’ and tried to focus readers on the distinction between good and great presidencies. – Ron Fournier
Say what you want to say about the rest of his presidency, including his tone-deaf response to Katrina and a war waged in Iraq on false pretenses, Bush connected with Americans in the aftermath of 9/11 because he looked as frail and unforgiving as we felt. – Ron Fournier
Palin seems to have forgotten that her poll ratings have plummeted since the summer of 2011. – Ron Fournier
Every now and then, a presidential candidate surprises us with a truly human and honest moment. – Ron Fournier
With gridlock the norm, Congress’s approval rating is below 10 percent and the public has lost faith in its national leadership. – Ron Fournier
According to a Public Policy Polling survey, most Americans find lice and colonoscopies more appealing than Capitol Hill. – Ron Fournier
Like a cowboy saddling a bucking stallion, Republican leaders tried to tame the Tea Party while riding it to victories. – Ron Fournier
Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt faced adversities that, in their times, seemed impregnable. Great presidents overcome great odds. – Ron Fournier
For a man who has compared himself to Theodore Roosevelt and the nation’s challenges to those of the Gilded Age, Obama put forward a tepid agenda. – Ron Fournier
Republicans would have preferred the court overturn the health care bill, an act that would have underscored Obama’s biggest liability – the perception among voters, including those who like and trust him, that he has been ineffective. – Ron Fournier
Christie led the way – with a bulldozer. The governor is blunt, brash, and self-consciously authentic, the antithesis to what turns off today’s voters: flip-flopping politicians who speak in poll-tested platitudes. Yes, he’s the anti-Romney. – Ron Fournier
Political reporters and political professionals rushed to judgment against Romney because we crave clear, unambiguous story lines. – Ron Fournier
Obama is capable – as evidenced by his first-term success with health care reform. But mandate-building requires humility, a trait not easily associated with him. – Ron Fournier
It’s an appeal as old as America and its presidency: This is an extraordinary country populated by hard-working, big-dreaming, freedom-loving people graced by God when they’re not pulling themselves up by the bootstraps. – Ron Fournier
If history is a guide, a victory for Obama means he faces the prospect of a second term dogged by scandal or inertia. – Ron Fournier
Climate change was a point of division between Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney. The president declared climate change a global threat, acknowledged that the actions of humanity were deepening the crisis, and pledged to do something about it if elected. – Ron Fournier
In times of tumult, voters are likely to forgive a president, if not reward him, for compromises made in service of solutions. – Ron Fournier
Movies such as ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’ in 1939 to ‘Dave’ in 1993 portray Washington leaders as the ultimate Everymen – decent people just like you and me, only thrust onto greatness. – Ron Fournier