“The president’s goal — from the basketball court to the Scrabble board and campaign trail — say those who know him, is simple: He wants to win, and he strategizes and carries himself the way LeBron James would as he prepares for the NBA finals,” The Hill writes.
Reggie Love: “He’s always thinking about winning. If he has 10, 20 or 2 [points], he just wants to win. If he wins and doesn’t play well, he’s happy. If he wins and plays great, he’s happy. If he loses, regardless of how he plays, he’s unhappy.”
Robert Gibbs: “He’s the most competitive person I know. If there is some function of scoring kept, he’s playing as hard as he can to win, whether it’s basketball or cards or anything else.”
Of course, there’s risk, The Hill points out, if confidence manifests as hubris.
The New York Daily News: “David Axelrod mocked Romney’s slow ‘death march’ to November.” The News writes: “It suddenly feels like fall.”
But, The Hill notes, “President Obama’s reelection campaign said Wednesday that the prolonged Republican primary is hurting its fundraising. Obama’s campaign team said the GOP fight in general is good for Obama, but chief strategist David Axelrod said it isn’t the best for filling Obama’s coffers. ‘I do think it’s easier to raise money when you have one opponent,’ Axelrod said.”
Vice President Biden, playing mischief maker, told Florida donors he hopes the GOP race goes on as long as possible: "God love them, as my mother would say. I hope they have another 20 debates," he said, according to the Tampa Bay Times, per Political Wire.
The president of Ghana heads to the White House. And “in the evening, the president and the first lady will have dinner at a Washington restaurant with winners of a campaign contest,” AP writes.
“The often ice-cold relationship between President Obama and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is beginning to thaw,” The Hill says. “On Tuesday afternoon, the White House issued its official statement of support for a GOP jobs package that Cantor has been touting. Shortly thereafter, Cantor’s office released a statement on Obama’s endorsement. … the Cantor-Obama alliance on the bill could represent a turning point in the GOP’s relationship with the president. … Interestingly, Cantor’s improving rapport with Obama comes as the president’s relationship with Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has been strained.”
