BHO Fires Up Voters

Gearing up for a 2012 fight, President Obama took some swings at the GOP this weekend. Republicans, he said at a Washington state fundraiser, would “cripple America.” In California, Obama swiped his potential challenger Rick Perry, labeling him a “governor whose state is on fire, denying climate change.” The Daily Beast’s Michael Tomasky on how the president is cranking up his base—and how his feisty rhetoric could help him win over swing voters, too. Read it at The Daily Beast NOT AGAIN 2. Congress Stays for Shutdown Crisis Congress was supposed to be off this week, but lawmakers remained in Washington as they scramble, once again, to avert a government shutdown. On Monday, the Senate is expected to vote on Majority Leader Harry Reid’s funding plan, which includes disaster-relief money without an offset spending cut—likely making it D.O.A. with House Republicans. The House GOP had passed a bill including emergency funding last week but paid for it by cutting energy programs popular with Democrats. Disaster aid could run out Tuesday, and the shutdown could begin as soon as this weekend. Read it at The Wall Street J