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Obama, Youth Ball
Here's a bit of what President Obama sounded and looked like tonight. From the Youth Ball.
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Reports from Boston Globe reporters and editors about the Obama administration, the Massachusetts congressional delegation, and other national political happenings.

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Invigorated by state house victories earlier this month in Virginia and New Jersey, Republicans are turning their attention to governorships in New England, where they believe the retirement of four incumbents and a competitive race in Massachusetts has created wide-open opportunities. (Globe Correspondent, 11/25/09)
Senators voice optimism on public option
WASHINGTON - Buoyed by their weekend victory on a vote beginning the health care debate, several Senate Democrats expressed optimism yesterday they could find a way to keep a government-run insurance plan in the sweeping bill. (Globe Staff, 11/23/09)
Health overhaul narrowly advances
The Senate narrowly overcame the first of two critical hurdles to passing sweeping health care legislation last night, mustering the minimum of 60 votes required to begin debate on the bill and opening a volatile floor fight likely to last weeks. (Globe Staff 11/22/09)
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Latinos and African-Americans in Massachusetts and across the country are facing high unemployment rates that could spiral to levels not seen in decades as the jobless economic recovery drags on, analysts and urban community advocates say. (Globe Staff, 11/21/09)
Some lawmakers push back Catholic church on health care bill
Representative Louise Slaughter has a consistent record advocating abortion rights. So the New York Democrat was stunned recently to receive, for the first time, a letter from a Catholic diocese in western New York, demanding that she explain her vote this month against a health care amendment prohibiting insurance companies from paying for abortions. (Globe Staff, 11/21/09)
Support wanes for curbs on credit-card interest rates
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Powerful health care groups offer optimism on overhaul
Two leading health care interest groups, representing insurers and big business, struck a more conciliatory, even optimistic tone on the health care overhaul yesterday, emphasizing their support of the overall goal of increasing coverage and containing costs even as they warned that the wrong bill could cause great harm. (Globe Staff, 11/13/09)







I was at the Youth Ball, and most of us attendees, were not allowed into the ballroom where Obama spoke and the bands played. A poorly managed, oversold event, there were times when it seemed like the rowdy crowds staring at closed doors might riot. The event looked great, but a shame that Obama starts his presidency breaking promises to youth who supported him and came to this ball. While it looks like a lot of people had fun, most of us were stuck in brightly lit lobbies, unable even to get back to coat check to leave.