But sometime between now and 2016, the Republican party may take an objective, data-driven, look at what went wrong in 2012 and how to fix it.

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To be sure, Obama has been battered by a series of struggles, starting with the economy, but including a series of events that were at least initially beyond his control -- from the Gulf oil disaster to a Republican minority that by any objective standard has tried to block him at every single turn -- and dragged down his approval ratings.

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And it is often forgotten by Republican leaders that this is the case, that some of the very Republican leaders in office now who claim as their objective deficit reduction, primary objective, presided over enormous budget-busting legislation in the previous administration.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney,