Editor's note: John Avlon is a CNN contributor and senior political columnist for Newsweek and The Daily Beast. He is co-editor of the book "Deadline Artists: America's Greatest Newspaper Columns." He is a regular contributor to "Erin Burnett OutFront" and is a member of the OutFront Political Strike Team. For more political analysis, tune in to "Erin Burnett OutFront" at 7 ET weeknights.
New York (CNN) -- "It's why the American people hate Congress. Unlike the people in Congress, we have actual responsibilities."
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped a bomb on Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Congress for refusing to allow a vote on Hurricane Sandy relief in the final hours of the 112th Congress. It was an instant classic of principled political outrage. It provided a strong dose of what Washington has been missing: blunt, independent leadership.
Christie prosecuted the case by pointing out that hurricane relief had been provided more quickly to others: For victims of Katrina after 10 days and victims of Hurricane Andrew in Florida after 30 days. But residents of the New Jersey and New York coast have been waiting 65 days to date for some relief.
Christie also accurately pointed out that Northeast states such as New Jersey and New York send more to the federal government in taxes than they get back in federal aid, unlike many of the red states represented by conservatives in Congress. The "makers versus takers" narratives fall apart fast when confronted with reality.
Pulling no punches, Christie declared: "Last night, the House majority failed most basic test of leadership and they did so with callous disregard to the people of my state. ... It was disappointing and disgusting to watch." He also unapologetically named names: "There's only one group to blame ... the House majority, and their Speaker, John Boehner." He added that the relief bill "just could not overcome the toxic internal politics of the House majority."
But Christie also took the high road in terms of decrying the overall atmosphere of hyperpartisanship in D.C., arguing correctly that "Americans are tired of the palace intrigue and political partisanship of this Congress ... this used to be something that was not political. Disaster relief was something that you didn't play games with."
Politics: Republicans reverse outrage, pledge to back Boehner
Sandy relief funds stalled in Washington
Christie's broadside drew widespread praise on the Web.
One tweet I saw from "Ronnie" in Chicago seemed typical: "His dedication to his State is inspiring. I'm a democrat but damn, Christie's won me over. He has a damn heart."
Christie's fury was backed up by similar straight talk from New York Republican Congressman Peter King of Long Island.
Cleaning crews work in Manhattan's financial district following damage from Superstorm Sandy on Monday, November 12. View photos of New York's recovery.
Photos: Aftermath of Superstorm Sandy
It was the Republican primary win that wasn't. An initial tally gave the Iowa caucuses to Mitt Romney by eight votes, but the final count awarded the win to Rick Santorum, whose early primary campaign put enormous pressure on the former Massachusetts governor.
He blasted House leadership on CNN Wednesday morning: "I would say the Republican Party has said it is the party of family values," he said. "Last night it turned its back on the most essential value of all, and that is to provide food, shelter, clothing and relief for people who have been hit by a natural disaster. And I would say that the Republican Party has turned its back on those people."
This display of independence was a reminder that there is a distinct brand of tough Northeastern Republicans -- people such as Christie, King and Rudy Giuliani -- who don't simply toe the line with party leadership or ideological litmus tests. Largely as a result, they are able to connect with centrists and independent voters and win on Democratic turf. This is a lesson for national Republicans as they look to reach out beyond their base.
Christie and King's principled independence and tough talk against their own party leadership brought results.
Within hours, Boehner and Republican House leadership announced that they would vote for an initial round of Sandy relief on Friday, followed by a vote on the remaining amount on January 15.
Conservative activist groups such as Americans for Prosperity, the Club for Growth and Heritage Action all pressured congressional Republicans to vote against Hurricane Sandy relief, and while they helped block a bill from coming to a vote on New Year's Eve, the swift and unsubtle backlash brought a wise reassessment.
All this is a reminder that straight talk in politics is so rare that it stands out and carries more than its own weight in civic debates. It cuts through the spin and resonates beyond party lines because it is credible and rooted in reality.
Most importantly, it gets results. Boehner's turnaround brought to mind a comment made by Christie during his press conference: "No one is beyond redemption."
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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John Avlon.
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Evelyn Faherty hugs a friend on Sunday, November 11, while discussing the damage done to her home by Superstorm Sandy in the Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens, New York.
Volunteers shovel sand and water out of the basement of Monir Islam's home in the Rockaway Park neighborhood of Queens, New York, on Sunday. The Rockaways peninsula in Queens was one of the areas hardest hit by Sandy. See photos of Rockaway's continuing struggles.
Furniture and other belongings are strewn under and around a beach house damaged by Sandy on Saturday, November 10, in Mystic Island, New Jersey.
Streets in Ortley Beach, New Jersey, were destroyed by Sandy.
Clean-up continues on Saturday, November 10 among piles of debris where a large section of the iconic boardwalk was washed away in the heavily damaged Rockaways.
Mac Baker, right, poses with her niece Nytaisha Baker next to pots of water she heats on the floor with small flames for a bit of warmth in Baker's unheated apartment in the Ocean Bay public housing projects in the Far Rockaway neighborhood in Queens on Friday, November 9.
Theresa Goddard, her apartment still without electricity, is overwhelmed while discussing her living conditions on Thursday, November 8, in the Brooklyn borough of New York.
A police officer carries blankets donated by Ikea for people affected by Superstorm Sandy in Brooklyn.
Debris from Superstorm Sandy is seen on a beach Thursday in Long Branch, New Jersey.
Troops from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the U.S. Navy help local residents remove household items damaged by Superstorm Sandy on November 6, in the New Dorp Beach neighborhood of Staten Island, New York.
Voter Sheresa Walker uses a flashlight for poll worker Lloyd Edwards in a tent set up as a polling place in Queens, New York.
A poll worker directs people to a temporary polling center in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York. Polling sites in Coney Island and the surrounding area were damaged during Superstorm Sandy.
Michael Fischkelta, 8, lies on his cot with his mother, Jenifer Wilson, in a Red Cross evacuation shelter set up in the gymnasium of Toms River High School on Monday, November 5, in Toms River, New Jersey. View photos of the recovery efforts in New York.
Ruth Hawfield sits next to her cot Monday in a Red Cross evacuation shelter at Toms River High School.
A woman fills out an early voting ballot on Sunday, November 4, in Jersey City, New Jersey. Gov. Chris Christie ordered early voting stations to stay open through the weekend in an effort to get people to vote despite the damage done by Superstorm Sandy.
A woman sifts through her mother's damaged home for items to save Sunday in the Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens, New York.
A workman repairs damage to the steeple of the First United Methodist Church on Sunday in Port Jefferson, New York.
People sift through their damaged home on Sunday in Breezy Point.
A statue of a firefighter stands in front of a burned down house Sunday in Rockaway, New York.
Abraham Cambrelen, 19, takes the Staten Island Ferry to go check on his mother Sunday while New York recovers from Hurricane Sandy.
Crowds wait for free gas on Saturday, November 3, at the Bedford Avenue Armory in Brooklyn, New York.
A house sits devastated by Superstorm Sandy on Friday, November 2, in Union Beach, New Jersey. The cost of the storm's damage in the U.S. is estimated at between $30 billion and $50 billion, according to disaster modeling firm Eqecat.
A baby picture lies beneath rubble in a neighborhood devastated by the storm in Union Beach on Friday.
Flood-damaged belongings sit on the side of the road in Union Beach on Friday.
Park Choul works by flashlight in his deli in New York's East Village on Thursday, November 1. More than 3.3 million customers remained without electricity in 15 states and the District of Columbia four days after Sandy barreled ashore.
Geronimo Harrison's apartment in the East Village remains without power or water Thursday. He's using candles for light and a gas stove for heat.
Water gets pumped out of a business in the East Village on Thursday.
A roller coaster sits in the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday after the Fun Town pier it sat on in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy.
Amusement-park rides lie mangled on the beach after the Fun Town pier in Seaside Heights was destroyed.
The arcade at the FunTown pier in Seaside Heights is in ruins. Storm damage is expected to cost tens of billions of dollars.
The inside of a gas pump is exposed at a closed station that was recently under floodwater on Thursday, November 1, in Hoboken, New Jersey. Superstorm Sandy, which made landfall along the New Jersey shore, has left the state with a fuel shortage due to logistical problems and power failures.
People wait in line for fuel at a Shell Oil station onThursday in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Fuel shortages have led to long lines of cars at gasoline stations in many states.
Cars wait in line for fuel at a Gulf gas station in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
A woman leaves an Exxon gas station that was out of fuel on Thursday in North Bergen, New Jersey.
Bridget De La Torre holds her daughter Neve, 3, as daughter Paz sits nearby while they rest and charge devices on Thursday. They were at a shelter for those affected by Superstorm Sandy at Saints Peter and Paul Church in Hoboken, New Jersey. Bridget's family has no electricity or hot water, and their car was destroyed by flooding.
Waves break in front of an amusement park destroyed by Superstorm Sandy on Wednesday, October 31, in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. At least 56 people were killed in the storm. New Jersey suffered massive damage and power outages.
People walk near the remains of burned homes in the Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens, New York, on Wednesday.
An overview of the fire damage in Queens, New York, following Hurricane Sandy. Residents in hard-hit areas sifted through the wreckage of Sandy on Wednesday as millions remained without power.
Buildings on the shoreline are pictured from Air Force One as it prepares to land in Atlantic City, New Jersey, carrying President Barack Obama, who visited areas hardest hit by the unprecedented storm.
President Barack Obama speaks as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie looks on, as they visit a shelter for Hurricane Sandy victims in Brigantine, New Jersey.
The shadow of Air Force One is cast on the water as it prepares to land in Atlantic City on Wednesday, October 31.
Residents in the Rockaway section of Queens, New York, wait to charge their phones at a government generator. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey resumed operations on limited schedules Wednesday, and the New York Stock Exchange commenced trading after being closed for two days.
Motorists drive through standing water in Hoboken, New Jersey. Known as the Mile Square City, the low-lying neighborhoods suffered deep flooding resulting from the storm surge associated with Hurricane Sandy.
A member of Army National Guard Unit Gulf 250 from Morristown, New Jersey, evacuates victims of Hurricane Sandy in Hoboken on Wednesday, October 31.
Residents traverse flooded streets as clean up operations begin in Hoboken, New Jersey.
New Jersey Natural Gas technician Carlos Rojas inspects a leaking gas main that is under water at a home damaged by Hurricane Sandy in Long Beach Island, New Jersey.
A resident looks through the remnants of his home in the Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens, New York.
Flood-damaged streets are viewed in the Rockaway section of Queens, New York, where the historic boardwalk was washed away due to Hurricane Sandy.
People walk past homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy in Long Beach Island, New Jersey.
Traders stand outside of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Wednesday, October 31. U.S. equity markets resumed trading Wednesday for the first time this week after Hurricane Sandy.
People board the ferry, one of the few functioning transportation systems, in Hoboken, New Jersey, on Wednesday, October 31.
Members of the State University of New York Maritime Academy aid in the relief efforts, using row boats to help victims from in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Jimmy Lee, owner of The Nail Store, begins the cleanup of his shop from damage done by Hurricane Sandy in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Blaine Badick and her fiancee Andrew Grapsas cross a flooded street with their dog while leaving their home in Hoboken.
Residents walk through the area where the boardwalk was washed away in the Rockaway neighborhood of Queens, New York, on Wednesday.
The Rockaway boardwalk in Queens, New York, was stripped down to the piers by Superstorm Sandy.
People look at a damaged section of the Rockaway boardwalk in Queens, New York, on Wednesday.
People walk down a flooded street on Wednesday, October 31, in Hoboken, New Jersey.
A man charges his cellphone at a home that still has power in Hoboken, New Jersey, on Wednesday, October 31. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 2 million customers in New Jersey were without power.
A firefighter stands on the porch of a home destroyed by fire in Queens on Wednesday.
Customers line up to buy supplies at an Ace Hardware with a power generator in Hoboken, New Jersey, on Wednesday.
Superstorm Sandy stripped the steps from the deck of this home in Long Beach Island, New Jersey.
Superstorm Sandy left a car buried in sand in Long Beach Island, New Jersey.
A helicopter flies past damaged homes in Long Beach Island, New Jersey, on Wednesday, October 31.
A man makes his way through floodwater and debris in Long Beach Island, New Jersey, on Wednesday.
A police car patrols an empty waterfront neighborhood without power in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Wednesday.
Concrete piers are all that remain of the destroyed boardwalk in Atlantic City on Wednesday.
Debris from damaged property and the remains of a boardwalk litter the shoreline in Atlantic City on Wednesday.
Waterfront property in Atlantic City lays in tatters on Wednesday. Transportation in the state was crippled by floodwaters, as well.
"We are in a state of crisis all across this state," Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker told CNN on Wednesday. "It's going to be a challenging time."
A police car patrols an empty waterfront neighborhood that lost power at dawn in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Wednesday.
People wait for buses along New York's Sixth Avenue on Wednesday.
Superstorm Sandy stripped New York's historic Rockaway boardwalk down to its foundation.
A woman examines damage to the Rockaway neighborhood in New York on Wednesday.
Commuters ride a NY Waterway ferry from Jersey City, New Jersey, on Wednesday, the first day of operation since the storm hit.
A man rides on the front of a forklift while recording flood damage for insurance purposes in Little Ferry, New Jersey, on Wednesday.
Con Edison employee John Shammah pauses while working on a steam pipe on First Avenue in New York City on Wednesday.
CNN iReporter Jordan Shapiro captured this view of the Williamsburg Bridge in New York at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, October 30. Half of the bridge and Brooklyn is lit, while the Manhattan side and the surrounding part of the island remain shrouded in darkness.
Dog owners in Alexandria, Virginia, gathered to see the flood waters left by Hurricane Sandy on Tuesday.
Taxis sit in a flooded lot Tuesday in Hoboken, New Jersey.
People take pictures of a flooded street Tuesday in Hoboken.
A man stands near a homemade road block on Tuesday in Little Ferry, New Jersey.
People wait in line to fill containers with gas at a Shell station in Edison, New Jersey, on Tuesday. Superstorm Sandy left much of Bergen County flooded and without power.
Aerial images from the U.S. Coast Guard show the coastline in Brigantine, New Jersey, on Tuesday. Sandy struck land near Atlantic City, New Jersey, around high tide Monday night.
Homes and other buildings in Brigantine were destroyed in Sandy's wake. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie described the devastation in the state as "unthinkable."
Brigantine saw extensive damage from high winds and flooding.
Homes are flooded Tuesday in Tuckerton, New Jersey. President Barack Obama signed major disaster declarations for New Jersey and New York, clearing the way for federal aid.
A resident walks down a street covered in beach sand due to flooding from Hurricane Sandy in Long Beach, New York on Tuesday.
Firefighters work to extinguish flames in a home in the Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens on Tuesday. The massive fire broke out during the storm and destroyed at least 80 homes
Ted Wondsel, owner of Ted's Fishing Station in Long Beach, assesses the damage to his business Tuesday.
People wait outside a shelter at the Bergen County Technical Schools Teterboro Campus on Tuesday in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.
Utility workers from Delmarva Power replace a power pole that was damaged during Hurricane Sandy in Ocean City, Maryland, on Tuesday.
Dale Kelly sits on a bench Tuesday on a flooded street in Ocean City, New Jersey, which was hit hard by Superstorm Sandy.
Ted Wondsel, left, of Point Lookout works on part of a dock destroyed in the storm in Long Beach on Tuesday.
West Broadway in Long Beach is covered in beach sand due to flooding from Hurricane Sandy on Tuesday.
Residents walk along a street covered in beach sand after floodwaters from Superstorm Sandy retreated Tuesday in Long Beach.
A small plane damaged in the storm sits on a runway in Farmingdale, New York, on Tuesday.
Streets remain flooded in portions of Ocean City, New Jersey.
Utility workers repair a traffic signal damaged by the storm in Ocean City, New Jersey, on Tuesday.
A Virgin Mary statue stands in the Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens, New York, on Tuesday after a fire fed by high winds destroyed at least 80 homes, officials said.
President Barack Obama outlines the federal government's response to Superstorm Sandy at the Red Cross headquarters in Washington.
Firefighters work to contain the fire in Queens on Tuesday. Some 200 firefighters battled the six-alarm blaze.
A man surveys damage to sailboats Tuesday at a marina on City Island in New York.
"My message to the federal government: no bureaucracy, no red tape, get resources where they're needed as fast as possible, as hard as possible, and for the duration," Obama said in Washington Tuesday. Both Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney canceled campaign events.
People stand on a mound of construction dirt on Tuesday to view a section of the uptown boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, that was destroyed by flooding.
A firefighter looks through debris in Queens on Tuesday. In September, the same area endured severe weather as a powerful cold front brought heavy rain, high winds and a tornado.
A malfunctioning generator billows black smoke at a building in New York on Tuesday.
Mitt Romney helps gather donated goods for storm relief Tuesday in Kettering, Ohio.
Emergency personnel help a resident of Little Ferry, New Jersey, onto a boat after rescuing her from floodwater on Tuesday.
Dean Walter, left. and Henry Young walk along a seawall in Scituate, Massachusetts, with their surfboards after going into the heavy surf for about 20 minutes on Tuesday.
Superstorm Sandy left New York's South Street Seaport flooded and covered in debris on Tuesday.
Passers-by look at a car that was crushed by a tree near New York's financial district on Tuesday.
Pedestrians and bikers cross the Brooklyn Bridge after the storm on Tuesday.
People stand among the debris of the destroyed section of Atlantic City, New Jersey's, uptown boardwalk on Tuesday.
Sailboats rest on the ground after being tipped over by Superstorm Sandy on City Island, New York, on Tuesday.
Onlookers watch a dangling crane, damaged in the winds of Superstorm Sandy, atop a luxury high-rise under construction in midtown Manhattan on Tuesday.
An onlooker snaps a photo of the damaged crane on Tuesday.
Jolito Ortiz helps clean up a friend's apartment on New York's lower east side on Tuesday.
A tidal surge created by Sandy flooded the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in New York on Tuesday.
A worker cuts down a tree near American University in Washington on Tuesday.
A home badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy sits along the shoreline in Milford, Connecticut, on Tuesday.
An emergency worker carries a resident through floodwaters in Little Ferry, New Jersey, on Tuesday.
Police walk past debris left by the storm at Battery Park in New York on Tuesday.
Floodwater splashes into the window of a building on the shore in Bellport, New York, on Tuesday.
Rescue workers use a hovercraft to rescue a resident using a wheelchair from floodwaters in Little Ferry, New Jersey, on Tuesday.
A resident of Little Ferry, New Jersey, assists in rescue efforts with his personal watercraft on Tuesday.
The HMS Bounty, a 180-foot sailboat, is submerged in the Atlantic Ocean about 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, North Carolina, on Monday, October 29.
A man walks through the debris of a 2,000-foot section of Atlantic City, New Jersey's "uptown" boardwalk on Tuesday. It was destroyed by flooding from Sandy.
Downed trees are removed near the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington on Tuesday.
Heavy surf buckles Ocean Avenue in Avalon, New Jersey, on Tuesday.
Sam Rigby walks on Tuesday near an uprooted tree that grazed his house and hit his neighbor's house in Washington.
A photographer shoots waves in Lake Michigan generated by the remnants of Sandy as they crash into the Chicago shoreline on Tuesday.
A police officer helps remove a tree branch brought down during the storm in Washington on Tuesday.
A man takes pictures of cars from the steps of a home on a flooded street at Hoboken in New Jersey, on Tuesday.
A woman wades through water at the South Street Seaport in New York City on Tuesday.
A street light and utility pole lie on the street in Avalon, New Jersey, on Tuesday.
Atlantic City, New Jersey, resident Kim Johnson inspects the area around her flooded apartment building on Tuesday.
A power line knocked over by a falling tree blocks a street in Chevy Chase, Maryland, on Tuesday.
Workers shovel debris from the streets in Ocean City, Maryland, on Tuesday.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flies over Central Park in New York on Tuesday.
A man jogs near a darkened Manhattan skyline on Tuesday after much of New York City lost electricity.
Workers clear a tree blocking East 96th Street in Central Park in New York on Tuesday. View more photos of the recovery efforts in New York.
A federal mandate requiring religiously affiliated institutions, like universities and hospitals, to offer insurance coverage for contraception triggered a politically charged "war on women" fight and generated fierce opposition from the Catholic Church and other groups. The Obama administration later offered a compromise plan.
Sandra Fluke is the Georgetown University Law School student who testified before Congress on the need for access to reproductive health care, including contraception. Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh called her a "slut." Fluke campaigned for President Barack Obama and spoke at the Democratic convention on women's rights.
Rep. Todd Akin touched off controversy with his comments on rape and pregnancy during his bid for U.S. Senate from Missouri. He lost the support of establishment Republicans and fundraisers but stayed in the race before losing on Election Day.
The Republican presidential primary fight ran into April when Mitt Romney finally overtook Rick Santorum. The road to the nomination included periods when frontrunner status changed hands in the field that included former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, businessman Herman Cain, Rep. Michele Bachmann, former Utah Gov. John Huntsman and Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
Eric Holder became the first sitting U.S. attorney general to be held in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over certain documents sought by Republicans in their investigation of the botched Arizona-to-Mexico gun-running sting known as "Fast and Furious." Democrats, including members of the Congressional Black Caucus, walked out in protest during the House contempt vote in June.
The Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama's healthcare reform initiative in a landmark 5-4 vote in June that supported the politically charged law's individual mandate requiring Americans to purchase health coverage.
President Barack Obama announced in June that his administration would stop deporting some young immigrants if they met certain requirements. The annoucement drew scrutiny from the right for usurping congressional procedure and from the left for not going far enough on immigration reform. But many in the immigrant community were relieved.
The Supreme Court ruled in June to uphold the Arizona immigration law's most controversial feature -- the "show your papers provision" that allows police to check a person's immigration status while enforcing other laws. But the decision also dismissed Arizona's right to regulate immigration at the state level - bringing the debate back to square one.
After the movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colorado, that killed 12 people and injured 58 others, the campaigns paused to remember the victims. While there were calls from gun-control advocates for a discussion on the issue, both campaigns largely side-stepped the issue.
Just ahead of the Republican National Convention, Mitt Romney took an overseas trip meant to bolster his foreign policy credentials. But he stumbled. In London, he criticized the efficiency of the London Olympics. He also visited Israel where he angered Palestinians in suggesting Israeli culture was the key to its success.
Clint Eastwood took advantage of his prime speaking spot at the Republican National Convention to say - well, we're not sure we remember. We were too focused on the empty chair he decided to talk to instead. The routine was viewed as the lone glitch in an otherwise smooth convention for Romney. Some later questioned the campaign's decision to put Eastwood on before Mitt Romney's acceptance speech later that night.
Center-stage at the Democratic National Convention, former President Bill Clinton brought down the house with what some political strategists called the political speech of his career. He also did what many criticized Barack Obama for failing to do - communicate Obama's vision for the next four years.
The attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans triggered fierce political controversy over how the armed assault came about. It influenced the potential nomination of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to become secretary of state. Rice, who was the Obama administration's early point person for explaining those events in Libya, withdrew her name from consideration in December.
In 2004, 22% of Americans voted early and that rate rose to 34% in 2008, according to Paul Gronke, professor of political science who founded and runs the Early Voting Information Center at Reed College in Oregon. The number was expected to rise to 40% of the electorate in 2012 - and President Barack Obama's campaign knew it. Its early voting strategy included get-out- the-vote efforts starting with early voting in September. Even Obama voted early, becoming the first sitting president to do so.
The Obama campaign's grassroots efforts, fueled by data-crunching intelligence, was credited in part with his re-election on November 6. The campaign ammassed a wealth of information on voters in 2008 that it used to its advantage to turn out voters battleground states this time. The Romney campaign's turnout effort got a much later start and was further impacted by a lengthy primary campaign.
At last count, general election spending totaled $4.2 billion - and some estimates are as high as $6 billion. That's sharply up from the $3.8 billion in 2008, making this year's presidential race the most expensive to date. The rise of super PACs ushered in a spending frenzy with some individuals betting tremendous sums on their candidates.
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney came out swinging in the first debate while President Barack Obama was off his game. It was a debate performance that gave new life to Romney's campaign. But Obama came back in the second meeting with more drive. Afterward, Obama joked: "As some of you may have noticed, I had a lot more energy in our second debate. I felt really well-rested after the nice long nap I had in the first debate."
Superstorm Sandy slammed into the East Coast just days before Election Day, bringing floodwaters and leaving millions without power. The New Jersey Shore was especially hard hit. Gov. Chris Christie was a top Romney surrogate who praised President Barack Obama's response to the storm. Some said the move hurt Romney with voters but Christie later told ABC's Barbara Walters that he had no regrets about praising Obama.
After almost a full 12 months of campaigning, hundreds of hours on the road and billions of dollars spent on the election, President Barack Obama was re-elected with 51% of the popular vote. He also won 332 of the 270 electoral college votes needed to return to the White House for another four years.
General David Petraeus rocked the Obama administration just after the election by resigning his post as director of the CIA. It was revealed that the former four-star general had had an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell.
Redistricting is credited with strenthening House strongholds for Republicans, but it also claimed the seats of several GOP incumbents in states like California, Florida and Illinois. Among those not returning to Congress in January is Rep. Allen West of Florida, a tea party darling. His loss was partly due to a redrawn district.
For the first time in the nation's history, women and minorities will hold the majority of the Democratic House seats, according to an analysis by Bloomberg News. Those members represent what is being called the new American electorate - a quilt of minority voters that is increasingly identifying with the Democratic Party while the GOP retains mostly white voters. The nation's changing electorate led Republicans to call for more outreach to wormen and minorities in the days following the election.
Mitt Romney's GOP presidential nomination was supposed to usher in the "Mormon Moment." By all accounts, however, Romney avoided talk about his faith outside of poginant moments. Still, Romney's role in the church was held up by campaign surrogates as a testament to his character.
Reports that Syria might be preparing to use chemical weapons against rebels in that country's nearly two-year civil war, triggered alarms worldwide. The Obama administration warned Syria that such a move would trigger U.S. action. The administration took a big step in December by recognizing the leading Syrian opposition coalition as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people. The move, however, doesn't mean Washington will be arming them anytime soon.
It's the combination of spending cuts and hikes in revenue that could bring the United States to its knees in the new year. And it's the microcosm of the ideological struggle that has brought Congress to its knees for the past two years. Will President Barack Obama and Congressional Republicans come to a deal on whether to raise taxes on the wealthiest 2%? Or will the country go over the proverbial cliff?
20-year-old Adam Lanza's shooting rampage that killed 20 children, six elementary school employees, and his own mother in Connecticut mid-December shocked the nation. Like the movie theater shooting in Aurora earlier this year, the tragedy in Newtown reignited calls to reinstate the 1994 assualt weapons ban and add stricter gun controls. Days after the shooting, President Obama delivered a speech asking for Congress to vote on changing gun control measures in the new year. The NRA pushed back saying that arming teachers could have saved the childrens' lives.
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