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Obama agenda: Remembering Mandela

NBC News: "World leaders, politicians, celebrities and public figures all across the globe mourned the passing of Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid activist and South Africa's first black president, who died Thursday at home at the age of 95. Statements on his passing poured in from around the world, with President Barack Obama at the White House saying he was one of the countless millions of people who drew inspiration from Mandela's life and his 'fierce dignity.' 'He achieved more than could be expected of any man," Obama said, visibly emotional. 'Madiba transformed South Africa and moved all of us,' he added, referring to Mandela by his affectionately used clan name."

Gallup: “After two months of glitches with the new federal healthcare website and attempts to fix it, the percentage of Americans who prefer that Congress scale back or entirely repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or ‘Obamacare,’ has changed little. Fifty-two percent favor scaling back (20%) or repealing (32%) the law, similar to the 50% from mid-October.”

Another Gallup point: “President Barack Obama's job approval rating averaged 41% in November, down 12 percentage points from 53% last December, his high-water mark since his first year in office. Hispanics' approval has dropped 23 points over the last 12 months, the most among major subgroups, and nearly twice the national average.”

MSNBC's Benjy Sarlin: "In a reflective mood Thursday, President Barack Obama spoke candidly to msnbc’s Chris Matthews about the challenges of being commander in chief and the legacy he will leave behind. Above all, he urged young people not to lose faith in the notion that government could genuinely improve Americans’ lives. 'The interesting thing about now having been president for five years is it makes you humbler as opposed to cockier about what you as an individual can do,” Obama said. “You recognize that you’re just part of the sweep of history and your job really is to push the boulder up the hill a little bit before somebody pushes it up a little further and the task never stops at perfecting our union.” 

Politico: “Washington has tried very hard this year to crush the economy with debt ceiling fights, clumsy budget cuts, a government shutdown and complete legislative gridlock. It does not appear to be working. Nearly every recent report shows an economy picking up at least a little speed heading into 2014: The jobless rate is falling, house prices are rising, the stock market is soaring and overall economic growth just handily beat expectations. Friday’s employment report is expected to show another gain of somewhere close to 200,000 jobs, suggesting the economy has shrugged off the most recent Beltway blows.”

The National Archives released more RFK files yesterday. It is 26 boxes and 7,500 pages of “memos, correspondence, reports, and notes from Robert F. Kennedy’s participation in White House meetings,” the Boston Globe writes.