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Showing posts with label 2012. Show all posts

Showing posts with label 2012. Show all posts

Romney: Obama Is 3-D: Debt, Downgrade, Delay

“I want to make America the strongest economy on earth.” . . . .“What I’ve seen from this president is not a AAA presidency but I’ll call it a DDD presidency. It’s been a presidency which has been associated with debt and with downgrade and with delay.” --Mitt Romney
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Romney Picks Up More Former Pawlenty Supporters

Mitt Romney today announced new members of his Iowa Leadership Team.

“I am grateful to receive the support of so many great leaders in Iowa,” said Mitt Romney. “We will work together to turn around the economy, put Americans back to work, and reverse the failed policies of the last three years.”

“Mitt Romney is the candidate we need to put this country back on the right track,” said State Representative Linda Miller. “As governor, he balanced the budget and created jobs without raising taxes. He knows what is needed to get the economy moving again and has the private sector and government experience to do just that.”

New Members Of Mitt Romney’s Iowa Leadership Team:

State Representative Linda Miller, Bettendorf

Dallas County Recorder Chad Airhart, Waukee

Woodbury County Activist Kristin Moran, Sioux City

Story County Activist Jacqui Norman, Ames

Former Congressman Vin Weber Joins Romney Team

Mitt Romney today announced that former Minnesota Congressman Vin Weber will serve as his Special Adviser on Policy. In that capacity, he will be a senior member of Governor Romney's policy team and will provide advice on foreign and economic policy.
“I am proud to have Vin’s support,” said Mitt Romney. “Vin will be a trusted adviser and I look forward to working with him to help get our country moving in the right direction again.”
Announcing his support, Vin Weber said, “It is an honor to again work with Mitt Romney. At such a critical time in our nation’s history, it is important that we have someone with his background to lead the country. After three years of failed policies, Mitt Romney’s record of leadership is what we need to strengthen the country both at home and abroad.”
Background On Vin Weber:
Vin Weber was o Member of The U.S. House of Representatives From 1981 To 1993. Weber most recently served as a Co-Chairman of Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty’s presidential campaign. In 2004, Weber served as Plains States Regional Chairman for George Bush’s campaign and in 2008 was a Policy Chairman for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign. Currently, Weber is a Managing Partner of Clark & Weinstock.

Obama Poll Numbers: Sparse House = Closing Notice

The polls numbers just continue to slide for President Obama.
One has to wonder if it even matters to him.
Sure, we know all about "no drama Obama" -- the man who acts like Mr. Cool. He wants to transmit the message that nothing really gets to him. He's The Unflappable One.
So, even in the midst of our current calamity (and his unartful side in the polls) he can slip away to an island playground for the rich and powerful. No bother. No mess. It'll be just fine.
But let's bring it all back to show biz for a second, OK? A performer may be smooth and slick and totally professional. He or she may have the best act in the business. But if nobody's coming to see the show anymore -- if it ain't selling tickets and the house can't at least break even or make a small profit, that show's gonna close.
Well, the latest Rasmussen Reports presidential tracking poll shows that only 19% of the nation's voters strongly approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. But 45% now strongly disapprove That means that Obama has what they call a "presidential approval index rating" of minus 26. This is the lowest approval index rating yet measured for President Obama.
Translation: They ain't buyin, Mr. President. They just ain't buyin.

But Standard's Hayes Thinks Christie MAY Run

Stephen F. Hayes of the Weekly Standard admits that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie doesn't want to run for President but still says there's a possibility that Christie may run if Congressman Paul Ryan doesn't run.
According to Hayes, Christie and Ryan had an extensive telephone conversation about the GOP presidential race and the two of them agreed that they are disappointed that no one among the current crop of Republican candidates has adequately addressed the mounting US deficit -- not the way it ought to be addressed; not with Christie's bluntness and not with Ryan's mastery of facts and figures.
Ryan (the technician) feels he's got the solution. Christie (the activator) feels that he's demonstrated so far in New Jersey that he can get it done.*
So, the way Hayes explains it, Christie told Ryan he doesn't want to run but he feels somebody must take this issue and run with it. And Hayes leads us to believe that Christie would support Ryan if Ryan did just that.
And Christie's not the only one who's been encouraging Ryan. Similar encouragement has been coming from Karl Rove, Jeb Bush, Senators Ron Johnson and John Cornyn, Bill Bennett and other mainstream Republicans and heavy hitters.
We're told that Ryan will probably make up his mind about this sometime during the coming week.
As for Christie, Hayes indicates he's waiting to see what Ryan does.
Click here to read what Hayes has to say.
*BTW: What about a Ryan-Christie or Christie-Ryan ticket?

George Will Explains Why Christie Won't Run

Pulitzer Prize- winning columnist George Will has a beautiful piece in which he makes a compelling argument as to why New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will not run for President.
According to Will, there are several reasons: Christie doesn't feel he's ready; he won't abandon his family for the grueling national contest; he's got a lot more to do in New Jersey and, he likes being the nation's most powerful governor.
Anyway, here's an excerpt:

Christie was one of the first rocks on which President Barack Obama's overrated political potency crashed. In 2009, Obama campaigned for Gov. Jon Corzine and against Christie in July, October and the Sunday before Christie won handily. No one outside of Washington has made more political waves in the last 20 months than Christie, and no one inside Washington has been as successful.
But he has four children, ages 8 to 17, he will not abandon for presidential politics. When he visited a workaholic aide during her difficult labor before her daughter was born, he said, "Put away your BlackBerry, you are in the middle of a miracle."

Click here to read Will's column.

Mitt Romney On The Campaign Trail

“We would not have seen the president on a bus tour had his first 940 days in office been successful. President Obama has not gotten the job done and his policies have failed. He’s hoping that by going on a three day bus tour he can make up for hundreds of days of failure.” –Mitt Romney
Click here for more.

Is 'Camp Christie' Polling for 2012 Run?

Some people who think they know say that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is conducting polling to see how he might do IF he decides to enter the presidential race this year.
But some say that the Christie people themselves are denying this. They say that sources inside Camp Christie tell them no preliminary polling is underway.
Hey, look: Politicians conduct polls all the time. They say they don't care about polls but at the same time they keep commissioning polls and focus groups. Any politician with a war chest (and Christie has one) conducts polls and commissions focus groups.
So, let's say Christie's people are doing polls and focus groups gauging how his policies are going over, mostly in New Jersey. Notice, I said mostly. They can always expand the net and they can always throw in questions about the national scene and find out how Christie might rate as a presidential candidate. Any good polling outfit can do that. It's not complicated. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to do this.
And polling outfits can work very confidentially -- very much under the radar.
The people being asked the questions will never know who the client is. They'll never know who commissioned the poll.
I repeat: Christie is an astute politician. Right now, his instincts may tell him "no" but, armed with the closest thing he can get to cold, hard facts, it's a good bet he'll keep his options open -- just a bit, just a crack, just as long as he can (or as long as events allow him).
Frankly, in the current environment if this really is his strategy, who can blame him?

Romney Talks Jobs, Obama, Ryan And Perry

Here We Go Again: Is Christie Running?

And so people keep asking me: Is New Jersey Governor Chris Christie running for President?
Why is this happening -- again?
Well, just within the past 48 hours Karl Rove has been suggesting that Christie may be leaving his options open; that he may indeed jump into the fray. Rove says that Sarah Palin, Paul Ryan and Chris Christie could all be late entries into the GOP field.
Look, Chris Christie's not dumb. He's a damned good politician. He knows that none of the current GOP candidates have really seemed to catch on so far. None have really lit a bonfire. He pays attention. And he can read the poll numbers just like anyone else.
A good politician keeps his options open.
But, you respond: "Christie has said he's not running and there's nothing that could get him to run. Hasn't he closed the door to a presidential run?"
Verbally, he has. And I do believe that in his own mind he's 90% sure he's not running -- maybe even 95%. That's quite certain. And I don't expect Chris Christie to be a candidate this year.
Plus, I believe Christie when he says he's still looking for a candidate to back for the GOP nomination. I take him at his word. I can understand that none of the candidates may have really captivated him so far.
Considering that, it makes sense that Christie must sometimes look at the field and think to himself: "Damn, I can be a better candidate than any of 'em."
So, there's a teeny, tiny, really narrow crack left open in the window (and I stress, just a narrow crack) when it comes to Christie and the presidential race this year.
But there are other factors. And what's more likely is that Christie will hitch his wagon to a GOP star. He'll endorse someone for president.
The Governor believes the next president should have executive experience. And, he's partial to governors.
I don't think Christie would tend to favor Palin. Just not the right chemistry there.
Which means we're looking at either Perry or Romney. Remember this: Christie rose to prominence in politics as a Bush bundler. He raised a ton of money for George W. Bush. And Christie's pal, Bill Palatucci has close ties to the Bushes. Factor in that there is no love lost between the Bushes and Rick Perry. Recall that in 1988 when George H. W. Bush was seeking the GOP nomination for president, Rick Perry was a Democrat and chaired the presidential effort of Al Gore in Texas.
Word is that there's bad blood between the Bush family and Perry.
Which brings us to Romney. Mitt Romney was an early supporter of Chris Christie here in New Jersey. He championed Christie's cause, even before Christie snagged the Republican nomination.
I was there in Haddonfield on a bright sunny day in May, 2009 when Romney endorsed Christie on the steps of the Haddonfield borough hall on Kings Highway. I reported it right here.

“I’m convinced the challenges facing New Jersey and the rest of the country can be overcome with courageous leadership. Chris Christie is a strong conservative voice for balanced budgets, low taxes and more jobs. He will bring badly-needed change to state government,” Romney said at that time.
“By electing Chris Christie, the people of New Jersey will be taking a giant step toward a brighter and more prosperous future,” Romney added.
Romney was right. He bet on a winner.
Now, I've got to believe that Romney & Co. are seeking to collect on that bet.
At a critical place and time -- at just the right place and just the right moment -- Mitt Romney hopes to stand next to Christie (just as Christie once stood next to Romney) and receive Christie's endorsement for president.
And assuming things fall into place (always a big assumption in politics) that may yet happen.

Stay tuned . . . .
Photo copyright 2009 by Dan Cirucci

Democrat Rick Perry Chaired Gore Effort In Texas

Why did Texas Governor Rick Perry back Al Gore for president in 1988?
Well, to begin with Perry was a Democrat in 1988. He didn't join the Republican Party till later.
You got that right: In 1988 while Ronald Reagan was president, Rick Perry was a Democrat,
But Perry tells people that when he was for Gore this "was Al Gore before he invented the Internet and got to be Mr. Global Warming.”
Not quite true. In fact, when he attempted to get the Democrat nomination in 1988 Gore was already off and running on the global warming crusade.
Perry was elected to the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1984. And in '88 Rick Perry chaired the Gore campaign in Texas.
Then, in '89 Perry switched parties and became a Republican.
One has to wonder: Would Rick Perry be a Republican today if Al Gore had actually captured the Democratic nomination in 1988 and gone on to win the presidency?
We can only guess . . .
BTW: Perry received no huge mandate from Texas voters in the 2006 gubernatorial election but bested his standing in 2010. In the 2006 election he garnered only 39% of the total vote in a multi-candidate field. Perry became only the third governor in state history to have been elected by a plurality of less than 40 percent of votes cast. In 2010 he got 55% of the vote (not exactly a landslide in Republican-dominated Texas) and that came only after a tough primary challenge from within his own party.
During a Republican gubernatorial debate in January 2010, when asked if he would commit to serving out his term if re-elected, he replied that "the place hasn't been made yet" where he would rather serve than the governor of Texas. In December 2010 (about eight months ago) when asked if he was a "definite maybe" to run for President in 2012, he replied, "a definite no, brother".
But all that has changed now.

Iowans 'Welcome' Obama To Peosta

Click here for more information.

Average MN. Voters 'Welcome' Obama

Christie's Choice: 'Not Me, Not Anyone, Not Yet'

Speaking today at a bill signing in New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie once again rejected any interest in a White House run and refused to say who he might support for president.
Yet, that did not stop the Governor from speculating about the qualities that would be appealing in an eventual choice.
Christie said we need "someone in the White House who will lead and take risks," adding that "the people will support you if you make tough decisions even if they don't necessarily agree with you."
But the Governor once again disavowed any interest in the presidency. "I'm not gonna say it's not flattering to be considered" [as a possible presidential candidate] Christie said. "If you're in politics, you've got an ego to begin with, so yes, it's flattering," the Governor explained. But Christie reiterated that he's still not going to run. The answer remains "no."
He said that "we learn a lot about a candidate during a campaign when we see how that candidate operates and how that candidate reacts."
So, Christie said he's "still shopping" and he told the members of the news media: "I'll let you know when I'm ready to buy."
Bottom line: No, he's not running and he doesn't know who he'll be supporting for the GOP nomination.

Perry: I Will Make Washington Incosequential

Excerpt from the announcement by Rick Perry of his candidacy for president:

We’re dismayed at the injustice that nearly half of all Americans don’t even pay any income tax. And you know the liberals out there are saying that we need to pay more. We are indignant about leaders who do not listen and spend money faster than they can print it.
In America, the people are not subjects of government. The government is subject to the people. And it is up to us, to this present generation of Americans, to take a stand for freedom, to send a message to Washington that we’re taking our future back from the grips of central planners who would control our healthcare, who would spend our treasure, who downgrade our future and micro-manage our lives.
It is time to limit and simplify the taxes in this country. We have to quit spending money we don’t have. We need to get our fiscal house in order and restore our good credit. And we will repeal this President’s misguided, one-size-fits-all government healthcare plan immediately.
We’ll create jobs. We’ll get America working again. We’ll create jobs and we’ll build wealth, we’ll truly educate and innovate in science, and in technology, engineering and math. We’ll create the jobs and the progress needed to get America working again.
And I’ll promise you this: I’ll work every day to make Washington, D.C. as inconsequential in your life as I can. And at the same time, we’ll be freeing our families and small businesses and states from the burdensome and costly federal government so those groups can create, innovate and succeed.

Click here to read Rick Perry's entire speech.

Why Pawlenty Quit And What It Means For Perry

"There's a big, bright light that comes down on you."
That's the way Tim Pawlenty described running for President as he dropped out of the race after his disappointing showing in Iowa.
Pawlenty never really caught on. Maybe it was too much of that "Minnesota nice" in him. Maybe he just didn't have the fire in his belly. Maybe it was a bit of both.
He had to do well in Iowa since that was near his home base. He didn't do well enough.
Pawlenty presented himself as the "can do" executive who had already run a state and showed proven job experience. And, let's face it -- that was a nice contrast to Barack Obama who never really ran anything.
But that wasn't enough.
You've also got to be articulate, compelling, have good ideas and be an engaging "people person." You've got to show major leadership qualities AND have the resume to go with it. Plus, it helps to have had national exposure before you jump into the race.
There's a lesson in Palwenty's experience for new candidate Rick Perry -- a lesson about that "big, bright light."
That light will now begin to shine on Perry. The national media will scrutinize him. We're about to find out if Perry is ready -- if he can handle it. Oftentimes, a "candidate" reaches his or her peak just before entering the race and the it's all downhill from there.

White House Worried About Perry? You Bet!

The White House must be worried about Texas Governor Rick Perry's entry into the presidential race because they've already sent their chief hatchet man, David Axelrod out to start bashing Perry.
When this White House isn't blaming someone else for its troubles its out denigrating others and engaging in the politics of personal destruction.
Anyway, here's a report on what "The Axe" had to say, via Breitbart and AFP:

US President Obama's top reelection strategist charged Friday that Republican White House hopeful and Texas Governor Rick Perry had "very little to do" with his state's economic success.
"There's a specific reason that Texas has done so well, and that's because the oil industry has done so well in the last few years, and the military has grown because of the challenges that we have had overseas," said David Axelrod.
"And so he's been the beneficiary of things that he had very little to do with," Axelrod told ABC television.

Remember this: Obama will spend A BILLION DOLLARS on what is likely to be one of the most negative campaigns ever launched by an incumbent president.
Click here to read more.

Some Now Hope Hillary Will Challenge Obama

Some Democrats are now expressing more than buyer's remorse over President Obama.
And they're doing more than simply biting their elbows.
They're beginning to hope -- aloud -- that Hillary Clinton will actually jump into the 2012 presidential race and challenge Obama from within his own party. They're hoping against hope that this will happen. They feel that betrayed, that desperate.
Here's a snippet from a story in London's Telegraph:

Gary Pearce, a Democratic strategist in North Carolina, a swing state Mr Obama is likely to struggle to retain in 2012, said: "Democrats are worried. He looks weak, he doesn't say anything that grabs you, and people are looking for some kind of magic."
He said some activists were asking "do we need someone tougher to fight the tea party?" "You see a yearning for a Bill Clinton-type approach and Hillary would reflect that. Obama is just a different political animal, he is a low-key guy," he added.
Mr Obama's approval rating has fallen dramatically since the killing of Osama bin Laden in early May, and he has failed to outline a vision for how he will improve chronic unemployment and a housing market in which one if five mortgage holders are in negative equity.
A 2012 primary challenge by Mrs Clinton is currently regarded as unlikely, but growing number of party activists and old hands are hoping that she changes her mind.

Click here for more on this story.

Obama Spells Civility: 'Kill Romney'

"It is disgraceful that President Obama's campaign has launched his re-election with the stated goal to 'kill' his opponent with an onslaught of negative and personal attacks. President Obama will say and do desperate things to hold onto power because he knows he has failed. Neither despicable threats, nor President Obama's billion dollar negative campaign, will put Americans back to work, save their homes, or restore their hopes. On November 6, 2012, this will change." - Romney Campaign Manager Matt Rhoades

Bush Will Endorse Huntsman Today

Utah Governor Jon Huntsman is hoping to get a major boost in his presidential campaign today via an endorsement from a guy named Bush -- Jeb Bush.
But the endorsement will come from Jeb Bush JR., the son of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
"I am confident that Jon's vision will appeal to young voters, who are concerned about the trillions of dollars in debt being piled on their backs, and who desperately seek jobs and economic opportunity," Bush says in a statement released by the Huntsman campaign.
Here's more from Jeb Bush, Jr.:

Gov. Huntsman is the only candidate with a proven record of creating jobs, in business and as governor. He understands that, as Marco Rubio recently noted, "We don't need more taxes; we need more taxpayers."
He has a real plan and real ideas to put the American people back to work - the same ideas he championed in Utah to make that state number one in job creation.
He's stressed the need to overhaul our tax and regulatory systems, bolster manufacturing, increase free trade, and reform our Visa program to encourage the best and brightest folks from around the world to invest in America.
Perhaps most importantly, Jon is the candidate best-equipped to defeat President Obama next November.
As more Americans get to know Jon and his record, I'm confident his support will continue to grow. Two years ago, I jumped on board Marco Rubio's campaign when he was polling at 3 percent, and we made history. With Jon, I can't wait to make history again.
I respect the other candidates. But in a time of such global upheaval and strife, America needs a serious, experienced leader to restore America's promise, and that leader is Jon Huntsman.