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Subscribe to RSSHere come the attacks on Romney… McCain’s revealing answer on Arizona and if it’s in play in the general election… Perry’s decision to stay in the race helps Romney… Obama’s recess appointments -- a fight he wants to have with Congress… Santorum raises $1 million after Iowa… Don’t forget about the pro-Santorum Super PAC… Update on the ad spending in NH, SC, and FL… And lots of campaigning in the Granite State today.
*** Here come the attacks on Romney: Unlike past presidential-primary front-runners, Mitt Romney has enjoyed this advantage over the past year: His GOP rivals have largely attacked each other, and have left him alone. Just last week in the lead up to Iowa, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann were blasting Rick Santorum; Perry also went after Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, and Santorum for their previous service in Congress; and Jon Huntsman hit Paul over those racially charged newsletters -- all leaving Romney unscathed. (The equivalent would be, in late 2007, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Joe Biden, and Chris Dodd all beating up each other instead of Hillary Clinton, which never happened.) But after Romney’s narrow win in Iowa, and now that Gingrich is looking for revenge, Romney has now become the target of attacks for the first time this campaign season. In fact, the Gingrich camp is now up with this TV ad hitting Romney in New Hampshire and South Carolina. The question becomes: How does Romney handle it?
*** McCain’s revealing answer on Arizona and immigration: Yesterday, one of us interviewed John McCain after he endorsed Romney at an event in New Hampshire. Toward the end of the interview, we asked McCain this question: Is Arizona in play in the general election? And his reaction was especially telling. He paused for a few moments and replied, “I think that if not this election cycle, the demographics are that Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, even Texas will all be in play.” McCain, who was once a principal architect of comprehensive immigration reform but who no longer supports it until the border is secured, added: “We have to fix our problems with the Hispanics.” Where does it start? “It starts with a way to address the issue of immigration in a humane and caring fashion -- at the same time emphasize the need to secure our borders.”
*** Perry’s decision helps Romney: Make no mistake: Rick Perry’s decision to stay in the presidential contest and campaign in South Carolina -- despite his fifth-place finish in Iowa (where he spent more than $4 million on TV ads) -- greatly helps Romney’s campaign. Why? Because it potentially splits up the conservative/Tea Party/evangelical vote. If both Bachmann and Perry had bowed out, that vote would probably go to either Santorum or Gingrich. In addition, it's -- shall we say -- interesting that Perry's decision surprised many of his own staff. Why the change of heart? Did Bachmann's withdrawal do it?
*** The fight Obama wants: As far as President Obama’s recess appointments yesterday, it is absolutely clear that he and his team want a fight with Congress -- and any legal challenge that comes with it. And they've made it clear if they don't currently HAVE a dispute with Congress, they are happy to pick a fight. And this fight, over the Consumer Protection board, has the added benefit of creating an "us vs. them" middle class narrative. After Obama made his recess appointment of Richard Cordray official, the Romney campaign fired off this press release: “This action represents Chicago-style politics at its worst and is precisely what then-Senator Obama claimed would be ‘the wrong thing to do.’ Sadly, instead of focusing on economic growth, he is once again focusing on creating more regulation, more government, and more Washington gridlock.” But the Obama campaign fired back with this: “By opposing the appointment of Richard Cordray to run the first-ever consumer watchdog bureau, Mitt Romney today stood with predatory lenders and Republicans in Congress over the middle class.” By the way, given the speed of the Obama campaign response, it's another sign that the Obama campaign is already focusing on the person they believe will be their general election opponent.
*** Santorum raises $1 million after Iowa: Turning back to the GOP presidential contest, Santorum has raised $1 million since his narrow second-place finish in Iowa, a campaign staffer confirmed to NBC’s Andrew Rafferty last night. Can they keep it up?
*** Don’t forget about the pro-Santorum Super PAC: While the pro-Romney Super PAC Restore Our Future has received much attention -- and deservedly so -- for the impact that it played in Iowa, it’s worth pointing out the role that the pro-Santorum Red, White, and Blue Fund had as well. Although Santorum spent a mere $23,000 in advertising in the Hawkeye State, the Red, White, and Blue Fund spent $530,000 there. That’s not a small chunk of change. And organizers say it’s planning to start advertising in South Carolina. Meanwhile, NBC’s Michael Isikoff reports that the conservative investor Foster Freiss, is one of the principal backers of this pro-Santorum Super PAC. He declined to give precise figures on how much he has donated (“I don't dare let my wife know that," he joked), but said he wouldn’t object to a report that he was the major financial backer of the political action committee.
*** Update on the ad spending: By the way, here’s where things currently stand in the early-state advertising battle:
New Hampshire: Our Destiny PAC (pro-Huntsman) $1.8 million, Paul $1.5 million, Romney $1 million, Perry $234,000, Santorum $30,000.
South Carolina: Make Us Great Again $1.8 million, Romney $555,000, Perry $220,000, Paul $219,000, Restore Our Future $147,000, Santorum $12,000
Florida: Romney $823,000, Restore Our Future $790,000
*** On the trail: With five days to go until the New Hampshire primary, most of the action is in the Granite State: Santorum has events in Manchester, Northfield, Tilton, and Windham… Gingrich hits Plymouth, Littleton, Lancaster, and Meredith… Huntsman is in Hampton, Durham, Portsmouth, and Newport… And Romney begins his day in Salem before heading to Charleston, SC, where he holds an event with Gov. Nikki Haley and brand-new endorser John McCain.
*** DNC hits Romney: And with McCain once again stumping with Romney, the DNC has a new web video cataloging all of the instances from the 2008 when McCain criticized Romney for being a flip-flopper. The video asks, “Which Mitt is he endorsing?
Countdown to New Hampshire primary: 5 days
Countdown to South Carolina primary: 16 days
Countdown to Florida primary: 26 days
Countdown to Nevada caucuses: 30 days
Countdown to Super Tuesday: 61 days
Countdown to Election Day: 306 days
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All you fools that are contributing your hard earned dollars to a campaign fund of one of these guys, I bet you don't know that he or she can walk away with what is left over once the decide to withdraw.
I think all of these wannabees are following a Page out of Newt's playbook of 2008 when he pocketed a couple of million dollars that was left over after all the bills were paid.
and they were perptrating this along with the FED Government as they are in bed with them now. It's not the banks it's the government
SCG, Once again you liberals show just how ignorant you are.
The Federal Election Commission has strict rules about what federal candidates can and can’t do with leftover campaign money, and the biggest commandment is that they can’t pocket it for personal use. Here’s what a campaign committee is allowed to do with any lingering cash: it can donate the funds to charities or political parties; it can contribute $2,000 per election to other candidates; and it can save the money in case the candidate chooses to run again.
Read the full text here: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/112199#ixzz1icXwvB2F
--brought to you by mental_floss!
oh.. lets make a deal.. you jump off a bridge stormy and take the rest of the haters with you. OK?
Again for lack of a sound arguement you debase yourself with name calling. Why am I a hater?
is it becasue I don't want to pay for planned parenthood a completely racist organization and I don't want to pay for people that irresponsibility have children that I have to support does that mean I am a hater and not compassionate?
Please, Storm...do dredge up why helping black women avoid unwanted pregnancies is racist. It is such a convoluted and absurd argument that I can never hear it enough. A little like listening to the Mad Hatter philosophize whilst masturbating furiously.
Storm:
Planned parenthood clients around here are 95% or more white stay at home moms or fully employed women.
Birth control is less than 10% of what they do, and I have a daughter that is living proof of that. She was not feeling very good and was having some female problems and went to Planned Parenthood and was diagnosed with cervical cancer. If it was not for planned parenthood she would be dead.
listoire like all competitive markets having 50 states and not just 1 state was an intentional plan to cause what? since you could never guess I will make it easy for you. A COMPETITIVE MARKET FOR BUSINESS RELOCATION BETWEEN STATES
Romney can't beat President Obama because he is not black enough.
None of these teatards cab beat President Obama and race has nothing to do with it.
yes storm that is exactly what it means. Your core belief in having any choice in how and where your money that you earned is spent, makes you lack compassion for the rest of society! btw thats sarcasm libs so dont toot your horns to my statement
Here is the my statement to the libs then. Where is your compassion and heart for my 9 year old son who is being deprived of his needs and reasonable wants because so much is sucked out of my check to pay for these things. Or is it you only have a heart for children of people with little responsibility and no heart for the children of us that are footing your bills.
Ummm. OK. I will give you a conservative answer. Get a second job.
StormRider, yes I like it (without the racial comments)... I have no compassion for anyone hahaha YOU brought your child into the world, YOU pay for it - Mine are grown and gone without any subsitites! So I won't pay your childs school taxes... I won't pay their's either... But I like your forthright approach, pay for those YOU want to help, and let me pay for what I want.
Gee isn't that what they did during the depression? Poor folks knocking on doors asking to help out for a Meal? No-one giving them a job or meal, they ASKED and people gave that wanted to help.
I'll pay for Humane Society, I'll pay to spay/neuter TONS of feral cats you don't see living in the woods... I won't pay school taxes, I won't pay other things I don't care about. Works for me AND it isn't "left" OR "right" it's who you choose to help!
Storm:
Your federal taxes are less to day then they ever have been in modern history.
I can remember when I was being taxed around 60% of net. I made a lot of money then and am making considerable more now by owning three businesses.
Its RON PAUL or U.S. Bankruptcy, More Wars and Many More Dead Solders.
This Mitt guy looks like Clark Kent just a bit older.
I can't stand his fake BS smile or his rolled up shirt sleeves.
He tries to look like a good old boy hard working standing on a stack of hay.
He is bought and paid for with your hard working pay.
Get rid of the bum and shove his BS smile and good old boy hard line working class sh-it story down the pipe lines of where I take my morning dumb.
I can't stand this guy he makes me sick with his lies and political BS.
Get rid of him just like Perry and and all the rest.............oh I forgot there already gone.
What about this loser Santorum?
Where the hell did this guy come from all of a sudden from zero to the top then 2nd place?
WTF?
Ron Paul was and is IMPO still in first place until they messed with the ballots like they always do.
This election process is a scam these guys will bring the US of A into a war and more of that homeland Hitler BS security.
Get rid of them now.
Exactly how do you mess up the ballot in an open caucus?
Hey you stalking me?
Get a life................................or go join the X Factor I'll be Simon LMAO.
XXX buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! your gone.
Couldn't answer the question, huh?
I think Romney should watch out. Especialy if Santorum does well in NH. Before the caucus in Iowa it is the parties best interest for the candidates to try to play nice. The problem is once the starting gun fires and it becomes clear who is in the lead of the pack it is in the best interest of anyone that wants to depose them to open up with everything that they have at their disposal.
If the Republicans know anything it is how to go negative in a political campaign.
Then you have not been watching the Dem racist party.
I've been working and paying Social Security and Medicare for 40 years now. I don't consider their benefits to be "entitlements" - I earned them. The Republik party misleads people when they play with words.
skip1, it did not start out as an "entitlement" and was "supposed" to be in a lock box until you reached the age to get it. But thanks to president Johnson, a Dem, that lock has been broken and the government borrows from it to pay for other things it should not be doing and leaves an IOU for SS that is NEVER paid back. Now that SS is going broke, it has turned into an "entitlement".
Did you not hear obama say that he could not guarantee the SS payments would go out if the dept ceiling was not raised last Aug?
Skip it is the Federal govt that calls them entitlements, not the Republican party
It is a legal term
BTW- you haven't "earned" anything. the Federal Govt has the authority to not pay a single dime of SS if they choose.
Ed,But then a hospital would have been the better place to go unless she thought she was pregnet and wanted to abort it and the hospital would not do it.
All I have to say let's continue seeing these Republican candidates go at it until the spring it will be something to watch until the winter is over.
He has nothing to do with minorities especially b l a c k people.
He will not be President because minorities aren't s t u p i d enough to vote for his bigoted a s s.
Thanks Larry, sonmanvb. I've "earned" a position to collect scheduled benefits if available, but reading comments above, e.g. Limbaugher, makes me (and many others) think the Republic party wants to wipe those out. thanks, but no thanks, repubs.
Which Mitt is he endorsing?
^ Each and every Mitt, all full of.......
Its RON PAUL or U.S. Bankruptcy, More Wars and Many More Dead Solders.
GOP is the big military warfare state party.
Hate to put it this way, but to be in the GOP while opposing their core policies and claiming to be the "solution" to them, makes no sense.
It's like claiming that you are opposed to anti-antisemitism while being a member of the NAZI party.
Get real.
Any possibility of taking Paul seriously absolutely requires that he denounce the GOP and run as an independent.
Otherwise he's the worst hypocrite of them all.
If the anti-christ was to take the Presidential oath it would probably be on the “Book Of Mormons”
With Romney as President, this will no longer be a true Christian nation.
He is the anti-christ. Just look at his eyes.
romney religon is a cult is he helping the poor or feeding the rich look up morminism
he cant relate he is a pussy that wants to be president welcome to our nightmare hope your gona like here take to the streets power to the people He dosent no what is like to be the sad man behind blue eyes get rid of pretty boy that has $200,000,000 what he going to do for you??????????????? prais the Lord
First, let's get one thing straight. The Constitution does not guarantee freedom OF religion, it guarantees freedom FROM religion.
With that said. Romney is not a religious man, he's a cult member. He belongs to the cult of Joseph Smith, one of the false prophets Jesua Ben Joseph warned his followers against.
Yeah, let's vote for that. Mr. 1% himself.
Ruck Fomney 2012
Chris: Is this a play on words - "depends on the definition of what is is" or something like that? The constitution line reads "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." by not prohibiting the free exercise means to me freedom OF religion. As to Romney's religion as long as he does not espouse eliminating all other religions or those that do not agree with his - who cares?
I just wanted to say how much more interesting these Forums have gotten when a person has also added what part of the US they are from (City). It certainly gives one ideas from different parts of the US.
Now, all I have to do is figure out how to add my city next to my name.
Jon, if you are in your first 30 days you can click on your newsvine account settings and change your display name. I see now that you are NOT in your first 30 days.
So you will want to click on Report Bug in the upper right portion of your newsvine home page and there is a form email where they can help you with that.
Good Luck and welcome to First Read -
I want a multi million dollar man in charge , he knows what the middle class needs , or does he know what the middle class IS??? I think the republicans have defeated thier purpose in government by not working with our peresent government and the payroll tax and tax breaks for the rich, lets see how many republicans get back in office, that is the correct answer the american middle class can give the republican party