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The Tampa Bay Times: “Three states. Three winners. A divided delegate count. If there is one clarity in the unpredictable, captivating turns of the Republican presidential race, it is this: Anything can happen and Florida, which is next to vote, is wide open.”
The Miami Herald’s headline: “Organized Mitt, energized Newt face Florida brawl.”
PolitiFact previews the debate and the candidates’ most used (and stretched) talking points.
GINGRICH: “A beaming Newt Gingrich yesterday boasted that his South Carolina primary win proves he’s the best Republican to go ‘toe to toe’ with President Obama — as a humbled Mitt Romney finally agreed to release his tax returns,” the New York Post reports.
House Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn said Gingrich won South Carolina with “familiar rhetoric.” He likened Gingrich’s rhetoric on food stamps to Reagan saying “welfare queens.” “People know what that means,” Clyburn said. “Still, Clyburn was careful not to say that he thinks Gingrich is racist, although he seemed to say some voters are,” Roll Call writes. “I never used that word, and I never call anybody anything that resembles that,” Clyburn said. “I’m saying that he’s appealing to an element in his party that will see President Obama as different from all other presidents that we’ve had. There’s only one thing that makes him different.”
ROMNEY: “Under pressure from rivals and a few allies alike, Mitt Romney said today that he will release his tax returns on Tuesday and not wait until April, as he seeks to bury swirling questions about his finances that have shadowed his campaign for the last week,” the Boston Globe notes. “We made a mistake holding off as long as we did,” Romney said. “It was a distraction. We want to get back to the real issues in the campaign.”
More: “Tuesday will be the day after the first Florida debate, so it gives Romney the advantage of saying he will release them, without having to answer questions at the debate about what they contain.”
“Reeling from his stunning loss in South Carolina, Mitt Romney says he will release his 2010 tax returns Tuesday,” the New York Daily News reports.
He also lashed out at Gingrich: “He’s been working for Freddie Mac, remember those guys?” Romney said Sunday night, per the Wall Street Journal. “What was he doing at Freddie Mac? Because Freddie Mac figures in very prominently to the fact that people in Florida have seen home values go down. It’s time to turn them around.”
He went on, calling Gingrich a “failed leader”: “At the end of four years, it was proven that he was a failed leader. He had to resign in disgrace.”
Of Chris Christie’s appearance on Meet the Press, the New York Post has this headline: “Christie in new veep tease.”
Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown on Romney’s wealth, per Roll Call: “Listen, he’s in a category, a lot of those folks are in categories that we don’t really understand,” Brown said on the “Jim and Margery” talk-radio show this morning. “And certainly he has to release his [tax] returns. I understand he’s going to do that like everybody else when they become ready and available in April. I don’t know anything [about] his finances. I really — it’s kind of a different world for me.”
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ok so the guy was successful. so what? I want to see his birth certificate. I understand his father was from Mexico. Need to clear that up before we move on to his tax returns.
Yes, the precedent has been set (thanks to Trump et.al.) so tea/repubs must also conform to the scrutiny President Obama was subjected to. And Newt must answer the questions, just as HE insisted President Clinton answer back in the 1990's., The entire country is disgusted with the GOP/Tea double standards (YOU have to do it if I say, but I don't have to...)
Since the Arab nations chose and put Ronald Reagan in the White House back in the 80's, the GOP-Tea party has been in a downward spiral, and it is getting WORSE by the day:
e.g.: National healthcare, XL Pipeline, debt ceiling agreement that leads to reduced defense spending, holding the nation's economy hostage leading to rating downgrade, FAILURE to accomplish the mission of "getting" Bin Laden (miring us in Iraq instead, for no legitimate reason) TARC, refusal to pass the "jet tax" or end the "tax expenditures" for the upper echelon, or pass a sur-tax on income over 1M or return the rates to pre-dubya levels.... and on and on - the right wing conservatives, whether called Republicans or Teanuts or wingnuts or anti-Obama, or whatever, HAVE BEEN AND CONTINUE TO BE WRONG! Wrong for America, WRONG for American Citizens and wrong for the world.
They had better get over the greedy Norquist promise chase-after-another-dollar-profit, I, ME, MINE mentality and behavior.... it is SO 1980's... and the people (think OWS!) are fed up. Election 11/12 will prove this statement.
The U.S. was led to ruination by the Republican/Tea people after eight years of peace and prosperity, unprecedented economic and technological growth, with more cops on the streets and more teachers in the classrooms and enhanced and improved national infrastructure, by their assinine, greedy supply-side deficit spending economics; they took a balanced budget with surplus and stuck all the money in their own pockets, doing America GREAT harm. THOSE ARE SIMPLE, HISTORICAL FACTS, and can NOT be disputed by the RNC spin, excuses, history re-writes or explanations.
Now they want to do it some more?
I DON'T THINK SO.... take it down the ramp 'cause America does NOT want any more of you!
And that is the Monday morning weekly rant from me.
And how did his father run for president if he was born in Mexico. Both parents being American doesn't work if the child isn't born in America (or a military base, a'la McCain), right?
People didn't get obsessed with Presidential birth certificates until a black man ran for President.
on the mark.......
The Birthers, and now Romney, heck the reason McCain didn't fuel that fire was because he was born in Panama. No, the bigger issue in regard to Romney is transparency, whether the missing hard drives, or tax shelters, or proof he created over 100,000 jobs "net" (my arse).
As for Newt, I think maybe Newt said it best when he said, "It's not that I am a great debater. I just do a pretty good job articulating what so many Americans are feeling."
Newt is the King of Spin. Newt is not a great debater in terms of making a real case for anything, and in fact uses illogical reasoning and just plain lies. In other words, he does a "pretty good job" of manipulating emotions by throwing out red meat to the hungry conservative dogs in their feeding frenzy. Joseph Goebbels would be impressed. Newt isn't on the ballot in Virginia, so this could be a wasted exercise anyway, but the point remains that anyone who hates the president so much they would elect Goebbels is off their rock.
Let me guess, Newt will start out attacking the media, and let's count how many times he uses the word "elites."
The bottom line is every one of these GOP/TP wannabes support Paul Ryan's plan to privatize Medicare, everyone of them raised their hands against a 10 to 1 cut in spending to revenue proposal, and on and on from signing third party oaths and what have you. I shudder at the thought of Romney's appointments to the Supreme Court and what other Citizen's United machinations we would see. Enough of the failed supply-side voodoo economics.
None of these wannabe's are as good a President Obama at anything including family and faith without being really scary. Not one has the experience of an incumbent, taking the 3:00 AM phone call, being Commander in Chief, representing our nation around the world, and having the temperament, good judgement, representing ALL Americans, and most of all selflessness to be POTUS and leader of the free world.
TrueP,
I can agree with you because you didn't include Dr Paul. He doesn't support the Ryan Plan... or is that pain....
I really hope they ask questions that are relevant to Floridians. However, I can already hear the pat, stump speech answers "cut taxes" "cut regulations" "return (whatever) to the states" "This president, blah, blah blah" They never answer with a direct plan.
They don't have a real plan. Their idea of a plan is to repeat the well tested Frank Lunz sound bites. That's what the tea people GOP republicans have been doing for ten years and for some reason voters keep buying it, their what you call the uninformed Fox (aka tea people GOP republican propaganda machine) viewer.
If you want to see the Republican agenda action, just look to what is happening in the states that elected Republican governors and legislatures in 2010.
The first thing debated in our state was rolling back environmental protections in the name of loosening "government regulation." Thank goodness, there was immediate push back from environmental groups, and moderate Republicans. Many of these laws had been passed with bipartisan support in previous years, in the interest of protecting our natural resources, so precious to all of us in Maine.
Then, of course, there was the move to reduce the benefits paid to teachers, even though the average teacher in Maine retires on $19,000 a year, and is not allowed to draw Social Security, even if they paid in from another job. The attack on unions is a national priority for Republicans, regardless of the individual states circumstances (so much for state's rights, eh?)
Naturally, our Republican governor and legislature in Maine attempted to make it more difficult for folks to vote, trying to repeal our same day registration practice, which has served us well for 40 years. The head of the Maine Republican Party claimed college students were voting illegally in our state. A subsequent investigation proved this was untrue. Thankfully, the voters of Maine reinstated same day registration, via a referendum. And the vote wasn't even close.
The Republicans then got their hands on healthcare reform, and made it easier for insurance companies to charge rural and elderly clients higher premiums. The irony of this is it hurts the Republicans own base, while benefitting those who live in areas that typically vote Democratic. How bizarre.
Lastly, the Republicans gave the wealthiest an enormous tax break, and now they are attempting to cut 65,000 elderly, sick and low income Mainers from MaineCare to pay for it. That's the Republican agenda in action, and the national media lets the country down by not reporting it.
Amy,
They have changed voting laws here in Florida to make voting harder. They cut education (and we already have the lowest amount spent per student in the country), got so much heat on that now they are trying to put money BACK into education by cutting the medicare/medicaid payments to hospitals. Boy, do we really dislike our governor - the most unpopular governor in the country!
phinephancy-4252115
Our bombastic Teapublican governor is threatening to close schools May 1st, if the legislature doesn't cut assistance to low income Mainers. Of course, he doesn't have the legal authority to do that, but he enjoys frigtening parents and teachers.
PS phinephancy,
I think our unpopular Teapublican governor is giving your unpopular governor a run for his money:
http://bangordailynews.com/2012/01/22/opinion/editorials/lepage-diminishes-his-power-with-inflammatory-statements/
This is not a Presidential Debate at all Florida! This is instead another traveling GOP Clown Show brought to you by the Koch Brothers. The GOP Circus Tents will be full of Tea Beggers, GOP Lobbyists, and KKK Members. None of these GOP Clowns are Presidential in their ethics, morality, economic policy, Foreign Policy, and social policy to ever be able to represent all Americans. These Clowns have NO idea of what the Voing Rights Act Of 1965 was all about. The GOP Clown Show will never be asked the tough questions that they need to correctly answer. They need to defend their poltical and economic positions alot better. First they need to have an economic and political position that is their own. Not stolen from the huge GOP "Policies Of Debt from the 1980's. That is fact!
Well stated Progressive! Agree
I hoping for a Brokered Republican Convention. For every dollar they spend fighting each other means less dollars spent trashing our Great President Obama. So, root for Mitt and root for Newt.
It's surreal how closely I, a dyed in the wool Democrat, have been following this primary. Some people watch Jersey Shores, Real Housewives, and the The Kardashians, I get my fill of sleaziness watching the Republicans choose a presidential candidate. The most exciting turn was when we saw South Carolinian evangelical Christians choose the meanest, most ethically challenged, duplicitous, thrice married right wing thug on the platform, which makes you question why Jesus was sent to earth, crucified and resurrected, if so-called Christian voters most urgent priority is unseating the guy in office who is concerned with the poor and creating peace and they loved Gingrich because he got angry when the press asked about his second wife.
Obama cares about the poor??? Give me a break; he only cares about CREATING more of them, ask me, I know, I am one of his victims!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Openminded, can you tell me exactly how Obama made you poor?
Amy,
the same way I filled my wasting time watching the Democrat Clown show in '08....
An angry Grinch is a dangerous Grinch....
Yes, Mitt, let's get back to the real issues of this campaign. Like how you "know" how the president should create jobs...
[Sound of crickets]
"I've been in business..."
We know, Mitt. But how should the president create jobs?
[Sound of crickets]
"I'm not a career politician..."
Got it, Mitt. But how should the president create jobs?
[Sound of crickets]
"Obama is a failed president..."
Okay, but how should the president create jobs?
[Sound of crickets]
"Maybe we'll cut taxes?"
Great. Thanks for coming out and auditioning. We'll be in touch. Next?
Once again, Romney's rhetoric is at odds with itself.
The reason home values declined was that there was a market bubble. Housing prices had been so inflated by banks and investors that they finally reached a level when nobody could actually afford a new home, and everyone who thought they could had to borrow too much and eventually defaulted. Rising foreclosures and diminishing sales popped the bubble and prices plummeted, causing great devastation to people who thought that they had tapped into a new source of wealth with their homes (mainly because that is what the banks and realtors had told them). Fannie and Freddie were a part of the problem, facilitating outsized loans and reaping private profits for their themselves and their investors while the government took on all the risk.
So, keeping this backdrop in mind, what is Mitt's solution? "It’s time to turn them around." Meaning he wants housing prices to start escalating again? He wants another housing bubble, after attacking a company who participated in inflating the last one?
This isn't a flip flop, per se, but it's just one example among many where Mitt's analysis of a situation and his rhetoric and proposed solutions are logically inconsistent. The end result is the same, though. It clearly shows a candidate who is just saying whatever he thinks people need to hear to get him elected, and gives anyone paying attention the message that they just cannot trust a single word he says.
Actually Nathan,
Keynsian Economics are all about market bubbles, and market Corrections, this tells you where Mitts stands in a nutshell. He's all about the status quo....
It doesn't tell me where Mitt stands because he's simultaneously standing on two opposing sides of the issue. This is common for Romney.
This election is going to come down to what philosophy works best in a modern global economy.
The GOP philosophy of "trickle down economics" less taxation, more deregulation, less or NO government.
Or
Democrats with the belief that government and capitalist values can work together to make a better society, like in Canada and other European countries .
Forbes and the Heritage foundation both name Denmark as the best country for business! A welfare state! Forbes magazine!
Lets examine where we are, regardless of who or how we got here:
We spend too much money on everything, especially making war.
Trade policies and laws currently in effect (NAFTA) (WTO) have caused a huge number of factories and entire industries to vanish and with it millions of good paying jobs.
These are never coming back.
We need to reinvent entire industries that pay good wages.
We need to Invest in America to build back our failing infrastructure, to educate our citizens so they can compete for good paying jobs.
NOT dumb us down or sell us for cheap!
We need to fix trade agreements. If they want to sell us widgets, they need to be “made in America” widgets or pay some serious duty.
We need to pull in our military and stop spending on war toys. Military industrial complex spends Trillion on toys that don’t work and millions every time they shoot of a cruise missile.
We need to stop subsidizing corporations and industries that are making huge profits.
Why do we pay farmers NOT to grow things?
We need to close corporate tax loopholes. Why do some companies that do tremendous amounts of business, not pay taxes?
GOP are not inclined to do any of this!.
GOP are friends of Big Business and any labor.
GOP are war Hawks and ever at the ready to fight. @ Bushes and 3 wars, great record.
GOP want total deregulation. And we know how responsible industries are! Like the Banking industry, they regulated themselves just fine!
LET ME BE CLEAR,
Lots of Dems are just as bad as GOP, but are THE only choice in this political system (ask Ross Perot)
Lets clean house on the Dems side, but give them a clear majority so
THEY CAN
fix trade agreements
pull in our military and stop spending on war toys.
stop subsidizing oil companies.
close corporate tax loopholes
GOP are not inclined to do any of this
Just the Facts Maam!
Lets not forget China in this lineup, just because China is much more autocratic socialist than elected socialist like those you mention it still fits in the set.
Basically, cull it to it's base philosophy, it's control by the state, no matter the degree of control, it's still control.
Newt can not beat Obama. The dems have so much dirt on newt he is unelectable!
It was said today that after the SC voting this weekend the Party of No was drinking whiskey and the democrats were drinking champagne..Thank you Newt..Thank you SC....
They cannot allow Newt to beat up on the media again! Its red meat to the right.
Romney defeated himself,either against Newt or Obama....
But the right thinks differently when one of their own violates their "family value' moral code.Can you imagine if Obama had the same issues,the Ditto Heads would be all over him...
You guys need to understand what you are watching, the beginnings of a war within the Republican party between the Establishment Christian elements that took over the party starting about '80-81, And the Progressive Elements which are the true historic base.
The party of Lincoln is coming back, and will kick the Falwell Flakes out of the party much like you Democrats did to them back in '68.