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Subscribe to RSS“Mitt Romney remains his biggest foe, but Rick Santorum is increasingly confronting an even more daunting obstacle: a rising chorus of Republicans calling for the divisive presidential contest to end so the party can turn its full attention to defeating President Obama,” the New York Times says.
ROMNEY: Today, the AFL-CIO is calling for the resignation of a current National Labor Relations Board member in a matter involving an adviser to Romney. Per a press release, “The report of the Inspector General of the National Labor Relations Board into allegations of improper conduct by NLRB member Terence Flynn confirms a pattern of ethical violations that are nothing less than shocking. The report details numerous instances of then-chief counsel Flynn funneling confidential information about the labor board’s activities and deliberations, including attorney-client privileged information, to two former NLRB members who have been actively engaged in a relentless campaign to undermine and discredit the NLRB through legal and rhetorical challenges to the agency’s activities. One of the former NLRB members who received confidential information – former Chairman Peter Schaumber – is co-chair of the labor policy advisory group for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.
SANTORUM: National Journal wonders if the real end to Santorum’s campaign would come in Pennsylvania, losing his home state to Romney.
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I keep hearing more and more from the GOP ."ROMNEY IS A DEMOCRAT" He can't win .
Sounds more like a problem that Flynn created than anything else. I hope they send him to a speedy trial for his actions.
I'm not a Romney supporter, but having someone on your staff that received information that was private, confidential and otherwise pertaining only to the AFL-CIO is not the problem of the staffer.
But it may be nice to know what privalged info was received by Schaumber. If someone knows that information went to him, then they should know what the info was. Let's hear it.
Stay in the race Santorum! We need you to unmask Etch - A - Sketch Mitt Romney!
Hang in there buddy!
The rising chorus demanding Santorum's exit coincided timewise with Romney hitting critical mass on the integrity issue via the etch a sketch gaffe.
I don't see how anyone can view that another way.
Adding to the hypocrisy, no one is calling - at least not this loudly - for Gingrich's and Paul's exit. Just Santorum. Why? If it was because Santorum started to hit Romney on integrity, well, Gingrich was also holding up an etch a sketch, and Gingrich also made past comments about how Romney's word is no good.
Personally, I'm guessing that the GOP is hoping it can drown out the integrity question by forwarding the unification cause. Don't think it will work. Romney has been called a liar by three Republican opponents for this nomination. He's been called at a minimum an etch a sketch artist by his own senior staffer. He's also been the butt of an integrity joke told at the CPAC convention. And he's been caught in more than his share of bald faced lies, this campaign season alone.
It's not going away. The GOP is hoping it will when Santorum goes away, but it won't. People don't believe Romney - including a significant number of people from his own party. They don't feel good about nominating someone who lies to a Romneyenth degree. And there is nothing the party establishment can do at this point to fix that (short of finding a way to nominate someone else).
Paul,
It's amazing to see Romney upside down in the polling, in terms of favorability, and realize it's his fellow Republicans who put him down there, not from anything Democratrs have said.
I know Republicans will rally around him once he has been nominated, but I think the damage has been done. Democrats have so many great quotes from Santorum and Gingrich, criticising him, Obama can stay above the fray a bit, and let the Republicans' own words damn the Romney campaign.
Don't forget Huntsman. He's the one who called Romney a political weathervane.
The GOP establishment's desire to end all competition for Mr. Romney is telling. But, even if they do manage to get all his competition to drop out, I don't think it will increase the love for Mr. Romney with the GOP base.
one thing is for sure,phine -Romney is not the working man's friend.
Nothing personal - he only understands the problems of the 1% - that's his reality -it's all he knows.
Katheryn,
I hate, hate, hate using the line he is robotic, but it fits in regards to his empathy with the "common" man. You are so right, he is only comfortable with his own kind, the ones he understands.
The GOP primaries have had historically low turnouts. This is playing a huge factor is skewing the primary figures. The only voice we are hearing loudly is the Tea Party voice. Regular Republicans are staying silent - not voting in the primaries; up in the air about their party in general. Every one of them is disgusted with the current GOPs in Washington and in their own state. And they are appalled by the Christian Right's hijacking of their party. Santorum may have momentum - but he isn't the voice of the party. If he doesn't step aside for Romney, the party is in real trouble.
I really wish you would all just put away your crystal balls and stop trying to tell all Republicans what they think, and why they don't vote in primaries etc.......for many people, Republican, Independent, and even some Democrats, the primary process and the whole electoral college issue means that the actual voice of the people is lost. I think that frustration with that system contributes to lack of primary participation.
You are right PHINE,let them keep fighting and spending money it's good for the economy. Romney is clearly trying to buy the Presidency,but alas the Gops just aren't feeling the love. As Paul McCartney says, money can't buy me love. Can't wait for him to try to debate the President,the etch a sketch will not help. OBAMA-BIDEN 2012 J-MAL
Whats going to be funny is when Romney's called out on his lies in a debate and gets frustrated and angry.
Mo,
He gets "testy". I don't think Mr. Romney feels emotions like anger and frustration (okay, maybe with Santorum and Gingrich for not dropping out)
phine - did they not get the memo?!
I think it's going to be interesting to watch Romney twist himself into a pretzel changing positions for the general election. We all know with Romney it'll be one lie after another. They'll only get worse in the general election. Romney is one of those liars that actually believes his own lies. Their fun to listen to, but a big joke after they leave.
It feeds into the basic perception of Romney being a liberal Republican and changing again when he gets into the White House or him actually being a severely conservative and lying once he gets to the general election in order to garner the independent voters.
Or could it be,he'll be whatever will get him elected. There is no passion there for issues or causes, except to get him the posiiton he wants.
You mean like our current president who has done nothing that I can think of other than turn everything into a campaign speech, and a photo op
It's worse, Katheryn. Republicans have nominated less than pure presidential candidates, before. In fact, the last two nominees are an example. McCain certainly isn't a party line guy. And Bush, well, there's a fair amount of compelling evidence he isn't the hardliner on a lot of those social issues that the campaign and party members liked to believe. He's probably pro-choice, for instance. His administration was like a jobs program for pro-choice prominent Republicans, and earlier comments from the man suggest he never wandered too far from the family's pro-choice history (remember, granddaddy Prescott was among the original founders of Planned Parenthood).
With Romney, it's more than just that. Christie has some chinks in the conservative armor. Guilliani too. The first was a desperate hope for drafting this time, and the latter only heard a little muted objection on social issues four years ago.
So why is Romney so objectionable to a lot of Republicans?
Because trustworthiness is the most important attribute for a presidential candidate - at least that's the way it's been for a long time. And people don't trust Romney. They see him somewhere between a candidate who will propose a platform of convenience, based on the political needs of the moment, to something even worse - a habitual bald faced liar... And that's from within his party.
Sue - They are all politicians and I have no problem with that aspect.
Obama and Santorum are both politicians, but they both feel passionately about the issues they back. The same could be said about Christie and Guilliani.
Romney's problems go deeper. There are parts of Romney I like - when he was governor,I really liked him/what I'm seeing now,I don't like at all.
Paul - I like McCain - and one of the reasons is, I trust him, even when I disagree with his stance on an issue, I trust that he believes in what he is pushing.
Bush will bear the burden of history's verdict of his administration's performance,and yet sadly,I don't think it was ever his administration - he was run.
But Romney, you read further into him and you come away with the feeling it's all about the next logical step in the resume of his father's son - no passion for the issues,because it's not about the issues for him -it's all about obtaining the job title.
The calls for unity will only grow louder over the next month. April is not going to be kind to Santorum, with the only races he seems like to win being his home state of Pennsylvania, and the caucus in Louisiana where he's already won the primary.
If Santorum can hold out, May looks much better for him, with every state being one that he should or could win, though several ought to be competitive. If Romney can build some momentum and win Indiana, Oregon, and maybe North Carolina or West Virginia, then he's very likely to clinch the nomination outright. The problem for Santorum is that the May states all award delegates proportionally, but the big June states, California, New Jersey, and Utah, are winner take all and favor Romney.
Rick's throwing more tantrums about how the media is being unfair by accurately reporting his own words. I feel like there's only so much mileage in that strategy. If it didn't ultimately help Gingrich, who's much better at the hypocritical media demogoguery, then how is it going to keep Santorum afloat?
Santorum is an idiot.