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Subscribe to RSS“Voters apparently just aren't that into Mitt Romney,” USA Today writes. “A new Pew Research Center poll shows more voters have a negative image of the Republican candidate, with 52% saying they have an unfavorable view of Romney compared with 37% who have a favorable view.”
As we’ve noted previously in First Read, others are writing that Romney’s biographical narrative is missing from this campaign.
“[I]t has become clear that [Romney’s culture comments] illustrate part of Romney’s core beliefs of the world, informing the underpinnings of his economic and global philosophies,” the Boston Globe writes. “In one of his most striking, but little noticed, statements, Romney used a point made by author and former Harvard professor David Landes to state outright that certain cultures are better than others.”
And the Globe goes further, digging up this anecdote from his book, “No Apology”: “The multiculturalism movement must be unmasked for the fraud that it is. There are superior cultures, and ours is one of them.”
And: “Jared Diamond, author of ‘Guns, Germs, and Steel,’ wrote in an opinion article Thursday in the New York Times under the headline ‘Romney Hasn’t Done His Homework’ that Romney had “misrepresented my views” and “oversimplified the issue.”
The Romney campaign is highlighting some front-page treatment from The Denver Post and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The Post’s front-page headline: “Romney’s jobs plan could fuel job growth, local economists say.”
The Tribune-Review, the more conservative of the two Pittsburgh papers, has a front-page item on Solyndra: “Analyst’s Solyndra warning detailed.”
Lots of other papers pick up on the Solyndra story and congressional report, including this item from Buzzfeed highlighting emails between Obama staffers one with the response “Ugh” from a now-campaign official. The word “Ugh” has been the subject of several campaign emails now over the last couple of days.
Mitt Romney might not be releasing his bundlers, but USA Today and the Sunlight Foundation have figured them out as best they can, “by reviewing Federal Election Commission data, invitations to 85 Romney fundraising events obtained by the non-partisan Sunlight Foundation, campaign news releases and news accounts. President Obama releases the names of his bundlers publicly.”
“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is not backing down from his second-hand allegations that Mitt Romney did not pay taxes for 10 years, but he still won't name his sources for the unproven claim,” the New York Daily News writes, adding, “Despite taking some heat for the unsubstantiated accusations, Reid doubled down, and then tripled down, on the zero-tax talk on Wednesday and Thursday… Romney has refused to release more than two years of his tax returns, but has said he paid everything required by law. A top Romney adviser fired back at Reid after his Senate floor speech on Thursday, likening his the top Democrat's charges to Joseph McCarthy’s Communist witch hunts.”
Romney responded on Sean Hannity’s radio show: “It’s time for Harry to put up or shut up. Harry’s going to have to describe who it is he spoke with because that’s totally and completely wrong. It’s untrue, dishonest and inaccurate. It’s wrong. So I’m looking forward to have Harry reveal his sources and we’ll probably find out it’s the White House.”
Of course, Romney by not releasing his taxes from those years, can’t categorically disprove the claim – as tactless and below-the-belt as it might be for a Senate majority leader.
Here’s a headline from Roll Call: “Republicans Solicit Lobbyists for Input on Party Platform.”
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Born with a silver spoon in his mouth? Got even richer running a corporate chop shop? Firing people? Hiding financial and governmental data? You're wondering why his favorability ratings upside-down? What's to like? How does any of this make him likeable to the average 9 to 5 working shlub?
More like a platinum pacifier!
Mitt is screwed
politics is always a popularity contest.
Mitt the UnFitt was actually born with a silver...foot in the mouth.
Thanks to Obama's massive failure as President, there are far fewer "9 to 5 working shlubs"....just government dependents, Obama makes plenty of those.
41 straight months under Obama with unemployment above 8% ...an ALL TIME RECORD, even worse than FDR in the Depression.
Obama politics have made him a backdoor guy. Romney enters through the front. The left chooses to debate valet service.
And now Romney accuses the president of being behind this. I so hope Romney has to eat crow on this one. Reid has very little to lose if he's wrong, but Romney will really have problems if Reid's right.
You'll never know if Reid's right Bethie. But Reid's right. Willard didn't pay any taxes for ten years.
M0-681343
It makes you wonder: Romney's been planning on running for president for decades now so why not do 2-3-4 years worth of returns that look good. So what that you have to pay "extra" in taxes - at least you look good in front of the voter.Now when I say extra, I mean without loopholes, shelters, deferments, etc. - you know, that tax rate that the rest of us shmucks pay.
So the big question is: Is Romney this stupid or is he just so greedy that he could not give up his money? I'm not sure which one is worse!
Bayllie, I am betting that Romney is that stupid. He has such a sense of entitlement that he doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground.
charemor
I guess you are right. He does not see being president as something earned - to him, it's devine. Like being a king.
I think Romney is a selfish, greedy, lying hypocrite. There is no doubt in my mind that Romney is not a good person - he's not totally evil but he is not a good human being.
I just hope Reid doesn't stop badgering Romney to release his tax returns. Maybe it takes a fellow Mormon to guilt Romney into doing the right thing.
Dingy Harry Reid is a liar. Put up or shut up, Harry.
The one who needs to put up or shut up is Romney. I can't wait for Biden to debate the prospective VP of the Repubs. First question will be; how many years of taxes did the Romney campaign require ?
You're kidding FR. Not even the tea people Koch republicans who supposedly support him are into him, they just don't like Willard. The only people who like Willard is Ann and his sons. Probably the only reason they put up with him is because of his money.
The Repubs want to blast the President on transparency, but Mitt won't release his tax returns or the names of his bundlers. And Rove won't release the names of the contributors to Crossroads GPS. Do they really hear themselves and in some crazy way this makes sense to them, or are they so dismissive of the intelligence of the American voter that they think we won't see the hypocrisy?
You have to remember who Romney and Rove are talking to RTFS.
This statement depicts the tea people Koch republicans.
Hey Mitt, Did you receive amnesty for not disclosing cash stashed in foreign banks that you did not disclose on your taxes? Did you fix that retroactively like your retirement. Did you fix that like you did your residence when you ran for Governor in Mass? Did you pay zero in taxes for any of the last 10 years?
With you being on the record lying about your taxes, when running for Governor claiming you paid taxes in Mass. at the same time you were trying to do amended returns, why would we believe anything that comes out of your mouth? In as much as you are a proven liar the burden of proof is on you to prove you are not lying now about everything including Bain and Outsourcing,
Part of the reason voters like negative campaigning is because they want to see how the candidate reacts when under attack.
Candidate Barack Obama reacted to Republican smears with aplomb, brushing off the criticism (literally, remember that?), never stooping to the birther's claims or rising to the bait.
How did Romney react to Harry Reid's accusation by telling him to "shut up." Nice mouth on you, Mitt. Didn't your mother ever tell you not to say "shut up?"
Aplomb, Amy? Maybe on Planet Moonbat where you reside...
President Obama the Whiner in Chief, is thin skinned and reacts badly to criticism...it is always someone else's fault .
If you ask the president, the sluggish economy—with record under-employment and depressingly stubborn unemployment rates—have nothing to do with him. Rampant spending, insider deals for campaign supporters (see: Solyndra), and a massive government takeover of our healthcare system resulting in a significant tax increase on the middle class, all happened with the active advocacy and implementation of the Obama administration. Such actions have adversely affected our economy
First Read and the rest of the Obama poodle media like the Boston Globe,
we just arent into your one-sided propaganda!
Doubtless everyone here is TOTALLY into your trolling.
Seriously, do you think you'll sway anyone with this approach? All your trolling does is annoy people and get them more entrenched into their already-existing beliefs.
Oh well, I suppose as long as ideologues are glued to message boards spewing their bile, they can't be out on the streets. And that's a good thing.
Poor Mittens. The only reason he got the nomination was repubs think he is their least objectional candidate to independents. He was the true favorite of few consevatives. Now they are stuck with a guy .
Former Governor Romney's secret economic plan--he will bring all of his off-shore money, back to the US.
Let Romney sue him for slander . All Mitt the TWIT has to do is release his tax returns to prove him wrong.
Tissues for Willard.
Who cares about Romneys taxes? Its the economy stupid. Right now our economy is at depression levels. Lets vote every politician out and start fresh.