Tag: 2012

Categories
Mitt Romney Politics Rick Santorum

Once An Independent And Moderate, Mitt Romney Now Calls Himself A Conservative

Mitt Romney‘s back is up against the wall. His agility to win is being questioned by some of his most ardent supporters and conservatives are still looking for another candidate to carry their banner into the 2012 Presidential election.

They believed Donald Trump was going to be their poster-boy when he toyed with their emotions about running, but soon realized that Trump was just trying to boost viewership of his Apprentice television show. And they hauled their hopes and prayers on the back of Michelle Bachmann, but soon realized that she was too much of a right winged nut-job for their nut-job liking.

Rick Perry was their god and their savior, until he opened his mouth and tried to talk. He was packed up and shipped back to Texas just as fast as he was welcomed and urged into the nomination process. And then there was Herman Cain, who actually managed to carry the conservative mantle for about a month, but after everyone and their mother began accusing him of sexual misconduct, Cain too was shipped back to the pizza joint he crawled out of.

Newt Gingrich will be Newt Gingrich. Conservatives gave him a win in South Carolina then watched as Gingrich self-destruct. Unable to contain the euphoria of his win, Newt crowned himself the man, tooting his own horn, then losing miserably in Florida.

Throughout all this Mitt Romney fumbled, flipped and flopped his way through the debates. He even agreed in one debate that Newt Gingrich was more of a conservative than he was.

Then there was this little nugget when Romney admitted to being an independent.

I was an Independent through Reagan/Bush. I’m not trying to return to Reagan/Bush.

Throughout the years, Mitt Romney’s been an Independent, accused of being a moderate, he’s been “a businessman and not a politician,” and he’s even been accused of being a liberal because of his views of many social issues. But at no time in his business or political life has anyone ever accused Mr Romney of being a Conservative… until now. With the last three caucus and primary wins by the self-proclaimed Conservative Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney is now, suddenly, “severely conservative.”

“I fought against long odds in a deep blue state, but I was a severely conservative Republican governor,” Romney said, trying to convince the group at this week’s CPAC meeting.

“I did things conservatism is designed for – I started new businesses and turned around broken ones. And I am not ashamed to say that I was very successful at it. I know conservatism because I have lived conservatism.”

This guy really wants to be president, but pandering to a particular group telling them what you think they want to hear is not the pathway to the White House. Mitt Romney is still living in the old days where candidates spoke to certain groups without fear of their words going viral. He must somehow learn to pattern a message for the country, instead of the group he is talking to at that moment.

But sticking to one message that would appeal to the nation would require some level of honesty, and honesty is something flip floppers lack.

Categories
Politics

Polling Report: Special Mitt-Will-Be-the-Nominee-Edition

Since I didn’t post a Polling Report for Nevada, my public wanted to know if there was a problem, or if I was indeed in good health. All is well. I’ve just been saying for a while that Mitt will be the nominee in posts both recent and past, and there aren’t too many other ways to say it. Well, I did say it in December, but that’s the last time I’m going to remind anyone. The upshot is that I will continue to write feverishly about the campaign, but not on a primary-by-primary basis. Unless Mitt gets upset. Which he won’t.

So for Nevada, I’m going to invoke the possibly unconstitutional religious-but-maybe-I-don’t-have-to-be-religious excuse. Romney won the caucus. ‘Nuff said.

As for Tuesday’s contests in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri, the tune hasn’t changed. I expect that Romney will win two out of three solidly, with a possible loss in Minnesota to Santorum, who is ahead in the latest polls. I’ll even go out on a limb and say that Romney will sweep them all. And he’ll keep on winning, but maybe not in Georgia because that’s Newt’s home state, and he – Romney – would be the Republican nominee.

Then Barack Obama will beat him like a linty rug in November.

For more clever metaphors, go to www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives and Twitter @rigrundfest

Categories
Featured Republican

Ron Paul Thinks “Honest Rape” is Okay… Dishonest Rape Is Apparently Not Okay

Ron Paul, presently in the Republican race to be president of the United States, appeared on CNN’s Piers Morgan Show and made some very controversial news. Morgan put a hypothetical question to Paul…what would you do if one of your daughters were raped and became pregnant.

 “If it’s an honest rape, that individual should go immediately to the emergency room, I would give them a shot of estrogen.”

We’re not sure what “honest rape” is, or what the defining line is for determining the difference between honest rape and, say, dishonest rape. But this we do know. Ron Paul and his brand of Republican/Libertarianism, should be seen and not heard. We as a nation would be much better off, without such nonsensical comments coming from the mouths of these so-called political leaders.

Categories
Elections Politics

Polling Report: Special Florida Edition

I thought this one might be more fun, but Mitt’s got Florida all sewn up. It will be the first non-New England state he’ll have won so far, and if he gets over 40% (he will) he can claim a sizable mandate for the nomination. Newt is sounding too screechy these days, and his call for a moon shot was one of those over-the-top moments we came to expect from Herman Cain or Rick Perry.

Here are the latest RealClearPolitics numbers. Clearly, they show Romney running away with the Sunshine State. He’s feeling good, cracking jokes and generally loosening up on the hustings. If he can keep that up, he might actually be able to change the perception many people have of him as a tightly wound button-down candidate. The only other drama I can summon from this race is that perhaps the conservatives will abandon Newt as their standard-bearer in favor of Rick Santorum. That might take time to play out. Ron Paul is, well, Ron Paul.

The prediction:

Romney    43%

Gingrich    31%

Santorum  14%

Paul          11%

Romney gets big headlines, more endorsements and money for his PAC. Gingrich says he’s going to stay in the race, but I can see him not making it to Super Tuesday in March. Santorum leapfrogs over Newt into second place as more conservatives see him as the last best forlorn hope. Paul is, well, Paul.

That wailing sound you hear in the distance is Tim Pawlenty.

Look for more at www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives

Categories
Newt Gingrich Politics

Newt Gingrich, Where Are Your Witnesses?

You can’t offer witnesses to something if no witnesses exist. Apparently, this little fact slipped Newt Gingrich‘s mind, as he continued telling ABC news that he had witnesses that will dispute his ex’s claim that Newt wanted an “open marriage.”

John King, the CNN host who moderated the last GOP debate and took a direct hit from Newt for asking about the ABC report, stayed on the story. And today, after a week of asking for these witnesses, King seems to take pleasure in announcing that Newt’s witnesses are just figments of his imagination.

Categories
Mitt Romney Newt Gingrich Politics

President Obama Talks About His Republican Challengers

In an interview with Univision, President Obama spoke briefly in response to the question of who he would rather go up against in the 2012 general election.

“I don’t really think about that,” Obama said in response to a question about who would be more of a threat in an interview with Univision conducted Wednesday night in Chandler, Ariz., and released Thursday morning. “What I can say is this: That whoever their nominee is, they represent ideas that I think are wrong for America.”

“On a whole range of issues I think that whether it’s Mr. Romney or Mr. Gingrich or Mr. Santorum or whoever else they might decide to select, they represent a fundamentally different vision of America. And it’s not the bold generous forward looking optimistic America that I think built this country,” he added.

The interview was Obama’s first since delivering his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, and comes as the Republican presidential candidates are stepping up their appeals to Hispanic voters ahead of next week’s Florida primary. Speaking to one of the top U.S. Spanish-language news outlets, Obama offered his own appeals, noting his efforts to make immigration laws more favorable to immigrants even without the comprehensive reform he’s repeatedly called for.

Categories
Mitt Romney Politics republican candidates

Fidel Castro on G.O.P Presidential Race – The Greatest Competition of Idiocy And Ignorance

Cuba’s ex-president Fidel Castro, made an observation that I think is worth a mention in this post. Castro called the Republican presidential race “the greatest competition of idiocy and ignorance that has ever been.” I must say, I agree with that observation.

Politico reports;

Castro made his comments in his latest column of “reflections” on a Cuban government website, attacking the Republican candidates two days after their debate in Florida.

“The selection of a Republican candidate for the presidency of this globalized and expansive empire is – and I mean this seriously – the greatest competition of idiocy and ignorance that has ever been,” he wrote, according to The Associated Press.

During the debate, Mitt Romney responded to a question of how he would react to a 3 a.m. announcement of Castro’s death by referencing the Jan. 19 death of Cuban prisoner Wilman Villar.

“We just had, with Wilman Villar, his life was just lost in a hunger strike fighting for democracy,” Romney said.

Castro wrote that Villar was a common criminal and not a political dissident, the AP reported.

Categories
Barack Obama Mitt Romney Nikki Haley Politics Republican Rick Santorum South Carolina

Mitt Is It

I’ve said it before. And it is now painfully apparent that Republican primary voters have cycled through almost every candidate who’s running for the nomination, and they will eventually settle on Mitt. Yes, it’s possible for Jon Huntsman to have his bump, although even if he doubled his support he’d only be polling at 4%. Rick Santorum? Again, it’s possible, but just how is he different from Rick Perry? Or, perhaps more importantly, how is he the same as Rick Perry? Here’s how: both will lose.

And Mitt? Well, he just picked up the endorsement of South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, which solidifies his position in an important southern state that votes in January, even though Haley’s support is causing her problems with the local Tea Party voters.

But how do we really know that Romney is heading towards the nomination?

Intrade. That’s right. The online trading market and prediction website showed that Mitt gained almost 10 points overnight, while Newt’s number plummeted from 38 to 18. Note to Newt: When the capitalists are bailing on you, it’s time to lobby for an ambassadorship to an island with hefty security. Even worse, he’s now behind Herman Cain(!). Ouch. Of course, these numbers could change tomorrow, but I wouldn’t expect a dramatic turnaround for any of the candidates in the field.

Romney might not win the Iowa caucuses and it won’t hurt him unless he falls to fourth place. He’ll win in New Hampshire, and by then a few of the candidates will have dropped out and thrown their support behind “the eventual nominee'” who will be Romney. Conservatives will have to either grin and bear him or stay home on election day, but that will only help Barack Obama, and we all know that helping the president is just not in the GOP’s DNA.

It might be February before Gingrich’s campaign issues a DNR order, but that day will come, sooner rather than later. Then the real campaign can begin.

For more pithy,  scientific references in political analysis, visit www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives

 

Categories
Newt Gingrich Politics Republican

Before Being Elected, Gingrich Already Breaking The Law

He spent his whole life in Politics, you will figure that Newt Gingrich know what he can and cannot do before being elected to office.

According to the Washington Times, Newt Gingrich, the new flavor of the month and present leader among the few trying to beat President Obama in 2012, “promised conservatives on Tuesday he would ask former U.N. Ambassador John R. Bolton to be his secretary of state if he’s elected president next year.”

But is that legal? Can Gingrich make such a promise even before the elections happen?

Apparently not!

 Here’s Title 18, Part I, Chapter 29, Section 599 of the U.S. Code:

“Whoever, being a candidate, directly or indirectly promises or pledges the appointment, or the use of his influence or support for the appointment of any person to any public or private position or employment, for the purpose of procuring support in his candidacy shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if the violation was willful, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.”

Categories
Domestic Policies Politics presidential

The Polling Report: December 6, 2011

This article was originally posted on my blog: www.anjfarmer.blogspot .com. If you like it, please visit and read more of my posts.

Since our last episode, on November 6, one year before the national elections, much has changed in the race for president. We are currently in the middle (end? beginning?) of the Gingrich ascendancy, and there is some evidence (from this CBS News poll) that Newt could pull off a stunning comeback win in Iowa, which would put him in terrific position for New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida and Nevada later in January. So with that appetizing thought in our heads, let’s move on to the main meal.

Obama Job Approval

The latest RealClearPolitics Index of Obama’s job approval is here. Since last month, Obama’s approval has dropped from 45.3% to 43.8% and his disapproval has risen slightly, from 50.7% in November to 50.8% today. A look at the main 3-day averages that RCP uses, Gallup and Rasmussen, shows almost no change in Obama’s improvement. Further, this article puts Obama’s approval lower than Jimmy Carter’s at the same stage in their presidencies. Clearly, this is not good news for the President’s supporters.

Head-To-Head Match-ups

These number tell a much different story. While more Americans disapprove of the job the president is doing, they favor him over every other prospective Republican nominee.

He’s also slightly ahead of Mitt Romney in the swing state of Florida, but only by 1 point.

The Republican Field

It’s the Newt show at this point, and that’s a very recent phenomenon, coming on the heels of, and in some ways caused by, the implosion of Herman Cain’s campaign. The numbers are stark and solid, but the real question is, how long will they last?

Perhaps more troubling for Mitt Romney’s campaign are these results from pollsandvotes.com showing Romney’s support actually dropping in the first four states to hold votes next month. If Mitt doesn’t watch out, he might be in a position where a less-than-solid win in New Hampshire could be seen as a failure or a “he’s supposed to win” moment that doesn’t pay off in the long run.

My sense is that Romney will win most of the January states simply because, at this point, Gingrich doesn’t have a presence in these states that would allow him to conduct the retail politics necessary to corral votes. It’s even more uphill for Newt in Iowa, where getting your people to the caucuses is the main concern.  Still, he does have money and is beginning to air TV ads that will reach far more people than getting out and shaking hands.

But Romney also has to be concerned. Conservatives will show up in droves this year, and he could find himself third, behind Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann. That would be quite a fall. Romney didn’t think he would have to fight hard for Iowa since he’s been in the state for the past two years, but that’s changed now.

The Ballots

The Electoral College map hasn’t budged since November.

And neither has the Generic Congressional Ballot, which shows Democrats leading Republicans by 1.2%

Although it’s very early in the campaign, Obama’s strategists have mapped out his electoral college strategy, and it looks something like this:

First, the president is aiming to win all the states John Kerry won in 2004. That would bring him to 246 electoral votes, including Pennsylvania’s mother lode of 20. Add New Mexico, which the president won in 2008, and that’s five more electoral votes. Now he’s at 251.

Then it gets hard. The final 19 electoral votes would come through a process of mix and match.

North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, and even Arizona are in the mix, with each showing both promise and peril for Obama’s reelection chances.

That’s it for now. Before I push-off for the holidays (I’ll post another polling report on January 3 for Iowa), let me suggest some gifts for the political junkie in your household. Or in your shoes.

From Amazon, if you’re one of those people who still reads (how 2009!)

Obama curios

Gag gifts.

The best free gift!

Cheers.

Categories
Mitt Romney Politics Republican

Conservative Group Forms Website Called “Not Mitt Romney”

Next up for the Conservatives and Republicans? Putting an end to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, or trying to put an end to it. A group of hard right conservatives, including Ali A. Akbar – Republican consultant at the Vice and Victory Agency, John Hawkins, founder of Right Wing News and Matt MacKowiak,  consultant and president of Potomac Strategy Group LLC., have come together to create a website for Conservatives called, NotMittRomney.com

The group’s main concern with Mitt Romney is that he is too flaky, blows too easily in the wind from one position to another, usually in regards to the same topic. Some of the points they list in are;

Romney was pro-abortion until a decade ago. He is now pro-life.

Romney was pro-amnesty in 2006, saying about the McCain-Kennedy bill, “Those [immigrants] that are here paying taxes and not taking government benefits should begin a process towards application for citizenship.” He now opposes amnesty and attacks other candidates on their immigration records.

Romney broke with a tradition followed by his three immediate Republican predecessors and refused to sign the Americans For Tax Reform’s “no tax” pledge, which his spokesman then called “government by gimmickry” in 2002 when running for governor of Massachusetts. As governor, he raised taxes by hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the New York Times. In 2007, once he decided to run for president, he signed the pledge.

Romney was not a registered Republican until December 1993. He has admitted voting in the Democratic primary in Massachusetts in 1992 for Paul Tsongas for president, rather than voting for Vice President George H.W. Bush. In 2005, Romney claimed that Ronald Reagan is a personal hero.

Romney opposed the Brady Bill in 1994. But in August 2006, when seeking the Republican nomination for president, he signed up for a lifetime membership in the NRA, because, as he said to an audience in Derry, N.H.: “I’m after the NRA’s endorsement.”

On Jan. 10, 2007, Romney said, “I have a gun of my own; I go hunting myself” on the Glenn and Helen Show. Four days later, Romney admitted at a gun show that he does not personally own any guns.

And the list goes on.

Categories
Herman Cain Republican

Herman Cain – “Imma Leave A Dime For You To Eat At White Castle.”

What would cause a Republican presidential candidate to make such a statement? It is so… insensitive! Does Herman Cain think he is better than anyone? Or is this just the socialist in him peeking out from under its conservative shell.

We’re not sure, but whatever it is, it takes a little more than a dime to eat a White Castle!

Exit mobile version