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Mitt Romney At 2012 Repubican Debate: I’m Happy Ted Kennedy Had To Take Out A Mortgage In Senate Race
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/08/mitt-romney-ted-kenney-gop-debate-new-hampshire_n_1192326.html
CONCORD, N.H. — Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney responded to attacks that he is a career politician with long-standing political ambitions by relaying some advice given to him by his father.
“I happened to see my dad run for governor when he was 54 years old,” said Romney. “He said, ‘Mitt, never get involved in politics if you have to win election to pay a mortgage.’ If you find yourself in a position when you can serve, you ought to have a responsibility to do so if you think you can make a difference. He said also don’t get involved in politics when your kids are still young because it may turn their heads.”
Romney’s advice was meant to warn against the idea of a career politician who is simply interested in staying in office no matter what. But it also seems to mean that less-affluent members of the public, who might not be as financially secure and wealthy as most of the people running for president, should also be excluded from being candidates.
Romney then told a story about when he was running to unseat the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), saying he was glad Kennedy suffered financially during their race.
“When I saw Ted Kennedy running virtually unopposed, a man who I thought by virtue of the policies of the liberal welfare state had created a permanent underclass in America, I thought somebody has to run against him,” said Romney. “I happened to have been wise enough to realize I did not have a ghost of a chance of beating him. … I told my partners in my firm, I will be back in six months, don’t take my chair. I was happy that he had to take a mortgage out on his house to ultimately defeat me. I am very proud of the fact that I have stood up as a citizen to battle where I felt it was best for the nation, and we’re talking about running for president. I am in the race because I care about the country.”
2012 Presidential Election: Volunteer for BarackObama’s Campaign – “It Belongs to You”
Andy Rooney on Obama’s Election 11/9/08
Top 10 Things Herman Cain Doesn’t Want You To Know About Him
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/10/06/334170/herman-cain-top-10/
(1) PLEDGED THAT HE “WILL NOT” APPOINT MUSLIMS IN HIS ADMINISTRATION: In an interview with ThinkProgress earlier this year, Herman Cain declared that he “will not” appoint a Muslim in his administration if he were elected president. In the months that followed, Cain qualified his position a number of times – at one point even telling Glenn Beck that he would appoint Muslims but only on the condition that they take a special loyalty oath – before finally recanting this unconstitutional stance and issuing an apology to Muslim-Americans. Unfortunately, since that time Cain has continued to peddle the ridiculous notion that Sharia law is a threat to the American legal system.
(2) TOLD THINKPROGRESS, “I DON’T THINK THE CURRENT MINIMUM WAGE IS NECESSARY”: During his time as the top lobbyist for the restaurant and fast food industry, Cain fought against an increase in the minimum wage. During a recent ThinkProgress interview, Cain went further, saying “I don’t think the current minimum wage is necessary.” As Greg Sargent noted, not even conservative icon Barry Goldwater supported eliminating the minimum wage.
(3) CONFUSED BY BASIC CONCEPT OF ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE PROCESS: In an interview on Fox News Sunday, Cain was asked his opinion on the right of return for Palestinian refugees. Cain was clearly confused by the question, responding, “The right of return? [pause] The right of return?” When host Chris Wallace explained the issue to him, Cain suggested that Israel wouldn’t have a problem “with people returning,” a prospect Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu fiercely opposes. The incident was not the first time Cain displayed lack of familiarity with international affairs. Previously, Cain said he doesn’t know enough to say what he thinks about the war in Afghanistan.
(4) IMMIGRATION PLAN INVOLVES A “GREAT WALL OF CHINA” AND A “MOAT [WITH] ALLIGATORS”: In a speech to Iowa Republicans, Cain called for building a fence along the entire U.S.–Mexico border, comparing the effort to the Great Wall of China. Building a fence along the nearly 2,000-mile border not only wouldn’t work, it would cost the U.S. hundreds of billions of dollars in the process. Cain also suggested building a moat next to the fence and filling it with alligators.
(5) BELIEVES “WE ALREADY RECOGNIZE” THE GOVERNMENT OF TAIWAN: Discussing U.S.-Chinese relations with ThinkProgress, Cain confirmed fears that he lacked a firm grasp on foreign policy matters when he declared that “we already recognize” the government of Taiwan. In fact, the United States stopped recognizing Taiwan in 1979. Cain, visibly confused about relations between the U.S, China, and Taiwan, refused to say whether this belief meant he planned to send an ambassador to Taiwan, saying instead, “President Cain will get back to you!” Lest the matter seem trivial, Chinese-Taiwanese relations are extraordinarily tense and the matter of diplomatic relations with the United States carries enormous implications for the billions of people living in southeast Asia.
(6) WANTS TO PUT DIRTY ENERGY CEOS IN CHARGE OF EPA REGULATIONS: After an Iowa voter asked about increasing domestic oil production, Cain proposed creating a commission consisting of businessmen from the coal, oil, shale oil, and natural gas industries to gut environmental protections. Cain even said he would appoint the CEO of Shell, claiming the company had been “abused” by the EPA. Cain has close ties to several top oil executives.
(7) BELIEVES IRAQ SHOULD PAY U.S. BACK FOR INVADING THEIR COUNTRY: Cain suggested in a 2008 interview that Iraq should pay the United States back for invading and occupying their country. Even Rick Santorum, who nobody would confuse as a moderate, strongly disagreed with this idea, saying, “I think that would send every possible wrong signal.” Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq began, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians have died and millions have been displaced.
(8) TRIED TO HIDE HIS GAY TREASURER: A former staffer to Cain, Kevin Hall, testified in court that Cain attempted to cover up the involvement of his openly gay PAC treasurer Scott Toomey. According to Hall, the campaign was trying to cover up Toomey’s involvement due to his sexuality. Cain’s lawyers declined to dispute the allegations.
(9) SAYS HE WOULD SUPPORT A NATIONAL PHOTO ID LAW: With an increasing number of conservative governors implement new requirements for voters to present photo identification at the polls, Cain told ThinkProgress he’d support such a bill on a federal level. “If you need a picture to get on an airplane, why shouldn’t you need one in order to be able to vote?” Cain asked. To be clear, voting is not like getting on an airplane – only one is the basis of our very democracy – and requirements that citizens present photo IDs instead of other forms of identification has the potential to disenfranchise millions of voters, especially minorities and poorer individuals.
(10) BELIEVES THAT AMERICANS HAVE THE RIGHT TO BAN MOSQUES: During a Fox News Sunday interview, Cain professed his belief that if a community wants to ban a mosque, “they have a right to do that.” Rather than idle banter, Cain’s comments came fresh off his speech blasting the proposed expansion of an existing Islamic center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee because it was, in the former pizza executive’s estimation, “not an innocent mosque.” Cain’s view is squarely at odds with not only the Constitution, but basic precepts of tolerance and diversity as well.
Dems Launch Campaign To Counter Alleged GOP Voter Suppression
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/05/democrats-campaign-gop-voter-suppression_n_997286.html
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats alarmed by reports that new voter laws could bar some five million people from the polls are launching an ambitious online effort aimed at countering what they call Republican voter suppression.
According to a study published Monday by the Brennan Center for Justice, a string of laws passed in 13 states — and proposed in 21 more — could disproportionately suppress turnout of younger voters, minorities and lower-income voters. Those groups tend to pull the lever for Democrats.
The Brennan Center estimates that the new laws could affect some 171 electoral votes, including those of five swing states.
All but two of the new laws were signed by Republican governors and generated by Republican legislatures, prompting the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to cry foul — and start an effort set to launch Thursday aimed at preserving ballot access for voters who would normally be eligible to vote.
A first-rate abyss
http://pmcarpenter.blogs.com/p_m_carpenters_commentary/2011/06/a-first-rate-abyss.html
That the question should be asked — is “Michele Bachmann a first-tier candidate” for the presidency of the United States? — is unquestionably the preeminent sign of abysmal direction on the desolate road of the GOP’s intellectual wasteland.
The woman knows less about her own country’s history than a chronically fidgety, inattentive fifth grader, and her witless McCarthyite proclivities make Joe look like a card-carrying ACLUer. The political “philosophy” in which she’s steeped could be expatiated on one side of a tea bag, and “complexity” is a concept she has yet to encounter in this endlessly complex world.
That I exaggerate not, or at least not much, is perhaps the saddest comment of them all.
Tim Pawlenty to give economy speech in Chicago, Barack Obama country
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/56223.html
A Tim Pawlenty aide tells POLITICO he will “deliver a major policy address to unveil his plans to promote economic growth and control spending…(which) will offer a specific plan for boosting the economy and creating jobs. His speech will include a plan to balance the federal budget, overhaul the federal tax code, reduce regulation, and increase American innovation and investment.”
The location? Chicago – the president’s hometown, and the place where Obama re-election effort is headquartered.
Go sit down Tim “we don’t need no stinking infrastructure” Pawlenty!
What about the 35W Minneapolis BRIDGE collaspe, Tim Paw?
This is what I don’t get about the GOP, they are all for curbing spending, yet they want to waste so much money on such laws as making it illegal to be an illegal immigrant (????), make it illegal for a doctor to perform an abortion based on sex or race???? and numerous other stupid, unnecessary but costly directives. Oh, and they want government to stay out of our, oops, I mean “their” lives, yet are freakishly aggressive proponents of telling a woman what she can and can not do with their body. It’s been a while since I have been so incensed by one party.
HI Rebecca. You’re spot on. The GOP want the laws to bend at their will, spend our money the way they see fit; and oh BTW, they are part of the government. A bunch of POWER HUNGRY LOON, the lot of them.
Election 2012: Mitch Daniels out, where does that leave the GOP?
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/President/2011/0522/Election-2012-Mitch-Daniels-out-where-does-that-leave-the-GOP
Mitch Daniels’ decision not to run for president in 2012 sets scrambling the remaining declared and likely candidates, not to mention professional campaigners, funding sources, and political pundits.
Who benefits from the Hoosier Hamlet’s sitting out the election? Where does that leave the more establishment candidates and the tea party outliers?
Winnowing is always inevitable, but there’s a sense among Republican voters that their champion may not be evident among the existing field.
IN PICTURES: Will these Republicans run in 2012?
What that leaves, as Jonathan Martin at Politico.com puts it, is “a GOP establishment deeply worried that the flawed options they’re left with won’t be any match for an incumbent president who seemingly won’t face a primary but is likely to shatter campaign fundraising records.”
Blogging at the conservative Weekly Standard, William Kristol writes: “It would be unfair to call the current field a vacuum. But it doesn’t exactly represent an overflowing of political talent.”
Speaking Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, House Budget Committee chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin pronounced himself “disappointed” at Daniels’ decision.
“I think his candidacy would have been a great addition to this race,” Ryan said. “I think it’s unfortunate that he’s not going to run.”
As much as anything else, the maneuvering among possible GOP presidential candidates has been marked by those who’ve pulled out, plus those who’ve issued Shermanesque “no means no” statements refusing to run.
So far, that includes Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump, Haley Barbour, John Thune, Mike Pence, Chris Christie, Rick Perry, and Paul Ryan.
On the other hand, as Kristol puts it, “insofar as politics abhors even a near-vacuum, others are bound to get in.”
Saturday that was Herman Cain. Monday, Tim Pawlenty is scheduled to announce.
Saturday that was Herman Cain. Monday, Tim Pawlenty is scheduled to announce.
****rolls eyes very hard****
Ed Koch: My Thoughts on the Election of 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ed-koch/my-thoughts-on-the-electi_b_853453.html
The 2012 Presidential and Congressional election is all but over as a result of the adoption by the House of Representatives by a vote of 235 to 193, without a single Democrat “yes” vote for Paul Ryan’s draconian budget. I now believe President Barack Obama will be reelected, and although anything can happen between now and Election Day, I expect to be casting my vote for him.
The Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) budget ends Medicare as we know it in ten years, so that those who reach the eligibility age of 65 ten years from now will get, instead of a government guarantee of medical care, a voucher — or as Ryan refers to it, a premium, currently computed at $6,400 with a limited inflation escalator not tied to medical inflation. Because this premium will be insufficient to purchase a private health insurance policy, the beneficiary will have to dip into his or her own pocket to make up what will surely be a sizeable difference. Republican members of Congress, home for the Easter break, are being confronted by outraged constituents who feel betrayed by this fundamental total overhaul (privatizing) of the Medicare program.
Ametia –
Today, we are filing papers to launch our 2012 campaign.
We’re doing this now because the politics we believe in does not start with expensive TV ads or extravaganzas, but with you — with people organizing block-by-block, talking to neighbors, co-workers, and friends. And that kind of campaign takes time to build.
So even though I’m focused on the job you elected me to do, and the race may not reach full speed for a year or more, the work of laying the foundation for our campaign must start today.
We’ve always known that lasting change wouldn’t come quickly or easily. It never does. But as my administration and folks across the country fight to protect the progress we’ve made — and make more — we also need to begin mobilizing for 2012, long before the time comes for me to begin campaigning in earnest.
As we take this step, I’d like to share a video that features some folks like you who are helping to lead the way on this journey. Please take a moment to watch:
In the coming days, supporters like you will begin forging a new organization that we’ll build together in cities and towns across the country. And I’ll need you to help shape our plan as we create a campaign that’s farther reaching, more focused, and more innovative than anything we’ve built before.
We’ll start by doing something unprecedented: coordinating millions of one-on-one conversations between supporters across every single state, reconnecting old friends, inspiring new ones to join the cause, and readying ourselves for next year’s fight.
This will be my final campaign, at least as a candidate. But the cause of making a lasting difference for our families, our communities, and our country has never been about one person. And it will succeed only if we work together.
There will be much more to come as the race unfolds. Today, simply let us know you’re in to help us begin, and then spread the word:
http://my.barackobama.com/2012
Thank you,
Barack
Election 2012: Struggling States May Cancel Or Delay Primaries
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/14/election-2012-struggling-_n_835678.html#comments
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — In these tough times, even how we nominate presidents is facing the threat of the budget ax.
Lawmakers and elections officials in at least six cash-strapped states are hoping to move or replace their stand-alone 2012 presidential primaries, sacrificing some influence over who wins the nominations in favor of saving millions of dollars.
The moves to either delay primaries by several months or hand over the nominating process to party-run caucuses comes as Republican and Democratic parties implement new rules to limit the number of states voting before March 1.
The last election cycle saw states move up their contests to get more say in a process that, ironically, ended up lasting months longer than anyone expected.
The 2012 cycle looks different, but not because the electoral map has changed significantly or because the nominating competition is likely to be on one side of the aisle.
States are facing billion-dollar deficits, and legislators are trying to cut budgets.
“We are in the mode now of looking after needs instead of wants,” said Alabama Rep. Steve Clouse, who introduced a bill to move his state’s primary from February or March to June, when it can be merged with a primary for state offices.
The move could save nearly $4 million. The governor has recommended $159 million in cuts to more than 200 programs to balance the budget.
Missouri and California are also considering shifting to June. In California’s case, the savings could be $100 million.
Run Newt, oh please, do RUN!
Newt to announce Thursday
By KENDRA MARR | 3/1/11 1:39 PM EST Updated: 3/1/11 2:43 PM EST
Newt Gingrich is expected to announce his presidential exploratory on Thursday, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to POLITICO.
The former House Speaker is already scheduled to be in Atlanta that day and meet with Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal about states’ rights.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0311/50430.html#ixzz1FNmukldL
Let him run! Looking forward to him getting his ass kicked in!
The new CW: Obama hard to beat
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0211/The_new_CW_Obama_hard_to_beat.html#
Just four months after posting historic election gains, Republicans are experiencing a reality check about 2012: President Barack Obama is going to be a lot tougher to defeat than he looked late last year.
Having gone from despondency in 2008 to euphoria last November, a more sober GOP is wincing in the light of day as they consider just how difficult unseating an incumbent president with a massive warchest is going to be, even with a still-dismal economy.“I consider him a favorite, albeit a slight favorite,” said former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove. “Republicans underestimate President Obama at their own peril.”
Much of the GOP realism is rooted in a long-standing truism of American politics – that absent a major crisis of confidence, it’s highly difficult to defeat a sitting president.
But aside from the traditional advantages of incumbency, Republicans are also fretting about the strength of Obama’s campaign infrastructure, the potential limitations of their own field and, particularly, the same demographic weaknesses that haunted them in 2008.
The best indicator of the GOP outlook on 2012 may be the shape of the party’s prospective field. Many of the contenders who can afford to sit out a presidential election cycle and wait for an open-seat race – Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush come to mind – seem intent on doing so.
The view among senior Republicans is not that Obama is a sure bet or that the GOP nomination is not worth having. Many are convinced 2012 will be more competitive than 2008 and that the White House can still be won.
But there is an unmistakable sense among Republicans that the breezy predictions of Obama turning out to be the next Jimmy Carter were premature.
“The people that are sitting around saying, ‘He’s definitely going to be a one-term president. It’s going to be easy to take him out,’ they’re obviously political illiterates – political idiots, let me be blunt,” said former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in an interview….
“The electorate will look much different in 2012 than it did in 2010,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), who was a political operative for decades before coming to Congress. “It’s going to be younger, browner, and more to the left.”
Florida Threatens to Start a 2012 Primary Stampede
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/02/24/florida-threatens-start-2012-primary-stampede/
Influential Florida Republicans are once again squaring off with the Republican National Committee over the timing of the state’s 2012 primary election in a battle that could jumpstart the presidential campaign season.
Everyone knows the presidential campaign trail goes through the traditional early states of Iowa and New Hampshire. However, in 2008, Florida crashed the party by moving its primary election to Jan. 29. In turn, Iowa and New Hampshire plus the other two states granted early primary status by the RNC, South Carolina and Nevada, pushed up their contests to the first weeks of the new year.
The RNC has ruled that any state other than the favored four that holds its primary before March 1, 2012 will lose half of its delegates at the national convention. But Florida law still calls for the state’s primary election to take place on the last Tuesday in January in a presidential year, which falls on Jan. 31 next year. And it looks increasingly unlikely that Florida legislators will act to bring the state in line.
“Let’s just be candid, Florida is the most important state in the union,” said Republican Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos. “Iowa, New Hampshire give everyone an opportunity to compete, from that point forward you need to show you have the heft to win a state like Florida.”
In 2008, the early vote cost Florida half of its 114 delegates to the convention that nominated Sen. John McCain. Without the penalty, Florida would have had the third most delegates. With the penalty, they were 12th. RNC officials say if Florida won’t budge, their delegation will be punished again next year.
LET.THE.GAMES.BEGIN.
2012 contenders set their sights on governors
http://www.seattlepi.com/politico/436148_politico50230.html
If you’re a swing-state governor like Virginia Republican Bob McDonnell, a trip to the National Governors Association meeting this weekend in Washington is just another chance for the 2012 wannabes and their backers to hit you up for support.
He’s already getting a lot of attention from the presidential field. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Govs. Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney campaigned for him in his 2009 gubernatorial campaign. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, the former head of the Republican Governors Association, sent campaign cash. And former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been in touch more recently, he said.
“I am grateful for their help, and we’ve stayed friendly. A couple of them have talked to me personally about their intentions. Right now, I’m not committed,” said McDonnell, who has said he’d be open to the vice presidential slot as well.
With a wide-open GOP nomination fight, the nation’s 29 Republican governors are some of the most sought-after endorsements of all. But most are staying mum about who they might back, and with good reason — an unusually high number of their contemporaries are considering a run.
Of the 13 most-talked-about names as possible GOP presidential candidates, nine are current or former governors. Utah, alone, could offer up two: Romney and former Gov. Jon Huntsman, who recently submitted his resignation letter as ambassador to China and is mulling his campaign options.
LOL Good luck with the two Mormons from Utah, but of course folks would vote Mormon, before they’d vote for the “Kenyan, Muslim, nazi, Black Socialist, Barack Obama. ////SNARK!!!