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The Afternoon Flap: February 27, 2012
These are my links for February 27th from 06:55 to 13:48:
- Gingrich slams Santorum as ‘big labor Republican’ – Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on Monday slammed rival Rick Santorum as a “big labor Republican,” accusing him of siding with unions over Memphis-based FedEx when the Senate grappled with a labor dispute in the 1990s.
Gingrich, the former Georgia congressman and House Speaker, is hoping to revive his struggling campaign in the South, and he tailored his message Monday to Republican voters in Tennessee. Although polls show a close race between Santorum and Mitt Romney, Gingrich challenged the former Pennsylvania senator and his conservative credentials.
- Michigan Forecast Update: Romney’s Lead Looks More Tenuous – Since we ran the Michigan numbers early Monday morning, three new polls are out that make the state look more like a true toss-up and less like one that favors Mr. Romney.
Two of the surveys, from Mitchell Research and American Research Group, in fact give Rick Santorum a nominal lead in Michigan, by 2 and 1 percentage points respectively. The third, from Rasmussen Reports, gives Mr. Romney a 2-point advantage.
We also added a hard-to-track down survey from Baydoun Consulting, which gave Mr. Romney an 8-point advantage. However, it is less recent than the others, having been conducted on Thursday night rather than over the weekend.
Among the five polls that were conducted over the weekend — including those that had been included with the previous update — three give Mr. Romney a small lead while two show an edge for Mr. Santorum.
Mr. Romney still has the advantage in the FiveThirtyEight forecast, but it is more tenuous than the one we released overnight. The model gives him a 64 percent chance of winning the state, down from 77 percent in the previous forecast.
- GOP Referendum on California State Senate Districts Qualifies for November Ballot – But Who Cares? » Flap’s California Blog – GOP Referendum on California State Senate Districts Qualifies for November Ballot – But Who Cares?
- Untitled (http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/27/4294955/california-ag-calls-for-fannie.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#mi_rss=Latest%20News) – RT @CapitolAlert: RT @sacbee_news: California AG calls for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to halt foreclosures
- The Recall Elections Blog: The Walker Recall: What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Recall – With the news that Scott Walker is not going to challenge the signatures, the gubernatorial recall is going forward. The Wisconsin GAB is set to rule today on all six recalls — against the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and four Republican state Senators — have qualified for the ballot. From numerous press reports, and from the past history with signature verification, the recalls are very likely to be approved. The only recall that is in any doubt is against the Majority Leader of the Wisconsin state Senate, Scott Fitzgerald.
This would represent the second year in a row that we are staring at an unprecedented use of the recall. This recall could have an effect well beyond Wisconsin. There are potential dangers for both sides.
Let’s look at some of the history and background on the use of the recall:
- Governor Scott Walker will not challenge recall signatures – Gov. Scott Walker will not challenge any signatures by Monday’s deadline in an attempt to stop a recall election against him.
That leaves only a review by state elections officials standing between the Republican governor and only the third recall election for a governor is U.S. history. An independent conservative group released its own analysis of the recall petitions Monday, but state elections officials said the law does not allow it to count those outside challenges.
“We are not filing any specific challenges to any specific signatures today,” Walker campaign spokeswoman Ciara Matthews said. “We simply ran out of time.”
Organizers gathered more than 1 million signatures in 60 days seeking to force the recall – well over the 540,000 valid signatures needed. Over the last month, Walker and Republicans have been examining the signatures seeking to find ones to challenge as invalid.
In a filing Monday, Walker’s campaign called on the elections agency to continue its official review of the signatures.
Government Accountability Board spokesman Reid Magney confirmed that the elections agency would continue that review, including the search for incomplete, duplicate or fraudulent signatures. Currently, the agency has until March 19 to complete that review but Magney said he wasn’t sure how much time it would take.
“That’s something we’re obviously still working on,” Magney said.
- Video: California Legislative Analyst’s Office – The 2012-13 Budget: Economic and Revenue Update » Flap’s California Blog – Video: California Legislative Analyst’s Office – The 2012-13 Budget: Economic and Revenue Update
- CD-8: Former California Republican Assemblyman Anthony Adams to Run for Open Congressional Seat | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – CD-8: Former California Republican Assemblyman Anthony Adams to Run for Open Congressional Seat
- The Morning Flap: February 27, 2012 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – The Morning Flap: February 27, 2012
- California State Senator Sharon Runner Receives Double Lung Transplant » Flap’s California Blog – California State Senator Sharon Runner Receives Double Lung Transplant
- AD-66: Candidates in Swing District Court Centrist Voters » Flap’s California Blog – AD-66: Candidates in Swing District Court Centrist Voters
- Substituting Smokeless Tobacco for Smoking Will Save Lives? | Smiles For A Lifetime – Temporary (Locum Tenens) Dentistry – Substituting Smokeless Tobacco for Smoking Will Save Lives?
- LinkedIn Rolls Out ‘Follow Company’ Buttons for Brands – RT @mashable: LinkedIn Rolls Out ‘Follow Company’ Button for Brands –
- Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball » Crystal Ball projection: Michigan & Arizona – RT @LarrySabato: IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: On Friday, the Crystal Ball projected wins for Romney in AZ & MI:
- Hawaii Continues as the Best State for Well-Being | Smiles For A Lifetime – Temporary (Locum Tenens) Dentistry – Hawaii Continues as the Best State for Well-Being
- Flap’s California Morning Collection: February 27, 2012 » Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Morning Collection: February 27, 2012
- Gingrich slams Santorum as ‘big labor Republican’ – Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on Monday slammed rival Rick Santorum as a “big labor Republican,” accusing him of siding with unions over Memphis-based FedEx when the Senate grappled with a labor dispute in the 1990s.
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The Morning Flap: February 14, 2012
These are my links for February 13th through February 14th:
- “Dogs Against Romney”? Democrats Say Unleash the Hound! – Tomorrow outside the Westminster dog show at Madison Square Garden at noon the group “Dogs Against Romney” will protest “to ensure pet lovers are aware that Mitt Romney is mean to dogs,” according to the group’s press release.
While it may seem silly to some, Democrats are have every intention of making sure – if Romney wins the GOP nomination – that every voting American knows about the story of Romney putting his family dog Seamus in a kennel on top of his roof and driving from Boston to Canada, with said canine Seamus making his displeasure known in a rather scatological way. “I have a yellow Lab named Winston,” Fox News’ Chris Wallace said to Romney. “I would no sooner put him in a kennel on the roof of my car than I would one of my children. Question: What were you thinking?” “This is a completely airtight kennel, mounted on the roof of our car,” Romney replied. “He climbed up there regularly, enjoyed himself. He was in a kennel at home a great deal of the time as well. We loved the dog. It was where he was comfortable.” “When Seamus crapped all over the car I’m fairly certain he wasn’t expressing pleasure,” one top Democrat told ABC News.
“31 million dog-owners vote,” said another.
- Media Matters memo called for hiring private investigators ‘to look into the personal lives’ of Fox employees – A little after 1 p.m. on Sept. 29, 2009, Karl Frisch emailed a memo to his bosses, Media Matters for America founder David Brock and president Eric Burns. In the first few lines, Frisch explained why Media Matters should launch a “Fox Fund” whose mission would be to attack the Fox News Channel.
“Simply put,” Frisch wrote, “the progressive movement is in need of an enemy. George W. Bush is gone. We really don’t have John McCain to kick around any more. Filling the lack of leadership on the right, Fox News has emerged as the central enemy and antagonist of the Obama administration, our Congressional majorities and the progressive movement as a whole.”
“We must take Fox News head-on in a well funded, presidential-style campaign to discredit and embarrass the network, making it illegitimate in the eyes of news consumers.”
What Frisch proceeded to suggest, however, went well beyond what legitimate presidential campaigns attempt. “We should hire private investigators to look into the personal lives of Fox News anchors, hosts, reporters, prominent contributors, senior network and corporate staff,” he wrote.
After that, Frisch argued, should come the legal assault: “We should look into contracting with a major law firm to study any available legal actions that can be taken against Fox News, from a class action law suit to defamation claims for those wronged by the network. I imagine this would be difficult but the right law firm is bound to find some legal ground for us to take action against the network.”
- Down in Michigan Polls, Romney Needs to Find His Base –
- No money for D.C. voucher program in Obama’s gigantic new budget, of course; Update: Meanwhile, White House to boost subsidies for Chevy Volt –
- Obama’s ‘rosy’ budget scenario doubles down on class warfare « The Enterprise Blog –
- Laura Richardson’s ethics woes mount – Democratic Rep. Laura Richardson instructed taxpayer-funded House aides to work on political redistricting last year, sources familiar with the situation told POLITICO.
Such activities could amount to a violation of prohibitions against lawmakers pressuring aides to do political work, as well as rules against using official resources, including staff, for campaign purposes.
The redistricting work, which has not previously been disclosed, allegedly occurred after it became clear Richardson was under investigation over another set of allegations that she forced House aides to perform political and personal tasks in violation of House rules. Richardson did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Sources told POLITICO that Richardson’s congressional aides collected information about communities outside her district, organized a workshop to train constituents in advance of a public meeting of California’s independent redistricting commission, and wrote talking points for those constituents to deliver during the public-comments portion of the meeting at Long Beach City Hall in April 2011.
The redistricting work was done at Richardson’s direction — rather than on a voluntary basis — these sources said.
A spokesman for the Ethics Committee declined to comment on the Richardson case, but several sources indicated that investigators have expanded the probe and are now looking into the redistricting angle.
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-14 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-14
- Iranians’ Internet access blocked temporarily: experts – Most computer users in Iran were blocked from accessing email, social networking and other services in recent days, U.S.-based Internet experts said on Monday, raising fears the government is extending the reach of its surveillance on ordinary citizens.
Internet service providers presumed to be acting at the Iranian government’s behest began blocking the most common form of secure connections on Friday, according to the outside experts and Iranian bloggers. Traffic rebounded to normal levels on Monday.
The cutoff apparently affected all encrypted international websites outside of Iran that depend on the Secure Sockets Layer protocol, which display addresses beginning with https, according to Earl Zmijewski of Renesys, a U.S. company that tracks Internet traffic worldwide.
- California lawmaker writes ‘Public Employees Bill of Rights’ – Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento,(right) has introduced legislation that would give unionized state workers more workplace discipline protections and first dibs on state government work.
SEIU Local 1000 and the Union of American Physicians and Dentists support AB 1655, the “Public Employees Bill of Rights Act.” Here’s what it would do:
• Gives unionized state employees priority over outside contractors and excluded state workers to fill permanent, overtime and on-call positions.
• Sets a one-year statute of limitations for employers to take an adverse action against a state employee. (The current law allows disciplinary actions up to three years after the discovery of fraud, embezzlement or records falsification.)
• Establishes a peer review committee to provide workplace operations input.
• Guarantees that the state won’t impose “unreasonable quotas” on employees.
• Bans extra work created by vacancies, furloughs of layoffs without “fair compensation.”
• Gives priority to workplace safety and health grievances.
• Explicitly bans workplace discrimination.
• Strengthens whistleblower protections.
• Requires employers exercise “preventive and corrective” actions before administering harsher employee discipline.
• Settles grievances in favor of the employee if the employer misses contractual deadlines for response.
• Defines protections and performance and merit evaluation processes for professionally licensed employees.
• Guarantees independent legal representation for professionally licensed workers named as codefendants in litigation against their employers. - Will Overeating Contribute to Memory Loss? | Smiles For A Lifetime – Temporary (Locum Tenens) Dentistry – Will Overeating Contribute to Memory Loss?
- Steinberg seeks state review of Sacramento Co. dental program – Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg is calling for a state review of a Sacramento County pilot program that provides state-funded dental coverage for low-income children.
A Center for Health Reporting article published in The Bee over the weekend detailed the shortcomings of the managed care program, including long wait times and comparatively low rates of dental care among the more than 110,000 Sacramento County children covered by the program.
In a letter to California Department of Health Care Services Director Toby Douglas, Steinberg called for immediate action to address what he called a “crisis in prevention and treatment services.”
“Despite that state funding, disturbing specific patient cases as well as the department’s own data cited in the article make it abundantly clear that prevention and treatment services are woefully inadequate for those children most in need,” the Sacramento Democrat wrote in the letter.
In addition to the investigation, Steinberg asked the administration to step up its monitoring of dental plans under contract with the program and withhold payments or cancel contracts with plans that fail to provide proper access to care or meet other performance standards.
- President 2012 GOP Poll Watch: Santorum SURGES to Catch Romney | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012 GOP Poll Watch: Santorum SURGES to Catch Romney
- AD-38: Antelope Valley Press Picks Up On Buck McKeon Countrywide Financial Stall Game » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: Antelope Valley Press Picks Up On Buck McKeon Countrywide Financial Stall Game
- George Will Video: Catholic Bishops “It Serves Them Right” Re: ObamaCare Contraception Mandate | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – George Will Video: Catholic Bishops “It Serves Them Right” Re: ObamaCare Contraception Mandate
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: Food and Drug Administration Shuts Down Dental Implant Manufacturer – Food and Drug Administration Shuts Down Dental Implant Manufacturer
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Morning Drill: February 13, 2012 – The Morning Drill: February 13, 2012
- Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney Tied Nationally As Romney Struggles with Base, New Polls Show – Despite a victory in the Maine caucuses on Saturday, Mitt Romney has more to worry about after two new polls released Monday show him fighting to keep his lead among Republicans nationally and struggling to win favor from the conservative base.
A new Pew Research Center poll found Santorum and Romney neck-and-neck, with Santorum winning 30 percent of the support among Republican registered voters to Romney’s 28 percent — a difference that falls well within the poll’s five percentage point margin of error. Separately, Gallup’s latest tracking survey of the Republican race found Romney with 32 percent support and Santorum right on his heels with 30 percent.
Of concern for Romney, the Pew poll shows him struggling among the conservative groups that make up the Republican base. Among self-identified conservatives, Santorum leads Romney by an 11 percent margin, 36 percent to 25 percent. Among Tea Party supporters, Santorum leads 42 percent to 23 percent.
Romney’s support among Tea Party supporters is essentially unchanged from last month, when he received 26 percent support from Tea Party supporters to 24 percent each for Santorum and Newt Gingrich. But Santorum’s lead among the group may be a sign that they have begun to see him as the alternative to Romney.
- Flap’s California Morning Collection: February 13, 2012 » Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Morning Collection: February 13, 2012
- Obama proposes $800 million in aid for Arab Spring
| Reuters – Obama proposes $800 million in aid for “Arab Spring” - The State Worker: CA prison officers spent more than $1 million on political advice – RT @TheStateWorker: CA prison officers spent more than $1 million on political advice
- Election 2012 Polling and News, Republican Presidential Candidates, Obama, Interactive Polling Data – President 2012 GOP Poll Watch: Romney 32% Vs. Santorum 30% Vs. Gingrich 16% Vs. Paul 8%
- Why America Keeps Getting More Conservative – Politics – The Atlantic Cities – Because it is the RIGHT thing to do….
- Jack Lew’s misleading claim about the Senate’s failure to pass a budget resolution – The Washington Post – Jack Lew’s misleading claim about the Senate’s failure to pass a budget resolution
- Dem lawmaker: Obama budget is a ‘nervous breakdown on paper’ – The Hill’s Video – Dem lawmaker: Obama budget is a ‘nervous breakdown on paper’
- CA-26: Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett Out as Candidate for Congress | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – CA-26: Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett Out as Candidate for Congress
- The American Spectator : Can Mitt Close the Deal? – Cold, bleak February has turned into a happy time for us. It’s given us a short break from the constant barrage of debates, speeches and “crucial” primaries in the Republican presidential nomination contest. February has given us, and the candidates, a bit of time to think. Let’s make the most of it.
The nomination is still up for grabs. Mitt Romney has the clearest path to it but Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul are all promising to take it all the way to the convention. To those who natter about how cool a “brokered” convention would be, I say don’t wish for something because you might get it. (Among other frightful questions, who can be the brokers? It’ll be a food fight that benefits only the media.) The Republican Party is too weak and fractured to come out of such an event united and strong enough to win in November.
So let’s assume that Romney is the nominee. The arithmetic is pretty simple. Mitt Romney plus an energized Republican base can beat Obama in November. Romney without an energized base will lose. But the Republican base is conservative, and Romney hasn’t closed the deal with conservatives. Can he?
Let’s face it: Romney isn’t one of us. At CPAC last Friday he said he governed Massachusetts as a “severely conservative” Republican in the tone of voice my late maternal grandmother used to say she was severely constipated. We know his record as state candidate and governor, and national candidate since 2007. We need not rehearse it here. Suffice it to say that it defines him as a transactional conservative. He will apply conservative principles as a business owner might apply production scenarios and estimated profit margins to negotiating a deal. They aren’t part of his core, but will be useful tools for him in campaigning and, if he wins, governing. - National Review calls on Gingrich to bow out of presidential race – The National Review is calling on Newt Gingrich to drop out of the Republican presidential race, arguing the former House Speaker should clear the way for Rick Santorum to seize the mantle as the Anti-Romney choice for conservatives.
“It is not clear whether Gingrich remains in the race because he still believes he could become president next year or because he wants to avenge his wounded pride: an ambiguity that suggests the problem with him as a leader. When he led Santorum in the polls, he urged the Pennsylvanian to leave the race. On his own arguments the proper course for him now is to endorse Santorum and exit,” the editors of the influential conservative online magazine wrote in an op-ed posted Monday.
- Santorum moves ahead in Michigan – Rick Santorum’s taken a large lead in Michigan’s upcoming Republican primary. He’s at 39% to 24% for Mitt Romney, 12% for Ron Paul, and 11% for Newt Gingrich.
Santorum’s rise is attributable to two major factors: his own personal popularity (a stellar 67/23 favorability) and GOP voters increasingly souring on Gingrich. Santorum’s becoming something closer and closer to a consensus conservative candidate as Gingrich bleeds support.
Santorum’s winning an outright majority of the Tea Party vote with 53% to 22% for Romney and 10% for Gingrich. He comes close to one with Evangelicals as well at 48% to 20% for Romney and 12% for Gingrich. And he cracks the 50% line with voters identifying as ‘very conservative’ at 51% to 20% for Romney and 10% for Gingrich.
- Untitled (http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2013/assets/budget.pdf) – RT @markknoller: The president’s 2013 federal budget now posted at
- Ill. man bilks Medicaid of $2M for erectile pumps — Health — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine – Illinois man bilks Medicaid of $2M for penis erectile pumps
- Santorum’s Turn – The Editors – National Review Online – Santorum’s Turn – really all that is left or it’s Romney
- The Morning Flap: February 13, 2012 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – The Morning Flap: February 13, 2012
- IN-Sen: Richard Mourdock Attacks Sen Richard Lugar for Support of Teapot Museum | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – IN-Sen: Richard Mourdock Attacks Sen Richard Lugar for Support of Teapot Museum
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-13 » Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-13
- AD-38: Details Emerge on Buck and Patricia McKeon’s Countrywide Home Loans » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: Details Emerge on Buck and Patricia McKeon’s Countrywide Home Loans
- “Dogs Against Romney”? Democrats Say Unleash the Hound! – Tomorrow outside the Westminster dog show at Madison Square Garden at noon the group “Dogs Against Romney” will protest “to ensure pet lovers are aware that Mitt Romney is mean to dogs,” according to the group’s press release.
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The Morning Flap: February 13, 2012
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, flanked by his wife Karen, right, and daughter Elizabeth, addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, Friday, Feb. 10, 2012
These are my links for February 9th through February 13th:
- Congressman wants Afghanistan study group – Citing an Army lieutenant colonel’s claims that there is no progress being made in Afghanistan, Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., is urging Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to create an independent study group to review U.S. strategy in the sandbox.
In a letter dated Friday, Wolf wrote he is deeply troubled by the conclusions reached by Lt. Col. Daniel Davis and asks Panetta to immediately create an Afghanistan/Pakistan Study Group.
In 2010 and 2011, Davis traveled to Afghanistan on assignment with the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force, an organization tasked with getting urgently needed equipment to soldiers in the field.
“What I saw bore no resemblance to rosy official statements by U.S. military leaders about conditions on the ground,” Davis wrote in an opinion piece titled “Truth, lies and Afghanistan,” published online Feb. 5 by Armed Forces Journal.
Rather than the gradual progress described by top U.S. officials, Davis wrote he saw, “the absence of success on virtually every level.”
During a yearlong deployment that began in late 2010, Davis wrote, his job sent him around the country to talk, travel and patrol with troops in Kandahar, Kunar, Ghazni, Khost, Paktika, Kunduz, Balkh, Nangarhar and other provinces. It was his fourth combat deployment, and his second in Afghanistan.
Davis wrote a classified and unclassified report. He has not released either report publicly. On his website, he says he will publish the full unclassified version as soon as Army public affairs completes its review and grants permission for release.
On Feb. 10, Rolling Stone magazine published a copy of the unclassified version on its website.
Davis has provided the reports to members of Congress — both Democrats and Republicans, senators and House members. He has also sent his reports to the Defense Department’s inspector general.
He declined to comment for this story.
The Pentagon maintains that the security environment in Afghanistan continues to improve.
During a briefing this week, Army Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, deputy commander of U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, described steady progress in the country, from local and national government to the development of Afghan security forces. Responding to a question about Davis’ report, Scaparrotti said, “it’s one person’s view of this,” adding that he thought the Defense Department’s outlook is accurate.
Wolf has written similar letters to Panetta over the past several months.
The congressman is the author of the legislation that created the Iraq Study Group and has been pushing for the Obama administration to conduct a similar review of the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
- Santorum surges into the lead – Public Policy Polling – Riding a wave of momentum from his trio of victories on Tuesday Rick Santorum has opened up a wide lead in PPP’s newest national poll. He’s at 38% to 23% for Mitt Romney, 17% for Newt Gingrich, and 13% for Ron Paul.
Part of the reason for Santorum’s surge is his own high level of popularity. 64% of voters see him favorably to only 22% with a negative one. But the other, and maybe more important, reason is that Republicans are significantly souring on both Romney and Gingrich. Romney’s favorability is barely above water at 44/43, representing a 23 point net decline from our December national poll when he was +24 (55/31). Gingrich has fallen even further. A 44% plurality of GOP voters now hold a negative opinion of him to only 42% with a positive one. That’s a 34 point drop from 2 months ago when he was at +32 (60/28).
Santorum is now completely dominating with several key segments of the electorate, especially the most right leaning parts of the party. With those describing themselves as ‘very conservative,’ he’s now winning a majority of voters at 53% to 20% for Gingrich and 15% for Romney. Santorum gets a majority with Tea Party voters as well at 51% to 24% for Gingrich and 12% for Romney. And with Evangelicals he falls just short of a majority with 45% to 21% for Gingrich and 18% for Romney.
It used to be that Gingrich was leading with all these groups and Romney was staying competitive enough with them to hold the overall lead. No more- a consensus conservative candidate finally seems to be emerging and it’s Santorum. - Labor unions left sour with President Obama set to sign FAA funding bill – Labor’s division over the bill funding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has helped clear the way for President Obama to sign it.
Unions are split in their opposition to the measure, with some fearing its provision on union election rules endangers organizing.
Union officials say they were kept in the dark about the negotiations between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) that helped pass the bill.
- Does Indiana Need a Pro-Teapot Museum GOP Senator? – By Jim Geraghty – The Campaign Spot – National Review Online – RT @jimgeraghty: In Indiana’s GOP Senate primary, Richard Mourdock releases new statewide ad hitting Lugar on earmarks:
- Day By Day February 12, 2012 – Logic | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Day By Day February 12, 2012 – Logic
- Romney and Birth Control: a Shift – WSJ.com – RT @LizMair: Rough news day for Mitt Romney on many counts, but especially this one:
- Shrinking Senate Hopes – for 2012 – Three other Democratic seats are vulnerable. No state has trended Republican in recent years more than Missouri. John McCain narrowly beat Obama in Missouri in 2008. Roy Blunt won the open Senate seat there in 2010 by 14 percentage points. So it’s no surprise that Democratic senator Claire McCaskill is in deep trouble this year. The Republican Senate primary is August 7.
Wisconsin is more Democratic, but it offers Republicans a great opportunity. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, the Democratic candidate, is gay, liberal, and a zealous campaigner. Either of the GOP candidates, former governor Tommy Thompson or ex-House member Mark Neumann, could beat her. When Neumann gave up his House seat in 1998 to run (unsuccessfully) for the Senate, by the way, he was replaced by Paul Ryan.
In Hawaii, Democrat Dan Akaka is stepping down after three terms, and there’s only one Republican with a realistic chance of winning his seat, former governor Linda Lingle. Fortunately for Republicans, Lingle is running. She didn’t have to buck a Democratic tide in a presidential year when she won the governorship in 2002 and 2006. With Obama, a native of Hawaii, leading the ticket, she’ll have to overcome a strong partisan headwind.
Where does this leave us? Duffy projects a Republican gain of three to six seats. The Rothenberg Report says two to five. A year ago, I’d have said four to seven. Today, three to six seems about right, with emphasis on the three. But my rule of politics is that the future is never a straight line projection of the present. In November, Republican prospects may look better—or worse.
- Canada’s Harper talks oil with China as U.S. faces $4 gas | Washington Examiner – RT @mtapscott: Canada’s Harper talks oil with China as U.S. faces $4 gas | Washington Examiner: #TCOT #TEAPARTY #SG …
- AD-38: California Assemblyman Cameron Smyth Endorses Scott Wilk for Assembly » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: California Assemblyman Cameron Smyth Endorses Scott Wilk for Assembly
- Media Matters | Sources | David Brock | The Daily Caller – Inside Media Matters: Sources, memos reveal erratic behavior, close coordination with White House & news organizations
- SNL Parodies of Clint Eastwood’s Half Time in America Are Really Stupid | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – SNL Parodies of Clint Eastwood’s Half time in America Are Really Stupid
- Weasel Zippers » Blog Archive » Occupy Oakland Burns The American Flag For The Third Week In A Row… – Occupy Oakland Burns The American Flag For The Third Week In A Row…
- Merkel taking Europe in wrong direction: Soros – Merkel taking Europe in wrong direction: George Soros
- Greek lawmakers approve austerity bill as Athens burns
| Reuters – Greek lawmakers approve austerity bill as Athens burns - Day By Day February 11, 2012 – Listing | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Day By Day February 11, 2012 – Listing
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-12 » Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-12
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-12 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-12
- foursquare :: Gregory Flap’s Badges :: Greasy Spoon – I just unlocked the “Greasy Spoon” badge on @foursquare! Bring on the burgers!
- foursquare :: Gregory Flap @ Ronnie’s Diner – Finished @LAMarathon 20 miler! Yay! (@ Ronnie’s Diner w/ 6 others)
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-11 » Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-11
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-11 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-11
- The Afghanistan Report the Pentagon Doesn’t Want You to Read – Earlier this week, the New York Times’ Scott Shane published a bombshell piece about Lt. Colonel Daniel Davis, a 17-year Army veteran recently returned from a second tour in Afghanistan. According to the Times, the 48-year-old Davis had written an 84-page unclassified report, as well as a classified report, offering his assessment of the decade-long war. That assessment is essentially that the war has been a disaster and the military’s top brass has not leveled with the American public about just how badly it’s been going. “How many more men must die in support of a mission that is not succeeding?” Davis boldly asks in an article summarizing his views in The Armed Forces Journal.
Davis last month submitted the unclassified report –titled “Dereliction of Duty II: Senior Military Leader’s Loss of Integrity Wounds Afghan War Effort” – for an internal Army review. Such a report could then be released to the public. However, according to U.S. military officials familiar with the situation, the Pentagon is refusing to do so. Rolling Stone has now obtained a full copy of the 84-page unclassified version, which has been making the rounds within the U.S. government, including the White House. We’ve decided to publish it in full; it’s well worth reading for yourself. It is, in my estimation, one of the most significant documents published by an active-duty officer in the past ten years.
- Flap’s California Afternoon Collection: February 10, 2012 » Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Afternoon Collection: February 10, 2012
- Poll Watch: Americans View China as Leading Economic Power | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Poll Watch: Americans View China as Leading Economic Power
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Afternoon Drill: February 10, 2012 – The Afternoon Drill: February 10, 2012
- Teachers union defends endorsement of Falk – The state’s largest public teachers union is standing behind its endorsement of Kathleen Falk for governor despite controversy among Democrats and some union members.
Some complained the endorsement came too early: A recall election hasn’t been ordered, and many expect other prominent candidates to join the race. Others felt the unions shouldn’t play kingmaker before a primary or give the impression that the election is about only collective bargaining rights.
Mary Bell, Wisconsin Education Association Council president, said she understood the passionate feelings but said the recommendation was made with input from union leaders throughout the state.
“It’s not surprising,” she said. “Our members have a lot invested in what’s happening.”
Though acknowledging other candidates may enter the race, Bell said she is confident the former Dane County executive is the best choice to beat Republican Gov. Scott Walker.
Bell said the short and uncertain time frame of a recall made it necessary to put out a recommendation early.
Mike Tate, chairman of the state Democratic Party, said the party is proud to work closely with organized labor – which he called “the backbone” of the party – though he said the election is about much more.
“A million Wisconsinites signed a recall petition; each one has their own reason,” he said. “There’s a number of reasons to recall Scott Walker.”
He shrugged off the significance of the WEAC decision.
“Unions make endorsements,” Tate said Thursday. “That’s what they do.”
- Day By Day February 10, 2012 – The Useful | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Day By Day February 10, 2012 – The Useful
- Here’s A Peek At What Falk As Governor Would Look Like – Don’t say you haven’t been warned!
Kathleen Falk, the candidate from WEAC, says she wants to “undo the harm” that Governor Walker has done and is apparently willing to devastate Wisconsin in order to advance her agenda.
Want to see what “undoing the harm” would look like?
A year ago Pat Quinn, the ultra-liberal Governor of Illinois, faced many of the same challenges that Scott Walker faced. Instead of standing up to public employee unions and reining in spending, Quinn pushed for massive tax increases and business as usual.
So how did that work out?
In contrast to Governor Walker (who has an approval rating over 50%), Quinn has an approval rating of 30%! That’s right! 30%.
Let’s be real clear. Kathleen Falk is a slightly more opportunistic version of Pat Quinn with a Madison mailing address. The policies of Quinn have decimated Illinois. There’s absolutely no reason to think that they’d work any better in Wisconsin under Kathleen Falk.
Want to see what Wisconsin would look like one year after Kathleen Falk became Governor? Just look at Illinois today.
It’s not a pretty sight.
- Nearly 1 in 20 US adults over 50 have fake knees – Nearly 1 in 20 Americans older than 50 have artificial knees, or more than 4 million people, according to the first national estimate showing how common these replacement joints have become in an aging population.
Doctors know the number of knee replacement operations has surged in the past decade, especially in baby boomers. But until now, there was no good fix on the total number of people living with them.
The estimate is important because it shows that a big segment of the population might need future knee-related care, said Dr. Daniel Berry, president of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and chairman of orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He was not involved in the research.
- Medscape: Medscape Access – Midlife smoking in men linked to more rapid cognitive decline in later life i
- Majority of Search Queries Go Mobile By 2016 — Bernstein – Peter Kafka – Mobile – AllThingsD – RT @allthingsd: Here’s What Apple and Google Are Fighting Over: Search Goes Mobile By 2016 -by @pkafka
- Report: Adelson done giving to Gingrich as funding dries up – The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room – Report: Sheldon Adelson done giving to #Gingrich as funding dries up #tcot #GOP12
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-10 » Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-10
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-10 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-10
- ObamaCare: The Catholic Epiphany | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – ObamaCare: The Catholic Epiphany
- AD-38: Patricia McKeon to Address Simi Valley Moorpark Tea Party » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: Patricia McKeon to Address Simi Valley Moorpark Tea Party » Flap’s California Blog
- Untitled (https://plus.google.com/105353644409523560325/posts/VtTyPoGT4nP) – Nancy Pelosi said, “We have to pass it to find out what is in it,” referring to the Health Care bill
- AD-38 Video: Rep Buck McKeon Doesn’t Want to Answer Questions About Defense Contractors Contributing to His Wife Patricia McKeon’s Assembly Campaign » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38 Video: Rep Buck McKeon Doesn’t Want to Answer Questions About Defense Contractors Contributing to His Wife…
- AD-38: Patricia McKeon to Address Simi Valley Moorpark Tea Party » Flap’s California Blog – (500) …
- (500) http://flapsblog.org/2012/02/09/ad-38-patricia-mckeon-to-address-simi-valley-moorpark-tea-party/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ad-38-patricia-mckeon-to-address-simi-valley-moorpark-tea-party&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter – AD-38: Patricia McKeon to Address Simi Valley Moorpark Tea Party
- President 2012: The GOP Presidential Delegate Calculator | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012: The GOP Presidential Delegate Calculator
- Obama administration reaffirms support for California high-speed rail – latimes.com – Obama administration reaffirms support for California high-speed rail
- Carmen Trutanich will run for L.A. district attorney – latimes.com – Carmen Trutanich will run for L.A. district attorney
- How the housing settlement might affect you | HealthyCal – How the housing settlement might affect you
- Flap’s California Afternoon Collection: February 9, 2012 » Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Afternoon Collection: February 9, 2012
- Sen Jim DeMint Video: Brokered GOP Convention Possible | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Sen Jim DeMint Video: Brokered GOP Convention Possible
- Poll Watch: 22 Per Cent of Americans Satisfied With the Way Things Are Going | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Poll Watch: 22 Per Cent of Americans Satisfied With the Way Things Are Going
- President 2012 Ohio Poll Watch: Santorum Tied With Obama While Romney Trails | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012 Ohio Poll Watch: Santorum Tied With Obama While Romney Trails
- Updated: President 2012 Video: Mitt Romney’s Greatest Hits | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Updated: President 2012 Video: Mitt Romney’s Greatest Hits
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: Tom’s of Maine to Award Five $20K Grants to Non-Profit Dental Clinics – Tom’s of Maine to Award Five $20K Grants to Non-Profit Dental Clinics
- Congressman wants Afghanistan study group – Citing an Army lieutenant colonel’s claims that there is no progress being made in Afghanistan, Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., is urging Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to create an independent study group to review U.S. strategy in the sandbox.
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The Morning Flap: February 8, 2012
These are my links for February 7th through February 8th:
- Santorum revives campaign with wins in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota – Rick Santorum had a breakthrough night Tuesday, winning GOP presidential contests in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado, all of which is expected to breathe life into his struggling campaign and slow Mitt Romney’s march to the Republican presidential nomination.The Santorum triumphs promise to, at least temporarily, alter the face of the campaign going into the crucial “Super Tuesday” contests, as the caustic tone of the primaries is expected to continue and intensify. Romney and his allies have signaled that they will use their financial advantage to launch stepped-up attacks on Santorum and on former House speaker Newt Gingrich, the other main challenger.
- Three-state sweep revives Santorum’s White House hopes – Former U.S. senator Rick Santorum rejuvenated his presidential hopes on Tuesday with a shocking sweep of the three nominating contests in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri, dealing a blow to wounded front-runner Mitt Romney.Even though Romney still holds strong advantages in financing and organization, his campaign will now have to refocus to fight back the challenge from the surging conservative Santorum.
Backed by a wealthy “Super PAC” that pays for attack ads against rivals, Romney had excelled in major contests thus far in the race. After big wins in Nevada and Florida in the previous week, he did little campaigning in Minnesota and Missouri and had been expected to win easily in Colorado.
- WR man charged with practicing dentistry without a license – A dentist who surrendered his license in 1993 was indicted Tuesday on allegations he practiced dentistry without a license in 2011.
Chester Kyle Little, 58, of Warner Robins, is accused of performing dentistry from June 30, 2011, to Aug. 25, 2011, at an office located at 2533 Hillcrest Ave. in Macon, according to an indictment filed Tuesday in Bibb County Superior Court.Little’s license initially was issued in 1977, according to licensing records held by the Georgia Secretary of State.
He surrendered the license following allegations he “knowingly made misleading, deceptive, untrue or fraudulent representations” in connection with claims submitted to the Georgia Department of Medical Assistance in 1986 and 1987, and allegations that he possessed cocaine with the intent to distribute, according to the records. - Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Morning Drill: February 8, 2012 – The Morning Drill: February 8, 2012
- Day By Day February 7 and 8, 2012 – Change and Infinite | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Day By Day February 7 and 8, 2012 – Change and Infinite
- Poll shows Obama ahead of Romney in swing-state Virginia – The Hill’s Ballot Box – RT @thehill Poll: Obama leads Romney in swing-state Virginia #tcot
- Spirit Lobbyist Bundled for Obama, Records Show | Washington Free Beacon – RT @AndrewStilesWFB: One of Obama’s most active campaign bundlers i$ a registered lobbyist.
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-08 » Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-08
- Coffee’s Effect on the Heart Is So Small You Should Stop Worrying – Marc Gillinov & Steven Nissen – Health – The Atlantic – RT @TheAtlanticHLTH: Coffee’s effect on the heart is so small you should stop worrying:
- In Republican 2012 presidential race, Rick Santorum roars back – Alexander Burns – POLITICO.com – RT @politico: Leading POLITICO – Welcome back, Rick Santorum:
- RNC official delegate count has Romney up 73-29 | Campaign 2012 | Washington Examiner – RT @conncarroll: So, to recap, after “winning” MO, CO, and MN, Santorum still has only 3 delegates to Romney’s 73
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-08 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-08
- AD-38: Rep. Buck McKeon Caught Covering His Bases for Himself and California Assembly Candidate Wife Patricia McKeon » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: Rep. Buck McKeon Caught Covering His Bases for Himself and California Assembly Candidate Wife Patricia Mc…
- AD-38: Rep. Buck McKeon Caught Covering His Bases for Himself and California Assembly Candidate Wife Patricia McKeon » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: Rep. Buck McKeon Caught Covering His Bases for Himself and California Assembly Candidate Wife Patricia Mc…
- AD-38: Rep. Buck McKeon Caught Covering His Bases for Himself and California Assembly Candidate Wife Patricia McKeon » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: Rep. Buck McKeon Caught Covering His Bases for Himself and California Assembly Candidate Wife Patricia Mc…
- AD-38: Rep. Buck McKeon Caught Covering His Bases for Himself and California Assembly Candidate Wife Patricia McKeon » Flap’s California Blog – RE: Sigh….guess you didn’t bother to read the Roll Call piece or Vanessa Wilk’s letter….
- The Reason.TV Parody of Clint Eastwood’s Chrysler Halftime in America Super Bowl Ad | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – The Reason.TV Parody of Clint Eastwood’s Chrysler Halftime in America Super Bowl Ad
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Daily Extraction: February 7, 2012 – The Daily Extraction: February 7, 2012
- Michelle Malkin » Caucus/primary night open thread: Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri; Santorum’s big night shaping up; Update: Missouri for Rick; Minnesota goes with Rick; Colorado for Rick – RT @michellemalkin: Like I said yesterday: @RickSantorum ‘s got game. Now, he needs more volunteers, money, help:
- Rush Limbaugh’s Parody of Clint Eastwood’s Chrysler Halftime in America Super Bowl Ad | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Rush Limbaugh’s Parody of Clint Eastwood’s Chrysler Halftime in American Super Bowl Ad
- AD-38: Rep. Buck McKeon Caught Covering His Bases for Himself and California Assembly Candidate Wife Patricia McKeon » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: Rep. Buck McKeon Caught Covering His Bases for Himself and CA Assembly Candidate Wife Patricia McKeon
- AD-38: Really Patricia? An Anti Patricia McKeon Blog Shut Down and Deleted » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: Really Patricia? An Anti Patricia McKeon Blog Shut Down and Deleted
- Ninth Circuit to 7 Million California Voters: You Are Irrational Bigots – In a breathtaking exercise in ill-natured illogic, a divided Ninth Circuit ruled 2–1 that because Prop 8 does not take away civil-union benefits for same-sex couples, it’s an unconstitutional exercise in irrational animus towards gay people.Dishonestly, the court claimed it did not require any heightened scrutiny to reach this result.
The very timid dissent (“please don’t go after me!”) points out that Baker v. Nelson is ruling precedent and that the differences between same-sex and opposite sex couples in terms of the state’s interest in responsible procreation could be rationally related to a legitimate state interest.
Back in 2004, when we fought about a Federal Marriage Amendment, gay rights advocates said we were alarmists for claiming that they would go to federal court seeking a right to impose gay marriage on all 50 states.
That was so last decade.
- Ban on gay marriage struck down (FINAL UPDATE) : SCOTUSblog – In dissent, Judge Smith argued that the Supreme Court’s Romer decision did not control the outcome in this case. He went on to conclude that California had sufficient interests to justify the enactment of the same-sex marriage ban: steering childbearing into the realm of marriage among couples biologically capable of having a child together, and promoting strong parenting by providing for children to be born into the more stable relationship of such marriages. He credited the arguments of the backers of Proposition 8 that their measure would further those interests sufficiently to justify its enactment.The Smith dissent thus provides a basis for more conservative judges on higher courts to decide differently than the panel majority did.
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: Dental Assistant Pleads Guilty to Murdering Dentist Employer Dr. Albert Ro – Dental Assistant Pleads Guilty to Murdering Dentist Employer Dr. Albert Ro
- Capitol Alert: Newt Gingrich to speak at California Republican Party convention – Newt Gingrich to speak at California Republican Party convention
- USC football: ESPN moves USC to No. 1 in early preseason top 25 – latimes.com – USC football: ESPN moves USC to No. 1 in early preseason top 25
- Voter Approved California Proposition 8 Outlawing Gay Marriage Ruled Unconstitutional By Federal Appeals Court | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Voter Approved California Proposition 8 Outlawing Gay Marriage Ruled Unconstitutional By Federal Appeals Court
- 10-16696 #398_Decision – RT @michellemalkin: Here’s the 9th Circuit opinion striking down Prop. 8:
- Scott Walker, fighting a good fight in Wisconsin – The Washington Post – Who’s progressive in Wisconsin #tcot
- Flap’s California Morning Collection: February 7, 2012 » Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Morning Collection: February 7, 2012 #catcot
- The Morning Flap: February 7, 2012 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – The Morning Flap: February 7, 2012
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The Morning Flap: February 6, 2012
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
These are my links for February 3rd through February 6th:
Many Democrats have high hopes for the Southwest in Election 2012 and some even think that President Obama even has a decent shot to move Arizona from Republican to Democrat in the Electoral College column this November. However, the president may have an uphill fight to achieve that goal as most voters in the Grand Canyon State disapprove of the way he’s done his job.
A new Rasmussen Reports telephone poll found that just 41% of Likely Voters in Arizona approve of the way President Obama has performed his role. Fifty-six percent (56%) disapprove. Those figures are significantly lower than the president’s national ratings. They include 28% who Strongly Approve and 48% who Strongly Disapprove.
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Morning Drill: February 6, 2012 – The Morning Drill: February 6, 2012
- CA-26 Video: An Interview with Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks » Flap’s California Blog – CA-26 Video: An Interview with Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks
- Untitled (https://plus.google.com/105353644409523560325/posts/GcAwrS8kw7Q) – Sunday’s Dilbert looks at lunch in a far different way!
- Romney up in Colorado, close race in Minnesota – Last night’s results in Nevada were bad news for Newt Gingrich and PPP’s first day of polling in Colorado and Minnesota indicates things may only get worse for him in the coming days.In Colorado Mitt Romney looks primed for another big Western win to match his one in Nevada. He leads with 40% there to 26% for Rick Santorum, 18% for Gingrich, and 12% for Ron Paul.
Minnesota looks like a toss up with any of the four candidates having some shot at winning. Santorum holds a small edge there with 29% to 27% for Romney, 22% for Gingrich, and 19% for Paul.
What both states have in common is that Gingrich has fallen precipitously since our last polls in them. In Colorado Gingrich was in first place with a 19 point lead in early December. His support has declined 19 points since then and his net favorability has dropped 33 points from +41 (64/23) to only +8 (49/41). Gingrich has had a similarly large decline in Minnesota, but there it’s much more abrupt. We polled the state only two weeks ago but in that time he’s dropped 14 points from 36% to 22%, and his favorability has 26 points from +34 (59/25) to +8 (47/39). That after glow from South Carolina has worn off real fast.
- PAYROLL D?J? VU, THE MAX BAUCUS WAY, HOEKSTRA’S AD SUPER-CONTROVERSIAL, PELOSI: BLESSING OR CURSE?, REHBERG UNDER-REPORTS LOBBYIST CASH, PAUL REIMBURSED TWICE FOR FLIGHTS, BACHMANN’S REVOLVING DOOR – POLITICO Huddle – POLITICO.com – PAYROLL D?J? VU, THE MAX BAUCUS WAY, HOEKSTRA’S AD SUPER-CONTROVERSIAL, PELOSI: BLESSING OR CURSE?, REHBERG UNDE…
- Romney tops 50% in final Nevada tally – Mitt Romney won Saturday’s Nevada caucuses with his highest portion of a state’s vote yet, just over 50%, according to certified results released Monday by the Nevada Republican Party.Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich finished in second place with just over 21% of the vote. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas placed third at 18.7%, and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania earned 9.9%.
Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who also won the state’s GOP caucuses in 2008, received more than twice the votes of his closest opponent.
- Obama: I’m getting ‘better as time goes on’ – During an interview that aired Monday on NBC’s “Today” show, President Obama said that he gets “better as time goes on” at his job and that he believes the grassroots movement that propelled him to victory in 2008 will help him win a second term.”What’s frustrated people is that I’ve not been able to implement every aspect of what I said in 2008. Well, it turns out our Founders designed a system that makes it more difficult to bring about change than I would like sometimes. But what we have been able to do is move in the right direction,” Obama said.
“And you know what? One of the things about being president is you get better as time goes on,” he added.
- (500) http://flapsblog.com/2012/02/06/day-by-day-february-6-2012-game-on/ – Day By Day February 6, 2012 – Game On
- House bill bans welfare spending at strip clubs – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs – House bill bans welfare spending at strip clubs –
- News from The Associated Press – Georgia’s top court overturns assisted suicide limits; victory for group that helped cancer patient die: -ldh
- Economic Confidence Highest in D.C., Lowest in W.Va. – Economic Confidence Highest in D.C., Lowest in W.Va… #Gallup
- Most Egyptians Oppose U.S. Economic Aid – Most Egyptians Oppose U.S. Economic Aid… #Gallup
- News from The Associated Press – Obama says U.S. has a “very good estimate” of when Iran could finish making a nuclear weapon: -ldh
- Economic Gains, Questions on Romney Boost Obama’s Prospects for November – ABC News – RT @amyewalter: Winner of GOP primary: Obama. New ABC/WaPo poll shows POTUS approve at 50%, beats Romney by 6 pts.
- Hill Poll: Voters willing to see US attack Iran over nuclear weapons – TheHill.com – The Hill Poll: Voters willing to see US attack Iran over its nuclear weapons #iaea #nuclear #iran
- (500) http://flapsblog.com/2012/02/06/flap-twitter-updates-for-2012-02-06/ – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-06
- Red-light cameras boost coffers, rile drivers – Red-light cameras boost coffers, rile drivers
- Neophyte Democratic candidate joins Berman/Sherman race – latimes.com – Neophyte Democratic candidate joins Berman/Sherman race: “If the battle between Democratic Reps. Howard Berman o…
- Rose Ann DeMoro News – The Sacramento Bee – Nurses flex their political muscle in Sacramento and across California: “Rose Ann DeMoro is always ready for ano…
- Giuliani: Romney Changes ‘Give Me Pause’ – Alexandra Jaffe – NationalJournal.com – Giuliani says Romney’s changes ‘give me pause.’
- Face the Nation: Rudy Giuliani on GOP race » The Right Scoop – – Face the Nation: Rudy Giuliani on GOP race:
- Armey: Gingrich a lost cause for tea party base – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs – RT @PoliticalTicker: Armey: Gingrich a lost cause for tea party base –
- Nevada Caucus 2012 Results MAP (REAL-TIME DATA) – Nevada Caucus 2012 Results MAP (REAL-TIME DATA)
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Daily Extraction: February 4, 2012 – The Daily Extraction: February 4, 2012
- Nevada Republican caucuses, 2008 – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia – RT @DanRiehl: Romney beat McCain 51% to 13% in 2008 with Paul getting 14%
- Nevada Caucus 2012 Results MAP (REAL-TIME DATA) – RT @HuffPostPol: #NVCaucus results map: Romney 42%, Gingrich 26.5%, Paul 18.3%, Santorum 13.2% (w/ 41.3% reporting)
- Iran mass producing anti-ship cruise missile – Iran has begun mass production of an anti-ship cruise missile, state television’s website said on Saturday.The Zafar missile, as it is dubbed in the report, “is a short-range, anti-ship cruise missile capable of destroying small- and medium-sized targets with high precision.”
It can be mounted on speed boats and other light vessels, can withstand electronic warfare, and is able to fly in low altitudes to avoid detection, the report said.
Iran has a fleet of speed boats that often challenge US and allied warships in the Gulf.
The vessels are usually controlled by the elite Revolutionary Guards and can be equipped with missiles.
- Newt speaks. “I will be a candidate for President of United States. We will go to Tampa.” #Nevada – RT @guypbenson: Newt speaks. “I will be a candidate for President of United States. We will go to Tampa.” #Nevada
- President 2012: Mitt Romney Wins Nevada Big | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012: Mitt Romney Wins Nevada Big
- (500) http://flapsblog.com/2012/02/04/day-by-day-february-4-2012-third-base/ – Day By Day February 4, 2012 – Third Base
- Nevada Caucus: Live Election Results – National Journal Staff – NationalJournal.com – RT @nationaljournal: With 6.2% of precincts reporting, see the live results from the Nevada Caucus here:
- (404) http://flapsblog.com/2012/02/04/flap-twitter-updates-for-2012-02-04/ – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-04
- Log In – The New York Times – Log In – The New York Times
- Log In – The New York Times – Log In – The New York Times
- Log In – The New York Times – Gingrich’s Deep Ties to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac #teaparty #tcot
- Nearly half of California jobless workers considered ‘long-term’ – Not only does California have more than 2 million unemployed workers, but nearly half of them have been jobless for 27 weeks or more, according to new data assembled by the state Department of Employment Development.”Between May 2007 and February 2011, the number of people who were jobless 27 weeks or more in California rose an astounding 620 percent,” says the EDD report.
Those who are called “long-term unemployed” grew from 15.9 percent of the jobless population in late 2007 to 46.8 percent last March, remaining over 46 percent in December.
“The rapid rise in long-term unemployment can be directly tied to the collapse of the housing bubble in California,” the report continues. “This event had dramatic effects on the construction and finance industries and on the duratio
- Cheer Up Republicans: More States Go RED in 2011 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Cheer Up Republicans: More States Go RED in 2011
- Day By Day February 3, 2012 – Translation | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Day By Day February 3, 2012 – Translation
- S&P 500’s Booming Start Brings Back Memories Of 1987 – MarketBeat – WSJ – RT @WSJ: The S&P 500 has jumped 6.9% in 2012, its best start to a year since 1987
- GA-2012 Primary: 45% Gingrich, 32% Romney, 9% Santorum, 8% Paul (SurveyUSA 2/1-2) – RT @pollsterpolls: GA-2012 Primary: 45% Gingrich, 32% Romney, 9% Santorum, 8% Paul (SurveyUSA 2/1-2)
- Why the official 8.3 percent unemployment rate is a phony number—and what it means for Obama’s reelection « The Enterprise Blog – Why that 8.3% unemployment rate is phony — and what it means for Obama’s reelection
- The PJ Tatler » Official Unemployment Went Down, Actual Unemployment Still High – Official Unemployment Went Down, Actual Unemployment Still High #tcot
- American Power: ‘Atlas Shrugged’ Sequel Secures Financing, Production to Start in April – Atlas Shrugged sequel secures funding. Production starts in April!
- Panetta won’t confirm whether he thinks Israel will attack Iran this spring – The Hill’s DEFCON Hill – Panetta staying quiet about report he thinks #Israel could attack #Iran this spring
- Romney up big in Nevada – Public Policy Polling – If you missed our middle of the night release final Nevada numbers are: Romney 50, Gingrich 25, Paul 15, Santorum 8:
- The 15 Worst Housing Markets For The Next Five Years – The 15 Worst Housing Markets For The Next Five Years
- Record 1.2 Million People Fall Out Of Labor Force In One Month, Labor Force Participation Rate Tumbles To Fresh 30 Year Low | ZeroHedge – Jobs are up by 243k, but people not counted in the numbers are up 1.2 million. Yup! MILLION!
- The PJ Tatler » Planned Parenthood’s Actions Proves that It’s Not Really a ‘Pro-Choice’ Organization – Planned Parenthood’s Actions Proves that It’s Not Really a ‘Pro-Choice’ Organization #tcot
- Exclusive: Doctor cheating warnings expand to dermatology – CNN.com – Dermatologists are cheating on medical board exams, CNN exclusive investigation finds.
- Komen Decision Exposes Planned Parenthood, Abortion-Breast Cancer | LifeNews.com – Komen Decision Exposes Planned Parenthood, Abortion-Breast Cancer @gerardmnadalphd @charmaineyoest
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The Morning Flap: February 2, 2012
These are my links for February 1st through February 2nd:
- In Bad Break for Romney, He Wins Trump’s Endorsement – A portion of today’s Morning Jolt covers the reports last night that Donald Trump would endorse Newt Gingrich for president. Moments ago, news broke that Trump would endorse Romney.
Sigh.
- 2012 Michigan Republican Primary – Romney 38%, Gingrich 23%, Santorum 17%, Paul 14% – Mitt Romney, coming off his big win in the Florida Primary on Tuesday, is the clear front-runner in the first Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the Republican presidential race in his home state of Michigan. Voters in this hard hit state see Romney as the much better choice to manage the economy. The Michigan Republican Primary is on February 28.
Romney earns 38% support from Likely Republican Primary Voters in Michigan, with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich a distant second with 23% of the vote. Seventeen percent (17%) prefer former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, and nearly as many (14%) favor Texas Congressman Ron Paul. One percent (1%) like some other candidate in the race, and six percent (6%) are undecided
- Coulter’s shameful defense of Romneycare – Ann Coulter’s support for Mitt Romney entered a new stage today with a column offering an all out embrace of Romneycare. In the process, she insults the intelligence of conservative critics of the law and doesn’t address their actual arguments against it.
Her first defense of the law is to name other conservatives who supported it at the time. So what? Many of us were opposed to it all along. For instance, in August 2006, before Barack Obama even announced he was seeking the presidency, I fretted that Romney’s support for universal health care made him the natural heir to President Bush’s big government “compassionate conservatism.” In July 2007, I wrote that, “It is hard to imagine anything representing a greater affront to conservative principles than using government to coerce private citizens into purchasing healthcare.” David Hogberg was another early critic, among many others.
- Have Democrats Succeeded in Pre-Destroying Romney? – – Tuesday’s installment of the left’s crusade to destroy Mitt Romney began like this: an operator chirping, “I’d like to welcome you today to the Mitt Romney Would Destroy Social Security and Medicare Conference Call.”
A few moments later, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, was on the line. “Thanks, everybody, for joining the call today,” she began. Within minutes, she had accused Romney of “political pandering,” supporting “the extreme tea party agenda,” and lying to senior citizens, Hispanics and supporters of the space program.
Just another day in the life of the vast left-wing conspiracy.
Practically every day for months, Democrats and their allies have been hammering Romney like this. Unions, party committees at the national and state levels, independent groups such as American Bridge and Americans United for Change, and the Obama campaign itself have undertaken an unprecedented effort to tarnish the front-runner while virtually ignoring the rest of the GOP candidates. And it appears to be working.
Even as he finds increasing success in the Republican primary, negative views of Romney have skyrocketed, particularly among independents, according to recent polls. An ABC News/Washington Post survey released last week, for example, found Romney viewed unfavorably by 49 percent of voters and favorably by just 31 percent. Among independents, just 23 percent viewed Romney favorably, compared to 51 percent who felt that way about President Obama.
One emerging strain of the conventional wisdom holds that it’s the harsh attacks on Romney from Newt Gingrich — and blowback from Romney’s own brutally negative campaign — that’s causing this to happen. Democrats have been pushing this line, in fact, arguing that Romney is winning at a steep cost and will limp into the general election bruised beyond repair.
- The National Review’s Candidate Won’t Stop Digging – It is days like today that make me thankful I think they all suck. At least I’m thankful I’m in the firmly not Romney camp.
Having told us only Romney was viable (with half-nods to Huntsman and Santorum) and having trotted out Elliot Abrams to smear Newt Gingrich with out of context quotes, even National Review is having trouble defending their candidate today.
This morning Mitt Romney said he wasn’t concerned about the poor. The poor, after all, have food stamps and Medicaid. But don’t worry. If the safety net is broken, Patrician Mitt Romney will fix it so the poor can stay comfortably poor. After all, just look what he did in Massachusetts. The poor can now wait 44 days to get in to see a doctor. Excelsior!
After making sure we all understood the poor were for the Democrats to be worried about, Romney decided to keep digging his hole even bigger. By the end of the day, Jim DeMint had to rebuke him.
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Morning Drill: February 2, 2012 – The Morning Drill: February 2, 2012
- Romney derangement syndrome (on the right) – So what gives? Perhaps it is frustration, especially among talk-show hosts, at not being able to derail Romney. Maybe some shrill bloggers understand that Romney threatens to prove that they are less in tune with Republicans than the “squishy” Republican candidates and officeholders. And maybe conservative political journalists have more in common with their mainstream counterparts than they’d like to admit — a suspicion of wealth, ignorance of the business world and a fixation on the candidates’ interaction with them. After all, Romney never really courted and flattered conservative pundits the way Newt Gingrich did (especially by bashing the mainstream media competition).
None of this is to say there isn’t strong and valid opposition to Romney in the conservative press. (Michelle Malkin, who recently endorsed Santorum, and staunch critics of Romneycare certainly fit this description.) But it’s hard to ignore the conclusion that for some in the conservative press there is an element of anti-Romney animosity that is not quite grounded in reason or ideological consistency — it is personal. And other than Romney’s being “handsome, rich and successful,” as Kathleen put it, it’s really hard to fathom where it comes from.
- Day By Day February 2, 2012 – Share the Wealth | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Day By Day February 2, 2012 – Share the Wealth
- Romney Poised for Blowout Win in Nevada – A new Las Vegas Review-Journal poll in Nevada finds Mitt Romney leading the GOP presidential race with 45%, followed by Newt Gingrich at 25%, Rick Santorum at 11% and Ron Paul at 9%.
However, Carl Bunce, the Nevada chairman of the Paul campaign, “dismissed the poll results, saying most Paul supporters refuse to participate or lie in surveys because of a bad experience in Nevada four years ago. He said Sen. John McCain’s campaign did robocalls to identify Paul supporters and then sidelined them at the state party convention.”
- GOP 12: Romney cruising in Nevada – RT @GOP12: Gingrich more than doubles Santorum in Nevada.
- Report says Trump set to endorse Gingrich Thursday in Vegas – The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room – RT @thehill: Report claims Trump will endorse Gingrich #tcot #GOP2012
- (404) http://t.co/y0 – RT @jimgeraghty: Great news, President Obama! Consumer confidence is almost back up to the Carter 1980, Bush 1992 levels! …
- Romney poised to roll, poll shows – News – ReviewJournal.com – RT @jaketapper: NV poll – Romney 45, Gingrich 25, Santorum 11, Paul 9 >
- (404) http://t.co/3PZC – RT @WestWingReport: Gallup: 44% approve of #Obama, 49% don’t (month ago 45-47); Avg. of all recent polls: 46.5%-47.9% ( …
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-02 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-02
- Panetta: U.S., NATO will seek to end Afghan combat mission next year – The United States and NATO will seek to end their combat mission in Afghanistan next year and shift to a role of providing support and training to Afghan security forces, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Wednesday.
U.S. military commanders had said in recent weeks they would begin a transition this year toward taking more of an advisory role as Afghanistan’s national army and police take greater responsibility for fighting the insurgency. But Panetta’s remarks were the first time the Obama administration has said it could foresee an end to regular U.S. and NATO combat operations by the second half of next year.
- Figures on government spending and debt – Figures on government spending and debt (last six digits are eliminated). The government’s fiscal year runs Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.
Total public debt subject to limit Jan. 30 15,313,699
Statutory debt limit 16,394,000
Total public debt outstanding Jan. 30 15,356,140
Operating balance Jan. 30 158,596
Interest fiscal year 2012 through December 62,662
Interest same period 2011 56,780
Deficit fiscal year 2012 through December 321,735
Deficit same period 2011 368,960
Receipts fiscal year 2012 through December 555,437
Receipts same period 2011 531,797
Outlays fiscal year 2012 through December 877,173
Outlays same period 2011 900,757
Gold assets in January 11,041 - San Onofre Nuclear Plant Closed After Radiation Leak – A small quantity of radioactive gas leaked inside one of the buildings at San Onofre nuclear power plant north of San Diego, according to a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The spokesman said the radiation levels were “barely measurable,” but the plant was shut down as a precaution.
“At no point were the public or our workers in any danger,” Southern California Edison spokesman Gil Alexander told ABC News.
Officials say the radiation leak likely occurred in the steam generator tubes of San Onofre’s reactor #3. The steam system, which is supposed to be shielded from exposure to radiation, was replaced in December 2010. Alexander said plant officials will be conducting an investigation into why the new steam tubes leaked.
- Cities with highest and lowest unemployment rates – Nearly 90 percent of major U.S. cities had lower unemployment rates in December than the same month a year earlier, a reflection of stronger hiring nationwide.
The Labor Department said Wednesday that unemployment rates fell in 329 cities last year. They rose in 37 cities and were unchanged in seven.
The national unemployment rate fell in December to 8.5 percent – the lowest level in nearly three years. Employers added 200,000 net jobs, the sixth straight month of solid hiring.
Unemployment rates rose from November to December in a majority of U.S. cities. However monthly metro area unemployment data can be volatile because they aren’t adjusted for seasonal variations, such as holiday hiring.
The government will report Friday on U.S. hiring and unemployment in January.
Below are the cities with the highest and lowest rates:
Best and Worst Metro areas
Figures are in percentages
Highest unemployment rates December 2011
El Centro, Calif. 26.8
Yuma, Ariz. 23.1
Merced, Calif. 18.7
Yuba City, Calif. 18.1
Visalia-Porterville, Calif. 16.2
Fresno, Calif. 16.2
Modesto, Calif. 16.1
Stockton, Calif. 15.9
Hanford-Corcoran, Calif. 15.3
Ocean City, N.J. 15.1
Lowest unemployment rates December 2011
Bismarck, N.D. 3.2
Lincoln, Neb. 3.6
Fargo, N.D. 3.7
Burlington, Vt. 3.8
Logan, Utah 3.9
Midland, Texas 3.9
Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, La. 4.3
Sioux Falls, S.D. 4.3
Ames, Iowa 4.3
Iowa City, Iowa 4.3 - Mark Levin’s rebuttal of Ann Coulter’s “Three Cheers for RomneyCare” article » The Right Scoop – – RT @trscoop: Mark Levin’s rebuttal of Ann Coulter’s “Three Cheers for RomneyCare” article: #tcot
- Capitol Alert: Tobacco tax backers launch campaign with swipe at opponents – RT @CapitolAlert: Tobacco tax backers launch campaign with swipe at opponents
- Hub’s Kelly Evans Exits WSJ For CNBC – Deadline.com – Good Luck Kelly! LRT @NikkiFinke: Report: Kelly Evans Exits Wall Street Journal For CNBC
- Ann Coulter – February 1, 2012 – THREE CHEERS FOR ROMNEYCARE! – RT @philipaklein: Coulter goes all in defending Romneycare, doesnt even address actual conservative objections
- President 2012 GOP Poll Watch: Romney Regains the National Poll Lead from Gingrich | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012 GOP Poll Watch: Romney Regains the National Poll Lead from Gingrich
- Defense Industry Helping McKeon’s Wife’s Campaign – Influence Alley – How about bought and paid for | RT @nationaljournal: Defense Industry Helping Rep. McKeon’s Wife’s Campaign —
- Romney supports automatic hikes in minimum wage – seattlepi.com – REAL CONSERVATIVE Mitt Romney supports automatic hikes in minimum wage #tcot
- Romney supports automatic hikes in minimum wage – epublican presidential contender Mitt Romney renewed his support Wednesday for automatic increases in the federal minimum wage to keep pace with inflation, a position sharply at odds with traditional GOP business allies, conservatives and the party’s senior lawmakers.
“I haven’t changed my thoughts on that,” the former Massachusetts governor told reporters aboard his chartered campaign plane, referring to a stand he has held for a decade.
He did not say if he would ask Congress to approve the change if he wins the White House this fall.
Congress first enacted federal minimum wage legislation in 1938 and has raised it sporadically in the years since. The last increase, approved in 2007, took effect in three installments and reached $7.25 an hour for covered workers effective July 24, 2009.
It has never been allowed to rise automatically, as Romney envisions.
- Capitol Alert: Fundraising totals for hot California legislative contests – Fundraising totals for hot California legislative contests
- McCaskill numbers down – Public Policy Polling – Say Good Bye Claire | RT @ppppolls: Claire McCaskill is tied with all 3 of her potential Republican opponents at 43%:
- Obama pushes plan to help homeowners with underwater mortgages – President Obama on Wednesday announced a string of proposals aimed at helping to rejuvenate the sagging housing market, including one plan that would allow responsible homeowners to take advantage of historically low interest rates.
As the housing market enters its fourth year of high foreclosures and sluggish sales, the president said his proposal — targeted at the middle class — would help homeowners save about $3,000 a year, without “red tape” or a “runaround” from banks.
- Theodore Olson: Obama’s Enemies List – How would you feel if aides to the president of the United States singled you out by name for attack, and if you were featured prominently in the president’s re-election campaign as an enemy of the people?
What would you do if the White House engaged in derogatory speculative innuendo about the integrity of your tax returns? Suppose also that the president’s surrogates and allies in the media regularly attacked you, sullied your reputation and questioned your integrity. On top of all of that, what if a leading member of the president’s party in Congress demanded your appearance before a congressional committee this week so that you could be interrogated about the Keystone XL oil pipeline project in which you have repeatedly—and accurately—stated that you have no involvement?
Consider that all this is happening because you have been selected as an attractive political punching bag by the president’s re-election team. This is precisely what has happened to Charles and David Koch, even though they are private citizens, and neither is a candidate for the president’s or anyone else’s office.
- Gingrich 2012? Going, Going, Gone – Last week, New York magazine’s John Heilemann pointed out a deep truth about Newt Gingrich’s peculiar presidential campaign: The very media elite that Gingrich delights in hammering has actually been in his corner all along. The press likes a horse race; the press likes outsize personalities; the press favors an underdog; and the press even takes a strange sort of delight in being ruthlessly attacked.
Of course most political reporters don’t want Gingrich in the White House. But they’ve had every incentive to keep him in the headlines and overrate his odds of defeating Mitt Romney for the nomination.
Tuesday night’s Floridian drubbing won’t change those incentives, so we can expect a last burst of media chatter about how Gingrich could still recover, ride a wilderness campaign to a Super Tuesday comeback and fight Romney tooth and nail all the way to the convention. But chatter is all it will be. For Gingrich and his media enablers alike, the dream died in Florida – and here are four reasons why.
If Gingrich can’t compete in Florida, he can’t compete nationally.
- Komen breast cancer charity severs ties with Planned Parenthood – latimes.com – Susan G. Komen for the Cure says it will stop funding Planned Parenthood centers
- Koch group quietly met in Indian Wells | The Desert Sun | MyDesert.com – Koch group quietly met in Indian Wells
- U.S. Job Creation Best Since September 2008 – Poll Watch: U.S. Job Creation Best Since September 2008: via
- The Morning Flap: February 1, 2012 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – The Morning Flap: February 1, 2012
- In Bad Break for Romney, He Wins Trump’s Endorsement – A portion of today’s Morning Jolt covers the reports last night that Donald Trump would endorse Newt Gingrich for president. Moments ago, news broke that Trump would endorse Romney.
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The Morning Flap: February 1, 2012
These are my links for January 30th through February 1st:
- HBO’s Game Change portrays “meltdown” Palin – The latest trailer for HBO’s “Game Change” portrays Sarah Palin as natural disaster mistakenly unleashed by the McCain campaign.”Oh my god what have we done.” Woody Harrelson’s Steve Schmidt says, “I can’t control her anymore.” — “She’s on the verge of a complete nervous breakdown.”
Julianne Moore’s Sarah Palin repeats lines like “You can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska.” and “It’s not my fault, I was not properly prepped.” — “I miss my baby, I miss sleeping with my baby.”
At the end she whispers, “We have to win this thing, I so don’t want to go back to Alaska.”
- Ted Olson compares Obama to Nixon, McCarthy – President Obama’s first ad of his reelection campaign didn’t mention David and Charles Koch by name, but everyone knows that they are the “secretive oil billionaires” who “attack President Obama” mentioned in the ad’s opening lines. With so much else going on both domestically and internationally kicking off his reelection campaign with a personal attack on private citizens did seem like an odd choice. But former solicitor general of the United States Ted Olson sees some darker forces involved. He writes in today’s Wall Street Journal:Olson doesn’t mention it, but there is a very simple reason Obama is targeting the Koch’s: he can’t run on his record. With unemployment still higher than when he took office, and the Congressional Budget Office now certifying he will fail to cut the deficit in half as he promised, he has no accomplishments to run on. All he can really do is identify villains and ask his supporters to punish them. That is what Obama’s Buffett Rule is really all about. And that is why he is attacking the Koch’s.
- Greek PM seeks backing for reforms key to bailout – Greece’s prime minister is calling the country’s political leaders in the next few days to seek backing for more austerity after the International Monetary Fund warned this was key to securing the new bailout Athens needs to avoid a messy default.With a long-delayed deal with private sector creditors to cut Greece’s debt mountain by 100 billion euros nearly wrapped up, the government is now racing to complete talks on the 130-billion euro ($170.18 billion) bailout by the end of the week.
To do so, Athens must first persuade the European Union and IMF – which have grown increasingly exasperated with its repeated failures to meet deficit and reform targets – that it will implement long-delayed reforms and slash spending further.
- Dick Lugar: From top target to tea party pal? – Last year, Sen. Dick Lugar was the tea party’s top target — a 35-year veteran who lives in Washington, strays from conservative orthodoxy and even criticized the right-wing movement in the wake of the 2010 elections.But last week, Lugar was the tea party’s dining companion.
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-01 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-02-01
- Mitt Romney’s Florida sweep — and how it changes the presidential race – The Washington Post – RT @washingtonpost: Romney’s clear win hurts Gingrich’s try to call race choice between establishment & people:
- FiveThirtyEight: Live-Coverage of the Florida Primary – NYTimes.com – RT @fivethirtyeight: No Edge for Gingrich Along Georgia Border
- Capitol Alert: Assembly changes mind and passes three-strikes legislation – Capitol Alert: Assembly changes mind and passes three-strikes legislation
- Capitol Alert: Assembly changes mind and passes three-strikes legislation – Capitol Alert: Assembly changes mind and passes three-strikes legislation
- SD-27: Bob Hertzberg Decides Not to Run for California State Senate » Flap’s California Blog – SD-27: Bob Hertzberg Decides Not to Run for California State Senate
- Capitol Alert: Assembly changes mind and passes three-strikes legislation – Capitol Alert: Assembly changes mind and passes three-strikes legislation
- Marijuana Mouth Spray: Will Cancer Pain Reliever Be Abused?: Scientific American – RT @sciam: Marijuana Mouth Spray: Will Cancer Pain Reliever Be Abused?
- Capitol Alert: Assembly changes mind and passes three-strikes legislation – RT @CapitolAlert: Assembly changes mind and passes three-strikes legislation
- President 2012 GOP Poll Watch: Trouble Ahead for Romney After Florida? | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012 GOP Poll Watch: Trouble Ahead for Romney After Florida?
- Flap’s California Morning Collection: January 31, 2012 » Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Morning Collection: January 31, 2012
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Morning Drill: January 31, 2012 – The Morning Drill: January 31, 2012
- Day By Day January 30, 2012 – Rino Call | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Day By Day January 30, 2012 – Rino Call
- (404) http://t.co/Rz – RT @MysteryPollster: Latest FL Pollster update including the final PPP #s: Mitt 41.8, Newt 21.1, Paul 11.8, Santorum 10.9 …
- Florida Primary 2012: Live Updates From The Sunshine State – Latest FL Pollster update including the final PPP #s: Mitt 41.8, Newt 21.1, Paul 11.8, Santorum 10.9
- Poll finds Romney holding steady lead in Florida – The Hill’s Ballot Box – Latest Florida poll has Romney with 8 point lead over Gingrich #tcot #FLGOP #FLprimary
- Romney sees big win in Florida – TheHill.com – Confident Romney sees big win in Florida #tcot #FLGOP #FLprimary #GOP2012
- CBO says federal employees rake in much more pay – Washington Times – CBO says federal employees rake in much more pay.
- Fox News Channel set to make ratings milestone with 10 years atop the Nielsen charts – NY Daily News – Domination: Today marks the 10 straight year Fox News Channel has been the highest rated cable network.
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-31 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-31
- AD-38: Patricia McKeon Has Received Washington Defense Lobbyist Money for California Assembly Race » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: Patricia McKeon Has Received Washington Defense Lobbyist Money for California Assembly Race » Flap’s Cali…
- AD-38: Patricia McKeon Has Received Washington Defense Lobbyist Money for California Assembly Race » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: Patricia McKeon Has Received Washington Defense Lobbyist Money for California Assembly Race » Flap’s Cali…
- AD-38: Patricia McKeon Has Received Washington Defense Lobbyist Money for California Assembly Race » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: Patricia McKeon Has Received Washington Defense Lobbyist Money for California Assembly Race » Flap’s Cali…
- AD-38: Patricia McKeon Has Received Washington Defense Lobbyist Money for California Assembly Race » Flap’s California Blog – RE: Patricia McKeon had better explain what job she did for the extra 50K a year. I am positive she will be asked.M…
- AD-38: Patricia McKeon Has Received Washington Defense Lobbyist Money for California Assembly Race » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: Patricia McKeon Has Received Washington Defense Lobbyist Money for California Assembly Race
- President 2012 Poll Watch: Republicans Increasingly Unhappy With GOP Presidential Field | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012 Poll Watch: Republicans Increasingly Unhappy With GOP Presidential Field
- Democrats Take Lead in Congressional Ballot – Uh Oh! For the first time in about two-and-a-half years Democrats Take Lead in Congressional Ballot #tcot
- President 2012 Poll Watch: Romney Viewed as More Presidential Than Gingrich | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012 Poll Watch: Romney Viewed as More Presidential Than Gingrich
- Michelle Malkin » For Santorum – Lest we forget, this election is not about choosing a showboat candidate to run against John King or Juan Williams or Wolf Blitzer.It’s not about “raging against” some arbitrarily defined GOP “machine.”
For many grass-roots conservatives across the country, Romney and Gingrich are the machine.
And at this point in the game, Rick Santorum represents the most conservative candidate still standing who can articulate both fiscal and social conservative values — and live them.
- Michelle Malkin Endorses Santorum, Torches Newt – For months, super star conservative author and blogger Michelle Malkin has described the Republican presidential primary as a “pageant of the imperfects,” lamenting that the GOP field represents an uninspiring, “nose plugs” choice for conservatives. Despite her public misgivings, she’s finally donned the requisite odor blockers and made her selection: Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. The entire piece is worth a thorough read, but here is a small sampling of Malkin’s pro-Santorum case:
- Untitled (https://plus.google.com/105353644409523560325/posts/DN4NkgETF9Q) – As if Obama needs even more than the $ 1 Billion he has already raised…
- Nevada officials: Luxor guests had Legionnaires’ – Health officials in Las Vegas said Monday that the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease was found in water samples at the Luxor hotel-casino this month after a guest died of the form of pneumonia.The Southern Nevada Health District said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention national surveillance program reported three cases in the past year of Luxor guests being diagnosed with the disease caused by Legionella bacteria.
The Las Vegas Strip resort’s water was tested after the first two cases were reported during the spring of last year, but no Legionella bacteria was detected, district officials said. Those guests recovered.
Officials say the Luxor, owned by MGM Resorts International, immediately began a remediation process once the bacteria was found.
MGM Resorts spokesman Gordon Absher said treatment procedures include superheating and super-chlorination of the water system.
- Untitled (https://plus.google.com/105353644409523560325/posts/HhQAyUHgkuW) – The poor Colts as the Patriots take over their practice facility for the Super Bowl
- SD-19 Poll Watch: Mike Stoker Beating Hannah-Beth Jackson in Jason Hodge Sponsored Poll » Flap’s California Blog – SD-19 Poll Watch: Mike Stoker Beating Hannah-Beth Jackson in Jason Hodge Sponsored Poll
- Most Americans Fudge on Weight and Height Surveys? | Smiles For A Lifetime – Temporary (Locum Tenens) Dentistry – Most Americans Fudge on Weight and Height Surveys?
- The Morning Flap: January 30, 2012 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – The Morning Flap: January 30, 2012
- HBO’s Game Change portrays “meltdown” Palin – The latest trailer for HBO’s “Game Change” portrays Sarah Palin as natural disaster mistakenly unleashed by the McCain campaign.”Oh my god what have we done.” Woody Harrelson’s Steve Schmidt says, “I can’t control her anymore.” — “She’s on the verge of a complete nervous breakdown.”
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The Morning Flap: January 30, 2012
These are my links for January 27th through January 30th:
- Newt expressed support for Obama health care plan in ’09 – On a May 2009 conference call for the Center for Health Transformation, Newt Gingrich called the health care reform debate “healthier” than in 1993 and said the model being discussed was “the kind of general model we’re going to be advocating”:
The good thing is that unlike the Hillarycare process of 1993, we don’t have 500 people in a room hiding in a room trying to write the magic bill that’s gonna go through on an up or down vote. We actually have a process underway where lots and lots of different players have a real opportunity to have input. And I think in that sense this is already a healthier process than we saw in 1993, and a more open process.
He also discussed the concept of a mandate:
We believe that there should be must carry – that is, everybody should either have health insurance or if you’re an absolute libertarian, we would allow you to post a bond, but we would not allow people to be free riders failing to insure themselves and then showing up at the emergency room with no means of payment.
- In Florida run-up, Chuck Norris battles for Gingrich – Chuck Norris isn’t “missing in action” in Florida, one day out from the state’s pivotal GOP presidential primary.
The tough-guy Hollywood star — perhaps best known for his role in “Delta Force” and TV series “Walker, Texas Ranger” — endorsed Newt Gingrich more than a week ago and on Monday the former House speaker’s campaign pointed to his words as evidence that the “mainstream media” and “Washington elite” are out of touch with the everyday voters.
“Proof! Voters are smarter than media, Washington elite,” reads the subject line of an email blast from R.C. Hammond, the Gingrich campaign spokesman.
In a new commentary Mr. Norris inked for WND.com, the Oklahoma native delivers a stinging rebuke of the “mainstream media” and “Washington Elite” while breaking down the state of the GOP contest between Mr. Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
- InsiderAdvantage Poll: Gingrich Surging, Race ‘Tighter Than Expected’ – A new InsiderAdvantage poll conducted Sunday night of likely Republican voters in the state of Florida shows a significant surge for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
The poll has former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leading with 36 percent of voters, followed by Gingrich at 31 percent.
The Sunday results of 646 likely GOP voters are as follows:
Romney 36 percent
Gingrich 31 percent
Santorum 12 percent
Paul 12 percent
Other/Undecided 9 percent“The race will be tighter than expected,” Matt Towery, chief pollster of InsiderAdvantage told Newsmax.
- Cain: Finishing second a ‘win’ for Gingrich in Florida – Former presidential candidate and freshly minted Newt Gingrich surrogate Herman Cain downplayed the former Speaker’s chances for a win in Florida’s pivotal primary, citing the Romney campaign’s aggressive spending in the state.
“My expectation isn’t necessarily that he will win because of the sheer difference in spending. But my expectation is that he is going to have a much stronger showing than the weekend polls have been showing. There was one last night that showed that Gingrich is a lot closer to Romney,” Cain said during an interview Monday with Fox News. “So this thing is so dynamic, we won’t know until the votes are counted tomorrow night in Florida.”
Cain said that considering the circumstances, he would consider a second-place finish a “win” in the Florida primary — and reiterated Gingrich’s pledge to carry forward past Florida.
- January 30, Video: 2012 Health care expert Sally Pipes on what could replace Obamacare – “Repeal and replace” has been a conservative mantra ever since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010. But while the process of getting rid of the law is somewhat straightforward, there’s been no consensus on what to actually replace it with.
Enter Sally Pipes, the renowned health care expert and president of the Pacific Research Institute. Pipes has a way to replace Obamacare’s expensive government health care bureaucracies with a market-driven system that she says would offer better treatment to patients while saving taxpayers money.
“I wanted to do a blueprint so politicians, staffers and people in the states could say ‘this is what I believe in,” Pipes said of her new book, “The Pipes Plan,” during an extensive interview with The Daily Caller.
- Capitol Alert: AM Alert: Bills come due this week in California Legislature – Capitol Alert: AM Alert: Bills come due this week in California Legislature
- Gingrich Looks Ahead to Super Tuesday – An internal Newt Gingrich campaign memo obtained by the Daily Caller claims “this race is just getting started.”
The memo stresses that Mitt Romney currently has just 33 of the 1144 delegates needed (Gingrich has 25 of 1144).
In addition, more than 20% of the available delegates (467) will be awarded on Super Tuesday March 6, 2012, and the memo notes that, one of the Super Tuesday states is Georgia, with 76 delegates at stake. To put that in perspective, “even if Romney wins Florida on Tuesday, he will only have 83 total delegates; Newt’s home state could effectively cancel out his entire delegate count to date.”
- President 2012 Poll Watch: Romney Tied With Obama in Swing States – Gingrich Trails By 14 Points | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012 Poll Watch: Romney Tied With Obama in Swing States – Gingrich Trails By 14 Points
- President 2012 Video: Newt Gingrich Does Not Have a Conservative Ideological Core – Pat Buchanan | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012 Video: Newt Gingrich Does Not Have a Conservative Ideological Core – Pat Buchanan
- Capitol Alert: AM Alert: Bills come due this week in California Legislature – RT @CapitolAlert: AM Alert: Bills come due this week in California Legislature
- Election Day Tea Party 2012 – News – Tea Party Leaders to Florida Voters: Santorum, Gingrich, and Paul Should Continue Past Florida – RT @michaelpleahy: Tea Party Leaders to Florida Voters:Santorum,Gingrich& Paul Should Continue Past Florida #tcot
- Third Aircraft Carrier Group Coming To Iran | ZeroHedge – RT @zerohedge: Third Aircraft Carrier Group Coming To Iran
- Newsweek: Debbie Wasserman Schultz Won’t Apologize for Blaming Tea Party for Giffords Shooting | NewsBusters.org – Wow RT @mattsheffield: Newsweek: Debbie Wasserman Schultz Won’t Apologize for Blaming Tea Party for Giffords Shooting
- Gingrich memo downplays Florida; looks ahead to Super Tuesday | The Daily Caller – RT @JimPethokoukis RT @DailyBaller: Gingrich internal memo downplays Florida; looks ahead to Super Tuesday #tcot
- The Hill Poll: No benefit from tax holiday, say a majority of voters – TheHill.com – RT @thehill: The Hill Poll: Majority of voters see no benefit from tax holiday
- Log In – The New York Times – RT @charliespiering: Jeb Bush told Romney to tone it down on immigration
- Obama: The most polarizing president. Ever. – The Washington Post – Former senator Bob Kerrey tells The Fix that he is buying property in Nebraska, but that it’s not indication he’ll run
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-30 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-30
- Official Formspring for Android application available now | Android Central – Official Formspring for Android application available now
- foursquare :: Gregory Flap @ Chez Cole – Laid up in bed with a cold. Watching Lakers, Clippers and Dallas. Nap soon. Thank you Android! (@ Chez Cole)
- Official Formspring for Android application available now –
- Gingrich: I can beat Obama, ‘liberal’ Romney can’t | Campaign 2012 | Washington Examiner – Gingrich: I can beat Obama, ‘liberal’ Romney can’t: THE VILLAGES, Fla. — Newt Gingrich is painfully aware that …
- Florida paper backs a Gingrich presidency – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs – RT @PoliticalTicker: Florida paper backs a Gingrich presidency
- PFCs From Food Wrappers Could Reduce Effectiveness of Vaccines – Neil Wagner – Health – The Atlantic – PFCs — found in food wrappers, some clothing, more — could be reducing effectiveness of vaccines in kids:
- What Is Trisomy 18? – ABC News – Learn more abt Trisomy 18, the genetic disorder Rick Santorum’s daughter Bella suffers from:
- Obama, Democrats Facing Challenges in North Carolina – Hotline On Call –
Hotline On Call – RT @PounderFile: NJ: “Obama, Democrats Facing Challenges in North Carolina” - Romney Outspends Gingrich More Than 4-1 In Florida – It’s not just the message: Romney + friends spending 4X Newt+Adelson
- Newt: If Romney wins, it’s because of Santorum | Campaign 2012 | Washington Examiner – Newt: If Romney wins, it’s because of Santorum: Newt Gingrich suggested today that Rick Santorum could be, unint…
- Mark Levin: ‘Character Matters and Romney’s Worries Me’ | NewsBusters.org – Mark Levin: ‘Character Matters and Romney’s Worries Me’
- Day By Day January 29, 2012 – Executive Order | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Day By Day January 29, 2012 – Executive Order
- (500) http://flapsblog.com/2012/01/29/president-2012-video-herman-cain-endorses-newt-gingrich/ – President 2012 Video: Herman Cain Endorses Newt Gingrich
- President 2012: Fred Thompson Says Romney Has Matt Drudge in His Back Pocket | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012: Fred Thompson Says Romney Has Matt Drudge in His Back Pocket
- (500) http://flapsblog.com/2012/01/29/president-2012-video-sarah-palin-says-vote-for-newt-rage-against-the-machine/ – President 2012 Video: Sarah Palin Says Vote for Newt – Rage Against the Machine
- Day By Day January 28, 2012 – Competence an’ Stuff | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Day By Day January 28, 2012 – Competence an’ Stuff
- Robert Gibbs back on Obama payroll – POLITICO.com – Robert Gibbs is back on the Obama payroll, reports @glennthrush:
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-29 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-29
- War Room Logistics poll: Romney 40%, Gingrich 30% | Saint Petersblog – Florida: War Room Logistics poll: Romney 40%, Gingrich 30%,Santorum 15%
- Romney up in Florida – Public Policy Polling – Florida: Romney now leads with 40% to 32% for Gingrich, 15% for Rick Santorum, 9% for Ron Paul #tcot
- The non-endorsing endorsers – Jonathan Martin and Maggie Haberman – POLITICO.com – Huck pants-on-fire: his claim that comments in newt ad from ’08 were general and not about Mitt simply false. Deets:
- foursquare :: Gregory Flap @ Ronnie’s Diner – 7 easy miles today. Here with Tara. Alice and Mary to join us after their 13 miler. (@ Ronnie’s Diner)
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-28 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-28
- Election Day Tea Party 2012: A New Beginning
– YouTube – RT @michaelpleahy: @Flap Inspiring video about what’s next for the #teaparty ! - News from The Associated Press – RT @AP: Nevada GOP to release presidential caucus results via Twitter and Google: -CC
- News from The Associated Press – RT @AP: Cynthia Nixon’s remarks on choosing to be gay, rejecting bisexual label, worry activists: -CC
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Daily Extraction: January 27, 2011 – The Daily Extraction: January 27, 2011
- Little change in union affiliation in 2011 | Campaign 2012 | Washington Examiner – Little change in union affiliation in 2011
- President 2012 GOP Poll Watch: Gingrich Maintaining National Poll Lead While Romney Slumps | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012 GOP Poll Watch: Gingrich Maintaining National Poll Lead While Romney Slumps
- Welch: Be nice to Paul, we need his supporters – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs – Jack Welch: Be nice to Ron Paul, we need his supporters
- Ron Paul signed off on racist 1990s newsletters, associates say – The Washington Post – Ron Paul signed off on racist newsletters in the 1990s, associates say
- CA-26: A Republican – Akiva Werbalowsky In and a Democrat – Zeke Ruelas Out | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – CA-26: A Republican – Akiva Werbalowsky In and a Democrat – Zeke Ruelas Out
- Newt expressed support for Obama health care plan in ’09 – On a May 2009 conference call for the Center for Health Transformation, Newt Gingrich called the health care reform debate “healthier” than in 1993 and said the model being discussed was “the kind of general model we’re going to be advocating”:
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The Morning Flap: January 27, 2012
Graphic from Investors Business Daily
These are my links for January 26th through January 27th:
- Obama admits his presidency has been flawed… but claims economy is stronger – Barack Obama said he makes mistakes on an hourly basis as President but stood firmly behind his administration’s work in bolstering the U.S. economy and jobs market.
The President was in Las Vegas to champion investment in clean energy, declaring the U.S. ‘the Saudia Arabia of natural gas’ in a speech to UPS workers.
However in an interview with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer last night, he said: ‘I second-guess constantly… I make a mistake, you know, every hour, every day.’
He added: ‘But when you look at the broad outlines of what we did, had it not been for the steps we took our economy would be profoundly weaker than we are right now.’
Obama spoke at a Las Vegas UPS center to showcase a refueling station that will permit vehicles that use liquefied natural gas to travel from the Port of Long Beach to Salt Lake City. The station was built with help from Obama’s 2009 economic stimulus plan.
He also announced the sale of oil and gas drilling leases for nearly 38 million acres in the Gulf Coast and promoted the completion of a highway corridor for vehicles that run on liquefied natural gas, a response to critics who say his policies have stifled domestic energy production.
- Obama: Bush Is Food Stamp President, Not Me – “First of all, I don’t put people on food stamps. People become eligible for food stamps. Second of all, the initial expansion of food-stamp eligibility happened under my Republican predecessor, not under me. Number three, when you have a disastrous economic crash that results in 8 million people losing their jobs, more people are going to need more support from government.”
- Obama: I Want An Economy “Where We’re Making Stuff And Selling Stuff And Moving It Around” – “On Tuesday at the State of the Union, I laid out my vision for how we move forward,” President Obama said at a campaign event in Las Vegas, Nevada. “I laid out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last, that has a firm foundation. Where we’re making stuff and selling stuff and moving it around and UPS drivers are dropping things off everywhere.”
“That’s the economy we want. An economy built on American manufacturing, with more good jobs and more products made here in the United States of America,” he also said.
- Is Obama Creating A Nation Of Dependents? Nearly Half Now Get Government Benefits – If the Republican primaries are any indication, one big debate in the upcoming election will be whether President Obama is pushing the country toward a European-style welfare culture.
Mitt Romney, for example, argues that “over the past three years, Barack Obama has been replacing our merit-based society with an entitlement society.”
Newt Gingrich has taken to calling Obama “the best food-stamp president in American history.”
Obama, in contrast, says the government must play an increasing role — what he likes to call “shared responsibility” — to ensure a society that is fairer.
So is Obama turning the country into a welfare society and away from one focused on opportunity?
While it’s true that the country has been headed in this direction for many years — with the explosion in entitlements since the 1960s and the aging of the population — Obama has, in fact, greatly accelerated the trend.
- 1.7% – Real GDP increased 1.7 percent in 2011 compared with an increase of 3.0 percent in 2010
- Worst News Story of 2012? | Power Line – Reuters and Sen Marco Rubio: Worst News Story of 2012? #tcot
- Mitt Romney’s Struggle With Truth Continues – RT @LizMair: Hilarious video. RT @mattklewis ‘Mitt Romney’s Struggle With Truth Continues’
- (500) http://flapsblog.com/2012/01/27/flap-twitter-updates-for-2012-01-27/ – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-27
- AD-38: Scott Wilk Vs. Patricia or Is It Rep. Buck McKeon? » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: Scott Wilk Vs. Patricia or Is It Rep. Buck McKeon?
- Romney Failed to Disclose Swiss Bank Account Income – ABC News – Romney Failed to Disclose Swiss Bank Account Income – ABC News
- Romney Failed to Disclose Swiss Bank Account Income – ABC News – Romney Failed to Disclose Swiss Bank Account Income – ABC News
- Romney Failed to Disclose Swiss Bank Account Income – ABC News – Romney Failed to Disclose Swiss Bank Account Income – ABC News
- President 2012: GOP Debate Tonight – Long Knives Out for Newt Gingrich | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012: GOP Debate Tonight – Long Knives Out for Newt Gingrich
- Romney Failed to Disclose Swiss Bank Account Income – ABC News – Romney Failed to Disclose Swiss Bank Account Income
- Obama-backed electric car battery-maker files for bankruptcy – The Hill’s E2-Wire – Another one bites the dust | Obama-backed electric car battery-maker files for bankruptcy
- Romney Failed to Disclose Swiss Bank Account Income – Mitt Romney’s campaign is amending the financial disclosure forms he filed in 2007 and 2011 to acknowledge that a Romney trust held a Swiss bank account, a detail that had been missing from both reports.
“An amendment is being filed to address this minor discrepancy,” a campaign official told ABC News in an email Thursday in response to questions about the apparent omission.
The discovery that the Romneys had $3 million in an account with the Swiss bank UBS came only after the Republican presidential candidate released his tax returns for 2010 on Tuesday. The campaign had maintained that it was not necessary to disclose the Swiss account because Romney’s money manager, Brad Malt, had shuttered it in early 2010.
Several Republican election lawyers told ABC News Thursday that the account still needed to be disclosed because a Romney trust earned about $1,700 in income on the account during 2010. The campaign’s decision to amend the forms was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
- Romney Failed to Disclose Swiss Bank Account Income – ABC News – OOPS | Romney Failed to Disclose Swiss Bank Account Income #tcot
- InsiderAdvantage Poll: Romney Surges to Florida Lead – Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney apparently has reversed a surge by Newt Gingrich to retake the momentum in the Florida primary, according to the latest InsiderAdvantage/Florida Times-Union poll.
The poll shows that Republicans most likely to vote in the state’s closed primary now favor Romney over Gingrich by 40 to 32 percent. Rep. Ron Paul has 9 percent, while former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum has 8 percent.
Nine percent of those surveyed were undecided. The poll, which was conducted Wednesday night, was weighted for age, race, and gender and has a margin of error of plus and minus 4 percent.
The poll’s result also is supported by other polls conducted Wednesday and earlier this week. A CNN/Time/ORC International Poll also indicates that, although Gingrich surged following his 12-point victory in the South Carolina primary on Saturday, his momentum appears to be cooling off.
- CA-26: Ventura County Republican Party Endorses Tony Strickland for Congress | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – CA-26: Ventura County Republican Party Endorses Tony Strickland for Congress
- AD-38: Scott Wilk for Assembly Announces More Local Leaders on Campaign Team » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: Scott Wilk for Assembly Announces More Local Leaders on Campaign Team
- Dole Unloads on Gingrich – Yes—>RT @politicalwire: Doesn’t having both McCain and Dole backing Romney actually help Gingrich make his point?
- Log In – The New York Times – Log In – The New York Times
- HPV study finds human papilloma virus carried in mouths – latimes.com – RT @latimes: Study finds that 7% of U.S. teens and adults carry human papilloma virus in their mouths
- Untitled (http://www.monmouth.edu/assets/0/84/159/2147483694/2cb9cd86-960a-4443-bac6-116c400614fb.pdf) – RT @fivethirtyeight: New SurveyUSA/Monmouth poll has Romney up 7 in Florida.
- Log In – The New York Times – Log In – The New York Times
- Reuters’ embarassing Rubio hit piece | Campaign 2012 | Washington Examiner – Reuters’ embarassing Sen Marco Rubio hit piece #tcot
- Log In – The New York Times – Apple’s iPad and the Human Costs for Workers in China
- Geithner Says Obama Won’t Ask Him to Lead Treasury if He Wins Re-Election- Bloomberg – Geithner Says Obama Won’t Ask Him to Lead Treasury if He Wins Re-Election
- The Morning Flap: January 26, 2012 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – The Morning Flap: January 26, 2012
- Obama admits his presidency has been flawed… but claims economy is stronger – Barack Obama said he makes mistakes on an hourly basis as President but stood firmly behind his administration’s work in bolstering the U.S. economy and jobs market.
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The Morning Flap: January 25, 2012
These are my links for January 23rd through January 25th:
- Newt Gingrich plays the Charlie Crist card – Once the Republican presidential campaign came to Florida, it was only a matter of time until someone played the Charlie Crist card.
In an attempt to tarnish Mitt Romney’s conservative credentials, Newt Gingrich on Tuesday connected Romney to Florida’s former governor, the once-ambitious moderate who fell so far out of favor with the GOP that in 2010 he left the GOP.
“We discovered last night that Mitt Romney has picked up Charlie Crist’s campaign manager,” Gingrich said Tuesday at the Tick Tock Restaurant in St. Petersburg. “I thought that told you everything you need to know about this primary.”
“As governor of Massachusetts [Romney] was pro-abortion, pro-gay rights, pro-tax increase and pro- gun control,” he said. “Now that makes you a moderate in Massachusetts but it makes you pretty liberal in a Republican primary. That’s probably why he hired Charlie Crist’s staff.” - Gov. Daniels: Obama is ‘pro-poverty’ – Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) castigated President Obama’s policies as “pro-poverty” and extreme in his response to the State of the Union address.
The Indiana governor, who considered a run for the White House before deciding last year against a campaign, knocked Obama for imposing regulations on business and for rejecting the proposed Keystone oil pipeline.
He labeled Obama’s policies as “pro-poverty and extremism that stifles the development of homegrown energy, or cancels a perfectly safe pipeline that would employ tens of thousands, or jacks up consumer utility bills for no improvement in either human health or world temperature.”
Daniels said Obama’s “trickle-down government” policies has restrained the country’s economic growth.Daniels also criticized Obama for trying to divide people with class warfare. “No feature of the Obama presidency has been sadder than its constant efforts to divide us, to curry favor with some Americans by castigating others,” he said
- 11 things Obama didn’t tell you about tax fairness last night « The Enterprise Blog – RT @JimPethokoukis: 11 things Obama didn’t tell you about tax fariness ast night
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-25 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-25
- Mitch Daniels blasts Obama for ‘trickle-down government’ – latimes.com – RT @latimes: Mitch Daniels blasts Obama for ‘trickle-down government’ #SOTU #tcot
- Read the GOP response to President Obama’s State of the Union remarks – latimes.com – RT @latimes: Full text of Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels’ Republican Address to the Nation in response to #SOTU address:
- State of the Union 2012: Obama speech full text – The Washington Post – RT @FixAaron: Full text of Obama’s speech here: #tcot #catcot
- Excerpts from Governor Mitch Daniels’ Republican Address to the Nation | Speaker of the House John Boehner | speaker.gov – RT @Students4Mitch: Excerpts from Governor Mitch Daniels’ Republican Address to the Nation |Speaker of the House John..
- CA-Sen: Santa Monica Republican Businessman Al Ramirez to Challenge Senator Dianne Feinstein » Flap’s California Blog – CA-Sen: Santa Monica Republican Businessman Al Ramirez to Challenge Senator Dianne Feinstein
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: No California Deaths Due to Whooping Cough or Pertussis in 2011 – No California Deaths Due to Whooping Cough or Pertussis in 2011
- Do People Become More Conservative as They Age? : Discovery News – Do People Become More Conservative as They Age? Answer is No… #tcot
- Poll Watch: Americans Want Specific Proposals Not Vision from President Obama State of the Union Speech | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Poll Watch: Americans Want Specific Proposals Not Vision from President Obama State of the Union Speech
- Under Obama, Price of Gas Has Jumped 83 Percent, Ground Beef 24 Percent, Bacon 22 Percent | CNSnews.com – Obamanomics, Price of Gas Has Jumped 83 Percent, Ground Beef 24 Percent, Bacon 22 Percent
- California still has second-highest unemployment in U.S. – latimes.com – No surprise here RT @latimes: California still has second-highest unemployment in U.S.
- Stephens: The GOP Deserves to Lose – WSJ.com – The GOP Deserves to Lose – That’s what happens when you run with losers #tcot
- (500) http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-23/buffett-s-burlington-northern-among-winners-in-obama-rejection-of-pipeline.html – Warren Buffett’s Burlington Northern Among Winners From Keystone Denial #tcot
- Challenge Your Brain to Ward Off Alzheimer’s Disease? | Smiles For A Lifetime – Temporary (Locum Tenens) Dentistry – Challenge Your Brain to Ward Off Alzheimer’s Disease?
- (500) http://flapsblog.com/2012/01/24/president-2012-video-president-obama-a-warrior-for-the-middle-class/ – President 2012 Video: President Obama a Warrior for the Middle Class?
- AD-38: Scott Wilk Releases California State Senator Tony Strickland from Endorsement » Flap’s California Blog – AD-38: Scott Wilk Releases California State Senator Tony Strickland from Endorsement
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Morning Drill: January 24, 2012 – The Morning Drill: January 24, 2012
- Day By Day January 24, 2012 – No Time Left For You | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Day By Day January 24, 2012 – No Time Left For You
- Riehl World View: Romney Adviser To Jen Rubin: Mitt’s Not A Man Of The People – That is a FACT | RT @DanRiehl: Romney Adviser To Jen Rubin: Mitt’s Not A Man Of The People
- Debate Winner: Mitch Daniels | The Weekly Standard – PERHAPS | RT @memeorandum Debate Winner: Mitch Daniels
- Untitled (http://www.memeorandum.com/120124/p18#a120124p18) – PERHAPS | RT @memeorandum Debate Winner: Mitch Daniels
- RNC ad takes on president over State of the Union – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs – RNC ad takes on president over State of the Union –
- Poll: Romney’s Unfavorability Skyrockets – Steven Shepard – NationalJournal.com – Understandable | RT @nationaljournal Poll: Romney’s unfavorability skyrockets
- Is Oral Sex to Blame for the Surge in Cancer of the Mouth and Throat? – Elaine Schattner – Health – The Atlantic – Partly to blame – smoking too RT @TheAtlanticHLTH Is oral sex to blame for the surge in cancer of the mouth and throat?
- Introduction | Mitt Romney for President – If you want to look through details of Mitt Romney’s 2010 and 2011 taxes links at bottom
- Untitled (http://www.memeorandum.com/120124/p14#a120124p14) – Here it comes | RT @memeorandum Draft Jeb Bush
- Draft Jeb Bush – Artur Davis – National Review Online – Here it comes | RT @memeorandum Draft Jeb Bush
- One Thousand Days Without a Budget | The Weekly Standard – One Thousand Days Without a Budget: It has been 1,000 days since the Senate has produced a budget, and congressi…
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-24 | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-01-24
- 9PM – Watch the NBC Republican Debate | The Right Scoop – @murphymike Go here Mike:
- Update: CA-26 Video: Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks Issues Two Challenges | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Update: CA-26 Video: Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks Issues Two Challenges
- President 2012 GOP Florida Poll Watch: Gingrich 38% Vs. Romney 33% Vs. Santorum 13% Vs. Paul 10% | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012 GOP Florida Poll Watch: Gingrich 38% Vs. Romney 33% Vs. Santorum 13% Vs. Paul 10%
- Newt up 5 in Florida – Public Policy Polling – RT @ppppolls: Florida: Gingrich 38, Romney 33, Santorum 13, Paul 10:
- Gingrich releases Freddie Mac contract – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs – RT @PoliticalTicker: Gingrich releases Freddie Mac contract –
- Citizen Kane | KFI NEWS – KFI AM 640 More Stimulating Talk Radio – RT @KFINEWS: Citizen Kane to be shown at Hearst Castle.
- Mark Levin blasts Christie for parroting old left-wing ethics propaganda against Newt | The Right Scoop – RT @trscoop: Mark Levin blasts Christie for parroting old left-wing ethics propaganda against Newt:
- Adelson to double contribution to help Newt’s presidential bid – Politics: Ralston’s Flash – Las Vegas Sun – RT @RalstonFlash: Adelson to double contribution to help Newt’s presidential bid
- GOP food fight: Sarah Palin slams Chris Christie for getting his “panties in a wad” over Gingrich | Politics Blog | an SFGate.com blog – RT @cmarinucci: .@SarahPalinUSA goes ballistic on Chris Christie for getting his “panties in a wad” on @newtgingrich
- California Election 2012: California Democratic Party Pre-Endorsement Conferences » Flap’s California Blog – California Election 2012: California Democratic Party Pre-Endorsement Conferences
- Posts – Liz Mair – A Fresh Voice – RT @JimPethokoukis: RT @LizMair: Some important things about Florida worth paying attention to:
- CA-26 Video: Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks Issues Two Challenges | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – CA-26 Video: Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks Issues Two Challenges
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: Aspen Dental to Sponsor Ryan Newman’s Chevrolet for NASCAR – Aspen Dental to Sponsor Ryan Newman’s Chevrolet for NASCAR
- Romney’s National Lead Collapses – Romney’s National Lead Collapses –
- Newt Gingrich’s rise — in one chart – The Washington Post – Newt Gingrich’s rise — in one chart
- President 2012 GOP Florida Intrade Watch: Gingrich 61.4% Vs. Romney 38.1% | Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – President 2012 GOP Florida Intrade Watch: Gingrich 61.4% Vs. Romney 38.1%
- Exercise To Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease? | Smiles For A Lifetime – Temporary (Locum Tenens) Dentistry – Exercise To Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease?
- U.S. Economy Most Toxic of 24 Issues – Americans’ satisfaction with the nation’s economy has dropped by 23 points since January 2008 to 13% today
- Newt Gingrich plays the Charlie Crist card – Once the Republican presidential campaign came to Florida, it was only a matter of time until someone played the Charlie Crist card.