• Barack Obama,  Joe Biden,  Mitt Romney,  President 2012

    Romney Wants Obama to Disavow Biden’s ‘They’re Going to Put Y’all Back in Chains’

    Of course, “The One” will NEVER apologize for “Slow” Joe over his obviously thinly veiled racist comments this morning. The comments were specifically about bank deregulation but everyone knew what he meant – especially before at least half an African-American audience.

    Here is the video, once again:

    In any event, Team Romney is outraged.

     Mitt Romney’s campaign blasted President Obama’s team for hitting a “new low” after Vice President Biden suggested to voters that the Republican ticket’s economic policies would “put y’all back in chains.”  Biden made the remark while campaigning Tuesday in Virginia, during a discussion of Wall Street regulation.   “They’ve said it. Every Republican’s voted for it. Look at what they value and look at their budget and what they’re proposing. Romney wants to let the — he said in the first 100 days, he’s going to let the big banks once again write their own rules — unchain Wall Street,” Biden said. “They’re going to put y’all back in chains. He’s said he’s going to do nothing about stopping the practice of outsourcing.”

    Romney’s campaign said the remarks showed the president is determined to run a negative campaign.  “After weeks of slanderous and baseless accusations leveled against Gov. Romney, the Obama campaign has reached a new low,” Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said. “The comments made by the vice president of the United States are not acceptable in our political discourse and demonstrate yet again that the Obama campaign will say and do anything to win this election.”  Saul then called on the president to say whether he condoned Biden’s language.  “President Obama should tell the American people whether he agrees with Joe Biden’s comments,” Saul said.

    The gaffe-prone Biden has put his foot in his mouth again. But, wait, maybe it is a set up so that Obama could excuse “Slow” Joe and substitute in Hillary Clinton.

    Maybe the polls are just that bad….

  • Barack Obama,  Mitt Romney,  President 2012

    Romney Attacks Obama Again Over Work for Welfare

    This is the second television ad in which Mitt Romney has attacked President Obama over welfare.

    Mitt Romney’s first television commercial since announcing House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as his running mate brings back a claim first brought up last week: That President Barack Obama is altering the federal welfare-to-work program by dropping work requirements in the law.

    The narrator in TV ad, released Monday morning by the campaign of the GOP presidential challenger and by the Republican National Committee, says that “Barack Obama has a long history of opposing work for welfare.”

    The spot then includes sound of Obama from June of 1998, with the then-Illinois State Senator saying “I was not a huge supporter of the federal plan that was signed in 1996.”

    The ad continues with the narrator adding that “on July 12th, Obama quietly ended work requirements for welfare. You wouldn’t have to work and wouldn’t have to train for a job. Mitt Romney strongly believes work must be part of welfare.”

    I believe this is a strong theme and will resonate well in Florida and the key upper-Midwestern states of Iowa and Wisconsin. This work for welfare meme will be pounding the President frequently.

    Although the Romney Campaign will not release their ad buy, it appears this will appear in all of the key battleground states.

    As is their practice, the Romney campaign would not reveal any details on where the new commercial will run or on the ad buy.

    But according to data provided to their clients by Kantar Media/Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks political ad spending on broadcast and national cable TV, the new spot began running Monday morning in television markets in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando, West Palm Beach and Fort Myers, Florida; Manchester, New Hampshire; Denver, Colorado; Reno, Nevada; Raleigh, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; and Washington, D.C. (which covers much of northern Virginia).

    Here is the ad, embedded below:

  • Barack Obama,  Electoral College,  Mitt Romney,  Paul Ryan,  President 2012

    Does Paul Ryan Help Mitt Romney in the Electoral College?

    This map is from the interactive site, 270towin.com

    Why, yes, the selection of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney’s Vice Presidential running mate might just very well help the GOP recapture the White House.

    The Electoral College map above illustrates why – namely, Wisconsin and Iowa are moved to red, while Nevada moves to blue from my previous prognostication map which is below.

    2012 Electoral College Final Swing States Poll Watch: Obama 47% Vs. Romney 45%

    Mitt Romney has decided to employ an upper-Midwestern Electoral College vote strategy as opposed to a Hispanic-voter Western states Electoral College strategy. In other words, the key battleground states of Nevada and Colorado will be de-emphasized or even written off (although having just returned from Las Vegas a few days ago, the Romney campaign and Crossroads GPS television ads are omni-present and frequent).

    Most political pundits agree that Paul Ryan will help Romney in Wisconsin. With the failed recall of Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker, Wisconsin might be ripe for a flip from Obama to Romney (polling there shows Romney/Ryan tied with Obama). And, who better to team up with Romney than a “Wisconsin favorite son” in Paul Ryan. Iowa is right next door to Wisconsin and will also be in play.

    Now, this punditry assumes that other key battleground states like Florida, Virginia, Ohio and Florida will also flip from Obama to Romney/Ryan. But, with the addition of Iowa and Wisconsin, Romney/Ryan could afford to lose Virginia and still reach the 270 Electoral College votes required for victory.

    The key battleground states are taking shape – add Iowa and Wisconsin to the mix.

    Tonight, the Electoral College numbers are looking a whole lot better for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.

  • Mitt Romney,  Paul Ryan

    Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan Likely to Be Named VP Nominee by Romney

    Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin

    The news is all over Twitter and it is confirmed by the AP that Mitt Romney will make his announcement tomorrow morning in Norfolk, Virginia.

    It has previously been reported that a Romney campaign plane was seen in Paul Ryan’s hometown in Wisconsin today. Also, Romney’s announcement will be in front of the the USS Wisconsin.

    In all reality, it is a good assumption that Mitt Romney has chosen Rep. Paul Ryan as his Vice Presidenital running mate and the selection will be announced tomorrow morning.

    A good choice and it appears that Team Romney is going “all in” for the upper midwestern states, Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan.

  • Barack Obama,  Mitt Romney,  Polling,  President 2012

    President 2012: Obama Approval Sinks to 43 Per Cent

    According to the latest Gallup Poll.

    Gallup tracks daily the percentage of Americans who approve or disapprove of the job Barack Obama is doing as president. Daily results are based on telephone interviews with approximately 1,500 national adults; Margin of error is ±3 percentage points.

    And, the CNN and Fox News polls showing President Obama today with a large lead are – well, inaccurate.

    This race with Mitt Romney will be close.

  • Barack Obama,  Mitt Romney,  President 2012

    Romney Attack Ad – What Does it Say about a President’s Character?

    [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-EEETo3Sqo&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

    This dramatic Romney campaign ad responding to  an Obama supporting Super PAC ad alluding that Mitt Romney’s actions at Bain Capital lead to a woman’s death will now play in “swing states.”

    It didn’t take long for Team Romney to go on offense over the despicable attack ad from Priorities USA Action that strongly implied that Mitt Romney was responsible for the death of a spouse laid off by GST — several years before her diagnosis, and long after Romney left Bain Capital’s active management.  Today the Romney campaign released a new TV-ready ad that attacks Barack Obama for “scraping bottom” and asks, “What does it say about a president’s character that tries to use the tragedy of a woman’s death for political gain?”

    The ad title is “America Deserves Better,” but it could be just as easily called “The Death of Hope and Change”…

    Eventually, the Obama Campaign will have to make a “big” apology and fire someone responsible.

    In the meantime, this ad will play all weekend long – probably during the Olympics.

  • Harry Reid,  Mitt Romney

    The Obligatory – You, Harry Reid, Are a Moron

    This is the “Big Story” of the Day – hence the obligatory in the title. I mean when Jon Stewart calls lefty Dingy Harry Reid (the Democrat Senator from Nevada who is also the Senate Majority Leader) a terrible person, then you know Reid has gone off the reservation.

    The flap is about the weighty issue of Mitt Romney’s tax returns and how Mitt has allegedly NOT paid any taxes. But, of course, Reid’s allegations are not proven and he looks like a moronic ass in repeating them over and over.

    Democrats cheered as the Senate majority leader from Nevada focused new attention on a perceived Romney weak spot: his refusal to release more than the last two years of his tax returns. Without more disclosure, Reid has said, Romney is not fit to serve as a Cabinet member and “couldn’t be confirmed as dog catcher.”

    “His poor father must be so embarrassed about his son,” Reid said, referring to then-Michigan Gov. George Romney making public 12 years of his tax returns when he ran for president in 1968.

    Republicans, meanwhile, cried foul at an accusation that they complained lacked any supporting evidence. Romney’s campaign, which has set his net worth at between $190 million and $250 million, previously has denied rumors that he hasn’t paid taxes in any year.

    But, placing a foot in his own mouth is not new for Dingy Harry Reid. Remember when he declared the Iraq War lost?

    We noted yesterday that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told the Huffington Post that what he claimed was a Bain Capital investor had called him to say Mitt Romney didn’t pay taxes for ten years – without saying who told him this, or what basis there was for the claim.

    Earlier today, he doubled down on the unsubstantiated claim with reporters in Nevada:

    “I am not basing this on some figment of my imagination,” Reid said in a telephone call with Nevada reporters. “I have had a number of people tell me that.”

    Asked to elaborate on his sources, Reid declined. “No, that’s the best you’re going to get from me.”

    “I don’t think the burden should be on me,” Reid said. “The burden should be on him. He’s the one I’ve alleged has not paid any taxes. Why didn’t he release his tax returns?”

    Harry Reid has NO evidence and his accusations are ludicrous.

    Let’s move along….

    Here is the Jon Stewart video ridiculing Harry Reid:

  • Barack Obama,  Mitt Romney,  President 2012

    Mitt Romney to Announce Vice President Via Smart Phone App

    Is Team Romney cutting edge or so 2008?

    This offer is sure to vex all the Obama campaigners who think they alone are on the cutting edge of voter outreach.

    “While I won’t be breaking any news today, I wanted to let you know how to be the first to get the VP scoop with our new Mitt’s VP app,” says Beth Meyers, the senior adviser to Mitt Romney who has led the search for his running mate these many weeks.

    Indeed the big news can be flashed to I-Phones and Androids at the very nanosecond the decision goes public.

    “There’s no telling when that answer might come. But when it does, be the first to find out and access exclusive content,” Ms. Meyers says.

    If Romney had not come up with this obvious way to obtain voter information, he would have been criticised as behind the curve with voter outreach technology. So, Team Romney cannot win on this one.

    It is so 2008 – but then again, so is Team Obama.

    The social media world has caught up with the campaigns.

    On the app, you can get it here – but the announcement will be up on Twitter and Facebook in a flash after it is announced.

    Of course, Team Obama has this cool canvassing app, but surely Romney will not be too far behind. Besides how many states are really in play anyway?

    Five or six maybe?

  • Barack Obama,  Mitt Romney,  Polling,  President 2012

    President 2012 Florida Poll Watch: Obama 48% Vs. Romney 47%

    President Obama and Mitt Romney

    According to the Democratic leaning PPP Polling.

    PPP’s first likely voters poll of Florida finds that it’s likely to take its customary place as one of the most closely contested states in the country this year. Barack Obama leads Mitt Romney by the slightest of margins, 48-47, but Romney would take a small advantage in the state if he added either Marco Rubio or Condoleezza Rice to his ticket.

    Speaking to the general discontent of the electorate this year Florida voters aren’t terribly enamored with either Obama or Romney. Voters narrowly disapprove of the job Obama’s doing, with 50% giving him poor marks to 47% who think he’s doing a good job. But they’re not terribly fond of Romney either, with 46% rating him favorably to 49% with a negative opinion. Still this parity between Obama’s approval and Romney’s favorability numbers is notable- Obama has tended to run well ahead of Romney on that front.

    Obama and Romney are holding their party bases at basically equal levels, with 84% of Democrats supporting Obama and 83% of Republicans committed to Romney. Romney’s holding a 47-40 lead with independents. Obama’s up 51-44 with women, 61-34 with Hispanics, and 58-35 with young voters while Romney’s ahead 50-45 with men, 56-39 with whites, and 52-44 with seniors.

    We tested five potential running mate pairings for Romney in Florida and two of them moved him from a small disadvantage to a small lead. Home state Senator Marco Rubio makes the biggest difference for Romney, pushing him up to a 49-47 lead. Rubio’s approval numbers aren’t earth shattering at 45/42, but his appeal is strong enough to help Romney gain a couple points with both Democrats and Republicans.

    The other difference maker among potential Romney running mates is Condoleezza Rice. She has a 59/28 favorability rating, basically unheard of among politicians today. Republicans (76/15) and independents (62/26) and love her and even with Democrats she’s on narrowly positive ground (42/41). If she was on the ticket Romney’s lead with independents would jump from 7 points to 13, leaving him ahead 46-45 overall.

    Interesting that Florida Senator Marco Rubio pushes Romney into the lead. Mitt Romney, in order to win the Presidency must win Florida.

    Rubio, a Cuban American conservative, would also help Romney with Hispanic voters in Colorado and Nevada.

    This is why, I feel, Rubio is the BEST choice for Romney.