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2012

By David Freedlander 5/24 2:09pm

2012

Mitt Romney

Romney Says Obama Doesn’t Understand Capitalism

At a campaign event in Denver yesterday, President Barack Obama told the story of how a Iowa woman approached GOP nominee Mitt Romney at a campaign stop and told him her story of financial struggles.

According to the president, Mr. Romney,  ”Gave her an answer right out of an economic textbook. “He said, ‘Our productivity equals our income.’ And the notion was that somehow the reason people can’t pay their bills is because they’re not working hard enough. If they got more productive, suddenly their incomes would go up.”

Asked about that remark during a friendly appearance on “Fox and Friends,” this morning, Mr. Romney chuckled and said, “I am afraid he doesn’t understand what productivity means.” Read More

By David Freedlander 5/17 11:56am

2012

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Obama Camp Tries To Hang Jeremiah Wright Story On Romney

A bombshell in The New York Times today revealed that a conservative Chicago billionaire is planning a $10 million ad campaign tying President Barack Obama to his controversial former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

The plan, however, appears to be backfiring. Not only did news of the ad campaign leak before any political damage could be done, but now Democrats are trying to tie the story to Mitt Romney, accusing him of acting “tepidly” and failing to John McCain’s standards of behavior. Read More

By David Freedlander 5/14 3:15pm

2012

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Ron Paul Ends Presidential Campaign

Texas Congressman Ron Paul acknowledged the inevitable this afternoon, announcing that he was ceasing to compete in any of the upcoming presidential primaries or caucuses.

“[W]e will no longer spend resources campaigning in primaries in states that have not yet voted,” Mr. Paul wrote to supporters. ” Doing so with any hope of success would take many tens of millions of dollars we simply do not have.  I encourage all supporters of Liberty to make sure you get to the polls and make your voices heard, particularly in the local, state, and Congressional elections, where so many defenders of Freedom are fighting and need your support.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 5/08 5:47pm

2012

Mayor Bloomberg today (photo: nycmayorsoffice flickr)

Bloomberg: Gay Marriage Will Factor Into Presidential Endorsement Decision

President Barack Obama may be coming under increasing scrutiny for his increasingly ambiguous position on gay marriage, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg, while stating it would factor into his endorsement, declined to pile on during a press conference this afternoon.

“You’d have to ask the president, he’s going to decide what he believes and what he wants to do,” he said in response to BuzzFeed’s Rosie Gray asking him if he felt Mr. Obama should come out fully and support the issue. “I don’t think it’s any question about what I think is right.” Read More

By Hunter Walker 5/05 8:48pm

2012

President Barack Obama on stage at VCU. (Photo: Getty)

President Obama Tries To Keep Hope Alive As He Kicks Off Re-Election Campaign

RICHMOND, VA — In 2008, President Barack Obama was a fresh face who promised to lead the country in a new direction. To score another four years in the White House, the president needs to recapture the swing states and voter enthusiasm he had four years ago as an incumbent with a record that includes the sluggish economic recovery and a war still raging in Afghanistan. The president kicked off his re-election effort yesterday with back-to-back rallies in two battleground states, Virginia and Ohio, where he attempted to assure supporters he’s still the transformative figure who captivated them during the last election.

“If people ask you, ‘What’s this campaign about?’ you tell them, it’s still about hope, you tell them it’s still about change,” he said. “You tell them it’s still about ordinary people who believe in the face of great odds that we can make a difference in the life of this country.” Read More

By David Freedlander 5/02 3:29pm

2012

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Christine Quinn and Scott Stringer Want Mike Bloomberg To Stay Away From Mitt Romney

At a press conference on the State Senate GOP’s efforts to block a reproductive health bill, Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer were asked what they think of the anti-choice Mitt Romney’s courting of Mike Bloomberg–and the possibility that Hizzoner may bestow his endorsement on the governor.

Ms. Quinn–who, you will recall, walked out of a press conference this week when a participant insulted Mr. Bloomberg–declined to mention her erstwhile ally, simply saying, “I think Mitt Romney would be a bad president– not just for women but in a lot of areas. And I think Governor Romney has demonstrated a very clear change in position, one that is extremely hostile to women’s reproductive health and women’s health care in general.” Read More

By David Freedlander 4/30 11:50am

2012

President Obama

In ‘Forward’ Web Video, Obama Campaign Looks Backward

This weekend, President Barack Obama will mark the beginning of his general election campaign with a series of rallies in the swing states of Virginia and Ohio; and in marking the start of the long campaign, the Obama campaign released a 7-minute long web video that lays out their themes going forward.

This decision is telegraphed in the very title of the video, “Forward,” which has been much mocked for seeming to borrow the same tagline as the left-leaning network MSNBC. 

But the Obama video is almost entirely a look back, rather than a look into what the next four years could look like under a President Obama. The video never once mentions Mitt Romney, Mr. Obama’s opponent, and not until the final minute or so does it pivot to a look towards the future. Read More

By David Freedlander 3/20 11:10pm

2012

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Rom

Romney Wins Easily In Barack Obama’s Backyard [Video]

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney cruised to an easy win in the Illinois primary tonight, besting former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum  by 12 points with approximately 90 percent of precincts reporting.

In a spirited speech to his supporters, Mr. Romney largely ignored his rivals, taking the fight directly to the man he hopes to face in November: Barack Obama.

“For 25 years, I lived and breathed jobs, business, and the economy,” Mr. Romney said.  ”I had successes and failures but each step of the way, I learned a little more about what it is that makes our American system so powerful. You can’t learn that teaching Constitutional law. You can’t learn that as a community organizer. The simple truth is that this President just doesn’t understand the genius of America’s economy – or the secret of our success.” Read More

By David Freedlander 3/14 11:35am

2012

Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney at a presidential debate in Arizona in February. (Photo: Getty)

As Grassroots GOPers Reject The Establishment, Romney Doubles-Down On Their Support

Republicans, the axiom goes, don’t so much fall in love as fall in line.  Thus Mitt Romney could run in 2008, finish a respectable second (or third, depending on how you score Mike Huckabee’s performance) and  be the inevitable nominee in 2012.

There has always been though a strain of the Republican base that has rejected this line of succession. This is the group that, ironically, backed Mr. Romney in 2008, when John McCain was crowned the inevitable candidate, or Steve Forbes in 1996.

Each time, the rebels have fought valiantly, but failed. This time around, they sound like they are wiling to continue spitting in the face of the party establishment for as long as Rick Santorum stays in the race. To wit, despite the endorsement of Governor Nikki Haley, Mitt Romney lost South Carolina to Newt Gingrich. Despite the endorsement of Tim Pawlenty, he lost to Rick Santorum in South Carolina. Read More

By David Freedlander 3/08 11:07am

2012

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Campaign Releases Trailer For Obama 2012: The Movie [Video]

On a conference call with reporters yesterday Obama campaign chiefs David Axelrod and Jim Messina announced that the campaign was set to release a 17-minute documentary on Obama’s first term in office.

Today they unveiled the two-minute trailer from that video.

The message is clear, and is what we have heard all along from the Obama folks–”GM is alive; Osama Bin Laden is dead.” Added to that however is a reminder of the economic hole the nation found itself in when Mr. Obama became president, and some of the pathbreaking thrill that his first campaign created. Read More