|  |  |  | | | | | Elections - Google News | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ROCK HILL, S.C. — Broadening his controversial assault on the source of Mitt Romney's personal fortune, Newt Gingrich linked the kind of corporate takeover deals he specialized in to the 2008 financial crisis that brought misery to people on Main Street. "We have a right to know what happened at Goldman Sachs, what happened with trillions of dollars in New York,'' he said on Wednesday morning. "We have a right to know what happened when companies go bankrupt,'' a reference to deals in which Mr. Romney's private equity firm, Bain Capital, cut workers and extracted profits from factories and retailers that later failed. Mr. Gingrich's attack on Mr. Romney's wealth, which a "super PAC" is prepared to echo to the tune of $3.4 million of ads in South Carolina before the Jan. 21 primary, have roiled many leaders and commentators in his own party. He was denounced by Rush Limbaugh, who said he "sounds like Elizabeth Warren,'' the Democratic senatorial candidate from Massachusetts. Mr. Romney, in his acceptance speech Tuesday night after his decisive victory in New Hampshire, implicitly linked Mr. Gingrich to President Obama as someone who "divides us with the bitter politics of envy.'' Mr. Gingrich's criticism, which he sees in the tradition of great southern populists like Huey P. Long and even Andrew Jackson, carries great political risk. Although anger at government "bailouts'' of big banks and calls to audit the Federal Reserve are a staple of the Tea Party, when that anger is focused on individual financiers and their deals, as Mr. Gingrich is doing, Republican leaders have denounced the attacks as "class warfare" and a specialty of the left. But Mr. Gingrich presented himself here as a voice for middle-class Americans who want "someone prepared to stand up to Washington and New York.'' "This is not anti-capitalism,'' he insisted. "That is the smokescreen of those who are afraid to be accountable.'' "I am for enterepreneurship,'' he added, "but I am also for the American people's right to understand how the games are being played: are they fair to the American people, or are the deals being cut on behalf of Wall Street institutions and very rich people.'' Mr. Gingrich made his remarks to reporters after addressing some 300 supporters who repeatedly jumped to their feet to applaud his a speech at the perhaps ironic locale of a country club here. "It is good to be home in the South,'' Mr. Gingrich said, basking in the warm receptions after arriving on a red-eye charter flight from New Hampshire. In a very Gingrichian flourish, the kind easily parodied but which he seemed to mean sincerely, he said, "I believe the next 10 days are as important as any 10 days we've seen in modern American politics.'' This southern state could very well be the last stand for the Gingrich campaign, where the candidate will try to derail the inevitability of Mr. Romney by uniting conservatives behind him, although he has several other rivals attempting the same feat. In a nod to the many evangelical and conservative Christians in the Republican base in the state, Mr. Gingrich denounced "anti-Christian" persecution from the Middle East to Texas, citing a judge's order this year forbidding prayer at a high school graduation. Mr. Gingrich is seeking to brand himself as an insurrectionist capable of shaking up the establishment of both parties, in New York and Boston no less than Washington. "I believe that South Carolinians are either going to center in to pick one conservative, or by default we're going to send a moderate on to the nomination,'' he said, warning that would be a losing hand to play against Mr. Obama. "We've nominated moderates,'' he said, a reference to the last winner of the 2008 South Carolina Republican primary, Senator John McCain. "They can't debate, they can't explain, they stand there trying to figure out what is it I believe now.'' | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Some thoughts on the charge that Obama wants to turn the US into an entitlement society.Mitt Romney likes to contrast the U.S. economic system with Europe's welfare state. You can have a merit society, he says, or an entitlement society, but not both -- and an entitlement society is where the U.S. is heading if Barack Obama and the Democrats get their way.It's a favorite Republican theme, and you can see why. For one thing, there's some truth to it. Contrasting the American model of capitalism with the European alternative isn't absurd. The gap is narrower than it used to be, but they're still different. Also, Obama and the Democrats do want to move the U.S. in a European direction. Best of all, from the Republican point of view, they are generally embarrassed to admit it. American voters still see their country as a model for the rest of the world, not the other way round. Nobody will ever be elected president of the U.S. on a pledge to make the country more like France. Democrats therefore find themselves having to deny the obvious. Obama wants to make the country more like Europe? Ridiculous. A straw man. But it isn't ridiculous. What's ridiculous is the idea that Republicans take for granted and squirming Democrats tacitly endorse -- that making the U.S. more like Europe would be a disaster.
Read on: If Europe Can Learn From U.S., Why Not Vice Versa? | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Conservative challengers for the Republican presidential nomination are descending on South Carolina, which they see as their best chance to halt lead candidate Mitt Romney's momentum. Valerie Bauerlein has details on Campaign Journal. The Republican primary fight swept into South Carolina Wednesday, with Mitt Romney's rivals confronting the specter that the Jan. 21 contest there could represent the final chance to derail his drive for the presidential nomination. Mr. Romney criticized fellow candidates Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich by name Wednesday, saying their attacks "will fall entirely flat." The GOP candidates were still absorbing the magnitude of Mr. Romney's win in the New Hampshire primary, which exceeded many predictions and included victories among almost all types of voters. Mr. Romney garnered 40% of the vote, while Rep. Ron Paul of Texas came in a solid second with 23%. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who had gambled on a strong performance in New Hampshire, was third with 17%. The Republican primary fight swept into South Carolina Wednesday ahead of that state's January 21 primary. Jerry Seib on Campaign Journal tells us what to look for in what could be a last gasp for some candidates. Discussions were already under way among tea-party, conservative and evangelical activists, many of whom are uncomfortable with Mr. Romney's previous centrist positions, about whether they can rally around a single candidate who can stop Mr. Romney rather than continuing to split the conservative vote. But short of one of the more conservative candidates dropping out, it isn't clear how that would happen. Neither Mr. Gingrich, a former House speaker, nor former Pennsylvania Gov. Rick Santorum nor Gov. Perry of Texas has suggested any willingness to step aside. Exit Polls See who voted and how. New Hampshire Headquarters A peek inside the Manchester-area state headquarters of the candidates ranking highest in national polls showed campaign signs, balloons, and lots of telephones. Another Win for Romney Elise Amendola/Associated Press Mr. Romney celebrated his win in New Hampshire. Instead, South Carolina is likely to see intensified attacks on the front-runner. Mr. Gingrich in particular has signaled he will go after Mr. Romney for favoring abortion rights earlier in his career and for his tenure at Bain Capital, a private-equity firm at which Mr. Gingrich says Mr. Romney took big payouts while ignoring the plight of workers who got laid off. Ads for several of the candidates have already begun airing on South Carolina television stations. Mr. Romney made it clear Wednesday that his strategy will be to portray Republicans who question his actions at Bain as joining forces with President Barack Obama to attack the American system. "I understand President Obama is going to put free enterprise on trial," Mr. Romney said on CNN Wednesday morning. "Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich are going to be witnesses for the prosecution." He added, "All these attacks will fall entirely flat, as they did last night." Mr. Gingrich has called the suggestion that he is attacking free enterprise "baloney," adding that Bain was guilty of particular excesses. The former House speaker is scheduled to give what his aides are billing as a major address Wednesday in Rock Hill, S.C. South Carolina offers a different electorate from New Hampshire, and Mr. Romney could sustain some damage there even if he does well in the primary. The state is Southern and conservative, and a political-action committee that is supporting Mr. Gingrich will have millions to spend in going after Mr. Romney. WSJ's Neil King joins the News Hub to discuss results in the New Hampshire primary, in which Mitt Romney claimed a commending win, as well as upcoming races. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images Mr. Gingrich has expressed anger that his lead in the Iowa caucuses dissipated after a group allied with Mr. Romney launched harsh attacks against him, and at times his animus toward the former Massachusetts governor seems personal. He has said that South Carolina is a state he must win. Messrs. Santorum and Perry also don't have a clear a path forward if they fail to do well in South Carolina. Mr. Romney's momentum is considerable after prevailing in Iowa and New Hampshire. On Tuesday, Messrs. Gingrich and Santorum each won about 10% of the vote, coming in fourth and fifth. Mr. Perry, who didn't contest the state, drew about 1% of the vote. After the South Carolina contest, the remaining candidates will head to Florida, by far the biggest state in the primary season so far. With several major media markets, it takes a good deal of money and organization to compete there, giving Mr. Romney a significant advantage. Write to Naftali Bendavid at naftali.bendavid@wsj.com | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (CBS News) Check out the latest episode of "Face to Face," a mid-week online "Face the Nation" extra featuring one-on-one interviews with Bob Schieffer and a top newsmaker. In this episode, Schieffer interviews former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty. The morning after Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was willing to concede that second place finisher Ron Paul "shouldn't be dismissed" as a serious presidential candidate. But at the end of the day, Pawlenty says he's confident "Mitt Romney is going to be the nominee." "Frankly, amongst this field, Mitt Romney is really the varsity playing the junior varsity," Pawlenty told CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Bob Schieffer in an appearance on CBS News' new webshow "Face to Face." The former governor was once considered a formidable candidate in that field himself, but bowed out after a weak showing in August's Ames Straw Poll in Iowa. Now, he has rallied behind Romney and says he's "working hard" to make sure he gets the nomination. Still, he said, "we have to tip the cap to Ron Paul" in light of his recent performances in New Hampshire and Iowa, where he placed third in the January 3 caucuses. "He doesn't agree with Mitt on everything, but he came in second in New Hampshire, he had a respectable showing in Iowa, and he shouldn't be dismissed," Pawlenty told Schieffer. "A lot of people just kind of brush him off and say, well, he's not a serious candidate -- he's doing well in these early states. But look, with six or seven candidates in the race it's going to have to distill down here in the final stages." Some observers see benefits for Romney in an extended Paul candidacy. The longtime Texas lawmaker has a fervent base of supporters and a strong, organized campaign operation. (He is the only candidate other than Romney who has not had trouble getting on the ballot in some states.) "As long as he stays there and continues to get a sizable percentage of the vote, it keeps the other candidates from -- or the other voters from coalescing around one single conservative," Schieffer said. "Are you glad to have Ron Paul where he is?" "All the voices in the campaign and the debate are important, but keep in mind Ron Paul may also be attracting some people coming into the process who are new or who otherwise wouldn't be in the process," Pawlenty said. "He may be attracting new people in the process." Pawlenty didn't seem overly concerned about the onslaught of negative advertising that awaits Romney in South Carolina, which holds its primary on January 21. Already, his Republican rivals have unleashed millions of dollars worth of attack ads in the state in the hopes of emerging as the anti-Romney alternative. "Well it can have an impact, but as the old saying goes, it ain't beanbag," Pawlenty said of the ads. "And so the third party groups, the candidates are going to be leveling it back and forth -- there's nothing wrong with that, that's a healthy part of the process as long as it's accurate and fair. I think where candidates get frustrated and where people get frustrated is when the ads are distorted, or inaccurate, or misleading or untrue." He did say, however, that he was "disappointed" with the recent barrage of criticism that has been leveled at Romney's record at the venture capital group Bain Capital. "It's disappointing to see Newt Gingrich and some other Republicans criticizing economic freedom and private enterprise, and somehow saying that's out of bounds in the Republican party," Pawlenty said. "That's Barack Obama's argument, and it's disappointing to say the least that Newt Gingrich and Republicans are making Barack Obama's class warfare argument." When asked if he was "sorry" he got out of the race, Pawlenty laughed. "I had my fair shot at it, Bob, and so I couldn't get it done. And I'm glad to support, honored to support, excited to support Mitt Romney. But you can't look back in hindsight and say I should have done that or that. I had a fair shot at it, but couldn't get it over the finish line." | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As if Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman needed more bad news after his third-place finish in New Hampshire, he now trails comedian Stephen Colbert in South Carolina, the next state to vote on Jan. 21, the Atlantic Wire reports. The count, by Public Policy Polling (PPP), puts the Comedy Central anchor and non-candidate at 5%, while the former ambassador to China currently musters just 4%. "Even if Huntsman finishes second in New Hampshire tonight it doesn't speak well for his prospects down the line that he's running behind Stephen Colbert," the pollsters wrote in a massive understatement of a press release. Admittedly, many of Colbert's supporters may be Democratic voters planning to participate in the Palmetto State's open primary. (Or just pranksters who didn't take the poll seriously.) And Colbert is a South Carolina native. Plus he received plenty of publicity after trying to buy the naming rights to the primary, wanting to call the contest "The Colbert Nation Super PAC Presidential Primary." Still, for a professional politician like Huntsman — who's been campaigning for president for months — it has to be embarrassing. Perhaps he can take consolation from the fact that he's not the only one left red-faced by Colbert's antics. The South Carolina GOP reportedly took seriously the funnyman's offer of "a sizable donation" to add to the ballot a question deriding the current front-runner. He wanted to ask voters if they believe "corporations are people" or whether "only people are people." The question clearly mocks Mitt Romney, who controversially claimed "corporations are people" in Iowa last year. According to the PPP numbers, South Carolinians weren't in much agreement with his assertion. "Supporters of every Republican candidate believe that 'only people are people,' even 66% of Mitt Romney's whose comments inspired this debate in the first place," added the press release. MORE: Stephen Colbert Almost Sponsored the South Carolina GOP Primary | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," January 9, 2012. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: Congressman Ron Paul says, I'm in this, I'm a contender. And yes he is, because he is now running a solid second here in several New Hampshire polls. Can he defy the odds, though, and catch up to front-runner Government Mitt Romney? Griff Jenkins spoke with Congressman Paul on the campaign trail. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GRIFF JENKINS, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Congressman, you have quite a head of steam here coming in. You're rising in the polls and it looks like Mitt Romney is slipping. What is happening here? RON PAUL, GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It looks like our message is getting out. And it's a great state. They believe in a limited government and the issues I've been talking about. So we're very optimistic about the way things are going. And we have a ways to go to really get it, but I tell you what, if we get close to him it will be a real big news story. JENKINS: Why are you getting closer? You've said on the campaign stump that you're doing the same message you've been doing, but it's starting to click. Why? PAUL: I think the country and the world has changed. Certainly the financial situation has changed, worldwide domestically as well as international. And of course, that was my big issue for many, many years and motivated me to get involved in politics in the 70's, warning about a financial bubble and warning about the financial system and the monetary system. And it's come about. So we talked about the housing bubble before it burst. So now we have credibility on economics. But we also credibility on the foreign policy, too, because the foreign policy we fought for the past 10 years contributed $4 trillion dollars worth of debt. That means money spent overseas on these wars was taken away from the people. And that's why we're having trouble paying the bills for medical care in this country. And I think it's coming together. And of course the young people are enthusiast it can about these viewpoints. JENKINS: You mentioned foreign policy. Some of your fellow candidates, Rick Santorum says you're dangerous. What would president Paul draw people to your fiscal and constitutional message, but questions your foreign policy and what do you think of Santorum is saying? PAUL: I sort of chuckle because I can't say how a strict constitutionalist be dangerous and somebody who puts on high priority national defense, because there are so few things we're supposed to do at the national level and one is national defense. So my viewpoint is that what we do overseas undermines our national defense. And we have too many conservatives who say if we spend more money overseas you're going to get more defense, but I don't believe that. You get more militarism. You want more defense by having a different foreign policy. And they accept that reasoning domestically, you know, if the department of education isn't doing well, conservatives don't say, well, that's doubled as well. Sometimes they do double the size of the department of education, but that's not a conservative viewpoint, you know, just pumping more in, money, domestically. And that's the way I'm consistent in I look at that nationally and just sending over more foreign aid and invade another country that hasn't done harm to us, that doesn't give us more defense. And people are catching on to this. JENKINS: I know, you've been asked this, but if you become president, what is the first thing you would do policy-wise? And people know, you say, you know, once your president, what would be the first thing you would do? PAUL: One area where the president would have a commander-in-chief so you don't have to go looking for another war and you don't have to intimidate people. You don't have to say we're going to put a lot of sanctions on you and disrupt trade around the world. But you can say, well, our national security doesn't depend on a whole naval force in the Persian Gulf. We don't want China in the Gulf of Mexico. So we might say, reasonably speaking, is our country less secure by backing off a couple of miles? And I think that opens up the door for discussion. And I think that's what the world needs instead of you do it our way. If you do it our way we'll give you a lot of money, and if you don't do it our way we'll send a drone missile over there and start picking at you. So I think it's a completely different foreign policy. It's a very pro-America, strong national defense policy, but it also is living within reason that it's a policy we can afford right now. We can't afford this, and we have to get our budget under control. JENKINS: A new poll today says that 56 percent says more than half of the voters here in New Hampshire are undecided, probably a lot of them in that. And what's your pitch with them with hours to go before the voters hit the polls? PAUL: The same they think I've been pitching for 30 years -- more freedom, less government, lower taxes, strong national defense, looking into Federal Reserve, and a concentration and emphasis on personal liberty, because this is one state that understands what personal liberty is all about. JENKINS: And depending how you do here, you've said you'll go straight to South Carolina. What's the path forward? You said maybe not going to Florida. What's the path forward? PAUL: We'll -- I will stop in South Carolina on Wednesday as we leave here, and we don't have the full campaign in Florida, but we won't be absent, but we'll see how we do tomorrow, as well as in South Carolina, and then look at the budget. JENKINS: Last question, do you-- you've been hesitant to answer the third party question, so let me try a creative way. What's your opinion on what Ross Perot did and how he ran? PAUL: Well, he was very rich. I'm not very rich. (LAUGHTER) PAUL: I've contributed some services here and it distracted me a little bit from a medical practice. And also, you know, I gave up a pension, my federal pension fund, so I don't have that kind of money. So that's a different story completely. And it is a system that is very biased against third party movements. And right now I'm in this. I'm a contender. JENKINS: We've tried to follow you around. You're like a rock star here. PAUL: Yes. So that thought doesn't cross my mind. I'm not thinking if those terms. JENKINS: Congressman, we appreciate your time and we forward to following you on the campaign trail. PAUL: Thank you very much. (END VIDEOTAPE) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney tells TODAY's Matt Lauer that the "relatively modest heat" coming from his GOP rivals is a "good warm-up" for the general election. By Michael Isikoff, NBC News national investigative correspondent A super PAC backing Mitt Romney has just made nearly $6 million in new ad buys in South Carolina and Florida in an apparent attempt to blow away the GOP frontrunner's opponents by the end of the month. A source close to Restore Our Future, the pro-Romney super PAC, confirmed that in the last few days it has bought up $2.3 million of media time in South Carolina and another $3.6 million in Florida to run ads in those states. Read more reporting from Michael Isikoff in 'The Isikoff Files' These buys show the powerful financial muscle behind the Romney group - flush with big donations from wealthy Wall Street investors and others. They also exceed the reported $3.4 million ad buy that Winning Our Future, the pro-Gingrich super PAC, made in South Carolina this week after receiving a $5 million infusion from billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. In his victory speech after winning the New Hampshire primary, Mitt Romney criticizes President Obama and contrasts his agenda with characterizations of Obama's time in office. The clash of the rival super PACs that can take unlimited donations from wealthy contributors and corporations - is increasingingly dominating the GOP presidential race. A firm that tracks media buys for NBC News has found that, even before these buys, the Romey super PAC had already spent $7 million on ads in the primaries, exceeding the $5.5 million that was spent by the official Romney presidential campaign. The super PAC ads are also far more nasty than those being run by the campaigns. In his victory speech tonight, Mitt Romney took a pointed shot at other Republicans who he said were "dividing" the country - a clear shot at blistering ads that the Gingrich super PAC has vowed to run attacking Romney for costing thousands of workers their jobs when he ran the private equity firm Bain Capital. OtherNBC's Chuck Todd explains how the outcome of New Hampshire's primary plays into the plans and strategies of the Republican competitors, particularly with regard to preventing Mitt Romney from becoming the nominee. Rick Tyler, a spokesman for the Gingrich super PAC, said that Romney should stop "whining" about his group's ads - and said they will begin running on South Carolina TV and radio stations by Thursday morning. "It's amazing that he would take the opportunity of his victory speech to allow us to get under his skin," Tyler said. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (CBS News) Fresh off his big New Hampshire primary win, Mitt Romney expects it to be "all guns blazing in my direction" as the Republican nominating race heads to South Carolina. But the clear GOP frontrunner, whose back-to-back wins in Iowa and New Hampshire are unprecedented, doesn't seem to mind being the focal point for his rivals' attacks, saying on "CBS This Morning" that he had "broad shoulders" and can handle the added attention. The former Massachusetts governor took 40 percent of vote in New Hampshire, with Rep. Ron Paul garnering 23 percent and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman coming in third with 17 percent. Romney takes New Hampshire primary; Paul comes in second
Will Mitt Romney's N.H. win silence critics?
Special Section: Election 2012 Romney's opponents have been turning up the heat on his record at Bain Capital, saying his history as a corporate downsizer doesn't bode well in an election where job creation is a key issue. Romney defended his record at Bain and revealed that part of his playbook against President Barack Obama in a general election will be to highlight the president's own record of downsizing when the federal government took the reins of General Motors in 2009. Romney also touted his success among Tea Party members, conservatives and evangelicals in New Hampshire, saying the state provided a "real boost" for his campaign. But he also acknowledged that he'd face an "uphill climb" in South Carolina, where he finished fourth in 2008. Watch Charlie Rose's full interview with Romney above. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (CNN) - Despite Mitt Romney's commanding win in New Hampshire's primary on Tuesday, national Democrats argued the Republican presidential frontrunner's 40% finish–with 95 precincts reporting–was less than a victory. "He came out of this primary as a wounded candidate," Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of the Democratic National Committee, said Wednesday on CNN's "Starting Point with Soledad O'Brien."
- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker Given his focused campaigning in the state and experience as governor in the neighboring state of Massachusetts, Wasserman Schultz said Romney "should have had droves of Republicans coming to the polls to vote" for him. "That's a problem," she added. Her comments echo similar remarks from President Barack Obama's re-election team, which wasted no time Tuesday night launching new criticism against the former governor. An Obama campaign official told CNN Chief White House Correspondent Jessica Yellin that recent days have showed the "central rationale for (Romney's) candidacy unraveling" as he's answered attacks on his corporate past. "After a great recession caused in large measure by Wall Street greed and recklessness, America can't afford to put in the Oval Office a corporate raider who thinks outsourcing jobs, stripping down companies and bankrupting them for profit represents the best of the free enterprise system," the official said. National Democrats have hammered Romney over his tenure as former CEO of Bain Capital, a private investment firm that profited in buying and streamlining other companies, eventually leading to lay-offs. Some Republicans have also joined in the charge, including Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who characterized Bain Capital as a group of "vulture capitalists" on Tuesday. Romney responded saying his opponents are putting "free enterprise" on trial and reminded voters his firm ultimately created 100,000 jobs. On Wednesday, Romney shrugged off the latest attacks, saying he doubts the Democratic-led criticism will hurt his campaign and added he "felt sorry" for Wasserman Schultz. "She's got to stand up for the president's record, and it's pretty bad," he said on CNN's "Starting Point." | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | -
Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, speaks to supporters during an election night really in Manchester, N.H., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/Bill Sikes)
After a second place finish in the New Hampshire primaries, Ron Paul will take his campaign to South Carolina, bypass the Florida primaries, and head to Nevada where he hopes to get a head start in the push to garner Latino support in one of the recession's hardest hit states. The Nevada Caucus on February 4th, and the Florida primary on January 31st, will mark the first time that Hispanic Republicans will get their shot to significantly weigh in on the race for the GOP nominee --a point that has not been lost on the Paul campaign – which launched its Hispanics for Ron Paul National Coalition in an effort to organize Latino volunteers in states like Nevada, Colorado, and Washington. According to the Paul campaign, they reportedly will bypass Florida because of the huge cost of advertising and campaigning in the state - which his campaign estimated to be about $9 million to compete for the state's winner-takes-all 50 delegates. Instead, Paul's Hispanic Outreach campaign continues pushing hard to win Republican Latinos in Nevada. Just over 9% of Nevada's voter population is Latino. "We've been working with several newspapers in the area, English and Spanish language local affiliates, and are focused on bringing out the Hispanic vote in Nevada for Dr. Paul," said Fernando Cortes, the Deputy Controller and Director of the Ron Paul campaign's Hispanic Outreach Program. Cortes, 28, controls 5 staffers in the coalition and 20 "mostly bilingual" volunteers thus far who are set to meet on a Saturday afternoon in Henderson, Nevada on January 14th to put in place an outreach strategy directed specifically to Latino voters in Nevada. Where Ron Paul Stands on Latino Issues Cortes believes that Paul is running the strongest Hispanic outreach of all the GOP campaigns so far. Cortes points to the campaign's Hispanos Por Ron Paul Facebook page – that has nearly 700 fans - Paul's Hispanic Outreach YouTube channel that includes campaign advertisements subtitled in Spanish, and poll data as prime indicators that Paul is the go-to GOP Latino candidate. Our long term goal is to convert the Latino community. To get them to start advocating for liberty. - Fernando Cortes, Director of Hispanic Outreach for Ron Paul According to a Public Policy Poll published in December, Paul has the highest favorability rate with Hispanics among the GOP candidates at 51%. That poll included Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, and Romney. "Outside of Mitt Romney working with past allies in Florida," Cortes said. "I don't really see any campaign or candidate doing any specific outreach in this specific primary cycle." Cortes maps out a three phase plan for Nevada he thinks will help bring Latino support to Paul's side. The plan starts with identifying and addressing likely Latino Republican voters, secondly getting more disgruntled Latino Democrats to register Republican, and thirdly to educate Latinos on free trade and the Constitution – issues that are at the forefront of the Paul campaign. "Immigration will not be the biggest issue. The biggest issue that appeals to Latino voters, for the same reasons it appeals to anyone, is a common economic and foreign policy, balanced budgets, and fiscal sanity. That resonates with all people," Cortes said. Cortes believes jobs is the number one issue for Latinos in the United States, and believes Paul's economic policy can attract Democrat and Independent Latino voters to vote Republican this year. Nationally, 67% of Hispanic registered voters say they identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, while 20% say the same about the Republican party, according to a Pew Hispanic Center Survey. "A lot of the Hispanic community has their own mind set on what a Republican candidate stands for," Cortes said. "One of our objectives is to present Dr. Paul for what he is." Ariel González, 32, of Las Vegas, Nevada is a second generation Mexican American, who converted from an independent voter to a registered Republican in 2008. He is now a Paul volunteer for the Hispanic Outreach campaign and acknowledges the tough task that lies before them to introduce their candidate to a Latino population that knows very little of him. "It's a really hard sell because of the immigration issue and because his positions take a little bit of explaining," González told Fox News Latino."I try to stay away from immigration." Paul wants to end automatic birthright citizenship and is against the Federal DREAM Act, but has also said publicly that he does not believe that the deportation of the 11 to 12 million undocumented immigrants already here is a viable alternative, and favors assimilation into the society without specifying the mechanisms. Regardless, "Hispanos Por Ron Paul" believes that given enough face-time on Spanish television and with Latino voters their candidate's economic recovery plan would resinate loud enough - especially in a state like Nevada. Nevada continues to top the nation in unemployment, foreclosures, and bankruptcies rates. However, there are signs of improvement including the state's unemployment rate which has gone from above 14% to just above 13% in the past year. But whether or not Republican candidates such as Paul can get enough Latino support in a general election despite their tough stances on immigration remains to be seen. The last time Nevada's Latino voters were put to the test was in 2010 when Senator Harry Reid and Republican Sharron Angle went head to head. Latinos overwhelmingly voted against Angle, who had touted a tough immigration policy, by nearly 9 to 1. For now, the Paul camp will begin its' major push for Latino hearts and minds modestly in a gathering in Henderson, Nevada at a campaign headquarters on Saturday. But don't be fooled their expectations are high. "Our long term goal is to convert the Latino community," Cortes explained. "To get them to start advocating for liberty." Follow us on twitter.com/foxnewslatino
Like us at facebook.com/foxnewslatino | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Florida voters disapprove of President Barack Obama's job performance, say he doesn't deserve to be reelected and narrowly prefer Republican Mitt Romney in a theoretical matchup, according to a new poll. Romney would get 46 percent of the Florida vote to Obama's 43 percent if the election were held today, Quinnipiac University's latest poll of Florida finds. The poll also shows that incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson is essentially tied with U.S. Rep. Connie Mack in a theoretical matchup, with Nelson earning 41 percent of the vote and Mack 40 percent. This isn't the only bad news for Democrats in the poll. It also continues to show that Republicans are far more excited than Democrats about voting this year. More than half of Republicans describe themselves as enthusiastic about casting ballots. Only 29 percent of Democrats feel that way. Obama's problems are particularly striking. The economy is showing more signs of improvement. And Republicans are starting to savage each other in the GOP primary. Voters seem unimpressed. Even the Republican polling in third place this primary season, Rick Santorum, is in a statistical tie with Obama, the poll shows. Chances are, Obama would face Romney, who's the GOP frontrunner. Obama's greatest strengths: black voters — who favor him 92-4 over Romney — and young voters, who side with Obama over Romney by a 51-39 percent spread. Independent voters, who tend to call elections in Florida, also favor Obama over Romney, 47-39. But Hispanic voters are almost evenly split between the two. White voters, who outnumber black voters in Florida, favor Romney by 21 percentage points. And those older than 49 are in Romney's camp right now by relatively significant margins. "The problem for Obama is that those over 50 make up 62 percent of the electorate, compared to the 35 percent who are under 50," Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a written statement. "But the election isn't for 10 more months so he has plenty of time to turn things around," he said. "Nevertheless, President Obama needs to mend fences in the Sunshine State, especially among men, whites and those voters without college degrees. The difference among voters by age is especially striking." And where Obama wins women, he loses men 52-40 percent to Romney, "a yawning gender gap," Brown said. Only 42 percent give Obama a positive job-approval rating, while 54 percent disapprove; 52 percent say he doesn't deserve a second term. Only 44 percent say he should be reelected. Despite all his problems, Obama isn't clearly losing the election. And his numbers haven't moved that much over the past few months. The poll's overall error margin is 2.6 percentage points, making the presidential race close to a tie. Obama's campaign is actively trying to add new, young voters to the rolls and the president is trying to reach out more to independents at the same time that Romney and the other Republican candidates have to appeal to the right in the GOP primary. If the economy continues to improve, Obama could get a share of the credit — though voters right now seem more inclined to tie the state's economy to Gov. Rick Scott, who's not on the ballot and is about as unpopular as Obama. Also, Obama doesn't need Florida as much as a Republican challenger, who needs swing-state Florida to cancel out the likely Democratic wins in larger states such as California and New York. Sen. Nelson is therefore in a tougher spot than Obama. The 12-year senator has been a fixture of Florida for more than three decades. But the son and namesake of his predecessor, Connie Mack, is running neck-and-neck with the Democrat. Still, Nelson does far better than Obama among white, older and independent voters. Voters approve of his job performance by double digits. About a third of the electorate says it hasn't heard enough about Nelson to form an opinion. More than half of the voters say that about Mack — an indication that Democrats and his fellow Republican opponents might try to define the Fort Myers congressman negatively as the election season rolls on. Mack's victory in the crowded Senate primary isn't a sure thing. But his poll numbers are the envy of the other candidates. Mack pulls in 39 percent of the Republican primary vote, compared to 6 percent for former Sen. George LeMieux and businessman Mike McCalister. Former Florida House Republican leader Adam Hasner is stuck at 2 percent and businessman Craig Miller pulls in just 1 percent of the vote. The primary for that race is Aug. 14; the presidential primary is Jan. 31. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | By Jonathan Mann, CNN updated 5:35 AM EST, Wed January 11, 2012 Romney: We made history tonight STORY HIGHLIGHTS - Mitt Romney has become the first Republican presidential candidate to win both opening rounds of voting
- Opponents believe Romney's comments on firing workers have left him exposed on unemployment
- Romney says his efforts as a venture capitalist created more than 100,000 jobs
- Rival Rick Parry says Romney's company were "vulture capitalists all too often"
(CNN) -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney had a win to savor and a wound to salve this week, after a crucial victory and a cringe-inducing gaffe. "Romney may have won New Hampshire but the premise of his candidacy began to unravel, " said an aide inside the re-election team backing President Barack Obama. The victory came in the New Hampshire primary election, the second contest in the long series of state-by-state votes to choose the candidate against Obama in November's presidential election. Romney also won in the state of Iowa a week earlier, making him the first Republican ever to take both opening rounds of voting. But as his opponents tried to find a way to stop his momentum, he offered them an easy opening with a comment about making sure Americans can choose how they get their healthcare. "Unemployment is a central issue in the election. Romney says he can cure it. Now the question he's raised with an innocent remark is whether he's caused some of it too."
Jonathan Mann "I like being able to fire people who provide services to me," he said. "If someone doesn't give me the good service I need, I want to say I am going to get somebody else to provide that service to me." The comment drew attention to what may be Romney's biggest vulnerabilities. He's a multi-millionaire former executive immeasurably richer than most American voters. He also once led a firm called Bain Capital that bought and sold large companies, whose employees sometimes lost their jobs in the process. After his remark about firing people, even a routine campaign encounter with a young child drew a heckler's ridiculing cry of "Don't fire the baby, don't fire the baby." Texas Governor Rick Perry, one of Romney's competitors for the Republican nomination, was no kinder. "There is a real difference between a venture capitalist and a vulture capitalist. Venture capitalists are good. They go in, they invest, they create jobs. Bain Capital were vulture capitalists all too often." Romney insists that his efforts created more than 100,000 jobs. Some news organizations have raised questions about that claim. Unemployment is a central issue in the election. Romney says he can cure it. Now the question he's raised with an innocent remark is whether he's caused some of it too. Part of complete coverage on updated 12:25 AM EST, Wed January 11, 2012 Mitt Romney won the New Hampshire primary, according to CNN projections, after voters turned out in expected record numbers Tuesday. updated 9:41 PM EST, Tue January 10, 2012 Following his win in New Hampshire, presidential candidate Mitt Romney tells supporters it was a historic night. updated 10:19 PM EST, Tue January 10, 2012 Mitt Romney and Ron Paul's 1-2 finish in New Hampshire was no surprise; now Jon Huntsman and Newt Gingrich have a lot of catching up to do. updated 11:55 PM EST, Tue January 10, 2012 "Moderate" may be a four-letter word in most Republican circles, but not in New England. updated 10:10 PM EST, Tue January 10, 2012 Rep. Ron Paul tells supporters as long as they stay devoted to liberty ideals, they will be a danger to the status quo. updated 5:31 AM EST, Wed January 11, 2012 Jon Huntsman got the third ticket out of New Hampshire, but it's unclear how far that ticket will take him. updated 9:17 PM EST, Tue January 10, 2012 Erin Burnett breaks the New Hampshire primary vote down by income and social issues using 'flick' technology. updated 5:36 PM EST, Tue January 10, 2012 As Mitt Romney looks toward November, darkish clouds loom on the horizon, David Gergen and Michael Zuckerman note. updated 9:28 PM EST, Tue January 10, 2012 CNN's Brian Todd reports the GOP candidates are aggressively spending in states beyond the New Hampshire primary. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney addresses a primary night victory rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, Jan. 10, 2012. (Credit: Getty) 
This post originally appeared on Slate.
For the last week, Mitt Romney has called himself "landslide Romney," repeating a joke from John McCain about his eight-vote victory in the Iowa caucuses. The title fits a little better now. Romney won the New Hampshire primary by a handy 13 points with 40 percent of the vote. In the much-watched fight for runner-up, Ron Paul got that "real nice second place" he'd been predicting, with 23 percent of the vote, and Jon Huntsman finished third with 17 percent -- to the disappointment of New York magazine editors, but few Republican voters. Mitt Romney has been an anemic candidate, ahead in the polls but not strong enough to lock up victory. Will New Hampshire put some iron in the blood, or is it a pale win that won't quell conservative calls for a nominee they can believe in? Romney is now the first non-incumbent Republican candidate in history to win the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary, and he can expect a bump in the polls in South Carolina and Florida, where he is already ahead. Special section: Campaign 2012 Romney calls himself a "numbers guy," but by the numbers he has a tremendously long way to go. He has won only a handful of delegates. Even after the first four contests, only 15 percent of the delegates will be apportioned. Romney is banking that his wins create a bandwagon effect, drying up the money of his competitors and shrinking the appetite for the anti-Romney candidate. He is, in essence, hoping for the surge that has lifted every other candidate in this race except him. Expectations were high for Romney, and he met them. Thirty-five percent of New Hampshire voters said their most important issue was beating Barack Obama. Romney won 60 percent of them. He carried all groups -- from Tea Party supporters to conservatives to moderates. Despite this week's attacks on Romney's tenure at Bain, voters still seem persuaded by his argument that his business experience makes him the best candidate to handle the economy. Among the 6-in-10 voters for whom the economy was the top issue, Romney more than doubled the support of his nearest competitor. Ron Paul won handily among young voters, getting 40 percent of the 18-29-year-old vote. He also won with voters who said voting for a "true conservative" was what motivated their vote. Paul grinned to his supporters at his election night party, and he reveled in being called "dangerous." Mitt Romney won handily, he said, "but we're nibbling at his heels." But even if he was nibbling, the exit polls showed Paul's limitations. 55 percent of those polled in New Hampshire said they would be dissatisfied if he won the nomination. Only 37 percent said that about Romney. In South Carolina, which votes a week from Saturday, Romney can expect 10 days of hell. South Carolina is likely to be the last stand of the anti-Romney forces, or the place where they turn the tide. Romney is likely to be the target of sustained attacks that may be the last serious assaults of the primary-season nomination battle if he does well there. The Romney campaign is hoping that New Hampshire will validate him and sweep away the stories about Republicans unhappy with the front-runner. In the latest CBS national poll, 58 percent of Republicans say they want more presidential choices. Romney leads that poll, but with only 19 percent. In exit polls of New Hampshire voters, 31 percent said they wanted another candidate to join the race. New Hampshire may end up acting as a shield for Romney against the recent attacks on his business career. Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, and Jon Huntsman characterized Romney as a ruthless corporate raider. Though the attacks started too late to change the New Hampshire result much, Romney can claim that New Hampshire voters heard them and decided they were without merit. It's not clear who will go hardest after Romney now. The problem traditionally with attacking in a multicandidate field is that you harm the front-runner but you also hurt yourself. You don't attract his voters -- you drive undecided voters away from both the target and yourself. That may be happening to Gingrich, who pressed the case against Romney most thoroughly, and whose super PAC plans to run millions of dollars of ads in South Carolina on the issue. His attacks on Romney's record at Bain were roundly criticized by conservatives from the National Review to Rush Limbaugh. Romney can't usually count on such conservatives as his allies. Romney also got a solid from Ron Paul, who said Huntsman, Perry, and Gingrich were attacking the free-market system. Gingrich won only 10 percent of the vote but vowed to continue his attacks on the front-runner. "We're going to go all out to win in South Carolina," he told CNN's John King. "We think that the contrast between a Georgia Reagan conservative and a Massachusetts moderate is pretty dramatic." Jon Huntsman also said he would continue his campaign, though South Carolina may be too conservative for him. After all, 40 percent of his New Hampshire supporters said they were satisfied with Obama as president. Rick Santorum didn't match the surge he had in Iowa. But his 70 visits to New Hampshire and his Iowa bounce apparently made him a more attractive candidate. Santorum, who tied Gingrich at 10 percent, came in third among late-deciding voters. On Election Day, Romney enjoyed a movie in relative anonymity with his grandchildren, something he won't be able to for much longer. The kids saw The Muppets and Romney watched Mission: Impossible. After New Hampshire, he hopes one describes his rivals and the other describes their chances.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  President Barack Obama greets Environmental Protection Agency employees in Washington on Tuesday. (AFP/Getty Images) |
Staff report 4:02 a.m. CST, January 11, 2012 President Barack Obama will swoop back into his hometown today for a quick infusion of campaign cash as his Republican opponents expand their own war chests. This afternoon, Obama will attend an event on the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago for about 500 supporters who paid no more than $100 each for their tickets. Obama will then head to a fundraiser for 60 people at a private residence where tickets cost considerably more — $35,800 per couple. The final event of the night, also at a private residence, is for 100 people who each paid $7,500 for a ticket. The president has built a substantial campaign war chest. At the end of the third quarter in 2011, the Democrat had raised $86.2 million and had $61.4 million on hand, according to the Center for Public Integrity. Of the GOP candidates, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had raised the most, with $32.2 million, the center reported. The president will travel with his chief of staff, fellow Chicagoan William Daley, two days after announcing that Daley is leaving his job at the end of the month. Daley, who joined the White House staff in January 2011 when Rahm Emanuel left to start his successful Chicago mayoral run, will return home in February and serve the campaign in an advisory position. This will be Obama's 11th visit back to Chicago since taking office. chicagobreaking@tribune.com | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | In the Iowa caucuses, a super PAC associated with Mitt Romney spent millions charging Newt Gingrich with ethical lapses and hypocrisy. Now a Gingrich-supporting super PAC plans to use a $5 million donation from a billionaire casino owner to accuse Mitt Romney of destroying jobs. It's all too much for some people. Super PACs have been called "slush funds" that do the "dirty work" of candidates, "a new political animal that is ugly, loud, anti-democratic." To the contrary, the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries — the first two contests in which this new form of pricey political speech had its closeup — showed that super PACs enhance democratic decision-making. To understand, we first need some legalese. A traditional political action committee raises and contributes limited sums to candidates for office. Super PACs are not limited in how much money they can raise or spend during an election. Why not? Because super PACs do not contribute directly to candidates. While they may vigorously support or oppose a given candidate, they do so independently, not officially as part of a campaign. Hence, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the landmark Citizens United case that Congress could not prohibit spending on speech by corporations or labor unions, even when they are championing one candidate or attacking another. Consistent with the First Amendment, individuals and groups have rights to make their opinions known, and money is a key mechanism for doing that. So are super PACs shaping up to be a disaster for democracy in 2012? Hardly. The $14 million in Iowa super PAC spending funded an assault on Gingrich for committing ethics violations, being soft on illegal immigrants and teaming with Nancy Pelosi on global warming issues. The Gingrich ad to come apparently says Romney's company, Bain Capital, looted companies and left people unemployed. Are these charges true? That's the wrong question. If government could suppress "false" speech, the First Amendment would be meaningless. Those in power would find that their critics are lying and suppress their criticisms. We should rather ask: Do these ads constitute legitimate political speech? Wouldn't voters want to know if Gingrich had violated ethics rules, received large payments from Freddie Mac despite claiming to be against big government and had supported positions contrary to the views of most Iowa Republicans? Romney says he is a businessman who knows how to create jobs. Should voters hear claims to the contrary? Of course. | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
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