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21 Feb 2012 16:03

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Politics: Polling suggests Romney, Santorum running tight race in Michigan

  • 32% Mitt Romney’s support in Michigan, according to new polling by Mitchell Research/Rosetta Stone
  • 30% Rick Santorum’s support in Michigan, according to the same poll — he had been broadly leading recently source
  • » But the margin of error washes the slate clean. With a possible discrepancy of 4.7%, Romney’s 2-point lead could be a practical tie with his arch-rival of the moment, Rick Santorum. Or Santorum could, in fact, be ahead of Romney. Nonetheless, recent polling provides at least a bit of relief for the Romney camp; Santorum had opened up more impressive polling leads over Romney, but the recent trend seems to show a tightening, at bare minimum. Expect an exciting primary come February 28th; a loss by Romney would be devastating to his chances.

21 Feb 2012 10:47

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Politics: Mitt Romney’s campaign plowing through cash, not getting much back

  • 287% the “burn rate” of Mitt’s campaign in January
  • $18M the amount Mitt spent on the campaign trail in January
  • $6.5M the amount Mitt got in donations last month — far less than he took in
  • $7.7M the amount Mitt had in the bank at the end of January source
  • » Spending a lot, not getting much back? With pricey losses and close contests, including in Iowa and South Carolina, the Mitt train seems to be losing some steam. And his toughest week is ahead of him: With contests in Arizona and Michigan in just a week, and Super Tuesday on the horizon, there’s a good chance he may not be able to pull it off, leading to the possibility of a “brokered” or “contested” convention in August.

20 Feb 2012 19:56

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Politics: Pro-Newt Super PAC’s fundraising courtesy of two people (they’re married)

  • $11M the amount the main pro-Newt Gingrich Super PAC, Winning Our Future, raised in January
  • $5M of that total came from Sheldon Adelson, a casino magnate with deep pockets
  • $5M of that total came from Adelson’s wife, Miriam; they know a thing or two about gambling source

18 Feb 2012 20:12

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Politics: Gingrich claims fellow GOP candidates are too scared to debate him

  • Anybody who’s afraid of debating Newt Gingrich isn’t going to be in very good shape to debate Barack Obama.
  • Newt Gingrich • Campaigning in Peachtree City, the Atlanta suburb he represented in Congress for twenty years. The GOP presidential candidate mocked his rivals for pulling out of a CNN-hosted debate scheduled to occur just days before Super Tuesday. Both Mitt Romney’ and Rick Santorum’s campaigns announced that they would be skipping the debate, leading the network to drop their coverage. Ron Paul’s campaign announced that Dr. Paul would be withdrawing as well a short time later. Romney’s campaign cited a busy schedule as it’s reason for skipping the debate, but Gingrich challenged the assertion saying, “you can’t hide behind millions of dollars in negative ads and think you’re going to win the presidency.” Let’s be honest with ourselves, though, Newt — there have been so many debates that even the presidential candidates are getting sick of them. Make it stop! source

18 Feb 2012 13:59

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Politics: Rick Santorum points out another Mitt Romney flip-flop

  • He heroically bailed out the Salt Lake Olympic Games by heroically going to Congress and asking them for tens of millions of dollars to bail out the Salt Lake Olympic Games. In an earmark.
  • Rick Santorum • Blasting Mitt Romney for running campaign ads attacking Rick Santorum’s support of earmarking. Santorum accused his rival of being a hypocrite at a tea party gathering in Ohio this morning.  Romney’s campaign responded quickly, stating that the requests were due to a post-9/11 need for heightened security. Campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul also went on record saying, “Mitt Romney wants to ban earmarks, Senator Santorum wants more ‘Bridges to Nowhere’.” source

15 Feb 2012 10:36

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Politics: Could Romney run out of big-money Republican donors?

  • I don’t know that he’s completely tapped out, but they are trying to look under every stone. You run out of people you can hit up for $2,500.
  • A top New York Republican fundraiser • Discussing the plight of Mitt Romney, whose campaign thus far has largely been funded by big donors. Seems that the well is starting to run dry, though, and unlike Obama’s strong contingent of small donors (which Santorum is starting to build up), Romney has never been able to rely on those. In fact, just by the numbers, most of Romney’s donors have been big ones — in 2011, for example, 82 percent of Romney’s individual donations were $1,000 or higher. Is this a long-term problem? Possibly. source

13 Feb 2012 10:02

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Politics: Three things you should know about Obama’s forthcoming budget plan

  • cuts While still leaning on the “Buffett Rule” that he’s been pushing for months and planning to end the Bush tax cuts for the super-rich, Obama’s plan would also cut $2.50 for each dollar raised from tax proposals affecting high income-earners.
  • jobs With the GOP blocking much of Obama’s job plan last year, he’s taking another try at it, offering up $350 billion in job-growth spending, which includes $50 billion to improve infrastructure and $60 billion to modernize schools.
  • defense Echoing the words of Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, the budget proposal would cut non-war spending. However, automatic cuts set to kick in next year will likely get replaced by a “balanced deficit-reduction package.” source
 

11 Feb 2012 18:48

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Politics: Mitt Romney wins Maine caucus, with Ron Paul at his heels

  • 39% Mitt Romney’s percentage in the Maine caucus, a momentum-building win after a tough week
  • 36% Ron Paul’s second-place percentage; he held tight to Mitt, but his first win again evaded him source
  • » The other candidates didn’t take part, really: With Rick Santorum scoring 18 percent and Newt bringing up the rear with 6 percent, Mitt’s victory in the non-binding primary wasn’t clean, but it was another win for him. The Maine caucuses are generally ignored by primary-watchers, but gained attention after Mitt kinda blew it earlier in the week.

11 Feb 2012 14:19

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Politics: Real Time: Bill Maher blasts Republicans for divisive tactics

  • Bill Maher Says GOP Is “Dividing America”: During last night’s ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’, the host lambasted Republicans for taking a divisive approach to politics. Saying the current crop of GOP candidates could save Americans time by simply disclosing “which parts of America they don’t hate”, Maher pointed out that members of the GOP regularly denigrate “East Coast Elites and San Francisco Liberals” — among other groups — while simultaneously accusing the President of dividing the country. (Edit: fixed minor spelling error, thanks Portorock for tip) source

11 Feb 2012 14:11

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Politics: Roaring applause: Allen West energizes conservatives at CPAC

  • “It is not the public good that matters, it is the personal good.” Representative Allen West (R-FL) fired up the crowd, during his speech at CPAC Friday night, saying that conservatives have allowed “the other side to paint us as racist” for too long. Rep. West reminded voters that proof of that statement’s inaccuracy stood before them saying, “today, as a conservative black Republican and former soldier, I’m here to set that record straight.” His comments drew roaring applause. (photo by Flickr user markn3tel) source