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31 Jan 2012 19:46

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Politics: Florida exit polls show evangelicals rare bright spot for Gingrich

  • 36% Mitt Romney’s level of support from evangelical voters in today’s Florida GOP primary, exit polls show
  • 40% Newt Gingrich’s level of support — better a cheater than a Mormon for Florida’s evangelicals? source
  • » Pardon us if that seems reductive, but how evangelical voters relate to Mitt Romney’s faith, and Newt Gingrich’s lack of faithfulness, has been a critical question in the GOP nominating process. In a barrage of exit polling coming out of Florida tonight, this seems to be one of the few positives Gingrich can take away; while not a staggering advantage by any stretch, his personal baggage risks making him deeply unpalatable to a moralistic, Christian electorate. In the short-term, however, it seems he’s staying afloat with those voters, at least enough to keep Romney at his back.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2012 19:24

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Politics: Exit polling shows GOP debates played big role

  • 2 of 3Florida voters call debates a big factor source
  • » The early exit polling tells the tale, and it’s an especially concerning one for Newt Gingrich. The GOP debates held in Florida, particularly the most recent one, were widely thought have been won by Mitt Romney. Gingrich himself never had a worse debate than that, just prior to Florida voters having to make up their minds. That Gingrich is likely to lose tonight is no shocker — heading into today he was polling behind by double-digits. However, considering it was his sharp, aggressive debate demeanor that propelled him to victory in South Carolina, to now be losing that medium to Mitt Romney has to sting, and is an essential issue for his campaign going forward.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2012 15:28

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Politics: Virginia AG investigating fraudulent Gingrich signatures

  • A costly “mistake?”: It’s been reported that the Attorney General of Virginia will hold an investigation into the Gingrich campaign’s ballot petition, which was submitted to the state containing nearly 1,500 fraudulent signatures. In admitting this fraud issue publicly, Gingrich dismissed it as a “mistake,” which drew criticism when compared to the harsh condemnation he voiced on nearly identical signature issues in ACORN’s voter registration drives. Adding insult to injury, the Gingrich petition fell short of the signature total needed to appear on the ballot, meaning the Virginia GOP presidential primary will feature only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. (Photo by Gage Skidmore) source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2012 14:13

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Politics: Gingrich robocall says Romney forced Holocaust survivors to eat non-kosher

  • A heavy slur, sloppily made: The Gingrich campaign has, in an effort to both court and inflame Florida’s large Jewish population, made a startling accusation. As you can hear above, a robocall claims Romney vetoed a bill to fund kosher food in Massachusetts nursing homes, which meant that Holocaust survivors were, “for the first time,” forced to eat non-kosher. In reality, Romney did veto a bill providing additional funds, but it never took effect (overruled by the state legislature), nor would it have forced anyone to eat non-kosher; it maintained present funding levels, and nursing homes without kosher kitchens would offset with other sources of kosher cuisine, saving nearly $600,000. Assuming the true context of this tactic is widely realized, we guess this won’t endear Newt to the Jewish community. Or anybody else. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jan 2012 00:23

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Politics: Obama’s “Hangout” session: The president’s taking resumes (seriously)

  • I meant what I said: if you send me your husband’s resume, I’d be interested in finding out exactly what’s happening right there.
  • President Barack Obama • Speaking to a “caller” during his Google+ Hangout today. When Jennifer Wedel mentioned her husband’s lack of employment (he’s a semiconductor engineer), Obama took note. She said that, according to industry reports, her husband “should be able to find something right away.” Five people got to “Hangout” with Obama on Monday, and were offered the chance to ask the president questions about his recent State of the Union address, while other questions were pulled from YouTube videos selected by viewers and Google staff. This social experiment went well considering what new technology was being used. Did you watch? What did you think? source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2012 14:56

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Politics: Obama to take interview questions from YouTube, Google+

  • Maybe this is just a result of having been born in the 80s, but every time we hear the word “virtual,” regardless of the context, we always think of low-tech virtual reality gaming from the mid-90s (Dactyl Nightmare, anybody?). Here, we’re imagining a poorly-rendered 3D version of Obama, moving awkwardly against a cheap Oval Office background and glitching out every couple of seconds. Anyway, this “fully virtual interview” will focus on the content of the President’s State of the Union address, and will likely constitute the majority of Google+’s lifetime web traffic (don’t get us wrong; we love G+, but sometimes we feel like we’re the only ones). source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jan 2012 14:28

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Politics: Indiana Democrat foils attempt to mandate drug testing of welfare recipients

  • the planIndiana Republican Jud McMillin (yes, just one “d”) introduced a bill in the Indiana General Assembly that would have required random drug testing of welfare recipients.
  • the sabotageDemocratic legislator Ryan Dvorak added an amendment to also require drug testing for elected officials in the state. McMillin withdrew the bill. source
  • » The nitty-gritty: “If we’re going to impose standards on drug testing,” Dvorak said, “then it should apply to everybody who receives government money.” McMillin claimed that he had to withdraw the bill after Dvorak’s amendment was added, due to a 1997 Supreme Court ruling that it’s unconstitutional to drug test candidates for elected office…but that logic is flawed, as the Dvorak Amendment would have only required testing of officials already in office, not candidates. Surprisingly, McMillin said he plans to introduce a new version of the bill….that requires lawmaker testing as well. “Give me the cup right now and I will be happy to take the test,” McMillin said. (EDIT: corrected spelling error)
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

29 Jan 2012 23:09

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Politics: Conservative columnist: Newt, please shut up

  • Time is not Newt Gingrich’s friend, because the more time he has, the more he talks.
  • George Will on “This Week”• Regarding the hazardous effects of Newt Gingrich’s prolonged loquacity. Will was reacting in part to Gingrich’s allegation, made earlier on the same show, that Mitt Romney is a “maniacal liar.”  Just last month, Gingrich had pledged to run “a positive campaign focused on our country’s future;” guess that’s easy to say when you’re the frontrunner.  source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jan 2012 11:46

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Politics: Rick Santourm leaves campaign trail to tend to sick daughter

  • “You think she’s fine, and then one cold and she’s this close to dying.” Days ahead of the important Florida primary, Rick Santorum found himself having to make an unexpected detour Saturday, as his 3-year-old daughter Bella, who suffers from a rare genetic condition called Trisomy 18, was admitted to the hospital. Bella has already beaten the odds in many ways — many children with the condition don’t survive their first week, let alone their first year. The presidential candidate, who is running behind Gingrich and Romney, is relying on surrogates to keep things going while he’s gone, but it’s not the first time Bella’s health has forced the cancellation of Santorum’s campaign events. A tough situation for Santorum to deal with, especially as the contests turn into real primaries with real stakes. (photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jan 2012 13:54

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Politics: Mitt’s latest (involuntary) weapon against Newt? Tom Brokaw

  • We’re sorry, this is just low: Back in 1997, Newt Gingrich faced a tough punishment for ethics violations similar to those that caused his predecessor’s downfall. So, clearly, with Mitt needing some strong ammo to hold him off in Florida, this is probably the right line of attack. Problem is … well, what the hell does Tom Brokaw have to do with this? Mitt’s latest ad in Florida is just a long replay of a news clip from that era, with a little bit of dramatic music to really sell the whole thing. Brokaw is understandably pissed: “I am extremely uncomfortable with the extended use of my personal image in this political ad,” he said in a statement. “I do not want my role as a journalist compromised for political gain by any campaign.” We’re pissed for him —Romney just co-opted his trusted image to score some cheap points. Not cool. NBC has asked the Romney campaign to remove their news footage from the clip, and they better. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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