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13 Apr 2011 23:12

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Politics: Rick Santorum launches presidential bid; political world remains indifferent

  • yesIt’s official: Former Senator Rick Santorum has announced the launch an exploratory committee to run for President!
  • no He still isn’t being taken seriously by anyone; Intraders currently give him a .7% chance of winning the nomination. source
  • » Flashback: When asked about his feelings on homosexuality in 2003, Santorum replied, “I have no problem with homosexuality. I have a problem with homosexual acts.” He then insisted that the Constitution doesn’t grant people the right to privacy. We’re just sayin’ .
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Apr 2011 00:56

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Politics: Ron Paul trashes Paul Ryan’s budget proposal

  • We are dealing with a problem in Washington as a budgetary accounting problem and that’s not it. It’s a philosophy problem.
  • Ron Paul • Ripping into the terms in which the budget debate has been framed; his gripe is that the fundamental acceptance of America as a welfare state isn’t being challenged. He also trashed Paul Ryan’s budget plan, saying that it wouldn’t “come close” to “solv[ing] our problems.” This was all in a speech in Iowa; Paul is said to be leaning towards a third presidential bid. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Apr 2011 15:52

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Politics: 2012: Are Pawlenty’s over-the-top campaign ads working?

  • The same day President Obama announced his reelection campaign, GOP hopeful Tim Pawlenty put out another Bruckheimer-esque ad for his own 2012 run at the White House. This has all the charming affectations we’ve come to expect from Pawlenty’s ad shop, which is attempting (transparently, though not unwisely) to paint T-Paw as a more exciting candidate than he’s generally thought to be. We actually think Pawlenty is running a pretty smart campaign, despite the superficially goofy feel of these ads. Whereas nobody took his campaign seriously at its outset, some beltway types are now coalescing around the notion of Pawlenty as the wisest, or at least most plausible, choice for the GOP in 2012. Of course, winning over voters in New Hampshire is a different story entirely. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Mar 2011 13:51

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Politics: First presidential debate postponed due to lack of candidates

  • thenLast Year, Politico and NBC News announced plans to host a Republican presidential debate on May 2nd of this year. It was to be the first debate of election season.
  • nowBecause so few candidates have declared their candidacy, NBC and Politico are postponing the debate until September. Now, Fox’s May 5th debate will be the first. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Mar 2011 22:33

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Politics: Indiana GOP concedes, ending Wisconsin-style standoff

  • wisconsin As you may remember, Wisconsin Democrats fled the state back in February to block the passage of a harsh anti-union bill. Ultimately, their gambit didn’t work, as Republicans were able to pass the bill in the Democrats’ absence using a simple (yet revealing and disingenuous) parliamentary procedure.
  • indiana Five weeks ago, Indiana Democrats tried the same tactic to prevent the state GOP from passing a similar bill that would have severely curtailed worker’s rights. This time, though, it worked, with Republicans agreeing to scrap the most controversial parts of the bill and the Democrats returning to the state. source
  • » What concessions did the GOP make? Several. Most significantly, they removed a provision that would have made Indiana a “right-to-work” state (that is, a state with fewer restrictions on the hiring of non-unionized employees), and pledged not to pass a law banning collective bargaining (it’s already banned in the state via executive order, but that hasn’t been made law). There were a few education-based changes as well, including the elimination of a plan that would have allowed private companies to assume control of fledgling public schools. All in all, both sides are happy to see the end of this stand-of (especially Governor Mitch Daniels, who can now continue half-heartedly mulling a bid for the presidency).
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Mar 2011 23:25

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Politics: 2012 hopeful actually making people forget who he is

  • 14% of Americans knew who Gary Johnson was at the beginning of this year
  • 12% were aware of the 2012 hopeful’s existence a month later
  • 11% know him now … a bit worrisome for a 2012 candidate source
  • » Okay, okay. It’s probably just statistical noise. Nevertheless, if the former governor of New Mexico is indeed planning a run for President, he really needs to put himself out there more, lest he become this year’s Fred Thompson.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Mar 2011 22:26

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Politics: Romney rolls out ambiguous plan to undo health care reform

  • problem As Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney passed a bill that served as the basis for the Democrats’ health care reform bill (which celebrates its first anniversary today). This is perceived by many to be a serious problem for Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign hopes.
  • solution If he becomes President, Romney pledges to “issue an executive order paving the way for Obamacare waivers to all 50 states.” However, as Ezra Klein points out, Romney is vague on details, and it’s unclear exactly what type of executive order he could, or would, issue. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

22 Mar 2011 01:29

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Politics: Drawl drama: Where exactly is Tim Pawlenty from?

  • accusation Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who launched an exploratory committee for president today, doesn’t have a Southern accent. However, he recently started speaking with one, causing much confusion amongst his constituents.
  • reaction When asked about the sudden change in accent, Pawlenty responded that he doesn’t always “use the exact King’s English.” But wait a second – that wasn’t the accusation! Hey, T-Paw, is that a scarecrow you’re building? Oh, no, it’s just a straw man. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Mar 2011 21:44

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Politics: Haley Barbour would like to introduce you to … Haley Barbour

  • They have yet to learn what a Haley Barbour is, and that will be a challenge.
  • Haley Barbour • Speaking about himself in the third-person in a profile piece about him for the New York Times. He’s a likely 2012 presidential candidate, but his profile is a tad low — more Herman Cain, less Sarah Palin. If anyone needs an idea of who this Haley Barbour character is, we have a pretty good collection of posts about this guy. In his defense, he did some great work as Mississippi governor in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. But on the other hand, he has said a bunch of other stuff that voters may not like. And he has a career as a lobbyist under his belt, which doesn’t exactly mesh well with the current anti-lobbyist vibe right now. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Mar 2011 11:02

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Politics: Woot: Tim Pawlenty announcing presidential exploratory committee

  • Great work, T-Paw. No, we’re not talking about your announcing of a presidential exploratory committee, which you’re probably going to announce on your Facebook page later today. (He’ll be the second GOPer exploring a presidency, after Herman Cain.) No. We’re talking about you allowing us to link to these videos again. If you run for president, we expect a new video, done in a similar style, once every week. You could buy Michael Bay and give him a position in your cabinet with the amount of fundraising you could garner with a move like that. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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