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18 Oct 2011 20:01

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Politics: Stumpin’ in Sin City: Three things to look for in tonight’s debate

  • Hello, and welcome to yet another GOP debate! YAY WE’RE SO EXCITED! Hopefully Anderson Cooper won’t screw this up (don’t take any tips from Wolf Blitzer, bro). Here are a few things to look for during tonight’s debate:
  • Herman Cain …has the most to gain, and the most to lose. He could solidify his standing as the co-frontrunner and anti-Romney candidate by giving thoughtful answers to substantive policy questions, but if he’s caught flat-footed, it’ll confirm to many that he is, in fact, the (pizza-toned) flavor of the week.
  • Mitt Romney …has so far been able to coast along simply by not screwing up, but this debate could be different. Given Cain’s momentum, Romney will have to go at least somewhat on the offensive, or risk getting flattened by The Cain Train. It’ll be interesting to see whether he goes all-out against Cain.
  • Rick Perry…could, in theory, make a comeback tonight. But that was true about the last debate, too, where he not only failed to capitalize on the opportunity, but didn’t even really seem to care about capitalizing on it. On the plus side, his performance will likely be hailed as a success if he doesn’t fall asleep at the podium.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Oct 2011 10:23

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Politics: Frontrunner? Herman Cain leapfrogs Romney in new 2012 poll

And it’s a big leap, too: Cain is at a solid 27 percent in the NBC News/WSJ poll, with Romney at 23 percent and Perry way behind with 16 percent. This despite the fact that Romney won handily on Tuesday. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Oct 2011 18:52

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Politics: What we’re looking for from tonight’s #EconDebate

  • It’s debatin’ time! Yet again! The big news hanging over this one is Chris Christie’s recent endorsement of Mitt Romney, tactically deployed the day of the debate, but there’s a lot of other stuff to look for, too. Will Newt Gingrich insult the moderators? Will Michele Bachmann look unnervingly calm the entire time? Will Jon Huntsman make an awkward joke? Will Gary Johnson and Buddy Roemer crash the debate last-minute? Here are a few things to keep an eye out for tonight during the EconDebate, a Washington Post/Bloomberg joint we’re covering with DC Decoder, which starts at 8 p.m. EST:
  • Romney Vs. Hermanator The GOP field hasn’t, to this point, treated Cain as a serious threat. But with his recent polling surge, Cain now appears to be a legitimate top-tier contender and a real threat to Mitt Romney. If Romney goes on the offensive against Cain tonight, it’ll indicate that he’s bought into the hype and fears the Cain Train. On the other hand, if Romney and company give Cain a pass, it’s a sign that, polling aside, the pizza man still isn’t being taken seriously by the big dogs.
  • Can Perry Save himself? This debate may well be make-or-break for Rick Perry. Despite his $17 million fundraising haul — much of which was given prior to his profoundly inept performance in the last debate — the Texas good ol’ boy is sinking like an anvil in the polls and needs something to jumpstart his campaign. A robust performance tonight could do that. An aloof, absent-minded fumbling of easy questions could put the nail in Perry’s coffin. What a difference a month makes, eh?
  • the Mormon card For most of the race, Romney and Huntsman’s religion has been the elephant in the GOP primary room. Now it’s out in the open, after a prominent Perry supporter called Mormonism a “cult” at the Value Voters Summit last weekend. This question is sure to come up during the debate, and how the other candidates respond could portend the course of the campaign. If they take the bait, Mormonism may become a central campaign issue. If not, it may die down … for now.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Oct 2011 16:09

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Politics: Polling shows Romney up big in New Hampshire despite tepid voter loyalty

  • 38% of New Hampshire GOP voters support Mitt Romney, according to a St. Anselm/Harvard poll
  • 10% of those same voters say they’re “definitely” voting for Romney — now that’s some dissatisfaction source
  • » Sorry guys, but Mitt’s it. It’s clear as ever this isn’t the position the GOP base wants to be in. To be clear, Romney’s polling lead is huge — Herman Cain came in second place with 20%, a full 18 points behind. The enthusiasm problem, however, as displayed by the discrepancy between his general support and those truly committed to him, should be a warning sign for Team Romney. Successful political figures usually need to inspire an extreme degree of loyalty amongst their base to weather the missteps, gaffes or scandals that usually occur over the course of a long campaign process. If it’s true that nearly 3/4ths of Romney’s New Hampshire supporters are still theoretically open to jumping ship? That’s a problem.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Sep 2011 22:32

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Politics: Romney, Perry: We won’t raise very much money

  • Hey everyone, let’s play “no expectations!” This game is common in presidential campaigns, and usually commences just before quarterly fundraising totals are announced. Here’s how it works: Each campaign works diligently to convince the press that they’re not going to bring in very much money; this is accomplished by saying things like, “We are going to raise considerably less than what we did in our first reporting period.” Then, once the numbers come in, it’s a win-win. If the totals are robust, the campaign looks surprisingly potent; if the numbers fall short, the campaign can just say, “I told you so!” It’s also acceptable to play this game prior to debates and straw polls. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Sep 2011 19:56

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Politics: Three things we’re watching for during tonight’s Tea Party debate

  • CNN The network’s previous debate coverage has been atrocious, so tonight is a great opportunity for them to redeem themselves. They probably won’t.
  • Michele The once-triumphant Michele Bachmann is facing difficulties now that Rick Perry is in the race, quickly killing her momentum. She’s got to do well tonight.
  • Tea Tonight is a coming out party for Tea Party Express. We’ll see if they can prove to be a true force with tonight’s debate. Our guess: Possibly. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Sep 2011 19:52

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Politics: Reagan debate: Three things we’re watching for tonight

  • Perry With Perry making his debate debut tonight, all eyes are on him. A strong performance builds buzz (as in Bachmann’s case). A weak one deflates it (as in Huntsman’s).
  • Paul With media coverage clearly hard to come by despite solid results, Ron Paul needs to drum up some attention. He might have an effective formula in the form of attacking other candidates.
  • Romney No longer the frontrunner, Romney needs to prove that he’s an electable figure not to be ignored. His buzz isn’t gone; some of it’s simply going to Bachmann and Rick Perry instead. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

06 Aug 2011 12:49

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Politics: 2012 candidates’ takes on the S&P credit rating downgrade

  • Mitt romney “Standard & Poor’s rating downgrade is a deeply troubling indicator of our country’s decline under President Obama. His failed policies have led to high unemployment, skyrocketing deficits, and now, the unprece­dented loss of our nation’s prized AAA credit rating. Today, President Obama promised that ‘things will get better.’ But it has become increasingly clear that the only way things will get better is with new leadership in the White House.”
  • Jon Huntsman “Out-of-control spending and a lack of leadership in Washington have resulted in President Obama presiding over the first downgrade of the United States credit rating in our history. For far too long we have let reckless government spending go unchecked and the cancerous debt afflicting our nation has spread. We need new leadership in Washington committed to fiscal responsibility, a balanced budget, and job-friendly policies to get America working again.”
  • Michele Bachmann “This President has destroyed the credit rating of the United States through his failed economic policies and his inability to control government spending by raising the debt ceiling. … President Obama is destroying the foundations of the U.S. economy one beam at a time. I call on the President to seek the immediate resignation of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and to submit a plan with a list of cuts to balance the budget this year, turn our economy around and put Americans back to work.” source
  • » One note on the Bachmann one: You’ll note that if you read the full document, it specifically blames Republican policies — largely their unwillingness to raise revenue by raising taxes — for the downgrade. Yes, there is too much debt. Yes, it needs to be dealt with. But if the GOP can’t give an inch on taxes, then these words don’t hold water.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Aug 2011 22:23

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Politics: Happy birthday, Obama. Here’s Romney’s gift. Aww, he shouldn’t have.

  • We’d like to see the gift receipt, please: Centering around a critique of the unemployment rate in Chicago, this ad (“Obama Isn’t Working”) was released the day before President Obama visited his hometown on Wednesday. As Obama will be celebrating his 50th birthday on Thursday, could this be a “present” from Team Romney? source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2011 09:43

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Politics: Mitt Romney, fundraising machine; Newt Gingrich debt-saddled

  • $18.25 million the amount in donations that Mitt Romney received in the second quarter; the leading GOP candidate is pretty far ahead of the other guys
  • $1.2 million the amount in invoices that Newt Gingrich has; he’s paid them down by ten percent, but still has significant debt issues source
  • » Everyone else is kind of in the middle: With Tim Pawlenty, Jon Huntsman and Ron Paul hovering around the $4 million mark, and Herman Cain around $2.5 million, all pale in comparison to the Mittster, who is unemployed. Newt, who raised $2 million, was saddled with massive debt as a result of much of his senior campaign staff leaving; he has just $225,000 in the bank, which is extremely low. Newt, this presidential thing isn’t gonna work out.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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