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31 Oct 2011 15:25

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Politics: Rick Perry, easing off his anti-drug stances?

  • A very, very energetic Rick Perry: In this case, “energetic” is a euphemism for “dangerously over-caffeinated, perhaps to the point of requiring medical attention.” We’re not quite sure what to make of this bizarre speech Perry gave to New Hampshire Republicans a couple of days ago. He’s not just unusually expressive; he looks like he’s about to burst (fast-forward to 2:30 or so if you’re feeling impatient). His frantic performance might make slightly more sense if he were speaking to an ultra-conservative crowd in South Carolina or something, but was a room full of New Hampshire moderates. Color us baffled, but at least he didn’t come off as over-prepared. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Oct 2011 11:34

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Politics: The heat is off: Michele Bachmann’s Iowa polling numbers fall flat

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Oct 2011 22:37

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Politics: Rick Perry’s spin on a tax plan: “Cut, Balance and Grow”

  • Cut, Balance and Grow strikes a major blow against the Washington-knows-best mindset. It takes money from spendthrift bureaucrats and returns it to families. It puts fewer job-killing regulations on employers and more restrictions on politicians. It gives more freedom to Americans to control their own destiny. And just as importantly, the Cut, Balance and Grow plan paves the way for the job creation, balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility we need to get America working again.
  • Rick Perry • Discussing his new plan for taxes, “Cut, Balance and Grow,” which has a name clearly worded to evoke the “Cut, Cap and Balance” plan that House Republicans tried to push through earlier this year. Perry’s plan, in simple terms: An optional 20 percent flat tax, with benefits for lower-income people who would not necessarily benefit from such a flat tax. Don’t like it? Keep your current tax rate. Unlike Herman Cain’s 999 Plan, this might actually have a shot at getting through Congress. And would you look at that? Right on cue, Perry suddenly has an endorsement from Steve Forbes, the guy who banked his entire campaign on the flat tax — twice! Cain’s gonna have some gimmicky tax plan competition at the next debate. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Oct 2011 16:02

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Politics: Rick Perry: Trump not sold on Obama’s birth certificate

  • Say it ain’t so, Rick!  The Texas governor and presidential candidate recently told Parade Magazine that he dined with Donald Trump, and that Trump didn’t believe President Obama’s birth certificate was genuine. When pressed for his own opinion, Perry said he had “no reason to think otherwise… I don’t have any idea. It doesn’t matter. He’s the president of the United States. He’s elected. It’s a distractive issue.” (Photo by Gage Skidmore)source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Oct 2011 10:33

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Politics: Mitt Romney on Rick Perry: I would vote for him, if he stood a chance

  • If Rick Perry were the nominee, I’d be voting for him. I believe every single person on the stage in that last debate would do a better job than president Obama.
  • Mitt Romney • Claiming, during an interview over the weekend, that he would vote for Rick Perry, the man he savaged during last week’s debate. But would Rick vote for Mitt? SUSPENSE! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

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

04 Oct 2011 14:37

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Politics: Polling roundup: Cain continues to surge

  • 3 states in which Herman Cain now leads everybody else source
  • » All aboard the Cain Train! Republicans in North Carolina, Nebraska, and West Virginia want Herman Cain as their nominee–he leads all of his opponents in a new PPP poll. A Washington Post/ABC poll released today showed Cain tied with Perry for second nationally, and two polls last week also showed evidence of Cain Fever sweeping the nation. This seems to be at the expense of Rick Perry, who’s collapsing just as fast as Cain is rising (in North Carolina alone, more than half of his supporters have abandoned him, and a Fox News poll last week showed him losing ten points in a month). Romney is still the (perpetually-endangered) frontrunner, but there’s a plausible argument to be made that Cain is now in the top-tier of candidates. Of course, the same thing was once said of both Donald Trump and Michele Bachmann, so take that as you will.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Oct 2011 21:11

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Politics: Herman Cain: Rick Perry’s hunting camp had “very insensitive” name

  • My reaction is, that’s just very insensitive. [There] isn’t a more vile, negative word than the N-word, and for him to leave it there as long as he did, before I hear that they finally painted over it, is just plain insensitive to a lot of black people in this country.
  • Herman Cain • Complaining about the hunting camp Rick Perry once owned, which once had a name that included a racial slur (we’ll let you figure out which one). Perry’s camp already came out on the defensive against this, claiming it was painted over long ago, and the quickly-rising Cain (who just won another straw poll) has every reason in the world to combat this. Perry will have to work hard to come back from this mess. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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