May
17

CNN contributors: If Rev. Wright is fair game, so is Mormonism’s racial history

Fire with fire.


Via Mediaite. On the one hand, this probably was a consideration in Team Mitt’s mad dash this morning to distance themselves from the now-kaput Rev. Wright Super PAC ad. On the other hand, does anyone think the media’s going to let Romney’s faith pass unremarked upon if he’s three or four points up on O [...]

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May
17

CNN contributors: If Rev. Wright is fair game, so is Mormonism’s racial history

Fire with fire.


Via Mediaite. On the one hand, this probably was a consideration in Team Mitt’s mad dash this morning to distance themselves from the now-kaput Rev. Wright Super PAC ad. On the other hand, does anyone think the media’s going to let Romney’s faith pass unremarked upon if he’s three or four points up on O [...]

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May
17

Video: Imagine if the federal government had a monopoly on cell phones

Obama's policies old, not bold.


An amusing moment from yesterday’s speech in Iowa on the economy, in which Mitt Romney explains the difference between R&D in the public and private sectors.  All you really need to know is the history of technological innovation in the 30 or so years since the breakup of the AT&T monopoly, but Romney’s parable is [...]

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May
17

Shocker: The “Romney’s a Mormon” media suddenly aghast at mention of Jeremiah Wright; Update: PAC rejects Wright-attack plan

The next shiny-object distraction?


Here’s a fun exercise for Hot Air readers.  Go to the New York Times website and do a 12-month search for “Romney Mormon,” and see how many hits come back.  I’ll end the suspense — “about 12,000 results,” according to the search I conducted earlier today.  Now, do a search on “Obama Jeremiah” in the [...]

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May
17

Romney, RNC haul in $40.1 million in April

Plus, the disconnect between Obama and his allies with mainstream America.


While Barack Obama’s fundraising dropped 20% from March to April, Mitt Romney’s tripled — and then some, according to his campaign disclosure for April’s fundraising.  Team Romney, partnered with the RNC, hauled in more than $40 million, just $3 million less than Obama: Mitt Romney almost matched President Obama in fund-raising during April after securing his party’s presidential [...]

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May
16

Quotes of the day

"They don't get us!"


“This election is going to create a stark and fundamental choice between two different economic philosophies,” Biden will say at an address in Youngstown, Ohio, according to prepared remarks released by the campaign. “There’s Obama Economics, which values the role of workers in the success of a business, and values the middle class in the [...]

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May
16

Fox News poll: Obama 46, Romney 39

Oof.


Monday’s NYT poll: Romney by two among women. Today’s Fox News poll: Obama by 22 among women. Second look at ignoring polls until September? Among independents, 34 percent back Romney, 29 percent support Obama and more than a third are undecided or say they won’t vote (36 percent). Last month, independents broke for Romney by [...]

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May
16

New Wisconsin poll: Walker by six among likely voters, Romney tied with Obama at 46

Oh my.


The last Marquette poll, which had Walker leading Barrett by one thin point, made me want to drink whiskey in the daytime. This one makes me want to drink champagne. Yesterday’s dKos/PPP poll had nearly identical numbers so it’s safe to say this really is the state of the race in Wisconsin at this moment. [...]

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May
16

New Wisconsin poll: Walker by six among likely voters, Romney tied with Obama at 46

Oh my.


The last Marquette poll, which had Walker leading Barrett by one thin point, made me want to drink whiskey in the daytime. This one makes me want to drink champagne. Yesterday’s dKos/PPP poll had nearly identical numbers so it’s safe to say this really is the state of the race in Wisconsin at this moment. [...]

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May
16

Bankers deserting Obama for Romney

But Obama loves JP Morgan.


Why did fundraising for Team Obama drop so precipitously in April?  The Boston Globe provides one possible answer.  In 2008, Barack Obama attracted a lot of support from the banking industry.  This time around, they have deserted Obama in favor of Mitt Romney (via News Alert): When the head of JPMorgan Chase met with shareholders [...]

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May
16

New Rasmussen poll in NC shows Obama’s same-sex marriage bounce

From toss-up to toss-out.


Eight days ago, North Carolina voters added the previously existing statutory language defining marriage as between one man and one woman to their state constitution.  The very next day, Barack Obama — who won North Carolina by 0.3% in 2008 — endorsed the legalization of same-sex marriage.  A new Rasmussen poll shows the predictable consequences, [...]

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May
15

Quotes of the day

Challenges.


Fifty-six percent of Americans think Barack Obama will win the 2012 presidential election, compared with 36% who think Mitt Romney will win. Democrats are more likely to believe that Obama will win than Republicans are to believe Romney will. Independents are nearly twice as likely to think that Obama, rather than Romney, will prevail. *** [...]

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May
15

CNN anchor to Obama spokesman: You’re smearing Romney with this Bain attack ad, you know; Update: Obama bundler tired of “vilification” of the rich

“Keep it clean out there, for heaven’s sake. We hate that crap on our television."


I’m kind of torn on this one. On the one hand, she seems as much offended by the idea of campaign attacks generally as by the specifics of the attack on Bain and Romney. When you invite a paid flack on to shill for his candidate, don’t be surprised when he won’t concede the point [...]

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May
15

Daily Kos poll of Wisconsin: Scott Walker leads by five, Romney within one point of Obama

Waterloo?


Don’t get too excited about the Obama/Romney number. Wisconsin hasn’t turned red since 1984, so if Mitt ends up winning there this year it’ll likely be because he’s riding a landslide wave that’s sweeping all sorts of unlikely states into his column. It’s not going to decide the election, in other words, unless Obama holds [...]

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May
15

Daily Kos poll of Wisconsin: Scott Walker leads by five, Romney within one point of Obama

Waterloo?


Don’t get too excited about the Obama/Romney number. Wisconsin hasn’t turned red since 1984, so if Mitt ends up winning there this year it’ll likely be because he’s riding a landslide wave that’s sweeping all sorts of unlikely states into his column. It’s not going to decide the election, in other words, unless Obama holds [...]

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May
15

USA Today/Gallup poll shows voters more optimistic about economy under Romney than Obama

Favorability now virtually even.


USA Today leads the analysis of its joint poll with Gallup on the news that people have become more optimistic on the economy, and that’s good news for Barack Obama.  More people think Obama will win re-election as well, although at least so far, USAT doesn’t say whether Obama actually leads in the poll.  But [...]

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May
15

Video: MSNBC panel agrees media will be in the bag for Obama at the debates

You're so Bain?


Consider this balance for MSNBC.  After the Morning Joe panel openly scoffed at the Barack Obama campaign’s attack ad on Bain Capital yesterday, Hardball came to Obama’s rescue in the evening.  Chris Matthews chatted with David Corn and Time’s Mark Halperin about how difficult it will be for Mitt Romney to defend his years at [...]

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May
15

Video: MSNBC panel agrees media will be in the bag for Obama at the debates

You're so Bain?


Consider this balance for MSNBC.  After the Morning Joe panel openly scoffed at the Barack Obama campaign’s attack ad on Bain Capital yesterday, Hardball came to Obama’s rescue in the evening.  Chris Matthews chatted with David Corn and Time’s Mark Halperin about how difficult it will be for Mitt Romney to defend his years at [...]

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May
15

Video: Romney hits Obama over economic winter

The 23 million.


Team Romney continues to hammer Barack Obama on the economy with their new video spot, “A Few of the 23 Million.”  The spot focuses on Iowa, where three people represent the 23 million Americans who are out of work, underemployed, or who have simply given up all hope for economic change.  It’s a bleak picture, [...]

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May
15

Video: Romney hits Obama over economic winter

The 23 million.


Team Romney continues to hammer Barack Obama on the economy with their new video spot, “A Few of the 23 Million.”  The spot focuses on Iowa, where three people represent the 23 million Americans who are out of work, underemployed, or who have simply given up all hope for economic change.  It’s a bleak picture, [...]

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May
15

Video: Romney hits Obama over economic winter

The 23 million.


Team Romney continues to hammer Barack Obama on the economy with their new video spot, “A Few of the 23 Million.”  The spot focuses on Iowa, where three people represent the 23 million Americans who are out of work, underemployed, or who have simply given up all hope for economic change.  It’s a bleak picture, [...]

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May
14

Victory: Federal judge strikes down NLRB’s rule approving “ambush” union elections

Quorum.


Big win, but it’ll probably take electing President Romney to make sure they don’t make it stick on the second try. “According to Woody Allen, eighty percent of life is just showing up,” Boasberg wrote in an opinion issued today. “When it comes to satisfying a quorum requirement, though, showing up is even more important [...]

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May
14

Victory: Federal judge strikes down NLRB’s rule approving “ambush” union elections

Quorum.


Big win, but it’ll probably take electing President Romney to make sure they don’t make it stick on the second try. “According to Woody Allen, eighty percent of life is just showing up,” Boasberg wrote in an opinion issued today. “When it comes to satisfying a quorum requirement, though, showing up is even more important [...]

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May
14

Obama: You know, that John McCain was pretty reasonable compared to Romney

Of course.


Via BuzzFeed, here’s O hitting the eternal Democratic talking point that Republicans who no longer pose a threat to them were pretty sensible in hindsight but the new guy who might just beat them at the polls is the most radical wingnut yet. One thing both campaigns can agree on this year: Neither wants the [...]

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May
14

Obama: You know, that John McCain was pretty reasonable compared to Romney

Of course.


Via BuzzFeed, here’s O hitting the eternal Democratic talking point that Republicans who no longer pose a threat to them were pretty sensible in hindsight but the new guy who might just beat them at the polls is the most radical wingnut yet. One thing both campaigns can agree on this year: Neither wants the [...]

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May
14

NYT/CBS poll: Romney 46, Obama 43

Oh my.


The weighted sample of registered voters: 36D/30R/34I, which is right in line with most national polls. Maybe Karl was right about that “turning point.” The bombshell number, obviously, is Romney leading O by two among women. If that happens on election day, rest assured that the overall margin will be a lot wider than three [...]

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May
14

Romney fires back: Meet the steel company that Bain helped build

"One of the hardest things to do is move up a socioeconomic status in a generation."


I’m dying to know how much of this spot was already in the can and ready to go when Obama dropped his Romney-hates-steelworkers spot on Team Mitt this morning. Obviously the interviews with the Steel Dynamics employees were already done, but had they edited everything yet or do they just have hours of footage from [...]

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May
14

Ron Paul: I won’t spend any more money to contest primaries

Out. Sort of.


He hasn’t suspended his campaign but he says he won’t spend any more money to contest the upcoming primaries with Romney, preferring instead to focus on electing Paul supporters as delegates to the convention so that they can influence the platform. BuzzFeed has his full statement but here’s the key bit: Our campaign will continue [...]

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May
14

Is the 2012 campaign at a quiet turning point?

Patience.


At the NYT, Richard W. Stevenson claims that it is: [T]he months between the end of the primary season and the formal start of the general election at the conventions are an especially perilous period for candidates in Mr. Romney’s position. It is then that challengers to an incumbent are most susceptible to being defined [...]

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May
14

Obama’s attack on Bain “unfair,” Bain was “acting very responsibly,” says … Update: Don’t forget about Obama’s Bain bundler

... former Obama auto czar.


Well, what else is former auto industry czar Steve Rattner supposed to say?  After all, he quarterbacked the layoffs of tens of thousands of auto-dealer employees in the Obama administration-imposed dealership closures. Moreover, he did so for the exact same reasons Bain had in operating their private-equity turnaround business, which is to make companies and [...]

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