Saturday, December 31, 2011

Mitt Romney Interview with Iowa's KCCI8 TV in Des Moines (VIDEO 12-30-11)

<a href='http://www.bing.com/videos/browse?mkt=en-us&vid=a20a6236-d8d6-4177-bec8-da1c4dddeee8&from=&src=v5:embed::' target='_new' title='Mitt Romney Sits Down With KCCI' >Video: Mitt Romney Sits Down With KCCI</a>

<a href='http://www.bing.com/videos/browse?mkt=en-us&vid=4ca562bd-24e2-4dd9-a517-576930b266a3&from=&src=v5:embed::' target='_new' title='One-On-One With Mitt Romney, Part II' >Video: One-On-One With Mitt Romney, Part II</a>


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Gott nytt år!

Happy new year to all readers and co-bloggers here at RS.

The year started an hour ago in Sweden and let me tell you, things are looking great so far. I'm having a good feeling about it.

And as you may have figured out, Gott nytt år means Happy new year.

John Gustavsson

Heading into the Iowa Caucus Gingrich receives Key Endorsements


As candidates make their last minute push to gain the votes of Iowa Caucus goers, Newt Gingrich receives some key endorsements that could help him leave Iowa with one of the three tickets needed to move on in the GOP primary race.

Steve Deace
, Iowa Radio Host
Newt Gingrich, who has campaigned on what I believe is the most important issue facing us as a people—the loss of the rule of law.
After offering every candidate in the race the chance to show they understand the gravity of this issue, Gingrich is the only one who has demonstrated he does, and can also use the bully pulpit of the presidency to educate Americans on the need to return to the rule of law.
Michael Reagan, son of former President Ronald Reagan, Author, Political Consultant
endorsed Gingrich by describing Gingrich as a “man who fought in Congress for my father’s programs.” Reagan, to Newsmax, said that though “millions of dollars have been spent in negative ads against him,” voters should remember that “Newt became a leading ally of my father” by helping “Congress push through massive tax cuts” and working to “secure a military buildup that helped defeat the Soviet Union.”
Reagan also said under Gingrich’s leadership, “Congress also limited the welfare state” and, as a “leader in the Reagan Revolution, Gingrich helped keep my father’s legacy alive.”

My Dad and Mitt Romney Are Alike: Both Like To Save Money

Yesterday, Josh Romney made a statement about his family that has a lot of people talking: 
"My dad has more energy than anyone I've ever seen," Josh Romney said. "He is also tremendously cheap."

As children in Belmont, Massachusetts, the boys said they learned not to leave the tap water running too long, or they would get a rebuke from their father, who was in the process of building the venture capital powerhouse Bain Capital.

"Congress would learn pretty quickly that they're not going to get money from my dad either," Josh Romney said.
My father, who is an attorney,  is the same way.  My Dad's idea of going out to get lunch or dinner is to get one of those cheap 99 cent hamburgers that most fast food chains offer.  Every now and then, we'll go to a nice restaurant and eat good food.  Just as Mitt Romney rebuked his kids if he left the tap water running too long,  whenever I've come home to visit my parents, my Dad will rebuke me if I've let the clothes dryer run longer than he thinks is necessary and he will turn off the machine in mid cycle if he thinks the clothes are sufficiently dry. 

I need a job

Dear readers and fellow RS bloggers,

As some of you may know, I am now well into my final year of my degree, a BA in Finance and economics with a minor in Business from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. I'm looking for internships over the summer within finance/economics and related areas - in short, I'd like to apply the knowledge I've gained through my college education.

I've uploaded my resume here.

The reason why I'm writing this is because I realized that since RightSpeak is now getting close to 100,000 views per month, this makes it an excellent place to advertise myself. I'm trying to build a network, my final goal being to have secured a job (in the US or elsewhere) when I'm finished with my studies - I'm planning to do a one-year master's degree in economics/finance, starting in the fall of 2012, so I won't be looking for full-time positions until the fall of 2013.

If you're working in finance, banking, trading, corporate finance, economic analysis, financial consultancy or anything remotely related, or know someone who is and who might be able to help me break in, please contact me. Even if you don't have a job opening, I always appreciate opportunities to talk with those who work in the industries I'm interested in.

My email is gustavsson_john@hotmail.com

You can also add me on Facebook, LinkedIn and Skype (John-Gustavsson).

I would also welcome feedback on my resume and any ideas to improve my job search. I do write cover letters when I apply for internships, but I didn't link to any example here as I believe they should be individually written for each position.

Thanks in advance,
John Gustavsson

Mitt Romney Interview with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell (FULL INTERVIEW 12-30-11)



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Mitt Romney's Boys Talk-up their Dad (VIDEO 12-29-11)

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s seemingly indestructible coif has made headlines and inspired imitations — but Craig Romney said yesterday he believes the hairdo for the lead character on NBC’s hit series “30 Rock,” die-hard conservative Jack Donaghy, is based on the former Bay State governor’s much-admired locks.

“I’m convinced that they modeled Alec Baldwin’s hair after my dad’s hair — if you look at them side by side,” said Craig Romney, the youngest of Mitt Romney’s sons. “I think it would be great for (Mitt Romney) to make a cameo on ‘30 Rock.’ ... They’ve mentioned him a few times on the show. I actually think, not Alec Baldwin, but his character’s a big fan of my dad’s on the show.”


The full story is HERE.

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TOR Poll: Mitt Romney on top in Florida

GOP Nomination:

Mitt Romney 27%
Newt Gingrich 26%
Ron Paul 5%
Michele Bachmann 4%
Rick Perry 4%
Jon Huntsman 1%
Rick Santorum 1%
Undecided 31%
A telephone survey of 780 Republican voters, conducted from Dec. 15-19.
The full story is HERE.

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AngusReid Poll: Romney wins National Preference Poll by 6 Points

At this point, which one of these Republican presidential candidates are you thinking of supporting in your state’s primary or caucus? – “Decided Supporters” and “Leaners”
Mitt Romney 32%
Newt Gingrich 26%
Ron Paul 10%
Rick Perry 7%
Michele Bachmann 7%
Rick Santorum 5%
Jon Huntsman Jr. 2%
Not sure 11%
The survey was taken From December 27 to December 29, 2011, among 1,009 American adults who are absolutely certain of taking part in the Republican presidential primary or caucus in their state and are Springboard America panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%.
The full story is HERE.

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Friday, December 30, 2011

Steve Deace Endorses Newt Gingrich

Influential talk radio host Steve Deace has endorsed Newt Gingrich for 2012.

Sadly, there are only two candidates offering a real means by which to actually undo that which the Left has done to this country for the past 50 years, and not just conservative platitudes. One of those candidates is Ron Paul, but his foreign policy is naive at best and reckless at worst. The other is Newt Gingrich, who has campaigned on what I believe is the most important issue facing us as a people—the loss of the rule of law.

The Left has used unelected judges and judicial oligarchy to reinvent the American way of life, from secularism to the loss of the sanctity of life, to the redefining of marriage, the confiscation of private property, and the granting of imaginary rights. There is an entire chapter of my new book devoted to the need for conservatives and Christians to confront judicial oligarchy once and for all. I have spent the past two years of my radio program educating my audience on this issue, and was a vocal proponent of Iowa’s historic judicial retention election last year, and Newt’s assistance with that effort was vital.

WAA Poll: Romney by 7 in IOWA

GOP Nomination:

Mitt Romney 24%
Rick Santorum 17%
Ron Paul 14%
Newt Gingrich 13%
Michele Bachmann 12%
Rick Perry 10%
Jon Huntsman 4%
Undecided 7%

WHO will be the "Ultimate" Winner?

Mitt Romney 39%
Newt Gingrich 13%
Ron Paul 11%
Rick Santorum 9%
Michele Bachmann 8%
Rick Perry 8%
Jon Huntsman 2%
Undecided 7%
The top-line results from our December 29, 2011 poll of 889 Iowa Republicans who confirmed they plan to participate in a caucus.
The full story is HERE.

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NBC/Marist Poll: Romney on top in IOWA

GOP Nomination: (Previous results from Dec 5)

Mitt Romney 23% (18%)
Ron Paul 21% (17%)
Rick Santorum 15% (5%)
Rick Perry 14% (9%)
Newt Gingrich 13% (26%)
Michele Bachmann 6% (5%)
Jon Huntsman 2% (2%0
Undecided 7% (9%)
A survey of 433 likely GOP caucus-goers was conducted December 27-28, 2011. The MOE is +/-4.7%.
The crosstabs can be viewed HERE.

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Can They Do That?

Maybe if the fence was 180 feet high...
But there are also sections of 18-foot fencing right in the middle of downtown Calexico, opposite its sprawling sister city of Mexicali, where border jumpers can be up and over the wall in a matter of seconds, melting into shops and residential streets once they land on the other side. 

At night, smugglers toss Hail Marys of pot-stuffed footballs and fling golf-ball-sized heroin nuggets over to waiting receivers. Stealthy ultra-light aircraft bomb the lettuce fields outside town with bundles of dope, then swoop back into Mexico, well below radar but high above the fence.
Those silly Washington Post reporters. They think that the United States government spends billions of American taxpayer dollars on a fence with the purpose of actually preventing illegal immigrants from crossing into the United States. What they don't realize is that the United States government actually spends billions of American taxpayer dollars on a fence so that some politicians can win accolades from Americans for "building a damn fence." It's about the optics, not the reality. Maybe one day we will all wake up an realize that a fence is a complete waste of hard-earned money, but I don't see that happening until we are all broke.  

The good news is that the current fence, you know the one where illegal immigrants effortlessly scale, will only cost us $6.5 billion over the next twenty years to maintain. Yes, I said maintain, not build. Only 1,320 more miles of fencing to go and we will have a fence on the entire border. And then we can start on the Canadian border as well. I am sure no illegal immigrant would ever think to fly to Canada and walk across the over 5,000 mile border there.

Sorry, I am starting to sound like the Wapo reporter. Those billions will be worth every back slap Steve King gets.

Stimulus Debate: Round five

Round one (From John)
Round two (From Pablo)
Round three (From John)
Round four (From Pablo)

First, this whole stimulus debate got me thinking of a video published earlier this year by Econstories. If you haven't yet seen it, this is a great time:


Now, on to Pablo's post:

Pablo makes an important point about transportation and how there are more "shovel-ready" projects when it comes to highways. These projects take less time to plan, in particular if they only involve reparations, and they can indeed be highly economically efficient. I agree it's hard (although not impossible) for the private sector to build roads and highways, although I believe the private sector to be fully able to build and maintain railroads and airports (since it's easy to restrict access to those, which is not the case with regular roads).

If Only I Had Married That Guy I Never Dated


If one more “expert” commentator voices the crackpot view that Republicans have been deprived of the chance to choose among “the best” candidates for president, namely, Thune, Christie, Daniels, Barbour, Ryan, Jindal, Rubio, et al., please bring me an air-sickness bag.

That means you, Charles Krauthammer, George Will, Peggy Noonan, Bill Kristol, and all you other self-important inside-the-beltway talkers.  (Radio talk-show hosts, you’re a lost cause.  You are so transparent that it’s embarrassing—your goal is ratings, pure and simple.)

I am absolutely disgusted with the endless drumbeat about the “weak field” of GOP candidates for president.  In my books, a weak candidate is one who has never even tried to win.  That means you, John Thune, Chris Christie, Mitch Daniels, Haley Barbour, Paul Ryan, Bobby Jindal, Marco Rubio, et al.  If you had any guts, you would at least get behind a Republican candidate who does have the nerve to run.  So, kudos to Thune, Christie, and Jindal, who have stood up and lent their support to flesh-and-blood candidates.  A pox on the rest of you and your quixotic endorsers!

Mitt Romney picks up three more endorsements

Ann Coulter:
"ONLY ONE CANDIDATE IS RIGHT ON THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES"

In the upcoming presidential election, two issues are more important than any others: repealing Obamacare and halting illegal immigration. If we fail at either one, the country will be changed permanently.

Taxes can be raised and lowered. Regulations can be removed (though they rarely are). Attorneys general and Cabinet members can be fired. Laws can be repealed. Even Supreme Court justices eventually die.

But capitulate on illegal immigration, and the entire country will have the electorate of California. There will be no turning back.

Similarly, if Obamacare isn't repealed in the next few years, it never will be.
Read the rest of the endorsement HERE.

Gallup Daily Tracking Poll: Romney leading Gingrich by 4...Gingrich's numbers keep..."Slip Slidin' Away"

Gallup Daily Tracking Poll:

Gingrich Down 14 Points since December 8

ARG Poll: Romney pulls ahead in Iowa, up by 5

GOP Nomination: (Previous results from December 24)

Mitt Romney 22% (20%)
Newt Gingrich 17% (19%)
Ron Paul 16% (21%)
Rick Santorum 11% (4%)
Rick Perry 9% (9%)
Michele Bachmann 8% (8%)
Jon Huntsman 6% (6%)
Buddy Roemer 1% (1%)
Other 1% (0%)
Undecided 9% (12%)
A survey 600 of likely Republican caucus-goers was conducted December 26-28, 2011. The MOE is +/-4%.
The data and other results can be viewed HERE.

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PPP Polling: Romney by 15 in New Hampshire

GOP Nomination:

Mitt Romney 36%
Newt Gingrich 13%
Ron Paul 21%
Rick Perry 3%
Michele Bachmann 7%
Rick Santorum 3%
Buddy Roemer 3%
Jon Huntsman 12%
Someone else/Not Sure 2%
PPP surveyed 830 likely Republican primary voters on December 27th and 28th. The margin of error for the survey is +/-3.4%.
The crosstabs can be viewed HERE.

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LIVE FEED This Morning: Mitt Romney Iowa Bus Tour - West Des Moines, Iowa (December 30, 9 AM EST)

UPDATE!

If you missed the live event, you can view it by CLICKING the button below. ENJOY!



*********************************

Mitt Romney continues his cross-state Iowa tour. This morning he holds a rally with NJ Governor Chris Christie at Hy-Vee West Lakes Shore, West Des Moines, Iowa. The former Massachusetts governor has increased the amount of time and money he's spending in the state in the final days leading up to the Iowa caucuses.

The feed buttons are under the photo below. If all goes well, at least one of them should take you to the event at 9:00 AM EST.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Ron Paul is the Most Liberal, Radical Left-Wing Person to Run for President

Hey, Don't be mad at me. I'm only the messenger. The above words are Dick Morris's:
Morris didn’t hold back at all when fill-in host Eric Bolling asked him about the presidential candidate.

After calling Ron Paul’s rise in the polls recently “horrible,” he let loose: “I think that he is absolutely the most liberal, radical left-wing person to run for president in the United States in the last 50 years.”


The full story is here.

Now I'm no fan of Dick Morris. But you know what they say.
Even a broken clock is right twice-a-day.



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Pablo's New Year's Predictions

Let's all do this.

1. Romney will win Iowa and New Hampshire, but will still lose South Carolina. He will go on to win the Republican nomination rather quickly though. He will beat Obama but only after a long hard fight.

2. Romney picks Susanna Martinez as his running mate but still only gets 35% of the Latino vote and still loses New Mexico.

3. Hillary Clinton runs as Obama's running mate and Biden takes Secretary of State.

4. Talk radio will be highly disappointed with Romney's campaign.

5. There will be no third party candidate that gets more than 5 percent of the vote.

6. Unemployment will edge back up to over 9 percent by election day.

7. Nouri al-Maliki is forced out of his position as Prime Minister of Iraq. Ethnic conflict takes place in Kirkuk. Meanwhile, Bashir Assad flees his country and takes refuge in Iran.

8. Enrique Pena Nieto is elected President of Mexico, Hugo Chavez steps down due to health problems, and Fidel Castro is still alive.

9. Dilma Roussef finds her approval rating significantly lower than her predecessor's.

10. The Eurozone teeters but stays remains in place. Nicolas Sarkozy fails to win reelection and at least three (take your pick) other European countries seek a change of leadership. 

11. Ohio Joe becomes a Rombot, and Pablo remains a Republican.

The Debate Over Stimulus Continues (Round Four)

Round One (From John)
Round Two (From Pablo)
Round Three (From John)

I am pretty sure nobody is paying attention to John and me anymore, but I think this is an issue that ought to be hashed out among conservatives. A little review first. John has made the assertion that the United States government should not borrow any more money. His argument rests on two ideas. First, infrastructure spending does not stimulate the economy. Second, our debt will not be paid off and thus we will lose our low interest rates. I agree with some of the points that he makes and I disagree with some. Let’s start with the first argument.

John states that infrastructure spending cannot work because it takes too long to implement. He gives us two examples to prove his point: airports and railroads. Agreed. Neither of those are “shovel-ready” programs. But this is not a good argument against infrastructure for many reasons. First, there are many “shovel-ready” programs that John doesn’t mention, like America’s decaying highway system. Building an airport takes a lot of time, but John only mentions the really long-term projects. Our roads require immediate attention and add millions of jobs in the short term. Second, those long-term projects are needed as well. As I mentioned in the last post, the American Society of Civil Engineers, who gave the United States an overall D on its infrastructure, has already detailed the cost to American taxpayers if we don’t repair and improve our infrastructure now. This goes beyond the immediate here and now of stimulus spending to prudent planning for the future (and long-term savings).

Rasmussen Poll: Romney beating Obama by 6 points

H/T Joe

Head-To-Head:

 Mitt Romney 45% (+6)
 Barack Obama 39%
A survey of 1,000 likely voters was conducted December 27-28, 2011. The margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points.
The full story is HERE. 

How is Newt Gingrich doing you ask? ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE! He loses to Obama by 10 points! The following are Rasmussen results from just YESTERDAY:

Results from December 28: 

Barack Obama 47%
Newt Gingrich 37% (-10)

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Mitt and Ann Romney in the CNN "Situation Room" (VIDEO 12-28-11)

It looks like CNN is trying to make the most out of their interview with Mitt and Ann Romney by releasing the interview in segments. I will up date this post if and when more segments are added. Here's what was available up to this point:

Michele Bachmann didn't have a very good day

Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann’s Iowa campaign co-chairman Kent Sorenson tonight endorsed Ron Paul, one of her rivals in the Iowa caucus race.

“I believe we’re at a turning point in this campaign,” Sorenson said during his surprise announcement this evening at a Ron Paul rally in Des Moines. “… I thought it was my duty to come to his aid, just like he came to my aid during my Senate race, which was a very nasty race.”

The state senator from Indianola was greeted with a round of applause from the roughly 500 people gathered at the Iowa fairgrounds for the event.
The full story is HERE.

If that's not bad enough:

Iowa City Press-Citizen endorses Mitt Romney

From the Press-Citizen's editorial board:
When choosing whom to endorse for president, we’re interested in one thing this year: Finding the person best able to help the nation fix the economy.

We’re not looking for ideological purity.

We’re not looking for someone we agree with 100 percent of the time.

We’re simply interested in finding the person who has the best understanding of the issues, who has the best ideas on how to move the nation forward and, most importantly, who has the leadership skills necessary to work with the Congress and the American people to ensure that many of those ideas become reality.
After considering all the Republican candidates vying for the opportunity to take on President Obama in November, we think Mitt Romney is the candidate best suited to address the gridlock of dysfunction that has infected our federal system for the past generation.
Read the rest of the endorsement HERE.

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LIVE FEED Today: Mitt Romney Iowa Bus Tour - Ames, Iowa (December 29, 6:45 PM EST)

UPDATE!

If you missed the live event, you can view it by CLICKING the button below. ENJOY!



*********************************

Mitt Romney continues his cross-state Iowa tour. Tonight he holds a rally in Ames, IA at Kinzler Construction. The former Massachusetts governor has increased the amount of time and money he's spending in the state in the final days leading up to the Iowa caucuses.

The feed buttons are under the photo below. If all goes well, at least one of them should take you to the event at 6:45 PM EST.

Gallup Daily Tracking Poll: Romney and Gingrich tied at the top...With Gingrich's numbers..."Slip Slidin' Away"

Gallup Daily Tracking Poll:

Gingrich Down 12 Points since December 8

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

CNN/Time/ORC Poll: Romney leading by 3 in IOWA

H/T Teemu

GOP Nomination:


Mitt Romney 25%
Ron Paul 22%
Rick Santorum 16%
Newt Gingrich 14%
Rick Perry 11%
Michele Bachmann 9%
Jon Huntsman 1%
No opinion 2%

Best Chance of beating Obama:

Mitt Romney 41%
Newt Gingrich 17%
Ron Paul 14%
Rick Perry 8%
Michele Bachmann 4%
Rivk Santorum 4%
Jon Huntsman 1%
Someone else (vol.) *
None/ No one (vol.) 2%
No opinion 8%
All interviews conducted by telephone between December 22-27 among 452 likely Republican caucus participants in Iowa. The MOE is +/-4.5%.
The crosstabs can be viewed HERE.

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CNN/Time/ORC Poll: Romney by 27 points in New Hampshire

H/T Teemu

GOP Nomination: (Previous results from December 6)

Mitt Romney 44% (35%)
Ron Paul 17% (17%)
Newt Gingrich 16% (26%)
Jon Huntsman 9% (8%)
Rick Santorum 4% (2%)
Michele Bachmann 3% (3%)
Rick Perry 2% (2%)
Someone else * (1%)
None/ No one 1% (1%)
No opinion 4% (6%)

Best chance of beating Obama:

Mitt Romney 63%
Newt Gingrich 14%
Ron Paul 7%
Jon Huntsman 4%
Rick Santorum 2%
Rick Perry 1%
Michele Bachmann *
Someone else (vol.) 1%
None/ No one (vol.) 3%
No opinion 4%
All interviews conducted by telephone among 543 likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire by ORC International on December 21-27, 2011. The MOE is is +/-4%.
The crosstabs can be viewed HERE.

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Gingrich is a Gay, Pedophile, Socialist, Fascist, Islamist Devil Worshiper

Am I missing anything?

If there is one thing that Gingrich has taught us over the years is that words and terms have no meanings. Gingrich uses language as a weapon to blow away his opponents. Truth is only an obstacle in an effort to meet political objectives.

Enter case point 4,580.
Recent comments by Mitt Romney in which he contemplates a Value-Added Tax and Co-Insurance are becoming fodder for his rival presidential candidate Newt Gingrich’s campaign, which has taken to calling Romney a “Massachusetts moderate” and now says Romney has looked at “European Socialist ideas.”
At least he got the European part right. A value added tax is popular in Europe. Not sure if it is socialist though. Actually, I am sure. It is not. Regardless, don't hold your breath because I am sure next week we will find out that Newt supported it a year ago. That's why he can't really tag Romney's health care reform as "socialist" because he was effusively praising it right before he decided to run for President. This is ironic because most of the ignoramuses that try to label the multi-millionaire venture capitalist as Karl Marx reincarnate usually lead with his past health care positions. But Newt can't do that because he loved individual mandates back when loving individual mandates was what the cool kids did. So he is stuck with using Romney's half-hearted and flippant comments about possibly having a VAT as proof that a man who Obama will portray as a creature of Wall Street is really a pinko, egalitarian-loving commie.

I am grateful for Newt because he is proof that those who live by the sword eventually perish by their own devices. Normally, it would be sad to watch a pathetic man fail at yet another attempt at relevance. But with Newt, I will gleefully watch him flounder and collapse. It will give me a great sense of joy knowing that the very bomb-throwing rhetoric that he so often deploys will be the same mechanism that prevents him from ever getting close to decision-making power in our government.

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LIVE FEED Today: Mitt Romney Iowa Bus Tour - Clinton, Iowa (December 28, 1:20 PM EST)

UPDATE!

If you missed the live event, you can view it by CLICKING the button bellow. ENJOY!



*********************************

The feed buttons are under the photo below. If all goes well, at least one of them should take you to the event at 1:20 PM EST. As with many live events, they may not start exactly on time. Also, once the pop-up with the feed opens, you may need to choose the "Romney" Channel.

The Boston Herald Endorses Mitt Romney

The Boston Herald endorsed Mitt Romney for President on Tuesday. Here is some of what they said:
This quirkiest of Republican presidential primary seasons is about to become serious — deadly serious next week in Iowa and the following week in New Hampshire.

We have referred in the past to the clown car nature of the Republican field as ego-driven candidates like Donald Trump flirted with the process only to be followed by the often engaging but deeply flawed candidacies of Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul and finally Newt Gingrich.

It has been an entertaining several months, but really now, does anyone see even the remotest possibility of any of those folks taking the oath of office on the Capitol steps come Jan. 20, 2013?

So this is no longer a parlor game. Beginning Jan. 3 in Iowa this is very real indeed.
And there is only one candidate in the Republican field with the integrity, the experience, the organizational strength and the intelligence to beat Barack Obama and that man is Mitt Romney.

But perhaps more to the point, there is only one candidate who can put this nation back on the path to fiscal sanity and restore it to its central role on the world stage. That candidate is Mitt Romney.
Read the rest of the endorsement HERE.

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Rasmussen Poll: Gingrich losing to Obama by 10

Head-To-Head:

Barack Obama 47%
Newt Gingrich 37% (-10)

A survey of 1,000 likely voters was conducted December 26, 2011. The margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points.
The full story is HERE. 

How is Mitt Romney doing you ask? A lot better than Newt! The following are Rasmussen results from just Friday:

Results from December 23: 

Barack Obama 44%
Mitt Romney 41% (-3)

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Gallup Daily Tracking Poll: Newt's lead is still...."Slip Slidin' Away"

Gallup Daily Tracking Poll:

Gingrich Down 12 Points since December 8

PPP Polling: Paul on top, Romney close 2nd in Iowa

GOP Nomination: (previous results from December 19)

Ron Paul 24% (23%)
Mitt Romney 20% (20%)
Newt Gingrich 13% (14%)
Michele Bachmann 11% (10%)
Rick Perry 10% (10%)
Rick Santorum 10% (10%)
Jon Huntsman 4% (4%)
Some else/Not sure 5% (7%)
PPP surveyed 565 likely Republican caucus voters on December 26th and 27th. The margin of error for the survey is +/-4.1%.

You can view the crosstabs HERE.

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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

My response to Pablo

Recently I wrote a post about David Frum and criticized him for his view on the deficit. Frum argued that the deficit is not an urgent issue, but rather something we can deal with when we want to, when we happen to feel for it, sometime a few years from now or so.

First of all, I'm happy Pablo took the time to respond. I really want us to have more intellectual debates here at RightSpeak and I know that both him and I are trying to contribute to that. Pablo is a fellow conservative whom I respect a lot, in particular for the fact that he always expresses his views even when he knows that they are unpopular.

Now, to the subject:

Pablo assures me that government borrowing to invest in infrastructure would have a positive return, far above 2 %, but ignores one very important thing:

It is impossible to stimulate the economy by investing in infrastructure.

This is because infrastructure investments take so long time. You can't just build a bunch of airports in the middle of nowhere and think that that will somehow help the economy, you have to plan where to build them, how big they should be, how many terminals and gates they should have etc. If we decide to build an airport today, it may well take five years or more before it's actually finished and actually contributing to the economy. Since the point of stimulus is to help the economy NOW, not in five years when the economy might have recovered on its own and might be on its way to becoming overheated, it doesn't really work.

Yes, we'll create a few jobs for architects in the meantime, and after they've made the layout for the airport we'll create a few more jobs for construction workers, but the real contribution to the economy that an airport provides comes once it's finished - and like I said, that's way too late to be considered an efficient stimulus in a recession.

The same goes with railroads (where to put them, how to deal with houses that might be in the way etc), roads (where, what kind of roads etc) and basically every other infrastructure investment. They're too slow.

Huck's Army Founders Endorse Rick Santorum for President


Alex and Brett Harris, co-founders of Huck's Army, have come out in support of Rick Santorum for President.

From the News release:

Urbandale, IA - Republican Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum announced today that his campaign has received the endorsement of Alex and Brett Harris, co-founders of Huck's Army.

Alex Harris said: "Now is not the time for voters to settle for second or third best, not when we have a candidate like Rick Santorum. Rick is the strongest, most consistent conservative in the race. He is without question the best choice for evangelicals and social conservatives. Rick's record and experience qualify him to lead on the most pressing issues facing our country, because he's already done it. Whether it's welfare reform, Iranian sanctions, or partial-birth abortion, Rick has not only been on the right side of the issues, he's been leading the charge to get the job done."

Brett Harris said: "Rick Santorum has the same dark horse potential that fueled Mike Huckabee's surprise finish in 2008. You won't hear much about him from the mainstream media, but on the ground in Iowa he's connecting with voters and building momentum at just the right time. Conservatives of every stripe are beginning to realize Rick Santorum is their guy. He is rock solid on the economy, on foreign policy, and on faith and family. Rather than settling for the next 'so-so' candidate, Iowans are poised to deliver another dark horse to the national stage."

Rick Santorum said: "I am excited to receive Alex and Brett's endorsement today. They have been true grassroots champions for Governor Huckabee and the conservative causes we believe in. We need a strong conservative who will stand up for those principles of faith, family, and freedom that make America great, and I am committed to doing just that. I am looking forward to working with Alex and Brett to continue this fight and stand up against the dangerous agenda of the Obama Administration."

Please read the rest here.

Sterling: A solution for Ireland

My endless writings on the eurozone crisis are back by popular demand - actually, not really, but no-one's complained so far. I'm supposed to be studying right now, but I've already done some reading today so I figure I deserve to write a post (you know you're blogging too much when writing a post becomes a "naughty treat").

I've spent quite some time writing about the Irish economy. This is logical since I live most of the year in Ireland, and so I'm affected by the economic crisis going on there (although compared to those actually born in Ireland, I'm very protected from the events).

Today's subject is: Should Ireland join the sterling? I've been doing some thinking on this and my conclusion is that, yes, Ireland would be better of with the British pound, or sterling as it is formally called, as its currency rather than the euro and rather than introducing it's own currency. The reasons are many. Let's start with the reasons the pound is better than the euro:

1) Trade. The UK, not any country in the eurozone, is Ireland's biggest trading partner by far (though Ireland also has a lot of trade with the US). 16 % of exports and 35 % of imports come from the UK, compared to just 5-6 % from Germany and France. Who you trade with is very important for your business cycle - the fact that Ireland trades a lot with the UK but not so much with Germany means that if the UK economy is doing badly, Ireland's economy will do badly as well. The correlation between the Irish and the German economy however is much weaker. Germany and France control the eurozone and naturally they set the interest rate according to their own needs, and this means that the interest rate very often is not going to suit Ireland since Germany/France can be in a recession while Ireland is booming and vice versa. This is not the case with the UK. If the UK needs low interest rates, chances are Ireland needs it too.

A Response To John G

John G. wrote a thoughtful piece excoriating David Frum for his “moderate” views. Here is the Frum quote from which John bases his critique.
There's lots of time to worry about the deficit. The world is happy to lend the United States money for 10 years at less than 2%. I say keep borrowing as much of that money as you can and use the money to address the immediate trauma of an economy in crisis..."
First, I think that we need to understand the difference between government spending for the sake of building a welfare state versus government spending for the sake of stimulating the economy. The first is surely not conservative. With the second, conservatives should be very cautious. Stimulating the economy can leave behind a larger, more entrenched government. The balancing act of weighing the benefits of stimulating the economy versus the possible aftermath should cause conservatives to be very careful. Unfortunately, John G mischaracterizes Frum’s position when he says that Frum is “bragging” about how much money the US government can get away with spending. I have followed Frum for several years now and I have never got that impression from him. In fact, Frum was very critical of the first Obama stimulus, particularly in the way in which the money was distributed.

Second, Frum is absolutely correct from a policy perspective. Demand for US debt is the strongest it’s been since 1995, the last time period when there was a surplus in the federal budget. The world literally is “happy” to lend the United States money for ten years. That is not to say that this will last forever. Frum is not saying that. What Frum is saying is that the United States has a strategic opening to fund a concentrated investment program on infrastructure and other job-stimulating industries.

Gingrich's past INFIDELITIES DO play a factor in his electability

I for one, could not believe the rise of Newt Gingrich in the polls. As a political junkie, I knew about his loads of bagage and his past infidelities. I also knew that he had been out of politics for 10+ years and that his current status as flavor of the month would be short lived once the non-political junkies got wind of his past or where reminded.

The fact that current information on the circumstances around his first divorce have come to light, certainly will not help his cause. He has said all along and even on his website  that it was his first wife Jackie who filed for divorce after his affair came to light and not him. Court documents obtained by CNN show that his version is either a lie or a convenient lapse of memory. So it wasn't bad enough that he cheated on his wife, he was the one who filed for divorce not her.
"Carroll County Georgia court documents accurately show Newt Gingrich filed for a divorce from his wife Jackie Battley, but it was Jackie Battley who requested the divorce," spokesman R.C. Hammond said in an e-mail to CNN Saturday. "Gingrich, her husband, obtained legal counsel and filed the divorce papers initiating the legal proceedings."

"It was the same legal proceedings that determined and set the amounts of payments Gingrich would provide to support his two daughters," Hammond said.

Jackie Gingrich, who has rarely spoken to the media about the divorce, declined CNN's request for an interview. A friend said that Jackie Gingrich did not want to comment out of concern for her daughters and grandchildren.

In a brief interview in 1985, she told the Washington Post: "He can say that we had been talking about it for 10 years, but the truth is that it came as a complete surprise."

Help choose Newt Gingrich's Top Quality of Endearment (FINAL ROUND)

Back on December 1, I posted a poll to determine what qualities of Newt Gingrich made him so attractive to voters. The poll was devided into 2 groups totaling 15 qualities. Well, the results are in after 15,000+ votes in each group.

The Results are below:


A new poll has been posted today to determine that ONE TOP QUALITY. I've taken the top 2 winners from each of the 2 groups above and have posted a final poll to determine that one quality that makes Newt so special to his supporters. You will find the poll posted HERE and under Right Speak's chat box.

I know, it's tough to choose just one, they're all so attractive. Just try do do your best. My overall goal is noble. I'm doing my best in trying to see Newt from his supporter's point of view.

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INTRADE: Romney at 70+% to get the GOP Nomination

Contest as of 7:00 PM EST (12-26-11):

Those folks who put their money where their mouth is seem to overwelmingly believe that Mitt Romney will be the Republican Nominee for President:


Live updates HERE.

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Monday, December 26, 2011

Embrace the Paulcolypse

We are on the brink of something momentous, wonderful, and even sublime, something that would remake politics in America. An event that is terrifying to many, but electrifying to many others. In just eight days Iowa voters will caucus, and if recent polls can be trusted, likely give Ron Paul the win. Count me in the group that would be electrified by a Paul win in Iowa.

Let me state that I very much prefer Romney to be our nominee. And I would be happy with a Romney win in Iowa. But I would be ecstatic with a Paul win in Iowa even though I am not keen on a Paul nomination.

There are three groups of republican voters who should be thrilled at the prospect of a Paul win Iowa. First is the obvious group of die hard Paul lovers. Nothing needs to be said about them.

Second are the Romney supporters. A Paul win in Iowa would Newter the Gingrich and Perry campaigns. Paul is polling in the top three in NH as well and if he pulled a second in NH after first in Iowa then it would be lights out for everyone not named Romney or Paul. In a long drawn out race Romney will galvanize the mainstream republicans and win by a significant margin.

The third group of GOP voters who should be thrilled at the prospect of a Paul win in Iowa are those who are repulsed by Iowa politics: repulsed by the unethical, undemocratic pay to play process of the Ames straw poll and endorsements from guys like Bob Vander Plaats; repulsed by the ravings of uneducated bigots like the very influential radio talk show host Steve Deace (who happened to vote for Obama in 2008); repulsed by the hypocrisy of the far right in Iowa who would overlook the political corruption of Perry and Gingrich, the serial adultery of Gingrich, the enormous mountain of flip flops by Gingrich, and the inability of Perry to articulate any policy position that doesn't fall back on drilling for oil while rejecting a smart, capable, and uncorrupt candidate, Romney; repulsed by a state that guzzles down ethanol subsidies faster than an oceanic tanker guzzles down diesel; repulsed by a state that keeps voting for the democratic presidential candidate by ever widening margins. Should we really be letting these people have such a big say in picking our nominee? No way! A Paul win in Iowa should be the sounding of a death knell for Iowa's importance in national politics.

To all my Romney friends, I implore you to say only positive things about Paul over the next week. Flood the comments sections of blogs with comments about how great Paul is. He is your best friend right now.

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Mike Huckabee handicaps Iowa Caucus on 'Fox News Sunday'



BTW, The 10 Day extended forecast for the state of Iowa for Tuesday, January 3 is generally  MOSTLY SUNNY!.


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'Fox News Sunday Panel Plus' discuss Mitt Romney's Chances for the GOP Nomination



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UNH/Boston Globe Poll: Mitt Romney by 22 in New Hampshire

GOP Nomination:

Mitt Romney 39%
Newt Gingrich 17%
Ron Paul 17%
Jon Huntsman 11%
Rick Santorum 3%
Michele Bachmann 2%
Rick Perry 1%
Buddy Roemer 0%
Don't know 8%
A survey of 543 likely 2012 Republican Primary voters was taken December 12-19. The MOE was +/-4.4%
The crosstabs can be viewed HERE.

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season Everyone!





















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