Saturday, April 30, 2011

Mitt Romney discusses High Gas prices with NH consumer (VIDEO)




Mitt Romney was in New Hampshire yesterday to attend the Americans for Prosperity Foundation Presidential Summit.

He had a little time to kill early in the day and did a litle retail politics:

LIVE FEED!: Mike Huckabee at the NRA Convention 7:30 EST April 30

Mike Huckabee will be speaking tonight at the NRA's Celebration of American Values. Here is the schedule:

SATURDAY, APRIL 30
Celebration of American Values
Freedom Experience
7:30-10:30 PM ET • Live Event Coverage

Featured Speakers:

﷯Mike Huckabee Former Governor of Arkansas and Fox News commentator
﷯Wayne LaPierre NRA Executive Vice President
﷯Chris W. Cox NRA-ILA Executive Director
﷯Michael Reagan Former radio host and Republican strategist

The event should start below at 7:30 PM EST.
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Feed #1

Feed 2:

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Mike Huckabee: That South Carolina Report is an Absolute Lie

Are potential opponents of Mike Huckabee trying to push him into the race? Are they afraid of the platform he has hosting his own radio/cable program? Are they worried about how Huckabee is able to showcase his policy ideas each week contrasting it with President Obama's own failed policies? Do they not like that Mike Huckabee has access to media where he can shoot down the lies being told about him and get out the true facts?

It is rather interesting that bloggers and DC insiders want Mike Huckabee to officially declare his intentions on whether or not he will run in 2012. Lest they forget Mike Huckabee has already done that, he clearly stated that it would be his race his pace, that he would miss the first set of debates, that he would prayfully consider a run, and that he would declare his intentions in the summer. Yet they keep pushing for an answer and this week we saw operatives pushing false information. Wesley Donohue, a former worker for Mitt Romney's 2008 campaign was the one who jumped the shark. Starting a story with anyomous players telling him that Mike Huckabee released his 2008 South Carolina supporters to go work for other campaigns. Donohue-who now works for Gingrich-stands by his story while not releasing any names of those so called informants. Erick Erickson of Redstate was one of the first to actively promote this on twitter. Matt Drudge-a supporter of Romney's in 2008, linked to the story by selectively placing "Huckabee Out of Race?" right next to the royal wedding pictures of Kate Middleton in her beautiful dress. Perhaps Drudge is worried that Mike Huckabee will be the next one to sit on the Republican nomination throne. To shed light on the whole bizarre story, Mike Huckabee cuts to the chase on the Willis Report and tells the viewers that the story is a flat out lie.



There you have it, Mike Huckabee again says he is still considering a run and will announce his intentions this summer.

Huckabee supporter, GrannyT researched this week's "Huckabee is out activity" and reported as follows:

Examining the “Huckabee Isn’t Running” Rumors

There have been rumors that Gov. Mike Huckabee won’t be running for President in the 2012 election cycle. I’m writing this to examine a few of those rumors.

Americans for Prosperity Foundation: Presidential Summit (VIDEO 04-29-11)

Participating in the Summit in New Hamphire were Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, businessman Herman Cain, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum.

This is the first opportunity the presidential candidates will have to detail their plans on reining in government spending, ending budget deficits, and eliminating the national debt in this type of forum.

To view the ENTIRE EVENT, RIGHT CLICK the photo below. Choose, "Open link in New Window:


To view the INDIVIDUAL SPEAKERS at the event RIGHT CLICK their name(s) below. Choose, "Open link in New Window:

Tim Pawlenty
Rick Santorum
Mitt Romney
Herman Cain
Michelle Bachmann

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Mitt Romney Sends Taped Message to 2011 NRA Convention (VIDEO)

The NRA Convention has its first surprise, or at least a high-profile Republican who I figured would be here has addressed the attendees in video form: Mitt Romney was introduced by NRA’s Chris Cox as a leader “deeply committed to limited government.”


The full story is here.

Romney was attending the Americans for Prosperity Foundation: Presidential Summit in New Hampshire and could not attend the event in Pittsburgh.

Rasmussen Poll: Bachman Leads GOP 2012 Dark Horse Pack

File this poll under USELESS INFORMATION. It would be valuable I suppose if Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, Donald Trump, and Mitch Daniels all decided to take a cruise on the Titanic, but other than that...?
What if they held a Republican Primary contest and the front-runners didn’t show up? Or what if voters look for anybody but the front-runner? How do primary voters view the dark horses who are possible contenders for the party’s 2012 presidential nomination?
If the 2012 Republican Primary for President were held today and you had a choice between Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Buddy Roemer, Gary Johnson, Thaddeus McCotter or John Huntsman for whom would you vote?

Michele Bachmann 27%
Rick Santorum 12%
Herman Cain 9%
Rick Perry 7%
Jon Huntsman 3%
Buddy Roemer 1%
Gary Johnson 1%
Thaddeus McCotter 1%
Some other candidate 17%
Undecided 22%
The survey of 1,000 Likely GOP Primary Voters was conducted on April 26, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. Likely GOP Primary Voters include both Republicans and unaffiliated voters likely to vote in a GOP Primary. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
The Full Story is HERE.

Rasmussen Poll: Romney, Christie top GOP If Some Big Names Don’t Run

Chris Christie and Mitt Romney are nearly dead-even in the 2012 Republican presidential race if top contenders Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin and Donald Trump end up not running as many consider likely or stumble in the early going.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely GOP Primary Voters shows ex-Massachusetts governor Romney earning 27% support, while Christie, the current governor of New Jersey, picks up 26% of the vote. Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin congressman whose controversial long-term budget plan shook up the spending debate in Washington, runs a distant third with 12%.
Suppose some of the bigger names decided not to run for President in 2012 and you had a choice between Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Chris Christie, John Huntsman, Tim Pawlenty, Mitch Daniels and Paul Ryan….for whom would you vote?

Mitt Romney 27%
Chris Christie 26%
Paul Ryan 12%
Tim Pawlenty 8%
Mitch Daniels 4%
Rick Perry 3%
Jon Huntsman 2%
Some other candidate 6%
Undecided 12%
The survey of 1,000 Likely GOP Primary Voters was conducted on April 26, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. Likely GOP Primary Voters include both Republicans and unaffiliated voters likely to vote in a GOP Primary. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
The full story can be read HERE.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Trump Talks Trash

Real estate developer Donald Trump unleashed a tirade of profanity in a speech at a boisterous Las Vegas casino as he assured a crowd of adoring supporters Thursday night that he is seriously weighing a presidential run and will make a decision soon.

During a 30-minute stump speech focused mostly on foreign affairs, Trump sprinkled in a number of insults directed toward the nation’s leaders.


“Our leaders are stupid, they are stupid people,” he said. “It’s just very, very sad.”


The full story is here.

LIVE FEED: Americans for Prosperity Foundation: Presidential Summit (April 29 - 8PM EST)

Participating in the Summit will be Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, businessman Herman Cain, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum.

This is the first opportunity the presidential candidates will have to detail their plans on reining in government spending, ending budget deficits, and eliminating the national debt in this type of forum.

UPDATE: Senator Jim DeMint will be attending the event as well.

If everything goes as planned, you will be able to WATCH the broadcast below beginning at 8:00 .P.M. EST:
NOTE: Please be patient if the event doesn't start exactly on time. When working with live feeds/webcasts, things don't always go as planned. Also, "REFRESH" the page every so often until The link begins to work:
Feed 1:


> > > > > >


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Mitt Romney: A bigger man than I

I found this video today of Mitt Romney speaking at the NRA convention in Louisville, Kentucky back in May of 2008. He spoke in behalf of John McCain, a few months after bowing out of the 2008 GOP Presidential primary race in support of McCain.

I can remember at the time how disappointed I was and that how I was not a fan of McCain who I felt ran a dirty campaign. I can still remember how hard it was for me to vote for him in the general election.

This post isn't about that, this is about the character of Mitt Romney who could have just as easily walked away after the primaries and left McCain to fend for himself. I know I would have. Romney didn't.

He knew what was in store for America as he points out in the following video of that speech he made at the NRA. He wanted to do everything in his power to keep Obama from winning the Presidency. I still share the vision of America he spoke of here:

Donald Trump's Energy Plan

Donald Trump was a little upset with Chales Krauthammer who obviously has his number. Here is Krauthammer ob the Bill O'Reilly show two nights ago:


Well, "O'Reilly Factor" producer Jesse Watters caught up with Donald Trump in New Hampshire on Wednesday where he responded to Krauthammer and presented his ENERGY PLAN:


Yeh, Yeh Donald. We'll just take the oil when you're President. No one will mind, because YOU, WILL HAVE YOUR FINGER ON THE BUTTON.

Doesn't that make everyone feel all warm and fuzzy?

As Dirty Harry once said Mr. Trump:

(

WMUR/UNH Poll: Romney Beats Obama in New Hampshire

In matchups against potential Republican presidential candidates, the polls shows Obama would lose to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
The poll shows Romney beating Obama 50 to 43 percent. Smith said the result shows Obama losing steam with a particular group of voters.
"He's in danger of losing those independents," Smith said. "They've been sliding away over the last year because of health care and the continuing weakness in the economy."
When pitted against former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Obama comes out on top, 45 to 38 percent. But Smith said again the numbers signal trouble for the incumbent.
"Even against a largely unknown candidate, Obama is not able to reach 50 percent," Smith said. "And then when you put him up against social conservative Mike Huckabee, Obama is still not doing that well. He's leading, but only by a 46 percent to 42 percent margin over Huckabee.
Head-to-Head: (These were the only match-ups)

Romney 50   Obama 43
Obama 45   Pawlenty 38
Obama 46   Huckabee 42
These findings are based on the latest WMUR Granite State Poll,∗ conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. Five hundred four (504) randomly selected New Hampshire adults were interviewed by telephone between April 15 and April 26, 2011. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 4.4 percent.
The full story is HERE.
The crosstabs can be viewed HERE.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Fox News Poll: Mitt Romney leads nationally, Donald Who?

With the Republican field for the 2012 presidential nomination still in flux, the two major candidates who ran for president in 2008 -- Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee -- receive the most backing among GOP voters nationally. 
Romney garners the support of 19 percent of Republicans and Huckabee 17 percent, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday. The next group of candidates is bunched together: Sarah Palin at nine percent, Donald Trump at eight percent, and Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul receive seven percent a piece.
The Poll was based on live telephone interviews with a national sample of 911 registered voters, and was conducted April 25-27, 2011. MOE of +/-3%.
The full story is HERE.
The crosstabs can be viewed HERE.

Hawkeye Poll: Romney on top Nationally, Huckabee leads Romney by 1% in Iowa

Romney and Huckabee are frontrunners among Iowa Republicans

Of Republicans in Iowa, 24 percent would choose Romney, and 23 percent would choose Huckabee.


Nationally, Romney received the most support among Republicans (17 percent), just slightly more than Huckabee's 16 percent. Sixteen percent of Republicans were not sure which candidate they would choose if primaries or caucuses were today.

Among respondents who consider themselves "strong" Republicans, 23 percent of the national sample said they'd choose Romney if the primaries or caucuses were today, and 19 percent said Huckabee.

Of Independents who "lean" right, 27 percent would choose Romney, and 16 percent would choose Huckabee. Amidst those who self-identified as "not strongly" affiliated with the GOP, 29 percent would support Paul if the primaries or caucuses were today. Thirteen percent would pick Gingrich, and 14 percent weren't sure.
IOWA Results: (ALL Iowans) [ Republicans ONLY]

Mike Huckabee (16%) [23%]
Mitt Romney (15%) [24%]
Sarah Palin (10%) [15%]
Tim Pawlenty (5%) [8%]
Newt Gingrich (4%) [9%]
Michele Bachmann (3%) [0%]
Ron Paul (2%) [2%]
Mitch Daniels (0%) [0%]
Haley Barbour (0%) [1%]
Someone else (26%) [11%]
Don't know (11%) [8%]

NATIONAL Results: Republican (Strong Republican) [Independent: Leaning Republican]

Mitt Romney 17% (23) [27]
Mike Huckabee 16% (19) [16]
Ron Paul 13% (3) [2]
Sarah Palin 11% (11) [8]
Newt Gingrich 9% (6) [5]
Michele Bachmann 3% (4) [6]
Tim Pawlenty 3% (3) [3]
Haley Barbour 2% (1) [0]
Mitch Daniels 1% (2) [0]
Someone else 10% (9) [7]
Don't know 16% (17) [26]
Iowa Sample: The telephone survey was conducted April 4-11. The national poll included 352 respondents from Iowa; the margin of error for the Iowa sample was plus or minus 5.2 percent.

The national sample: included 867 Americans, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percent.

NOTE: This had to be the most confusing poll I've ever read. The data was all over the place.

The full story is here.
The crosstabs can be viewed here.

Rasmussen National GOP Primary Poll: Trump 19% Romney 17% Huckabee 15%

Rasmussen National GOP Primary Poll: Trump 19% Romney 17% Huckabee 15%
Republican primary voters at this early stage of the game now give billionaire developer Donald Trump the edge over presumptive favorites Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee in the race to be the GOP’s presidential nominee in 2012.....
......Polls this early in the process really don’t tell much more than who has the highest name recognition, Washington Examiner political analyst Michael Barone points out in a new column assessing Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour’s decision not to seek the Republican nomination. “Voters will know far more about the Republican nominee in fall 2012 than they know now about any contender,” he explains.
If the 2012 Republican Primary for President were held today would you vote for Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Donald Trump, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich or Mitch Daniels?

Donald Trump 19%
Mitt Romney 17%
Mike Huckabee 15%.
Sarah Palin 9%
Newt Gingrich 9%
Ron Paul 8%
Tim Pawlenty 5%
Mitch Daniels 3%
Some other candidate 5%
Undecided when presented with this list of candidates 11%
The survey of 1,000 Likely GOP Primary Voters was conducted on April 26, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. Likely GOP Primary Voters include both Republicans and unaffiliated voters likely to vote in a GOP Primary. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
The full story is HERE.

GALLUP: Trump Evokes Negative Reaction From Americans

PPP Polling: Mitt Romney still stomps other GOP in Nevada

Romney may not be quite as strong as he has been in some of our previous polling of the state but he's benefiting from support across the ideological spectrum of the GOP. He's up 10 points on Trump with moderates, 9 with 'somewhat conservative' voters, and even 9% with 'very conservative' voters, a bloc that Romney has struggled with in many states.
Romney's even holding off Trump with the birther base that has been so important to Trump's support in a lot of our other polling. 43% of Nevada Republicans think Barack Obama was not born in the United States and with those folks Romney gets 25% to Trump's 19%. To give you an idea of how important this movement is/was to Trump's bid he's at only 6% with GOP voters who think Obama was born in the country, putting him in last place of the Republicans we tested.
Favorable/Unfavorable/Not sure:

Mitt Romney 64/23/13 (+41)
Newt Gingrich 61/21/18 (+40)
Sarah Palin 65/26/9 (+39)
Mike Huckabee 61/26/13 (+35)
Donald Trump 47/40/13 (+7)

PPP surveyed 300 Nevada Democratic primary voters and 300 Republican primary voters from April 21st to 24th. The margin of error for each survey is +/-5.7%.
Full Story HERE.
To view the crosstabs click the PPP icon below:

Do you qualify as a Donald Trump supporter? QUIZ

Please answer the following  question: Each correct answer is worth 10 POINTS

1. If you knew that Donald Trump supported a single payer health care system similar to Canada's, could you support him for President?

1. YES   2. NO

2. Trump has had 3 wives (none diseased). Does he represent what you feel is an example of strong family values?

1. YES   2. NO

3. Could you support Donald Trump for President knowing that he wants to go and take Irag's oil fields before someone else does?

1. YES   2. NO

4. Do you believe Trump is better suited to fix the economy than say a Mitt Romney knowing  Trumps history of bankruptcies and Chapter 11's?

1. YES   2. NO

5. Now that President Obama has released his birth certificate, Do you agree with Donald Trump that it's important that President Obama also release his college grades/transcripts?

1. YES   2. NO

6. Do you agree with Donald Trumps statement that George W. Bush was the worst U.S. President?

1. YES   2. NO

7. Do you agree with Donald Trumps statement that George W. Bush should have been impeached?

1. YES   2. NO

8. Are you as impressed with Nancy Pelosi as Donald Trump is?

1. YES   2. NO

9. Do you think Trump represents the Republican party and/or Tea Party well by giving large donations to the campaigns of Anthony Weiner, Charlie Christ, Chuck Schumer, and Harry Reid?

1. YES   2. NO

10. Do you you think like Trump that President Obama is doing an "Amazing Job"?

1. YES   2. NO

To see how you did click HERE.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The End of the Age of America

The International Monetary Fund has forecast that the US economy will no longer be the #1 economy in the world by 2016.

In addition to comparing the two countries based on exchange rates, the IMF analysis also looked to the true, real-terms picture of the economies using "purchasing power parities." That compares what people earn and spend in real terms in their domestic economies.

Under PPP, the Chinese economy will expand from $11.2 trillion this year to $19 trillion in 2016. Meanwhile the size of the U.S. economy will rise from $15.2 trillion to $18.8 trillion. That would take America's share of the world output down to 17.7%, the lowest in modern times. China's would reach 18%, and rising.

Just 10 years ago, the U.S. economy was three times the size of China's.

Victor Cha, senior adviser on Asian affairs at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, told me China's neighbors in Asia are already waking up to the dangers. "The region is overwhelmingly looking to the U.S. in a way that it hasn't done in the past," he said. "They see the U.S. as a counterweight to China. They also see American hegemony over the last half-century as fairly benign. In China they see the rise of an economic power that is not benevolent, that can be predatory. They don't see it as a benign hegemony."

The rise of China, and the relative decline of America, is the biggest story of our time. You can see its implications everywhere, from shuttered factories in the Midwest to soaring costs of oil and other commodities. Last fall, when I attended a conference in London about agricultural investment, I was struck by the number of people there who told stories about Chinese interests snapping up farmland and foodstuff supplies — from South America to China and elsewhere.

Away from blogging

Hello everyone

Yesterday, my computer's fan broke down and I am now restrained to using computers in the university's computer centre. My computer will have to be shipped abroad for reparation (why, don't ask me, that's just what they said), so I may be without it for a week or two.

In addition to that, while back in Sweden I got some horrible news. My dad has been diagnosed with cancer, and it could take until next fall until he gets any treatment (socialised health care at work - abandoning you when you need it the most). The Swedish welfare state at work.

Needless to say, it will take a while until I get back to blogging again. See you,

John

PPP Polling: Mitt Romney only GOP to beat Obama in Nevada

Barack Obama's standing in Nevada has taken a significant turn in the wrong direction since early January and it appears he could have a much tougher time in the state next year than he did in 2008, particularly if the Republicans nominate Mitt Romney.
Favorable/Unfavorable/Not sure:

Mitt Romney 43/43/14 ( - )
Mike Huckabee 36/45/18 (-9)
Newt Gingrich 33/53/14 (-20)
Sarah Palin 34/61/5 (-27)
Donald Trump 32/59/9 (-27)

Head-to-Head: (Obama/Candidate/Undecided)

Mitt Romney 43/46/11 (+3)
Mike Huckabee 45/43/12 (-2)
Newt Gingrich 46/42/12 (-4)
Donald Trump 47/41/12 (-6)
Sarah Palin 50/39/11 (-11)
PPP surveyed 491 Nevada voters from April 21st to 24th. The margin of error for the
survey is +/-4.4%.
The full story HERE.
To view the crosstabs click the PPP icon below:

PPP Polling: Trump Highly unpopular in Swing States

Trump is completely toxic to independent voters. His favorability with them in Nevada is 35/57, in Iowa it's 29/58, in New Hampshire it's 23/63, and in North Carolina it's 28/61. His recent antics have ingratiated him to a meaningful chunk of the far right Republican base, but he's completely turned off the folks in the center whose votes often determine who comes out on top in Presidential contests......

......If Trump's goal was to get a lot of attention this month he's certainly succeeded. If his goal is really to get elected President it was an utter failure.
Favorable/Unfavorable: (Republicans)

New Hampshire 46/40
Iowa 41/40
North Carolina 45/42
Nevada 51/37

Favorable/Unfavorable: (Independents)

New Hampshire 23/63
Iowa 29/58
North Carolina 28/61
Nevada 35/57
To put Trump's numbers into some context he is less popular than Sarah Palin in all four of these states....
The full story is here.

Did Fox News deliberately deflate Donald Trumps negative poll numbers?

In the following segment, Fox quotes the results of Republican voters only as the results of ALL VOTERS:


For example, they said that Trumps negatives were only that 46% of Americans would not vote for him. Those numbers were only for Republicans.

REALITY: Trumps negatives are MUCH LARGER according to this poll. they should have said, that 64% of Americans said they would DEFINITELY NOT VOTE FOR TRUMP.

Mistake? Who knows. Looking out for their Monday Morning contributor? Who Knows. Some will argue that they deflated everyone's negatives in this segment. That may be true. HOWEVER, The segment was emphasizing Donald Trump and not the other candidates.

The complete story is HERE.
The poll with the correct graph, I posted the other day HERE.

Side note: Listen to Morris say, "THE VAST MAJORITY SAY TRUMP" not Romney is the best to deal with economic issues. I have NO IDEA what Morris is talking about. Where is he getting those numbers? 1 Poll? Any Poll? Again, IMHO, It looks like Fox might have found a NEW DARLING.

 We Report, You Decide.
Now where have I heard that before?

Debunking Trig Truthers

I thought it was worthwhile to link to two authoritative articles that have recently been written with the intent to debunk the Trig Truthers. Both articles present loads of information as well as some supporting photos. I encourage our resident Gribbles to read both articles thoroughly, then take a few days off to reflect on the course of their lives and why they would be so willing to engage in promulgating slanderous character assassination. They should earnestly seek to understand what is at the root of their hate filled obsession with destroying Palin at any cost.

The first is written by Julia O'Malley, an Alaskan journalist who works for the Anchorage Daily News.


I read Scharlott's piece. It contains lots of innuendo and some widely-circulated Photoshopped pictures. What is missing from his investigation: facts.


One of my favorite passages is about a picture where Palin appears pregnant. Scharlott presents the original image, and then one with changes to the light balance. She still looks pregnant in the second picture. But he writes "Palin appears to be wearing some sort of pad strapped around her midsection; her lower belly, where a fetus would normally reside, seems flat" This is total fantasy.


But who needs facts? When you don't have the goods to support your ideas, just start bashing the media for not digging them up. (Sarah Palin does this all the time.) Scharlott goes on about how the media didn't do a good job debunking the rumor. It was, he concludes, "a spiral of silence."


But, of course, there was no silence spiral. The journalists, including me, who covered Palin at the time believed she was pregnant because she was pregnant. Even before the announcement, she seemed to be putting on weight. She wore baggy jackets and scarves. Before the announcement, she acted nervous when photographers tried to take her picture. Later on, her face filled out. Her fingers swelled. She had a noticeable belly. And it wasn't made out of foam.


"A trim woman simply can’t hide a fetus in her seventh month of pregnancy, and Palin in no way looks four and a half weeks away from giving birth to a 6 pound baby," Sharlott writes. Actually, women carry babies all kinds of different ways. Some women gain less than 20 pounds. Has this man never seen "I didn't know I was pregnant" on TLC?


Palin also ran all the time at the gym in Juneau. People I know saw her on the treadmill sweating in workout clothes. She had a belly. I repeat: she had a real pregnant belly. Are you going to tell me she was wearing a prosthetic abdomen on the treadmill?


After the birth, we interviewed her doctor who talked about it. Why would the doctor lie for her? That's right. She wouldn't.



The second is from Salon. They exhaustively researched accounts of Palin's pregnancy. This research included interviewing persons in Alaska who had first hand knowledge of Palin's pregnancy. It should be stated that the major proponents of the Trig Truther conspiracy are bloggers and one Professor Bradford Scharlott of Northern Kentucky University. Salon has done their due dilligence by interviewing Alaskans with first hand knowledge. The Truthers never did any due dilligence, they were content to spin fantastical conspiracies from the safety of their offices without ever interviewing those who really knew. Who do you think should be believed?

We've learned, for instance, that an Associated Press reporter in Alaska who was covering Palin during her pregnancy in early 2008 (before she became a national figure) thoroughly investigated rumors that the pregnancy was a hoax. The reporter directly questioned Palin about the matter in a private meeting in her Juneau office before she gave birth. Gov. Palin responded by voluntarily lifting her outer layer of clothing, offering a clear look at her round belly. The reporter quickly concluded that there was no truth to the rumors and never wrote about them.


This April 13, 2008 picture of a clearly pregnant Palin is from an interview with KTVA reporter Andrea Gusty (click for full size):


The Truthers have, of course, questioned the authenticity of the above photo. But Salon linked a video response from Andrea Gusty in which she flatly denounces their claims and provides proof to back it up.

The Salon article is long, but well worth taking the time to read thoroughly.

Obama's Birth Certificate Released


The White House has released the long form of Obama's birth certificate.

He is a US citizen.

Ann Coulter has changed here tune on Mitt Romney

On Fox Business Network’s “America’s Nightly Scoreboard” on Tuesday, host David Asman asked if she thought President Obama was looking toward his reelection bid:


The full story is HERE.

Charles Krauthammer: Sticking by his Trump appraisal (VIDEO)

Charles Krauthammer is on record for his appraisal of Donald Trump as being the Al Sharpton of the Republican Party.

Here is Krauthammer last night on the Bill O'Reilly show. Not backing down from his original appraisal of Trump even after Trump called him after he made that statement:

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Frank Luntz calls out Donald Trump

Here is a video of Frank Luntz on Your World with Neil Cavuto (substitute host):


There are several things I like about this video. First, he calls out Donald Trump. Luntz indicates, contrary to what the host says, that Trump is NOT a straight shooter, and he bets $10,000 that Trump will not run for president. Luntz points out that what Trump says, and the way he lives are not consistent.

He refers to the following potential GOP candidates as "straight shooters."

1. Paul Ryan (not running)

2. Chris Christie (not running)

3. Mitt Romney

4. Newt Gingrich

The one I disagree with is Newt Gingrich. Gingrich may be a smart guy and he may know policy, but he has more than one problem. His commercial with Nancy Pelosi on climate change was a bad call, and worse, and his affair while trying to take down Clinton demonstrates a lack of integrity.

PPP Polling: Obama narrowly leads Huckabee, Romney, Gingrich in N.C.

Little has changed since PPP polled the presidential race in North Carolina last month. Tar Heels are split on President Obama’s job performance, with 49% approving and 48% disapproving, roughly identical to last month’s 48-46 spread. Accordingly, the president barely noses ahead of his two leading potential challengers, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.

Obama tops Huckabee, 48-47, essentially the same as the 45-45 tie in the March poll.
The president beats Romney, 47-44, also very similar to March’s 44-42 margin; Newt Gingrich, 49-45 (47-42); Sarah Palin, 52-40 (51-40); and Donald Trump, 51-39. This is the first time Trump has been tested.
Favorable/Unfavorable/Not sure:

Mike Huckabee 42/37/21 (+5)
Mitt Romney 31/44/25 (-13)
Newt Gingrich 31/50/20 (-19)
Sarah Palin 33/60/8 (-27)
Donald Trump 27/62/11 (-35)

Head-to-Head: (Obama/Candidate/Undecided)

Mike Huckabee 48/47/6 (-1)
Mitt Romney 47/44/9 (-3)
Newt Gingrich 49/45/6 (-4)
Donald trump 51/39/10 (-12)
Sarah Palin 52/40/8 (-12)
PPP surveyed 507 North Carolina voters from April 14th to 17th. The survey’s margin of error is +/-4.4%.
To view the crosstabs click the PPP icon below:

PPP Polling: Trump and Huckabee on top in W. Virginia

West Virginia marks the first state where we've found Donald Trump leading the GOP Presidential field- he gets 24% there, tying him at the top with Mike Huckabee. Sarah Palin is third with 13%, followed by Mitt Romney at 11%, Newt Gingrich at 9%, Tim Pawlenty at 4%, and Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul at 3%.

We polled the Republican race in West Virginia in January too. With Trump now in the picture Huckabee is down 4 points from his standing on that previous poll, Palin has dropped 10 points, and Gingrich has fallen 8 points. Romney is actually up a point- you have to wonder if a Trump candidacy could actually end up being a blessing in disguise for Romney.
Favorable/Unfavorable/Not sure:

Mike Huckabee 73/10/17 (+63)
Sarah Palin 67/18/15 (+49)
Newt Gingrich 57/20/23 (+37)
Mitt Romney 51/23/26 (+28)
Donald Trump 47/22/20 (+25)

If the Republican candidates for President in 2012 were Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney, and Donald Trump who would you vote for?

Mike Huckabee 24%
Donald Trump 24%

Sarah Palin 13%
Mitt Romney 11%
Newt Gingrich 9%
Tim Pawlenty 4%
Ron Paul 3%
Michele Bachman 3%
Someone else/Undecided 9%
PPP surveyed 590 likely West Virginia Democratic primary voters, with a +/-4.0%margin of error, and 274 likely Republican primary voters, with a +/-5.9% margin of error, from April 21st to 24th.
Full Story here.
To view the crosstabs click the PPP icon below:

Tim Pawlenty: On The Record (04-25-11 VIDEO)

Governor Tim Pawlenty sat down with Greta Van Susteren last night. Topics included The Price of Gasoline, the Economy, Job Growth, Iowa Caucus, Why he thinks he could beat President Obama, his Record as Governor.


USA/Gallup Poll: Voters aren't ready for a Trump Presidency

Donald Trump finds himself in 4th place in the USA Today/Gallup Poll behind President Obama, Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee in that order when it comes to those who would definitely vote or consider voting for him as President.
Republicans may be ready for a fling with Donald Trump, but a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows they have reservations about installing him in the White House.
The real estate developer and reality TV star, who scores at the top in polls of the GOP field these days, falls to fourth when Republicans are asked to rate who among the contenders would be a “good” or “great” president in office.
Views already are polarized about President Obama and some major Republican candidates for 2012:

Source: USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,013 adults. April 20-23. Margin of error +/-4 percentage points.
Specifics on this poll are very limited. What was available, can be found HERE.

Winthrop Poll: Huckabee and Romney on top in South Carolina

Among Republicans, those who were asked who they thought the eventual 2012 Republican nominee would be, regardless of the one they currently supported, named Mitt Romney most frequently—by 21.4% of respondents. The second most-frequently named was Mike Hukabee, with 8.3%--however, 47.4% said they weren’t sure.
Thinking ahead to the 2012 Presidential election, who would you vote for as your FIRST CHOICE to be the next Republican nominee for President if the primary election were held today?

(Republican-Republican leaners only/Definitely planning to vote in Republican Primary)

Mike Huckabee 17.8/19.1
Mitt Romney 16.1/16.6
Donald Trump 9.9/11.3
Sarah Palin 8.6/7.9
Newt Gingrich 8.1/8.1
Chris Christie 6.2/6.2
Michele Bachmann 3.8/3.7
Ron Paul 2.5/2.1
Herman Cain 1.7/2.1
Tim Pawlenty 1.7/2.1
Haley Barbour 1.5/2.0
Rick Santorum 1.4/1.8
Jon Huntsman .8/.3
Mitch Daniels .6/.5
Gary Johnson 0.0/0.0
These results come from 589 Republicans and Republican leaners in SC taken between April 17-23, 2011 who are also registered to vote and have a margin of error of +/- 4.04% at the 95% confidence level.
The crosstabs can be viewed here as well as several more questions.

Mitt Romney: On The Record (04-25-11 VIDEO)

Mitt Romney sat down with Greta Van Susteren last night. Topics included the Price of Gasoline, China's Economy vs U.S., His business background as it applies to the Presidency, birther issue, Illegal Immigration, 09 Stimulus Bill, Obama's job performance, inspiring those who have lost hope:


Take away quote:

"The President says he's about winning the future. Well, people are losing the present."

The full Transcript can be read HERE.

COMING SOON! Mitt Romney Radio

Beginning Wednesday, April 27th EST, you will be able to get your fill of Mitt Romney information:
Join us in an on-air frank discussion about the future of our country, and the steps conservatives will need to take in order to get our economy back on track. Mike Sage, the host of the weekly MittRomneyRadio program, is a prolific writer on conservative politics and other contemporary topics, award-winning public speaker, equities trader, and marketing consultant.
The full story is HERE.

For more information check out the site HERE and be sure to bookmark the site and check back each Wednesday at 3 PM EST.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Romney Waiver Plan No "Farce"

Recently, stalwart and intrepid anti-Romney blogger, Right Wing Nut penned not one, but two posts, slamming potential 2012 GOP candidate Mitt Romney’s plan to provide all 50 states with a waiver to ObamaCare, should he be elected President. RWN cited an article written by Grace Marie Turner, saying it would be illegal for Romney to undertake such a plan. Using the health care reform issue as a political football, RWN cast doubt and aspersions on Romney’s plan, labeling it a farce, based upon Ms. Turner’s claims.
However, the Referee (not Reereef) has thrown a yellow flag on RWN’s play.
And as they say in the NFL: ”Upon further review….”
It seems over at Mitt Romney Central, Jared A. has done some extensive homework and explains in clear, concise detail, exactly how The Romney Plan would work.
Doesn’t sound much like a “farce” to me?
What say you?


Haley Barbour: "I will not be a candidate for president next year."

Haley Barbour has announced that he will not seek the Republican nomination for president in 2012. here is his statement from  his website:
"I will not be a candidate for president next year. This has been a difficult, personal decision, and I am very grateful to my family for their total support of my going forward, had that been what I decided. 
"Hundreds of people have encouraged me to run and offered both to give and raise money for a presidential campaign. Many volunteers have organized events in support of my pursuing the race. Some have dedicated virtually full time to setting up preliminary organizations in critical, early states and to helping plan what has been several months of intensive activity. 
"I greatly appreciate each and every one of them and all their outstanding efforts. If I have disappointed any of them in this decision, I sincerely regret it. 
"A candidate for president today is embracing a ten-year commitment to an all-consuming effort, to the virtual exclusion of all else. His (or her) supporters expect and deserve no less than absolute fire in the belly from their candidate. I cannot offer that with certainty, and total certainty is required. 
"This decision means I will continue my job as Governor of Mississippi, my role in the Republican Governors Association and my efforts to elect a new Republican president in 2012, as the stakes for the nation require that effort to be successful."

ARG SC Poll: Romney Runs Strong! Trails Huck By 2

Mike Huckabee and a surprisingly strong Mitt Romney are the leading candidates in the South Carolina 2012 GOP primary according to a new ARG poll released today. Huckabee leads Romney by a scant 2%, in a state many pundits view as a must-win for the Fox News star should he consider another run in 2012. Huck leads overall with 20%, Romney is second at 18%. With a margin of error of 4%, the state is a "jump ball" between the former 2008 GOP rivals. Media stars Donald Trump and Sarah Palin round out the top four spots, with 13% and 10% respectively.
Huckabee gains the most support from Republicans overall and those identified at Tea Party supporters, placing first with 23% and 18% with each group. Romney runs second with the GOP at 16% and third with the Tea Party at 12%. Trump scores second with the Tea Party – at 16%, which drives his overalll GOP score. Palin's support is steady at 10% accross all groups.
South Carolina is not currently viewed as being a strong state for Romney in 2012. The state, with a strong Evangelical base, is considered by many to be a Huckabee strong hold. With fellow Sothern Governor, Mississippi’s Haley Barbour considering a run, the Palmetto State was not being looked at as fertile ground for Romney. However, the ARG poll shows Romney running very competitively across the board and Barbour posting a soggy 2% level of support overall. Palin was at one time thought to be a strong player in South Carolina, with a high percentage of residents being military veterans and armed services families. Her performance in this poll reflects a significant decline in support she has also seen on the nation level.
Romney does extremely well with Independent voters and those who are definitely going to vote.  South Carolina has an open primary and Romney garners 26% of the Indie voters to Huckabee’s 11%. Both men are tied with those who are definite to vote at 19%.  Of those who will probably vote, Huckabee leads Romney 25% to 16%.
While polls this early in the election cycle are subject to wild fluctuations, today’s numbers do poke holes in the “conventional wisdom” the South is Huckabee territory where Romney can’t run. Clearly, as in the recent numbers from Iowa, Mitt Romney is running a lot stronger than assumed.

The Great Escape: Afghanistan version


Taliban militants dug a more than 1,050-foot (320-meter) tunnel underground and into the main jail in Kandahar city and whisked out more than 450 prisoners, most of whom were Taliban fighters, officials and insurgents said Monday.

The massive overnight jailbreak in Afghanistan's second-largest city serves as a reminder of the Afghan government's continuing weakness in the south, despite an influx of international troops, funding and advisers. Kandahar city, in particular, has been a focus of the international effort to establish a strong Afghan government presence in former Taliban strongholds.
The full story is here.

British media is reporting that among those prisoners who escaped, The Taliban says more than 100 of their commanders were set free at the prison, in the city of Kandahar.


Can you imagine the outrage and tone of the news coverage if this had happened during G.W. Bush's watch?