Saturday, March 31, 2012

Conspiracy theories: Why they are popular

This is a subject that I've been thinking about for a while. I don't normally write about conspiracy theories, for two reasons: 1) I don't believe in any particular conspiracy theory and so has no reason to promote one and 2) There are so many more interesting and useful things to talk about.

Now I'm going to make an exception from my own rule, which I am sure I'm going to regret once the comment field gets invaded by crazy libertarians and similar.

There just isn't time to discuss all conspiracy theories, but I will explain the theory that made me write this post: the "Debt virus hypothesis", or "Money as debt". Basically, this was a conspiracy theory invented by a plastic surgeon (ever noticed how none of the conspiracy theorists are experts in their fields?), stating that the monetary system is unsustainable due to the fact that money can be created out of thin air, and then lended out for interest. Their most basic argument goes something like this: Start in a world with no money. A banker creates 1000 dollars, and lends it out for 1 year, charging 10 % interest. Now, how is the poor borrower going to be able to pay back the money? Remember, there's only 1000 dollars in the whole economy, but he owes the banker 1100 dollars. Therefore, at the end of the year, he'll have to take another loan and then another one, just to keep paying off the interest. There will never be enough money in the system to pay off all debt.

This, of course, is confusing the difference between real and nominal interest rate. The nominal interest rate is 10 %, yes, but what the banker really cares about is that he gets his 10 % in REAL interest.

Rasmussen Poll: Romney by 10 points in WISCONSIN

GOP Nomination:

Mitt Romney 44%
Rick Santorum 34%
Ron Paul 7%
Newt Gingrich 7%
Other 2%
Undecided 6%

Head-To-Head (GOP):


Mitt Romney 52%
Rick Santorum 39%
A survey of 717 likely Republican primary Voters was conducted on March 29, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The MOE is +/-4%.
The full story is HERE.

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LIVE FEEDS Today to ALL GOP CANDIDATES EVENTS (March 31, 2012)

Below is a schedule of the GOP candidates activities for today. More than likely, one or more of the feeds below will cover the event(s), although, that is not always the case.

So look at the schedule below and CHECK BACK at that time of the event you'd like to view. Then click the different feed button(s) under the schedule and HOPEFULLY you will be able to view the event(s)(subject to the news media covering it).

NBC/Marist Poll: Romney leading the GOP b 7 points in WISCONSIN

GOP Nomination:

Mitt Romney 40%
Rick Santorum 33%
Ron Paul 11%
Newt Gingrich 8%
Undecided 7% 

Head-To-Head (GOP):

Mitt Romney 46%
Rick Santorum 41%
Other 1%
Undecided 12%
A survey of 740 likely Wisconsin Republican primary voters was conducted March 26-27, 2012 . The MOE is +/-3.6%.
The data can be viewed HERE.

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Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan on 'Hannity' (FULL VIDEO 03-30-12)



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Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan campaign in Appleton, Wisconsin (FULL VIDEO 03-30-12)

Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney campaigns in Wisconsin ahead of Tuesday's primary. He delivers a speech in Appleton on "Restoring America's Promise."

He was joined by Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) who endorsed Romney Friday morning after Congress passed Ryan's Budget plan Thursday night.




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Gallup Daily Tracking Poll: Romney leading the GOP nationally by 15 Points



The full story is HERE.
View the full trends in an Excel file HERE.

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St Nobert College/WPR Poll: Romney on top of GOP by 5 points in WISCONSIN

GOP Nomination:

Mitt Romney 37%
Rick Santorum 32%
Ron Paul 8%
Newt Gingrich 4%
Other 5%
Not sure 11%
A survey of 403 likely Wisconsin Republican primary voters was conducted March 24-28, 2012 . The MOE is +/-5%.
The data can be viewed HERE.

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Friday, March 30, 2012

The Coming Flip Flop

Mitt Romney can win the Republican nomination without the South and without Evangelicals, but he can't win the general election without some Latino support.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, is working with senators from other immigrant-heavy states like Jon Kyl of Arizona and Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas on their own version of the DREAM Act to help undocumented children. Kyl and Hutchison have held several closed-door meetings with a key Democrat to see whether there’s bipartisan support for a compromise plan. Republicans are also exploring changes in visa rules to attract more high-skilled workers and tourists
But above all, key Republicans are pushing a change in rhetoric, urging Mitt Romney to shift tactics away from the strident comments he’s made during the primary season in hopes of convincing Hispanic voters that Republicans will give immigrants a fair deal.
“He’s going to have to do something to work on that and get that up,” Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) said of Romney’s poll numbers with Latinos. “I think there are ways we need to communicate with the Hispanic community that are not being communicated now.”
While Republicans say they aren’t about to embrace “amnesty” for undocumented immigrants, the ideas being considered on Capitol Hill amount to a recognition that the party needs to appear more friendly to the country’s powerful voting bloc.
“You can’t win without doing well among Hispanic voters, and I don’t think it’s any secret that the primary has not been particularly helpful from the standpoint of the tone,” said Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who is leading GOP efforts to take back the Senate. “I think there is a sense on our side that we need to come forward with a responsible approach that if we don’t define ourselves what that approach is, other people are more than happy to take advantage of the void to try to define us.”


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UPDATE! Paul Ryan endorses Mitt Romney (VIDEO 03-30-12)

Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the chairman of the Republican-led House Budget Committee, is expected to endorse presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, two Republican officials said Thursday.

Ryan's endorsement could come as soon as Friday, when Romney is scheduled to give an economic speech in Appleton, Wis., the officials said. They were not authorized to speak publicly about the announcement and requested anonymity.

Wisconsin's Republican primary is Tuesday.
Read the rest of the story HERE.

UPDATE!

Ryan endorsed Romney this morning on Fox & Friends:



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Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll: Romney beating Obama, Obama beating Santorum

Head-To-Head:

Mitt Romney 46% (44%) (+2)
Barack Obama 44% (45%)

Barack Obama 45% (47%)
Rick Santorum 43% (43%) (-2)
A survey of 1,500 likely voters was conducted March 26-28, 2012. The margin of error is +/-3%.
The full story is HERE.

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LIVE FEEDS Today to ALL GOP CANDIDATES EVENTS (March 30, 2012)

Below is a schedule of the GOP candidates activities for today. More than likely, one or more of the feeds below will cover the event(s), although, that is not always the case.

So look at the schedule below and CHECK BACK at that time of the event you'd like to view. Then click the different feed button(s) under the schedule and HOPEFULLY you will be able to view the event(s)(subject to the news media covering it).

Former President G.H.W. Bush endorses Mitt Romney (FULL VIDEO 03-29-12)



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Gallup Daily Tracking Poll: Romney leading the GOP nationally by 11 Points



The full story is HERE.
View the full trends in an Excel file HERE.

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Rasmussen Poll: Romney leading by 17 in MARYLAND

GOP Nomination:

Mitt Romney 45%
Rick Santorum 28%
Newt Gingrich 12%
Ron Paul 7%
Some other candidate 2%
Undecided 6% 

Head-To-Head (GOP):

Mitt Romney 53%
Rick Santorum 39%
A survey of 750 likely Maryland Republican primary voters was conducted March 28, 2012 . The MOE is +/- 4.5%.

The full story is HERE.

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

The Crux of the Budget

Everyone likes free stuff but it really isn't free.

Having trouble understanding the federal budget? Don't feel too bad. Most politicians don't get it either. And even if they do get it most of them are more worried about the next election than they are about the truth. What truth? The truth is by 2025 Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and interest payments will be equal to our tax revenue if things go forward as they are today. Here is a quick overview of the budget and key terms. After this you will know which politicians are blowing smoke up our preverbal skirts and that Republicans and Democrats both need to get real.

The federal budget basically breaks down into two types of spending:

  • Mandatory (money that has already been committed) which includes Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security (the three together are often referred to as entitlements) and other items such as unemployment compensation and veterans benefits.  Also included in this category is interest on the money we borrow, currently the fastest growing part of the budget.
  • Discretionary (money that we have control over, Congress sets the amount we spend on an annual basis) is broken down into two categories – defense and non-defense. Non-defense includes most government programs and departments.  The Department of Energy, Education, Agriculture and Transportation are all included. Another item included in that 13% is the money the government spends to help spur innovation though research and development.

Some Random Thoughts On Obamacare

E. J. Dionne has piece out today in the Washington Post attacking the "conservative activists" in the Supreme Court. If you read his article, you will notice that Dionne fails to provide one shred of evidence to back up his claim. He rightly points out some of the benefits of the Affordable Care Act. And while I agree with some of his assertions, I think they are beside the point. The Supreme Court does not judge the effectiveness of policy, it judges the constitutionality of those policies. It is very possible to agree with the concept of the individual mandate while at the same time understanding that it is not constitutional. I know, because that is how I think. So for Dionne, any Justice that rules against Obamacare, does so because he or she is an "activist." It is really revealing of the knee-jerk journalism that you see of some in the press.

If Obamacare is ruled unconstitutional, it will not be a straight victory for conservatives, though. Unfortunately, for Republicans, the repeal of the Affordable Care Act will come with a heavy price. It paves the way towards a single-payer system. We all know that the government can control an industry (Medicare, anyone?). We just don't think that the government can force people to buy a product from a private company. This scares me a great deal as I am against a single-payer system. That is why I (and the pre-2009 Republicans) liked parts of the Affordable Care Act. It provided a free-market mechanism that would accomplish the same goals of a single-payer system but without the government monopoly.

But as much as I agree with the individual mandate, I also recognize that it is not constitutional. And our Constitution matters! Even when the policy seems right, the Constitution serves as a check to prevent the government from needlessly expanding its powers. Conservatives should stand up for those checks and balances.

Policy also matters and the hard work of Republicans now is to figure out how to replace Obamacare with something that would actually solve the severe problems of rising health care costs and the denial of coverage to those with preexisting conditions. Outside of a system with an individual mandate or a single-payer system (of which I oppose), I am not aware of a big enough solution to solve those problems. Nevertheless, the Republicans will be sending the right guy to take on that issue.

Here is to hoping that Republicans will get serious about governing. Our nation needs it. 

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LIVE FEEDS Today to ALL GOP CANDIDATES EVENTS (March 29, 2012)

Below is a schedule of the GOP candidates activities for today. More than likely, one or more of the feeds below will cover the event(s), although, that is not always the case.

So look at the schedule below and CHECK BACK at that time of the event you'd like to view. Then click the different feed button(s) under the schedule and HOPEFULLY you will be able to view the event(s)(subject to the news media covering it).

Franklin & Marshall Poll: Santorum & Romney virtually tied in PENNSYLVANIA

GOP Nomination: (Previous results from Feb 23)

Rick Santorum 30% (45%)
Mitt Romney 28% (16%)
Ron Paul 9% (7%)
Newt Gingrich 6% (9%)
Other/Don't know 27% (23%)
A Survey of 505 registered Republican voters was conducted March 20-25, 2012. The MOE is +/-4.2%.
The crosstabs can be viewed HERE.


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Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll: Romney virtually tied with Obama, Obama beats Santorum by 4 points

Head-To-Head:

Barack Obama 45%
Mitt Romney 44% (-1)

Barack Obama 47%
Rick Santorum 43% (-4) 
A survey of 1,500 likely voters was conducted March 25-27, 2012. The margin of error is +/-3%.
The full story is HERE.

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Gallup Daily Tracking Poll: Romney leading the GOP nationally by 11 Points



The full story is HERE.
View the full trends in an Excel file HERE.

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Marco Rubio endorses Mitt Romney (FULL VIDEO 03-28-12)

Marco Rubio endorsed Mitt Romney tonight on the 'Sean Hannity Show':



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Quinnipiac Presidential Polls: PENNSYLVANIA, OHIO, and FLORIDA

Head-To-Head Match-ups by state:

FLORIDA:

Barack Obama 49%
Mitt Romney 42% (-7) 

Barack Obama 50%
Rick Santorum 37% (-13) 

OHIO:

Barack Obama 47%
Mitt Romney 41% (-6) 

Barack Obama 47%
Rick Santorum 40% (-7) 

PENNSYLVANIA:

Barack Obama 45%
Mitt Romney 42% (-3) 

Barack Obama 48%
Rick Santorum 41% (-7)
Surveys of 1,228 registered voters (FLORIDA), 1,246 registered voters (OHIO), 1,232 registered voters (PENNSYLVANIA) were conducted March 20-26, 2012. The MOE are +/-2.8% for each state.
The crosstabs can be viewed HERE.

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Romney and the Evangelical Vote

PPP's recent polling in Nebraska shows the following:

Non-evangelicals

Romney   29
Santorum 28

Evangelicals

Santorum 50
Romney   22

I will remind everyone that Santorum is not an evangelical. It's hard to look at the data and see this as anything other than an anti-Mormon vote. 



Death Panels Return

I kid you not, Dick Morris has a video out today that features him ominously warning his audience that if Obamacare is not repealed, some of them will die! There may be profound reasons to repeal Obamacare, but Morris' rant has the feel of a very cheaply-constructed slab of yellow journalism. He also showcases the same hard-hitting, investigative journalism that led Sarah Palin to not understand the concept of the Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board. Morris seems to think that these "death panels" would prevent an 80 year-old woman from receiving medicine that could cure her.

$10,000 to anyone who can produce evidence that shows that Morris' assertion is even remotely true.

Mediscaring used to be in the Democrats' playbook. Not any more.

Dems FlipFlop on Russia

In the aftermath of the Presidents alarming open mic gaffe, Democrats claim that Romney is "trapped" in the Cold War for his fair but tougher stance on Russia. But just four years ago Democrats rallied against Russia and condemned then President George W. Bush for his naivety when dealing with Vladimir Putin. So what has changed? Nothing except a Democrat is sitting in the WH making bad decisions and instead of owning up to weak policy or adjusting they are posturing that Russia is just like us and deserves no tough talk. Here are just several ways that Russia is not just like us.
  • Russia is ruled by a Quasi-Dictator since 31 December 1999 (President Clinton was in office)
  • The US does not poison and disfigure foriegn presidential candidates like Yushchenko that don't tow the US line 
  • The US does not rig elections or suppress votes. 
  • The US does not imprison girl punk bands that are hostile to the government and president.
  • The US does not imprison citizens without access to trials, courts, attorneys, and due process.
  • US Presidents don't embezzle billions of state's dollars for their own personal gain.
  • The United States does not invade neighboring countries because of trade or territorial disputes. 
  • The US does not send troops and arms to Syria to support the brutal dictatorship of Asad. 
  • The US does not sell nuclear reactors to Iran and. 
  • The US does not sell arms to dictatorships.
  • The US does not block decent resolutions at the UN to spite another country. 
  • The US does not comment about possible presidential candidates in Russia or elsewhere. 
There are literally dozens of examples that demonstrate the differences between us. The US is far from perfect but there are levels of imperfections and side by side the United States is far more advanced in human rights and democracy. We have the benefit of 200 plus years of experience. My point isn't that Russia is an evil empire or anything like that but Mitt Romney isn't making that case either. Like Mitt Romney I would say that Russia is our chief international geopolitical foe. There is more anti-American anti-west sentiment coming out of the Kremlin now than there has been since the fall of the communism. Mitt Romney has no illusions about our current relationship with Russia and his comments certainly don't deserve to be distorted like the Democrats and Russian plutocrats have done. Honesty in international relations is often the best policy and that is not what we are getting out of our current "more flexible" president. I suggest that Russia has come out against Romney, who isn't even the nominee yet, because Obama has been so easy to play. The concessions come without any counter concessions and Putin is enjoying the lop sided relationship and would like nothing to change. Increased Russian power in Eastern Europe and around the world is not the 'hope' and 'change' we voted for. "It's time to say these words. This word: Enough! We've had enough!"


UPDATE: Russia's PRAVDA endorses Obama and says Romney is "foul mouthed". Do you think they might have mixed him up with someone? If their rant wasn't so funny it would be libel. Read here for a good laugh. This is what we call the unEndorsement of a candidate. All radicals gather to Obama it seems. It's like Axlerod wrote this.

Mitt Romney on 'The Tonight Show' (FULL VIDEO 03-27-12)

Part 1:


Marquette Law School Poll: Romney leading Santorum by 8 Points in WISCONSIN

GOP Nomination:

Mitt Romney 39%
Rick Santorum 31%
Ron Paul 11%
Newt Gingrich 5%
A survey of 349 registered Wisconsin voters by both landline and cell phone March 22-25, 2012. The MOE is +/-5.4%.
The full story is HERE.



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LIVE FEEDS Today to ALL GOP CANDIDATES EVENTS (March 28, 2012)

Below is a schedule of the GOP candidates activities for today. More than likely, one or more of the feeds below will cover the event(s), although, that is not always the case.

So look at the schedule below and CHECK BACK at that time of the event you'd like to view. Then click the different feed button(s) under the schedule and HOPEFULLY you will be able to view the event(s)(subject to the news media covering it).

Rick Santorum Is Not The Ideal Candidate To Go One On One With Obama On ObamaCare

With the United States Supreme Court hearing arguments on the constitutionality of ObamaCare, Rick Santorum used this historic moment to launch another attack on RomneyCare:
Santorum then drew some unwanted headlines this past weekend and Monday after he said that Romney is the "worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama." He claimed he was only talking about the health care issue. He later cursed at a New York Times reporter who asked about the charge. 
Undeterred, Santorum pounded the issue again on the Supreme Court steps Monday afternoon: "If we run this campaign, which we will, on Obamacare and we're successful, there's no doubt Obamacare will be repealed in one form or another, and that's not going to be the case with Governor Romney because he can't make it the argument, because if he makes it the argument, the Obama machine will turn it right back on him."

Gallup Daily Tracking Poll: Romney leading the GOP nationally by 12 Points



The full story is HERE.
View the full trends in an Excel file HERE.

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Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll: Romney virtually tied with Obama, Obama beats Santorum

Head-To-Head:

Barack Obama 45%
Mitt Romney 44% (-1)

Barack Obama 47%
Rick Santorum 42% (-5) 

A survey of 1,500 likely voters was conducted March 24-26, 2012. The margin of error is +/-3%.
The full story is HERE.

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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

PPP Polling: Romney & Santorum tied in NORTH CAROLINA

GOP Nomination: 

Mitt Romney 30%
Rick Santorum 30%
Newt Gingrich 19%
Ron Paul 13%
Someone else/Not sure 8%
A survey of 561 North Carolina Republican primary voters was conducted March 22-25, 2012. The MOE is +/- 4.1%.
The crosstabs can be viewed HERE.

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CNN/ORC Poll: Leading GOP by 10 nationally

GOP Nomination:

Mitt Romney 36%
Rick Santorum 26%
Ron Paul 17%
Newt Gingrich 15%
None/No one (vol.) 2%
No opinion 2%
Survey of 436 Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents was conducted March 24-25, 2012. The MOE is +/-4.5%.
The crosstabs can be viewed HERE.

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McClatchy-Marist Poll: Romney leads the GOP by 8 Points nationally

GOP Nomination: 

Mitt Romney 39%
Rick Santorum 31%
Newt Gingrich 13%
Ron Paul 13%
Undecided 4% 

Head-To-Head:

Barack Obama 46%
Mitt Romney 44% (-2)

Barack Obama 48%
Rick Santorum 43% (-5)

Barack Obama 50%
Ron Paul 40% (-10)

Barack Obama 53%
Newt Gingrich 38% (-15)
A survey of 846 registered voters, including a subsample of 377 Republicans and GOP-leaning Independents, was conducted March 20-22, 2012. The MOE is ± 3.5% among all registered voters and +/- 5% among Republicans and GOP-leaning Independents.
The crosstabs can be viewed HERE.

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Etched* in Memory—"I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir."

Obama: On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it’s important for him to give me space.
Medvedev: Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you . . .
Obama: This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.
Medvedev: I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir.
[26 March 2012, Seoul, South Korea]

Maybe I watched too many James Bond movies in my day. But doesn’t this hushed conversation between the United States President and the Russian President send a chill up and down your spine? More so, because it was not meant to be heard by the American electorate. You know, the very people Obama expects to hand him his “last election” seven months from now.

Having endured a week of political fun and games, endlessly etching and sketching (the sole benefit being a boost in the share price of The Ohio Art Company), we’ve just had a bucketful of ice cold reality thrown in our faces. Arctic ice cold. Russian-winter ice cold.

LIVE FEEDS Today to ALL GOP CANDIDATES EVENTS (March 27, 2012)

Below is a schedule of the GOP candidates activities for today. More than likely, one or more of the feeds below will cover the event(s), although, that is not always the case.

So look at the schedule below and CHECK BACK at that time of the event you'd like to view. Then click the different feed button(s) under the schedule and HOPEFULLY you will be able to view the event(s)(subject to the news media covering it).

Reason-Rupe Poll: Romney leading GOP by 13 points and does best against Obama

GOP Nomination:

Mitt Romney 39%
Rick Santorum 26%
Ron Paul 12%
Newt Gingrich 10%
(Vol.) Other 1%
Undecided/"Don't"Know/Refused 10%
(Vol.)"Would"Not"Vote 1% 

Head-To-Head:

Barack Obama 46%
Mitt Romney 40% 

Barack Obama 47%
Rick Santorum 37% 

Barack Obama 47%
Ron Paul 37%
A survey conducted March 10-20, 2012 of 1,200 adults. The MOE for the general is +/-3%. The MOE for the Republican presidential sample of 468 Republican and Republican-leaners is +/-4.5%.

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

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Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll: Romney does best against Obama

Head-To-Head:

Barack Obama 46%
Mitt Romney 43% (-3)

Barack Obama 44%
Ron Paul 39% (-5) 

Barack Obama 49%
Rick Santorum 41% (-8) 

Barack Obama 50%
Newt Gingrich 38% (-12)

A survey of 1,500 likely voters was conducted March 23-25, 2012. The margin of error is +/-3%.
The full story is HERE.

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Mitt Romney event in SanDiego, California (FULL VIDEO 03-26-12)

Mitt Romney spoke about health care at a campaign event at NuVasive Inc. in San Diego, California:




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Gallup Daily Tracking Poll: Romney leading the GOP nationally by 12 Points



The full story is HERE.
View the full trends in an Excel file HERE.

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Monday, March 26, 2012

Campaigner-in-Chief


It is painfully and lamentably obvious that Barack Obama no longer works for the American people. He is literally taking money under false pretense as he neglects national and international business to further his reelection ambitions. Mitt Romney has said and I echo, "It's time to say theses words, this word: Enough! We've had enough!"

President Obama has been cowardly in his leadership and now he has become clandestine. Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev know more about the President's agenda than the American people and electorate. If it were not for the hot mic in the room we would still not know how the President felt about missile defense. Thanks to this candid camera moment we now know Obama will be "flexible" to Russia's demands to dismantle or weaken the missile defense shields of Eastern Europe after the election. What concessions we will get from the Russians is unclear at this point nor is it likely to be shared with the American people or our European allies. President Obama is the quintessential politician and Washington has too many insiders making backdoor insider deals like this one for the sole self-serving purpose or reelection. "It's time to say these words, this word: Enough! We've had enough!"

Rick Santorum: Do we really want his finger on the button? (MELTDOWN #2)

Presidential?


Here is yet another testament to the lack of decorum and preparation of candidate Rick Santorum. He has come a long way in this campaign primarily because he is the last anti-Romney candidate to implode but he is indeed imploding and it's all on video to be relived over and over. Mr. Family Values cussing in front of his wide eyed daughter and intimidating the press is hardly a presidential thing to do. After all his time in public office Rick Santorum has never refined his image or learned to control his ghastly temper. He is often pouting or whining about something and with a false sense of righteous indignation he blathers ad nauseum about how unfair things are. It's as if he doesn't know how things work. Of course the media is biased but it is just as unfair or more towards Mitt Romney (2 Cadilacs and "I'm not worried about the poor"). One thing is painfully clear: Rick Santorum is the same cheap career politician Pennsylvania regretted electing. To add insult to injury Santorum actually did say the things that the reporter was asking him to clarify and instead of clarifying he lashed out like a rabid dog backed into a corner. It's time to put Santorum down for his own good and the good of the election. Rabid dogs make for poor candidates and worse presidents. 

State of the Race


There are three things certain in life: death, taxes and that Mitt Romney will be the 2012 Republican nominee. The important question is when, not if. There are many reasons why this is important.
1.     The longer it takes for Romney to wrap up the nomination, the more concessions he will owe the Talk Radio base of the party. And, of course, the more concessions he makes, the harder it will be for him to win the general election.
2.     The longer the primaries, the more attacks run against Romney and the more he looks like a “loser.”
3.     The longer the primaries, the longer Romney has to wait to begin a general election campaign to win moderates, the very thing that his adviser accidently blurted out during the etch-a-sketch gaffe (on a side note, I would advise Romney to begin that campaign after April 3 even though he will be far from having all of the delegates he needs).
So when will Romney wrap up the nomination? I have charted out three scenarios below. The first scenario I dub the Negative Status Quo scenario. I assume that demographics, as it has hitherto, will remain the dominant factor in the remaining races. However, the “negative” is that I assume Santorum will endure until the end, despite the fact that he will be mathematically eliminated by the end of April.
Please note that I spent a great deal of time looking at the Green Papers to understand how each state allocates delegates. For example, the winner of Wisconsin really is likely to win 40 out of the 46 delegates because Wisconsin gives 18 delegates to the overall winner and 3 delegates for each district won. The candidate who wins 6 out of the 8 congressional districts wins 40 delegates. If there are any questions on delegate allocation, please leave a comment.
Negative Status Quo


Romney
Santorum
3-Apr
Wisconsin
40
6

Maryland
34
3

D.C.
19
0
21-Apr
Missouri
6
18
24-Apr
New York
74
18

Penn
15
44

Conn
21
3

Rhode Is.
9
6

Delaware
17
0
8-May
NC
15
30

Indiana
9
18

WV
9
19
15-May
Nebraska
5
30

Oregon
15
10
22-May
Kentucky
8
34

Arkansas
5
40
29-May
Texas
54
98
5-Jun
California
145
24

New Jersey
50
0

South Dak.
5
20

New Mex
12
8
26-Jun
Utah
40
0

Total
607
429

Needed
581
886

Difference
26
-457

You will notice I assume that Romney gets blasted during May. At that point, Santorum will have already been mathematically eliminated from getting the necessary delegates, so there will be considerable pressure on him to drop out. But I assume that he has alternative reasons and that the May states remain resistant to voting for Romney. I call this the Negative Status Quo scenario because it assumes that Romney never breaks through to the Talk Radio base. He still wins in the end though.