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The Republican activists at the Orange County Convention Center had applauded politely, and even enthusiastically, for the presidential hopefuls Friday afternoon. But when Herman Cain finished, they roared. The former chief executive of Godfather’s Pizza has hit his rhetorical stride in the Republican presidential contest, whipping up crowds of true-believers everywhere he goes. And he … Continue reading
After a weak debate performance and a loss in the Florida straw poll, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) is having his fitness as the GOP presidential frontrunner seriously questioned. These doubts were on display during the roundtable on “Fox News Sunday.” “Perry really did throw up all over himself in the debate, at a time … Continue reading
Mitt Romney didn’t disappoint on his home turf this weekend, receiving 51 percent of the votes at the Michigan Straw Poll, a wide victory over Texas Gov. Rick Perry who garnered just 17 percent. Third place in the straw poll went to Herman Cain, fresh off his impressive win at the Florida Straw Poll earlier … Continue reading
Nowhere was Tea Party Congressman Joe Walsh’s decision not to seek re-election in the 8th Congressional district mourned more noticeably Thursday than at a fund-raiser for his would-be successor, Democrat Tammy Duckworth. Duckworth and her supporters — including President Barack Obama’s chief political strategist David Axelrod — hoisted Walsh’s image at Fulton’s on the River … Continue reading
Once again, Republicans held a presidential debate on Thursday night. And once again, the live audience helped give the party a black eye. The debate, which took place in Orlando, Fla., and aired on Fox News, included questions from a panel of Fox personalities and from voters, who were invited to submit theirs through YouTube. … Continue reading
Voters in at least one Illinois congressional district will have to choose between two Republican incumbents next year after Representative Joe Walsh announced Wednesday that he will seek re-election in a new district, pitting him against a fellow Republican, Representative Randy Hultgren, in a primary. Mr. Walsh, a darling of the Tea Party and a … Continue reading
Remember Rick Santorum? (He is running for president.) Well, in some Rick Santorum “news” of the oddly sourced variety, we learn that the former Pennsylvania senator has “contacted Google” to try to deal with his well known “Google problem.” I say “oddly sourced” because here is the Politico article about it, and as you can see, the headline … Continue reading
Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), a Tea Party leader, on Wednesday announced he will run from the new 14th congressional district in Illinois, setting up a potential primary with Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.) Walsh now represents the 8th district and Hultgren the 14th. By running from the 14th, Republicans are without a well known candidate in … Continue reading
There has been no shortage of liberal discontent with the path pursued by President Barack Obama during his first few years in office. But when the discontent manifests itself (as it occasionally does) in talk of a primary challenge in 2012, the chatter usually succumbs to political reality. For all the Democratic base’s tiffs with … Continue reading
The frontrunners for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination are touting the backing of governors while keeping lawmakers on the back burner. With anti-Washington fervor playing a huge role on the campaign trail, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) and ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) have done little to court Capitol Hill, according to lawmakers interviewed for … Continue reading
The decision by the Republican controlled House to back and pass a plan authored by Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan that would turn Medicare into a voucher system is regarded by many Democrats as a strategic error of colossal proportions. And so, it was not by accident that when President Obama addressed the need to reform … Continue reading
On Sunday, former President Bill Clinton laughed off former Vice President Dick Cheney’s suggestion that Hillary Clinton should challenge President Barack Obama in 2012. “Well, you know, I’m very proud of her, so I’m always gratified whenever anyone says anything nice about her. And I very much agree that she’s done a good job,” Clinton … Continue reading
The mother of a gay teenager who committed suicide last year arrived at Rep. Michele Bachmann’s office in Waite Park, Minn. Thursday carrying a box with 141,000 signatures petitioning the congresswoman to publicly address gay bullying, The Advocate reports. Tammy Aaberg met for an hour with several on Bachmann’s staff, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports, to … Continue reading
Next spring’s gay marriage referendum may not just affect North Carolina’s constitution. It could change the dynamics of the May primary, particularly on the Republican side. The Legislature’s decision this week to place a statewide referendum on a same-sex marriage ban on the same day as the primary will bring out people who don’t otherwise … Continue reading
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. (R) slammed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) on his foreign policy experience and Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) and the rest of the Republican presidential field for being anti-science. Huntsman, who most recently served as the Obama administration’s ambassador to China, has been focusing his attacks on Romney … Continue reading
Democracy may get a whole new look when it comes to presidential politics in 2012. The Electoral College will still bring the next commander in chief to the White House, but tweaks to the system could change the rules of the game. After the 2000 election recount drama, polling showed that most Americans wanted to … Continue reading
CNN has an interesting new poll comparing the attitudes of Republicans who identify with the Tea Party movement to those who don’t. Perhaps surprisingly, the survey finds that fully 51 percent of Republicans define themselves as non-Tea Party members have neutral, conflicted or negative views toward the movement. The other 49 percent say they are … Continue reading
Republicans who are mainly interested in making sure their party wins the 2012 presidential election would seem to face a catch-22. The man who currently leads the GOP race in national polls, Rick Perry, has a history of making reckless and inflammatory statements about Social Security — enough to raise serious questions about whether nominating … Continue reading
Texas Gov. Rick Perry bristled at accusations during Monday’s GOP debate that he had done the bidding of a corporate donor by ordering schoolgirls to use a new vaccine. “The company was Merck, and it was a $5,000 contribution that I had received from them,” Perry said. “I raised about $30 million. And if you’re … Continue reading
Texas Governor Rick Perry says he was “taken aback” by an incident that occurred at Monday night’s Republican presidential debate after U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) was asked if a man who is sick should be left to die because he is uninsured, according to NBC News. In addressing the situation that unfolded Perry reportedly … Continue reading
The race to hold early Republican presidential primary contests is heating up. The Arizona Republic reports that Gov. Jan Brewer (R) issued a proclamation on Monday declaring that the state will hold its GOP presidential primary on February 28 of next year. Brewer’s decision breaks national party rules mandating that only Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada … Continue reading
The participant’s in last night’s GOP presidential debate once again took the opportunity to pretend that the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) put a massive dent in Medicare by cutting $500 billion from the program. Michele Bachmann told us that “We know that President Obama stole over $500 billion out of Medicare to switch it over to Obamacare.” … Continue reading
With her standing in the polls slipping, Michele Bachmann needed to find a way to capture the spotlight she held earlier this summer. She just may have done that tonight at the Tea Party Express/CNN debate in Tampa, Florida. Bachmann, the founder of the Tea Party Caucus in the House, knew her audience well and … Continue reading
Texas Gov. Rick Perry was hit both on and off the debate stage Monday night with accusations of engaging in “crony capitalism” when he issued a 2007 executive order requiring sixth grade girls receive a vaccine to protect against HPV, which causes cervical cancer. “I’m a mom and I’m a mom of three children and … Continue reading
Texas Gov. Rick Perry toned down his language on Social Security today, deviating from the harsh rhetoric that has fueled criticism from his Republican opponents as they gear up for the second presidential debate in less than a week. In an op-ed for USA Today, Perry replaced the term “Ponzi scheme” with descriptions of the entitlement program’s “financial … Continue reading
The Brandt Standard 