via Amy Gardner, The Washington Post Herman Cain has succeeded in introducing himself to voters. He has moved from the bottom of the pack all the way to the top. His “9-9-9” tax plan is the most talked-about proposal of the fight for the Republican nomination. But as the battle moves beyond televised debates and into a phase … Continue reading
via Trip Gabriel, The New York Times Today, Republican candidates are competing over who can talk the toughest about illegal immigration — who will erect the most impenetrable border defense; who will turn off “magnets” like college tuition benefits. But after such pointed proposals heated up yet another Republican debate, on Tuesday night, some party officials see … Continue reading
via Michael D. Shear, The New York Times Jon M. Huntsman Jr. won’t be at the next debate, in Las Vegas. But it’s not a sleight by the organizers. Mr. Huntsman is boycotting the event on Tuesday to protest the state’s decision to hold its caucus on Jan. 14. That decision has complicated the voting … Continue reading
via Marie Diamond, ThinkProgress Yesterday, Senate Republicans unveiled their much-hyped alternative to President Obama’s jobs plan. The “Jobs Through Growth Act” is heavy on Republicans’ favorite policies like cutting corporate taxes and reducing regulation, but light on details. Nevertheless, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) declared that it would create 5 million jobs. Moody’s Analytics estimated that … Continue reading
via Same Stein, The Huffington Post Tuesday was Mitt Romney’s night. The former Massachusetts governor entered the ninth GOP debate riding a long, fortuitous wave of positive news. His nearest competitors for the nomination had crumbled amid missteps or mismanagement. Prospective candidates had declined to launch bids of their own. One of them, New Jersey … Continue reading
via Andrew Jones, The Raw Story Add another Republican to the growing list that loathe the Occupy Wall Street protests. Rep. Peter King (R-NY) is upset at the growing movement and the media’s coverage of it, hoping that a modern day version of protests from five decades ago isn’t being recaptured now. “It’s really important … Continue reading
via Jon Ward, The Huffington Post Long-time Republican pollster Ed Goeas is leaving Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-MN) presidential campaign, The Huffington Post has learned. Goeas, who has served as an adviser to Bachmann, will consult with the campaign for two more weeks before ending his involvement, he said in a phone interview. The Associated Press … Continue reading
via Amanda Terkel, The Huffington Post President Obama forcefully called for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act on Saturday night at the annual Human Rights Campaign fundraising dinner, but he did not come out in support of marriage equality, as some hoped he would do. The 3,000 attendees at the dinner, which took … Continue reading
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced Tuesday that he would not seek the Republican presidential nomination, saying that while he thought seriously about entering the presidential race, “now is not my time.” Christie said he made his final decision last night and told those closest to him this morning. He said he went to the … Continue reading
Chris Christie’s political advisers are working to determine whether they could move fast enough to set up effective political operations in Iowa and New Hampshire in the wake of a relentless courtship aimed at persuading Mr. Christie, the governor of New Jersey, to plunge into the race for the Republican presidential nomination, according to operatives … Continue reading
The White House and congressional Republicans just can’t agree on the best prescription for the economy, with President Barack Obama demanding passage of his $447 billion jobs bill and the GOP pushing to cut government red tape. Both efforts, the focus of competing radio and Internet addresses Saturday, face little chance of success as all-or-nothing … Continue reading
Fort Dodge, Iowa – Same-sex marriage is a temporary aberration that will dissipate, Newt Gingrich said here today. “I believe that marriage is between a man and woman,” Gingrich said. “It has been for all of recorded history and I think this is a temporary aberration that will dissipate. I think that it is just … Continue reading
Florida will hold its presidential primary on Jan. 31, a decision that is expected to prompt other states to move up their primary and caucus dates. A special committee made the decision Friday, thwarting efforts by national GOP leaders to push back the nominating process. Officials in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina have … Continue reading
Simi Valley, California — When Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey took the lectern at the Reagan library here on Tuesday night, he initially stuck to his script, a mostly dry speech that took a few swipes at President Obama. But when Mr. Christie moved to answer questions from the audience, he let loose, moving … Continue reading
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will not run for the GOP presidential nomination in the next election cycle, Fox News reported on Tuesday. The big name Republican has vehemently denied he could vie for the White House in 2012 in recent months amid buzz that he could jump into the race. The Star Ledger reports … Continue reading
If Congress can’t come up with a deficit reduction deal this year, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that he’ll try to prevent further required cuts in the military budget. The comment showed that contingency plans already are in place to avoid some of the more than $1 trillion in mandated spending cuts under a … 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
The surprise defeat in the House Wednesday of a special funding measure to keep the federal government functioning past Sept. 30 was a sharp rebuke of the GOP leadership that controls the chamber and a testament to the fragility of the majority itself. The rejection of the measure resurrected the specter of a government shutdown … Continue reading
A House Republican freshman on Tuesday night called on the federal government to step up enforcement of U.S. immigration laws, and said removing illegal aliens is one way to create needed jobs for Americans. “There is a surefire way to create jobs now for American citizens,” Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) said on the House floor. … 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
President Barack Obama is back in the good graces of progressives. For now. Hours after Obama delivered a fiery speech demanding that the wealthiest Americans “pay their fair share” in taxes as part of his $4 trillion deficit-reduction plan, MoveOn.org launched a new television ad on Monday hammering in the president’s message and ripping Republicans … Continue reading
Republican opposition is solidifying to President Barack Obama’s $447 billion job creation plan, and his pending proposal to raise taxes on millionaires is already under GOP fire. “If we’re just going to do class warfare and get tax increases out of this, then I don’t think much will come of it,” Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) … 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
House Republican leaders came out against nearly all the major proposals in President Obama’s $447 billion job-creation plan Friday, including his middle-class tax cuts and his approach to federal spending on transportation and school construction. In a memo to all House Republicans, the GOP leaders said cutting payroll taxes through 2012 would lead to a … Continue reading