TPM: Rick Perry’s Good Government Plan: Throw The Bums In Jail!
On November 15, 2011, Talking Points Memo reported:
Democratic group American Bridge is already accusing him of hypocrisy, citing one incident in which Perry purchased stock in a hospital equipment company run by a top donor, James Leininger, the same day he met with him. Perry turned a profit after a new wave of investors drove its price up immediately afterwards. He has denied any wrongdoing. “If Perry thinks members of Congress belong in jail, what would he think about an elected official who purchased 2,800 shares of stock after speaking with that company’s CEO on the same day a giant investment group purchased 2.2 million of its shares?” communications director Chris Harris said in a statement.
TPM: Romney Spit-Balls His Way To Privatizing Veteran’s Benefits
On November 11, 2011, Talking Points Memo reported:
Over barbecue and sweet tea with 12 veterans here Friday, Mitt Romney appeared to brainstorm a fundamental change to the way the nation pays back the people who put their lives on the line in the military. Talking with the veterans about the challenge of navigating the Veterans Affairs bureaucracy to get their health care benefits after they leave active duty, Romney suggested a way to improve the system would be to privatize it. [...] The plan did not go over well with one veteran among the 12 discussing the VA with Romney. Auston Thompson, a veteran of the Iraq War and former Marine, told TPM after the session that though the idea of the plan was sound to his fiscally conservative ear, the implementation would likely lead to problems.
Reuters: The golden age of opposition research
On November 14, 2011, Reuters reported:
It was a little noticed event in Texas governor Rick Perry's schedule, an October 28 visit to the Barley House tavern in Concord, New Hampshire, to sample a burger and be interviewed by a local radio station. The flagging candidate for the Republican nomination was addressing a tiny audience of about 10 in this early primary state. He told the story of a 38-year-old Occupy Wall Street protestor named Jeremy, who had complained that bankers got to work so early that he never managed to get out of bed in time to insult them face-to-face. [...] Also in the small crowd at the Barley House was a "tracker" from American Bridge, a newly formed SuperPAC doing research for the Democratic Party. The tracker was videotaping Perry's every word and gesture, and even though the gaffe was a relatively minor one, the candidate was about to become a victim of the latest, state-of-the-art opposition research.
TPM: Gingrich Jokes About His ‘Historian’ Gig For Freddie Mac
On November 11, 2011, Talking Points Memo reported:
Newt Gingrich said during Wednesday’s debate that he worked for housing giant Freddie Mac as an “historian” in 2006 not as a lobbyist. That would make him one highly paid historian. While Freddie Mac confirmed that he did no lobbying work, government watchdogs told TPM that it was a fairly arbitrary distinction since ex-politicians are often hired as “consultants” who use their connections to perform similar functions. And that’s why they get paid the big bucks: Gingrich earned $300,000 for a year’s work with Freddie Mac while the average history professor has an average salary of about $63,000.Would that make Newt the highest paid historian in history? See Newt's answer after the jump
Huffington Post: Mike McCalister, Florida GOP Senate Candidate, Brings Back Second Amendment Remedies
On November 10, 2011, the Huffington Post reported:
Two years and Angle's tough election loss later, the idea remains in vogue in some conservative circles. Florida Senate candidate Mike McCalister, who is running against incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), offered a variation of the much-lampooned line during a speech before the Palms West Republican Club earlier this week. "I get asked sometimes where do I stand on the Second and 10th Amendment, and I have a little saying," he declared. "We need a sign at every harbor, every airport and every road entering our state: 'You're entering a 10th Amendment-owned and -operated state, and justice will be served with the Second Amendment.'"See the video after the jump
POLITICO's Arena: Gov. John Kasich chastened?
Tuesday’s vote in Ohio to strike down a law restricting collective bargaining for public workers is a clear repudiation of the Republicans’ economic message. Voters know that police officers, firefighters, and teachers aren’t responsible for our nation’s economic struggles. Each monthly jobs report shows that continued Republican attacks on public workers are negating the employment gains made in the private sector and holding back our recovery. Voting to treat the individuals who protect our communities and educate our children with respect is not a matter of being in denial about the fiscal situation, but an expression of priorities. The vote also shows that voters disagree with Republicans about the true meaning of shared sacrifice. Republicans want to punish teachers and first responders, or put the burden on the 99%, asking more from families already struggling just to make ends meet. Voters would rather see millionaires and billionaires pay a little bit more to give back to the communities that helped make their success possible. If Republicans continue to spout their extreme rhetoric, the message sent by Ohio voters on SB5 will be repeated loud and clear across the country in 2012.
ABC News: Santorum Launches Policy Tour, Pushes Social Issues
On November 4, 2011, ABC News reported:
URBANDALE, IOWA Rick Santorum launched a three-speech, three-state policy roll-out tour Friday beginning with “moral, cultural” issues. The economy and national security will follow, but this was chosen as the first topic because it is the most important to Santorum, according to campaign aides. [...] Democrats responded quickly. American Bridge, a Democratic SuperPac, issued a statement while Santorum was still speaking. “Rick Santorum, and the other candidates running for the nomination, are dusting off the old playbook of using socially divisive issues to reignite the culture wars of the past in a desperate attempt to appease their base. Proposing ideas like disbanding the 9th circuit court will create exactly zero jobs and shows that they are more interested in playing politics than getting our economy back on track,” communications director Ty Matsdorf said in the statement.
TPM: GOPer: I Do Not Agree With That Obama As Qaddafi Cartoon I Was Waving Around (VIDEO)
On November 4, 2011, Talking Points Memo reported:
Some recent video of Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT) shows the Senate candidate holding up and waving around this cartoon depicting President Obama as the late bloodthirsty tyrant Muammar Qaddafi. [...] Here’s the video:Here’s the cartoon he’s waving around:
Real Clear Politics: As Potential VP Candidate, Rubio Draws Scrutiny, Attacks
On November 4, 2011, Real Clear Politics reported:
American Bridge, a well-funded Democratic organization “committed to holding Republicans accountable for their words and actions,” is making hay out of The Post’s story. It put together a Web video detailing Rubio’s misstatements, as well as a memo asserting that he had 20 opportunities to correct the record, but didn’t do so. Rodell Mollineau, who leads the organization, told CNN last week that the group posted the video with the 2012 presidential election in mind even though Rubio repeatedly says he doesn’t want a spot on the ticket.
WSJ: Satire on Occupy Wall Street Trips Up Rick Perry
On November 1, 2011, the Wall Street Journal reported:
"Satire may not be Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s thing. Last Friday, at the swanky Barley House tavern in Concord, N.H., Mr. Perry took a little jab at the Occupy Wall Street crowd, referencing an amusing quote his son had sent him from a protester occupying Toronto..."