Mitt Romney’s 1994 – The Year His Career In Politics Began
1994… The Internet was coming to age. Courtney Cox and David Schwimmer debuted the first episode of Friends. O.J. Simpson led America on a slow, winding “chase” to infamy. I got my first car (’84 Chevette). And Mitt Romney -- the man now calling Newt Gingrich a “career politician” -- was beginning his 17-year career in national politics. It’s a tactic Romney has perfected over his two decades running for office: Regardless of the circumstances, painting himself as the political outsider and his opponent as a career politician. The irony is not just the long time Romney has spent in politics, but how he embodies the characteristics of a ‘career politicians’ he claims to be so eager to defeat. He has opportunistically changed on core beliefs so frequently, the conservative Manchester Union Leader wrote that Romney just “tells us what he thinks we want to hear.” But, to court (and win) support from the Republican establishment in Washington and on Wall Street, Romney has continued his pattern of pandering. Even the food he eats and the airlines he flies feel calculated by his chief pollster and strategist.
Plain Dealer: Shady pics and video: Groups backing Josh Mandel, Sherrod Brown having fun and fits
On December 1, 2011, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported:
Speaking of authentic images, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican who plans to run against Brown and is supported by the Chamber of Commerce, was in Washington yesterday to raise money. A video tracking team from American Bridge, a political group that says it wants to "hold Republicans accountable," was waiting for him outside one of the Capitol Hill events, and the video -- of a fast-walking Mandel -- is posted above.
Journal Sentinel: Thompson announcing at firm receiving stimulus money
On December 1, 2011, the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reported:
Former Gov. Tommy Thompson hasn't been afraid to attack others for backing President Barack Obama's controversial stimulus package. [...] So isn't it odd that Thompson is officially launching his bid for the U.S. Senate today at a company that directly benefited from the Recovery Act?
#KoolMitt: Romney's New Look
In perhaps the greatest development for high-end fashion since Derelicte, witness the look being modeled by Mitt Romney on the campaign trail this year: Averàge.
Averàge is designed to give the impression that you’re just an average guy. With the help of a team of image consultants, Mitt Romney’s traded in his suits and ties for jeans and loafers. And while his wallet may still be flush with the money of someone who owns a couple mansions, that wallet is now in a pair of jeans that says “Corporations The super wealthy are people too.”
And for that extra “cool” factor, you can even supplement the look by lying about smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer once.
TPM: Exclusive: Mitt Romney’s Son Talks Up Family’s ‘Small’ $12 Million Home
On December 1, 2011, Talking Points Memo reported:
There appears to be a very different definition of “small” in the Romney clan. In an appearance at a Mitt Romney campaign office in Iowa, one of the candidate’s sons, Josh Romney, recalled a cozy Thanksgiving with the family at his parents’ “two-bedroom house, pretty small.” Democratic trackers American Bridge provided TPM with video of the event.
Allen's Fake Supporters
First George Allen was caught faking endorsements from the Tea Party. Now, as reported by NBC Washington and Progress VA, it appears he's featuring fake photos of his supporters on his website: [gallery link="file" columns="2" ids="10272,10271"]
AP: GOP Candidates Make Flubs, Big And Small: Fact Check
On November 30, 2011, the Associated Press reported:
Newt Gingrich didn't know when he would take office if he wins the presidency. Rick Perry got the voting age and the date of Election Day wrong. Herman Cain didn't realize the president does not sign amendments to the Constitution. In ways large and small, Republican presidential hopefuls are proving on multiple occasions to be "factually challenged," as Gingrich rather haughtily described a rival, despite getting some things wrong himself.
Now That He's Running For Senate, Will Tommy Thompson Finally Give Up His Lobbying Ties?
American Bridge 21st Century issued a press release today welcoming Tommy Thompson to the Wisconsin Senate race:
Just as he has been pretending not to be a lobbyist, Tommy Thompson has spent the last few months pretending not to be a candidate for Senate. Maintaining this “unofficial candidate” status has allowed him to continue working for his corporate clients while raising money from them for his campaign with a wink and a nod. Now that Thompson is officially announcing his candidacy and dropping the charade, the question remains, will he sever his ties with his corporate clients? [...] “It is impossible for Tommy Thompson to serve two masters; either he will represent the interests of Wisconsinites or those of his corporate clients. It is time for him to choose,” said Matt Thornton, spokesman for American Bridge 21st Century.
Now That He's Running For Senate, Will Tommy Thompson Finally Give Up His Lobbying Ties?
Just as he has been pretending not to be a lobbyist, Tommy Thompson has spent the last few months pretending not to be a candidate for Senate. Maintaining this “unofficial candidate” status has allowed him to continue working for his corporate clients while raising money from them for his campaign with a wink and a nod. Now that Thompson is officially announcing his candidacy and dropping the charade, the question remains, will he sever his ties with his corporate clients?
Plunderbund: Josh Mandel’s salary database even has his own salary wrong
On November 30, 2011, Plunderbund reported:
A few months back, as the SB5/Issue 2 battle was heating up, Treasurer Josh Mandel put up his “transparency” website which allowed people to search for the salaries of public employees in Ohio. The data, obtained from the right-leaning Buckeye Institute, not only excluded the salaries of a number of key advisers to Mandel, but it also highly overstated the salaries of many public employees. As all this was going on, Mandel was delaying the release his personal financial disclosure forms with the United State Senate for 6 months supposedly to make sure everything was exactly right. Here’s the thing: if you compare his own salary for 2010 on the website against the salary he listed on his PFDs, they are different...