AB Leadership

Pawlenty Says Goodbye

On August 13, MSNBC's First Read reported:

"And file this away: At the last stop of Pawlenty's campaign before today's Ames Straw poll, the former Minnesota governor yesterday approached someone his campaign rarely openly welcomes -- a tracker from the liberal leaning organization American Bridge. Trackers are accustomed to being approached by campaigns, usually in an attempt to get them to leave. But rarely does the candidate seek out trackers -- and perhaps never has a candidate had a request similar to Pawlenty's: He wanted to take a photo with the tracker, telling him: "In case we never see each other again." So Pawlenty and a stunned tracker -- who had been following the candidate through Iowa since he announced his run on May 23 -- made their way up to the stage and stood next to each other and smiled while a photographer snapped a photo. Asked by NBC News whether it meant his campaign is running out of steam, Pawlenty answered, "Will [the tracker's name] has been following us around, and I wanted to make sure we got a picture before whatever is next for him."

Lincoln Journal-Star Editorial: Bruning's Words Are An Embarrassment

Nebraska Attorney General and Republican Senate candidate Jon Bruning has had a very rough week back home. After American Bridge posted video of him comparing welfare recipients to raccoons, he has been the subject of riducule both nationally and in his back yard. Yesterday, we highlighted how Nebraska television stations reacted to the offensive blunder. POLITICO noted, "One way you can tell if an issue has really punched through is if it lands on local television newscasts. That's why Jon Bruning's comment comparing welfare recipients to raccoons matters." Today, things got worse for Bruning. The Lincoln Journal-Star published a scathing editorial titled "Bruning's words are an embarrassment." See what the Lincoln Journal-Star had to say after the jump

Local Press Hammers Jon Bruning For Comparing Welfare Recipients To Raccoons

Over the weekend, American Bridge caught Nebraksa Attorney General and Republican Senate candidate Jon Bruning with his foot in his mouth. During a speech at Heartland Liberty Fest, Bruning compared welfare recipients to scavenging raccoons.

Not surprisingly, the offensive comments are not going over well in Nebraska. Yesterday, the Omaha World-Herald ran a front page story titled "Bruning Welfare slam draws flak." And last night, local television news stations continued to pound him over the remarks. Below you'll find just two of the many segments devoted to the flap, from NBC local affiliates WOWT in Omaha and KNOP in North Platte,  CBS affiliate KOLN in Lincoln, and Fox affiliate KPTM in Omaha.

Omaha World-Herald: Bruning Welfare Slam Draws Flak

On August 6, 2011, American Bridge captured Nebraska Senate candidate Jon Bruning (R) comparing welfare recipients to scavenging raccoons. The incident caused quite a stir in Bruning's home state. Read the article from the Omaha World-Herald after the jump.

Think Progress: Tim Pawlenty’s Extremely Weak Grasp Of Monetary Policy And International Finance

n August 9, 2011, Think Progress's Matthew Yglesias reported:

"When American Bridge sent a tracker to record this talk from Tim Pawlenty, I’m sure they were hoping he’d commit gaffes with a bit more political potency than the ones on display here. But if you happen to care at all about policy substance, what you’re about to see is the former Minnesota governor make a number of blundering errors that reveal fundamental misunderstandings of how monetary policy and the international financial system works:

MSNBC: Romney's Focus — On The Economy And Obama

On August 8, 2011, MSNBC's First Read reported:

"As Mitt Romney is out on the stump taking credit for Massachusetts ratings upgrade, he is conspicuously leaving out that he was able to achieve this by raising revenue," said Ty Matsdorf of American Bridge in a memo released this morning. "Perhaps it is because just last week he was decrying the president for trying to take the same balanced approach to solving the debt ceiling crisis."

NBC News: Justice Asked To Probe Mystery Donation To Pro-Romney Group

On August 4, 2011, NBC News reported:

"Two campaign reform groups are asking the Justice Department to investigate a mysterious $1 million contribution to a political committee backing Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney from an obscure company that shut down shortly after making the donation. The contribution to Restore Our Future, a so-called “super PAC” formed by three former Romney political aides, drew scrutiny following an NBC News report on Thursday . The firm that gave the money, called W Spann LLC, was formed in March – with no listed officers or directors — made the contribution in April, then dissolved itself in July, according to corporate records."

ABC News: Impeach President Obama Over Libya? Jon Huntsman Punts

On August 3, 2011, ABC News reported:

"And this week, when asked by a New Hampshire resident whether President Obama should be impeached over Libya, Huntsman refused to say, telling the voter that he’d 'let Congress make that decision.'"

Dallas Morning News: Democrats Itch To See Texas Gov. Rick Perry In White House Hunt

On August 2, 2011, the Dallas Morning News reported:

Democratic operatives outside Austin are also scouring Perry’s record. Last week, American Bridge 21st Century — a liberal PAC formed to raise and spend unlimited money in the 2012 elections — flagged a new report that Texas had 86 mass layoffs in June, up from 50 in May, with a substantial uptick in initial jobless claims. “Rick Perry is the flavor of month” in a “weak, uninspiring field” of Republicans, said Rodell Mollineau, president of American Bridge. “Once the American people realize that his economic record as governor is based on smoke and mirrors, and his social record is miles out of the mainstream, his campaign will become an historical footnote just like Fred Thompson’s and Rudy Giuliani’s.”

AP: Romney And Huntsman In Spotlight As GOP Contenders Weigh In On Debt Deal In Washington

On August 2, 2011, the Associated Press reported:

A Democrat-friendly outside group, American Bridge, echoed the criticism of Romney. “It’s great to see that after more than a month of negotiations, Mitt Romney finally decided to weigh in on one of the most important issues facing our nation,” American Bridge spokesman Ty Matsdorf said. “As somebody who is trying to campaign as a savvy businessman, you would have thought he would have tried to lead his party, but instead he has decided to kowtow to the tea party.”