Austin American Statesman: Project with ties to Perry OK'd despite objections
On November 14, 2011, the Austin American Statesman reported:
State environmental regulators appointed by Gov. Rick Perry issued a permit in January for a Houston-area industrial waste injection well to a company whose top investors include some of Perry's close friends and campaign contributors. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved the permit over the objections of the Texas Railroad Commission and every state and local official representing Montgomery County, and in spite of an administrative law judge's recommendation to deny the permit because the well might pollute groundwater.
Rick Perry’s “Insider” Hypocrisy
Last week, corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff offered his thoughts on how to clean up Washington. Today, crony capitalist Rick Perry chimed in. In an apparent attempt to paint himself as an outsider who would change Washington, Rick Perry released a web video asserting that members of Congress who use their “inside knowledge to profit in the stock market ought to be sent to jail.” Not so fast, Governor. As detailed below, he has a long history of using his position to make a quick buck. 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?
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
MSNBC: Gingrich campaign plays defense on ties to Freddie Mac
On November 10, 2011, MSNBC's First Read reported:
Newt Gingrich found his past work with Freddie Mac under scrutiny during last night's presidential debate, where the former House Speaker denied ever having lobbied for the mortgage giant. CNBC debate moderator John Harwood pressed Gingrich as to why his firm received $300,000 from Freddie Mac in 2006 -- two years before the mortgage finance company was forced into government conservatorship under the weight of subprime loans. The question was maybe the toughest Gingrich has received this campaign cycle.
Journal Sentinel: Tommy Thompson pushes for focus on adult stem cells
On November 9, 2011, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported:
A decade after he helped persuade a president to allow funding of some embryonic stem cell research, Tommy Thompson, the former Wisconsin governor and presumptive U.S. Senate candidate, paid a visit to the Vatican on Wednesday to deliver a very different message. In Rome, Thompson, who is Roman Catholic, portrayed himself as a strong proponent of adult stem cells - cells that aren't culled from embryos - while appearing to brush aside the embryonic stem cell research he once defended.
Las Vegas Sun: Heller falsely tells conservative talker that Berkley, DNC spokesman were at Latin Chamber event he snubbed
On November 10, 2011, the Las Vegas Sun's Jon Ralston reported:
Sen. Dean Heller told a conservative radio talker this week that he refused to show up last month to a Latin Chamber roundtable he had arranged because his opponent and a DNC spokesperson were there – and neither is true.
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
Heller Invents Excuses For Bailing On Latin Chamber
Recently, Nevada Senator Dean Heller outraged members of the Hispanic community by cancelling an an appearance with the Latin Chamber of Commerce at the last minute. Though he was already en route to the meeting, Heller chose to bail after being informed by an advance staffer that a former member of the Latin Chamber's board who currently works for Shelley Berkley was in attendance, and that another attendee had a camera. The only plausible explanation for Heller's actions is that he is afraid of what Nevada voters will think if they can see for themselves what Heller is saying on the campaign trail. But in an radio interview yesterday, Heller attempted to explain away his actions by lying about the circumstances under which he cancelled his appearance.