The Hill: Hoekstra Campaign Pulls Website Tied To Controversial Super Bowl Commercial
On February 9, 2012, The Hill reported:
Former Rep. Pete Hoekstra’s (R-Mich.) campaign removed a website tied to his controversial Super Bowl ad Thursday, although his spokesman insists the Senate hopeful stands by — and will continue to air — the accompanying television spot.
Huffington Post: Denny Rehberg, GOP Congressman And Senate Hopeful, Blasts Child Labor Regulations
On February 2, 2012, the Huffington Post reported:
In a speech expounding on the rift between rural America and Washington D.C., Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) vowed Thursday to use his funding powers to stop the Obama administration from implementing new child-labor rules pertaining to agricultural work, accusing the "urban" Labor Department of meddling in a "rural" industry it doesn't understand.
Washington Post: Romney, Citing Safety Net, Says He’s ‘Not Concerned About The Very Poor’
On February 1, 2012, the Washington Post reported:
In an interview with CNN Wednesday morning that should have been a Florida victory lap, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney made a fumble that could give rivals an attack ad sound bite. Asked about his economic plan, Romney said repeatedly that he was not concerned with very poor Americans, but was focused instead on helping the middle class.
USA Today: Democratic Groups Link Romney To Rove In Video
On January 10, 2012, USA Today reported:
Democrats are loving all the Republican infighting, especially the attacks on front-runner Mitt Romney -- and they're looking to stir the pot. [...] "The Republican establishment's king maker is lining up for Romney," says the Internet ad. "If he's Karl Rove's kind of candidate, do you really want him to be yours?"
Marco Rubio's Deadbeat Hypocrisy
Marco Rubio recently sent an email to supporters touting a letter he sent to President Obama to “oppose his request to continue borrowing and spending recklessly.” In it, he accuses the president of turning the US into “a deadbeat nation.” Given Rubio’s financial and ethical failings, he has absolutely no ground to stand on, and this attack reeks of hypocrisy. Before he goes throwing around words like "deadbeat," perhaps Marco Rubio should take a look at his own record first. After all, we certainly will. The president is working to create jobs; Rubio used the state party credit card to remodel his home. Which one is the deadbeat? Research after the jump.
VIDEO: Romney's Ugly Coronation
Though Mitt Romney has spent 5 years of his run for President mired at 25%, there is one group that is signaling their singular support: the Washington Establishment. And Karl Rove, the king of conventional GOP wisdom is working double-time to make sure rank-and-file Republicans know it's time to fall in line. Through his constant television appearances and weekly op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Rove has consistently favored Mitt Romney and done what he does best: work to tear down any credible rival to Romney. He declared Romney’s tie with Santorum “a big win for Romney in Iowa.” He systemically unleashes harsh critiques of the latest what he calls “the GOP’s not Romney.” He defends Romney’s gaffes and policies, including the Massachusetts health care plan most Republicans dislike. For Rove, helping the favored candidate of Wall Street is an important sign of trust for the billionaire executives that Rove relies on for contributions. For Romney, earning Rove’s embrace is the successful culmination of six-years of saying anything to win the support of the Washington Republican establishment.
POLITICO's Arena: Why Did Michele Bachmann implode?
Michele Bachmann's campaign imploded for exactly the reason that political experts in D.C. never took her campaign seriously to begin with and why many were so surprised by her victory at Ames. As people who follow politics closely already knew, while her bombastic rhetoric may be ideal for riling up a crowd, her propensity for gaffes leaves her vulnerable once one stops and actually thinks about what she said. This is a candidate that actually told a crowd in South Carolina that the reason that she worked for the IRS is "because the first rule of war is 'know your enemy.'" These type of outlandish statements and unforced errors may have helped her raise money as a backbencher congresswoman, but couldn't hold up against the scrutiny of a national campaign.
NY Times: New Focus On Incendiary Words In Paul’s Newsletters
On December 19, 2011, the New York Times reported:
Emerging as a real Republican contender in Iowa, Representative Ron Paul of Texas is receiving new focus for decades-old unbylined columns in his political newsletters that included racist, anti-gay and anti-Israel passages that he has since disavowed.
Huffington Post: The Contract With America Comes Back To Haunt Romney
On December 14, 2011, the Huffington Post reported:
In an interview with the Washington Post on Tuesday, Mitt Romney acknowledged that he was "wrong" not to sign Newt Gingrich's Contract with America when he was running for the Senate in 1994.
Romney's History Of Desperate Attacks
As we learned from the 2008 campaign, the more desperate Romney gets, the more negative he becomes. This week is the beginning of the 2012 edition of Mitt Romney's GOP Desperation Express. His negative campaigns are kissing cousins of his positive campaigns in one regard: He'll say and do anything if he things it will help him get elected. During the 2008 campaign, Romney launched attacks against every one of his major rivals-- Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Fred Thompson, Rudy Giuliani. His Republican opponents said of the ads: “distortion,” “hypocrisy,” “lying,” “desperate,” “dishonest,” “simply aren’t true,” and “clear willingness to say and do anything for political gain.” While the Republican candidates disagreed on much, there was a general agreement that Romney’s relentless attacks were unfair. Many commentators argued that the ads backfired – helping to propel Huckabee and McCain to come-from-behind victories in Iowa and New Hampshire. But in 2008 and 2012, a scorched-earth campaign is the only strategic path for a candidate who has shown for six years that the appeal of his positive message is limited to 25% of Republican primary voters. It’s not just the negativity of Romney’s attacks that turns off voters, it’s that their message reinforces Romney’s key weakness. In 2008 and now, Romney launched harsh immigration attacks accusing opponents of supporting “amnesty” when he had earlier defended the same plan and said it was “not amnesty.” He bashes opponents as career politicians despite his 17-year political career. He attacked John McCain for opposing tax cuts that he had refused to take a position on. He went after Giuliani for pro-choice views despite his own long history of claiming to support abortion rights. These obviously hypocritical attacks may help explain why nearly half of Republican voters believe Romney “will do or say anything to win.” As we learned from the 2008 campaign, the more desperate Romney gets, the more negative he becomes. This week is just the beginning.