Buddy Roemer Surges Ahead of Rick Perry in New Hampshire.

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That’s going to leave a mark on a campaign that should have ended after the trouncing in Iowa!

From the Weekly Standard:

Just how fluid and crazy has this GOP primary been? Well, the latest poll from Public Policy Polling contains a startling development:

Mitt Romney continues to be headed for a comfortable win in New Hampshire.  PPP’s final poll there finds him with 35% to 18% for Ron Paul, 16% for Jon Huntsman, 12% for Newt Gingrich, 11% for Rick Santorum, 3% for Buddy Roemer, and 1% for Rick Perry.

That’s right, former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer, who’s run a campaign by the seat of his pants, hasn’t appeared in a single televised debate and has almost no money, is polling higher than the current three-term governor of Texas who at one point led the race in national polls and has millions in the bank. Granted, Perry hasn’t really campaigned in New Hampshire and this could just be an anomalous result, but still…

Under the Fedora pre-NH primary edition

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Hollis NH 3:45 PM

Election season hasn’t slowed down one bit here in NH as the crowds and the interest continues to rise.

I was at a Ron Paul event at the Nashua Airport Friday afternoon. The parking was impossible and the crowd in the hanger include press was impressive and was a tough bit of navigation for a wide body like me.

Ron Paul fans at the Nashua Airport event

The Paul crowd reminded me of Palin events in two ways: The sheer number of people who came from other states and the willingness of his supporters to make their case for the camera.

I also attended a Paul event in Hollis NH on the 9th Paul had an interesting take on environmentalism and private property

I had a chance to speak to Rand Paul at a 3rd event:

I think Ron isn’t going to win the nomination but don’t discount Rand Paul in 2016, the organization is still there and he is a much more polished candidate than his father.

The Rick Santorum crowds also have been large, he is still getting the odd gay marriage question, the funny thing about it is I think it’s a case of trying to keep the narrative alive, but I think the more they press him on the issue the stronger he gets with social conservatives like Dave

I was pleasantly surprised to see at Rivier college one where the questions were all substance and no “gotcha”
Video.

To Santorum’s credit he has not only answered every question but made it a point to note that he doesn’t use crowd plants.

There have also been some very over the top attacks from Alan Combes and Eugene Robinson’s hits on Santorum’s dead child to Maureen Dowd’s attack on his wife.

This is consistent with the sheer unmitigated hatred being expressed in comments on my video concerning Santorum’s answer on that subject, that anger is astounding.

That it didn’t occur to these folks how far over the line of decency they had crossed by attacking a dead child and his grieving family says a lot about them, but it says even more about their customer base that they concluded would not, and did not, object to it.

And on the subject I want to give props to Joe Scarborough, it likely wasn’t easy calling out his friend Eugene Robinson on the show but he did.

Speaking of Joe and Mika they hosted a town hall in Nashua on Sunday that I attended, it was a lot of fun and included amusing stories like this one:

Mika and Joe were very generous with their time and posed for photos with all who asked including me who asked for an interview rather than a photo.

I’ve been hard on Joe and Mika in the past and will be in the future but that didn’t stop them from giving me that interview That’s a class act.

The day before I was at a NRO event where we watched the first of two back to back GOP debates, there was a Q & A with a panel that made me want to scream as they went on about the strength of president Obama.

I didn’t get the chance to ask this question at either event but I will here: “If president Obama is so unbeatable, why is any democrat in a district that isn’t totally blue running from him like the plague?

Everyone is hitting George Stephanopoulos over his “birth control” question to Mitt Romney, it was stupid and Romney was clumsy in answering it (which is why he asked Romney since Santorum knows how to handle it)

That George is exposed for what he is was good but nobody seems to have picked up on the single most important point of the exchange:

Stephanopoulos grabbed onto Romney and held on like a dog gripping a bone, he was relentless in pursuing him on this question and was not going to abandon it till everyone knew that Mitt Romney is a right wing extremist.

That is the secret, right now the media is talking “moderate Mitt” and playing that message but if and when he get the nomination they will turn on the dime and he will become so right wing he will make G. Gordon Liddy and Ralph Reed look like Barney Frank and FDR.

If the GOP electorate chooses Romney because they think he is the most qualified candidate, fine I can live with that but anyone who is voting for him because they think he will have appeal as a moderate is fooling themselves, the media will be painting a different picture that will be enough to convince the uninformed but will not convince informed conservatives otherwise.

Isn’t it better to simply nominate an actual conservative that will attract the base?

Some football? Before the Joe Scarborough event started I was talking to a young man Thomas who interjected that Denver took a 14-6 lead in the game they would eventually win 29-23 in overtime. We discussed how some people simply go crazy over Tim Tebow to the point. Tom made the point I’ve made people stating some people hate him so much if he throws an interception people shout “Where is your God?”

If not winning the superbowl is a sign that God is against you than Dam Marino is doomed to burn.

An amusing sight after the Joe & Mika event Sam Stein came in with an IPAD and he Joe and several of us watched the end of regulation of the Steelers Broncos game.

By the time I left the room, and went next door to the Yard to eat Tebow had already thrown an 80 yard touchdown pass to win the game and send Denver on a trip to New England.

At that point twitter exploded particularly since he through for 3:16 yards. The sheer anger of people over Tebow’s success is so amazing and so irrational that it defies belief, but I’ll tell you this: If Tebow was Muslim, Hindu, a Sikh or any other non Judeo-Christian denomination the same people excoriating him would be cheering him as a fresh face and a sign of diversity.

Well I have more events to hit but so as not to cop out here is my prediction for Tuesday

1. Romney, 2. Paul. 3. Huntsman 4. Santorum, 5. Gingrich, 6. Roemer, 7. Perry

We’ll find out how right I am next time.

Obama Chief of Staff Bill Daley to Step Down, Serve on Obama’s Campaign

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From Fox News:

As the White House prepares for a tough reelection race amid difficulty working with Congress to correct a slow economy, Bill Daley, President Obama’s chief of staff, is resigning his post to return to Chicago and serve as co-chairman of Obama’s 2012 campaign team.

White House budget chief Jack Lew will take Daley’s place, Obama said in a State Dining Room announcement Monday that did not acknowledge Daley’s new role.

Calling Daley’s decision to depart “difficult for me,” Obama said Daley wanted to return home to Chicago to spend time with family, and now was the right time.

“One of the things that made it easier was the extraordinary work that he has done for me during what has been an extraordinary year. Bill has been an outstanding chief of staff during one of the busiest and the most consequential years of my administration,” Obama said.

Daley entered the White House a year ago after Rahm Emanuel left to become Chicago mayor, replacing Daley’s retiring brother, Richard Daley, in that post.

Cornyn Statement Following Report that U.S. Debt is Larger Than Economy

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From the Texas Insider:

‘Rather than listening to the campaign advice coming from Chicago, the President should heed the advice of his own fiscal commission’

Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Finance and Budget Committees, today issued this statement following a report that the national debt is now larger than our entire economy:

“This dismal benchmark underscores the President’s aversion to making tough fiscal choices in an election year. Rather than listening to the campaign advice coming from Chicago, the President should heed the advice of his own fiscal commission.“Next month the President will submit his budget to Congress and voters will see if we have a leader who possesses the audacity to right the ship, or one who will continue to lead us down a path that has brought economies in Western Europe to their knees.”

What if Tommy Thompson Threw a 25th Anniversary Gala and Nobody Came?

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Link:

That’s what happened this weekend in a humid embarrassment for Tommy Thompson and the Republican Senate nomination.

For weeks, Thompson’s bumbling campaign had been advertising Saturday’s $50-per-head fiesta at the Concourse Hotel as a chance for everyone to get together to throw back highballs and kneel at the Altar of Tommy, harkening back to a time when welfare moms were on the run, Scott Walker was getting kicked out of Marquette student elections and high-speed rail was just a twinkle in Tommy’s eye.

Back in those days, a Tommy event would have packed the Concourse to the gills with hard-partying lobbyists and supporters.

And that’s what Saturday’s organizers must have expected to mark the 25th anniversary of his ascendance to governor, setting up a second-floor ballroom for a banging party-complete with cash bar, a buffet and a D.J., who just might have had some Phil Collins and Bananarama up his sleeve.

In a hallway outside the ballroom was set up a sort of reliquary to the Time of Tommy, complete with yellowing newspaper articles, tattered old campaign brochures, some Tommy hats, pens, awards and other knickknacks. There were pictures from the 1980s of him jogging. An engraved cigar box. And more pens (man, he likes pens).

At the scheduled hour of the event, there were fewer than a dozen supporters in a room outfitted for an entire Tommy battalion.

The troops never came. People mingled uncomfortably, the bartender looked distractedly into space, the music played too loudly for the empty room.

Then at some point, accompanied by a half dozen staffers that added significantly to the crowd being swallowed by the vastness of the room….Tommy!

To his credit, he was able to shake everyone’s hand.

Obama’s Failure Of Leadership

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The Growing National Debt Is ‘Now As Big As The Entire U.S. Economy’ Despite President Obama’s Promises That He Would Stop Adding To It

 

Debt ‘Now Tops $15.23 Trillion,’ More Than ‘The Value Of All Goods And Services The U.S. Economy Produces In One Year’

 

“The soaring national debt has reached a symbolic tipping point: It’s now as big as the entire U.S. economy.” (“U.S. Debt Is Now Equal To Economy,” USA Today, 1/9/12)

 

  • “The amount of money the federal government owes to its creditors, combined with IOUs to government retirement and other programs, now tops $15.23 trillion. That’s roughly equal to the value of all goods and services the U.S. economy produces in one year: $15.17 trillion as of September, the latest estimate.” (“U.S. Debt Is Now Equal To Economy,” USA Today, 1/9/12)

The ‘Buck Stops’ With President Obama, Who Promised ‘To Stop Adding To Our Deficit’  

THEN-SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL): “Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here.’ Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership.” (Sen. Obama, Congressional Record, S.2237-8, 3/16/06)

 

  • OBAMA: “The first thing you do when you’re in a hole is what? … you stop digging. So the first thing that we’re going to have to do is to stop adding to our deficit.” OBAMA: “Keep in mind, the first 42 presidents, they amassed $5 trillion worth of debt, the first 42 of them. The first couple of hundred years-plus of American history, we accumulated $5 trillion. Now we’re at $9 trillion. That’s just bad — that’s not being fiscally conservative. And so we’re going to have to change our policies. Now, it’s going to be — let me say this. It’s not going to be completely easy, because we’re in a hole. And the first thing you do when you’re in a hole is what?” (UNKNOWN): “Stop digging.” OBAMA: “Stop digging. Who got that right? There you go. You stop digging. So the first thing that we’re going to have to do is to stop adding to our deficit.” (Sen. Obama, Remarks To Campaign Event, Watertown, SD, 5/16/08)

 

JACK LEW: “The problem is that, for years, we have just put it on the national credit card. And we have built up the debt… we say it’s time to stop.” (PBS, 2/14/11)

 

$4.61 Trillion Added To Debt Since January ‘09 (“The Debt To The Penny And Who Holds It,” U.S. Treasury Department, Accessed 1/9/12)

PRO-TROOP GROUP CALLS FOR THREAT OF FORCE TO FREE AMERICAN PRISONER HELD CAPTIVE BY IRANIAN REGIME

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Sacramento, Calif. - The nation’s largest grassroots pro-troop organization, Move America Forward, which advocates for American troops and their missions in the war on terror, is furious that Iranian officials have passed a death sentence on an American citizen held in their captivity and the weak response from the Obama administration.


“Amir Hekmati is an American citizen and former US Marine. He’s been sentenced to death the terrorist regime currently ruling Iran. We demand to know why President Obama and his team could not prevent this fiasco, which is now a public embarrassment for the United States, and what they are doing to get Amir safely back home where he belongs.” said Danny Gonzalez, Director of Communications for the group.

“This is the latest in a string of outrages from Iran,” said Gonzalez. “The Administration comes off as very weak in their response to Iranian aggression. When the Iranians recovered a downed US drone, President Obama did nothing to recover it or blow it up to deny the Iranians access to it. He simply ‘asked nicely’ for them to give it back, a request laughed at by the Iranians. When the Iranian Navy puts on a show of force, threatening to blockade the critical Straight of Hormuz, President Obama backs down or says nothing. It’s very perplexing and makes us look weak, why isn’t Obama threatening Iran with severe consequences for their actions against us?” asked Gonzalez.

“Judging from his lack of action on the issue before us today, we are afraid President Obama may allow the Iranians to do whatever they want to their victim Amir Hekmati. American citizens deserve better than to be abandoned by their leaders and government. We implore President Obama to use whatever threat of force or use of force may be necessary to recover Amir Hekmati.  And if he does nothing, any harm that comes to Hekmati at the hands of his Iranian captors will be attributed to the administration’s lack of action and lack of courage.” warned Gonzalez.

Ohio Democrats Desprate Attempt to Slam Josh Mandel’s Work Schedule

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From the Cleveland Plain Dealder

Ohio Democrats ask to see Josh Mandel’s work schedule

WASHINGTON — The Ohio Democratic Party says that state Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican, is spending too much time tending to political duties, short-changing the citizens.

Mandel, who now has served a year as treasurer, is running for U.S. Senate, hoping to unseat Democratic incumbent Sen. Sherrod Brown in November. But that requires time and money. So Mandel  travels the country, from Hawaii to the East Coast, taking in millions for his Senate campaign and winning significant political endorsements.

Has he neglected his current job?

The former state representative, who also served as a Lyndhurst councilman and as a Marine in Iraq, says no. He can multitask.  And he regularly sends out announcements saying his office is doing the job Mandel said it would do when he ran for treasurer.

But Mandel recently declined a long-standing invitation to appear before the Akron Press Club, telling club organizers that he was “too busy.” His media strategy has him being selective, not only in terms of whom he’ll grant interviews to (conservative program hosts, for the most part) but also about giving his opinion to the Ohio press on U.S. Senate issues.

That might be smart politically; he’ll probably be much more accessible later in the year. But Democrats say Mandel, while too busy to address Ohioans through the  media, seems to consistently find time to fly out of state to raise money for his political campaign.

So Ohio Democratic chief Chris Redfern is asking: Exactly what is Mandel’s work schedule like?

Today, Redfern sent a letter to the treasurer’s office asking for “the daily schedule of Treasurer of State Josh Mandel from January 10, 2011 to January 9, 2012.”

The letter is brief and mostly has boilerplate public-records-request language.

We’re awaiting a response from Mandel.

“Youth Misery Index” Exposes Worsening Economic Hardship for Young Americans

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From the Young America’s Foundation:

YMIGHERNDON, VA – Young America’s Foundation has released the Youth Misery Index (YMI), which has reached a record high (90.6) and has grown more than 25 percent in four years—17 percent since the Obama administration took office.

To calculate the index, Young America’s Foundation adds together youth unemployment, average graduating student debt (in thousands), and national debt per capita (in thousands). At no point in recent history has life been harder for America’s young people.

The Youth Misery Index represents a three-pronged attack on young Americans’ financial security—educational debt from their past, unemployment in the present, and a future plagued by the burden of massive government debt.

Youth unemployment is at 17.4 percent—one of the highest levels since World War II​. Average graduating student debt has reached a record-breaking $26,300. National debt per capita is $46,900—the highest ever. Add it up, and the Youth Misery Index comes out to 90.6 (17.4 + 26.3 + 46.9 = 90.6). What does this number mean? Like Jimmy Carter’s Misery Index, the YMI uncovers some real threats to our nation’s prosperity.

As explained at YouthMiseryIndex.com, all three indicators of the Youth Misery Index have gone up, at least in part, thanks to government intervention and out-of-control spending. Few things are more earth-shattering to a young person than being stuck with no job and tens of thousands in college debt. As the Youth Misery Index rises, look for the Obama administration’s youth support to continue to plummet (as reported by the New York Times).

Young America’s Foundation’s Ron Meyer, who developed the Youth Misery Index with support from Nathan Harden, a Novak Fellow with the Phillips Foundation, said, “As a recent college graduate myself, I’ve seen the harsh realities of the Youth Misery Index. Young people can and must be the catalyst to shock the establishment by advocating for the halt of big government. If we do nothing, we can kiss the American Dream goodbye.”