Currently viewing the tag: “2012”
Rep. Michele Bachmann
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann was on Hannity’s show last night to talk about the upcoming 2012 race and when she’ll make her decision.
Just today, numbers came out and Bachmann raised more money than Romney this first quarter.
Washington (CNN) – Politics is serious business – but not all the time.
April Fools!
President Obama should be re-elected in 2012, according to a spoof re-election ad paid for by the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
“Today, we celebrate a president that brought Americans together (images then appear of Tea Party protests) … celebrate the end to our dependence on American energy (image showing gas prices, referring to U.S. dependence on foreign oil).
Full Story
“America need more changing.”
Barack Obama will start fundraising for his re-election campaign soon, and what better way to make that successful than to release a video detailing his achievements in office? After seeing this, I’m totally stoked for another four years of Hope and Change. We have to spend money to cut money, as our esteemed VP reminds […]
The NRSC helpfully provides President Obama with his first campaign ad of the 2012 cycle:
The NRSC helpfully provides President Obama with his first campaign ad of the 2012 cycle:
The ACA Litigation Blog reports that there are now four ObamaCare cases scheduled to be argued at the Court of Appeals level this summer:
May 10: Virginia v. Sebelius and Liberty University v. Geithner at the Fourth Circuit (Richmond).
June 1: Thomas More Law Center v. Obama at the Sixth Circuit (Cincinnati).
June 8: Florida v. HHS at the Eleventh Circuit (Atlanta).
Yet to be scheduled: Seven-Sky v. Holder (CADC), Baldwin v. Sebelius (CA9), and N.J. Physicians v. President (CA3).
What this means is that all of these cases could theoretically reach the Supreme Court by the fall:
The reason is that, with now four cases to be heard by the courts of appeals on an expedited basis in May and June, the decisions from the circuits are likely to come down by the end of the summer. The losing side then has 90 days to file a petition for a writ of certiorari, and the winner 30 days to respond, at which point the petition will be calendared at the Supreme Court. (The loser can accelerate the schedule by filing the cert petition sooner.)
It now seems quite likely that at least one of these cases, and perhaps several, will generate petitions for certiorari soon enough for the Court to resolve them before mid-January 2012. (That is typically the cut-off between Terms; petitions granted after mid-January are typically argued the following autumn.) Thus, the timeline is such that the Court is likely to grant one of the cert petitions in late fall of this year, hear argument in the spring of 2012, and issue a decision by the end of June 2012.
There are several caveats, of course. The Courts of Appeals could take time issuing their decisions, meaning that the time to appeal to the Supreme Court would be pushed back and the case may not get argued until the October 2012 term. Given that all three courts have placed these cases on an expedited calender, though, that seems unlikely. With regard to Virginia v. Sebelius specifically, the Supreme Court could decide to accept Virginia’s application for direct appeal to the Supreme Court, although that seems unlikely. Finally, of course, the Court could decide not to accept any of these cases for appeal but that also seems unlikely given the fact that they impact such a substantial federal law.
More likely than not, then, the Supreme Court seems on track to issue a decision on whether or not President Obama’s signature legislative achievement is Constitutional right before the start of the 2012 election campaign. That should make things very interesting.
Messina has been telling the elite donor ranks Obama will have to raise "north of $ 750 million," a reference to the amount raised for 2008 — and the $ 1 billion the Obama money machine may need for 2012.
Washington (CNN) – Iowa and New Hampshire: get ready to share the stage.
April is shaping up as the unofficial launch of the South Carolina campaign, with several potential Republican presidential candidates readying appearances in the first-in-the-south primary state and a flurry of 2012 straw polls planned for local party events from the conservative upstate on down to the coast.
The month of stepped-up politicking will culminate on the first weekend in May with a Republican presidential debate in Greenville followed by two days of partisan cheerleading at the state GOP convention in Columbia.
This Saturday marks the beginning of the South Carolina’s county convention season, when Republican activists gather in high school gyms and cafeterias to attend to local party business and tap delegates for the statewide convention.
But these grassroots gatherings, held over a three-week period in each of the South Carolina’s 46 counties, also offer a precious chance for potential presidential candidates to introduce themselves to the state’s most dedicated Republican voters.
And for political observers eager for insight on the state of the 2012 race, the parade of small-scale events offers a window into how hard-core Republican activists view the early field of presidential contenders.
“It’s a wide-open race in South Carolina because the candidates really haven’t been spending much time here,” said York County GOP Chairman Glenn McCall.
Multiple candidates are now seizing the opportunity to make an impression.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum – who has made a dozen trips to the state, far more than any other potential candidate – will be in Conway on Saturday to shake hands at the Horry County GOP convention.
That same morning in a different corner of the state, York County Republican Party officials will run a 2012 presidential straw poll at their own convention.
Perhaps a more instructive straw poll will take place the following Saturday in Greenville, home to the state’s largest county-level Republican Party organization and ground-zero for South Carolina’s evangelical community. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, won the county in the 2008 presidential primary despite losing the pivotal contest to John McCain.
Santorum, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich are all expected to attend the Greenville event on April 9, followed by the Spartanburg County convention occurring later that morning and just a few miles up I-85.
Another 2012 straw poll will be conducted on April 15 at the Charleston County convention, likely to be one of the largest Republican gatherings of the season.
And one more is planned for the next day in conservative Lexington County, a perennial GOP bellwether and the political home base of Gov. Nikki Haley.
Barbour is expected to return to the state that weekend to attend the Lexington convention.
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, another likely 2012 contender, will be in the Hilton Head area that weekend raising money and rallying Tea Party activists.
The fresh round of activity can’t arrive soon enough for the small army of GOP activists and party professionals accustomed to having their rings kissed every four years or so by governors, senators and congressmen who pass through the state with dreams of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Ever since Lee Atwater arranged for the state to hold an early primary in 1980 to prop up conservative Ronald Reagan on his way to the Republican nomination, no GOP hopeful has earned his party’s nod without first winning South Carolina.
“It’s been very, very sleepy,” said Republican strategist Warren Tompkins. “The notable frontrunners have basically stayed away. It’s got to pick up because in order to win the primary, you have to go around the track a few times. It’s very much still a retail state, so the candidates are going to have come down here and use up some shoe leather.”
At this point in 2007, as in Iowa and New Hampshire, the presidential campaigns had already organized steering committees and placed key staffers in South Carolina. Not so this time.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney spent a small fortune in an effort to win the South Carolina primary in 2008 but finished in a disappointing fourth place.
Romney returned in 2010 to campaign for Haley during her successful gubernatorial bid and contributed tens of thousands of dollars to her campaign, but he has since been absent from the state and has no immediate plans to come back.
Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has hired staffers in Iowa and New Hampshire, but he has no one working for him on the ground in Columbia.
Pawlenty has quietly reached out to key players, though. Last month, during a day-long trip to the state, he met with Haley in her office at the state house. He also had a private breakfast with former Attorney General Henry McMaster in Columbia, and later dined with state Treasurer Curtis Loftis, who has boosted his profile in recent weeks by sparring with Haley over the state budget.
Huckabee has made repeated visits to the state to sign books, and he maintains a robust network of loyal grassroots supporters who could easily form the backbone of a campaign if he decides to run again. Hogan Gidley, the executive director of Huckabee’s political action committee, is a former South Carolina Republican Party official and continues to make his home in the state.
Still, the Fox News talker has done next-to-nothing to mount a repeat bid in South Carolina, even though many local GOP insiders believe that he would be the immediate frontrunner in the state if he joined the fray.
No one has heard from Sarah Palin. The former Alaska governor appeared in the state for a few hours last December for a tightly-controlled book signing and promptly left.
Other potential candidates have been more aggressive.
Tompkins, who managed Romney’s South Carolina effort during the 2008 race, told CNN he will work for Barbour, a longtime friend, during the 2012 cycle.
“If he runs, I told him I would do whatever he needs me to do,” Tompkins said. “I am supporting him, yes.”
Charleston-based strategist Jim Dyke is heading up Barbour’s national communications effort. And Greenville consultant Chip Felkel, who set up a series of meetings with state GOP bigwigs for Barbour in January, said he plans to support the Mississippi governor if he officially jumps into the race.
Gingrich, meanwhile, has lined up former South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson and veteran consultant Walter Whetsell to steer his potential campaign.
Richard Quinn, who managed John McCain’s two primary campaigns in the state, has said he will back Jon Huntsman should the ambassador to China decide to join the field after he leaves his post in the Obama administration at the end of April.
Organizing political activity in the state for Bachmann is Sheri Few, a Lugoff-based activist who will likely play a role in the campaign if the Minnesota Tea Party favorite decides to enter the race.
President Barack Obama’s poll numbers are tanking …
As Obama’s dithering continues so does the downward spiral of his poll numbers. Obama’s indecision and lack of a clear message in the “kinetic military operation” WAR in Libya, Obamacare debacle and additional waiver requests, continues poor economy and elevated oil prices have all added to Obama’s poor job approval numbers. According to the most recent Quinnipiac University National Poll, The One’s job approval rating is at 48% disapprove and only 42% approve.
Making matter worse for Obama, 50% do not believe that Barack Obama deserves a second term as President while only 41% believe he does. Hardly a good sign for an incumbent President seeking reelection in 2012. The lack of leadership and incoherent waffling message to the American people on any topic these days is wearing thin.
American voters disapprove 48 – 42 percent of the job President Barack Obama is doing and say 50 – 41 percent he does not deserve to be re-elected in 2012,both all-time lows, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
This compares to a 46 – 46 percent job approval rating and a 45 – 47 percent split on the President’s re-election in a March 3 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University. In a hypothetical 2012 matchup, President Obama gets 36 percent of the vote to 37 percent for an unnamed Republican challenger.Democrats approve 80 – 13 percent of the job Obama is doing, but disapproval is 81 – 9 percent among Republicans and 50 – 39 percent among independent voters. Men disapprove 52 – 41 percent while women split 44 – 44 percent.
Why are these polling numbers so alarming? These are the lowest job approval numbers for Obama in the Quinnipiac poll, even lower than any in 2010. Obama even loses to an unnamed GOP candidate in this poll 37% to 36%. How can that be good news for any incumbent politician?
Barack Obama also failed miserably in this poll in handling the federal budget 64% disapprove – 30% approve, the economy 60% disapprove – 30% approve, foreign policy disapprove 47% – approve 41%, healthcare disapprove 55% – 38% approve.
More at Wake Up America with the trending downward polling data of Barack Obama. 2012 is right around the corner.
Washington (CNN) – Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld gave his view of the 2012 presidential campaign field by saying, “I would recommend letting these people run around the track for a while, see how they do.”
In an interview that aired Wednesday on CNN’s “John King, USA” Rumsfeld wouldn’t divulge who out of the potential candidates would garner his support, but he mused about the pivotal moment in time for a presidential election.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2011/03/30/jk.rumsfeld.2012.cnn
“They’re gonna have to deal with tough issues, with surprises. It’s gonna range from economic issues to social issues to foreign policy and defense issue, and it’s a tough job running for president. They’re gonna have to meet new issues and tough questions,” Rumsfeld told CNN’s King.
“Oh I think its kind of an unusual opportunity we have. We have … no sitting president in our party, no sitting vice president, and no logical candidate who’d run before, so its a fresh, clean slate,” Rumsfeld said.
During the interview, Rumsfeld touched on other issues, including the situation in Libya. He also took a trip down memory lane, reminiscing about his years as a congressman when John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson manned the White House. Rumsfeld was also White House chief of staff during part of the Ford administration and filled various roles for the Nixon administration.
Rumsfeld – who resigned from the Pentagon post the day after the 2006 midterm elections, when the Republican party lost control of Congress – published a memoir recently detailing his insights about the Bush administration, 9/11, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Rumsfeld praised the Tea Party for “bringing more people into politics,” a sentiment he has vocalized before.
“I think it’s a healthy thing to have the Tea Party, myself,” Rumsfeld said, “I think that if you believe in democracy, having more people engaged and interested is a healthy thing.”
Southern comfort.
Alternate headline: “Haley Barbour figures out way to alienate entire conservative blogosphere.” In the unlikely event that you need it explained to you why this is such a good idea, here you go. Representatives of Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour have been trying to set up a time with Huckabee aides for the two Southern governors […]
Days ago Roy Moore, a former Alabama chief justice known for his refusal to remove a Ten Commandments monument from court property, stood on the steps of the Iowa Capitol and voiced his opposition to same-sex marriage rights in the Hawkeye State. Now he’s considering a much longer Iowa engagement while he pursues the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
Zachery Michael, an aide to Moore, told CNN Monday night that an official announcement of Moore’s presidential exploratory committee will be made in April.
Moore will potentially seek the nomination because “we’ve seen the same type of politician running for president – the elitist type,” Michael said. “What sets him a part is he can connect to all Americans and has an idea of what Americans are going through. We are seeing the same types of people run and we aren’t getting anywhere.”
Moore became a celebrity of social conservatives in 2003 when he refused a federal court order to remove a self-commissioned monument depicting the Ten Commandments from the grounds of the Alabama court. After being removed from his judicial post as a result of the incident, Moore unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for Alabama governor once in 2006 and a second time in 2010.
According to CNN’s interview with Michael, the move into an already flush field of Republicans considering a bid for the White House was being considered by Moore as early as September 2010, following trips into Iowa where Moore garnered support from local tea party and religious activists.
Moore has made at least five public visits to the Hawkeye State since the Iowa Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in April 2009. Most recently he served as the keynote speaker at a Des Moines rally organized by Bob Vander Plaats, head of the conservative Family Leader organization, to pressure Democratic lawmakers into allowing a popular vote on civil marriage rights.
“No society is prepared to deal with the problems arising out of same-sex marriages; child abuse, adoption, divorce, foster care, alimony, and the list goes on and on,” Moore said as the crowd nodded in agreement and called out in support.
Many Iowans are aware that actor and conservative activist Chuck Norris endorsed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee during the 2008 presidential contests, and also that Norris loaned his star-power to then-gubernatorial candidate Vander Plaats in 2010. Vander Plaats was not, however, the only gubernatorial candidate that earned a nod from Norris. Also on the list was Moore, who was seeking Alabama’s governorship. Moore, who lost his first bid for the GOP nomination by a roughly two-to-one margin, finished fourth in the 2010 primary, having garnered roughly 20 percent of the vote.
The balloon being floated by Moore’s people comes at a time when socially conservative GOP candidates have found significant favor among Iowa Republicans. Although local party activists continue to hold the type of small gatherings with potential presidential candidates that have made the state’s first-in-the-nation status famous, socially conservative organizations have long been hosting much larger rallies and multi-city events around key issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion.
As Iowa Republican Doug Gross noted in a recent interview with The New York Times, “We look like Camp Christian out here. If Iowa becomes some extraneous right-wing outpost, you have to question whether it is going to be a good place to vet your presidential candidates.”
The politically fertile ground in Iowa has definitely sprouted a wealth of socially conservative politicians who are at least considering a 2012 run, but it remains to be seen if the roughly 60 percent majority of So-Con Iowa caucus-goers can simultaneously keep two or three candidates viable and, thus, in the national spotlight. Even in 2008, when Iowa’s religious-minded focused their attention on Huckabee, the push forward wasn’t enough to convince other early states — not even with predominantly fiscal candidates U.S. Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney splitting more moderate support.
If, however, two or three strict social conservatives remain in the race and wind up splitting evangelical support in the Hawkeye State, the situation could produce a small opening that might be used to a centrist candidate’s advantage.
by Javier Manjarres
The 2012 U.S. Senate race in Florida is beginning to come into sharper focus in the wake of Congressman Connie Mack’s announcement last week which removed himself from consideration in the race. We’ve also learned that another potential ‘wild card” candidate, Nick Loeb, will not be running as well- a close source to Loeb has told the Shark Tank. The field as it now stands includes the already announced Mike Haridopolos and Mike McCalister as well as potential candidates George LeMieux and Former House Majority Leader Adam Hasner. While Hasner and LeMieux have yet to formally announce, both appear to be very close to making their candidacies official.
Who do you think is the strongest Republican candidate out there (announced or otherwise) that can defeat incumbent Senator Bill Nelson? Weigh in on the poll below, and tell us why you think they’re the best positioned to become Florida’s next Senator.
Download Podcast | iTunes | Podcast Feed
On today’s edition of Coffee and Markets, Brad Jackson is joined by Matt Lewis to discuss Obama’s Libya speech, Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich and more.
We’re brought to you as always by BigGovernment and Stephen Clouse and Associates. If you’d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show.
Related Links:
Obama’s Libya Speech: What Worked; What Didn’t
Tim Pawlenty Winning The ‘Matt Lewis Primary’
Newt Gingrich’s ‘Lake’ Analogy Doesn’t Hold Water
Matt Lewis’ Blog at the Daily Caller
Peter Huntsman confirmed to Bloomberg that his brother, U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman (R), is “interested at some point” in running for president but “that’s not necessarily in 2012.”
He added: “There is a real need in this country for a politician who
can have a focus on economic progress and economic development
and deficit reduction.”
Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire
