2011年6月27日星期一

Romney and Bachmann lead Iowa poll (Reuters)

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DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) – Republican front-runner Mitt Romney and U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann led a closely watched presidential poll of Iowa Republicans, the state that holds the first contest in the nomination battle.

The Iowa caucuses, often held on a frigid winter night that can limit turnout to those most committed, often serves to winnow the field of candidates.

Whoever captures the nomination in the unsettled Republican field is expected to challenge Democratic President Barack Obama in the November 2012 general election.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, led the poll of likely caucus-goers with 23 percent, followed by 22 percent support for Bachmann, who is from neighboring Minnesota and a favorite of fiscal conservatives and the Tea Party.

Businessman Herman Cain had 10 percent support in the poll, U.S. Representative Ron Paul of Texas and former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich followed with 7 percent. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty had 6 percent while former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum got 4 percent and former U.S. envoy to China Jon Huntsman followed with 2 percent.

The Des Moines Register poll has in the past been an accurate barometer of support in the key state, and it often sets a benchmark for candidate momentum as the race takes shape. This is the first Iowa poll for the upcoming election.

The poll of 400 likely Republican caucus-goers by pollster Selzer & Co was conducted June 19 to 22 and had a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.

In 2008, the poll correctly predicted wins for Republican former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who got support from Iowa's strong contingent of social conservatives, and for then-U.S. Senator Obama. Obama went on to win the presidency over Republican nominee John McCain.

Romney has consistently been the early front-runner in national polls for the 2012 Republican nomination but he has said he would not participate in the informal Iowa straw poll held in August. He had a disappointing second-place finish in the 2008 Iowa caucuses despite pouring resources into the race.

Iowa's first-in-the nation caucuses are widely seen as vital to the presidential hopes of Bachmann and Pawlenty of nearby Iowa.

Bachmann was set to formally announce her candidacy on

Monday in Waterloo, Iowa, where she spent her early childhood.

Last weekend, Texas' Paul won a non-binding preference poll at a Republican conference in New Orleans. Huntsman joined the field last week but said he will not campaign in Iowa, betting on a good showing in New Hampshire's primary roughly a week later.

The Republican field may expand, with the intentions of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Texas Governor Rick Perry unknown.

(Reporting by Kay Henderson and Andrew Stern; Editing by Bill Trott)


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Gay marriage backers: NY vote has national impact (AP)

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NEW YORK – Many obstacles still lie ahead for supporters of same-sex marriage, and eventually they will need Congress or the Supreme Court to embrace their goal. For the moment, though, they are jubilantly channeling the lyrics of "New York, New York."

"Now that we've made it here, we'll make it everywhere," said prominent activist Evan Wolfson, who took up the cause of marriage equality as a law student three decades ago.

With a historic vote by its Legislature late Friday, New York became the sixth — and by far the most populous — state to legalize same-sex marriage since Massachusetts led the way, under court order, in 2004.

With the new law, which takes effect after 30 days, the number of Americans in same-sex marriage states more than doubles. New York's population of 19 million surpasses the combined total of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Iowa, plus the District of Columbia.

The outcome — a product of intensive lobbying by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo — will have nationwide repercussions. Activists hope the New York vote will help convince judges and politicians across the country, including a hesitant President Barack Obama, that support of same-sex marriage is now a mainstream viewpoint and a winning political stance.

"New York sends the message that marriage equality across the country is a question of `when,' not `if,'" said Fred Sainz, a vice president of the Human Rights Campaign.

Wolfson, president of the advocacy group Freedom to Marry, said the goal is attainable by 2020, or sooner, "if we do the work and keep making the case."

The work — as envisioned by leading activists — is a three-pronged strategy unfolding at the state level, in dealings with Congress and the Obama administration, and in the courts where several challenges to the federal ban on gay marriage are pending.

"This will be a big boost to our efforts nationally," said Richard Socarides, a former Clinton White House adviser on gay rights. "It will help in the pending court cases to show that more states are adopting same-sex marriage, and it will help in the court of public opinion."

The New York bill cleared the Republican-controlled Senate by a 33-29 margin, thanks to crucial support from four GOP senators who joined all but one Democrat in voting yes. The Democratic-led Assembly, which previously approved the bill, passed the Senate's stronger religious exemptions in the measure, and Cuomo swiftly signed it into law.

Gay rights activists have been heaping praise on Cuomo for leading the push for the bill, seizing on an issue that many politicians of both parties have skirted. Yet the Senate vote marked the first time a Republican-controlled legislative chamber in any state has supported same-sex marriage, and several prominent Republican donors contributed to the lobbying campaign on behalf of the bill.

For those engaged in the marriage debate nationally, recent months have been a political rollercoaster.

Bills to legalize same-sex marriage failed in Maryland and Rhode Island despite gay rights activists' high hopes. However, Illinois, Hawaii and Delaware approved civil unions, joining five other states — California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington — that provide gay couples with extensive marriage-like rights.

Adding those eight states to the six that allow gay marriage, more than 35 percent of Americans now live in states where gay couples can effectively attain the rights and responsibilities of marriage. Just 11 years ago, no states offered such rights.

For now, gay couples cannot get married in 44 states, and 30 of them have taken the extra step of passing constitutional amendments banning gay marriage. Minnesota's Republican-controlled Legislature has placed such an amendment on the 2012 ballot.

Brian Brown, president of the conservative National Organization for Marriage, vowed to seek defeat of the New York Republicans who helped the marriage bill pass. He also predicted victory for the amendment to ban gay marriage next year in Minnesota, and said this would belie the claims that the same-sex marriage campaign would inevitably prevail nationwide.

"We've won every free, fair vote of the people," Brown said Saturday. "Backroom deals in Albany are not an indication of what people in this country think about marriage."

Efforts may surface in some states to repeal the existing marriage bans, but the prospect of dismantling all of them on a state-by-state basis is dim. In Mississippi, for example, a ban won support of 86 percent of the voters in 2004.

Thus, looking long term, gay marriage advocates see nationwide victory coming in one of two ways — either congressional legislation or a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that would require all states to recognize same-sex marriages.

"The way you do that is creating a critical mass of states and a critical mass of public opinion — some combination that will encourage Congress and the Supreme Court," Wolfson said. "By winning New York, we add tremendous energy to the national conversation that grows the majority."

Shorter term, gay rights activists and their allies in Congress would like to repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal recognition to same-sex marriages. The act is being challenged in several court cases, and Obama ordered his administration in February to stop defending the law on the grounds it is unconstitutional.

Democrats in Congress have introduced a bill to repeal the law, while the Republican leadership in the House has pledged to defend it.

Obama, when elected, said he supported broadening rights for gay couples but opposed legalizing same-sex marriage. More recently, he has said his position is "evolving," and he asked gay activists at a New York City fundraiser Thursday for patience.

Nonetheless, frustrations are mounting. Freedom to Marry says more than 112,000 people have signed its "Say I Do" appeal to the president, and gay marriage supporters have launched an EvolveAlready campaign on Twitter.

"We hope that, through this public pressure, we'll be able to move the president to understand that he's falling behind the majority of Americans who see marriage equality as a key civil right," said Robin McGehee of the advocacy group GetEqual.

Several recent opinion polls — by Gallup and The Associated Press, among others — have shown that a majority of Americans now approve of same-sex marriage, which a decade ago lagged below 40 percent support. Particularly strong backing for gay marriage among young people, who've grown up watching gay friendly films and TV programs, has prompted many analysts across the political spectrum to suggest the trend is irreversible.

Some conservatives, however, say the opinion polls are belied in the voting booth and point to the steady stream of approvals of state-level bans on same-sex marriage.

"The opposition has created an illusion of momentum but not a real base of support or track record of victory in the courts," said Brian Raum, senior counsel with the conservative Alliance Defense Fund.

Mary Bonauto would disagree.

An attorney with Boston-based Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, she has spent two decades battling for legal recognition of same-sex relationships. She helped win the landmark court rulings that led to civil unions in Vermont in 2000 and same-sex marriage in Massachusetts in 2004.

Even in the 1990s, she recalled thinking the cause eventually would prevail nationwide.

"I could see attitudes change," she said. "Eventually we have to have one standard of justice in this country and establish that sexual orientation is not a basis for discrimination."

She recalled setbacks just a few years ago in New York — a 2006 Court of Appeals ruling that there was no constitutional right to same-sex marriage in the state, and the decisive defeat of a same-sex marriage bill in the state Senate in 2009.

"The switch this time tells us there's a lot of momentum pointing toward marriage equality," Bonauto said.

Vermont lawyer Beth Robinson, now counsel for Gov. Peter Shumlin, worked with Bonauto in the late 1990s on the case that led to the state's pioneering civil union law. She expects the move toward nationwide same-sex marriage will be bumpy but inexorable.

"As people get to know their gay and lesbian neighbors, friends and family, the notion of denying those families equal rights becomes untenable," she said. "For New York to go there, on a vote rather that a court order, is huge ... It's a victory not just for New York, but for the whole country."

Robinson said Vermont, which legalized same-sex marriage in 2009, offered a lesson to wary Americans in other states.

"It isn't that the sky isn't falling — it's more positive than that," she said. "Vermont is a better place for it. Each of us has the opportunity to be our best selves."

Among the New Yorkers who will now get that opportunity are Richard Dorr, 84, and John Mace, 91, who have been partners for 61 years while pursuing successful careers as voice teachers in Manhattan.

"We thought about getting married in Massachusetts, but it just didn't seem to jibe right," said Dorr. "It should be in the state where you live."

They plan to seek a marriage license as swiftly as possible but don't envision a lavish ceremony.

"Just a couple of witnesses and a justice of the peace," Dorr said.

When they fell in love, back in 1950, "marriage never crossed our mind," he added. "It was just that we had to be together. We could not stay away."


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Illinois governor signs election law favoring Democrats (Reuters)

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CHICAGO (Reuters) – Illinois Democratic Governor Pat Quinn signed into law on Friday a new congressional district map that could reverse gains Republicans made in the state in 2010 midterm elections.

Democrats were able to leverage their control of the General Assembly and a Democratic governor to approve a new election map for 2012 that analysts said could help Democrats win at least three more congressional seats in the state.

The effects of the law, which Republicans or third-party interest groups may challenge in court, would be to pit strong Republicans against each other, extend Chicago Democratic incumbent districts into suburban Republican districts, and incorporate new voter blocs into Republican strongholds.

Quinn denied that the redistricting was a partisan ploy by Democrats.

"This map is fair, maintains competitiveness within congressional districts, and protects the voting rights of minority communities," Quinn said.

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady differed.

"This bill is a crass, partisan political move to silence the voices of Illinoisans, who last November made it very clear that they wanted to fire Nancy Pelosi by electing a majority Republican Congressional Delegation from the home state of President Obama," Brady said.

The Illinois Republican Party's lawyers will review the maps to see if any state or federal laws have been broken, said Jonathan Blessing, a party spokesman.

In the 2010 midterm elections, Republicans picked up 60 House seats nationally, knocking Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi from power and putting Republicans in charge of House committees. It was the biggest shift in power in the House since Democrats gained 75 House seats in 1948.

But Democratic analysts believe Illinois and California, where Democrats are still in power at the state level, are their best chances to gain back seats in 2012 through redistricting.

Republicans in power in most of the Midwest and South are drawing maps in those states seeking to protect new Republican members of Congress elected in 2010.

In Illinois, Republicans picked up four seats in 2010 to hold an overall edge of 11 to 8 in the state's congressional delegation. They also kept control of the wealthy North Shore suburban Chicago district vacated by Republican Mark Kirk's successful Senate bid.

Illinois will lose one of its 19 congressional seats due to slow population growth relative to other states, according to the federal census.

Andy Shaw, President of the Better Government Association, said the Illinois map was partisan politics as usual.

"Most of Quinn's adult life was spent in opposition to this blatant political manipulation of the system," Shaw told Reuters. "His willingness to sign the bill without any changes is another indication that he has had to abandon many of his progressive principles to be able to deal with the political realities of Springfield (the state capital)," he said.

(Editing by Greg McCune)


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Biden warns GOP on debt ceiling talks (AP)

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Vice President Joe Biden said Saturday the Obama administration wouldn't let middle class Americans "carry the whole burden" to break a deadlock over the national debt limit, warning that the Republican approach would only benefit the wealthy.

Addressing Ohio Democrats, Biden said there had been great progress in talks with Republican lawmakers on a deficit-reduction plan agreement. But he insisted that his party wouldn't agree to cuts that would undermine the elderly and middle-class workers.

"We're not going to let the middle class carry the whole burden. We will sacrifice. But they must be in on the deal," Biden said in a speech at the Ohio Democratic Party's annual dinner.

Biden led efforts on a deficit-reduction plan but Republicans pulled out of the discussions last week, prompting President Barack Obama to take control of the talks.

The sides disagree over taxes. Democrats say a deficit-reduction agreement must include tax increases or eliminate tax breaks for big companies and wealthy individuals. Republicans want huge cuts in government spending and insist on no tax increases.

On tax breaks for the wealthy, Biden used the example of hedge fund managers who "play with other people's money."

"And they get taxed," Biden said. "I'm not saying they don't do good things, they do some good things. But they get taxed at 15 percent because they call it capital gains. Because they're investing not their money, (but) other people's money."

To ask senior citizens receiving Medicare to pay more in taxes when people earning more than $1 million a year receive a substantial tax cut "borders on immoral," the vice president said.

"We're never going to get this done, we're never going to solve our debt problem if we ask only those who are struggling in this economy to bear the burden and let the most fortunate among us off the hook," Biden said.

Republican leaders say without a deal cutting long-term deficits, they will not vote to increase the nation's borrowing — which will exceed its $14.3 trillion limit on Aug. 2. The Obama administration has warned that if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling, it would lead to the first U.S. financial default in history and roil financial markets around the globe.

Obama and Biden are scheduled to meet with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Monday. McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, say no agreement can include tax increases.

Biden assailed moves by GOP governors in Wisconsin and Ohio to strip away collective bargaining rights from most public workers while criticizing efforts by Republicans in Congress to alter the Medicare program. He defended Obama's handling of the economy, pointing to difficult decisions on an economic stimulus package and the rescue of U.S. automakers.

Ahead of Biden's visit, Republicans countered that Obama's policies led to GOP gains in 2010 and have failed to revitalize the economy.

"All the visits in the world from President Obama, Vice President Biden and other top-level surrogates won't change the administration's job-killing policies," said Republican National Committee spokesman Ryan Tronovitch.

Biden, who spoke frequently of his blue-collar roots in Scranton, Pa., during the 2008 presidential race, is expected to be a frequent visitor to the Midwest during next year's campaign.

Obama won states such as Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania in 2008. But those states elected Republican governors in 2010 and are considered prime targets for Republicans next year.

Looking ahead to 2012, Biden called Ohio "the state that we must win and will win."

___

Ken Thomas can be reached at http://twitter.com/AP_Ken_Thomas


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Romney criticizes Obama economic policies in Utah (AP)

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SALT LAKE CITY – Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney criticized President Barack Obama's economic policies Friday at campaign stops in his one-time home state of Utah.

"Gasoline is too expensive, food's too expensive, there's too many people out of work, and there's nothing to be proud of in Barack Obama's economic policies," Romney said from the back of a bright red pickup outside a popular Salt Lake City drive-in restaurant. "My policies will get Americans back to work and let America lead the world as it has in the past."

Romney's stop at the locally owned Hires Big H was his first public appearance in heavily Republican Utah since he announced his bid for the nomination. The event drew about 200 supporters and was bookended by a pair of private fundraisers, including a $1,000-a-plate luncheon at a private home in Orem and a $2,500 per-person reception at a downtown Salt Lake City.

It wasn't clear Friday how much money Romney had raised during his swing through the state.

This is Romney's second bid for the GOP nomination. He's considered the front-runner in a primary field that includes former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachman and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman.

Romney said that by the end of his first term, Obama will have racked up more debt than all previous U.S. presidents combined — a remark that drew loud booing from the crowd.

"He has spent too much money, he has borrowed too much money ... he's put in place the greatest takeover of states' rights with his Obamacare, which we're gonna repeal and reverse," Romney said with his wife of 42 years, Ann, by his side.

Merle and Robert Fullmer, republicans from Midvale, waited about an hour in the hot sun to see the candidate. They said they think Romney, who like the couple is a member of the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, can tackle the nation's economic and foreign policy problems.

"He seems to have integrity and he seems to have the right experience at this particular time in politics," said Robert Fullmer, 78.

A registered Democrat, Anne Ryan, of Portland, Ore., interrupted her Utah visit to bring her husband and two teenage sons to the rally.

"I am a Mitt fan. I've followed his campaign for a long time ... and also this is just such an experience for my son to come see a campaign event," said the 43-year-old, who is also a Mormon.

Ryan, a former computer systems engineer, said it was Romney's performances as Massachusetts' governor and head of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City that drew her interest and support.

After the rally, Romney munched on a cheeseburger and talked with local small-business owners and state government leaders about their concerns, including taxes, health insurance costs, entitlement programs and energy policy.


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Republican Romney to tap ex-pat wealth in London (Reuters)

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BOSTON (Reuters) – Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney takes his fund-raising machine to London next month, holding a reception aimed at wealthy American expatriates working at banks and hedge funds.

A handful of London fund-raisers were held during the 2008 presidential election cycle, but Romney's event, scheduled for July 6, will be the earliest ever of its kind.

The reception will be held at Dartmouth House, an opulent mansion in the heart of Mayfair that is often used for weddings and conferences.

The suggested contribution to the "Romney for President" campaign is $2,500, according to an invitation seen by Reuters. Under U.S. law, only American citizens and green card holders can contribute.

Romney is the front-runner for the Republican nomination to take on President Barack Obama in 2012, in part because of his campaign's huge war-chest. He also ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.

The former Massachusetts governor has held dozens of fund-raisers across the United States this year, including at least three in New York that were hosted by backers from the financial industry.

Co-chairs of the London event include billionaire hedge fund manager Louis Bacon, founder of Moore Capital Management; businessman Robert Wood "Woody" Johnson IV; and Dwight Poler, managing director for Europe at Bain Capital, the venture capital firm that Romney co-founded in 1984.

Overseas fund-raisers were unknown for U.S. candidates until former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, at that point among the top Republican candidates, broke the ice in September 2007.

John McCain, who eventually won the Republican nomination in 2008, also raised funds in London. And Obama raised a reported $400,000 at the London home of Elizabeth Murdoch, daughter of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, in May 2008.

Romney campaign officials did not immediately comment on the candidate's plans while in London.

(Reporting by Ros Krasny; Editing by Paul Simao)


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Illegal Immigration Will See No Action with White House Up for Grabs (ContributorNetwork)

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COMMENTARY | Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) set off a firestorm last week with his comments connecting the devastating Arizona wildfires to illegal immigration. According to the Huffington Post, McCain, the 2008 Republican nominee for president, said, "There is substantial evidence that some of these fires are caused by people who have crossed our border illegally." In light of McCain's comments, illegal immigration is once again dominating national headlines.

A Frustrated Electorate

A Pew Hispanic Center study found in 2010 there were 11.2 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. Poll after poll shows an anxiety-ridden nation frustrated by the government's inability to stop the influx of illegal crossings from Mexico. A Rasmussen poll indicates that only 30 percent of Americans believe the border is secure, while 64 percent say it is not. An overwhelming 84 percent of Americans are concerned that illegal immigrants could be an unfair burden on schools, hospitals and government services, according to Gallup. These poll numbers have forced politicians at the state and federal level to address illegal immigration, but a solution has proved elusive.

Legislative Action or Inaction?

Thus far in 2011, state legislatures have introduced 52 bills dealing with illegal immigration. Most of these bills replicate elements of Arizona's controversial SB 1070, which gave law enforcement officers broad powers in deciphering the immigration status of an individual.

Utah's HB497, Georgia's HB87 and Indiana's HB56 all hold provisions allowing law enforcement to check perpetrators' immigration status during an arrest, although the conditions in each state vary. However, states have tried to learn from what happened in Arizona. For example, Utah passed three immigration laws and established a guest worker program that would allow illegal immigrants to work, with one stipulation being that they learn English. Small concessions such as these have done little to quiet critics who take issue with the intrusiveness of the laws.

On the federal level, President Obama has made the DREAM Act the focal point of his immigration reform. The act died last year in the Senate thanks to a Republican filibuster. Under the DREAM Act, "qualifying undocumented youth would be eligible for a six year long conditional path to citizenship that requires completion of a college degree or two years of military service."

At all levels, immigration legislation has run into problems. State laws are continually challenged in courts for violating civil liberties. At the federal level, the DREAM Act has yet to become law despite its reintroduction in May of this year.

Ratings Galore

The media have cashed in on illegal immigration by fueling partisanship. Illegal immigration provides the perfect backdrop for screaming pundits on the left and right. The media have the keen ability to simplify complicated issues into basic arguments. Republicans are portrayed as nativists who desire the expulsion of illegal immigrants because they drain the country's resources and take jobs. Democrats want to continue entitlement programs for illegal immigrants while regular Americans struggle to find work.

For proof, look to Ann Coulter, who has made a living off of chastising liberals. According to the Los Angeles Times, Coulter said, "Then, the Democrats latched on to blacks as another mob to be led - just like women, gays, Hispanics, illegal immigrants, government workers, etc., etc." Representing the left is Keith Olbermann, who once called immigration laws "xenophobic" on one of his "Worst Person in the World" segments, according to the Washington Post. The media continue to paint both sides as "fringe" elements incapable of coming to an agreement.

Playing Both Sides

Sen. McCain's comments simply reminded a country in the economic wilderness that illegal immigration is still an issue. Despite all the political wheeling and dealing, the nation lacks a comprehensive plan for illegal immigration. According to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, Latinos now make up 16.3 percent of America's total population. Pew Hispanic Center points out that in 2008, Hispanics represented 9 percent of the vote. With so much influence, both parties are hesitant to alienate Hispanics. But they also need to create the illusion immigration reform is on the horizon. In reality, heated rhetoric pertaining to illegal immigration will continue yet little will be done on the legislative front. A significant bloc of voters could be lost if either party makes the wrong move before the 2012 elections. Neither party will be moving on illegal immigration with the White House in play.


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Romney, Bachmann lead in 2012 Iowa caucus poll (AP)

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DES MOINES, Iowa – A new Iowa Poll shows national Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney and tea party favorite Michele Bachmann leading among the state's likely GOP caucus-goers.

The poll conducted for The Des Moines Register shows Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, with support from 23 percent in Iowa. Bachmann, the Minnesota representative who plans to launch her campaign in Iowa on Monday, has support from 22 percent.

Romney was the No. 2 finisher in the caucuses in his bid for the 2008 GOP nomination. Bachmann is a three-term congresswoman and newer face in the 2012 White House mix.

The results are based on telephone interviews with 400 likely Republican Iowa caucus-goers from June 19 to 22. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

Romney has said he plans to run a scaled-down Iowa campaign, compared to the all-out, $10-million effort he waged for the 2008 caucuses.

Tim Pawlenty has been the most aggressive about campaigning in Iowa, having lined up top Iowa and national consultants, been a frequent visitor to the state and ran the 2012 campaign's first Republican candidate television advertisements last week.

However, only 6 percent of Iowa Republicans expected to attend the 2012 caucuses prefer the former Minnesota governor as their choice, according to the poll.

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, whose campaign has struggled since widespread staff departures this month, has support from 7 percent, the same as Texas Representative Ron Paul.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has 4 percent, followed by former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who has said he will not campaign in Iowa, with 2 percent.


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LAST TICKET: Glenn Beck makes Rick Santorum uncomfortable, Romney to London, Pawlenty beefs up media buy in Iowa… (The Ticket)

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Here are the stories we took note of today but didn't give the full blog treatment:

? Days after House Speaker John Boehner played a round of golf with President Obama, GOP Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy said the president should "get off the golf course." (Bloomberg News)

? Mitt Romney is heading to London to raise cash from expats. (CBS News)

? Glenn Beck to Rick Santorum while shaking hands on camera: "I could kiss you in the mouth!" (Mediaite)

? Tim Pawlenty buys $14,000 of radio time in Iowa on top of a $50,000 TV ad campaign. (Ben Smith)

? Romney channels Margaret Thatcher. (Slate)

? Sarah Palin's move "The Undefeated" premieres in Iowa next week. (Des Moines Register)

? Herman Cain continues to endear himself to the press. (The Note)

? Van Jones launches a "liberal tea party." (The Fix)


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Obama, GOP radio duel over government debt ceiling (The Christian Science Monitor)

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Washington – Saturday's radio addresses by President Obama and a Republican legislator offered a preview of the challenge the White House faces next week in restarting stalled talks over raising the federal debt ceiling and averting an August government shutdown.

Congressional Republicans last week pulled out of debt reduction talks led by Vice President Joe Biden citing their opposition to any tax increases being included in a final plan. House Speaker John Boehner warned of “job killing tax hikes.” White House spokesman Jay Carney countered that “millionaires and billionaires and special interests” should have to contribute to cutting the deficit.

On Monday, President Obama is slated to meet separately with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) of Nevada and with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) of Kentucky to try and restart the talks. So it is not surprising that the Saturday addresses from both parties continued the on-going debate about government fiscal policy.

President Obama’s address was recorded Friday during his trip to Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh. Speaking in front of a display of robots used to find leaks and breaks in water and sewer pipes, Obama said “advanced manufacturing can help spur job creation and economic growth across the country.”

His remarks on the debt ceiling debate – and related efforts to trim the massive federal budget deficit – were pointed.

“I am committed to working with members of both parties to cut our deficits and debt,” the president said. But he added, “We can’t simply cut our way to prosperity.”

Rep. Renee Ellmers of North Carolina gave the Republican response, criticizing the Obama administration for wanting to raise taxes. Ellmers, who owns a small medical practice with her husband, accused the Obama administration of wanting to "stay the course, keep spending money we don't have, and raise your taxes – all in the name of 'stimulus.'"

She added that “The job creators we hear from, they don’t have their hand out. They don’t want a bailout. All they ask us to do is get government out of the way.”

The economy’s continuing weakness remains a major concern for the Obama administration.

Weak economic growth, high unemployment, and a lagging housing sector are major factors in the president’s poor approval ratings. The latest Real Clear Politics average of major polls shows 47.7 percent of Americans approve of the job President Obama is doing while 47 percent disapprove. An approval rating under 50 percent generally indicates tough re-election prospects for an incumbent.

The war of words over economic policy will continue Saturday evening when Vice President Biden speaks at the Ohio Democratic Party’s annual state dinner. Biden has been a frequent defender of the administration’s economic policies, speaking of the economic challenges his family faced when he was a boy.

“He obviously has deep, deep roots in the industrial Midwest running from Pennsylvania right across and he’ll be very valuable there,” the Associated Press quoted Obama strategist David Axelrod as saying in Chicago last week.


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2011年6月26日星期日

Top GOP fundraiser: 'There's not too much money in politics' (The Christian Science Monitor)

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Washington – Is politics awash with too much money?

Mike Duncan, chairman of American Crossroads, doesn't think so. His group, which solicits money to spend on behalf of conservative politicians, aims to raise $120 million to support GOP candidates in the 2012 election.

“There is not too much money in politics,” Mr. Duncan said Friday, in defense of his group's goal.

IN PICTURES: Will these Republicans run in 2012?

It is a matter of context, Duncan said at a Monitor-sponsored breakfast with reporters. "Our $120 million is in relation to a couple billion [dollars] on the other side.... We will probably be outspent as a party in this election.a€

In 2008, the Obama campaign raised $750 million. The Obama team is expected to spend more than that trying to get the president reelected in 2012.

American Crossroads, a Republican-backed independent group, was launched by Karl Rove, President Bush's former political adviser, among others. Mr. Rove acted after a 2010 Supreme Court decision, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, made it permissible for "super PACs" to raise unlimited amounts of money from individuals, corporations, and unions, as long as the donors are disclosed and the groups do not coordinate their spending with federal candidates.

The $120 million goal includes funds that would be raised by American Crossroads, a tax-exempt 527 organization under Internal Revenue Service rules, and its affiliate, Crossroads GPS, a 501(c)4 group. Under the law, Crossroads GPS is not required to disclose donors' names to the public.

Crossroads President and CEO Steven Law said labor unions reported spending $400 million in support of Democratic candidates in the 2008 election. He expects similar spending by labor groups in 2012. Of his organization’s $120 million goal, Mr. Law said: “We are going to need every penny of it to have a chance of keeping up with the much larger dollars that we expect to be poured in by the left.”

IN PICTURES: Will these Republicans run in 2012?


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Whatever you do, don’t call Gary Johnson a ‘job creator’ (The Ticket)

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It's not every day a politician makes a point to correct a news outlet that dubs him a master job creator.

When National Review magazine called GOP presidential candidate Gary Johnson "the best job creator of them all," the former New Mexico governor blasted the story out to supporters--but not in the way most campaigns would. Instead of basking in the credit, Johnson took issue with it: As governor, he insisted, he didn't create one job.

"Contrary to the news, I didn't create a single job," Johnson said in a statement. "Don't get me wrong. We are proud of this distinction. We had a 11.6 percent job growth that occurred during our two terms in office. But the headlines that accompanied that report—referring to governors, including me, as 'job creators'--were just wrong. The fact is, I can unequivocally say that I did not create a single job while I was governor."

For a libertarian-leaning GOP candidate like Johnson, renouncing credit for job creation is a key point of pride, and the suggestion that he'd been busy "creating jobs" as a public official a badge of shame, not honor. The best jobs, conservatives and libertarians contend, are the ones created by the private sector. The government shouldn't be in the business of "creating" jobs, Johnson argues, but rather should create a business-friendly climate permitting private employers to add new jobs.

In his own words:

In New Mexico, we focused like a laser on creating an environment in which real employers and job creators could produce job growth.

My priority was to get government out of the way, keep it out of the way, and allow hard-working New Mexicans, entrepreneurs and businesses to fulfill their potential. That's how government can encourage job growth, and that's what government needs to do today.

Of course, the problem for Johnson is that such semantic clarifications may not resonate in an age of three-second television sound bites and quick-hit blog posts.

While Johnson is being uncharacteristically honest for a national politician, his message could easily be lost on some--and opponents will no doubt misconstrue his words if he becomes a threat. No political operative will lose a moment of sleep over stripping those seven words--"I did not create a single job"--out of context for a TV spot.

Johnson, however, is betting that voters know better. With the rise of the tea party in reaction to President Obama's ambitious governing vision over the past two years, politicians do not boast (as much) about what they have done, so much as about what they have not done. For the time being, doing "nothing" is the new claim to legitimacy in the GOP primary field.

So perhaps Johnson's decision to push back against the job-creation claim means that he thinks he can get deeper traction among small-government conservatives--a critical primary constituency--by stressing his complete faith in the private sector. One thing's clear, at any rate: with his early approval numbers among GOP voters still in the single digits, the former governor can afford to take a risk .

(Johnson photo: Richard Shiro/AP)


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GOP-leaning group launches ads criticizing Obama (AP)

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NEW YORK – A Republican-leaning independent fundraising group announced Friday it would launch a $20 million television campaign criticizing President Barack Obama's handling of the economy.

The ads, produced and financed by Crossroads GPS, will begin running Monday in 10 states, many of which are presidential battlegrounds.

Spokesman Jonathan Collegio said the group would spend $5 million initially on cable television nationwide and on broadcast TV in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada and Virginia. Crossroads will spend a total of $20 million on the campaign over two months, Collegio said.

The 30-second ad illustrates how unemployment, the national debt and gas prices have all gone up since Obama took office in January 2009. It also suggests the $850 billion federal stimulus plan failed, with Obama acknowledging there weren't as many "shovel ready" infrastructure projects to fund with stimulus dollars as the administration had originally hoped.

"It's time to take away Obama's blank check," the announcer says.

The campaign represents Crossroads' first major national effort to shape the political debate in Washington. Crossroads GPS is an affiliate of American Crossroads, a Republican-leaning group with ties to Karl Rove, President George W. Bush's former top political adviser. Together, the groups spent more than $38 million to defeat Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections.

In a statement, Crossroads GPS president Steven Law said, "President Obama may have inherited a recession, but his policies have made things worse for everyday Americans by running up the debt and causing economic uncertainty."

The ad airs as Republican and Democratic congressional leaders are negotiating an increase in the nation's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling.

Obama plans to get involved in the negotiations next week as Democrats warn of catastrophic economic consequences if the ceiling is not increased. Republicans leaders say they will not agree to any debt ceiling increase unless it's paired with deep spending cuts.

American Crossroads was one of many groups formed to help Republicans after the Supreme Court eased restrictions on corporate spending in political campaigns in early 2010. Crossroads GPS, organized as a nonprofit group, is not required to disclose its donors.

Obama has criticized the Supreme Court ruling and the kind of unregulated, undisclosed spending it allowed. But Democrats lost control of the House and lost several Senate seats in 2010, in part because of the spending imbalance between Republican and Democratic leaning groups.

Several new Democratic groups have formed this year hoping to go compete with Crossroads and other conservative groups. One of those is Priorities USA, founded by former Obama White House aides Sean Sweeney and Bill Burton.

In a statement, Burton blamed Rove and other Republicans for the country's economic mess and said the Crossroads ad campaign showed they don't want to help fix it.

"Whether it's by running millions of dollars in negative ads about the economy or by walking away from critical economic talks in Congress, Washington Republicans are demonstrating an unwavering commitment to stopping any real progress on the economy," Burton said.


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Obama Slow-Rolls GOP on Budget Talks (Daily Caller)

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The White House is slow-rolling demands by Republicans that President Barack Obama join the debt ceiling talks, which are now deadlocked because of Republican opposition to Democrats’ demands for tax increases.

A Friday announcement by the White House’s press office said Obama will meet with the Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell early Monday evening “to discuss the status of the negotiations to find common ground on a balanced approach to deficit reduction.” Prior to that Obama will meet with Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. No meeting was announced with leaders of the Republican majority in the House.

White House spokesman Jay Carney declined to say when the president would meet with House Speaker John Boehner, even though he was asked repeatedly by reporters in a Friday press conference. “The President hasn’t had any conversations with the Speaker since the Speaker visited the White House the other night… We are in constant contact with leaders of Congress.?? I just told you that the Vice President of the United States has been in touch with both Republicans and Democrats on the Hill in the last 24 hours, and that continues… I have no other meetings to announce at this time,” Carney said.

Following the Thursday breakdown in the talks, both Biden and Obama were out of town on Friday. Biden traveled to Delaware and Obama flew to a high-tech center in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Obama is avoiding the negotiations to concentrate public and media attention on the Republicans, said Wes Anderson, a partner of OnMessage Inc., a polling firm in Crofton, Md., that mostly works for GOP candidates.

“As long as this is an argument about Republicans saying ‘How do we make sure we meet the expectations of the voters who sent us?’ then no one is blaming the Democrats for not providing leadership and not getting this done,” he said. “When the president is only tangentially in the the conversation, that’s good for them, it’s not good for us,” he said.

The debt ceiling controversy is politically critical because it is likely to have an impact on the 2012 election, not just on the government’s balance sheet.

Obama is already riding low in the polls, and the Democrats will lose control of the Senate if Republicans win just 4 of the 23 Democrat-held seats up for election in 2012.

Republicans worry their fired-up base will lose heart if the GOP fails to win a good deal on the debt ceiling. They’re less likely to get a good deal if Obama slow-rolls the talks until a financial crisis arrives in late July.

In such a crisis, administration officials can allocate budget cuts and direct media coverage to maximize the political pain for Republicans, said a GOP Senate staffer. The resulting public anger would likely pressure Republicans into a deal that splits their base, the staffer said. Democrats have already used that strategy during government-shutdown talks in April and in the mid-1990s, he said.

Democrats “believe if we get to the [August 2] deadline and there’s no deal there would be panic in the [financial] markets, and the voters will blame the Republicans,”Anderson said.

The deadline exists because the federal government has already incurred cumulative debts of $14.3 trillion, and this year’s budget has an extra deficit of more than $1 trillion. The government has to give itself legal authority to borrow more money by Aug. 2 , or else White House officials must start making cuts in programs and debt payments that will spur public anger towards Washington.

GOP activists also worry that a mishandled deal could prompt swing voters to shift from anti-Obama attitudes to a general anti-incumbent mood. “The real questions is if there is [only] $2 trillion in budget cuts, do we meet the expectations among independents and Republicans that we have done what we need to do?” said Anderson, who completed a mid-June poll of 1,000-likely voters for the small-government group, Let Freedom Ring. The poll, he said, shows that swing voters want “$2 trillion plus something that shows permanency, that shows systematic change and and reform,” he said.

The swing voters, he said, “are more angry and nervous and scared about out-of-control government now than they were in October last year,” he said. If Republicans manage the debt negotiations well, he said, the 2012 election ”will be an anti-Democratic cycle, but if we don’t live up to the expectations of the voters, it will be anti-incumbent.”

On Thursday, Rep. Eric Cantor, the leading House Republican in the talks, said there would be no budget deal unless the negotiators also agree to changes to Congress budget-making process. Those budget rules, which were set by a wave of left-wing Democrats elected in 1974, tend to ratchet government spending up each year.

On Friday, House Speaker John Boehner repeated this demand for budget reforms. “The American people voted for a new majority in the House with clear orders to end the spending binge in Washington,” he said in a statement. “The American people will not accept an increase in the debt limit that is accompanied by job-crushing tax hikes and fails to dramatically cut and reform government spending.”

Democrats, however, emphasize polls that show support for tax increases.

An April New York Times/CBS News poll showed that 72 percent supported tax increases on people earning more than $250,000 a year. In recent days, several top Democrats, including Biden and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, have said the budget talks should raise taxes.

Meanwhile, the president is using his public appearances to shape the debate. “What you’re going to see over the next several months, but also over the next several years, is a debate about who we are — because there’s a way for us to solve our deficit problems and our debt problems in a way that’s fair and balanced and that shares sacrifice so that we’re not just doing it on the backs of the poor,” he told attendees at a June 23 fundraiser attended mostly by African-Americans, who paid $100 for their tickets to the Broadway Theatre in New York.

The speech was mostly upbeat, but repeated a frequent Democratic criticism of the GOP. “The notion that [the wealthy] should not have to pay a little more; the notion that [wealthy people] would get a $200,000 tax break, and as a consequence of that tax break, hundreds of kids might not be able to go to Head Start, or… senior citizens might end up having to pay thousands of dollars more for their Medicare… that’s not who I think we are,” he said.

White House spokesman Carney repeated the same message in the Friday press conference. “We won’t support an approach that gives millionaires and billionaires $200,000 in tax cuts annually while 33 seniors pay for that with a $6,000 per person increase in their Medicare costs.? We just don’t believe that that’s a fair or balanced approach to solving this problem.”

Read more stories from The Daily Caller

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Some knee-slappin' knock-knock jokes for Anderson Cooper


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Huntsman: Issues not religion will decide GOP race (AP)

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RENO, Nev. – Former Utah Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman said Friday that he doesn't believe his Mormon faith will be an issue in his bid for the White House, adding that he's running for president — not to be the nation's spiritual "guru."

Huntsman spoke to reporters in Nevada during an hour-long campaign stop at the Reno Livestock Events Center, where the Reno Rodeo was about to begin.

Three days after formally announcing his candidacy, the former ambassador to China said his list of priority states includes the early caucus swing state of Nevada, where Republicans sided with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in 2008.

Romney also is Mormon. So is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who said earlier this week he'd pick Huntsman over Romney if he had to. Polls show many voters have reservations about electing a Mormon president.

But Huntsman said Friday that he didn't believe religion would be a concern for voters choosing the 2012 Republican presidential nominee.

"Nor should it be," he said. "I'm not running for guru here."

A candidate's track record, as well as "who has a world view that will get us where this country needs to be" will be much more important, he said.

Huntsman met earlier Friday with Washoe County GOP leaders and had lunch with Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, Reno Mayor Bob Cashell — a Republican who voted for Reid last election — and a number of local business officials.

Huntsman said contrary to conventional wisdom, he doesn't believe Romney is the heavy favorite to win the Nevada caucus.

"Yes, some might have a head start in terms of fundraising and name recognition," he said. "But given the nature of the media market and our ability to network with social media tools, you can overcome any gap like that over time."

Nevada's presidential caucuses are set for Feb. 18, after Iowa and New Hampshire get their turns and before South Carolina picks its favorite candidate.

In announcing his candidacy Tuesday in Salt Lake City, Huntsman stressed his record as governor of Utah, where he won praise from conservative groups for cutting taxes and recruiting new business to the state. He served as governor from 2005 to early 2009, when Obama offered him the China post. He resigned that position in April.

During a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Democratic leaders in Utah and Nevada criticized what they said was Huntsman's apparent move to the right on issues such as taxes, health care and the environment to court conservatives GOPs in the primary after developing a reputation as more of a moderate.

"We were looking forward to a campaign of ideas and having a moderate Republican in the race," Utah Democratic Party chairman Wayne Holland said. "Instead we've seen pandering that is disappointing."


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CBS ignores Herman Cain’s performance in Iowa poll (Daily Caller)

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CBS omitted Herman Cain’s performance in a new Iowa poll of GOP presidential contenders despite his third place finish.

On Sunday’s “Face the Nation,” moderator Bob Schieffer correctly said former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann finished first and second in the poll. But then he passed over Cain, incorrectly saying Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich polled next after the two front-runners. (Herman Cain bashes Mitt Romney for playing ‘political games’ with Daily Caller/ATR/YouTube debate)

Here’s the transcript of Schieffer discussing the poll with Bachmann, a guest on his show.

“Iowans awoke to the news this morning that you and Mitt Romney are the big favorites among Iowa caucus goers. Iowa, of course, is the first contest for the Republican nomination. The polls shows that Romney has 23 percent, you have 22 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent. That means the two of you are statistically tied. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are next with 7 percent. Here’s the big surprise, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has put in a lot of time and effort out there is behind even Gingrich.”

Actually, next in the poll was Herman Cain at 10 percent. Cain, who has never held elective office before, is the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza.

Here are the Des Moines Register poll results — its first of the election season:

Mitt Romney: 23 percent
Michele Bachmann: 22 percent.
Herman Cain: 10 percent.
Newt Gingrich: 7 percent
Ron Paul: 7 percent
Tim Pawlenty: 6 percent
Rick Santorum: 4 percent
Jon Huntsman: 2 percent

Read more stories from The Daily Caller

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Nevada Dems select Kate Marshall as nominee for CD-2 election

The five nuttiest Arab world conspiracy theories


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Romney revives Thatcher campaign ad (AFP)

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WASHINGTON (AFP) – Mitt Romney Friday compared President Barack Obama's America to the economic blight of 1970s Britain, invoking an iconic campaign advertisement to boost his Republican presidential run.

"Obama Isn't Working" read a mocked-up campaign poster on Romney's website, in tribute to the Conservative Party's devastating "Labour Isn't Working" ad, which helped Margaret Thatcher sweep to power in 1979.

The Romney version, apart from a slogan adapted to Obama, features the same picture of a snaking line of workers outside an unemployment office used by the original ad, designed by the Saatchi and Saatchi agency.

In a posting on Romney's blog, the campaign noted the ad had been referred to as the "poster of the century" and invoked Labour-led Britain's economic climate of high unemployment, rising inflation and a growing national debt.

"Those conditions and the public discontent throughout the country during that election and the parallels that Americans face today cannot be ignored," the post said.

"With 9.1 percent unemployed, record deficits, a soaring national debt, and millions of struggling families, one thing is clear -- Obama isn't working, either."

The blog tribute to former British prime minister Thatcher, a heroine for US conservatives, was released after the Boston Globe reported that Romney would travel to London next month to drum up campaign cash from Americans abroad.

Republican frontrunner Romney is building his campaign for next year's primary and caucus nominating contests on a lacerating critique of Obama's economic management, saying the president has made things worse.

"Now, in the third year of his four-year term, we have more than promises and slogans to go by. Barack Obama has failed America," Romney said when he launched his campaign in New Hampshire on June 2.

The former Massachusetts governor on Friday also released a new web ad, featuring video of Obama taken in February 2009 in which the president said if he had not turned the economy around within three years he could be a one-term president.


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Pa. Republicans Aim to Pass Voter ID Legislation (ContributorNetwork)

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Back in 2006, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat, vetoed a bill that a largely Republican legislature passed that would have required voters to show identification before casting a vote in any election. Fast forward to 2011 and the Republicans are asserting their presence to bring photo ID verification to places of polling everywhere, reports he Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. This time around, Republicans control the state House, Senate, and governorship. A bill that would require voters to show photo ID before having their say may speed through into law. Here is a look at some of the questions:

Why require photo ID to vote?

The main reason behind a photo ID requirement has to do with eliminating voter fraud, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. While the exact number of instances of voter fraud in Pennsylvania is somewhat unclear, in 2008 the GOP claimed that a community group, ACORN, had falsely registered voters to swing support in favor of soon-to-be-President Barack Obama. ACORN would soon after have a few problems of its own.

Would the be any exceptions?

While Pennsylvania Democrats attempted to place a number of exceptions to the photo ID rule via amendments to the bill, Republicans managed to shoot them all down. However, the bill includes exceptions for anyone with religious beliefs against being photographed and residents in care facilities that serve as their place of polling.

Will the state senate pass the bill?

State senators have said they will review the bill before acting on it. Since the legislation passed along party lines in the House, the Senate is likely to pass the bill along similar lines. By extension, Corbett, who is Republican, is likely to put his signature to the document.

Is the bill constitutional?

While opinions are somewhat split, the constitutionality of the law was challenged by state Democrats several times. The main sticking point is that photo IDs generally need to be purchased, which could come into play in the inevitable legal challenge to the legislation. The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, other states are also grappling with the same problem. However, supporters are quick to point out that the law simply guarantees the constitutional right of one person and one vote.

Isn't it going to cost money to enforce the law?

In short, enforcement of any legislation costs money. As for how much, no one really has that answer, but Democrats claim the total could be millions of dollars a year, reports the Associated Press.

Jason Gallagher is a former travel professional and long-time Pennsylvania resident. These experiences give him a first-hand look at developing situations in the state and everything included in the travel industry from technology to trends.


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New York's same-sex marriage law sets off waves of engagements (Reuters)

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NEW YORK (Reuters) – Waves of gay couples rushed on Saturday to make wedding plans that had been dreams for decades, as euphoria over New York's legalization of same-sex marriage promised to turn a traditional pride parade into an enormous roving engagement party.

In the minutes and hours after the law was passed and signed by Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo late on Friday, sparkling rings were offered and accepted and champagne corks flew to kick off wedding plans likely to add an estimated $284 million to the state's economy, according to a report by the Independent Democratic Conference.

The report estimated more than 21,000 gay and lesbian couples from New York would marry within the first three years and nearly 42,000 gay and lesbian couples from out of state would travel to New York for a "destination wedding."

"Peter, will you marry me?" asked Dan Gallagher, 46, who dropped down on one knee as he finished running through Central Park on Saturday with his partner of 14 years, Peter Shearer, an emergency medicine physician. Together they are raising a 4-year old son and thrilled to marry in their home state.

The decision to wait for a wedding in New York also was made by Walter Bridgham, 47, a manager at Macy's, and Argus Galindo, 46, a magazine subscription manager, who cheered the law's passage with a crowd outside New York City's Stonewall Inn, where a police raid in 1969 sparked the modern gay rights movement.

"It was emotional. He turned to me and we looked into each other's eyes and said, 'Yes.' We knew the question," said Bridgham.

They have been a couple for 20 years, and their ceremony is set for July 28 at New York's City Hall.

"It makes you feel like we're equal, that we can celebrate with friends in New York and not have it be, in some people's eyes, not recognized," said Tim Ford, 45, an actor engaged to marry his partner of 18 years, Michael Beltran, 44, an administrator for a law firm, in October.

"The wedding planning stress is already started," he said.

Before the ink dried on the newly signed law, they changed their Facebook status from domestic partnership to engaged, sparking a flurry of congratulations, Beltran said.

"We waited for this day for a long time. It's very emotional," he said, choking back tears.

Both men were raised Catholic and Beltran serves as a group song leader at weekly mass, but they will reluctantly not be married in the church, which fought the gay marriage bill.

"It doesn't bother me but it bothers Michael a little more," said Ford, who plans instead to be married by a friend who was ordained a minister.

Seemingly instantaneous engagements, actually planned for years but long awaiting the state's consent, were celebrated around the state, including in Albany where the proposed law was mired for days in a fight over religious exemptions.

"I feel like a first-class citizen, a first-class New Yorker, for the first time in my life," said Jim Reda of Brooklyn, outside the Senate chamber with his partner of eight years. "We will be married by the end of the year. I can't believe I'm actually saying that."

The most populous state to approve marriage equality legislation, New York is the sixth state to legalize gay nuptials, joining Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and the District of Columbia. Civil unions were approved in Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois and New Jersey. Same sex marriage is banned in 39 states.

The victory was expected to boost crowds at Sunday's NYC Pride March, according to Britton Hogge, media director for Heritage of Pride, which organizes the annual event.

"We expect an extra 500,000 to 1 million as a result of passage," said Hogge, noting the crowd estimate for the event from police is typically about 1.5 million people.

In the past, the event was considered less a parade and more a march in an ongoing demand for equal rights and respect. But this year's victory for same sex marriage and the tsunami of marriage proposals is expected to transform the event into a movable engagement party.

"It's definitely going to change the mood. This year for sure it's just going to be a huge celebration," said Hogge.

(Additional reporting by Dan Wiessner in Albany, and Chris Michaud and Phil Wahba in New York; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst)


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Karl Rove 'super PAC' won't favor any 2012 candidate during primaries (The Christian Science Monitor)

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Washington – Supporters of Mitt Romney, the front-runner in the Republican presidential field, have launched a “super PAC” to raise money to promote his candidacy, even as leaders of American Crossroads, the biggest of the Republican super PACs, promised Friday to remain neutral during the primary season.

That signals that American Crossroads intends to save most of its fire for the general election, when the GOP nominee will be up against a well-funded President Obama, and will not choose a horse in the GOP nominating race.

The wrinkle in that scenario is that the new pro-Romney PAC and American Crossroads share a key executive – an overlap that had reporters closely questioning the Crossroads leaders about the neutrality assertion when they appeared Friday at a Monitor-sponsored breakfast gathering.

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Since the 2010 Supreme Court decision that opened the door to campaign spending by a wider array of contributors, so-called super PACs (political action committees) have been springing up. It's now permissible for these super PACs to raise unlimited amounts of money from individuals, corporations, and unions, as long as the donors are disclosed and the groups do not coordinate their spending with federal candidates.

According to a Washington Post report, Romney supporters have launched Restore Our Future PAC. It is not known how much Restore Our Future has already raised to support the Romney campaign.

American Crossroads, a group founded by Karl Rove, former President Bush's political adviser, among others, insists it will remain neutral during the 2012 primary season.

“It is important for us to clearly state that Crossroads … will not be involved in the Republican presidential primary. We are just not going to do that,” said the group's chairman, Mike Duncan. Though the group says it will not spend money to advance the cause of any primary candidate, it might spend as the primary season ends if Democrats attack the GOP's presumptive nominee, its executives said.

Reporters asked Mr. Duncan and Steven Law, the group’s president and CEO, pointed questions about American Crossroads' neutrality. The Washington Post story about the pro-Romney super PAC noted that its board of directors includes political operative Carl Forti, who was political director for Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign. Mr. Forti is now political director of American Crossroads.

“Carl is a contract employee with American Crossroads. He has other clients; we knew he had other clients. But clearly none of us are going to be involved personally in presidential campaigns. And he is not either,” Duncan said.

“The only thing I would add to that,” said Mr. Law, “is the work that Carl does for us is work that every contender for the Republican nomination would be supportive of, which is that he is helping find ways to make sure President Obama does not return to office.”

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