— Jeremy Mayer, professor of public policy at George Mason University — Obama Doubles Down on Touting Osama Bin Laden Death
Does the Rick Perry ‘War on Religion’ Ad Go Too Far?
Gay rights activists, and even some religious leaders, are denouncing the spot. Even Perry campaign pollster Tony Fabrizio, who has previously worked with Log Cabin Republicans to promote gay rights among the GOP, called the ad “nuts” in an E-mail to its creator Nelson Warfield.
Republican presidential candidates Perry and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas speak during a debate at Oakland University in Auburn Hills, Mich. More in our photo gallery of 2012 GOP candidates.
— Herman Cain Says Woman Will Accuse Him of Having an Affair, denies all allegations.
Washington biographer Dennis Pogue, vice president of preservation at Washington’s home of Mount Vernon, reveals that the father of the nation lost his first campaign in 1755 to the House of Burgesses largely because he didn’t put on an alcohol-laden circus at the polls. That year, Washington got 40 votes. The winner, who plied voters with beer, whiskey, rum punch, and wine, got 271 votes.
A quick learner, Washington won three years later with the help of alcohol. “What do you know, he was successful and got 331 votes,” says Pogue, author of the new book Founding Spirits: George Washington and the Beginnings of the American Whiskey Industry. He spoke about his research Monday night at an event sponsored by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States and the National Press Club.
In the race for the 2012 Republican nomination, spouses range from virtually invisible like Gloria Cain, to staunch campaigners like Ann Romney, to the focus of controversy themselves, like Marcus Bachmann or Callista Gingrich. Here’s a rundown of the GOP spouses on the campaign trail so far.
As unlikely as a Christie run seemed, it ignited intense interest from a certain class of Republicans. Reportedly, industrialist David Koch, one of the intellectual and financial godfathers of the Tea Party movement, was among those pushing for a Christie run. Christie’s high-profile battles with the state’s public employee unions, and his full-throated and passionate case that entitlements are strangling the futures of New Jersey and America, made him look like the perfect candidate for the segment of the GOP concerned mainly with deficits and the size of government. While, on paper, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, another northeastern moderate, seems a logical choice for Christie backers to turn to, there are many reasons why they might look elsewhere—or sit out for the time being.
— Chris Wallace to Michelle Bachmann - Can Michele Bachmann Win the 2012 GOP Nomination?
Daniels was “boring,” Barbour’s southern accent was “a turnoff,” and Santorum was “yesterday’s news.” Romney went down next, labeled “another Obama.” Next was Thune, though the Iowans say he has potential. Christie, who doesn’t want to run, went next.
The Iowans then argued for their favorites, like Pawlenty, whose “blue collar conservatism” and victories in Democratic-dominated Minnesota were a hit. When he was next to go, some of his supporters vowed that he’d make the cut down the road.
That left four: Huckabee, Gingrich, Palin, and Bachmann, who then bested Palin because Bachmann was “less polarizing.” But because Bachmann was seen by the group as the least presidential of the remaining three, she was dumped, followed by Huckabee, making Gingrich the surprise winner.
An ongoing mishmash of the old and new from U.S. News & World Report. Curated on the side by brownpau.
