Today's installment of campaign-related news items that won't necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:
* A new survey from Public Policy Polling shows Mitt Romney struggling to gain ground in Florida, where he still narrowly trails President Obama, 48% to 47%. The margin has not changed over the last month.
* In North Carolina, PPP found Obama and Romney tied at 48% each, but a new Elon University/Charlotte Observer Poll shows Romney with a four-point lead in the state, 47% to 43%.
* The Obama campaign unveiled a new ad this morning hitting Romney on tax policy, relying on independent analyses to argue the Republican plan raises taxes on the middle class. The ad is set to air in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, and Virginia.
* The Republican National Convention unveiled a new video last night, showing a highlight reel of the most notable moments from the Tampa convention. Clint Eastwood is not featured in the clip.
* Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) had a candid assessment of his party's demographic challenges in the near future: "We're not generating enough angry white guys to stay in business for the long term."
* Rep. David McKinley (R) of West Virginia continues to distance himself from Paul Ryan's budget plan, distributing a new flier saying the Ryan agenda "would privatize Medicare for future retirees, raise the retirement age and keep in place the Medicare cuts included in last year's health care bill." The flier added, "The Congressional Budget Office determined the plan would nearly double out-of-pocket health care costs for future retirees."
* Speaking of West Virginia, incumbent Sen. Joe Manchin (D) leads John Raese (R) by nearly 40 points in a new poll. It will be Raese's sixth failed attempt at statewide office.
* And in Arizona, Democratic Senate candidate Richard Carmona has picked up the support of several members of conservative icon Barry Goldwater's family.
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Ryan now says that instead of using the false, we built it campaign slogan, they will change it to are we better off then we were 4 years ago. Which just emphasizes the mentality of the entire Republican party, Obstruct, falsely blame and their stance on instant gratification.. they want it all( our money) and they want it right now. Never mind how long it took for them to run this Country into the ground, they would like the Democrats to fix it all by themselves and to do it all in record time. They sound like a bunch of spoiled rotten kids.
That's undoubtdly because by and large they were a bunch of spoiled rotten kids.
"were" a bunch of spoiled rotten kids? That fact seems quite contemporary to me.
Now they are a bunch of spoiled rotten non-kids (they are hardly adults).
A couple of points: 1) a recent poll suggested that the vast majority of respondents either turn off, mute, or refuse to watch campaign ads, and 2) if the Republicans want to use Reagan's question, that's fine. The truth is, and should be asserted, that yes, we are better off than we were 4 years ago. As to 1), maybe the people can beat Citizens United on their own. As to 2), the president's reelection committee ought to be pushing for the election of friendlier members of Congress so that he can put better programs into place. Nobody, including Democrats, wants continuing gridlock.
Every Republican such as West Virginia's McKinley who "distances himself from Ryan's budget," no matter how vociferously, will certainly toe the party line if the voters of their respective states return them to the next Congress. No one should be fooled by anyone trying to "distance himself."
Vote Democratic! And, early, with an absentee ballot by mail.
I know quite a lot of white guys they're pissing off. But it sure isn't to their advantage.
OT, but I adore your icon. Is that something you made yourself, or can one get that picture someplace?
I think anyone who has had to deal with Alzheimer's in a loved one saw Thursday that Clint Eastwood is someone who has that to deal with. In my work in Duh Biz over the past 25 years, I have had the opportunity to interact with him, the last time I saw him was two years ago, and he was definitely a different person than what was on display last week. The story about him asking a stagehand at the last minute for a chair is just the kind of thing that would ring a bell to me. I am seeing things like this happen now in a very long-time friend who I dearly love. (and obviously no junior stagehand is going to say "no", which is further evidence of the incompetence of Romoney and his "campaign")
The problem is telling the person they have this. I remember dealing with that issue with my mother-in-law, and that was hard. My friend I mentioned above is quite prominent in his field, and "events" are now happening in public, and his family doesn't know how to deal with it. I can only imagine what it would be like to be the one to try and inform a guy like Eastwood; I doubt there's anyone in his family who could do it, for lack of independent authority he recognizes. I am sure Reagan was able to get the news from Nancy and listen to her, they had that kind of relationship, but even there I am certain it wasn't easy.
Regardless of what anyone thinks of Clint Eastwood's politics (and the fact that they came across "nutty" last week is another indication because politically, he's never been been seen as "nutty" by anyone), this is a sad event.
And it clearly demonstrates the incompetence of the Romoney campaign that they would let anyone go out unscripted on that night.
Mitt is the White Wash Man http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl80XwyQ4SQ
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151064872508460&set=a.468086073459.253490.665848459&type=1&theater