Mitt Romney won Florida, not the country

Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich Debate

Mitt Romney has won the Florida Primary by a wide margin over Newt Gingrich, but the race for the Republican nomination is far from over.

The media has been portraying each win or loss as a make or break moment, but the truth is that four states have voted, and 46 remain. Florida Senator Marco Rubio seems to think that the winner of Florida will win the nomination, but I’m not so sure. If Newt Gingrich can pick up some wins, along with some strong second place finishes in states which assign delegates proportionally, we might be looking at a nominating convention that is very much up in the air. Is it likely that Republicans are heading toward a brokered convention? No. Is it possible? You bet!
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The Republican rollercoaster continues

The Republican Presidential candidates after a debate. Who will be the next media darling?

Once the field of Republican Presidential candidates began to settle, Mitt Romney was anointed as the front-runner and favorite. While he has consistently led the field with support of 20% to 25% in most polls, that means there are 75% to 80% who are supporting someone else. There’s a desire to find the anti-Romney, but so far, none has been able to pull away.

This past summer, Michele Bachmann seemed to quickly gain headlines and support. Of course, this ended when Rick Perry entered the fray and instantly rocketed to the top of the field. Since then, Perry has shown that he’s ill-prepared for the national spotlight. After some strong debate performances, Herman Cain vaulted into the top-tier, but he’s seen his support erode a bit since sexual harassment accusations have come to light. » read more

Michele Bachman’s poll results in Iowa aren’t ‘shocking’

Michele Bachmann's campaign is starting to gain momentum.

I found an article on the Drudge Report, with the headline “Shock Poll: Bachmann Tied With Romney in Iowa.” I don’t know what’s so shocking about that. Romney is a plastic candidate who always seems willing to say what people want to hear. The reason why he had such a commanding lead in the polls was due to the popularity of his highly unsuccessful 2008 campaign.

Let’s remember that a lot of people still aren’t paying much attention to the 2012 Presidential Race, so they probably haven’t tuned in to find out much about the candidates. Once people hear more about candidates like Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Ron Paul, and Tim Pawlenty, voters will begin to peel away from the familiar name (Mitt Romney). » read more

Ron Paul wins Republican Leadership Council’s straw poll

Ron Paul wins the Republican Leadership Council's Presidential straw poll.

It appears that Jon Hunstman paid for his votes. Check this out:

Rumors circulated here that Huntsman campaign had paid for supporters to attend the conference and a spokesman for the candidate, Tim Miller, didn’t deny that they had.

“Not commenting on internal strategy,” said Miller, adding: “The result demonstrates that young conservatives are responding to his record of success in Utah, willingness to take the debt problem seriously, and foreign policy message,”

Now, were these Huntsman supporters impressed with him, or were they just pleased with the free ride they were receiving? This looks like a rather desperate attempt to buy votes, which shows that these straw polls are a valuable source of media coverage. Remember this when Paul’s opponents try to down-play the results.

Former ambassador Jon Huntsman brought in many of his own supporters and still lost convincingly.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels won’t run for President

What are the chances Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels will run for President? Zero

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels will not be running for President, and I don’t particularly care. It’s nothing against Mitch Daniels. After all, he would be much better than declared candidates such as Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, or potential candidates such as Sarah Palin.

The problem is that Mitch Daniels seemed to be the darling of GOP insiders. That’s not what the country needs. The United States needs someone who isn’t afraid to step in and make bold decisions. We need someone who has little regard for the way things have always been done, and will try to do the right think, regardless of how many people it upsets, or how unusual the solution may seem. » read more

It’s official: Herman Cain will run for President

Herman Cain will be running for President.

Herman Cain has announced that he will be running for President. The former businessman, talk show host, and chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City made it official at a rally today in Atlanta, GA.

Unlike other definite and possible candidates such as Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, Newt Gingrich, and Tim Pawlenty, Herman Cain has displayed intelligence, straight-forward answers, and a genuine belief in what he says. I don’t get that feeling from the other candidates. Ron Paul is my first choice, but Cain has quickly jumped up to number two.

It’s official: Ron Paul is running for President in 2012!

Ron Paul will run for President in 2012.

There are several Republicans who might run for President in 2012. There are some, like Newt Gingrich, that I could see myself voting for, while there are others, such as Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney, that I wouldn’t vote for in a million years. With that said, there is only one candidate whose honesty is unquestioned, and whose views on limited government developed from well-researched, strongly held beliefs, not because it was the hot idea of the moment. That candidate is Ron Paul.

Today, Ron Paul announced that he will run for President in 2012. Now, Americans are assured of at least one candidate who truly understands the Constitution, and will put forth a unified plan, rather than some hodge podge of ideas grounded in the polling data.

My only concern with Ron Paul is the probability that he will run as a Republican. Getting by some of the establishment names will be difficult, especially for those who don’t fully understand or appreciate his libertarian views. Ideally, I’d like to see Ron Paul run as an independent. With his built in following, he would surely have enough support to assure himself a spot in the Presidential debates against the Democrat and Republican candidates. Once those who are unfamiliar with Ron Paul had the opportunity to hear his idea, I have no doubt that his popularity would skyrocket. Unfortunately, an independent run doesn’t seem likely.

It’s my hope that conservatives and Tea Party members realize that Ron Paul truly believes in limited government, unlike those who merely parrot the group’s talking points.

Ron Paul 11, Donald Trump 0

Donald Trump

If you’re keeping score at home between Donald Trump and Ron Paul, the Congressmen from Texas is ahead 11-0, as in the number of elections he has won in his political career. Donald Trump said Ron Paul could never get elected President, but Paul makes a convincing point:

“I was elected 11 times and somebody said, ‘Well, how many times has Donald Trump been elected?” Paul said Monday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “Does he have really the right to criticize others and say they are unelect[able]?”

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Ron Paul wins CPAC straw poll

Ron Paul won the CPAC straw poll. So, what does that mean?

In the grand scheme of things, it’s probably not a big deal, since it’s an opinion poll of conservative activists. Of course, it does get Ron Paul mentioned on newscasts, blogs, websites, and newspapers all over the country. If he can keep it up, it could create a buzz that slowly build into the primary/caucus season. Of course, I’m hoping that’s not necessary. » read more

Donald Trump is wrong about Ron Paul

Texas Congressman Ron Paul

Are there a lot of empty rooms at the Trump Taj Mahal? Are the ratings for The Apprentice down? Something has to be going on, because Donald Trump is once again talking about running for President.

Trump gave a speech at CPAC in Washington, D.C., where he began by telling the crowd how much he loves what he does, then mentioned that he has a club 15 minutes away. Once the boos began, the egomaniac declared that Ron Paul couldn’t be elected (of course, I’m sure Trump believes he could be). » read more

Who’s better than Sarah Palin? Lots and lots of people…

Sarah Palin in 2012? Let's hope not.

What do Ron Paul, Haley Barbour, Bobby Jindal, Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, and Mitt Romney all have in common? They are all Republicans who will likely run or consider running for President, and they are all more intelligent and experienced than a certain former Alaskan Governor.

To many people in the Republican Party, it has almost become blasphemous to criticize Sarah Palin. Some consider this darling of the Tea Party movement to be one of the leading contenders for the Presidential nomination in 2012. If you’re one of these people, please get a reality check. Nominating Sarah Palin is the best way to guarantee a second term for Barack Obama. » read more

Ron Paul vs Barack Obama?

Can Ron Paul defeat Barack Obama?

I grudgingly voted for John McCain in 2008. He would have done a better job than Barack Obama, but I doubt he would have done a good job. During the Republican primary, we had people like Rudy Giuliani who appeared afraid to disagree with the other candidates, and Mitt Romney who changes his views every time the wind blows. Out of all the candidates, there was only one I could have completely supported: Ron Paul.

Paul is one of the few politicians who actually seems to give thought to his positions. His beliefs and opinions are rooted in the Constitution and are independent of the latest opinion polls and what happens to be politically expedient that day. If Ron Paul were President, I have no doubt the country would be better off today. » read more

Congress might not receive a raise, and neither should federal employees

Congressmen Ron Paul and Harry Mitchell have sponsored a bill which would cancel Congress’ salary increases in 2011. Paul and Mitchell were also among sponsors of a bill which will do the same in 2010. This is a great idea, but why not go further?

Federal employee salaries are rising at a staggering rate. Since 2007, the number of employees earning over $100,000 hasveincreased by 46%, while those earning more than $150,000 have increased by 119%, and those earning more than $170,000 have increased by 93%. Just in case you were wondering, the average salary of a federal government employee is $71,206, compared to just $40,331 in the private sector. Why the huge disparity? » read more