The final Suffolk/7News New Hampshire Republican Presidential Primary Tracking Poll:
Romney- 37
Paul- 18
Huntsman- 16
Santorum- 11
Gingrich- 9
Perry- 1
Americans, 2-1, Fear Obama's Reelection According to a US News (Zogby) poll, many voters aren't forgetting what they dislike about Obama and want him out office. In the New Year's poll, when asked what news event they fear most about 2012, Americans by a margin of two-to-one said Obama's reelection. Only 16 percent said they fear the Democrat won't win a second term, while 33 percent said they fear four more years. Next to Obama's reelection, 31 percent of Americans said they feared higher taxes.
As we enter the presidential election year of 2012, what potential news event do you fear the most?
Politico: After New Hampshire’s 2012 primary, Mitt Romney may face long, hard slog Mitt Romney is poised to clock an easy victory here Tuesday, accomplishing a historic feat by winning back-to-back contests here and in Iowa and putting himself on a glide path to his party’s nomination. The trouble for Romney is, his rivals don’t quite see things that way. For conservative opponents such as Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, the wild ups and downs of the campaign so far offer little inducement to bow to Romney’s purported inevitability. If the GOP rank and file is swinging into the Romney camp, national polls don’t show it yet. And thanks to new party rules that forbid states from holding winner-take-all primaries before April, Romney’s opponents recognize it will be difficult for him to clinch a majority of delegates anytime soon. So even if Romney plows through the remaining January primaries, building up momentum and denying his challengers the opportunity to consolidate voters on the right, he may still have a costly, irksome distraction of a nomination process ahead of him — a long march that could drain resources and make him a more bruised and battered victor.
“The Romney people did a clever thing: they positioned him as the alternative to all the Romney alternatives,” said Gingrich adviser Kellyanne Conway, referring to Romney’s strategy of running against a divided field. “But what he really is is who he’s always been, which is a weak front-runner who has slowly brought together a gaggle of reluctant Romney voters who feel like they have to lean into nonsense concepts like inevitability and electability.”
In a Jon Huntsman campaign memo circulated Sunday, senior adviser John Weaver argued that the primary “battle will go on well into the spring, until a decisive set of primaries between only two or perhaps three candidates have concluded.” “While Team Romney has used and will continue to use that to their initial advantage, ultimately the coalescing of support behind one consistent, electable conservative candidate will be the undoing of the White Star Line moderate,” Weaver wrote, pointing to GOP rules emphasizing proportional delegate allocation.
And Ron Paul campaign chairman Jesse Benton agreed that it’s “highly unlikely” that anyone will be able to claim the nomination in deed — rather than in the hazy world of perceived momentum — in the near future. “We have always planned for a marathon campaign and are ready to go the distance,” he said. “Dr. Paul’s fundraising prowess, organization and deep nationwide grass-roots support will let us compete, and win, well downstream and into June.”
Tale of the Mitt-bashing Bain film Before Newt Gingrich’s super PAC paid $40,000 for the stinging anti-Mitt Romney documentary that’s roiling the GOP presidential campaign, Jon Huntsman’s allies expressed interest in it. Veteran GOP adman Fred Davis, who is a key adviser to the pro-Huntsman Our Destiny PAC, was impressed by the introduction to the half-hour documentary, “When Mitt Romney Came to Town,” and took it to his group’s board. The board “decided not to move forward with it” because “we simply saw it too late to seriously consider,” Davis told POLITICO. Still, he predicted the film’s portrayal of Romney as a cold-hearted “corporate raider” could be used to devastating effect against the former Massachusetts governor. “Think ‘Swift Boats’,” he said of the movie, calling the introduction “very well made and powerful stuff.” that seemed “to be accurate portrayals of various individuals and situations.” Though the full documentary has yet to be released, a three-minute trailer posted on Winning Our Future’s website features interviews with people who worked at companies taken over by Bain, who bash Romney while a narrator accuses him of “exploiting dozens of American businesses.” Romney’s campaign has cried foul over the movie’s line of attack, asserting it plays into Democrats’ hands by vilifying capitalism and mischaracterizing Romney’s days at the helm of the investment firm Bain Capital. And some conservatives have suggested funny business, questioning the money and motives behind the movie, which is likely to become a major force in the coming days.
Romney Defends 'Fire People' Remark, Says Comments Taken Out of Context Mitt Romney caused a clamor Monday for saying, "I like being able to fire people who provide services to me," a remark that he later underscored was referring to insurance companies, as he accused Republicans and Democrats alike of taking out of context. "I was talking about insurance companies. We like to be able to get rid of insurance companies that don't give us the service that we need," Romney said later Monday. "I do not want to live in a world where we have Obamacare telling us which insurance we have to have, which doctor we can have, which hospital we go to. I believe in a setting, as I described this morning, where people are able to choose their own doctor, choose their own insurance company. If they do not like their insurance company or their provider, they can get rid of them. That is the way America works. "I know free enterprise is on trial and we have a president who really does not believe in the rights of people to do that, but I believe in the right of people to get rid of an insurance company," Romney added. Romney's earlier comments made at a campaign stop in Nashua, N.H., came after he fielded a question from the audience about health care. (Fox News)
Ron Paul’s Campaign Chairman Angrily Cuts Off Interview With CNN’s Dana Bash Rep. Ron Paul answered several questions from CNN’s Dana Bash until she asked about a voter who was dismayed she did not get face time with the candidate, a question his handler called “junky” before Rep. Paul, finger pointed at her chest, blamed the media for losing him that one vote. Bash asked, “A woman who was a New Hampshire voter, voted for Obama in 2008… if she would’ve been about to shake your hand and look you in the eye, you would’ve gotten your vote,” Bash noted. “Does that say anything about your ability to connect?”
“That is a junky question, I’m stopping,” interjected the handler, while Rep. Paul answered the question: “you, the media, did that to her,” her told Bash, turning to Fox News’ Griff Jenkins while Bash appeared confused as to what she had done wrong. (Mediate)
Michelle Obama 'Distressed' About Power Held in IL by 'White Irish Catholic' Families When Michelle Obama worked in Mayor Daley's City Hall in the early 1990s, she was "distressed" by how a small group of "white Irish Catholic" families -- the Daleys, the Hynes and the Madigans -- "locked up" power in Illinois. And as she prepared to become first lady, Mrs. Obama naively wanted to delay a move into the White House for six months, so her daughters could finish the school year. Her initial thought was to "commute" to the White House from her South Side home. And Marty Nesbitt, one of President Obama's best friends, had been recruited to run for Chicago mayor by African-American leaders -- but never ended up challenging Rahm Emanuel, who was Obama's chief of staff who went on to win City Hall. Details about Mrs. Obama's initial reluctance to embrace her new life, her time in City Hall, the influence she has in the White House, tensions between Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, Emanuel and former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs -- are in a new book about the first couple by New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor. The Chicago Sun-Times has obtained a copy of The Obamas, to be published Tuesday.
Court sides with woman claiming she was not hired because of conservative beliefs Reversing a federal trial court, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held that a rejected applicant for a legal-writing instructor position can proceed with her claim that the law school violated her First Amendment rights by basing its hiring decision on her political beliefs. The applicant, Teresa Wagner, sued Carolyn Jones, then the dean of the University of Iowa College of Law, after Jones did not hire her for several-legal writing positions. According to Wagner, Jones refused to hire her because Wagner actively advocates for socially conservative positions, including anti-abortion causes. The trial court granted Jones summary judgment, holding that she enjoyed qualified immunity for her hiring decisions because she reasonably believed her actions complied with the law. On Dec. 28, in Wagner v. Jones, the 8th Circuit reversed, holding that Wagner presented enough evidence of political discrimination to be allowed to proceed to trial. (First Amendment Center)
Pedophilia Added to Greece’s Recognized Disability List Greek disabled groups are angry at a government decision to expand a list of state-recognized disability categories to include pedophiles, exhibitionists and kleptomaniacs. The National Confederation of Disabled People called the action "incomprehensible," and said pedophiles are now awarded a higher government disability pay than some people who have received organ transplants. But the Labor Ministry on Monday said categories added to the expanded list — that also includes pyromaniacs, compulsive gamblers, fetishists and sadomasochists — were included for purposes of medical assessment and used as a gauge for allocating financial assistance. (AP)
France, Germany warn Greece to make debt deal France and Germany, the European Union’s key powers, insisted Monday that private creditors must take losses to help over-indebted Greece right its finances, but they also warned the Greek government that E.U. rescue funds will be held back unless it makes a deal soon with the increasingly nervous banks holding its debt. The stern warning, after a meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, underlined the high stakes in faltering talks between the Greek leader, Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, and a coterie of banks and other financial institutions holding billions of dollars in Greek debt that the government acknowledges it cannot pay in whole. (Washington Post)
Twinkies Maker Preparing for Chapter 11 Filing Hostess Brands Inc. is preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as soon as this week, said people familiar with the matter, a move that would mark the second significant court restructuring for the Twinkies and Wonder Bread baker in the past several years. The privately held Irving, Texas, company, which employs roughly 19,000 people and carries more than $860 million in debt, has been facing a cash squeeze amid high labor costs and rising prices for sugar, flour and other ingredients, according to people familiar with the matter. Those costs together have proved higher than the company's roughly $2.5 billion in annual sales, creating losses and cash shortfalls, the people said. (WSJ)
NYC School Employee Faked Daughter's Death A New York City school employee has lost her job over accusations she faked her daughter's death so she could take a Caribbean vacation. The Daily News says a school official became suspicious of the forged death certificate. A special investigator's report says it had different fonts that weren't aligned properly. According to court records, Joan Barnett pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in the case this fall. She was also fired from her job as a parent coordinator at the Manhattan High School of Hospitality Management. She allegedly told school officials her daughter died in Costa Rica so she could spend 2½ weeks there in March 2010. A Costa Rican government official later confirmed the document was a fake, noting it dated from 2005. Barnett's lawyer declined to comment. (AP)
Study Says Looks Matter as TV Covers Congress Maybe looks aren’t everything, but new research suggests that more physically attractive members of Congress get more coverage on network television. Two Israeli professors concluded that members whom a student survey judged to be better looking appeared more frequently on television — but not radio or in newspapers. The researchers argued that the networks were trying to attract larger audiences. “In an ideal democracy, the amount of news coverage representatives receive should be determined by the quality of their work and the originality of their ideas,” the professors wrote. Instead, they said, the networks were compromising “the democratic principle of equal access to the public sphere.”
The study, by Prof. Israel Waismel-Manor and Prof. Yariv Tsfati of the University of Haifa, appears in the current edition of the journal Political Communication. They based their research on a survey of students, who rated House and Senate members in 2007 on a scale of attractiveness. To avoid skewing the results, they eliminated, among others, members in top leadership posts and presidential candidates. Not surprisingly, Professor Waismel-Manor and Professor Tsfati found that other factors, too, influenced coverage. Senators and representatives who hailed from larger states, were male, were black or espoused more extreme ideologies also tended to be featured more frequently. The effect of attractiveness on news coverage, the study found, was greater than the effect of tenure in office, or bill sponsorship. Frequency of news releases had no discernible effect on news media appearances. The study also examined coverage on NPR and in USA Today, and it found no correlation between the so-called attractiveness effect and coverage in those outlets. (NY Times) 'She makes me want to vomit': Former Marine who cannot forgive Gabbie Giffords and Mark Kelly after his wife was killed in Tuscon shooting An elderly, former Marine who lost his wife of 54 years in the Tucson mass shootings expressed his anger at fellow victim and Congresswoman Gabbie Giffords. George Morris, 77, was shot in the leg and back in the attack just over a year ago as he tried to protect his wife from the gunman. Dorothy Morris, 76, was killed after the couple had gone to the Safeway supermarket to quiz Ms Giffords' political opinions. Mr Morris, who describes himself as 'ultra-conservative', even refused a visit from President Obama while he recovered in hospital following the shootings in Arizona. The couple had gone to the meet and greet at the grocery store to question Congresswoman's support of Obama's policies - including the health-care reform bill.
Mr Morris told the Arizona Republic newspaper his opinion of Ms Gifford and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly: 'Every time I see them on TV, it makes me want to vomit.' He also blamed Mr Kelly for his wife's death, adding: 'I'd like to debate our dear captain astronaut (and ask) why he didn't have security. My wife would still be alive.' Mr Morris, who is a retired Marine and airline pilot, said he didn't believe Ms Giffords should still be in office. The 76-year-old had been a Democrat before becoming a staunch Republican once he retired.(The Daily Mail)
Tim Tebow has made a football fan out of me. This is no small feat. A few weeks ago, when I began asking my husband when the Denver Broncos were playing, he was stunned. I had never watched an entire football game on TV. I had interviewed Tebow when his book came out and was intrigued by this innocent, sincere kid, the 24-year-old son of a missionary who was a virgin, helped build an orphanage in the Philippines where he vacations, and is a devout Christian. He really was too good to be true. I also was fascinated by the anti-Tebow coverage generated by his open faith. His prayer pose (aka Tebowing) before and after games was ridiculed and many people were actually, well, praying for him to lose. This whole business of “God is in Tim’s corner,” was just too much. And those who did not ridicule his faith merely pointed out that he couldn’t throw. Well, Tebow certainly proved them wrong this Sunday when he won the game against the formidable Pittsburg Steelers. He threw for two touchdowns and ran one in for himself…
In a recent interview he was quoted as saying, “Hopefully, people see through interviews or how I act that I’m someone that tries to put the Lord first, cares about other people, wants to do good, wants to make a difference in other people’s lives and also cares about playing sports, cares about my teammates. What I really try to get across is being genuine and being real, and hopefully, that’s what people take away.” That’s why I’m a Tebow fan. Not because of his faith, but because of the kind of person he is. And that’s why, next weekend, you will find me, to my husband’s surprise, in front of the television watching Tim Tebow take on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots for the second time. This time, hopefully, he’ll win.
Jon Meacham: Thinking Tebow-Haters Are Proof of an Anti-Christian Culture Is 'Wrongheaded' In this week's Time magazine -- compiled before the Denver Broncos' stunning overtime win on Sunday -- alleged religion expert and deposed Newsweek editor Jon Meacham brings his liberal Episcopalian sensibilities to the subject of Tim Tebow. Meacham tries to play referee between the warring sides, asking why we can't all get along. "This cultural Passion Play of red-state piety and blue-state scorn is at once familiar and dispiriting… If Christians like Tebow are going to bear witness so publicly, then they ought not to be surprised when they are talked about in ways that require them to turn the other cheek," Meacham lectured. "To insist that criticism of Tebow -- even vulgar criticism -- is evidence that American culture is hostile to Christianity is wrong-headed." It's not evidence? It's self-negating?
It depends on how you define "American culture." If it were defined as a culture found in neighborhoods or regions, it might be a red-state vs. blue-state thing. But if it were defined by the mass media in news and entertainment, it's quite obvious there's an anti-Christian hostility at nearly every turn. Bill Maher is widely celebrated in the "news" media -- quoted, cited, and interviewed, and almost never scorned. (Sports writers and TV personalities have been a little more meritocratic toward Tebow and willing to say "to each his own.") Meacham noted the nasty Bill Maher tweets and the NBC Saturday Night Live skit. "Within moments, the Fox News Channel and the usual conservative suspects fired back, and so on and so on, world without end." The titans of our media culture aren't "liberal," but when the other side responds, they are the usual "conservative suspects." He also noticed:
A self-described virgin, Tebow inspired an Orlando radio station to launch a "Get Tebow Laid" campaign. Between the "I Hate Tim Tebow" Facebook pages and Tebowhaters.com, the hostility toward Tebow's overt religiosity is viral.
But all Meacham can say to the Mahers and the radio shock jocks is "secularists who take shots at believers need to remember that the American tradition of religious liberty protects those who profess a faith as well as those who do not." He doesn't say they are "wrong-headed" to mock Tebow. They're just perhaps a little forgetful of the constitutional particulars. (Newsbusters)
Lindsay Lohan in Early Talks to Play Elizabeth Taylor in Lifetime Movie Lindsay Lohan could go from posing as Marilyn Monroe in Playboy to playing Elizabeth Taylor for Lifetime. The actress is in early talks to play the big-screen icon in a television movie for the female-skewing cable network, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
An elderly, former Marine who lost his wife of 54 years in the Tucson mass shootings expressed his anger at fellow victim and Congresswoman Gabbie Giffords. George Morris, 77, was shot in the leg and back in the attack just over a year ago as he tried to protect his wife from the gunman. Dorothy Morris, 76, was killed after the couple had gone to the Safeway supermarket to quiz Ms Giffords' political opinions. Mr Morris, who describes himself as 'ultra-conservative', even refused a visit from President Obama while he recovered in hospital following the shootings in Arizona. The couple had gone to the meet and greet at the grocery store to question Congresswoman's support of Obama's policies - including the health-care reform bill.
