Rick Perry

Further Proof Of The Importance Of Every Single Vote: Eight Vote Win For Romney In Iowa

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There are many Americans who think it is not important to vote, that no one person can have an impact or change a result of an election.

That falsehood was proved to be inaccurate again last night when Mitt Romney won the Iowa Caucuses over Rick Santorum by the closest margin of any Republican Presidential nomination contest in its entire history–EIGHT VOTES statewide!

The win is better than a loss, of course, but realistically, Rick Santorum gained a lot more by losing by eight votes than Romney did by squeaking out such a tiny margin, and proving that he still has a problem with conservative and Tea Party Republicans, winning only one out of four votes in a state he has campaigned in since 2007, and doing no better in percentage than he did in the 2008 caucuses.

It looks more than ever that the battle is down to Romney vs the “Anti Romney”, who appears to be Santorum, plus the possibility of Jon Huntsman, but only if he is able to win New Hampshire or end up a very close second.

Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry are, thankfully, no longer factors in the race, even if they decide to remain in the competition.

Ron Paul will continue to compete, but will not be the nominee, and likely will not do as well as third place anywhere else but Iowa.

Newt Gingrich will do his usual “slash and burn” strategy against Romney, copying his entire career in the House of Representatives, but a poor fourth gives him almost no chance to move on into serious competition.

So we are down to three candidates in realistic terms, and possibly only two after New Hampshire next Tuesday!

The Demise Of Michele Bachmann And Rick Perry: Good Riddance!

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Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and Texas Governor Rick Perry have effectively been eliminated from the Republican Presidential race by their poor sixth and fifth place finish in the Iowa Caucuses.

There should be no tears shed over this, as both candidates were absolutely horrible in their performance, and showed high levels of stupidity and dangerous views in their quest for the Presidency!

Never has anyone finishing lower than fourth in Iowa gone on to victory, and only John McCain in 2008 went from fourth to the nomination, but realistically, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich would have to rise magically to first in New Hampshire as McCain did in 2008, and that is NOT going to occur!

Ron Paul ended up, considering his young and naive supporters, a disappointing third, so the race should be seen as down to three candidates: Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, and IF he can produce a miracle in New Hampshire, Jon Huntsman, who did not compete in Iowa, but MUST win New Hampshire to have a chance to move on.

So the Iowa Caucuses have done what they are designed to do–winnow the field of candidates, which is now down to, at most, four or five candidates.

Historical Reality Of Iowa (Top Three) And New Hampshire (Top Two) Are The Only Choices For Presidential Nomination Of Either Party

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All of the candidates for the Republican Presidential nomination contend they will go on, even if they perform poorly in Iowa and New Hampshire.

But the historical reality is that unless one ends up in the top three in Iowa AND the top two in New Hampshire, there is no future for such a candidate.

The only exceptions are Bill Clinton in 1992 in Iowa in 4th place behind “favorite son” Tom Harkin, “Uncommitted”, and Paul Tsongas, but Harkin winning 76 percent of the vote; and John McCain, who in 2008 in Iowa ran behind Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson, but lost to Thompson for third place only by a total of 424 votes. NEVER has anyone in either party ending up lower than second place in New Hampshire won the Presidential nomination of either political party!

Thus, only five Iowa third or fourth place finishers have ended up winning New Hampshire and being the nominee: Bill Clinton fourth in 1992, Michael Dukakis third in 1988, George McGovern third in 1972, John McCain fourth in 2008, and George H W Bush third in 1988.

So, assuming the polls are correct, Jon Huntsman (not really competing in Iowa), Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and probably Newt Gingrich, are “toast”, with Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and probably Rick Santorum (due to a late surge at the proper time), the real contenders in New Hampshire.

That would mean that Rick Santorum would become the candidate of the “social conservatives”, but the odds are that Mitt Romney will win New Hampshire and go on to become the GOP nominee for President in 2012 against President Obama!

The Collapse Of Newt Gingrich And Surge Of Rick Santorum As Iowa Caucuses Near!

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The Republican Presidential nomination race has gone through amazing changes of fortune, if one considers public opinion polls reliable.

Newt Gingrich has become the newest candidate to rise and collapse, as indicated by the CNN-Time poll released today. He follows Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry and Herman Cain in the ups, and then the downs, of public opinion polling.

Ron Paul has surged, but is now under heavy attack and may be starting to wear down as a result, although with the power of libertarianism in Iowa, he might still win the state in the caucuses or end a close second.

But the sudden surge of Rick Santorum is the newest surprise, although it must be pointed out that Iowa has 60 percent of Republicans who call themselves social conservatives, and Santorum has visited every county of the state, and more often been in Iowa than any other Republican candidate, and definitely appeals to social conservatives. He now shows up as third behind Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.

To believe that Rick Santorum could actually win the GOP nomination is, however, to believe in the tooth fairy! But he could win Iowa in a close finish!

What is clear is that there is great dissatisfaction with the Republican candidates for President, and the constantly changing fortunes of the candidates is, therefore, a danger sign for the Presidential Election of 2012.

The Virginia Presidential Primary: Romney Vs Paul, With No One Else On Ballot!

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A weird development has set up the Virginia Presidential primary of March 6 to be a potential major factor in the GOP Presidential race.

Virginia is a “swing state” with a Republican state government stronger than ever before; with a Governor, Bob McDonnell, who is a potential Vice Presidential nominee; with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, thought to be supportive of the Tea Party struggles against Speaker of the House John Boehner; and a state with northern Virginia very liberal and the rest of the state more traditional Old South. It is a state that Barack Obama won, and is a crucial state for him to win in 2012.

Considering the significance of Virginia, one would think all seven GOP candidates for President would be on the ballot, but instead only TWO are to be listed–Mitt Romney, the candidate of “Establishment” Republicans; and Ron Paul, the libertarian and Tea Party, small government, and cutting back on interventions overseas, candidate!

Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry failed to gain enough ballot signatures, and Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, and Jon Huntsman chose not to compete at all in the state.

So, assuming the nomination has NOT been won already, which seems a highly likely scenario, this could be the ultimate battle in many ways of Nelson Rockefeller vs Barry Goldwater, modified of course, but definitely a battle for the soul of the Republican Party in 2012!

With Ron Paul Having His “Surge” In Iowa, The Investigation Of His Record Begins!

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Texas Congressman Ron Paul has been very appealing to libertarians, and was in fact the Presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party in 1988.

Having run as a Republican for President in 2008, the only repeat candidate along with Mitt Romney, Paul is presently first in some Iowa public opinion polls as the Iowa Caucuses of January 3 get closer.

So Paul is having a “surge”, as earlier Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, and Newt Gingrich have had. Only Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman have not had a “surge’ as the search for the non Romney candidate continues.

So now that Ron Paul is being paid more attention, let us look at the facts about a man who has been around a long time, and has taken positions on all kinds of issues, meaning at least some will be seen in a positive light, depending on the person looking at Paul’s record. But there is plenty to be disturbed about!

But face the facts: There is no way that Ron Paul can be the GOP Presidential nominee, and if he looked as if he was going to be, there would be such a ganging up on him by the Republican Party, which despite its claims, is NOT a libertarian, isolationist party as Ron Paul basically is.

What is objectionable about Ron Paul, in no special order?

1. Ron Paul has in the past, in a newsletter he now disavows, but was under his name, stated racist, anti Semitic, and anti gay statements. While he is not the only Republican to make racist or anti gay statements, the fact that he said them in a newsletter many years ago makes him even more objectionable, since it is harder to refute.

2. Paul is for taking America out of the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and all free trade agreements. He is perceived as an isolationist.

3. He is highly critical of Israel, the only Republican candidate to be so, and yet does not see Iran as a threat for the future with the development of nuclear weapons.

4. Paul is for wiping out most government agencies and their bureaucracies, including Education, Commerce, Homeland Security, Energy, Health and Human Services, and Energy. He also would love to eliminate the Federal Reserve Board. None of this is going to happen, no matter what criticisms there might be of these agencies.

5. Paul promotes letting states decide most matters dealt with by the national government, and thinks climate change is a hoax, and advocates stopping interference with religion’s influence in government, including the teaching of intelligent design over evolution.

6. He is a strong believer in pro-life without exceptions; against any government intervention in the environment; any regulation of guns; and any aspect of affirmative action.

7. Paul opposes any kind of amnesty for illegal aliens, any support of any kind for them, and birthright citizenship for their children born in the United States.

8. Paul believes only in excise or sales taxes, and the wiping out of the income tax, and refuses to support any spending programs that create new debts.

Also, a study by a political science journal, The American Journal of Political Science, came to the conclusion that, overall, Paul has the most conservative voting record of all 3,320 members of Congress from 1937 to 2002!

So the attacks on Ron Paul as outside the mainstream, even of the GOP, is rapidly growing!

Evangelical Christians, Orthodox Jews, And Prejudice Against Women, Gays, Blacks

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It is a very unpleasant reality that people who claim extreme religiosity, whether evangelical Christians or Orthodox Jews, often have proved to be bigoted and prejudiced against women, gays, and blacks. It is a sad commentary on those who profess to be closest to God!

This reality rears its ugly head when we learn that the leader of an evangelical group in Iowa has called upon Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann to withdraw from the Presidential race, even though she is polling better than Texas Governor Rick Perry and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum in the state polls before the Iowa Caucuses that occur thirteen days from now. What reason other than being a woman could there be for such a statement? It is well known that evangelical Christians believe in the “traditional” role of women as walking behind men and being subjugated to their husbands. Also, Orthodox Jews see women as not worthy to sit with men at a synagogue service, and separate men from women at weddings. It is time for such discrimination to end in both religious groups!

It is also well known that both groups are anti gay, and both have promoted racist attitudes against African Americans historically, and have not repudiated such attitudes even recently. This is a good explanation why the “n” word has been utilized so often in both evangelical and Orthodox Jewish circles.

All of this is extremely outrageous, and undermines the whole concept of what it means to be religious!

“None Of The Above” Best Choice In Iowa Republican Caucuses!

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After a Fox News Channel debate last night, preceded by the ABC News debate earlier this week, and both debates conducted in Iowa, it is clear that the best choice for Republican Caucus voters is to vote “None Of The Above”, as it is obvious that none of the candidates are truly worthy of their support!

The only candidate worth considering is Jon Huntsman, who did not participate in the ABC News debate, although he did in the Fox News debate. But he is not making a major effort in Iowa, anyway, focusing his attention in New Hampshire, where he has experienced a surge to third place, as disillusionment with Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney is mounting.

Mitt Romney did better in last night’s debate than the one earlier this week, while Newt Gingrich showed his weaknesses and shortcomings yesterday, particularly his patronizing attitude toward Michele Bachmann, who actually has had some good points to make in these past two debates, against both Romney and Gingrich, who she has labeled as “Newt Romney”!

Rick Perry has only managed to propose a “part time Congress”, similar to what Texas has, which explains why Texas is so poorly governed! The fact is that Congress needs to spend MORE TIME, not less, in dealing with the problems of the country! Gingrich wanted to change our Constitution also, like Perry, by calling for federal judges to be subjected to congressional challenge face to face, a whacky and dangerous idea for the “separation of powers” doctrine.

Ron Paul may be the one to benefit from all this, as it seems more likely that the vote in Iowa caucuses may be very evenly divided, with a narrow win by Paul being possible!

So it might be that “None Of The Above” is the best answer, ultimately, in the Iowa Caucuses!

The Full Scale Assault On Gay Rights By GOP Presidential Candidates

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As we get closer to the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire Primary, we are witnessing a full scale assault on the rights of Gay Americans.

The effect of the Religious Right on the Republican Party is revealing itself as candidates take pledges from extremist Christian groups to fight tooth and nail against gay marriage, gay adoption, gays in the military, and every other move to equalize rights for those who are a minority of the American people.

So we see Rick Perry speaking out against gays in the military. Rick Santorum condemning families with gay parents. Michele Bachmann continuing to advocate, through her husband, that gays can be transformed into straight; Mitt Romney confronting a gay veteran who is married and tells him it is against the Constitution; and Newt Gingrich speaking out about the historic tradition of a man and a woman in a traditional marriage.

Only Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman avoid speaking out on the subject in a discriminatory manner, and focus on other issues.

Hard to believe that the original party of civil rights in the Abraham Lincoln era has become the party of hate, discrimination, prejudice on the subject of gay rights in the 21st century!

It makes one really wonder how the “Log Cabin” Republicans can remain supportive of their party which kicks them in the rear end constantly. How much disrespect and insult can one take and be loyal to a party that denies them equality and human rights?

The “Trump” Debate Becomes Marginal! And Establishment, Libertarian, And Tea Party Republicans Are In Revolt!

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The “Trump” Republican Presidential Debate, cosponsored by NewsMax, a conservative news link, was a joke from the beginning, with the concept that Donald Trump, a braggart, an egotist, a narcissistic billionaire, who inherited his wealth, and has gone bankrupt several times, should have the right to get involved in a presidential campaign as a sponsor of a debate, when he, even now, threatens that if the chosen candidate he endorses after the debate does not win the nomination, he may return to the race himself as an Independent candidate!

Well, now with the refusal of Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul, and today, Mitt Romney, to be involved in the charade, the circus, Trump is left with Newt Gingrich (who it seems, assuredly, he will endorse), Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, and Michele Bachmann, although Bachmann’s camp has only said she is considering whether to participate.

This “Trump” debate is infuriating the Establishment (Bush) conservatives, who fear that the party is going down the drain, and do not like Gingrich and his ethical and moral violations; and also the libertarian Ron Paul and Tea Party wing, who feel Gingrich is a BIG GOVERNMENT conservative, just what they hate!

So the “Trump” debate only further exacerbates the Republican Party blood letting that is going on, all to the benefit of Barack Obama!