Over the past couple of weeks, people have wondered how the Arizona and Michigan primaries would take place. Santorum had been doing well, but Romney was the one who really needed to win them especially with Michigan being his home state. His campaign was growing weak, and he needed a revival. Romney ended up taking both states. This is good for him because it means his campaign will survive for a while. He was able to win over many conservatives although many Republican felt that he was unable to do so. His "tussle" with Santorum, however, did highlight some concerns that Republicans have against him. Most Republicans just want Obama out of the oval office, and Romney is the best "anybody-but-Obama" candidate.
Gingrich and Paul are still in the race, but they need to find a way to revive their campaigns as Romney did. Mr. Paul pledged to stay in the race, declaring that his campaign is “still winning a lot of delegates, and that’s what counts.” Gingrich is hoping to revive his candidacy next week in Georgia and Tennessee.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Santorum seeks Democrat Voters
Rick Santorum's presidential campaign is actively seeking the support of Democrats in Tuesday’s Michigan primary, running a robo-call that sounds oddly like one that would be run by an organized labor group. “Michigan Democrats can vote in the Republican primary on Tuesday,” the narrator says in the automated call to Democratic voters. “Why is it so important? Romney supported the bailout for his Wall Street billionaire buddies, but opposed the auto bailout. That was a slap in the face to every Michigan worker. And we’re not going to let Romney get away with it.” Then the ad closes with: “This call is supported by hard-working Democratic men and women and paid for by Rick Santorum for President.” “Rick Santorum has moved beyond just ‘taking one for the team;’ he is now willing to wear the other team’s jersey if he thinks it will get him more votes,” said a Romney spokesman. We will see if this strategy can prove to be effective in Michigan’s open primary today.
Michigan Appears to be close
This week the GOP leaders Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have opened up a new race in the GOP primaries. While Gingrich appears to be dropping off the polls Santorum continues to rise and Romney has remained constant. The race in Michigan, a state filled with high unemployment and an outdated economy, appears to be very close according to poll numbers. Romney has attacked Santorum for not being economically based in his campaign. Meanwhile Gingrich has had little to do in Michigan and is preparing his campaign for super Tuesday.
Obama's Stand on Education
Yesterday during a luncheon Obama had with U.S. Governors he told them that "they are cutting too much funding for education and need to make reforms while continuing to invest in the future of America's students". Obama did acknowledge the tough economy state governments are dealing with at the time and he also spoke about the need to prioritize the significance of a strong education system. Obama believes that too many states are making big education cuts. Yesterday his main call to the Governors was to "Invest more in education, invest more in our children, invest more in our future". If we don't maintain significant government investment in education now, later on down the road the economy will be in danger and U.S. workers won't be able to compete in a global marketplace. Obama pointed out some statistics some of which being that 1) the unemployment rate for those with a college degree is roughly half the national average and 2) people with college degrees have about twice as high an income as those with only high school diplomas. Obama wants people to "at least" have a high school diploma. He also wants states to make it more affordable for people to go on to higher education after high school. Many of the republicans who usually disagree with Obama agreed with a lot of what he had to say yesterday.
Michigan Primary
The Michigan presidential primary today gives Santorum a chance to turn nagging questions about Romney into deep doubts about Romney's candidacy. If Romney, the former governor of Michigan is defeated in his own hometown, it will send the nominating fight onto an unpredictable path and reset the Republican race. The Republican nominating contest, now entering its third month, remains alive with uncertainty.
The Santorum campaign, newly emboldened in its head-to-head confrontation here with Mr. Romney, sent Democrats telephone messages on Monday, reminding them that they, too, can vote in Michigan’s primary. As many as 12,000 Democrats have committed to vote for Santorum just to embarrass Romney and expose him as a weak front runner.
While campaigning in Michigan, Santorum called Romeny's candidacy a “joke”. Santorum encouraged voters to stop the joke and supports someone who could challenge Obama on healthcare and government mandates. He argued that Mr. Romney was “uniquely unqualified” to defeat President Obama because of the health care plan he signed as governor of Massachusetts. “Why would we give this issue away?” Mr. Santorum declared. “It is the biggest issue in this race.”
Michigan and Arizona Primaries
Today voters will go to the polls in these two states in two crucial primaries in the Republication nomination race. With 59 delegates at stake, these primaries are key not only for the delegates but also for momentum, as Santorum seeks to maintain his placing at the top with Romney, and Romney seeks to once again cement himself as the front runner. According to CNN, "The latest survey suggest(s) a dead heat: An American Research Group survey released Monday indicate(s) that 36% of likely Michigan GOP primary voters were backing Santorum, with 35% supporting Romney." Both races look to be extremely close, and will play a significant role as we move towards Super Tuesday in determining the front runner for the nomination.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The Decisive Phase
The battle for the republican presidential nomination heads into a potentially decisive phase over the next two weeks with contests in 13 states that could finally answer some of the questions that have defined the race. The upcoming races offer Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, a chance to show what he and other conservatives have long claimed: that a moderate like the former Massachusetts governor cannot beat one of them in a head-to-head matchup. But it also gives Romney a chance to finally put to rest the question of whether he can defeat a concerted conservative challenge and solidify his claim that he is the party’s inevitable nominee. The debate Wednesday will also either help or hurt the nominees support for Super Tuesday, as we have seen debates can be crucial in the deciding factor of the voters. Without a doubt these next contests will be the main deciding factor for the republican nomination.
Source: Fox News
Tables Turned
Romney, now in attack mode as a result of Santorum's win in Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri primaries, is using his typical techniques to try and crush his opponent under negative ads. It appears as if the tables have turned. Santorum, greeted by a large and enthusiastic crowd in Ohio’s coal country, made no mention of his rival at all. Mr. Romney is desperately scrambling to regain his command over the race. While Mr. Romney may not know for weeks or even months whether he will win the nomination, his performance over the next seven days will most likely provide insight about whether he can persuade the party at last to embrace his candidacy.
This week, he has two opportunities to steer the conversation back to his strongpoints—the economy and defeating Obama. He has a debate in Arizona followed by a speech on Friday in Michigan that his campaign is billing as a major policy address. Both states will hold their primaries next Tuesday.
While many Americans are caught up in the GOP race, others choose to focus on coming together to defeat Obama. “I wish this was over,“ Alex Triantafilou, the Republican Party chairman in Cincinnati. “I’d rather air our attacks at the president.” The Romney campaign has shed much of the bravado that was often on display last year when it focused on Mr. Obama and all but ignored its Republican rivals. However, with Santorum doing so well, Romney is forced to turn his attention to ensuring that he will be the Republican nominee.
The Importance of Debates
26 days ago the candidates participated in a CNN debate in Jacksonville, Florida. It was their 19th debate so far. These debates have gotten sky-high tv ratings and have even been called "event" television. They define candidates in both good and bad ways. Some get defined as "good speakers" or "act well under pressure". Others "fall from grace in front of the live cameras". Since debates are live and public for the whole world to see, whatever happens in a debate shapes a lot of different people's opinions of each candidate. Many people decide who they are going to vote for based on the debates. In a primary or caucus follows a debate, the candidates want to make sure they do well in the debate or they might have trouble doing well in the primary or caucus. The debates provide insight for how each candidate acts under pressure. What may be the final debate of the season will be this Wednesday night in Mesa, Arizona. Some people are thinking of it as a "season finale". Even though these debates have been "substantive and issue based" they have also been very entertaining and have been called "event" television.
Dow crosses 13,000 for the first time since 2008
Today signaled a significant milestone in our countries revival from the crises which has overwhelmed our economy for the past four years--says the Washington Post, " The Dow Jones industrial average crossed 13,000 on Tuesday for the first time since May 2008, when the Lehman Brothers investment bank was solvent, unemployment a healthy 5.4 percent and the worst of the Great Recession months ahead." The article goes on to expound on the psychological impact which this number could have, encouraging more cautious investors to place some trust back in the market and removing some fears that the market will fall back again. John Manley, Chief Equity Strategist for Wells Fargo's funds group, compares it to turning 50: " “Is 50 older than 49 and a half? Yes, by six months. Do those six months really make a difference? Probably not. But it does give us a fixed point, something we can look at.” This is a significant milestone for the stock market, and exemplifies the bounce back which it has experienced from the great recession.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Between Primaries
There has been a lull in primaries for the GOP candidates the past couple of weeks. The last was February 7, and the next is the 28th which will take them to Arizona and Michigan. Michigan is a big one for Romney as it is his home state. However, according to the New York Times, his return home has not been going as well as he hoped. Santorum, after his triple victory streak, is the rising man in the polls right now. This is not good for Romney because Michigan is where he "found his voice" as his aides say. Losing that would be bad for his campaign. But Santorum is going to be fierce competition to Romney. He is trying to convince the Republicans that he has more to offer than Romney and Obama. There has been a drastic change in politics in Michigan over the past few years. The Tea Party Movement has been especially evident which is beneficial to Santorum who is promoting his working-class background and hoping to get in with the Catholic and evangelical Republicans in Michigan. Romney will fight back nonetheless and plans to come back at Santorum calling him a "big government earmarker and fiscally irresponsible politician." It would be a very serious loss for Romney to lose Michigan. The Michigan primary will take place February 28th.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
The Michigan Primary, February 28th.
On February 28th, in the Michigan primary, the race for the GOP Nomination will experience a significant moment--either a momentous victory for Rick Santorum, or a victory for Romney, although if the latter happens, it will undoubtedly be at a lesser margin than originally anticipated. Michigan was a state which Romney originally expected to be able to take easily. However, Santorum's recent surge has put the state in doubt for Romney's campaign. According to the Washington Post, Santorum will aggressively pursue Michigan because he sees in it "the combination of working-class and socially conservative voters on which he has based his campaign." If Santorum defeats Romney in Michigan, it will be a clear example of what recent poll numbers have shown us--a virtual tie between the two. Michigan will be key as we continue the build up to Super Tuesday, and could even signal Santorum overtaking Romney in the race for the nomination.
The GOP Battle Continues
Although Santorum "snatched" the delegates from Romney in the past few primaries, Romney is already fighting back. As of a couple days ago, Romney won Maine with Paul behind him and Santorum in third. Romney has also started to campaign in Michigan. His tactic with Michigan is relating to the people there. He said to them, "I am a son of Detroit". Even though he is not usually associated with Michigan, he wants the Republicans there to know he is one of them. Romney published a new tv ad about how he was born in and grew up in Michigan. $900,000 of TV advertising is coming from Super-PACs backing Romney. To win this primary Romney needs to pull ahead of Santorum. In Michigan a weekend poll showed Romney trailing Santorum 33% to 27%. Will Romney pull ahead of Santorum and win Michigan? We shall see.
Snatching delegates
As this political cartoon illustrates, Rick Santorum has come out of nowhere and surprised Mitt Romney by winning Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri primaries. However, Mitt Romney roared back by winning the CPAC straw poll and the Maine caucus. Santorum vows an aggressive race against Mitt Romney. According to polls, the GOP race seem to be at a tie between Romney and Santorum. "The primary wins have given Santorum wind at his back, which is important, but he'll need the infrastructure to build a sail to capture that wind if he's to be successful in future states," says GOP strategist Doug Heye. Santorum hopes this burst in popularity will help him with fundraising.
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