Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, one of the rising stars of the Republican Party, has been selected as a speaker for the Republican National Convention. This will grant him the possibility to consolidate himself, along with Rick Santorum, as one of the nation’s conservative stars.

The Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who was the former Republican Chairman of Wisconsin, announced during an episode of the Fox News channel program “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren”  that Scott Walker would have a very “prominent role” during the Convention.

Walker is the son of pastor, and grew up in a small Wisconsin town. He attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, and while still in school he worked for IBM. He left school his senior year to work with the American Red Cross.

His political career started in 1993 when he was elected to the State Assembly. In 2002 he was elected for the Milwaukee County Executive, where he spent eight years. During this time he was able to reduce the county’s debt by 30 percent.  He also reduced the county’s workforce by more than 25 percent, and was the author of nine consecutive budgets without raising the property tax levy from the previous year. Milwaukee was one of the counties in the nation that recorded a budget surplus.

On January 3, 2011 Walker became Wisconsin’s 45th governor. During his time in office he has done reforms that have eliminated the state’s $3.6 billion budget deficit without raising taxes. Governor Walker also intends to create 250,000 jobs by 2015. His plan to reduce budget deficit also included drastic measures: like making state workers pay more for health insurance and making payment of union dues voluntary. Because of this Democrats and unions came together to gather nearly 1 million signatures to force a recall election.

But in June, Governor Walker survived the recall election, becoming the first governor in the U.S. history that has survived a recall attempt.With his crucial victory against Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Walker won the right to finish his term, and also proved he had the  support of the voters to fulfill his plan to curb state spending.

His victory on the recall election was easy, and the Republicans saw in him a great leader supported by many in his effort to rein in government spending, so he has been given a protagonist role in the convention.

Walker recently expressed his support and the importance of the Tampa Convention, he stated: “We have seen the power of bold ideas right here in Wisconsin. The American people are demanding bold reform and we need to put a leader in the White House who will fight to turn our country around. The Republican National Convention will be an important rallying point for our country and our party and I look forward to sharing our story of reform and officially nominating Mitt Romney as the next president of the United States.”

Image Courtesy of  Gateway Technical College

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Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus has announced five additional speakers which will join the eleven that had already been announced, making the total sixteen. Other additional speakers will be announced in the next days.

The new five speakers that will address the Republican National Convention are:

Riece Priebus has expressed his satisfaction at the talent and leadership each of the speakers announced for the Convention have shown during his or her entire career. Priebus stated,“These five remarkable individuals will bring a diversity of experiences and perspectives to the convention stage in Tampa, where they will voice their support for Governor Mitt Romney. They have each served the public in their own impressive ways, and they all share a dedication to the Republican principles of individual opportunity, responsible government and personal liberty.”

Each of the new speakers has recently criticized President Obama. Pam Bondi chastised him, arguing that the “government take overs coming out of Washington have to stop,” she added that “as an attorney general, we are constantly fighting the federal government back from overreaching and over-regulating – from the EPA to health care.”

Ted Cruz said that with a new President in the White House, they could stop the unnecessary government spending and restore the United States’ Constitution. Luis Fortuño, on the other hand, flattered Mitt Romney for his business experience and said he is the one that could really save the U.S. economy.

Sam Olens stated that “the jobs-killing, unconstitutional policies coming out of Washington, D.C. must be undone.” Most of the speakers have criticized Obama for the way he has handled the economy during his presidency and for the high unemployment rate in the country.

Scott Walker stated that “the American people are demanding bold reform and we need to put a leader in the White House who will fight to turn our country around.” He said he is fully committed to Romney, and will help in everything he can to put him in the White House.

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore

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The Pauls are back in the political scene. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, son of Ron Paul, has been announced as a speaker in the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Ron Paul was not taken into account in the Republican Convention four years ago, but in the last four years the Pauls have increased their visibility. So this time, the Pauls haven’t been overlooked by the Republicans and Sen. Rand Paul will have the opportunity to speak in the Convention.

Sen. Rand Paul is a Doctor by profession; he attended Baylor University and graduated from Duke Medical School in 1988.  He is the third of five children born to Carol and Ron Paul. His father is also a Doctor who graduated from Gettysburg College and the Duke University School of Medicine.

Rand Paul’s official webpage explains that “Rand is a hard-working, dedicated physician, not a career politician. His entrance into politics is indicative of his life’s work: a desire to diagnose problems and provide practical solutions.”

Senator Rand Paul has recently criticized the Democrats’ Tax Hike plan. He stated: “It boggles the mind to think that now, during an economic recession; Senate Democrats put forth a plan to raise taxes on nearly a million business owners, farmers, ranchers, and families. Their idea of a tax plan includes damaging tax increases that would severely hurt small businesses and hike the estate tax from 35 percent to 55 percent. Fortunately for the American people, this tax bill is dead upon arrival, as our Constitution requires that all tax bills originate in the House of Representatives, and this one did not.”

Sean Sullivan, writer for the Washington Post blog The Fix, said that “Rand Paul will be a candidate for president — whether in 2016 or 2020— so he’ll want to use this national platform to boost his visibility outside of those people already devoted to his cause.”

Sen. Rand Paul’s father, Ron Paul, decided to enter politics in 1971. He started as a delegate to the Texas Republican Convention and then attempted to enter Congress but was defeated in 1974. In 1976 he won a special election to finally enter Congress when Congressman Robert Casey was given a presidential appointment, but lost it in the general election by less than 0.2%. He regained the seat in 1978 and was reelected in 1980 and 1982. In 1984 he attempted to enter the Senate but he failed, so he returned to his medical practice.

Ron Paul ran for President in 1988. His official webpage explains he did it as a “libertarian, more to spread the libertarian ideas than to actually win the office, then returned to his medical practice and co-owned a coin dealership.” In 1996 he won a congressional seat; he was reelected in 1998 and 2000. In 2008 he decided to run for President again but lost very early in the process, in 2010 he won his 12^th term in Congress with 80% of the votes. In 2012 he decided to run again in the Republican primaries but was defeated by Mitt Romney. Still, his popularity has been increasing year by year.

Ron Paul was not invited as a speaker to the 2008 Republican Convention after he lost in the Republican primaries against John McCain, but in recent years his popularity has increased, so he has been taken into account once more. It seems like his son Rand is the one that will fulfill all the dreams his fathers hasn’t been able to.

Many Republicans think that in the future, he has the potential to be a presidential candidate.  It’s obvious Ron and Rand have had their ups and downs in their political careers, but now they are in the best political position they have ever been, and is their time to consolidate themselves into the Republican Party.

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore

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The 2012 Republican National Convention has unveiled its redesigned official website, www.GOPConvention2012.com. The enhanced website provides a robust platform for expanded interactive and multimedia capabilities, including video and live-streaming broadcasts of convention proceedings. It fully integrates convention social media channels.

“We are planning an innovative, dynamic and informative convention,” said convention Chief Executive Officer William Harris. “One of our most vital assets in accomplishing this mission is our redesigned convention website and other digital assets such as Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

“GOPConvention2012.com and our social media channels will provide a vibrant platform from which we communicate our nominee’s messages,” Harris said. “Our goal is to tear down the convention walls and make the 2012 Republican National Convention open and accessible to anyone, anywhere.”

The site offers key features being deployed today and at critical junctures as convention planning continues, including the ability to login via social network platforms for a customized viewing experience and deep integration of Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social networks.

GOPConvention2012.com will also include live chats and historic photographs and videos of past Republican conventions. Other features will be added to the convention website in the coming weeks.

“The redesigned website will provide an interactive experience to our web visitors while helping us build a community and make history,” said Director of Communications James Davis.

The redesign effort was led by Alexandria, Va.-based Campaign Solutions, which created and maintained the 2008 and 2004 Republican Conventions’ websites and digital strategies. The company has been recognized for its work, including Pollie Awards for web design from the bi-partisan American Association of Political Consultants.

Campaign Solutions’ online strategy and website design efforts were also honored with the “Best of Show” award for the 2008 Republican National Convention website (Minneapolis-Saint Paul) and the “Best Website” award for the 2004 Republican National Convention website (New York).

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/

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President Barack Obama launched a three-day bus tour, speaking in town hall meetings through Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois, but he emphasized that he is not campaigning yet. Obama, however, spent his speeches focusing on jobs and the economy while criticizing the GOP field of potential nominees.

The President criticized the Republicans for their uniform opposition to any deficit-cutting compromise involving new taxes. “That’s just not common sense,” Obama told the crowd at a town hall-style meeting in Cannon Falls, Minn. “You need to take a balanced approach,” he insisted.

Obama spoke about last week’s GOP presidential debate where all eight of the candidates said they would refuse to support a deal with tax increases, even if tax revenues were outweighed 10-to-1 by spending cuts. Obama didn’t mention any of the candidates by name, and prefaced the remark by saying, “I know it’s not election season yet.”

At another town hall meeting, Obama was questioned about his health care reform and used the opportunity to take a shot at Mitt Romney.”You’ve got a governor who’s running for president right now who instituted the exact same thing in Massachusetts,” Obama said, referring the requirement for nearly everyone to carry health insurance. “This used to be a Republican idea,” Obama said. “It’s like suddenly they got amnesia.”

Obama also criticized the anti-government message that the Republican Party embraces. “When you go to the National Parks and those folks in the hats, that’s government,” Obama said. “As frustrated as you are about politics don’t buy into this notion that somehow government is what’s holding us back,” he said.

Obama began his speech at the town hall meetings by criticizing Congress, accusing lawmakers of putting politics ahead of the country and calling on voters to tell them to cut it out. “You’ve got to send a message to Washington that it’s time for the games to stop, it’s time to put country first,” Obama said.

“I want everyone to understand here, I’m not here just to enjoy the nice weather; I’m here to enlist you in a fight,” he said. “We are fighting for the future of our country. And that is a fight that we are gonna win. That is a promise that I make, with your help.”

Not everyone was pleased with Obama’s town hall meetings. Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus and a few dozen protesters showed up in Cannon Falls. “We won’t stand idly by while he uses our hard-earned tax dollars to spin his failure to put America back to work,” Priebus said.

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Previously it has been thought that Rep. Ron Paul from Texas would likely mount another presidential run.  He has a huge following and has won several recent straw polls including the one at CPAC this year.  However, some are now speculating that Rep. Paul’s son, Senator Rand Paul will be the candidate.  Oh the confusion.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) had said that the odds are better than 50-50 that a Paul will run for president next year but it’s unclear who it would be.  One thing is for certain—there will not be two Pauls in the GOP primary.  The younger Paul has said he will not run if his father tries again.

The junior Senator and Tea Party favorite said that he has been encouraged to run by GOP leaders in an increasingly crowded GOP field, despite the fact that the Senator has only been in office a couple of months.  The Kentucky senator said he’s not ruling out a bid if his father decides against a repeat run.  “The biggest decision for me is whether my father runs or not,” the younger Paul told reporters last week.  Rand Paul also maintained that it sounded “pretty reasonable” that one of the Pauls would be in the race.  “I think there will be one on the ballot,” Paul told reporters after speaking to a Rotary club gathering in Louisville. “I think there’s a good chance of that.”

Meanwhile, the elder Paul was in the very important primary state of New Hampshire on Thursday. During a college campus stop, Ron Paul said he hasn’t ruled out running for president again but isn’t on the verge of making a decision.  Rep. Paul said his focus right now is on the nation’s economy and whether it worsens, signaling its course could influence his decision.  “If we get a reprieve and things just look great, I might not be as enthusiastic,” the elder Paul told reporters after a speech at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H. “But if it continues like right now, it makes it almost inevitable that somebody will have to start talking about what we need to do.”

Asked about father-and-son presidential prospects, Ron Paul said the matter hasn’t come up with his son.  “We’ve never discussed it,” he said.

Adding to the presidential mystery, Rand Paul is planning to visit Iowa, another crucial state in the primaries.  Early next month, he will speak at an Iowa Republican event dubbed “Night of the Rising Stars.”

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Donald Trump is quickly becoming even more irrelevant.  He has launched his pretend political campaign and is becoming birther #1.  In every interview, he has questioned Obama’s citizenship using arguments that Snopes has proven inaccurate years ago.  The truth doesn’t stop The Donald though.

Last week, Trump appeared on The View and, as is becoming typical, began to spout some birther nonsense.  Whoopi Goldberg called him out though.  She called Trump’s accusations “the biggest pile of dog mess I’ve heard in ages” and asked, “it’s not ’cause he’s black, is it? …Because I’ve never heard any white President asked to be shown the birth certificate.”

On Monday’s “Fox and Friends,” Trump used his time to strike back. Asked if his comments had anything to do with race, he said, “absolutely not. I like Whoopi. I’ve always had a good relationship with Whoopi…but frankly, I mean, I think that’s insulting that she brings up–what does that have to do with race?”  He then continues his birther drumbeat, questioning whether President Barack Obama was born in the United States during his phone interview.  “He could have been born outside of this country,” he said before asking, “Why can’t he produce a birth certificate?”

Apparently, to prove his point, Trump released his birth certificate later on Monday exclusively to Newsmax. An image of the document featured on the website indicates that Trump was born at the Jamaica Hospital in New York on June 14, 1946. He told Newsmax it took him only an hour to get his birth certificate. “It’s inconceivable that after four years of questioning, the president still hasn’t produced his birth certificate,” he said. “I’m just asking President Obama to show the public his birth certificate. Why’s he making an issue out of this?”

Uh, Mr. Trump.  An official copy of Obama’s birth certificate has been available and online for more than three years. The only one making an issue appears to be you and your birther cronies.  Furthermore, you didn’t even release an official birth certificate.  Officials told Politico’s Maggie Haberman that if Trump’s birth certificate were official, it’d be marked with the seal of the Department of Health, as well as the signature of the city registrar, which do not appear on the image of the document posted on the Newsmax website.

A day later, Trump released the official copy to ABC News.  He had previously released a “certificate of live birth, not a birth certificate.  His staffers point out that the distinction between the two is important.  “A ‘birth certificate’ and a ‘certificate of live birth’ are in no way the same thing, even though in some cases they use some of the same words,” wrote Trump staffer Thuy Colayco in a message to ABC News. “One officially confirms and records a newborn child’s identity and details of his or her birth, while the other only confirms that someone reported the birth of a child. Also, a ‘certificate of live birth’ is very easy to get because the standards are much lower, while a ‘birth certificate’ is only gotten through a long and detailed process wherein identity must be proved beyond any doubt. If you had only a certificate of live birth, you would not be able to get a proper passport from the Post Office or a driver’s license from the Department of Motor Vehicles. Therefore, there is very significant difference between a ‘certificate of live birth’ and a ‘birth certificate’ and one should never be confused with the other.”

Uh, yeah.  It should be noted that Trump’s mother was born in Scotland.  That is eerily similar to Obama’s father being born in another country.  Is Trump even eligible to serve as president?  This does not prove to me that Trump is American.  I have my serious doubts.

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