The big issues of the coming campaign are not in question. The economy, America’s growing debt, unemployment, and the role of entitlements (read: government) in Americans lives are crux of the 2012 battle for the White House. Highlighting the negative results in these areas is Mitt Romney, best hand for winning the election.

Nonetheless, foreign policy issues and threats are looming above America’s head in a big way, and will need to be addressed. The conventional wisdom is that Romney has little foreign policy and relations experience. President Obama’s own lack of experience in this area notwithstanding, his campaign zeroed in on this one reason that Romney is not the right man for job.

Governor and Romney advisor Tim Pawlenty addressed this viewpoint and other foreign policy concerns today in a symposium held by the Foreign Policy Initiative. Moderated by board member and Fox news analyst Bill Kristal, the event gave Pawlenty a forum to address how a Romney Presidency would look like in the area of foreign relations. The big take away from the event was Pawlenty’s view that Romney is on the right track.

“Romney has the right foundational and directional philosophy to make the correct decisions.” Pawlenty followed this up by reminding everyone in attendance that Reagan did not have extensive foreign policy experience. His worldview is what allowed him to be an effective foreign policy President.

Channeling Reagan is something that most, if not all, republicans attempt to do. It does not matter whether it is taxes, the economy, or dealing with America’s challenges abroad. Still, there is a large grain of truth to his statement. Governors of either party seldom have extensive foreign policy and relations experience. Their duties at times lightly touch the area, but their primary function is running their states. The lack of experience has to be made up with study and experienced, sound advisors.

Underlying it all, however, is the philosophy of the person in charge. The President can have a mindset like Carter or Winston Churchill. How he views Americas role and his mindset sets the agenda for who he has as advisers, what diplomacy targets he set, and what he will do and not do with America’s armed forces.

Pawlenty was critical of the philosophy President Obama has taken. “President Obama has decided to lead from behind. To have America take a less active role as leader in the world. That has not worked out well.” Examples given of this view were the “reset with Russia,” as the President calls it, and the missed opportunity in the Iranian uprising.

The financial challenges the country faces are grave, but the potential threats of Iran, Russia, and China are like a Damocles sword above the neck of Uncle Sam. Romney cannot afford to let the view of the President set America’s view of him in this area. The knowledge and philosophy that Pawlenty speaks of must be in full view to the American public. Foreign policy may not be issue one this election cycle, but it still cannot be allowed to be ignored.

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There were no surprises and the Republicans pulled no punches in their opening night speeches, Tuesday night. The afternoon speakers may have drawn a line in the sand with the mantra of “We Did Build It,” chastising the President on spending, and attacking Obamacare, but the presentation in prime time colored that line bright yellow and made it glow in the dark.

Never in the modern era has there been such a stark difference between both the parties and their plans. The Democrats have not only doubled down on policies and rhetoric attacking the wealthy and successful, but their convention speakers feature Sandra Fluke, and a slate of liberal woman’s rights advocates. Fluke will be the talking poster girl for free birth control and a woman’s right.

Tuesday night the republicans took a battering ram to that poster with a night interwoven with political stars, and videos from small business owners of company’s like Sollman Electric Co. and Kimmie Candy to make their case clear.

In the 2008 campaign Obama’s off the cuff remark to Joseph Wurzelbache “lets spread the wealth,” became an instant line of attack for John McCain and made “Joe the Plumber” a house hold name. It did not, however, provide a lightening bolt of anger toward the president beyond conservative circles. The offensive nature of the statement motivated conservatives, but did not ignite within independents or moderate democrats.

“You didn’t build it,” is this years’ bad off-the-cuff comment by the President, and has ignited a big firestorm of opposition. Romney, like McCain before him, has jumped on the comment. Further, the RNC and Romney campaign are betting it will resonate further than the “Spread the wealth” comment; enough to make it the center of the convention speeches. Still, there is a question if this theme will have legs beyond the convention. The view that a person is not responsible for their success, but government is a large part of it, rankles the hairs of a lot of people. However, this election does not hinge on that notion. It hinges on the economy, jobs, the debt, and the President’s failure to fix any of those problems. The largest bat to swing is the stark reality that things are worse in those areas than when the President took office three years ago.

Governors John Kasich and Mary Fallin of Oklahoma were the best warm up speakers for the anticipated Ann Romney and Chris Christie speeches, and clearly articulated the vision the republicans believe is best for America. Kasich’s message was powerful because it showcased the results he has facing the fiscal problems of Ohio. He focused on the results in contrast to Obama. Fallin, followed a short time later further explaining the work involved in the business her and her husband started, and the results of fiscal logic in her state.

Congressional Candidate for Utah, Mia Love was inspiring, but had too short of a speech. Perhaps this was due to the changing schedule, but this was a mistake by convention organizers. Love is a Tea Party favorite. She is another example that belies the accusations from Democrats that the republican Party is against minorities. Her intelligence and poise make it clear she is no token. Judging by the round of applause she received the attendees at the convention felt that same.

Rick Santorum and Chris Christie were both expected to produce fireworks, but both stayed in their lanes. Santorum gave a typical social conservative message, but did not step on anyone’s toes. Christie followed the example of Kasick and spoke at length about telling the truth to the American politic, and focusing on solving problems, not winning elections. Christie is at his best in a debate or press conference, but it is clear that he held back.

Arthur Davis, perhaps fired the most direct shots at President Obama. A black male who voted and supported Obama in 2008, he has disavowed the Democrats, and switched parties. He went after the President, going so far as to steal his 2008 chat, “yes we can” with a spin on controlling debt, creating jobs, and supporting business owners.

The jewels of the night were of course Nikki Haley, and Ann Romney. Haley spoke at length about the 30 year journey her family made to create a successful business. She detailed how “They Built It,” and the lessons learned from watching her parents. More powerful was her description of the fight she had with the Obama administration and the National Labor Relations Board regarding Boeing opening a plant in South Carolina. As a right to work state, South Carolina is not a favorite place of unions. Haley’s description of how, no union jobs were being lost due to the plant, but Obama’s fight to block was an effective illustration of how the President has harmed the growth of jobs.

Ann Romney roll was clear, to humanize and personalize her husband. It’s a role that First Ladies and potential First Ladies all share; make their husbands seem like regular guys. What Ann did however was begin a narrative that explains the true path her husband took to his business success. Her description of their marriage beginning in a $75 a month, basement apartment is one that all Americans can relate too, and have not heard from Romney himself.

This will need to change. Few Americans can relate to someone with 240 million dollars, but all Americans love a person that starts from nothing and makes that kind of money. Romney will need to talk about his beginnings, and his wife seems to be the best person to bring this part of her husband alive. It is difficult for most people to dismiss a wife that recounts the struggles and work she saw and experienced first hand.

Image Courtesy of  PBS News Hour

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The big night is here. Mitt Romney takes to the stage at 11pm to accept the Republican Presidential Nomination and deliver the biggest speech of his life. It has been a long road for Romney. He has never been fully embraced by the party base, and there is still speculation by many on whether he will be tonight or on election day.

One of the things he will have to deal with in this election, which may appear small but is part of the larger narrative is the liberals that try to paint conservatives as a racist party. There have been more than a few stories from the liberal networks about the number of blacks at the national convention. Even though the Republican National Convention had several African-American speakers the story is that no blacks are here. The truth is that there are plenty, and they all have to deal with the question of how they can support Romney.

If you were to put aside the difference in success for blacks under Democrats versus Republicans and just focus on Mitt Romney, here is what we find: Romney’s life has been one of competency. It is a life filled with success at running things. He has turned around companies. He ran the Winter Olympics, a job offered to him because of his turnaround experience, and saved them. He has been Governor of Massachusetts and done a good job. He did not get everything he wanted, but he did leave the state of Massachusetts with a rainy day fund, something the federal government could use right now.

What do we have on the other side?

President Obama’s life is a life of personal success. He went to a good school. He went to an excellent graduate school. He managed to get elected to public office, and managed to get elected President of the United States. All of that is nice personally. But where is the record of success running things?

He has never run a business or worked in one, nor has he run a city or state. Since he never has run anything, we are left with what he has done thus far. I do not find that record a strong one. Unemployment is 8.3% – 15% in black communities – and has been as high as 10%. He promised to lower the deficit, but increased it. He did not lower the debt, he spent more than any President before. Has that spending lead to a robust economy? No. He bailed out GM, which went bankrupt anyway, and still owes the country billions.

The only thing he can really point to is a healthcare plan that is still unconstitutional—the Supreme Court notwithstanding– and will break the financial back of the country. He can point to foreign policy when it comes to Bin Laden and drone attacks, but many will argue that all of that is on the back of President Bush.

Yet, African-Americans are supposed to support him. Worst, if you support Romney, then somehow you are a racist if you are white, and self-hating if you are black.

Both are wrong. What matters in life is success. What matters is doing something and it working. Not how you feel about it, not how it sounds, and not something that is said by a black man. If a black man is in charge, and he screws up, how does that help anyone, black or white? If a white man is in charge and screws up, how does that help anyone, black or white? It does not. You need to be competent at what you are doing. You need someone in charge that can do the job.

Here is a thought. Ask any black democrat this question: “If you are a manager for a company, would you hire someone that was incompetent? Would you keep someone in a job they were failing at just because they were black?”

The answer would be no. So the real question is, why is that acceptable for the most important job in the country?

Image Courtesy of   NewsHour

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Lost in the backdrop of most Presidential Conventions is the reality that more than just nominating a candidate is occurring. It’s also a party for both political parties and a showcase for major entertainment acts. Even as the convention was slowed to a crawl space because of the storm, work continued in the Tampa Bay Forum Center for many of the upcoming music acts. Here is some raw video of a sound check for the house band G.E Smith.

Image Courtesy of the 2012 Republican National Convention

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In a little under 181 days, Americans will head to the voting booths to decide who will be president for the next four years. The committed Left and Democrats will vote for Barack Obama. The committed Right and Republicans, though not all not at all Conservatives, will vote for Mitt Romney.

Stuck in the middle will be the independents, liberal Republicans, and conservative Democrats. These are the people Obama and Romney will be fighting over to secure the White House. The campaign will be brutal, it will be hard fought and each man will try to sell his vision of America to the voters he needs. It is this last part, “a vision of America,” that will really be at the heart of the 2012 presidential election.

Within a 200-year span, America has become the most powerful and successful country in the history of the world. It did not accomplish this because its citizens are smarter; they are not. America accomplished this because its system of governance, the framework of capitalism and the idea of freedom for every individual in regards to their purpose in life.

These things allowed the people of America to capitalize on the huge amount of resources at America’s disposal. It has not always been pretty, but the U.S. is still the best country for an ambitious, poor person to live.

In November of 2012, we will, for the first time since the founding of this country, decide whether that will remain the case. The country has reached a tipping point. The President has increased the debt so high, so fast that we are a short distance from financial collapse.

Many in the country want more entitlements, more spending, more benefits, in two or three years Supreme Court Justice Kennedy will retire, leaving open a slot that could Left or Right, depending on this election. President Obama represents one path, Governor Romney another path.

On the Left 

In one corner, we have Barack Obama, a man who exemplifies one set of choices. America needs to be transformed, changed and humbled. We know this because this is what the president has told us. Throughout his campaign, he preached the ideas of change and transformation. On the day of his electoral win, his victory speech was capped off with the words, “Change has come to America.”

His two signature programs would be a stimulus package of nearly a trillion dollars, followed up with increases in every single social program the government has with the coup de grace being the ‘Obamacare’ law that took the country one step closer to single-payer healthcare.

In the last three years, change and transformation have meant spending more money, according to the Congressional Budget Office, than all previous presidents combined. In order to pay for this, Mr. Obama has fallen on the politics of envy, telling millions of high-income Americans they are not paying their fair share.

Indeed, in the next election, it has almost become a repeated mantra of his: “Pay their fair share,” “Everyone needs to sacrifice and pay their fair share,” or “Everyone needs to pay their fair share, and do their part.” The single fact that the top 10% of wage earners already pay 65 percent of the tax bill seems lost on the president and those that support him.

This is not an accusation or an assertion; it is on the White House webpage. It is easy for anyone to add up and see. This is the America that Barack Obama is fighting to create. A country where the few take care of the many and the government decides what you need.

The path he would take America on is one that the world has previously seen. It is a place where the state takes care of the citizen. It is the duty of the government to provide healthcare, education at all levels, determine rules for what is or is not fair. It is a government that spends large amounts of money on social programs designed to make a person’s life better, even if it means running their life.

On this path, businesses large and small are to be watched closely, regulated tightly, and provide something for the common populace to do during the day. To pay for this path, the government will play Robin Hood and take from society’s most productive people in order to pay for all the rest. What it cannot make up in tax revenue or confiscation, it will pay via loans and debt to other countries.

America today is a debtor nation, no different from the man hocking his computer to pay for his habit, except America’s drug of choice will be money for birth control, abortions, food stamps, or worst yet, another bridge with a politician’s name on it. Food stamp usage has increased under President Obama exponentially.

And despite the Democrats cry of racist foul play toward Newt Gingrich over calling President Obama the food stamp President, his reelection team is using a TV ad proclaiming proudly the increased usage. The battle over giving women, rich or poor, free birth control has become the policy mascot in the Democrats insistence that there is a “War on Women.”

This is the fiscal path that President Obama has chosen to lead the country on. This is the transformation he for which he is fighting, a change in the social contract. A contract that gives, and gives, and gives, regardless of the cost.

President Obama is the current standard-bearer for the liberal mindset, and that mindset is one of no judgments, and excuse-making. It is how you get gay marriage, not as an equal right, but as some sort of equivalency to normal marriage. It is why obesity is the fault of soda companies, McDonald’s, or not enough side walks in the country, and not a parent’s inability to say no to a five-year-old, or pull the honey bun away from his or her own mouth.

The issue of whether any of these examples: social spending, socialism, alternative life styles, etc., are okay or should be seen as acceptable is not the issue. The issue is that this is one path that America can take. This is one of the choices we face.

On the Right

In the other corner, we have the vision of the Right. A vision that says anyone with the drive and ambition can move from being poor to being a billionaire in their lifetime. Jorge M. Perez managed to do it, even though he came to this country poor, uneducated and unable to speak English. The President’s biggest cheerleader Oprah Winfrey did it, despite her well documented trials of physical abuse and rape. The vision being championed this time around by Mitt Romney wants all people to have the same opportunity as Winfrey, Perez and millions of other Americans.

It is a country where charity to the needy is golden, but the healthy must put in work. It is a country where the rules for business are simple: do not lie, cheat, or defraud the public and if you do, then you go to jail, but otherwise, do what you want. Do all businesses follow that path? No, they do not, and when they do not, they are punished.

Much in the same way we punish individuals for robbing banks, speeding, or physically assaulting someone, but we do not believe most people act in those ways. There is no transformation that needs to take place. The vision on the Right rejects the idea that we are a deeply flawed nation.

The views of how business should be treated is perhaps best illustrated in the tale of two states: California and Texas. California follows the dreams of the Left; high taxes, social Liberalism, tightly regulated businesses and, they have a 15 billion dollar deficit. Starting a business is costly and tedious, so businesses are leaving the state, along with their tax revenue and jobs. Many are going to Texas where taxes are low, and regulation is smart, but not onerous.

As a result Texas has low unemployment and has had low unemployment for years. The idea of making it harder to open a business is silly to those on the Right. Conservatives want a path that embraces the entrepreneurial spirit of each person, wants it to take flight, and when it does, congratulates you for being successful.

Individualism, personal responsibility, and personal choice is the path being fought for by Mitt Romney. As the standard-bearer for the Right, he is fighting to create or maintain a structure that encourages entrepreneur-ism and self-reliance. It is a view that says the needy get help, but everyone else needs to step up to the plate, and take care of themselves.

New ideas, new innovations, products, and services that help people and make individuals money, that is the path that built America and created all the tools we take for granted. The Imac, I-pod, and I-phone were not created in a department in Washington. No, Apple was founded in a garage by a bright individual, whose company has become a powerhouse that provides thousands of jobs, and billions in tax revenue.

Take your pick of a product cell phones, internet, cars, air conditioning, high tech medicine, shopping malls, and Walmart. These items did not come out of a government program. These products were not conceived in some over-bloated governmental department. Americans did this in a nation that is a capitalist society. It is the backbone of the Great American Experiment. We have a system in America that allows a 19-year-old freshman at Harvard create a business and product that changes the world.

It is a country that allows another company to create a product, called Farmville, for the aforementioned company founded by that 19-year-old and generate 340 million in revenue. This is the country America is, and this what the Right represents. A vision that does not just fight for the millionaire or billionaire, but for the right and ability of you, your kids, and grandkids to become a millionaire or billionaire yourself.

This is what the election is about. Who are we going to be as a country? Are we going to be a North American version of France with social programs for every citizen and a laissez-faire population, or are we going to be  Americans? In America we work hard, people that do not perform get fired (unless they are union teachers), and compared to the rest of the world our economy shows it.

In France, you get 8 weeks of vacation, you cannot be fired easily, and you get riots from people if they try to change retirement by two years. More important, their economy reflects that as well. France, and other countries with similar policies have stagnant economies, and a financial house that is crumbling even as you read these words.

This is not a bashing of France. Judging by the recent presidential vote, they are proud to be socialists. The issue is what America wants to be. Is the path of national healthcare, eight-week vacations, and a nanny state that polices where we want to go?

This election is the one that will answer that question.

There will be many long arguments in the coming weeks and months about which path is better. Make no mistake, this is the election that will be a defining one in your life, my life, and in the world. If we go in one direction, we could end up going the path of empires before us such as Rome, Carthage, the British Empire, etc.: into a path of slow decay. Not because the notion of helping others is bad, but because to give people stuff, you have to pay for it, and there is never enough money in a social democracy.

If this is not the case then why are Spain, Greece, France, Italy, Ireland and others finding out that truth today? If there is more than enough, then why is Europe a heartbeat away from collapsing economically? Depending on what direction this next election takes, America may find out the answer to those questions. If we move Left, we might not like the answer.

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Mitt Romney has been, and continues to be, the candidate to beat for the Republican nomination. He has come under fire from every other nomination contender, as well as from the Obama campaign on the left. He is criticized for being “out of touch” with the middle class, as well as for shutting down companies and eliminating jobs under Bain Capital, the private equity firm which he used to run.

His fortune, which is somewhere between 190 million and 250 million, makes him one of the wealthiest men to run for office in recent times. He has described the amount that he made from speaking engagements as “Not very much.” This amount is revealed to be $374,327, an amount that, well into the six figures, is far higher than the income of the average American.

Criticized by opponents for not releasing his tax forms, Romney is beginning to succumb, admitting to paying somewhere near 15% in his taxes. This percentage means that most of Romney’s income is from investments, as opposed to from ordinary income, which is taxable by up to 35%.

This makes him one of the 200,000 millionaires who pay less in taxes than the average person who makes over 100,000 dollars a year. According to the Christian Science Monitor, if some of his Republican opponents had their way, Mr. Romney would be paying even less in taxes.

Coincidentally, Mitt Romney opposes the Buffett Rule, also known as the Millionaire’s Tax, which would increase the minimum tax rate paid by millionaires, ensuring that they pay at least the same percentage that middle class income families do. According to the New York Times, any time he is asked about taxes being raised on the wealthy, Romney deflects the question, insisting that the size of our government must be shrunk.

The bigger issue may be that the IRS values investments more than it does ordinary income. Regardless, the current tax rates make it so that those who make many times over the average income, such as Mr. Romney,  have to pay a much lower percentage in taxes than a middle class family.

Furthermore, Mr. Romney negotiated a retirement deal with Bain Capital that provides him with a substantial share every year. This will be even more income that will not fall under ordinary income, and so therefore only 15% percent will be subject to taxation. As a candidate, Romney has advocated policies that would continue to benefit people like him whose income comes mainly from investments.

Mr. Romney will perhaps be continued to be seen as out of touch, and these recent revelations will doubtlessly be unhelpful to his candidacy.

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Mitt Romney made his first major foreign policy address at the Citadel Military Academy last Friday, which tackled the threats to the country’s security and how he is planning to solve them. His foreign policy plan includes taking eight steps in his first 100 days in office as well as believing in the “American Century.”

Mitt Romney didn’t hold back as he discussed the threats facing America including President Obama’s shortcomings in his foreign policy. Critizing President Obama for ‘massive defense cuts,’ Romney stated, “I will not surrender America’s role in the world, this is very simple if you do not want America to be the strongest nation on earth, I’m not your president.

You have that president today.” On day one in office, Romney proposed to focus on rebuilding the economy, reverse massive defense cuts, and not weaken America’s military. Romney concentrated on the threats that the United States currently faces and potentially faces in the future.

The international threats included discussing a powerful nuclear Iran against the United States and the Taliban gaining power in Afghanistan again. He also included a vital issue directly facing America which is the Mexican border and the drug cartels in the region in combination with the failure to secure the border.

With these problems come solutions, and according to Romney the solution to a safer world is to make America the strongest nation in the world. He states, “God did not create this country to be a nation of followers. America is not destined to be one of several equally balanced global powers.

America must lead the world, or someone else will.” His plan to make America the strongest country in the world includes the eight steps he will take his first 100 days in office. The steps include the construction of a bigger Navy, which involves increasing ship building from 9 to 15 ships a year.

He aims to strengthen relationships with allies including Mexico and Israel. He also states he will enhance deterrents against Iran, commit to a robust national missile defense system, and use soft power resources in the Middle East. He plans on launching a campaign for economic opportunity in Latin America and conducting a full review of transition in Afghanistan.

Lastly he hopes to order interagency initiative on cyber security. Some people have commented that Mitt Romney’s foreign policy stance resembles that of former George W. Bush’s. Romney did an effective job at addressing the threats that face the country, where the Obama administration has lacked effective solutions, and the steps he plans on taking once in office.

With an attempted terrorist plot against the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Washington by two Iranian men, just days after Romney’s speech, there seems to be justification for Romney’s forceful policies on terror prevention and America’s security.

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Shockingly, I think almost every GOP presidential candidate has now won a straw poll or two. The former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza won a Republican straw poll over the weekend in Florida. Herman Cain won 37 percent of the vote on Saturday. Texas governor Rick Perry came in second with 15 percent of the vote and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney had 14 percent of the vote.

Although straw polls actually mean so little, the candidates believe that straw polls are indicators on how they are doing in the race. “This is a sign of our growing momentum and my candidacy that cannot be ignored,” Cain said in a statement addressing the results.

“I will continue to share my message of ‘common sense solutions’ across this country and look forward to spending more time in Florida, a critical state for both the nomination and the general election.”

Perry, who was expected by many to win the straw poll, signaled his belief earlier in the day that it was a “big mistake” for rival candidates like Romney and Bachmann to opt against campaigning for support in the event. Perry said, “I’ve got all my hopes on Florida.”

The loss for Perry is just the latest in a series of bumps for the frontrunner. His performance in last week’s debate has left many Republicans scratching their head. Bachmann has also been plummeting. Although, she did not actively campaign in Florida, her 8^th place finish in the poll is still bad news for the Minnesota Congresswoman.

However, last week Bachmann said she’s “in it for the long haul” despite many people believing that the race will be a match-up between Perry and Romney for the Republican presidential nomination.

 
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So the Republicans are three for three now. In each debate, the narrowed minded audience cheered or booed something to make the rest of the country cringe. I am just now sure why the GOP continues to cater to this small subset of their party while alienating everyone else.

During the GOP debate on Thursday night, host Megyn Kelly played a Youtube clip for a question to Rick Santorum. The clip was a question from Stephen Hill, a soldier in Iraq who, up until this week, had to “lie about who [he] was” in order to serve in the army. Hill asked if Santorum would reinstate “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

After the clip with Hill was played, several members of the audience booed him. Someone could also be heard yelling “faggot.” Nice reaction for the party that “supports the troops.” Santorum response was not much better. “I would say any type of sexual activity has absolutely no place in the military.

The fact they are making a point to include it as a provision within the military that we are going to recognize a group of people and give them a special privilege to, and removing don’t ask don’t tell. I think tries to inject social policy into the military. And the military’s job is to do one thing: to defend our country… “

Kelly asked Santorum what he would do with soldiers like Stephen Hill. “What we are doing is playing social experimentation with our military right now. That’s tragic. I would just say that going forward we would reinstitute that policy if Rick Santorum was president. That policy would be re-instituted as far as people in, I would not throw them out because that would be unfair to them because of the policy of this administration.

But we would move forward in conformity with what was happening in the past. Which was- sex is not an issue. It should not be an issue. Leave it alone. Keep it to yourself whether you are heterosexual or homosexual. “

Although Santorum never denounced the audience’s absurd reaction, other GOP candidates did the next day. Jon Huntsman told Talking Points Memo that the booing was “unfortunate.” A Perry representative, also called the incident “very unfortunate.”

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Just weeks after Rep. Michele Bachmann won the Ames Iowa straw poll, her campaign has seemed to fallen apart. The latest Power Outsiders poll conducted by The Huffington Post and Patch found that Bachmann is losing credibility.

Nearly half of the influential local Republicans were surveyed in the early primary states, including New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina, report a negative impression of Bachmann, and more than two thirds see little or no chance that Bachmann can either beat Barack Obama or win the Republican nomination.

This week, the HuffPost-Patch Power Outsiders poll of 160 political activists, party officials and officeholders in the early primary and caucus states focuses on Bachmann. The poll does not survey all Republican voters, but focused on influential local activists and political insiders that have historically driven the outcome of party nomination campaigns.

This week, we heard from 38 Power Outsiders in Iowa, 57 in New Hampshire and 65 in South Carolina. The poll first asked respondents to use one word to describe their impression of Bachmann. Unlike with the two frontrunners, nearly half the words (48 percent) to describe Bachmann were negative, including “inexperienced,” “crazy,” “lightweight” and “scary.”

Fewer words (43 percent) were unambiguously positive, including “passionate,” “energetic,” “principled,” “determined” and “feisty.” Although we classified 8 percent of the comments as neutral, these included words like “conservative” (mentioned by 4 percent) that could have either a positive or negative connotation for the respondent.

The comparison between the one-word reaction to Bachmann and the two front-runners is stark. The influential local Republican activists we talked to were nearly twice as likely to use a negative word to describe Bachmann (48 percent) as Romney (28 percent) or Perry (24 percent) on previous surveys.

The Power Outsiders do express affinity for Bachmann’s issue positions. Nearly four out of five (78 percent) describe her as someone who “takes stands on issues you agree with,” although less than a third (29 percent) say that phrase describes Bachmann “very well.”

Respondents gave far more negative reactions to Bachmann when asked about other characteristics. Only 40 percent describe her as someone who “would make a good president,” and her ratings plunge on matters of viability. Only 29 percent describe her as someone “who can beat Barack Obama in the general election,” and even fewer (26 percent) say she can win the Republican nomination.

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The GOP debate on Thursday night was, once again, an attack on Texas governor Rick Perry. In the past, candidates have gone after the governor for his HPV vaccination in the state. On Thursday, it was about immigration.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum first attacked Perry over immigration. “I would say that he is soft on illegal immigration,” Santorum said. “He doesn’t want to build a fence. He gave a speech in 2001 where he talked about binational health insurance between Mexico and Texas. I mean, I don’t even think Barack Obama would be for binational health insurance.”

Santorum called Perry “very weak on this issue of American sovereignty and protecting our borders and not being a magnet for illegal immigration.” Perry defended his stance on immigration, especially a policy where he allows children of undocumented workers to receive in-state tuition costs at public colleges.

He said that the other Republicans who opposed in-state tuition for children of illegals were heartless. “If you say that we should not educate children who have come into our state for no other reason than they’ve been brought there by no fault of their own, I don’t think you have a heart,” Perry said.

Romney pointed out that students from states outside Texas have to pay full tuition, putting holes in Perry’s logic. “If you’re a United States citizen from any one of the other 49 states, you have to pay $100,000 more. That doesn’t make sense to me,” Romney said. Perry had some awkward moments throughout the debate and seemed to be off his game.

Pausing and struggling to answer some questions. And the polls reflect that performance. A focus group run by Fox News said after the debate that Romney was the clear winner, and that Perry lost a large degree of support. Romney’s poise, confidence and specificity is beginning to impress voters.  Surprisingly, Santorum is also gaining support.

He had another strong performance during the debate. Rep. Michele Bachmann is already fading to obscurity as Republican voters are starting to see the electability problems she has.

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It is easy to forget that some Americans, apparently Tea Party members, believe that uninsured people should actually die rather than the United States providing any form of help. That fact was startling clear on Monday night during the Republican debate.

Late in the debate, CNN moderator Wolf Blitzer posed a hypothetical question to Rep. Ron Paul from Texas. “What do you tell a guy who is sick, goes into a coma and doesn’t have health insurance? Who pays for his coverage? Are you saying society should just let him die?” Wolf Blitzer asked. The audience actually cheered at the idea of letting someone die because they don’t have health insurance.

This is the world we now live, allowing other humans to die rather than have some damn socialist system is preferable. Paul interrupted the cheering to offer an explanation for how this was, more-or-less, the root choice of a free society. He added that communities and non-government institutions can fill the void that the public sector is currently playing.

“We never turned anybody away from the hospital,” he said of his volunteer work for churches and his career as a doctor. “We have given up on this whole concept that we might take care of ourselves, assume responsibility for ourselves … that’s the reason the cost is so high.” There are countless examples of people dying because they don’t have health insurance.

This is not a novel idea. It is a reality in everyday America. We can pump out our chests and talk about how proud we are to be an American, but a country that allows 45,000 citizens to die each year because they don’t have the money it not a place I am proud of.

Just the other day, there was another heart-wrenching story about a young girl who died with a very treatable condition because she was uninsured. A ten-year old girl was sent home from the emergency room by two different doctors on two different days, even though during her second visit she was blue around her mouth and nose, had difficulty breathing and couldn’t pee.

She was diagnosed with the “worst kidney infection” this particular doctor had ever seen. The girl died the next day. Although Paul may have an idealistic idea of a free society, that is not what happens. Clearly. Maybe people are not turned away for not having insurance, but they aren’t given the best care either.

I don’t want to live in a society where it is celebrated that people die because they live in the wrong socioeconomic bracket.

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Rep. Michele Bachmann attacked Governor Rick Perry during the last debate in Florida. She strongly criticized the Texas governor for his executive order in 2007 that mandated human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for sixth-grade girls. However, after the debate, Bachmann appeared on Fox News and spoke about a woman from the audience.

“There’s a woman who came up crying to me tonight after the debate. She said her daughter was given that vaccine,” Bachmann said. “She told me her daughter suffered mental retardation as a result. There are very dangerous consequences.”

Perry said Wednesday morning that Bachmann’s comment “had no truth in it, no basis in fact.” Other people have criticized Bachmann’s comments as well, including her former campaign manager, Ed Rollins. “She made a mistake. The quicker she admits she made a mistake and moves on, the better she is,” Rollins said in an interview on MSNBC on Wednesday.

“Ms. Bachmann’s an emotional person who basically has great feeling for people. I think that’s what she was trying to project. Obviously it would have been better if she had stayed on the issue,” he said. Rollins admitted to Chris Matthews on MSNBC that Bachmann has taken what was a positive issue for her and at the least tainted it, allowing Perry to escape the full brunt of scrutiny he would have otherwise borne.

“I think the bottom line here is she has made what was a very positive debate and made the issue about Perry to where it’s now an issue about her, and she needs to move on,” Rollins said. After a few days of silence, the Minnesota Congresswoman is on the defensive.

“During the debate, I didn’t make any statements that would indicate that I’m a doctor, I’m a scientist or that I’m making any conclusions about the drug one way or another,” the GOP presidential hopeful told reporters.

Asked whether she would apologize for comments that outraged medical experts say will discourage parents from getting their children immunized, Bachmann said: “Oh, I’m not going to answer that.”

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After two Republican debates, Texas governor Rick Perry is having some difficulty. Other candidates have attacked Perry for his stance on the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Perry issued an executive order in 2007 to mandate HPV vaccination for sixth-grade girls in his state.

He allowed parents to opt-out of the order; however, that hasn’t stopped the other GOP candidates from pouncing on the issue. Other Republican voters and pundits have questioned the governor’s character. Craig Robinson, a former Iowa Republican Party official who is now a full-time political blogger, wrote about the problem on his blog, the Iowa Republican.

“What the debate over Perry’s HPV mandate has really done is brought in to question Perry’s character and convictions,” wrote Robinson on his blog.  ”That is why the HPV issue has gained more traction and attention in recent weeks than Perry’s comments about social security.

Perry may want to put this issue to bed, but by the looks of things, his proposed HPV mandate could haunt him throughout the nominating process.” Perry was defensive during the first two debates but stated his goal was to prevent cancer.

When he first entered the race, Perry stated that he should have provided an opt-in for parents instead of an opt-out. But in both GOP debates over the past week, Perry pointed to the opt-out clause as a positive component of the executive order he signed. “I don’t know what’s more strong for parental rights than having that opt-out,” Perry said at his first debate in Simi Valley, Calif., last week.

Asked directly on Monday night, during his second debate in Tampa, Fla., whether the executive order he signed amounted to a mandate, Perry said it was not — because of the opt-out provision.”No, sir it wasn’t. It was very clear. It had an opt-out,” Perry said. But later in the week, Perry was back to stating that he should have had an opt-in instead of an opt-out.

This proves to be a difficult issue for Perry who, like other Republicans, believes Obama’s health care overhaul is unconstitutional. If Perry can force residents in his state to have a vaccine, then how can making people have health care be unconstitutional?

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After much criticism, Texas governor Rick Perry is attempting to soften his criticism on social security. This marks his fourth flip on the issue. Perry, the current front-runner in the Republican presidential nomination, wrote an op-ed piece on Monday for USA Today. Although he still maintained that social security needs to be overhauled, he refrained from some of the more inciting rhetoric he has favored in the past.

Instead of calling the system a “ponzi scheme,” he wrote of “dire financial challenges facing the nearly 80-year old program” and emphasized the need to protect benefits for current recipients and those “nearing retirement.” In his article, entitled “I am going to be honest with the American people,” Perry stated that older workers would still be protected. “For younger workers, we must consider reforms to make Social Security financially viable.”

“I am going to be honest with the American people. Our elected leaders must have the strength to speak frankly about entitlement reform if we are to right our nation’s financial course and get the USA working again. For too long, politicians have been afraid to speak honestly about Social Security. We must have the guts to talk about its financial condition if we are to fix Social Security and make it financially viable for generations to come,” Perry wrote in his short piece.

Despite the change in tone, it is unclear how long this will last. When he first jumped into the race, Perry attempted to distance himself from his book, “FED UP!” where he first described social security as a “ponzi scheme.” However, last week at the Republican debate, the governor doubled down on his initial assessment, repeating the phrase and calling social security, “a monstrous lie.”

Other presidential candidates have criticized Perry for his remarks; however, the statements have not hurt him in the polls. A new CNN/Tea Party Express poll out Monday showed Perry with the same lead over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as he had two weeks ago, 30 percent to 18 percent. Perry also is leading Romney over electability.

Forty-two percent of voters believe that Perry could beat President Obama compared to Romney’s 26 percent. Rep. Michele Bachmann continues slipping, dropping to four percent in the poll, down from ten percent just two weeks ago.

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It has already begun. The presidential election is over a year away, but former candidates are beginning to endorse their peers. Tim Pawlenty, who dropped out of the race last month, has placed his support behind Mitt Romney in an email to supporters on Monday.

“President Obama has failed to meet America’s economic challenges. … Fortunately, America may get a second chance: Mitt Romney is running for president, and I am proud to endorse him,” said Pawlenty in an email message sent out by the Romney campaign.

“[Romney] believes in the bedrock conservative ideals of limited government and free enterprise,” he continued. “He will stand up for America’s allies when they are threatened, with fortitude. And he will face down our adversaries. He is a formidable person, and he will certainly be a formidable president. Our allies can count on it, and our enemies should expect it.”

“He’s formulated an economic plan-a set of alternatives to the government-oriented programs that Barack Obama has put in place-that is unparalleled in the history of American electoral campaigns. By pressing for fundamental change in the way that Washington taxes and spends, issues regulations, uses energy, interacts with our major trading partners, and deals with our labor force, he fully envisions a way to place America back on the path toward rapid economic growth and full employment.”

Pawlenty also appeared on Fox News on Monday morning. He stated that Romney has significant experience in the private sector, which has influenced his decision to support the former Massachusetts governor. He also criticized Texas governor Rick Perry, specifically Perry’s reference to social security as a “ponzi scheme.”

“Governor Romney wants to fix Social Security — he doesn’t want to abolish it or end it,” Pawlenty said. “He doesn’t believe it should be thrown out — he thinks it should be reformed and fixed.” Responding to questions about his previous criticism of Romney’s health-care program, Pawlenty said he talked to Romney about his concerns and came away reassured.

“Mitt Romney is 100 percent dedicated and committed to repealing Obamacare,” Pawlenty said, citing Romney’s pledge to grant the states waivers from the federal law. Pawlenty will be a national co-chair of Romney’s campaign. He told Fox News that he had no vice presidential aspirations.

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The second Republican debate of this month was held on Monday night in Tampa, Florida. Candidates spent much of the night attacking frontrunner Texas governor Rick Perry. Perry defended his controversial views on social security despite attacks from Mitt Romney.

“We have not had the courage to stand up and look Americans in the face” to tell them that “this is a broken system,” Perry said of Social Security in the opening minutes of the debate among eight Republican presidential contenders at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

When asked if he believed states should run social security, instead of the federal government as he proposed in his book last year, Perry skillfully dodged the question. Perry said it was time for “thoughtful conversations with Americans, rather than trying to scare seniors, as you’re doing.” “The term ‘Ponzi scheme’ is what scared seniors,” countered Romney, the former Massachusetts governor.

Former Senator Rick Santorum from Pennsylvania criticized Perry for his views on immigration. Perry defended his policy of allowing undocumented immigrants to pay in-state college tuition in Texas. “No matter what the sound of your last name, we believe in you,” he said, drawing some boos from the crowd.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, who is currently struggling to stay in the race, attacked Perry again for his controversial executive order of requiring the human papilloma virus, or HPV, vaccination for young girls in Texas. “If I had to do it over again, I would have done it differently,” Perry said, saying he should have consulted the Legislature on the issue.

Bachmann suggested that Perry passed the order because of campaign contributions. Perry stated that the pharmaceutical company, Merck, had given him only $5,000 of his $30 million campaign war chest.”If you’re saying I can be bought for $5,000, I’m offended,” Perry said. “I’m offended for all the little girls who didn’t have a choice” to receive the vaccine, Bachmann replied.

Other participants tried to maintain relevance in the debate. Romney and Perry debated about who can create the most jobs as president. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich pointed out that the government does not create jobs, but that people do. Other participants included former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, Herman Cain, former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, and Rep. Ron Paul from Texas.

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Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has not campaigned on the one thing that sets her apart-her gender. As of now, there is no Sarah Palin in the race and Bachmann represents the lone female in the presidential ring. Bachmann has chosen to downplay her gender, unlike her predecessors, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton.

The presidential candidate does not mention that she would be the first female Republican presidential nominee. Jennifer Lawless, director of the Women and Politics Institute at American University, said Bachmann’s decision to downplay her gender in her campaign could be a smart electoral strategy to win over the evangelical, conservative base.

“She does not embrace feminist policies or feminist principles,” said Lawless. “For them to portray her as breaking a glass ceiling becomes tricky. I think the campaign has rightly tried not to do that. The counter to that is Sarah Palin, who didn’t embrace feminist principles or feminist policies, but was a self-identified feminist and said she was out there to finish the work that Hillary Clinton started.

That disconnect between what her beliefs were and what her rhetoric said ultimately raised a lot of questions.” Women’s groups such as the National Organization for Women and NARAL Pro-Choice America have expressed concern that Bachmann as the first female president would actually be a setback for women rather than a victory.

“She is so opposed to women’s equality and women’s rights that I suppose it’s appropriate that she’s not touting herself as a woman candidate,” said Terry O’Neill, president of NOW. “Palin at least claims to support Title IX. I’m searching for an issue on which Bachmann and NOW would agree.”

Conservative women groups, however, do not understand why other women groups wouldn’t support Bachmann.. Ciara Matthews, communications director at the Susan B. Anthony List, which works to elect women who oppose abortion rights, said she can’t understand why any women’s group wouldn’t be pleased to see the first woman president elected.

“If we’re trying to send the message that women are as strong as men are, why do we need to highlight the fact that we are women doing something that women are expected to be able to do as well as men?” said Matthews. “And Bachmann has a very pro-woman agenda. She’s pro-life, and I think that the most pro-woman position you can take — wanting to defend women against the horrors of abortion.”

Bachmann’s campaign spokeswoman said the candidate doesn’t need to identify as a feminist or play up the fact that she is the only woman running because she leads by example. “Michele speaks with great pride about being a mother to her five wonderful children, foster mother to 23 children and wife of almost 33 years,” Alice Stewart said.

“She has talked about the many fond memories of raising her children and being a homemaker. She has shared the most personal story a woman can tell — that of losing a child due to a miscarriage. At campaign events across the country, mothers bring their daughters to meet Michele and say she is a tremendous role model to girls and women everywhere.”

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The Republican debate on Wednesday night was all about Rick Perry. Even Rick Perry noticed it, stating he felt like a “piñata.” Almost all of the other candidates gleefully swung at the frontrunner, while the Texan governor decided to support all of his controversial statements in his book “FED UP!”

For all the talk about job creation on the stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California, the words, “middle class,” was only mentioned two times in two hours. TWICE! It is clearer than ever than Republicans are not the party for the middle class. I am unsure if Democrats are either, but I know for sure that Republicans are not.

The debate was primarily between Rick Perry and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney about who had the better state and who created more jobs. Interesting debate since all of the Republicans claim the government does nothing for job creation and it is left up to the private sector.

The governors were prepared with a number of job-related facts to throw out. “Michael Dukakis created jobs three times faster than you did, Mitt,” said Perry.

Romney countered that Texas created more jobs under Perry’s predecessor, George W. Bush, than under Perry. He also defended his record and minimized Perry’s by noting that Massachusetts and Texas have different political and economic conditions. “States are different,” said Romney.

“Texas has zero income tax. Texas has a right to work state, a Republican legislature, a Republican Supreme Court. Texas has a lot of oil and gas in the ground. Those are wonderful things, but Governor Perry doesn’t believe that he created those things.” Perry continued to assert that social security is a “ponzi scheme” and a “monstrous lie.”

He stated if he was president, he would eliminate social security while reassuring people that depend on that income, they would be okay. Romney stated he believes social security is successful but that it is facing a funding problem, which he would fix. Bachmann barely talked at all and did not deviate from her talking points, even when pressed by moderators.

Every other part of the debate was predictable. Not many social issues were touched on by NBC and Politico moderators, although Brian Williams sort of asked Rick Perry about the death row inmate that was killed who is probably innocent, without mentioning the man’s name.

Williams simply asked in general if Perry had ever struggled with the idea that someone who was killed via capital punishment was innocent. The weak sauce allowed Perry to wriggle off the hook: “No, sir.

I’ve never struggled with that at all. The state of Texas has a very thoughtful, a very clear process in place of which — when someone commits the most heinous of crimes against our citizens, they get a fair hearing, they go through an appellate process, they go up to the Supreme Court of the United States, if that’s required.”

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Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has launched his own jobs plan ahead of the president’s address to the nation on Thursday. On Tuesday, Romney detailed his 59 specific proposals to improve the nation’s economy and create jobs.

“At best, government can provide a framework in which economic growth can occur. All too often, however, government gets in the way,” Romney wrote in an opinion piece in USA Today that previewed his 160-page plan. “The past three years of unparalleled government expansion have retaught that lesson all too well.”

Romney’s plan, no surprise, includes lowering the tax rate for corporations to encourage more corporations to keep profits in the U.S. This comes just weeks after Romney stated that “corporations are people.” Romney also proposes to eliminate tax on interests, capital gains and dividends. Romney’s campaign stated that these proposals specifically target middle class Americans, however few middle class Americans pay those types of taxes.

Romney criticized Obama for expanding federal regulations. He announced a proposal to ensure that new regulations at government agencies do not cost money. If a new set of rules raises costs for businesses, Romney would require that a different set of regulations be eliminated.

“I have spent most of my career in the private sector starting new businesses and turning around ailing ones. Unlike career politicians who’ve never met a payroll, I know why jobs come and go,” Romney wrote in USA Today, again a jab at Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has held public office since he was elected as a Texas state representative in 1985.

Democrats criticized Romney’s plan, even before he rolled it out. Brad Woodhouse, a spokesman for the Democratic Party, said: “Mitt Romney has promised an economic plan that is bold and sweeping. But if the past months have shown anything, what Americans are really likely to get is more of the same tired rhetoric and worn out ideas which have failed America in the past.”

Although there is nothing new or different in this plan (lower taxes, reduce regulations), at least Romney is proposing something. The Republican Party in general has not offered any real solutions to the economy. The Republicans are known as the “Party of No” for a reason.

They are quick to criticize the president, congress and everyone else without suggesting any alternatives. Of course, the hocus pocus magic of lowering taxes and reducing regulations does not help the economy (see: George W. Bush’s 8 years) but  Mittens is trying to set himself apart in the crowded GOP field.

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The rumors swirling around a potential presidential bid for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are not ready to die yet. During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” a former Bush aide stated that Christie is still weighing his options.

“I don’t think Republicans regard this as a strong field,” Michael Gerson, a former George W. Bush speechwriter said. “So there is still talk of people getting in the race. Not just [Sarah] Palin but last week, Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey was in Chicago and had two meetings with serious Republican groups from the Midwest.”

“He is actively, I think, considering getting in this race, which would throw things open once more,” he added. “But the desire for that to happen … it shows that they are not happy with the current field, they think it needs to be filled out in an important way. I don’t know if that is going to happen, but the desire for many Republicans to expand this field shows that they are not content with it.”

Many New Jersey residents and voters have praised Gov. Christie for his handling of Hurricane Irene which may have triggered the speculation of his presidential bid again. A new poll found that 54 percent of New Jersey voters approve of the governor.

Angered when beachgoers were not heading the warnings before the storm, Christie announced “Get the hell off the beach,” at a news conference. Christie was praised for his forthrightness, although some criticized his vulgarity. Now, that the storm has passed Christie has told beachgoers to return. “Get the hell back on the beach!” he tweeted before Labor Day.

Christie has insisted in the past that he is not running for president. Of course, there is still speculation around Sarah Palin who has not ruled out a potential run. Despite some republican insiders and political pundits’ unhappiness with the field, voters seem generally satisfied.

An Associated Press-GfK poll released last week found that two-thirds of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents were pleased with the presidential field.

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Although it is already September and the presidential election is just 14 months away, Sarah Palin has still not announced if she intends to join the Republican field of candidates. The former governor of Alaska and reality TV star spoke to tea party activists on Saturday in Iowa. She did not make any major announcements but did appear to lay some groundwork for a potential campaign bid.

“This is why we must remember the challenge is not simply to replace Obama in 2012. The real change is who and what we will replace him with,” Palin said in a rural area south of Des Moines. “Folks, you know it’s not enough to change the uniform.”

The audience of about 2,000 supporters from all over the country erupted into chants of “Run, Sarah, Run!” Palin gave no response to the chant and did not mention the candidacy in her 40 minute speech.

Palin talked about her experience as the governor of Alaska and stated she confronted powerful corporations, instead of coddling to them like the current administration. Although she did not specifically name any from the GOP field, she did say that Republicans are also to blame for repaying campaign donations with perks. Similar to what Texas Governor Rick Perry has been accused of in recent weeks.

“There is a name for this. It’s corporate, crony capitalism,” she said. Asked later if she was referring to Perry, she said it was to all GOP candidates. “I want all of our GOP candidates to take the opportunity to kill corporate capitalism that is leading to this cronyism that’s destroying our economy,” Palin said, while in a crush of hundreds of supporters asking for autographs and posing for pictures.

Palin also said her remarks should not be construed as a campaign address, telling reporters: “It was a thank-you-tea-party-Americans speech.” Palin reported she would announce any potential political plans late in September. However, her speech in Iowa and another speech in New Hampshire have fueled speculation.

Her speech on Saturday was also different because of instead of criticizing only; Palin actually offered a plan on how she would boost the economy. She proposed expanding oil drilling and loosening regulations on it. She called for pared down business regulations. And she suggested eliminating the corporate income tax.

“It’s not just fear of a double-dip recession, and it’s not the shame of a credit downgrade,” she said. “This is a systemic crisis due to failed policies and incompetent leadership.”

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Texas governor Rick Perry has a target on his back. Rep. Michele Bachmann’s super PAC- Keep Conservatives United, released a 30 second ad earlier in the week said that Perry took spending from $45 billion to $90.4 billion between 2000 and 2010.

“Rick Perry doubled spending in a decade,” says the ad. “And he’s supposed to be the Tea Party guy?” The ad will begin airing Monday in South Carolina.

Perry’s spokesman Ray Sullivan called the ad “patently and provably false,” and cited numbers showing that spending in the state budget that is paid for with state taxes and other state revenues has gone down since Perry took office, if the figures are adjusted for population and inflation. Perry’s campaign explained that general revenue spending was $55.7 billion for the 2000-2001 budget and is $80.5 billion for 2012-2013.

Keep Conservatives United PAC obtained their numbers from a Texas State Comptroller’s report issued one year ago. Perry’s campaign took its numbers from the state legislature’s budget board report in May.

Bachmann is not the only candidate that has begun attacking Perry. Mitt Romney criticized “career politicians” earlier in the week, a clear dig at Perry who has held an elected position since 1984. Fellow Texan Ron Paul also had some sharp words for Perry during an interview on Friday. The Republican congressman was on a stop in New Hampshire when he called Perry the “candidate of the week.”

“He was the one saying, ‘Oh yeah, I’m all for secession,’ and that kind of talk,” Paul told The Associated Press. “The only thing I would advise is looking into him, looking at his record, and not just taking him at face value. Texas has had a lot of changes in these last eight years, not exactly positive either.”

In a 2009 interview, Perry said there was no reason for Texas to secede from the union, but suggested it was a possibility if Washington political leaders continued to “thumb their nose at the American people.”

Paul suggested he was not worried about Perry’s rapid rise. “There are a lot of candidates who climbed real fast and went down real fast,” Paul said. All this is building up to the GOP’s next debate. Next Wednesday will be the first debate since Perry has joined the republican candidates.

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When even an extreme congressman is starting to call you out, you are in trouble.  Rep. Allen West called Rep. Michele Bachmann’s suggestion for drilling oil in the Florida Everglades “an incredible faux pas.”

Over the weekend, Bachmann spoke at a campaign stop in Florida. “The United States needs to be less dependent on foreign sources of energy and more dependent upon American resourcefulness,” Bachmann said. “Whether that is in the Everglades, or whether that is in the eastern Gulf region, or whether that’s in North Dakota, we need to go where the energy is.”

The Republican presidential candidate added, “Of course it needs to be done responsibly. If we can’t responsibly access energy in the Everglades then we shouldn’t do it.”

Rep. Allen West, a strange tea partier known for making his own outlandish statements, pounced on Bachmann’s statement almost instantly. West said during a town hall event in Florida, his home state, “When I see her next week, I’ll straighten her out about that.”

West is not the only person pointing out the potential environmental disaster in Bachmann’s statement. Florida Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat, said, “To go in the middle of the Everglades and to spoil the river of grass just because somebody wants to, that’s not a wise thing to do.”

Bachmann, who has previously stated she would abolish the Environmental Protection Agency, said she would rely on experts to determine where to drill. The same experts who thought deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico was a good idea? “No one wants to hurt or contaminate the earth. … We don’t want to harm our water, our ecosystems or the air.

That is a minimum bar,” she said, according to the Associated Press. “From there, though, that doesn’t mean that the two have to be mutually exclusive. We can protect the environment and do so responsibly, but we can also protect the environment and not kill jobs in America and not deny ourselves access to the energy resources that America’s been so blessed with.”

A CBS reporter in Miami asked Bachmann about her call for drilling, asking, “Why would you invade that natural resource with gas and oil drilling?” Bachmann responded, “Let’s access this wonderful treasure trove of energy that God has given us in this country. Let’s access it responsibly.”

However, many experts do not know if there is any oil beneath the Everglades. A geologist from University of South Florida told CBS News that it doesn’t seem to harbor any “treasure trove.”

“There is no known evidence that there is a significant hydrocarbon deposit beneath the Everglades,” Dr. Albert Hine said.

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Republican front runner Rick Perry was quick to criticize another stimulus plan, while offering no suggestions on how he plans to boost the economy. The Texas governor said on Monday in Tulsa, Oklahoma that no new economic stimulus package is needed to “get America working again.”

Perry said he would let his “guiding principles” as a fiscal conservative inform his policies if he were elected president. But, when asked for details, Perry resorted to general statements he has often repeated on the campaign trail.

“No. 1 is don’t spend all the money, you can figure out what that means,” Perry said at the Tulsa Press Club event also attended by U.S. Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. “You won’t have stimulus programs under a Perry presidency. You won’t spend all the money.”

Despite Perry’s strong stance against federal funds, his state benefitted greatly from the last economic stimulus package. Texas has used $17.4 billion in federal stimulus money In fact, Texas used the federal stimulus to balance its last two budgets.

Perry said the nation’s “entrepreneurial spirit” would create jobs and that his tax policies would allow Americans to keep more of what they earn. He said his tax system would be “light on job creators” and called for a more predictable legal system “that doesn’t allow for over-suing.”

“We have seen a clear thirst for leadership in this country,” Perry said. In his book — titled Fed Up! Our Fight to Save America From Washington — the Texas governor writes, “We are fed up with bailout after bailout and stimulus plan after stimulus plan, each one of which tosses principle out the window along with taxpayer money.”

Earlier on Monday, Perry’s focus was foreign policy. He said American military commanders should always control U.S. military forces abroad. “It’s not our interest to go it alone,” he said. “We respect our allies and we must always seek to engage them in military missions. But at the same time, we must be willing to act when it is time to act.

We cannot concede the moral authority of our nation to multilateral debating societies, and when our interests are threatened American soldiers should be led by American commanders.”

Although Perry did not say, he seems to be referring to NATO operations in Libya. The Libya operation is being run by a Canadian general from a NATO headquarters in Italy, but an American officer is the top NATO commander.

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Presidential candidate Mitt Romney put on his boxing gloves on Tuesday and began to swing at top rival, Rick Perry. Romney spoke at the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention in San Antonio and seemed to take aim at Perry without mentioning his name. When talking about whether Obama is responsible for the recession, Romney alluded that Perry is a “career politician.”

“I am a conservative businessman. I spent most of my life outside of politics, dealing with real problems in the real economy,” Romney said. “Career politicians got us into this mess and they simply don’t know how to get us out!”

Romney’s advisors state that the “death by a thousand cuts” strategy will target Perry. Romney’s camp doesn’t believe that the Texas governor, who has been in office since 2000, can be defeated by any one thing.

The strategy instead will focus on highlighting the most negative aspects of Perry’s public record. Although Romney is starting to attack Perry, the plan is also to wait on Rep. Michele Bachmann. Romney’s aides believe that she will soon be forced to go on the offensive against Perry.

However, Bachmann’s camp is content to remain on the sidelines for as long as possible and let the first and second place contenders duke it out. Romney’s strategists think she won’t be able to wait long because of Perry’s surge in the poll numbers. “I think given her financial situation she can’t wait that long,” the Romney adviser said.

Jamie Burnett, who was Romney’s political director in New Hampshire in 2008 but is unaffiliated this cycle, said that “every day that goes by there is less oxygen for [Bachmann] in this primary field.” “[Perry's] stealing a lot of her oxygen.

It’s quickly becoming a two-person race,” Burnett stated. Romney’s camp also believes that Perry will hang himself during the three upcoming debates scheduled in September. “We went through Hurricane Palin and Hurricane Huckabee and Hurricane Trump,” the Romney adviser said, referring to the bright light celebrity names that stoked interest earlier this year: former Alaska Gov.

Sarah Palin, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and businessman Donald Trump. Referring to Perry, the adviser said: “This is just one more hurricane, but I think we’re at the end of hurricane season.”

The first debate is scheduled for Wednesday in California.

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Michele Bachmann proves once again she can dominate the news cycle with irrelevant statements and ideas. The representative from Minnesota who is vying for the republican presidential nomination stated that the United States can more energy resources than any other country but “radical environmentalists” won’t allow the government to exploit these resources.

Bachmann told a crowd in Florida that with shale oil, natural gas and coal, the United States shouldn’t be “begging” others for oil and energy supplies. She said “we are the king daddy dogs when it comes to energy,” but that environmentalists are preventing resources from being tapped.

Bachmann specifically pointed out untapped oil reserves in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and off the nation’s coasts along with shale oil in Western states and rich natural gas and coal deposits. Bachmann stated that the U.S. “is sitting on a mother lode of treasure.” Bachmann promises to unlock those resources and disband the Environmental Protection Agency if she was elected president.

“The radical environmentalists have demanded that we lock up all our energy resources,” she said. “President Bachmann will take that key out of the door. I will unlock it.”She added that will eliminate the “job killing” Environmental Protection Agency.

“We will turn out the lights and we’ll lock the doors,” she said. The crowd at a retirement community cheered to those promises. I guess that will happen before she magically lowers gas prices.

Bachmann also spoke in Jacksonville last week. She told supporters there that the corporate income tax should be reduced to prevent more companies from moving jobs overseas. She was later asked by a reporter whether changes to the minimum wage should also be considered to balance the cost of labor here and overseas.”I’m not married to anything. I’m not saying that’s where I’m going to go,” she said.

“I want to bring advisers in from labor and from manufacturers and from the service industry and financial services. I want to know what they know, because that’s what we’ve been missing from President Obama. He has virtually no one in his Cabinet with private sector experience,” Bachmann said. “I want to bring people who know how to create jobs into my administration.”

Bachmann told the crowd she knows Florida will play an important role in the election.”We will be back here many, many, many, many, many times in Jacksonville, and we’re going to be old friends and neighbors by the time this is all done,” she said.

Image Courtesy of  Michele Bachmann

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Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) does not like to be out of the news cycle for even a moment. While the national media was focused on potential destruction, in the form of Hurricane Irene and the earthquake, Bachmann was off the radar for a moment.

She didn’t seem to like it. So, she said something wacky and voila, we are back talking about the presidential candidate. Bachmann told a Florida crowd on Sunday that the hurricane and the earthquake were messages from God to warn “politicians” to start listening to divine guidance. It is weird to me that God is worried about that stuff when millions of people go to be hungry and stuff but what do I know.

“I don’t know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We’ve had an earthquake; we’ve had a hurricane. He said, ‘Are you going to start listening to me here?’”

Bachmann said in front of approximately 1,000 people. “Listen to the American people, because the American people are roaring right now,” Bachmann continued. “They know government is on a morbid obesity diet and we’ve got to rein in the spending.”

Bachmann, as crazy as her comments were, is not even the first to make the tenuous connection between two natural events and some wrath of God . Glenn Beck, radio personality, stated the events were a warning to the American people. “How many warnings do you think you’re going to get, and how many warnings do you deserve?

This hurricane that is coming through the East Coast, for anyone who’s in the East Coast and has been listening to me say ‘Food storage!’ ‘Be prepared!’” Beck said. “If you’ve waited, this hurricane is a blessing. It is a blessing. It is God reminding you — as was the earthquake last week — it’s God reminding you you’re not in control.”

I find it interesting that people like Bachmann and Beck can link a natural disaster to some politic policies but it is blasphemy to even suggest that our foreign policies may have caused 9/11- a manmade disaster. That seems so much more plausible to me.

Bachmann’s spokesperson, Alice Stewart, said the comments were made in jest and not serious. I am not sure about that though. The very day a hurricane is hitting the northeast and people are losing their lives isn’t really a good time to make a joke about it. Either Bachmann was being serious or she is very insensitive.

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Rep. Ron Paul from Texas is standing behind his controversial remarks about the hurricane. The Republican presidential hopeful stated that the federal government should not be a part of disaster relief, even as Hurricane Irene was bearing down on New York City.

Paul told NBC News on Friday that there was nothing “magic” about the Federal Emergency Disaster Agency (FEMA), which has been coordinating the response to Hurricane Irene.”We should be like 1900, we should be like 1940, 1950, 1960,” said the Texas congressman during a stop in New Hampshire. He regarded FEMA as a “great contribution to deficit financing.”

“We should be coordinated, but coordinated voluntarily with the states,” Paul explained. “A state can decide. We don’t need somebody in Washington.”

On Sunday, Paul appeared on “Fox News Sunday” and stood behind his remarks. “It’s a system of bureaucratic central-economic planning, which is a fallacy that is deeply flawed. So no, you don’t get rid of something like that in one day,” he said.

“I propose that we save a billion from the overseas war mongering, bring half that home and put it against the deficit, and yes, tide people over until we come to our senses and realize that FEMA has been around since 1978. It has one of the worst reputations for a bureaucracy ever,” added Paul, arguing that federal money often goes to contractors instead of disaster victims.

Paul stated during the interview that he would vote against any request for additional money for FEMA, if the Obama administration asks for an emergency funding bill. He said it was time citizens “transition out of the dependency on the federal government.”

“Where would the money come from?” he responded. “We don’t have any money. What are you going to do? Go hat in hand to China and borrow the money? … The whole idea of FEMA is a gross distortion of insurance.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) argued last week that any potential emergency funding for natural disasters must be offset by spending cuts elsewhere, although not cuts to his salary of course. His remarks have been criticized by members of both parties.

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The war of words continues between Sarah Palin and Karl Rove, leaving the rest of the Republican field gleefully happy. The latest battle between Mama Grizzly and Big Head began last weekend.

Rove mentioned on Fox News that he believed Palin would enter the Republican race for the presidential nomination. After that speculation by Rove, Palin’s camp took offense.

“Three years ago DC pundits predicted with glee the demise of Sarah Palin’s political career,” read a note posted on the SarahPAC website earlier this week. “This past weekend their tune changed, citing false information that she has made a decision and set a date regarding a future campaign.

Any professional pundit claiming to have ‘inside information’ regarding Governor Palin’s personal decision is not only wrong but their comments are specifically intended to mislead the American public.”

On Wednesday night, Rove used Fox News as his platform again to respond to the statement on Palin’s website. “I’m mystified. Look, she is all upset about this, saying I’m somehow trying to sabotage her — sabotage her in some way and that how dare I speculate on her future.

Look, if she doesn’t want to be speculated about as a potential presidential candidate, there’s an easy way to end the speculation. Simply say, ‘I’m not running.’”

Rove went on to say, “I’m just speculating that the kind of schedule she’s keeping leads me to believe that it’s more likely than not that she’s going to be a candidate.” He added, “And I suspect if we didn’t speculate about her, she’d be upset and try and find a way to get us to speculate about her.”

Wow. For once in his life, Rove actually makes sense on something. Palin’s extreme reaction is not only over the top, it makes no sense. She has purposely not made her decision public about a run for the White House for months. She claims she has not made up her mind yet, but most of us know that is not correct.

The entire country, or at least all of those in the media, has speculated on Palin’s political future so why is she super upset at Rove? Did he actually have some sort of inside information?

Image Courtesy of  Sarah Palin

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