Denver, U.S.A. — “Mitt Romney is the architect of Obamacare,” said Jefferson George, president of the conservative tax-exempt group American Right To Life Action. “Romney has already implemented what Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton only dream of: homosexual marriage, tax-funded abortion on demand by health care reform with the individual mandate, robbing religious freedom from pro-life hospitals. The list is long. If anyone believed the ‘lesser of two evils’ con, they’d have to vote for Obama.”

“Strategists say that independents decide elections,” said Darrell Birkey, the ARTL research director overseeing the new RepublicansAgainstRomney.com website. “So the only way for pro-lifers to get candidates who won’t kill unborn children is to become independent enough to oppose liberal, pro-abortion, pro-homosexual politicians like Mitt Romney.”

Agreeing with ARTL is the longtime vice president of the nation’s first “right to life” group, Colorado Right To Life. “The Republicans Against Romney site documents that the excuses the campaign makes for Mitt’s anti-child, anti-free-market, anti-family actions are nothing but lies,” said Leslie Hanks. “Sadly, conservative talk show hosts lap it up and repeat the lies. This website even offers a$100 reward for corrections to errors of fact.”

According to the site, Romneycare is fundamentally a liberal, socialist program with its individual mandate that saps the federal treasury. Romney’s top consultants aided the development of Obamacare and put Planned Parenthood on the “health” committee that, from day one, offered $50 tax-subsidized abortion on demand. And still today Romney plans to nominate justices “like John Roberts,” who upheld Obamacare.

RepublicansAgainstRomney.com documents that Mitt Romney claimed to be pro-choice in 1994, pro-life in 2001, pro-choice in 2002, pro-life in 2004, pro-choice in 2005, pro-life in 2006 and then funded abortion in 2006. In 2012, he’s back to supporting abortion for “health reasons,” the loophole opened by the Supreme Court’s Doe v. Bolton opinion that allows all abortions, as in Colorado for example, throughout all nine months.

“And ironically,” adds Birkey, “the ’legitimate’ rape issue is Romney policy, not a Todd Akin policy. The congressman advocates protecting every child, but it’s Romney’s rape exception that requires determining whether or not there was a rape.”

Image Courtesy of   Gage Skidmore

The article American RTL Launches RepublicansAgainstRomney.com appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Tampa, U.S.A. — In its preamble, the GOP says, “Dedication to the rule of law that protects and preserves liberty” is how it operates. However in real life, that hasn’t been true. The Republican Party has flagrantly violated its own code.

At the upcoming Republican National Convention next week, will the GOP delegates be given their rights as delegates? Will they be mistreated, or disenfranchised? Will they be cheated, have their votes miscounted, have their bones broken, or be treated like they live in a communist-style country similarly to what clearly occurred during the past several months of state Republican primaries, caucuses, and conventions across the United States?

Hundreds of plaintiffs from across America submitted legal affidavits under penalty of perjury in a federal lawsuit filed in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court in Santa Ana, California (Case No. SACV 12-00927 DOC (JPRx)) testifying against the RNC and Mitt Romney to specific injuries including election fraud, vote rigging, assaults, threats, intimidation, coercion, and other egregious criminal acts. Without public pressure what is to prevent these same actions from happening next week in Tampa, Florida at what the lead attorney in that case calls the “organized crime convention”?

What is to prevent the fully documented, blatant cheating that elected Mitt Romney, for instance, in Lake & Kane Counties, Illinois, from occurring in the Convention Hall in Tampa, since computerized vote counts will once again be used again to nominate him over others as Republican candidate for President?

Thousands of individuals represented by state, regional, and national organizations have sent an “open letter” today to the RNC, its Chairman, Mr. Reince Priebus, Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney, and the Romney Campaign. The open letter was sent by common carrier and e-mailed to Priebus and all 50 state Republican Party offices.

The letter questions if the stated “rule of law that both protects and preserves liberty” applies only to Romney and his camp to the exclusion of all others? And if so, are the delegates going to be denied their duty, and be subjected to criminal actions. After all, federal law prohibits any attempt to coerce, intimidate, or threaten national delegates. What’s in store for these delegates in Tampa? What will prevent this pattern from continuing?

This open letter is signed by various grass-roots individuals and supporters in various organizations who are endorsing the efforts of district, state, and national GOP delegates to qualify for the Republican National Convention. However, since legitimate delegates have been fraudulently disqualified even at the district level, this open letter calls for the Republican Party leadership to uphold their dictate stated in their preamble that the rule of law will be upheld. And that there will not be any bias or corruption committed against any assigned delegates.

The Convention is about to commence on this coming Monday, August 27, 2012 in Tampa, Florida. The “open letter” ends with a post script that says, “This letter will be signed by the people in an online petition and will also be released to the press.”

Image Courtesy of   Gage Skidmore [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The article RNC, Mitt Romney Face Accusations of Election Fraud appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Tampa, U.S.A. — A unique gathering of advocacy groups urged the Republican Party Committee on Resolutions (the platform committee) to consider all faith viewpoints when it comes to the country’s most pressing social issues—including access to reproductive healthcare and the freedom to marry.

In response to increasingly heated rhetoric about religious freedom, leaders of Republicans for Choice, Catholics for Choice and the National Council of Jewish Women, which are members of the Coalition for Liberty and Justice, joined the Log Cabin Republicans on a panel, “Republicans in Good Faith: Making Room for All Voices in the GOP,” during Republican Party platform committee meetings.

New polling data from Republicans for Choice revealed that the leadership of the Republican Party does not reflect the views of rank and file Republicans when it comes to reproductive healthcare issues. Eighty percent of those who identified as Republicans believe that, when it comes to abortion, the decision should be made by a woman. Three percent said it should be made by the government.

“Republicans in good faith don’t use faith to discriminate. They recognize the hypocrisy of advocating government to get out of the boardroom but not the bedroom. They understand that they need to welcome and embrace voters of all religious persuasions, not just the few who have dominated the discussions in the recent past,” said Ann Stone, national chairman of Republicans for Choice.

Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, said, “Polls done across the political spectrum show the majority of Republicans, like the majority of Americans, do not agree that abortion should be illegal. The leadership of the GOP should better reflect the views of Republican voters—who are overwhelmingly pro-choice.

Too many Republican leaders agree with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops that recent advances in the provision of family planning are an attack on religious freedom. This is completely bogus. In bending the knee to the Catholic hierarchy, these leaders have taken on values that are held by a tiny minority of Catholics and are anathema to Republican ideals of freedom and fairness.”

Image Courtesy of   Talk Radio News Service

The article Groups Pressure Republicans to Consider All Faith Viewpoints appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Paul Ryan has been chosen as Mitt Romney’s running mate in the upcoming US elections. After his nomination he updated his new Twitter account @PaulRyanVp with the following: “I’m honored to join @MittRomney on America’s Comeback Team. http://mi.tt/Romney-Ryan  #RomneyRyan2012.”

Paul Ryan was born in the community of Janesville, Wisconsin. He is a graduate of Joseph A. Craig High School from his home town and earned a degree in economics and political science from Miami University in Ohio.

Ryan has served in Wisconsin’s first congressional district since 1999, but as of August 11, Ryan became the Vice President hopeful in Romney’s campaign.

As the Chairman of the House Budget Committee he gained notoriety by working to bring fiscal deficit and accountability to the government. He is seen as a “fiscal hawk,” representing what some believe Obama is not. He has criticized the exaggerated government spendings of the past years. He proposed a new plan that would eliminate medicare. He plans to change it from an insurance program to one where seniors get government subsidy to buy their own private insurance. Ryan’s ideas are clear: small government and low taxes.

In Ryan’s first speech he first thanked Romney for the opportunity of being his running mate and said that the former government is the leader the country needs during these difficult times. Ryan also introduced his family to the crowd, his wife, his daughter and his two sons.

Paul Ryan is only 42 years old. In his speech he said he is committed to putt his Congress ideas and experience into Romney’s administration. He declared that Romney is the one that would put America back into the prosperity road. Ryan connected easily with the crowd with simple words and stories, for example he told a story about his dad who died when he was young. He told that his dad always said: “Son, you are either part of the problem or part of the solution.” He added that Barack Obama has become part of the problem and Romney is the solution.

The Republican nominee also admitted that Obama did not inherit a good economic situation, but he explained that during the first two years in which the Democrat’s where in control of Congress and in which Obama was able to pass nearly “every item in his agenda, but that didn’t make things better.” Ryan criticized Obama’s economic management, saying that his has been “the worst economic recovery in 70 years, unemployment has been above 8% for more than three years, the longest run since the Great Depression.”

Ryan also said that the U.S. has now the biggest deficit and the largest government since WWII, and said that Obama’s government has a record of failure. He also criticized Obama for not being willing to make difficult decisions to fix the country because he is only thinking about the next election.

Ryan also made a declaration that pleased the conservatives. He said that our “rights come from nature and God, not from government.” He added that “this idea was founded on the principles of liberty, freedom, free enterprise, self-determination and government by consent of the governed.” Paul Ryan said that this idea is now under assault, freedom and security are being threatened and Ryan promised that if they were elected they “won’t replace the founding principles, they would reapply them.”

Image Courtesy of  Tobyotter

The article Paul Ryan Applauded for His First Speech as VP Nominee appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

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

The article Gov. Walker to Have Important Role in GOP Convention appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

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

The article Five Additional Speakers Announced for the GOP Convention appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Rick Santorum, the man who surprised the world with his performance during the Republican primaries, has been announced as a speaker in the Republican National Convention.

Former Pennsylvania Senator, Rick Santorum’s, effort in the primaries made him very popular among the conservatives. His designation as a speaker in the Convention is trying to prove that the differences that arose during the primaries are over and that the Republican Party is united under Mitt Romney’s figure.

His appearance as a speaker in the Convention would greatly help Santorum’s political career and his future aspirations. The Convention is his great opportunity to solidify himself as the social conservative leader of the nation.

Santorum’s official website explains that “Rick Santorum was a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2012 and became known as a voice for conservatives who didn’t feel their voice was being represented.  His grassroots approach to campaigning – including visiting every one of Iowa’s 99 counties and his stunning victory in the Iowa caucuses – catapulted him to frontrunner status where he ultimately won 11 states and 3 million votes during the Republican primary process.” Santorum had a great performance in the Republican primaries, even though he didn’t have the money or the resources other candidates had.

Rick Santorum and his wife Karen are the parents of seven children, and during the primaries he consistently talked about the importance of needing strong families to build a strong economy. His basics proposals were that the government should give incentives for “marriage, children and free enterprise.” With his speeches he gained the support of the country’s most conservative sector.

Rick Santorum is also a dedicated believer in the dignity every life has. Santorum’s younger daughter, Isabella, was born with a condition called Trisomy 18, and the doctors didn’t expect she would survive her first day. But the little girl has beaten all odds and celebrated her fourth birthday in May of 2012. This experience has made Santorum a strong fighter against abortion.

His official website tells us his pro-life initiatives. Santorum “wrote and championed legislation that outlawed the heinous procedure known as Partial Birth Abortion as well as the ‘Born Alive Infants Protection Act,’ the ‘Unborn Victims of Violence Act,’ and the ‘Combating Autism Act’ because he believes each and every individual has value and the most vulnerable in our society need to be protected.”

A Washing Post reporter wrote that “Santorum was a tea party kind of guy before there was a tea party.”

Rick Santorum recently tweeted: “Honored to be speaking at @GopConvention where conservatives from across country will rally together for @MittRomney & make voices heard!” Let’s wait to see what kind of speech he has prepared for the Convention.

Image Courtesy of  Ryan Rodrick Beiler / Shutterstock.com

The article Rick Santorum Selected as a Speaker for GOP Convention appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Tampa, U.S.A. – To welcome guests for the 2012 Republican National Convention (RNC), local artists will apply their own style and creativity, painting 50 identical life-sized dolphin sculptures that will be displayed at Pier 60 Park from August 6 to September 4.  Sponsored by the Sheraton Sand Key Resort, one of the 50 bottlenose dolphins will be painted by two young artists,Emily Harris, age 16, and Alyssa Neuman, age 18.

The art project is sponsored by the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce. The idea was rooted in the worldwide attention inspired by Winter, the dolphin, a local hero who starred in the Warner Brothers picture, ‘Dolphin Tale’.

“We are excited to be part of this project and I still can’t believe we were chosen to paint one of the dolphins,” said Emily Harris. “Our vision is to portray Winter, the dolphin as an artist with a knack for painting.” Complete with a palate, an artistic brush and a classic beret, Harris and Neuman have created a beautifully painted dolphin that captures the lasting memory of the Clearwater Dolphin pod for prosperity.

The young artists were invited to participate on behalf of the Sheraton Sand Key Resort and when the show ends, the dolphin will be relocated to the resort. “We’re in the hospitality business and we all know that our guests are excited to arrive at our beautiful beach. But to be greeted by 50 Dolphins, each with a special personality makes a statement that this beautiful area is all about fun!” says Russ Kimball, Manager of the resort.

While many of the dolphins will be painted by local professional artists, Sheraton Sand Key felt that sharing the experience with young people would set a positive tone consistent with the objectives of the Chamber of Commerce effort.

Image Courtesy of  Frontpage / Shutterstock.com

The article Local Artists Will Welcome the Republican Convention Guests appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Who Mitt Romney’s running mate will be is still uncertain. Expectation levels are high because the elections are only a few months away. Republicans around the country know that this decision will be crucial in their aspirations of returning to the White House.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio has a serious chance of becoming Mitt Romney’s running mate. He would certainly help the Republican Party in their aspirations of regaining the Hispanic voter’s support, which currently favors the Democrats. Rubio served in the House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008 and was elected as a Senator in 2010. Senator Rubio’s political skills, which include a fluent Spanish and high popularity among  Hispanics, would definitely help Mitt Romney to win states with high Hispanic population like Florida, New Mexico and Arizona. 

Ana Navarro, a Politico columnist, referred to Senator Rubio as the anti-Palin. She explained that the population of Alaska during Sarah Palin time as a governor was of 700,000, on the other hand, Senator Rubio represents a state of more than 19 million people, Florida is also a state with a variety of cultures in which practically every U.S. demographic group is represented.

Condoleezza Rice is another name that has appeared as a possible candidate for the vice-presidency. The Former Secretary of State will surely be able to help Romney in foreign issues.  But Condoleezza Rice’s deep involvement in George W. Bush government might not help her because of the bad public image that Bush government has in these days. Also, the fact that Rice is not married doesn’t make her an ideal candidate to the most conservative base of the Republican Party.

Ohio Senator Rob Portman also has great possibilities. He is the Senator of Ohio, one of the swing states that could determine this election. He was elected in 2010; he won with a margin of 57 to 39 percent, winning 82 of Ohio’s 88 counties. His campaign focused on common-sense conservative ideas to help create jobs and get the deficit under control. He helped Romney in the victory against Santorum in the Ohio primaries and the public opinion sees him as a safe pick.

Republican strategist Mark Weaver said that Senator Portman’s organization level in Ohio is very deep and he also “has so many people that are committed to helping him that would all come the way of Mitt Romney.  And in a close state like Ohio, the difference of having someone like Portman on the ticket could be the win.”

Another possible vice-presidential candidate is Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal; he recently referred to President Obama as “the most liberal, most incompetent President in the White House since Jimmy Carter.”  Governor Jindal also responded to President Obama’s declaration that the private sector was doing fine by saying: “The private sector is not doing well when 23 million Americans are unemployed and underemployed in this great country. This president, the private sector is so foreign to him he might need a passport to actually go visit and he might need a translator to help him talk to folks in the private sector.”

Governor Jindal supported Texas Governor Rick Perry in the Republican primaries; he started supporting Mitt Romney until Rick Santorum dropped on April 10. This particular aspect could be taken into account by Romney and does not benefit Jindal at all, because it is clear that Governor Jindal preferred Governor Perry as the Republican candidate, but still Bobby Jindal would have his chances because he is considered one of the rising stars of the Republican Party.

These were just some of the names of possible vice-presidential candidates. There are many more, like New Jersey Governor Chris Christie or the former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Who knows if there might be a surprise in Romney’s nomination, like there was in the 2008 election when John McCain announced Sarah Palin as his running mate?

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore

The article Who Will Be Mitt Romney’s Running Mate? appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The battle for money has started, and Republicans and Democrats are already working on their fundraising. In the last two months the Republican Party has collected more money than the Democrat Party, but November is still far away, so things could change during these new few months.

Fundraising is crucial to win an election and President Obama knows it; in the 2008 election, according to the Federal Election Commission, he raised $ 778,642,962. Meanwhile, his opponent John McCain raised $383,913,834.And the result is well known: Barack Obama became President of the United States.

The 2012 electoral campaign is telling  us a complete different story than the 2008 campaign. The Republican Party is raising considerable amounts of money. In June they broke their record, when they announced raising $106 million for Mitt Romney’s campaign and the Republican National Committee. Barack Obama’s campaign has just announced that they raised $71 million in June.

The Democratic Party has indeed faced difficulties in financing the Obama campaign. In May, Mitt Romney raised nearly $77 million, compared to Obama’s $60 million for the same month. It is a complicated scenario for the Democratic Party and if things continue there is a strong possibility the Republicans will end up raising close to one billion dollars for their presidential campaign.

The Obama campaign manager Jim Messina, recently said in an announcement: “If we don’t take this seriously now, we risk finding ourselves at a point where there is too much ground to make up.”

In a recent video, Jim Messina tried to encourage  people to donate. In the video he assured viewers that 1.3 million people have already donated and explained that during the last quarter they had more than 200,000 new donors. Another statistic he gave is that 98% of all donations were $250 or less and that the average donation was about $55. He also expressed that money is needed in order to build the kind of grass roots campaign that they will need in November.

The aim of this video is to prove the support the Democrats have nationwide and to demonstrate that their money comes from the people, who give little money but at the end it sums a lot, and that is were the Democrat Party strength comes from. Messina criticized the way the Republican Party is raising money and said that “last week, the Republican Party filed a court brief, asking the corporations be allowed to contribute directly to campaigns” to prove that, rather than the people, the Republican Party donors are the big corporations.

The Democratic Convention is near and they are looking for funds to host it, with their goal being $37 million. In the 2008 Convention they raised $61 million, but this time around they are having problems raising enough. This is unlike the Republicans, who do not seem to have any trouble  in raising their $55 million goal for their Convention in Tampa.

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore

The article The Battle for Money in the 2012 Election appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Local students who have an artistic flair will get a chance to display their work to thousands of visitors attending this year’s Republican National Convention in Tampa.

The 2012 Republican National Convention is now accepting entries for its “Elephants on Parade” art competition. The competition is open to middle and high school students throughout the Tampa Bay area. Participants must submit a project that answers the question: what does being an American mean to me?

All qualifying works of art will be displayed in the Tampa Bay Times Forum, which will host the convention August 27-30. The top five finalists will also receive a private tour of the Times Forum and the Tampa Convention Center, where an expected 15,000 credentialed media will be based for the convention.

The first-place recipient will be awarded an opportunity to witness history with a pair of tickets to the Republican presidential nominee’s acceptance speech. Their winning entry also will be displayed in the nominee’s private suite in the Times Forum.

“This art competition is a way to involve and embrace the young artists in our community,” said convention CEO William Harris. “Children are the next generation of Americans, and it is important that we encourage and laud their patriotism. I look forward to reviewing the submissions for the competition personally.”

Entry packets for the “Elephants on Parade’’ competition will be sent to some 250 middle and high schools throughout the Tampa Bay area. Details about the competition, which has a July 6 submission deadline, also are available on the convention website, www.GOPConvention2012.com.

Each two-dimensional, framed entry must be original in concept, design and execution and may not violate any U.S. copyright laws. Any entry that has been copied from an existing photo (except the student’s own), painting, graphic, advertisement or any other work produced by another person is a violation of the competition rules and will not be accepted. Entries must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing).

The 2012 Republican National Convention will be held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum August 27-30, 2012. Nearly 50,000 visitors are expected to come to the Tampa Bay area for the event, including delegates, alternate delegates, media and other guests.

For more information about the 2012 Republican National Convention, please visit www.GOPConvention2012.com, follow on Twitter, @GOPconvention, or “Like” on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GOPconvention.

The article Art Competition at 2012 Republican Convention in Tampa appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The road to the White House has come to an end for Michele Bachmann after her last-place finish in the Iowa caucuses. Speaking to reporters, she said that “last night, the people of Iowa spoke with a very clear voice, and so I have decided to stand aside.”

“I believe that if we are going to repeal Obamacare, turn our country around, and take back our country, we must do so united; and I believe that we must rally around the person that our country, and our party, and our people select to be that standard bearer,” she said. “But make no mistake: I will continue to be a strong voice. I’ll continue to stand and fight for the country and for the American people, and for our freedom,” she continued.

Bachmann went on to call the forthcoming election “the last chance to turn our country around, before we go down the road of socialism.”

The Minnesota congresswoman has long been a darling of the conservative movement and she founded the Tea Party caucus in the House of Representatives. Last summer, she announced her bid for the Republican nomination in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, and in August the voters of the state seemed to smile on her when she won the Ames Straw Poll, briefly catapulting her into the lead position in the GOP race.

Bachmann ran a family-oriented, socially-conservative campaign designed to appeal to the evangelical Christians who provide much of the GOP’s support. She opposes abortion in all instances, and has spoken out in favor of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. She and her husband own a Christian counseling center which has been accused of advocating ‘reparative theraphy’ to ‘cure’ homosexuality, despite the fact that many leading medical groups condemn the practice. While taking a swipe at rival Rick Perry, Bachmann claimed that the HPV vaccine caused mental retardation in girls, a claim that was swiftly debunked by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Yet despite her fervent attempts to burnish her conservative credentials, the voters of Iowa ultimately dealt her a humiliating blow. She received only five percent of the votes, coming in dead last in the caucus. To add insult to injury, she also lost her hometown of Waterloo.

Image Courtesy of  Cheryl Casey / Shutterstock.com

The article Michele Bachmann Quits Presidential Race appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Alan Grayson, a former U.S. representative for Florida’s 8^th Congressional District, is not afraid to speak his mind; in describing the Republican Party’s plan for health care, he explained it thusly:

“It really is quite simple; just don’t get sick. However, if you do get sick, die quickly!”

Grayson’s remark has since earned him a cult following on YouTube, while also standing as an enduring example of his forthright demeanor. Although said demeanor has earned him both praise and criticism in political circles, his frank analysis of the political landscape proved a worthwhile panacea to the audience members at the South County Civic Center in Delray Beach, Flo., who were sick of the current American political climate.

Grayson, who was the keynote speaker at the Center for the event titled “Alan Grayson: A Congressman with Guts,” addressed the audience from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on December 7, 2011.

He used his time at the podium to delight those present with pertinent political news and statistics while also sprinkling in some humor for good measure; that humor immediately started when he acknowledged that not everyone present shared his point of view.

“Greetings angry protestors,” Grayson remarked, bringing cheers and laughter from the audience, “let me see the tea bags hanging from your skulls.”

Grayson also made light of his many television appearance, recalling that when someone remarked that he looked taller on television than in real life, he said that was the case because in real life, he tends to stand up.

Grayson’s humorous barbs sharpened, however, when it came time to discussing the state of the Republican presidential race.

“I realize that one of the Republicans running will have to win the nomination,” Grayson said, “but to me, they all seem like losers.”

He then went on to give his own personal opinions on a few of the candidates.

“When I look at Rick Perry, I think that man would make the ideal president…of the Confederacy,” Grayson remarked to laughter from the audience.

“Regarding Michelle Bachmann, I know her rather well, as we sat next to each other in the Financial Services Committee in Congress,”

“We have an agreement: as long as she doesn’t tell lies about me, I won’t tell the truth about her.”

He was kinder to Ron Paul, but noted that his words of praise were the precise reason why he would never see the Republican nomination. When it came time for him to express his opinions on Newt Gingrich, currently the Republican frontrunner for the nomination, he was far less judicious.

“Considering the way that he treated his previous wives, I’m afraid that if we elect him president, he will find a way to cheat on the country,” he said, “maybe he would find a way to be Prime Minister of India on the side while being president of the U.S.”

When it came time for him to scrutinize Herman Cain, he said some pizza jokes, but used his last name to explain the GOP’s current political philosophy.

“When God asked Cain if he killed Abel, he wondered if he was his brother’s keeper,” Grayson said. He then noted that the GOP has tended to not regard others equally, much as Cain did at that moment.

“I think that is one of the fundamental differences between the parties,” Grayson added.

After dissecting the Republican presidential field, Grayson turned introspective for a moment, noting that he often acted based on his observations rather than mere ideology, a fact directly at odds with individuals dismissing him as a “hyper-partisan.”

He then continued by discussing other items such as how achieved his YouTube following was along with his appearances on the Bill Maher show. Grayson was also quick to let audience members know the importance of looking out for your fellow man, regardless of the rough situations that they may face.

“Empathy is something that Republicans deny and Democrats cherish,” he said.

Grayson closed the proceedings by encouraging the audience to sign petitions that would allow him the opportunity to run again for Congress. He then took questions and comments from the audience; some of the mentions given by the audience included praise for Canada’s health system, the name of the person who defeated Grayson in his last Congressional election and concern over the term limits for elected officials.

Florence Fidell, who represents the United Federation of Teachers, was delighted at the opportunity to hear Alan Grayson speak.

“I love how he explained issues in a relaxed, informal manner, and was respectful when stating his positions,” she said.

“It did not hurt that he was funny as well.”

Fidell appreciated how Grayson took the time to explain President Obama’s position on Israel, a fact that she feels does not receive enough attention in the media.

Stephanie Rosendorf and Garett Krivicich, a pair of FAU students, also appreciated Grayson’s political stances and approach.

“I can’t think of a single person in Congress that I agree with more,” Stephanie said confidently.

Krivicich agreed with Stephanie’s sentiments, even though he did express concern that his outspoken style could be his undoing.

“I worry about him in elections, as he is almost too outspoken and likely to say the wrong thing,” he said.

“However, I do like that he supports the president, and how he said that Republicans are not for the people right now.”

The article Alan Grayson, Humor and Candor Highlight Political Forum appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

According to the bureau of Labor statistics, the American economy added a shocking “zero” number of jobs in the month of August. This makes it the worst monthly job report this year, fueling doubts about economic recovery and increasing the pressure on President Obama.

Despite a big effort by the Obama administration to design a simulative fiscal policy in the recent past, the overall picture is still very negative. The greatest impact of this may be the Democrats’ ability to contest elections in 2012; in effect, the presidential approval index fell to the lowest of its time in office.

In August people who strongly approved of Obama’s performance fell 3 percent from 24 percent to 21 percent. On the other hand the number of people who strongly disapprove of the President’s performance rose to 42 percent from 38 percent.

Variations in this index show to what degree voters are satisfied with the performance of the President; if there is a rise in approval rating it shows that people’s concerns are being taken care of, or they feel happy. Likewise, if there is a fall in this index then voters are unhappy with the President.

The essential idea is that the President is in the midst of an uncertain economy and the political crisis will have major bearing on his hopes for a return to the White House in 2012. Everything depends on what the President has in store this time, but it will be far less ambitious than the $825 billion stimulus package of 2009.

Economists in the U.S. who advocated for government intervention call for a package of at least $300 billion to avoid backsliding of the economy. Overall unemployment rates are steady at 9.1 percent; anything less than 100,000 jobs a month would be catastrophic for the democratic campaign in 2012.

Economists estimated that the economy needs 150,000 jobs per month in order to keep pace with the growth rate of the population. But to reduce unemployment to below 8 percent, the economy needs to create more than 275,000 jobs in one month.

Initially President Obama had agreed to deliver the speech on his new job proposal on September 7, but incidentally (or intentionally) the Republican Party chose the same date to hold a televised debate. Just like with the debt deal, this incident became a platform for conflict between democrats and republicans, but the White House said it was just a matter of coincidence.

The Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, asked Obama to rescheduled his speech on September 8 and the White House agreed. This shows the basic idea that even in dire economic condition and undeniable uncertainty over the future of U.S economy, Republicans are enjoying their play in politics.

But all in all, the campaigning for 2012 is firing up. From the President to the presidential candidates — everyone is preparing to roll out thier agendas in order to cement their chances. They are very much concerned with what voters are concerned with, and of utmost importantly: Jobs, jobs, and jobs.

The political environment in the U.S. is driven by the unemployment agenda because ultimately it will determine the destiny of the front-runners for 2012. Everything depends on how well they sail the American citizens out of this mess.

The article Are The Democrats Losing Ground for 2012 Election? appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Speaking to Congress in Washington yesterday, President Barack Obama outlined the centerpiece of his re-election campaign in the form of a $447bn jobs package designed to alleviate the deflated US economy.

Following the painful deadlock this summer over the debt crisis, Obama made sure to urge swift agreement between the Democrats and the Republicans: “The question is whether, in the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy.”

In the televised joint session, Obama proposed a package of targeted tax cuts and government spending which aim at reviving the American job market. Unemployment rates has been steady at 9% or above for more than two years now, the voters are frustrated and the President saw fit to call the situation a ‘national crisis’.

Bloomberg reports that the package includes a $105 billion infrastructure proposal for school modernization, transportation projects and rehabilitation of vacant properties. Infrastructure spendings are expected to deliver most of its economic impact next year while some areas have to wait until 2013.

The president explained that he expects the recovery to be driven by businesses and workers — not by Washington. Instead, the administration is gearing up to help from the sideline. An estimated $35 billion is proposed as direct aid to state and local governments to stem layoffs of educators and emergency personnel, according to Bloomberg.

Furthermore, the main targets of the package will be the workers and small business owners who would be able to look forward to cuts in payroll taxes as an incentive for new hiring and development.

A final highlight proposes to grant states the authority to pay unemployment benefits to people who have been out of work for more than six months while they train for jobs at businesses for up to eight weeks. To encourage employers to take in these long-term unemployed, the unemployment-insurance funds will make sure the training will be at no cost to the business.

Obama’s proposal was met with both standing ovation and stony silence but some Republicans were willing to admit that the package promoted some common ground. Eric Cantor, House Majority Leader and a frequent critic of Obama, said that areas such as extending the payroll tax and especially the tax reduction for small businesses did appeal to Republican politics.

“That’s something we Republicans have been advocating for quite some time now,” he said to Bloomberg.

Anna Frajtova / Shutterstock.com

The article President Obama Kicks Off Election Trail with $447bn Jobs Plan appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

In an interesting turn of events, the Congressional Budget Office rating Senator Harry Reid (D-NV)’s debt ceiling plan. Just one day after the CBO scored Speaker John Boehner’s plan, the non partisan congressional scorekeeper released their findings on Reid’s plan.

On Tuesday, the CBO stated that the Speaker’s plan would save $850 billion over the course of 10 years. Reid’s plan would reduce the deficit by $2.2 trillion over the next decade, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said. The Speaker was already forced to pull his bill over the low score from the CBO and stated that he was going to “rework” it. Reid’s plan also included no tax hikes or increases in revenue, a demand of the Republican Party.

Two major differences account for the conflicting scores. In Reid’s plan, the very expensive wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will completely end. Also, Boehner’s plan only raised the debt ceiling by one trillion dollars and was only trying to find a trillion cuts to match the amount of raising the debt ceiling. Under Reid’s plan, the debt ceiling would be raised until 2013.

Rep. Boehner defends his plan, calling the CBO results “misleading.” Boeher spokesman Michael Steele explained why the report was misleading.

This report shows the Senate plan for what it is: a grab-bag of gimmicks that gives the President a blank check. In contrast to the bill House Republicans have offered, the Senate Democratic bill counts as ‘savings’ a trillion dollars in war money that would never have been spent — and on top of that, slashes the defense budget in a manner that would hurt our men and women in uniform in a time of war.

It relies on smoke and mirrors for half of its ‘savings,’ yet still cuts $500 billion less than promised. In reality, the Reid plan would only save taxpayers about $1 trillion while giving the President the largest debt limit increase in history. Despite previous claims, it significantly falls short of the requirement that we cut more than we increase in the debt limit.

President Obama and other Democrat leaders are supporting Reid’s plan. Reid has hinted that Congress may be working on a compromise. “Magic things can happen here in Congress in a very short period of time under the right circumstances,” said Reid, the Senate majority leader.
Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/americanprogressaction/

The article Reid’s Plan Saves More Money Than Boehner’s Plan appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.