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Monday, January 16, 2012

Pro-Santorum Super PAC Releases New Ad in South Carolina

By Elizabeth Hartfield @LizHartfield
Jan 13, 2012 3:59pm

gty santorum tk 120103 wblog Pro Santorum Super PAC Releases New Ad in South Carolina
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The super PAC supporting Rick Santorum’s presidential bid is out with a new ad today, on the heels of its recently announced $600,000 ad buy in South Carolina before the state’s Jan. 21 primary.
The 30-second ad from the Red, White and Blue Fund,  titled “Values,” gives a nod to Santorum’s roots as the grandson of an Italian immigrant.
“They fled tyranny, came to America to live their dreams.  Instilling their grandson with the values of hard work, integrity and [conviction of] character” the ad says. “Those values drive Rick Santorum as he fights the Obama agenda to stop runaway spending and get our great nation back to work.”
The tone of the ad, which is the super PAC’s second one running in South Carolina, is positive. It offers an endorsement of Santorum, rather than an outright attack on any of his opponents, a marked difference from many of the other super PAC ads in the field.

Federal Judge in Virginia Rules Against Perry and Gingrich:


            ‘They Played the Game, Lost, and Then Complained’
Jan 13, 2012 5:04pm



A federal judge said Friday that he could not rule to add Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and other presidential candidates on the Virginia primary ballot because they waited too long to challenge Virginia’s strict ballot law.
“In essence, “Judge John A. Gibney Jr. ruled , “they played the game, lost, and then complained the rules were unfair.”
Only after failing to get 10,000 signatures in time, the candidates sued arguing Virginia’s strict ballot law was unconstitutional. The law requires that only people eligible to register to vote in Virginia may circulate petitions for signatures to place a candidate on the ballot. The candidates argued that the law restricts their rights of free speech and association because fewer people can advocate for them as candidates.
While the ruling was a loss for the candidates, especially Gingrich, who won’t appear on the primary ballot in his state of residence, it could affect future candidates trying to get on the ballot. Gibney said that had the candidates brought suit earlier in the process they may have prevailed on the merits of their case challenging Virginia’s law.
“Had the plaintiffs filed a timely suit, the Court would likely have granted preliminary relief. They are likely to prevail on the constitutionality of the residency requirement, and, had they filed earlier, they would have been able to obtain the requisite 10,000 signatures,” he decided.
Court Papers for Virginia Republican Presidential General Election

President and First Lady in the News

President Obama Believes in 'Made In America'
The President addresses talks about American made products and in-sourcing.
03:19 | 01/14/2012

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Michelle Obama 'Random Dancing' With iCarly Cast
First Lady promotes military families with iCarly cameo.
02:52 | 01/13/2012

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This Week with George Stephanopoulos

South Carolina Scuffle
The battle over Bain and super PACs as the GOP race heads south.
01:41 | 01/15/2012


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Roundtable: Bain Backlash
George Will, Cokie Roberts, Jon Karl, Peggy Noonan and Paul Krugman.
26:22 | 01/15/2012

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Interview with Rick Perry
Texas governor defends "vulture capitalism" criticism of Mitt Romney.

04:52 | 01/15/2012

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Colbert's Super PAC Ad: 'Mitt the Ripper'

Stephen Colbert's super PAC calls Mitt Romney a "serial killer."
01:56 | 01/16/2012


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Sunday This Week with George Stephanopoulos January 15, 2012
Interview with Stephen Colbert
The comedian on his (faux) presidential bid and his critique of super PACs.
10:09 | 01/15/2012
 Updated 1/16/2012 by Me I goofed had Meet the Press, Sorry


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Romney May Rue Immigration Comments Come General Election Showdown With Obama

Jan 16, 2012 6:00am






After his narrow victory in Iowa and resounding win in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney may well be on his way to locking up the Republican nomination before the primary is even a month old. But the damage that the GOP fight has done to his chances of winning the general election may prove to be severe if he cannot convince Latino voters to give him another shot.
While Romney’s efforts to woo his party’s conservative voters have clearly helped him in the two contests thus far, the former Massachusetts governor has veered far to the right on the issue that most affects Latinos: immigration.
Only days before the Iowa caucuses, for instance, Romney said that as president he would veto the DREAM Act, a bill that would provide a path to citizenship for some undocumented children of immigrants who attend college or serve in the military. The fall-out from Latinos was immediate. The next day I asked Juan Rodriguez, a Republican businessman in Des Moines, if he would back Romney. Rodriguez didn’t hesitate in his response.
“I wouldn’t vote for Romney because he doesn’t support immigration reform or the DREAM Act,” he said. “My business depends on Hispanics basically, and if there’s no immigration reform we are going to be very affected. Not just me, but all the businesses that, like us, depend on the Latino community.”
The next week in New Hampshire, I sat down with Esteban and Selma Lopez, a Latino couple in Goffstown who will vote for the first time in the general election this fall, and asked if they could imagine voting for Romney now.
“I work in education and I know first-hand how important the DREAM Act is for Latino youth, for kids who are in this country without having taken part in the decision to come here,” Lopez replied. “The short answer is, I wouldn’t vote for Romney.”
Even the country’s largest Latino Republican group – Somos Republicans– said they would oppose Romney due to his immigration policies.
The Obama campaign has wasted no time in trying to portray Romney as the most extreme candidate on the issue of immigration. In the days since Romney’s DREAM Act statement, a slew of Latino Democrats has fanned out to rip Romney. After all, there’s a lot at stake here: Latinos are the nation’s fastest-growing voting bloc, with an estimated 12.2 million set to vote in this year’s general election, according to a projection by the National Association of Latino Elected & Appointed Officials (NALEO).
“It really demonstrates how far he is from understanding the issue,” said Rep. Charlie Gonzalez of Texas, the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, on a conference call with reporters last week. “I understand that in that particular field one will try to out-pander another, but you still have to be responsible.”
“How do you paint yourself into such a corner on immigration where you can’t walk back from that statement?” he asked.
On primary night in New Hampshire I sat down with Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., who emphasized that Democrats are going to remind Latino voters time and time again about Romney’s immigration stance.
“It appears that the Republicans are so committed to moving to the far right to win the tea party vote that they have forgotten about the rest of American voters – the independents, the Latinos,” Becerra told me in Manchester. “It appears that they have said that at this moment what matters to them is the tea party because they want to be the nominee. And because of that we are hearing people like Mitt Romney who says whatever he needs to to win. But unfortunately for him there is a record, there are facts – and the facts are the things that are going to be used to judge who is the real Mitt Romney.”
“He’s already said to our immigrant children who perform military service or who go to college – go away. The DREAM Act, that bill to give those students an opportunity to move forward here? No. To immigrant families? Split them up,” Becerra added.
Now that he appears well on his way to winning the GOP primary, Romney has tried to court Latino voters. In New Hampshire last Sunday, Romney mentioned that his father, George, was born in Mexico and came to the United States at age five. On Wednesday he took to the airwaves in Florida with a new Spanish-language ad entitled “Nosotros,” meaning “us.” The Republican National Committee got in on the act, too, announcing a beefed-up outreach effort to Hispanic voters.
But it may be too little, too late. Even before his DREAM Act comments, Romney faced an uphill battle with Latinos. A poll conducted by Latino Decisions for Univision in November found that among registered Hispanic voters in the 21 most Hispanic-heavy states, Obama held a whopping 67 percent to 24 percent lead over Romney.
While Romney could make up some ground among Latinos by selecting someone like Cuban-American Florida Sen. Marco Rubio or former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as his eventual running mate, the GOP may have missed a golden opportunity to swing the 2012 election by earning the backing of Latino voters.
In my stops along the campaign trail in recent months, I have encountered numerous Latinos disillusioned with President Obama’s inaction on comprehensive immigration reform measures. In Las Vegas last November, I talked to a single mother of two named Ana who said she voted for Obama in 2008, but won’t do so again in 2012, no matter who the GOP nominates.
“No ha hecho nada,” she said, shaking her head. “He hasn’t done anything.”
Earlier this month in West Liberty, Iowa – the state’s first majority Hispanic town – Jose Zacarias complained that Obama “should have focused more on Latino issues like immigration and the DREAM Act.”
“He spent too much time politically on the issue of universal health care and almost no time on Latino issues,” sighed Zacarias.
But Zacarias told me he will still vote for Obama because no Hispanic “in his right mind” is going to vote for a Republican candidate like Romney or Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
“It might be a tough sell [for Obama], but I think the GOP is helping a lot by putting those guys forward.”
In the face of media scrutiny following his DREAM Act veto threat, Romney has defended his immigration stance, arguing that Latinos don’t need a “handout” like the Democrats’ bill but rather more economic opportunity, something that he says will occur if he wins the White House this year.
“Mitt Romney is a strong proponent of legal immigration,” said Romney spokesman Albert Martinez. “He wants to attract job creators and innovators from other countries because he recognizes that immigrants are key to powering many of our industries. Mitt Romney will raise caps on high-skill visas and will staple a green card to any eligible graduate with an advanced degree in math, science or engineering.  Mitt Romney is opposed to illegal immigration and amnesty because it is unfair to those who want to come to this country legally.”
“The Hispanic community in Florida, like in the rest of America, have been disproportionately impacted by unemployment, and President Obama’s failed economic policies have left tens of thousands of Florida Hispanics unemployed,” Martinez said. “Mitt Romney is a proven leader and job creator, and will work to undo the job-killing policies of President Obama.”
But if he fails to soothe Hispanics’ dismay with his immigration stance, Romney may never get the chance.
Matthew Jaffe is covering the 2012 campaign for ABC News & Univision.


The Note’s Must-Reads for Monday, January 16, 2012

By Jacqueline Fernandez
Jan 16, 2012 4:04am



Compiled by ABC News Digital News Associates Jacqueline Fernandez, Jayce Henderson, and Amanda VanAllen
JON HUNTSMAN
Politico’s Maggie Haberman, Juana Summers and Jonathan Martin: “Jon Huntsman to drop out, back Mitt Romney in 2012 elections” Jon Huntsman will drop out of the GOP presidential race Monday morning and endorse Mitt Romney, POLITICO has confirmed. Huntsman will endorse Romney in a speech at 11 a.m. Monday at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. LINK
The Wall Street Journal’s Carol E. Lee and Neil King Jr. “Jon Huntsman to Drop Out of Presidential Race” Republican presidential candidate Jon M. Huntsman Jr. intends to drop out of the nomination contest on Monday and endorse rival Mitt Romney, the Huntsman campaign said. “He’s going to endorse Gov. Romney tomorrow and urge the party to come together,” one person briefed on events said. LINK
The Hills’ Daniel Strauss and Josh Lederman: “Huntsman to drop out of GOP race” Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) will drop out of the Republican presidential primary on Monday and endorse his chief rival, former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.), according to a sources in his campaign. “It’s true,” said a Huntsman campaign source. “He doesn’t want to stand in the way of the person who’s best capable of beating Barack Obama, and that’s Mitt Romney.” LINK
USA Today’s Jackie Kucinich: “Aides: Huntsman to withdraw from GOP race, endorse Romney Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman will drop out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination today, a campaign adviser confirmed Sunday night. The news of the decision comes the same day Huntsman received the endorsement of The State, the newspaper in Columbia, S.C., and nearly a week after finishing third in the New Hampshire primary, where he had focused his campaign. LINK
The Washington Post’s Dan Balz and Chris Cillizza: “Jon Huntsman will leave Republican presidential race, endorse Mitt Romney, officials say” Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman Jr., whose campaign for the Republican presidential nomination never took off, will quit the race Monday morning and endorse former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, according to campaign officials with knowledge of the decision. LINK
RON PAULABC News’ Jason Volack: “Ron Paul Returns to SC, Picks Up Endorsement” Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul tonight received the endorsement of South Carolina state Sen. Tom Davis, a state lawmaker popular with tea party activists. Speaking at a rally in Myrtle Beach, Davis praised Paul’s “drastic and radical” efforts to reign in government spending.LINK
RICK SANTORUMABC News’ Shushannah Walshe and Michael Falcone: “Rick Santorum Plans Offensive Against Mitt Romney, Ron Paul In South Carolina” Presidential candidate Rick Santorum plans to open the final week of campaigning before voters go to the polls in South Carolina with his strongest assault yet on rivals Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. Aides to Santorum told ABC News on Sunday that the former Pennsylvania senator is fed up with the negative attacks coming from the campaigns of those two opponents and from their allies. He will hold a press conference to make his displeasure known after his first campaign event of the day on Monday. LINK
The New York Daily News’ Jonathan Lemire: “Coalition of evangelicals hold pow-wow on GOP presidential candidates, decide to back Santorum” Desperate to nominate a Republican more conservative than Mitt Romney, a group of religious power brokers met in Texas Saturday and announced they are throwing their support behind Rick Santorum. More than 100 evangelical leaders attended the controversial confab with the hopes of coalescing around one of the traditional right-wingers in the divided GOP primary field.LINK
The New York Times’ Michael Luo and Mike McIntire: “Donors Gave as Santorum Won Earmarks” The announcements flowed out of Rick Santorum’s Senate office: a $3.5 million federal grant to Piasecki Aircraft to help it test a new helicopter propeller technology; another $3.5 million to JLG Industries to bolster its bid to build all-terrain forklifts for the military; $1.4 million to Medico Industries to upgrade equipment for its munitions work. LINK
The Washington Times’ Ralph Hallow: “Activists say pro-Santorum vote was rigged” A civil war is breaking out among evangelical leaders over allegations of a rigged election and ballot stuffing at a Saturday gathering of religious and social conservatives. LINK
MITT ROMNEYThe Los Angeles Times’ Paul West: “Stop-Romney conservatives face a tough climb in South Carolina” The conservative contenders trying to slow Mitt Romney’s sprint to the presidential nomination are running out of time, as the same dynamic that kept the right from coalescing in Iowa two weeks ago again plays to the front-runner’s advantage. Saturday’s South Carolina primary is the last realistic chance for a social conservative to emerge as a viable alternative to Romney. LINK