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Monday, February 6, 2012

Obama Super Bowl Sit-Down: He Says He Deserves Second Term

Posted: 02/ 5/2012 6:17 pm


President Obama Interview

The president talks to Matt Lauer about today's game, Iran, and the state of his presidency.

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama said Sunday that he deserves another four years in the White House, even though the economy has been shaky throughout his time in office.
"I deserve a second term, but we're not done," Obama said during a pre-Super Bowl interview with NBC's Matt Lauer, who noted that Obama had told him in a 2009 interview that if the economy was still recovering in 2012, he would be a one-term president.
"When you and I sat down [then], we were losing 750,000 jobs a month," Obama said. "Now we're creating 250,000. We've created 3.7 million jobs over the last 23 months. We've created the most jobs since 2005, the most manufacturing jobs since 1990. But we're not finished."
The president said he needs another term to do more to boost American manufacturing, energy and job training. Echoing the theme of his State of the Union address last month, he said he also needs more time to ensure the country's "return to old-fashioned American values," referring to what has become his mantra about economic and social fairness.
"That means, for example, regulations to make sure that Wall Street is following the same rules that Main Street's doing," the president said. "But we've made progress. And the key right now is to make sure we don't start turning in a new direction that could throw that progress off."
On the foreign policy front, Obama dodged a question about whether he would support Israel striking at Iran's nuclear sites, something that Israel has signaled it may be preparing for.
"I think they, like us, believe that Iran has to stand down on its nuclear weapons program," he said. "[Iran is] feeling the pressure, but they have not taken the step that they need to diplomatically, which is to say, 'We will pursue peaceful nuclear power. We will not pursue a nuclear weapon.' Until they do, I think Israel rightly is going to be very concerned and we are as well."
Asked if Israel has promised to give Obama a heads-up if it plans an attack, the president declined to give details but said his top priority is preserving the security of the United States and Israel. He also said he hasn't seen any evidence that Iran has the capability or intention of making an attack on U.S. soil.
"Our goal is to resolve this issue diplomatically," he said. "But we're not going to take any options off the table."
As for the Super Bowl, the president wouldn't make any prediction about whether the game will go to the New England Patriots or the New York Giants. But he conceded that the first lady and his daughters, Sasha and Malia, agree with many women across the country that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is a hunk.
"I think they know he's a good-looking guy," Obama said, adding that his daughters aren't old enough to be decorating their bedrooms with pictures of celebrity heartthrobs.
"The girls, 13 and 10, they're not quite at the age yet where they start putting up the pictures of guys yet," Obama said. "When that happens, I may call some executive privilege and say that's not appropriate."

Tea Party Divided Over Candidates

 I will update after each primary, so come back and check.




While Tea Partiers appear to be a key part of the electorate in the Iowa caucuses, polls show that they're not at all unified when it comes to choosing a candidate. While Rick Santorum amassed the most Tea Party supporters (nearly three out of every 10 voters), Ron Paul and Mitt Romney both earned the votes of roughly two in 10 Tea Partiers. This lack of unity could potentially affect the movement's overall influence in the Republican Party.

 

Republican Presidential Candidates on the Issues


State-by-State Primary Results
                                                                                                
                                               Newt         Jon           Ron       Rick        Mitt        Rick
                                               Gingrich      Huntsman  Paul      Perry       Romney  Santorum  Others

Jan. 3 Iowa »             13.3%      0.6%       21.4%     10.3%     24.5%     24.6%      5.2%


Jan. 10 New Hampshire »               9.4% 16.9% 22.9%       0.7% 39.3%       9.4% 1.5%


Jan. 21 South Carolina »              40.4% 0.2% 13.0%        0.4% 27.8%      17.0% 1.2%


Jan. 31 Florida »             31.9% 0.4% 7.0%           0.4% 46.4%      13.4% 0.5%


Feb. 4 Nevada »              21.1% 0.0% 18.8%        0.0% 50.1%      10.0% 0.0%


Latest Results

Feb. 7 Colorado » Caucuses begin at 9 PM ET 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%



Minnesota » Caucuses begin at 8 PM ET 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%


Upcoming Events

Feb. 4 -
Feb. 11
Maine Caucuses 24 delegates

Feb. 28 Arizona Primary 29 delegates



Michigan Primary 30 delegates

March 3 Washington Caucuses 43 delegates

March 6 Alaska Caucuses 27 delegates



Georgia Primary 76 delegates



Idaho Caucuses 32 delegates



Massachusetts Primary 41 delegates



North Dakota Caucuses 28 delegates



Ohio Primary 66 delegates



Oklahoma Primary 43 delegates



Tennessee Primary 58 delegates



Vermont Primary 17 delegates



Virginia Primary 49 delegates



Wyoming Caucuses 29 delegates

March 10 Guam Caucuses 9 delegates



Kansas Caucuses 40 delegates



Virgin Islands Caucuses 9 delegates

March 13 Alabama Primary 50 delegates



American Samoa Caucuses 9 delegates



Hawaii Caucuses 20 delegates



Mississippi Primary 40 delegates

March 17 Missouri Caucuses 52 delegates

March 18 Puerto Rico Caucuses 23 delegates

March 20 Illinois Primary 69 delegates

March 24 Louisiana Primary 46 delegates

April 3 District of Columbia Primary 19 delegates



Maryland Primary 37 delegates



Texas Primary 155 delegates



Wisconsin Primary 42 delegates

April 24 Connecticut Primary 28 delegates



Delaware Primary 17 delegates



New York Primary 95 delegates



Pennsylvania Primary 72 delegates



Rhode Island Primary 19 delegates

May 8 Indiana Primary 46 delegates



North Carolina Primary 55 delegates



West Virginia Primary 31 delegates

May 15 Nebraska Primary 35 delegates



Oregon Primary 28 delegates

May 22 Arkansas Primary 36 delegates



Kentucky Primary 45 delegates

June 5 California Primary 172 delegates



Montana Primary 26 delegates



New Jersey Primary 50 delegates



New Mexico Primary 23 delegates



South Dakota Primary 28 delegates

June 26 Utah Primary 40 delegates

Aug. 27-30 Republican National Convention












Iowa Republican Caucuses

Tuesday, January 3
Number of Delegates

28 delegates

The Race in Iowa

Rick Santorum’s campaign claimed a belated victory in the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 19 — more than two weeks after the contest — when certified results showed him leading Mitt Romney by 34 votes, a reversal from the eight-vote edge than Mr. Romney held on caucus night. But Matt Strawn, the chairman of Iowa’s Republican Party, said that an actual winner could not be determined in the caucuses because results from eight of 1,774 precincts could not be located for certification. Of the votes that could be reviewed by the party, the officials said, Mr. Santorum finished narrowly ahead of Mr. Romney. Read More »

2012 Caucus Process

Delegate Allocation: None of Iowa's 28 delegates will be bound to any candidate as a result of the Jan. 3 precinct caucuses. As in 2008, the state's delegates will be elected at district caucuses and at the state convention, which is scheduled for later in the year. The January caucuses will elect delegates to the county conventions currently scheduled for March.
Eligibility: Iowans who will be 18 years old by the general election in November are eligible to participate, and attendees can register up to the day of the caucuses.
 
Caucus Results
Jan. 22  |  99% reporting
Candidate Votes Percent
Delegates*
Rick-santorum_50
Rick Santorum
29,839 24.6%
13
Mitt-romney_50
Mitt Romney
29,805 24.5   
12
Ron-paul_50
Ron Paul
26,036 21.4   
Newt-gingrich_50
Newt Gingrich
16,163 13.3   
Rick-perry_50
Rick Perry
12,557 10.3   
Michele-bachmann_50
Michele Bachmann
6,046 5.0   
Jon-huntsman_50
Jon Huntsman
739 0.6   
Others_50
Others Show all Show-more-arrow
316 0.3   


Iowa Entrance Poll: Where the Candidates Found Support

Top Candidate Bachmann Gingrich Huntsman Paul Perry Romney Santorum
Sex Male 4% 14% 1% 24% 10% 23% 23%
Female 5% 12% 0% 19% 10% 25% 27%
Tea Party Support 6% 15% 0% 19% 11% 19% 29%
Neutral 2% 10% 1% 28% 9% 32% 17%
Oppose 3% 9% 3% 21% 8% 43% 13%
Born-again or evangelical Christian Yes 6% 14% 1% 18% 14% 14% 32%
No 3% 12% 1% 26% 5% 38% 14%
View Full Exit Poll Results »
Poll-checkmark

Date Poll Gingrich Paul Romney Santorum Other
Poll-checkmark Dec. 30 Des Moines Register
151 likely voters
11% 16% 23% 22% 28%
Poll-checkmark Dec. 29 Des Moines Register
151 likely voters
11% 20% 24% 19% 26%
Poll-checkmark Dec. 28 Des Moines Register
150 likely voters
15% 22% 26% 11% 26%
Poll-checkmark Dec. 27-28 NBC/​Marist
433 likely voters
13% 21% 23% 15% 28%
Poll-checkmark Dec. 27-28 NBC/​Marist
884 registered voters
14% 20% 23% 12% 31%
Poll-checkmark Dec. 27 Des Moines Register
150 likely voters
12% 29% 22% 10% 27%
Poll-checkmark Dec. 21-27 CNN/​Time/​Opinion Research
452 likely voters
14% 22% 25% 16% 23%

New Hampshire Republican Primary

Tuesday, January 10
Number of Delegates

12 delegates

The Race in New Hampshire

Mitt Romney swept to victory in the New Hampshire primary, turning back a ferocious assault from rivals who sought to disqualify him in the eyes of conservatives, in a contest that failed to anoint a strong opponent to slow his march to the Republican nomination. Mr. Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, won by a double-digit margin, a validation of his strategy to use his neighboring state to cement his standing as the front-runner. The candidates who had hoped to use the primary to emerge as his leading rival fared poorly, leaving a fractured Republican opposition. Read More »

2012 Primary Process

Delegate Allocation: The 12 at-large delegates at stake represent nearly half of the original total, due to penalties imposed by the Republican National Committee for scheduling the primary in January. Delegates are allocated proportionally based on statewide results, with the state's three Republican National Committee members remaining as unpledged to any candidate.
Eligibility: New Hampshire residents who are registered Republicans or non-Republicans who register as Republicans on or before the day of the primary may vote in the Republican primary. (An earlier version of this page referred imprecisely to the procedure for non-Republicans to vote in the primary.)


Primary Results
Jan. 11  |  100% reporting
Candidate Votes Percent
Delegates*
Mitt-romney_50
Mitt Romney
97,532 39.3%
7
Ron-paul_50
Ron Paul
56,848 22.9   
3
Jon-huntsman_50
Jon Huntsman
41,945 16.9   
2
Newt-gingrich_50
Newt Gingrich
23,411 9.4   
Rick-santorum_50
Rick Santorum
23,362 9.4   
Rick-perry_50
Rick Perry
1,766 0.7   
Others_50
Others Show all Show-more-arrow
3,621 1.5  

New Hampshire Exit Poll: Where the Candidates Found Support

Top Candidate Bachmann Gingrich Huntsman Paul Perry Romney Santorum
Sex Male 0% 10% 17% 25% 0% 39% 8%
Female 0% 9% 17% 20% 1% 40% 11%
Party affiliation Democrat - 4% 40% 25% 1% 14% 6%
Republican 0% 12% 10% 15% 1% 49% 13%
Independent or other 0% 8% 22% 31% 0% 30% 7%
Political philosophy Very conservative 0% 17% 4% 18% 1% 33% 26%
Somewhat conservative 0% 11% 13% 19% 0% 48% 7%
Moderate to liberal 0% 3% 24% 26% 0% 38% 5%
Age 18-29 0% 3% 13% 46% 0% 26% 9%
30-44 1% 9% 14% 32% 1% 37% 6%
45-64 0% 9% 18% 19% 0% 42% 10%
65 and older 0% 14% 20% 12% 1% 42% 10%
Poll-checkmark



Date Poll Gingrich Huntsman Paul Romney Santorum Other
Poll-checkmark Jan. 6-7 Suffolk
500 likely voters
9% 11% 20% 35% 8% 17%
Poll-checkmark Jan. 5-6 Suffolk
500 likely voters
10% 9% 17% 39% 9% 16%
Poll-checkmark Jan. 4-5 Suffolk
500 likely voters
9% 8% 17% 40% 11% 15%
Poll-checkmark Jan. 4-5 U. New Hampshire
318 likely voters
9% 7% 18% 43% 11% 12%
Poll-checkmark Jan. 4-5 NBC/​Marist
711 likely voters
9% 9% 22% 42% 13% 5%
Poll-checkmark Jan. 4-5 U. New Hampshire
631 registered voters
8% 7% 20% 44% 8% 13%
Poll-checkmark Jan. 2-3 Suffolk
500 likely voters
9% 7% 14% 43% 6% 21%
Poll-checkmark Jan. 2-3 U. New Hampshire
313 likely voters
7% 8% 23% 46% 4% 12%
Poll-checkmark Dec. 31-
Jan. 1
Suffolk
500 likely voters
8% 9% 17% 43% 3% 20%

Saturday, January 21
Number of Delegates

25 delegates

The Race in South Carolina

South Carolina is poised to be a test of Mitt Romney's ability to appeal to his party's conservative, religious base. The primary comes just 11 days after New Hampshire's, in which Mr. Romney is expected to do well, but the Palmetto State's southern sensibilities may produce voters who are suspicious of his past positions on social issues. And Newt Gingrich appears to be capitalizing on the wariness. Recent polls showed the former House speaker surging as he builds a serious presence in the state, with five offices there.

2012 Primary Process

Delegate Allocation: Like the other states holding primaries before February, South Carolina will lose half of its delegates under Republican National Committee rules. Eleven at-large delegates are awarded to the candidate with the most votes statewide, with another 14 delegates awarded based to the winners in each of the state's seven congressional districts. (A previous version of this page said that all 25 delegates would be awarded to the statewide winner.)
Eligibility: Individuals can register to vote in the primary until Dec. 22, 2011, and the primary is open to all registered voters.


Primary Results
Jan. 22  |  100% reporting
Candidate Votes Percent
Delegates*
Newt-gingrich_50
Newt Gingrich
243,153 40.4%
23
Mitt-romney_50
Mitt Romney
167,279 27.8   
2
Rick-santorum_50
Rick Santorum
102,055 17.0   
Ron-paul_50
Ron Paul
77,993 13.0   
Others_50
Others Show all Show-more-arrow
10,686 1.8   

South Carolina Exit Poll: Where the Candidates Found Support

Top Candidate Gingrich Paul Perry Romney Santorum
Party affiliation Democrat - - - - -
Republican 45% 10% 0% 28% 18%
Independent or other 31% 23% 0% 25% 17%
Age 18-29 28% 31% 1% 16% 21%
30-44 37% 19% 0% 19% 21%
45-64 40% 11% 0% 29% 19%
65 and older 47% 7% 1% 36% 10%
Poll-checkmark


Date Poll                                                  Gingrich     Paul      Romney       Santorum     Other
Poll-checkmark Jan. 13-17 CNN/​Time/​Opinion Research
505 likely voters
23% 13% 33% 16% 15%
Tuesday, January 31
Number of Delegates

50 delegates

The Race in Florida

The Florida primary will provide the first opportunity for candidates to play on a big stage. The results of the opening three contests will play a significant role in shaping the race in Florida, where candidates who cannot afford television advertising have little chance of breaking through. The economic downturn, home foreclosures and immigration are important issues, but whichever candidate arrives here as the front-runner stands the best chance for success. Early polls reflect the national dynamic, with Newt Gingrich showing signs of a surge. But Mitt Romney has been conserving his resources to compete aggressively in Florida before the Republican primary goes national.

2012 Primary Process

Delegate Allocation: The scheduling of Florida's Republican primary in January resulted in the loss of half of its expected delegates to the Republican national convention. The 50 at-large delegates will be awarded to the candidate with the highest total vote statewide.
Eligibility: Only registered Republicans may participate in the primary.


Primary Results
Jan. 31  |  100% reporting
Candidate Votes Percent
Delegates
Mitt-romney_50
Mitt Romney
771,842 46.4%
50
Newt-gingrich_50
Newt Gingrich
531,294 31.9   
Rick-santorum_50
Rick Santorum
222,248 13.4   
Ron-paul_50
Ron Paul
116,776 7.0   
Others_50
Others Show all Show-more-arrow
21,538 1.3   


Florida Exit Poll: Where the Candidates Found Support

Top Candidate Gingrich Paul Romney Santorum
Political philosophy Very conservative 41% 6% 30% 22%
Somewhat conservative 32% 5% 52% 9%
Moderate to liberal 20% 11% 59% 7%
Candidate quality that matters most Can defeat President Obama 33% 2% 58% 6%
Is a true conservative 44% 13% 11% 30%
Has strong moral character 8% 18% 46% 27%
Has the right experience 45% 8% 40% 4%

Poll-checkmark




Date Poll                        Gingrich                Paul          Romney          Santorum          Other
Poll-checkmark Jan. 27-29 Quinnipiac
539 likely voters
29%   11% 43% 11% 6%
Poll-checkmark Jan. 27 NBC/​Marist
316 likely voters
25%           11% 40% 18% 6%
Poll-checkmark Jan. 25-26 NBC/​Marist
366 likely voters
29% 11% 43% 13% 4%
Poll-checkmark Jan. 24-26 Quinnipiac
580 likely voters
29% 14% 38% 12% 7%
Poll-checkmark Jan. 24-26 Mason-Dixon
500 likely voters
31% 6% 42% 14% 7%

28 delegates

The Race in Nevada

Nevada is Mitt Romney country. Situated next to Utah, where the former Massachusetts governor has strong political and donor support, the state is home to many Mormons and Mr. Romney has never trailed here this year. In 2008, he won the state's caucuses -- and its 34 delegates -- easily. But while most of the Republican candidates barely register in surveys here, Newt Gingrich has consistently polled in double-digits, suggesting that he may have an opportunity to challenge Mr. Romney in the state. Winning the caucus could also help in the general election, when Nevada will be a critical swing state in the battle against President Obama in the West.

2012 Caucus Process

Delegate Allocation: Nevada's precinct caucuses will elect delegates to county conventions and also determine the allocation of all 28 presidential delegates, which are assigned proportionally based on statewide vote.
Eligibility: Caucus attendees must register by Jan. 21, and individuals who will be 18 or older at the date of the general election in November can participate, as long as they have been Nevada residents for 30 days and have lived in the precinct for 10 days.
Caucus Results
Feb. 6  |  100% reporting
Candidate Votes Percent
Delegates
Mitt-romney_50
Mitt Romney
16,486 50.1%
14
Newt-gingrich_50
Newt Gingrich
6,956 21.1   
6
Ron-paul_50
Ron Paul
6,175 18.8   
5
Rick-santorum_50
Rick Santorum
3,277 10.0   
3

Nevada Entrance Poll: Where the Candidates Found Support

Top Candidate Gingrich Paul Romney Santorum
Income Less than $50,000 24% 27% 41% 9%
$50,000 - $99,999 19% 15% 57% 9%
$100,000 or more 14% 17% 61% 8%
Candidate quality that matters most Can defeat President Obama 18% 5% 73% 4%
Is a true conservative 30% 42% 5% 24%
Has strong moral character 1% 32% 54% 13%
Has the right experience 32% 12% 55% 1%

 Poll-checkmark



Date


Poll

Gingrich
Paul
Romney
Santorum  
Other
Poll-checkmark Jan. 27-31 Las Vegas Review-Journal /​ UNLV
426 likely voters
   25%   9%        45%   11% 10%
Poll-checkmark Dec. 12-20 Las Vegas Review-Journal /​ UNLV
224 registered voters
   29%   12% 33%    3% 23%