Desperate Obamawhoring

OK, I will be the first to admit that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has not had the best couple of weeks. The reasons will be addressed in another post.
This post is about the Leftywhore/Obamawhore media (one in the same, folks) and their shilling for the Dear Leader, President Obama.
In this article in today's Left Angeles Times here is another case in point.
It is about wind energy in Iowa.
Well, it is really about how Mr. Romney wants to let a wind-energy tax credit expire and supposedly this is the issue that will turn against Mr. Romney.
And the article says that many conservatives are upset with Mr. Romney's position. Why the article even has extensive thoughts from a Rob Hach. And the article dutifully notes Mr. Hach is a "life-long Republican". And whats more, he is sooo mad at Mr. Romney that he will vote for the Dear Leader, President Obama, in the fall election. Later in the article it claims that Mr. Hach is a conservative. And further more, he does not want a handout.
OK, a couple of things.
When the Leftywhore/Obamawhore media use the term "life-long Republican", it is immediately to be suspect. They just take what someone says at face value. Most of the time, it will turn out that the so-called "life-long Republican" is more or less not a conservative and one that has on more than one occasion voted for a Democrat.
And when one claims to be  a conservative, says that they do not want a government handout and yet ate at the front of the line for a tax credit, this is not a conservative. In fact, the article says this about people like Mr. Hach:

Wind advocates say they just need a few more years of government help to get the industry on its feet.

Really?!
Did the automakers back in the day need government to help it along? Hey, how about airplanes? Radios? One can go on and on.
If the wind industry needs such help, it is probably not ever going to get off it's knees let alone on their feet.
To be fair, the article did point  out that there are Iowa voters that don't care about wind tax credits.
There were quite a lot of people out to see Mr. Romney this past Wednesday and many shared the views of a small businessman, Chris Bobst:

"I think they should eliminate all tax credits. I own a small business. When it isn't working out, no one bails me out."

Bingo! Give this dude a cigar! He is spot on!
As a Republican and conservative, I believe that Mr. Bobst represents what the party really believes. Mr. Hach believes in a pipe dream. One that the federal government can not afford at this time with looming deficits and debt so far out that the eyes of all Americans can not see it.
But the thrust of the Times article is that see, Mr. Romney is turning off his own base. Why "life-long Republicans" are not only going not vote for him, but some will vote against him.
It is one of the oldest Leftywhore/Obamawhore media tricks. It is trotted out almost on cue every election cycle.
However, what is almost never reported is a story the other way. About disgruntled Democrats. How they are not happy with their leader. How some "life-long Democrats" will not vote in November. Or even some that will vote for the Republican.
Nope, never see those stories, do you?
It is as I wrote in the headline.
Desperate Obamawhoring.
It is not serious reporting and or analysis. If it where then there would be a similar article about the Democrats. But rarely is there one.
And note this because it is very important.
Republicans usually need more Democrats to vote for them than Democrats need Republicans to vote for them.
So there has to be disgruntled Democrats.
It is too bad that the so-called mainstream media seems to never notice that.
It is always and only about disgruntled Republicans.

Michele Bachmann Quitting GOP Prez Race

According to this from CNN, Congressman Michele Bachmann is "suspending" her quest for the Republican presidential nomination.
As I pointed out here last night, she needs to focus on reelection to congress now that Iowa has spoken.
Congressman Bachmann has presented herself as a leading conservative and now she needs to get back in congress and continue that leadership.
More on this later.

Romney Wins Iowa Caucus By EIGHT Votes!

In an amazing night in Iowa, it turns out that Mitt Romney DID defeat the former Pennsylvania senator, Rick Santorum by a total of E I G H T votes.
According to The Des Moines Register, Mr. Romney did pull off the victory in the end.
But it is a Pyrrhic victory and does show serious signs that Mr. Romney needs to do a lot better if he is not only to win the Republican nomination but defeat the Dear Leader, President Obama.
If one looks at this Iowa map, Mr. Romney won in Des Moines and surrounding areas. In the Western part of Iowa, another larger city win was in Woodbury county, home of Sioux City, Mr. Romney won there as well. Basically, Mr. Romney won in the larger cities and Mr. Santorum everywhere else.
While Mr. Romney did win, he can not and should not ignore Mr. Santorum. A couple of weeks ago, Mr. Santorum was wallowing in single-digits in most polls. It showed that his hard work, tenacity and retail politics ended up connecting well with many Iowa Republicans.
Now that votes have actually took place, it appears that Republicans are narrowing the field down. And not what many expected. No doubt that this report about Texas Gov. Rick Perry heading back to the home state to "reassess" his campaign. Re: its over. And while Congressman Michele Bachmann is putting on the game face and moving on, she has to decided whether or not she wants to return to congress or continue a quixotic campaign. Newt Gingrich may be able to get to South Carolina. But unless he shows decent in New Hampshire, it is hard to see where he is able to break through.
While Mr. Romney may have won a very razor-thin victory in Iowa, Mr. Santorum truly won by his second place finish. And Mr. Santorum may now be the one to keep Mr. Romney from a coronation for the Republican presidential nomination.

And The Santorum Surge Is A Tidal Wave!

OK, who has told you folks not to count out Rick Santorum out of Iowa caucuses?
Well, one has been The Other McCain, but the other has been your humble blogger at this spot.
And it appears that Mr. Santorum, former senator and congressman is about to pull off the upset and win the Iowa Republican caucus.
At this writing with 97% of the precincts counted, Mr. Santorum is ahead of the former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney by 44 votes.
Amazing.
But what this has done is throw the Republican race in a whole other direction.
So many people pinned their hopes on another governor from Texas, one Rick Perry, to be the one. Yet Gov. Perry is mired in fifth place with 10% of the caucus vote.
Others tried to pump up Herman Cain. But he fizzled and ended up dropping out.
And still others jumped on the Newt Gingrich train. But it kind of veers off the track and Mr. Gingrich is mired in fourth place at 13% of the caucus vote.
No one, but no one seemed to grasp that Mr. Santorum is a serious man and has serious ideas for the future of this nation.
Oh, the serious people kept bringing up that Mr. Santorum lost his senate reelection bid in 2006 by 16 points. And same serious people leave out that it was the year that the Democrats took back congress and made then Sen. Santorum enemy number one.
But what they fail to point out is that the guy has won statewide in Pennsylvania and in very Democrat leaning congressional districts.
No, Mr. Santorum trudges away unnoticed. Except by the people that count. The voters of Iowa.
And before one says that they really are not representative of the nation as a whole, sure they do.
And they have spoken. They have decided that Rick Santorum should live to fight another day.
And now on to New Hampshire!

Santorum Still Rising

Well, if we out here thought that the Rick Santorum surge was a flash, it is one at the right time as another poll shows the former Pennsylvania senator at third place and rising.
Yesterday was the CNN/Time poll showing Mr. Santorum in third place at 16%. Today it is Rasmussen Reports also showing Mr. Santorum at third and 16%. And when you look at the Real Clear Politics polling average, guess who is in fourth and marginally trailing the former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich? Yep, it is Rick Santorum.
As I will continue to write, I am not making any endorsement of any kind.
But I caught the Gingrich Buzz before most of the experts. And same with the Santorum Surge.
The so-called political pros, pundits and analysts are getting a lot of this wrong.
All this "anti-Romney" talk is misplaced.
It is people looking for the most electable conservative. And that is why everyone is getting a look. To see if they are. Mitt Romney has the numbers that he has because he is the only candidate from 2008. People in Iowa know who he is. And believe me, if he showed the fire that he needs to, he would be leading a lot more in Iowa.
But Rick Santorum is peaking at the right time. A time that should gain him some GOP convention delegates. A time that voters in New Hampshire may take a real look and turn to him as the most electable conservative.
If Mr. Santorum continues to do well, he may do one of two things.
One, he could be the candidate to be the one that some GOP voters will rally to after all others collapse. It will happen. It could be Santorum vs. Romney down to the wire next summer in Tampa at the Republican convention.
Second, he maybe the one that a possible Romney nominee will pick to be vice-president. Think about it. If in the end it is Mr. Romney as the GOP nominee, he will need to do two things. Shore up support among So Cons. And have someone with Washington experience. And Mr. Santorum would fit both nicely. Oh, a third thing would be appealing to blue-collar Roman Catholics as Mr. Santorum also fits that bill.
Whatever the long term holds, there is no doubt that the Santorum Surge is real and should have other candidates very worried.

And The Santorum Surge Continues!

According to this CNN poll, it looks like potential Iowa Republican caucus goers are taking another look at the former Pennsylvania senator, Rick Santorum.
Not only is Mr. Santorum in double digit territory at 16%, but has shot up to third place. And in the Real Clear Politics polling averages, Mr. Santorum is now in fifth place ahead of Congressman Michele Bachmann and gaining fast on the Texas governor Rick Perry.
Again, I am not on anyone's bandwagon. I just think that Iowa's voters have been kicking the tires and looking under the hood. And Mr. Santorum is peaking at the best time.
Can Mr. Santorum win in Iowa? I think now that is a better than 50/50 proposition.
Stay tuned for this race is going down to the wire.

Can Santorum Go Up The Middle For An Upset?

As Newt Gingrich slams Crazy Uncle Ron Paul and Mitt Romney, Crazy Uncle Ron slams Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney slamming both, is there someone that can rise above it all and win the Iowa caucus scheduled for next Tuesday?
That is the question posed by National Review's Rich Lowry.
However, Mr. Lowry does not provide an answer.
So, I will.
And I think that this could be the opening one Rick Santorum may be looking for to pull off an upset in the Iowa caucus.
Yeah, Mr. Santorum is not burning up the poll numbers according to the Real Clear Politics averages. But if you look at the graph closely, Mr. Santorum's numbers are moving up. The closest to him would be Congressman Michele Bachmann at nine percent and going down. Then there is Texas governor Rick Perry at a flat-line 12%.
When you consider that there are six announced candidates and one, Jon Huntsman, Jr. is all but writing off the Hawkeye State, It can take as little as 25% to win the caucus.
And when you think about the fact that Mr. Santorum's numbers are going up and he is the only candidate to visit all 99 Iowa counties, there is something potentially going on.
And again, if caucus goers don't like what they see as The Three Stooges in Messrs. Gingrich, Paul and Romney, many may take that second look at someone like Mr. Santorum.
John McCormick at The Weekly Standard does a great job explaining why Mr. Santorum could pull off a win in Iowa. And radio talker Hugh Hewitt, a known Romney supporter in 2008 and leaning his way now is fair. He is pointing out how the Leftywhore media is writing about Mr. Santorum as they write about Mr. Romney. All negative, all the time.
But I want to respond to this Mr. McCormick wrote in the negative about Mr. Santorum and the Leftywhore media GOP establishment Axis:

There are reasons why pundits say Santorum can’t win. One is that he’s washed up—having lost his Senate seat by 18 points to Bob Casey Jr. in 2006. Santorum counters that he won two of his three statewide races as a conservative running in Democratic Pennsylvania—first in the 1994 Republican revolution and again in 2000, when he won by 6 points while George W. Bush was losing the state by 5 points.

UGH! So what that Mr. Santorum lost his senate reelection bid in 2006. By 18 fricking points. The 2006 election was a Democrat massacre against the Republicans. And one of the scalps big on the Democrat mantle was a Pennsylvania senator named Santorum. Funny how the same Axis of Evil never went after some dolt named Lincoln Chafee. He ran as a Republican the same year for the Rhode Island senate seat. And he lost. In 2010, he ran as an independent for the governor's office in Rhode Island. And won. Even Ronald Reagan lost a couple of runs at the presidency.
And that somehow, Mr. Santroum is overly polarizing. Really? More than Mr. Polarizing himself, the Dear Leader, President Obama? Because Mr. Santorum actually believes what he says? As long as he can articulate it and back it up, he will not have a problem in any way.
The problem for Mr. Santorum is that he may not have peaked right to make a difference in Iowa. That is a real concern for Team Santorum.
But maybe all the fighting at the top of the field is the opening that Mr. Santorum needs to pull of the Iowa Upset.

Well, Well, Well. . .Here Is The Beginning Of The Santorum Surge

Ok, you may look at this and shrug your shoulders. You may even say, "Huh?" Fine.
But looking at this poll from Rassmussen, courtesy of The Corner at National Review Online shows, surprise, surprise!
The former Pennsylvania senator, Rick Santorum gains four percentage points moving into double-digits for the first time. And he is tied with Texas governor, Rick Perry, for fourth place.
In looking at the graph at the link, it is important to note that he has the largest gain of any candidate. In fact, Gov. Perry is a flat-line 10%. And Congressman Michele Bachmann has lost three percent.
Do you think that some of that is Mrs. Bachmann's supporters feeling she may not have it for the long run campaign? Possibly some Herman Cain supporters finding their new home?
Keep all this in mind.
Mr. Santorum has already toured all 99 of Iowa's counties at least once. Congressman Bachmann is just making that run now. Gov. Perry and the actual front runners are depending a lot on media and not as much on the kind of campaigning that can and does win in Iowa.
And guess what?
This movement can put Mr. Santorum in one of the top three slots. Maybe not a win, but a strong showing that can gain some traction going into New Hampshire.
I have suggested that Mr. Santorum was being sold short by, well almost everyone. And now people are getting serious about who they are looking at for caucus night, January 3, 2012.
I think that the caucus results are looking to be a very interesting result.
And the Santorum Surge is coming just at the right time.

Are We Going To See The Santorum Surge?

Well, this dovetails nicely in this post your humble blogger wrote recently about Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum.
Now that the former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, is peaking and possibly faltering, it appears that Mr. Santorum is getting the kind of backing that Iowa GOPers will want to see when they go to caucus two weeks from today.
And the Iowa GOP is not much different than many state parties. More moderate in the cities and suburbs and more conservative in the small towns and the rural areas.
And Western Iowa GOPers may take the endorsement from Family Leader CEO Bob Vander Plaats and Chuck Hurley to be what sways them in the caucuses. Western Iowa GOPers are much more conservative.
While Mr. Santorum seems to languish in poll after poll, I would not be surprised to see him get the third place or higher that I believe he will get when all is said and done.
Say what you want but with Mr. Santorum, what you see is what you get. And he is not shy about his social conservatism.
It will do him well in a state like Iowa. But I think it hurts in New Hampshire. So he would get a let down there. But has a real chance in South Carolina and even Florida.
What Mr. Santorum needs to do to gain traction beyond Iowa is to promote his overall conservatism. He needs to play up his economic and national security cred. He does have that as a member of congress and a senator.
A stong surge in Iowa has to force Mr. Santorum to broaden his candidacy. Because if he does finish strong, so cons are going to start to feel confident that he is their guy. They will be inclined to openly support Mr. Santorum. But he needs to address such foreign policy questions as this.
How would a President Santorum deal with the change in leadership in Red Korea? Now that the original Dear Leader is burning in hell, what will he do that contrasts him with our Dear Leader, President Obama. It is of great importance to know that from Mr. Santorum.
Or how would a President Santorum approach long-term tax reform? Would he support a flat tax? A national sales tax? A 9-9-9-like plan? How he answers that will determine if he can appeal beyond his base of so cons.
But, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average of potential Iowa caucus-goers, Mr. Santorum is at 6.3%. But unlike other flash-in-the-pans like the Texas governor, Rick Perry, or congressman Michele Bachmann, Mr. Santorum may be peaking at the right time. Also, as I noted, Mr. Santorum has campaigned in all of Iowa's 99 counties. In a state like Iowa, that can only help.
Come back in a week to see if indeed there is the Santorum Surge. I think we will all be surprised.

Can Rick Santorum Mess Everyone's Plans In Iowa?

While all the media, conservative and leftywhore, are zeroing in on making the GOP presidential nomination a two-man race, can I throw a monkey wrench in that?
All media seems to be narrowing down the Republican field to the former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney, and the former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich.
The two states that start off the actual primary caucus season are Iowa and New Hampshire.
Iowans get to caucus first on January 3, 2012 closely followed by New Hampshire on January 10, 2012.
So, Mr. Gingrich is leading Mr. Romney in both states.
But, there is a vast difference between the two states.
In Iowa, the state Republicans are conservative. And much more religious. The Evangelical Christian community especially in Western Iowa holds a lot of clout.
Only one candidate running has actually visited all of Iowa's 99 counties.
That candidate is the former Pennsylvania senator, Rick Santorum.
Because the caucus system basically is free-for-all and based on a majority of groups, Mr. Santorum is banking on taking the traditional approach and doing the retail politics of meet and greet.
Not that the two others, Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Romney are not. But not the way that Mr. Santorum has.
Sure, Mr. Santorum has been essentially shut out of the debates sponsored by and moderated by the leftywhore media. But when he does get the 30 second attempt at an answer, he is very sharp and focused.
One other thing that the media seems to not grasp is that Mr. Santorum's very strong stands on social issues can only help him with this group of voters. Just ask the Rev. Mike Huckabee. It sure helped him in 2008. It all but ended the Mitt Romney train.
Almost all Iowa polling shows Mr. Santorum in mid single-digits. But again, the caucus way is different from the primary way of voting. It is all about organization. It is also all about what candidate will appeal to that group of voters that could put some one like a Mr. Santorum on a momentum not seen by most.
A third place or above finish in Iowa could be a huge boost to Mr. Santorum's candidacy. First place could in fact throw the whole GOP race into beyond uncharted territory.
Now I know one of the knocks on Mr. Santorum is that he lost his bid for reelection to the senate in 2006. By 20 points. But almost every candidate for office loses an election. And what those ripping him for losing that race seem to forget is that is the year the Democrats regained control of the House of Representative. And the senate. And that Mr. Santorum never backed down from his positions to try to win reelection.
But when you listen to him talk, he has the passion for the issues that I sometimes think Mr. Romney lacks. A knowledge that does not come off that he thinks he is the smartest guy or gal in the room. A la Mr. Gingrich. Mr. Santorum has also won races that he was not supposed to win in the home state of Pennsylvania. Can he do that in Iowa?
Again, in Iowa it is all about organization. And it does appear that Mr. Santorum does have that. And that may not be showing up in polls. Did not for the Rev. Mike until just days before the caucus took place.
I think that one should watch for the possibility that one Rick Santorum may just mess every one's plans up in Iowa come January 3.

Bachmann Wins The Aames Straw Poll, Rick Perry In, Oh My!

Congressman Michele Bachmann has won the Aames Straw Poll and the Texas Governor, Rick Perry, has made it official that he seeks the Republican presidential nomination.
The Bachmann victory is somewhat expected. But it is not necessarily a sign that she will win the Iowa Caucus next year or the Republican nomination. But it is a sign that will give her credibility and probably a bump in the polls.
But one thing is that some candidates just stayed away from Aames, including the front-runner, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. Also not taking an active role is the former Utah governor and ambassador to Red China under the Dear Leader, President Obama, Jon Huntsman, Jr. And the former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich did not make a serious effort.
Congressman Ron Paul finished second. Many expected crazy Uncle Ron to finish first. So it is not all that surprising that he finished in at least the top two.
A distant third place went to former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. He really should have been one of the top two. But I do not think this should tell him to get out of the race.
The surprise was the fourth place finisher, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. Considering all of his effort, and the thought that he would not do as well, this is a good sign that he too should stay in the race.
The real surprise is the latest candidate in the field, Gov. Perry. He finished with 718 write-in votes and good for sixth place.
And that leads to the worst kept political secret of the year.
That Gov. Perry made his campaign official.
Gov. Perry is a solid conservative on most of the issues. Ironically, Gov. Perry could have some trouble with the constituency he needs the most. Social conservatives.
In 2007, Gov. Perry issued an executive order that made the HPV vaccine available for young girls in Texas. Now many social conservatives did not like that there was a mandate for girls to get the vaccine. However, there is a provision that included and opt-out clause. Some on the left believe that this was some kind of political payoff to a big drug manufacturer. Look for this to get some serious scrutiny.
But, Gov. Perry has been a much more consistent conservative governor than his predecessor, the eeeeevvviiiiilllll George W. Bush. On fiscal and most social issues, Gov. Perry has been to the right of Gov. Bush.
But, Gov. Perry may be seen as a lot like Gov. Bush to many people. And that may be a lot for some to digest. Again, the Perry record is very much to the right of the Bush record.
The Republican race may be in for another potential candidate.
And that would be the former Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin.
I am looking for it to be 75-25 that she will enter the race for president and probably around Labor Day. Do not have any information other than what she has been saying lately. And that indicates she is not all that impressed with the current Republican field.
But, with a Michele Bachmann win in the Aames Straw Poll and Rick Perry entering the race, one thing is for certain.
That Republicans can not complain there is not a candidate for anyone in the party.