by Alex Kane on Wed, 2012-09-19 - Alternet
Yesterday
was a no good, very bad day for the Romney’s campaign, who had to mop
up the mess their candidate created when he said that “47 percent” of
Americans are “dependent on government” and “believe they are victims.”
But the bad news hasn’t stopped today.
From poll numbers to Republican politicians throwing Romney under the bus, the campaign’s woes continue.
1. Ryan Says Romney Was ‘Inarticulate’
Mitt Romney’s vice-presidential candidate called the “47 percent” comments “inarticulate” in an interview [1] with a local news station in Nevada. “He was obviously inarticulate in making this point,” said Paul Ryan. Asked by a reporter if Romney regrets his comments, Ryan said, “I think he would have said it differently, that’s for sure.”
2. GOP New Mexico Governor Rejects Romney’s Comments
Governor Susana Martinez may be a Republican, but she’s running as fast as she can away from Romney’s comments writing off half the country. Talking Points Memo’s Josh Marshall picks up [2] on Martinez’s comments that add to the “pile on.”
“We have a lot of people that are at the poverty level in New Mexico, but they count just as much as anybody else,” Martinez said. “I think, certainly the fact that New Mexico provides that safety net is a good thing.”
3. Peggy Noonan’s Verdict on the Romney Campaign: ‘An Intervention is in Order’
It’s not just Martinez who is hitting Romney’s comments that were captured in video published by Mother Jones. Conservative columnist Peggy Noonan has joined in.
“This is not how big leaders talk, it’s how shallow campaign operatives talk: They slice and dice the electorate like that, they see everything as determined by this interest or that,” Noonan wrote in a blog post. [3] “You know what Romney sounded like? Like a kid new to politics who thinks he got the inside lowdown on how it works from some operative. But those old operatives, they never know how it works.”
4. GOP Candidate Linda McMahon: ‘I Disagree With Governor Romney’
Yet another Republican candidate wants nothing to do with Romney’s “47 percent” comments. Linda McMahon, the GOP candidate for Senate in Connecticut, wrote on her Facebook page: “I disagree with Governor Romney’s insinuation that 47% of Americans believe they are victims who must depend on the government for their care. I know that the vast majority of those who rely on government are not in that situation because they want to be.”
5. Polls Show Obama’s in Command
New polls show that President Obama has gained ground on Romney nationally and in swing states.
Obama is up by 5 points nationally, according to a NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll--and the survey was taken before Romney’s infamous comments. [4] NBC notes [5] that their data shows increased optimism among voters about the economy. “Forty-two percent of voters also believe the economy will improve in the next 12 months, which is a 6-point jump from August, and a 15-point rise from July.”
In swing states, the story’s the same. The Hill reports [6] on swing state polls:
The contrast between Mitt Romney’s floundering campaign and President Obama can’t be more striking. Obama appeared on the “Late Show With David Letterman” [7] last night, and he looked relaxed and calm. Obama also took the opportunity to criticize Romney’s comments.
“My expectation is that if you're president, you've got to work for everyone, not just some,” said Obama. [8]
7. Ann Romney Makes It Worse
AlterNet’s Adele Stan notes that Mitt Romney’s wife attempted some damage control last night in an interview with a local Fox affiliate. But she may have made things worse.
Stan writes: [9]
As you can see, a host of Republican candidates have disavowed Romney’s “47 percent” comments in an effort to distance themselves from what is fast becoming a toxic Romney brand. A North Carolina Republican running for a Congressional seat is running away from Romney as well.
Last night, during a televised debate, Mark Meadows criticized Romney’s comments.
“It might come as a surprise, but Mitt Romney didn’t call me before he made those comments and ask for my advice,” Meadows said, according to an Asheville-based paper. [10] The paper notes that “Meadows said voters in the 11th Congressional District are not as easy to define as Romney’s comments seemed to try to do.”
“I’m concerned about all 750,000 people,” said Meadows.
From poll numbers to Republican politicians throwing Romney under the bus, the campaign’s woes continue.
1. Ryan Says Romney Was ‘Inarticulate’
Mitt Romney’s vice-presidential candidate called the “47 percent” comments “inarticulate” in an interview [1] with a local news station in Nevada. “He was obviously inarticulate in making this point,” said Paul Ryan. Asked by a reporter if Romney regrets his comments, Ryan said, “I think he would have said it differently, that’s for sure.”
2. GOP New Mexico Governor Rejects Romney’s Comments
Governor Susana Martinez may be a Republican, but she’s running as fast as she can away from Romney’s comments writing off half the country. Talking Points Memo’s Josh Marshall picks up [2] on Martinez’s comments that add to the “pile on.”
“We have a lot of people that are at the poverty level in New Mexico, but they count just as much as anybody else,” Martinez said. “I think, certainly the fact that New Mexico provides that safety net is a good thing.”
3. Peggy Noonan’s Verdict on the Romney Campaign: ‘An Intervention is in Order’
It’s not just Martinez who is hitting Romney’s comments that were captured in video published by Mother Jones. Conservative columnist Peggy Noonan has joined in.
“This is not how big leaders talk, it’s how shallow campaign operatives talk: They slice and dice the electorate like that, they see everything as determined by this interest or that,” Noonan wrote in a blog post. [3] “You know what Romney sounded like? Like a kid new to politics who thinks he got the inside lowdown on how it works from some operative. But those old operatives, they never know how it works.”
4. GOP Candidate Linda McMahon: ‘I Disagree With Governor Romney’
Yet another Republican candidate wants nothing to do with Romney’s “47 percent” comments. Linda McMahon, the GOP candidate for Senate in Connecticut, wrote on her Facebook page: “I disagree with Governor Romney’s insinuation that 47% of Americans believe they are victims who must depend on the government for their care. I know that the vast majority of those who rely on government are not in that situation because they want to be.”
5. Polls Show Obama’s in Command
New polls show that President Obama has gained ground on Romney nationally and in swing states.
Obama is up by 5 points nationally, according to a NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll--and the survey was taken before Romney’s infamous comments. [4] NBC notes [5] that their data shows increased optimism among voters about the economy. “Forty-two percent of voters also believe the economy will improve in the next 12 months, which is a 6-point jump from August, and a 15-point rise from July.”
In swing states, the story’s the same. The Hill reports [6] on swing state polls:
President Obama leads Mitt Romney in three key swing states, according to a series of new polls.6. Obama Keeps Calm on David Letterman’s Show
Obama leads Romney by 51 to 45 percent in Wisconsin, 50 to 46 percent in Virginia and 47 to 46 percent in Colorado, according to polls conducted by Quinnipiac University for CBS and The New York Times.
The figures in Virginia are particularly notable, as this is the sixth poll in a row showing Romney slipping behind Obama in the critical state. Another from WeAskAmerica out Wednesday morning showed a similar 3-point Obama lead.
The contrast between Mitt Romney’s floundering campaign and President Obama can’t be more striking. Obama appeared on the “Late Show With David Letterman” [7] last night, and he looked relaxed and calm. Obama also took the opportunity to criticize Romney’s comments.
“My expectation is that if you're president, you've got to work for everyone, not just some,” said Obama. [8]
7. Ann Romney Makes It Worse
AlterNet’s Adele Stan notes that Mitt Romney’s wife attempted some damage control last night in an interview with a local Fox affiliate. But she may have made things worse.
Stan writes: [9]
After assuring the anchor who conducted the interview that Mitt had no "disdain for the poor," in interview Eli Stokol's phrase, Ann Romney explained why women, especially, should vote for her husband. As a woman, Mrs. Romney said, "I want to know what motivates the person that I would be voting for, and I would say what motivates Mitt is that he cares. This is a guy that obviously doesn’t need to do this for a job."8. North Carolina Republican Disavows Romney in Debate
Wow. I feel better already. So, apparently the reason that Barack Obama is running for the presidency is because of the big bucks that come from that government salary -- a job he won, according to Mitt Romney, because a bunch of moochers thinks Obama will fill their coffers with more of that government dough.
As you can see, a host of Republican candidates have disavowed Romney’s “47 percent” comments in an effort to distance themselves from what is fast becoming a toxic Romney brand. A North Carolina Republican running for a Congressional seat is running away from Romney as well.
Last night, during a televised debate, Mark Meadows criticized Romney’s comments.
“It might come as a surprise, but Mitt Romney didn’t call me before he made those comments and ask for my advice,” Meadows said, according to an Asheville-based paper. [10] The paper notes that “Meadows said voters in the 11th Congressional District are not as easy to define as Romney’s comments seemed to try to do.”
“I’m concerned about all 750,000 people,” said Meadows.
Links:
[1] http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/19/paul-ryan-says-romney-comments-obviously-inarticulate/
[2] http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2012/09/martinez_piles_on.php
[3] http://blogs.wsj.com/peggynoonan/2012/09/18/time-for-an-intervention/
[4] http://news.yahoo.com/obama-hits-leads-5-points-nbc-wsj-poll-235428444--politics.html
[5] http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/18/13944838-nbcwsj-poll-obama-leads-romney-nationally-by-5-points?lite
[6] http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/250305-polls-obama-leads-in-wisconsin-virginia-colorado
[7] http://entertainment.time.com/2012/09/19/obama-on-letterman-top-10-things-you-missed-if-you-didnt-watch-last-night/
[8] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/19/obama-rebukes-romney-letterman
[9] http://www.alternet.org/hot-news-views/watch-ann-romney-mitts-moocher-comments-hubby-doesnt-need-do-job
[10] http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20120919/NEWS/309190066/Meadows-forum-m-not-Romney?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFrontpage%7Cp&gcheck=1&nclick_check=1
No comments:
Post a Comment