Month: May 2011

Huntsman Hits Romney on Hunting

Buck Banks

Oh, large varmints.

— Possible presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, when asked by a reporter at a New Hampshire gun store what he hunts, according to Real Clear Politics. The comment was an allusion to Mitt Romney, who told voters four years ago that he had been a lifelong hunter, only to have to explain later that he only hunted “small varmints” twice. The episode earned Romney loads of criticism about his lack of authenticity.

S.C. Tea Party Fizzles

Buck Banks

Photo by The State
Photo by The State

Poor S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley — she looks awfully lonesome on the State House steps addressing a crowd of about 30 Columbia Tea Party supporters, as estimated by the State newspaper. It was supposed to have been so different, if only Donald Trump hadn’t dropped out of the presidential race and canceled his appearance with Haley, say party organizers, about 2,000 people would have attended.

GOP Governors’ Aggression Creating Backlash

Buck Banks

The cycle of over-reach and backlash is in over-drive these days — with significant implications for the 2012 presidential election. In pivotal swing-states where voters narrowly elected Republican governors in 2010 — like Florida and Ohio (with 47 electoral votes between them) — evidence of buyer’s remorse is piling up fast.

John Avlon, writing in the Daily Beast.

Best Day of New Jacksonville Mayor’s Campaign Was the Day Gov. Scott Showed Up to Campaign for His Opponent

Jon Ponder

Jacksonville is a Republican stronghold, but even with that relatively conservative electorate polls show Barack Obama more popular than Rick Scott. That election in Florida’s largest city was not about Obama or Scott, but there’s no question that Scott’s talk about draconian cuts to school budgets and other services helped elect a Democrat arguing that cuts need to be targeted and strategic. One of the best days for Democrat Alvin Brown came when Rick Scott came to Jacksonville to campaign for the Republican mayoral nominee at a Tea Party rally.

– Adam Smith, political editor for the St. Petersburg Times