Month: April 2012

Romney to Carpet-Bomb PA with Ads

Buck Banks

$2.9 million

Amount Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign will spend on advertisements in Pennsylvania over the next two weeks, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reports. According to National Journal, “that’s more than Romney has spent in any primary state to date, save Florida — more than they spent in Iowa, New Hampshire, even South Carolina.”

Miami’s Cuban Community Still Has a Short Fuse

Buck Banks

In his nine years as a big-league manager, Guillen has spit out insult after insult in his blunt style, offending, among others, gays, opponents of illegal immigration and even fellow Venezuelans. Guillen has managed to get away with his polarizing screeds by offering up contrition after the fact. But not even Guillen can hug the third rail of Miami discourse — praising Cuban leader Fidel Castro — without paying a steep price.

— The Miami Herald, reporting that the Miami Marlins — facing local boycotts and demonstrations by outraged Cuban exiles — announced the suspension of manager Ozzie Guillen for five games effective immediately after he told Time magazine that he has respect for and “loves” Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Insiders Not So Hot on Rubio for Veep

Buck Banks

34%

Of GOP insiders and 28% of Democrats say Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is the Republican party’s best hope for the No. 2 spot on the presidential ticket, according to a new National Journal Insiders Poll. That’s a significant drop from the same survey taken in October, when 60% of Republicans and 65% of Democrats considered him the party’s best possible running mate.