August 2012 - Page 13 of 18

Both Prez Candidates Can Expect Modest ‘Bump’ In Polling Following Their Conventions

August 14, 2012 Buck Banks

5 percentage points

Size of the median “bump” or “bounce” earned by presidential candidates in Gallup polling after their conventions since 1964. “Both Mitt Romney and President Obama can expect a small but significant increase in support following their respective party conventions. But sustaining those bumps is no sure thing,” National Journal reports.

With Ryan Pick, Romney Will ‘Probably Lose. Maybe Big.’

August 14, 2012 Buck Banks

I think it’s a very bold choice. And an exciting and interesting pick. It’s going to elevate the campaign into a debate over big ideas. It means Romney-Ryan can run on principles and provide some real direction and vision for the Republican Party. And probably lose. Maybe big.

— Former Bush adviser Mark McKinnon, quoted by Politico, on Mitt Romney’s choice of Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate.

Ryan Is Just Palin with a PowerPoint Presentation

August 14, 2012August 14, 2012 Buck Banks

The most cutting criticism of Ryan, shared only by a handful of strategists, is that Ryan isn’t ready to be president — or doesn’t come across as ready. A youthful man who looks even younger than his 42 years, Ryan could end up labeled as Sarah Palin with a PowerPoint presentation, several operatives said.

— Alexander Burns, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Martin, in an article for Politico that surveyed more than three dozen Republican strategists and campaign insiders.

Deconstructing Mitt Romney’s Jerk Factor

August 14, 2012 Trish

There are moments in some of Romney’s speeches in which he comes across like the guy who doesn’t wave when you let him into traffic, because in his mind, he was able to merge on his own…Romney doesn’t irk us because he was born into privilege. He irks us because he behaves as if being born into privilege had nothing to do with his success.

LZ Granderson, CNN columnist

Romney Turns to Bush/Cheney Team for Economic Advice

August 14, 2012August 14, 2012 Trish

4 out of 4

Number of Romney economic advisors who were on the Bush/Cheney economic team: 1. Vin Weber, N. Gregory Mankin, Kevin A. Hassett, R. Glenn Hubbard. As we have said before, if you liked Bush, you’ll love Romney.

Republican Strategists Are Freaking Out Over Ryan Nomination – And Not in a Good Way

August 14, 2012August 14, 2012 Jon Ponder

From right-leaning Politico.com:

Away from the cameras, and with all the usual assurances that people aren’t being quoted by name, there is an unmistakable consensus among Republican operatives in Washington: Romney has taken a risk with Ryan that has only a modest chance of going right — and a huge chance of going horribly wrong.

In more than three dozen interviews with Republican strategists and campaign operatives — old hands and rising next-generation conservatives alike — the most common reactions to Ryan ranged from gnawing apprehension to hair-on-fire anger that Romney has practically ceded the election.

[…]

Mormon Church Earns $7 Billion a Year from Tithing and Donations

August 14, 2012 Jon Ponder

$7 Billion

Annual income of the Mormon Church from tithes and other donations, according to a study of church finances by Reuters and University of Tampa sociologist Ryan Cragun.The church owns about $35 billion worth of temples and meeting houses around the world, and controls farms, ranches, shopping malls and other commercial ventures worth many billions more.

Ryan Elicits the Least Positive Reaction to Recent Veep Choices

August 13, 2012 Buck Banks

42%

Of Americans finds Rep. Paul Ryan is a “fair” or “poor” choice as Mitt Romney’s running mate vs. 39% who think he is an “excellent” or “pretty good” choice, according to A new USA Today/Gallup Poll — one of the least positive recent reactions to a vice presidential choice. The poll also finds 17% of adults say they are more likely to vote for Romney in November because Ryan is his running mate — about the same impact Sarah Palin had for John McCain four years ago among registered voters.

Ryan Has Only Passed Two Bills in 13 Years in Congress

August 13, 2012 Buck Banks

2

Number of bills proposed and passed by Paul Ryan in 13 years in Congress. One renamed a post office in his district and another changed the excise tax on hunting arrow shafts — an issue that Ryan, a bow hunter — had a personal stake in.

Ryan’s Record More Conservative than Bachmann’s

August 13, 2012 Buck Banks

The statistical system DW-Nominate evaluates him as being roughly as conservative as Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), the controversial congresswoman of Minnesota. … By this measure, in fact, which rates members of the House and Senate throughout different time periods on a common ideology scale, Mr. Ryan is the most conservative Republican member of Congress to be picked for the vice presidential slot since at least 1900. He is also more conservative than any Democratic nominee was liberal, meaning that is is the furthest from the center. (The statistic does not provide scores for governors and other vice presidential nominees who never served in Congress.)

Month: August 2012

Both Prez Candidates Can Expect Modest ‘Bump’ In Polling Following Their Conventions

5 percentage points

With Ryan Pick, Romney Will ‘Probably Lose. Maybe Big.’

I think it’s a very bold choice. And an exciting and interesting pick. It’s going to elevate the campaign into a debate over big ideas. It means Romney-Ryan can run on principles and provide some real direction and vision for the Republican Party. And probably lose. Maybe big.

— Former Bush adviser Mark McKinnon, quoted by Politico, on Mitt Romney’s choice of Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate.

Ryan Is Just Palin with a PowerPoint Presentation

— Alexander Burns, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Martin, in an article for Politico that surveyed more than three dozen Republican strategists and campaign insiders.

Deconstructing Mitt Romney’s Jerk Factor

LZ Granderson, CNN columnist

Romney Turns to Bush/Cheney Team for Economic Advice

4 out of 4

Number of Romney economic advisors who were on the Bush/Cheney economic team: 1. Vin Weber, N. Gregory Mankin, Kevin A. Hassett, R. Glenn Hubbard. As we have said before, if you liked Bush, you’ll love Romney.

Republican Strategists Are Freaking Out Over Ryan Nomination – And Not in a Good Way

Mormon Church Earns $7 Billion a Year from Tithing and Donations

$7 Billion

Ryan Elicits the Least Positive Reaction to Recent Veep Choices

42%

Ryan Has Only Passed Two Bills in 13 Years in Congress

2

Number of bills proposed and passed by Paul Ryan in 13 years in Congress. One renamed a post office in his district and another changed the excise tax on hunting arrow shafts — an issue that Ryan, a bow hunter — had a personal stake in.

Ryan’s Record More Conservative than Bachmann’s

— Nate Silver, writing for the New York Times’ Five Thirty Eight Blog, assesses Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) congressional voting record.

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“One woman at a rally in New Jersey told me last week that she was ‘nauseously optimistic.’ That may capture a lot of people’s last-minute jitters.”

— Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), quoted by Axios, on what Democrats feel ahead of the midterm elections.

“I think Congress made a mistake not protesting turning the Rose Garden into what looks like the entrance to Liberace’s bathroom.”

— Former President Bill Clinton, quoted by The Wrap.

“Boy, they are scraping the bottom of the barrel. It feels like a real desperation play to me, because it has got zero basis in the law.”

— Republican election law expert Ben Ginsberg, quoted by Politico, on the Trump administration’s effort to invalidate Alaska’s election results.

Numerati

3,824

$1.4 billion

-35 points

31%

63% to 38%

KFF Poll: “With the 2026 midterm campaigns in full swing and early voting about to begin, there is a wide enthusiasm gap between partisan voters, with Democratic voters 25 percentage points more likely than Republican voters to say they are ‘more motivated’ than usual to vote (63% vs. 38%).”