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$4,500
Amount Sarah Palin’s PAC paid to reserve space at Channelside Bay Mall in Tampa, Fla., near the site of the Republican National Convention, “suggesting that she plans to have an independent presence at the event separate from the formal proceedings,” according to Politico. Or perhaps she has a Sunglass hut franchise …
It’s the most godawful human activity that doesn’t involve physical pain. It’s high tension, and it’s boring and difficult work — begging people for money and debasing yourself. I’ve known people who claim they’ve enjoyed it, but I think they’re lying.
— Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), in an interview with Men’s Journal, on campaigning.
The GOP’s main problem is not the contraceptive issue; it is the perception that it has become too ideological on many issues. Women and independent voters have seen a party enthusiastically confirming its most damaging stereotypes. The composite Republican candidate — reflecting the party’s ideological mean — has been harsh on immigration, confrontational on social issues, simplistic in condemning government and silent on the struggles of the poor. How many women would find this profile appealing on eHarmony? … This is the hidden curse of the Republican congressional triumph of 2010. Republican activists came to believe that purity is all that is necessary for victory. But a presidential candidate, it turns out, requires a broader ideological attraction than your average tea party House freshman.
— Michael Gerson, writing in the op-ed section of the Washington Post.
Yes, President Obama is very likable to most people, if you just look at him and his family. But if you look at his policies, which is what most people disagree with, it’s a different story. And I think many men are much more familiar with the failed policies than a lot of other people, as well as the general public.
— Herman Cain, in a Fox News interview, attributing the gender gap to the fact that men are more familiar with policy, while “others” only know about the president’s family.
80
Number of Democratic members of Congress U.S. Rep. Alan West (R-FL) says also are members of the Communist Party, reported the Palm Beach Post. There are 190 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
I wish they weren’t called the ‘Bush tax cuts.’ If they were called some other body’s tax cuts, they’re probably less likely to be raised.
— Former President George W. Bush, quoted by Forbes.
$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.”
Romney trying to say someone’s out of touch is a little difficult when he’s shopping for car elevators.
— Obama campaign manager Jim Messina, quoted by Politico.
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.
