The debate approaches

AAA HMS Obama

What we know about Obama and what we don’t know about Romney

We know what Mr.Obama is and what he stands for:

(1) He is for apologizing to the rest of the world for our freedoms of speech and for our power and prosperity.

(2) He is an indolent President who has not even submitted a budget for three and a half years;

(3) He loathes the oil and gas sector of the society.

(4) He wants to make as much of the country as possible dependent on the federal teat.

(5) He unequivocally believes in unilateral nuclear disarmament.

Univision breaks story on Fast and Furious

Although Democrats seem to think they own the Hispanic vote, Univision, the Spanish Network first actually did a thorough interview with President Obama and now has broken a story on Fast and Furious which the MSM seems to treat as radioactive.

Obama and the Truth:  Strangers in the night?

President Obama has a habit and that habit is failing to tell the truth.  But he has gotten by with it all of his life and it now is just who he is.

In another article, Hugh Hewitt gives you the “tells” of when Obama is about to dissemble the truth.  The first tell is a pattern of "ahs" and "uhmms" which are as embarrassing as they are revealing.

What did Obama do when America was attacked by terrorists?

This is a powerful ad.

Is Sweden a Socialist Success Story?

From 1980 through 1997, Sweden's government spent more than all other advanced economies as a fraction of GDP.  It peaked at 68% of GDP in 1993, an all-time record for advanced economies.

And how did that "socialism" work for Sweden?  Its economy grew only 1.4% per year from 1980 to 1993, when the U.S. was growing 3.0% per year.  And over those last five years, 1988-1993, it stopped growing altogether -- 0% growth.  It fell farther behind the U.S: from 81% as rich to 72% as rich.  Its debt grew to 70% of GDP.

In short, government spending in Sweden had the effect that free-market types always predict: slow growth and high debt.  Government spending does not stimulate; it stifles, and it sticks our kids with the bill.

Where have all the Manufacturing jobs gone?

They’ve gone unfilled. 

The consultant company Deloitte surveyed the industry and found 600,000 perfectly good jobs going unfilled because of a lack of "soft skills."

BTW, soft skills include getting people who can pass a drug test. 

Harvard educated Killer sentenced to life without parole

A Harvard educated professor at the University of Alabama who killed three colleagues and who the MSM tried to associate with the Tea Party has been sentenced to life without parole for these killings.  Rather than a Tea Party member, Amy Bishop was described lifelong liberal who was obsessed with President Obama. 

DNC spokesperson predicts Romney will win Denver Debate

"Mitt Romney has had a lot more time to debate, the president has not debated in the past four years in terms, of a campaign debate. I think the president will hold his own, but he's not known for sound bites. And these are 60 second, 90 second responses."

Not to mention Obama won’t have his teleprompter there.  

They are also trying to inoculate the President’s performance raving about how good Romney is in debates as well as indicating

The Problem with Polls

If, as even left-wing think tanks agree, Democratic voter registration is in decline, why are pollsters assuming that the electorate will largely resemble the messianic “hope and change” outpouring that elected Barack Obama? And if they are wrong about the turnout model, does that mean their forecasts showing the president cruising to re-election are also incorrect?

Ohio is not alone. An August study by the left-leaning think tank Third Way showed that the Democratic voter registration decline in eight key swing states outnumbered the Republican decline by a 10-to-one ratio. In Florida, Democratic registration is down 4.9 percent, in Iowa down 9.5 percent. And in New Hampshire, it’s down 19.7 percent.

So the polling models have a greater percentage of Democrats in them while the number of Democrats is declining.  Go figure.

Hugo Chavez endorses Obama

Venezuela's Hugo Chavez gave a surprise endorsement to Barack Obama on Sunday - and said the U.S. leader no doubt felt the same. "I hope this doesn't harm Obama, but if I was from the United States, I'd vote for Obama."  When he said the US leader no doubt felt the same, he was saying Obama would endorse him (Chavez) as well.  This makes two endorsements from Communists (or former communists) as Vladimir Putin also endorsed Obama.

Ten Questions Obama should answer at the Debate

I found these questions to be excellent.  Here’s an example of just one of them.

Can you today guarantee that Iran will not have acquired a nuclear weapon by the time you finish a second term in office?

Economist pick Romney

Nine of 17 top economists surveyed by CNNMoney picked Romney when asked who's election would help the economy grow more. Only three picked Obama. 

But the remaining five made no pick, with several suggesting neither would provide much of a lift to the sagging economy. 

"Obama doesn't really understand business and Romney doesn't really understand how to govern. So pick your poison," said Gary Rosenberger of EconoPlay, one of those surveyed who refused to give a pick.

Obama’s foreign policy coming apart

It was just a few weeks ago at the Democratic national convention that Obama confidently declared that “al Qaeda is on the path to defeat and Osama bin Laden is dead.” And yet, on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, al Qaeda struck again against our lightly guarded consulate in Benghazi, where ambassador Chris Stevens was murdered — an attack, it now turns out, the United States had ample reason to suspect was coming.

Especially bothersome were the Egyptians chanting that there are 1 billion Osamas.  We may soon be asking, “who lost North Africa.”

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s cameraman seeks political asylum

Another embarrassment for the Iranians as Hassan Gol Khanban, who was part of the 140-person entourage that accompanied the Iranian president to New York, has announced via his New York City-based lawyer, Paul O'Dwyer, that he is seeking asylum in the U.S.

Is Soros panicking?

It appears George Soros is spending big time trying to keep Mitt Romney from beat Barack Obama in November. 

The Libertarian Case for Mitt Romney

We have a younger Obama on tape, saying that welfare recipients and “the working poor” are a “majority coalition.” And don’t fool yourself into thinking that by “welfare recipients” he just means the huddled masses getting their “Obama bucks” and food stamp billions and disability checks. Under Obama, Wall Street is a welfare queen, too. So is our banking system. Half our domestic auto industry is on the take, too. Obama has gutted work requirements for individual welfare recipients, and gutted the profit requirement for big business and big banking and big finance.

The masses won’t give up their checks, and the crony capitalists won’t suffer any competition. The squeeze is on, and you’re in the middle of it. That’s the Permanent Progressive Majority.

This squeeze fundamentally transforms what America means, and what it means to be an American — from citizen to subject. It took a century to take us this far along the Progressive path to a Technocratic State of high-tech feudalism, but we’re almost at the end of the line. Another four years is probably all that’s needed to get there.

Obama and Energy

What’s new Today

Story #1looks to the claim of the President that there isn’t a silver bullet for gas prices.  #2 Looks at last night’s primary and asks the question “Is it over?”  #3 gives you another example of the left’s desperation not to talk about the economy, the deficit, etc.  #4 and #5 are SCOTUS stories with the first being about Obamacare and the second being a ruling curtailing the EPA.  # 6 looks at the politics of the latest Obama on vacation and #7 posits that the solution to our problems may lie in federalism.  Finally #8 looks at Obama’s effect on oil and gas in the country and the cost of both. 

1.   API President:  There is a Silver Bullet

President Barack Obama could lower gas prices by opening up more federal land and offshore areas for oil drilling, American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerard said Tuesday.

Gerard, on a conference call with reporters, argued that Obama is misguided in saying “there’s no silver bullet” to combat high world oil prices or rising prices at the pump.

“We strongly disagree, and so do most Americans,” said Gerard, who heads the industry organization.

He cited a $16-per-barrel drop in oil prices in 2008 after after President George W. Bush announced he would lift a moratorium on offshore drilling.

“That was a signal to the marketplace: Help is on the way,” Gerard said.

http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/03/20/industry-group-obama-should-help-lower-gas-prices/

The price of oil is a function of supply and demand, but it is also a function of the outlook for future supplies.  Obama could easily help the situation.

2.  Is it over?

There are three ways to look at the GOP nominating contest now that Mitt Romney has won Illinois. The first is summarized by Alex Massie in a headline earlier today: “Illinois Votes; Mitt Romney Wins; Race Still Over.” A second is to insist that, while Romney is on track to win the nomination, it’s unwise to assume anything until he has mathematically won a majority of delegates. I’d adopt the third approach, which is to look at the road ahead and assess whether there is a plausible—not just possible, but plausible—way for Romney to lose the nomination.

And looking at the calendar and the resources available to Romney and Santorum, it’s just irrational to deny Romney’s got this wrapped up. It comes down to the delegate math: Despite his various missteps, Romney has been steadily winning a majority of the delegates awarded. According to CNN’s reasonable count, Romney went into Illinois with 521 delegates, out of the 966 awarded. Romney needs 1,144 delegates—an absolute majority of those who will vote at the Convention in late August—to decisively clinch the nomination.

And the upcoming contests don’t give Santorum a chance to catch up, or to prevent Romney from reaching the magic number. Last week, the wizards at Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball looked at the contests pending through the end of April: Their “guesstimate” of the most likely delegate split in this series was Romney 268, Santorum 117—and this was conceding Louisiana and Pennsylvania wins to Santorum. Looking at the other states—D.C., Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, Wisconsin, New York, and Rhode Island)—it’s hard to think of a scenario where Santorum could win significantly more than the lopsided minority Sabato suggests. Taking that into account, April could put Romney so close to the magic number of 1,144 delegates that the rest of the race would be a formality…

http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/101893/illinois-republican-primary-romney-santorum

There was an article this past week that even if Newt dropped out of the race, his supporters would split between Santorum and Romney.   Looking at the result of Illinois, it appears that many of Newt’s supporters have already move to their second choice.  I was one of those people with Newt being my first choice, but being perfectly happy with Mitt Romney. 

3.  Desperate Democrats Distract With Smears

The Democrats’ attack on Rush Limbaugh hasn’t turned out the way they had hoped. The blowback, in the form of conservatives pointing out the outrageous conduct of liberals like Bill Maher and Keith Olbermann, has dwarfed the original reaction against Rush. Worse, the blowback continues. So Democrats are now in the position of trying to shut down the conversation about civility and misogyny that they opportunistically started.

Last night on the Hannity Show, Sean Hannity asked Democratic operative Bob Beckel whether President Obama should return the $1 million his PAC received from Maher. Beckel responded by trying to change the subject–no surprise there–but he did so in a despicable manner:

[T]he rest of them are taking money from the Koch brothers who are Iranian arms sellers…But [Koch] traded arms with our enemies [and] I think that’s a lot worse.

This was sheer fantasy. Beckel just made it up to avoid having to deal with the reality of Democratic Party misogyny. Apart from the utter falsity of his claim, there is a certain irony in his dragging the Koch brothers, two of the most gentlemanly individuals you are likely to meet, into a conversation about Bill Maher’s references to c***s and t***s….

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/03/desperate-democrats-distract-with-smears.php

It really interesting to see the Kock Bros. reply to this defamation.  Read the article if you want to see it.

4.  SCOTUS and Obamacare

The frenzy generated by the Supreme Court’s arguments on the healthcare reform law next week is likely to dwarf anything the court has ever seen.

Lawmakers and interest groups plan to stage protests and events outside the court nearly nonstop, creating a circus-like atmosphere for a case that could redefine the limits of federal power.

A throng of lawyers and reporters, meanwhile, are practically beating down the court’s doors to try and secure a seat inside the chamber to witness the historic arguments on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Many legal experts say the ruling on the healthcare law could be one of the most consequential in the court’s history. The oral arguments in the case are the longest in 45 years, and the legal and political stakes are enormous. The court is expected to deliver its ruling in June, just months before the presidential election.

All of those factors are feeding a media frenzy that has already reached historic proportions, according to Drexel University law professor Lisa McElroy.

“This is just unprecedented. The only thing that even compares is maybe Bush v. Gore,” she said, referring to the 2000 case that helped settle the presidential election. “This is going to be on a scale we’ve never seen before.”…

http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/legal-challenges/217195-court-faces-an-unprecedented-frenzy

I think we will get a lot of information on this with 24 hour news on cable.   

5.  SCOTUS curtails the EPA

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that landowners may bring a civil lawsuit challenging a federal government order under the clean water law, a decision that sides with corporate groups and sharply curtails a key Environmental Protection Agency power.

The justices unanimously rejected the U.S. government's position that individuals or companies must first fail to comply with an EPA order and face potentially costly enforcement action before a court can review the case.

The opinion by Justice Antonin Scalia was a victory for an Idaho couple who challenged a 2007 EPA order that required them to restore a wetland they had filled with dirt and rock as they began to build a new vacation home near Priest Lake. They were also told to stop construction on the home.

The couple, Chantell and Michael Sackett, denied their property had ever contained a wetland and complained they were being forced to comply with an order without a court hearing.

Their appeal drew support from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Association of Home Builders and General Electric Co, a company that had made a similar challenge to the EPA compliance orders.

The Supreme Court's ruling comes at a time when the EPA has faced fierce criticism from many Republicans in Congress who say it has issued the most ambitious clean air regulations in decades and has become heavy-handed in enforcement actions.

Scalia concluded the Sacketts may bring a civil lawsuit under the Administrative Procedures Act to challenge the EPA's order…

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/21/usa-court-epa-idUSL2E8CVIHY20120321?type=companyNews&feedType=RSS

This is a big blow to Progressivism.  The rule of the “expert” of in this case bureaucrat is part and parcel part of the Progressive movement.  This undercuts their power. 

6.  Let them eat cake Brie

It’s not actually about the First Daughter, per se, who according to serially vanishing stories has been vacationing with a group of friends in Mexico — a country for which the State Department just last month issued a new warning to all U.S. travelers.

It’s about the judgment of the White House, which apparently deems there is “no vital news interest” to this story.

How so?

Let us set aside the obvious hypocrisy of a president who denounces the “1%” and calls for Americans to tighten their belts, while members of his own family summer on a Martha’s Vineyard estate, spend Christmas beachside at Oahu, and travel for fun to the ski slopes of Colorado, the luxury suites of Marbella, and now, scenic spots in Mexico. If that is the image Obama wants to cultivate, or those are the family pleasures with which he wishes to balance the rigors of his presidency, so be it.

Let us set aside, for the moment, the queasy feeling it brings, reminiscent of the air-brushed politburo photos of Mao’s China, to see news stories erased, one after another, at the behest of the White House. Doubtless there are security concerns here. Though, especially in the information age, it suggests an odd obliviousness to think that an optional holiday, entailing security concerns presumably…

http://pjmedia.com/claudiarosett/mexico-for-spring-break/

This man is a political idiot.  I’m not saying he isn’t a good campaigner, but his political intelligence has been grossly overestimated by the Democratic Party, the press, and himself. 

7.  Bring Back Federalism

The bleating about broken government and partisanship continues: “Why can’t those boobs in Washington agree on anything?” We’re constantly told that the way to fix the country is to dethrone the Left and the Right and empower the middle. Americans Elect, No Labels, the Gangs of Six and Fourteen, conservative Democrats, and liberal Republicans — handing things over to these middling mincers and half-a-loafers is supposed to be the answer to all of our problems. It’s as if we should just put Nelson Rockefeller’s mug on the dollar bill and be done with it.

But what if the real compromise isn’t in forcing the Left and the Right to heel? What if instead the solution is to disempower the national elites who think they’ve got the answers to everything?

Federalism — the process whereby you push most political questions to the lowest democratic level possible — has been ripe on the right for years now. It even had a champion in Texas governor Rick Perry, and Ron Paul still carries that torch…

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/293985/federalist-solution-jonah-goldberg

Jonah Goldberg is a good thinker and even better writer.  I highly recommend this article to you.

8.  Has Obama increased oil and gas production?

President Obama has stated that there has been an increase in oil and natural gas production during his administration. The fact that this increase in production is occurring on private lands, not public lands, merely serves to affirm that the “Obama Administration’s restrictive policies cannot hinder production” on state and privately owned land.

Last year, President Obama released a new draft offshore drilling five-year lease plan which “CLOSES the majority of the OCS to new energy production through 2017.”

The most striking of the observations from the National Resources Committee is the declining revenue anticipated in President Obama’s budget. “According to the President’s own FY 13 budget proposal, in 2011, the federal government collected $1 billion in OCS rents and bonuses from lease sales. In 2012—the last year of the current five year plan, the budget anticipates collecting over $2 billion in rents and bonuses. In the first year of President Obama’s five year plan, rents and bonuses fall by 58 percent to only $852 million. By the last year of President Obama’s five year plan, the government is only collecting $569 million—a 72 percent drop from 2012 anticipated returns.”

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/03/21/presidents-fy-2013-budget-projects-72-drop-in-off-shore-drilling-lease-revenue

Well it certainly doesn’t look like Obama has increased production

Things are getting more and more interesting

What’s new Today

Story #1 talks understanding democrats.  It’s a satirical look at the hypocrisy of the Democrats.  #2 is a story of a Democrat in Iowa who was trying to do mischief to slander some Republican.  He got caught and is now facing criminal charges. #3 and #4 are looking at why Newt is the right person to run against Obama.  #5 is a list of possible 2012 slogans for Obama.  #6 talks about what Newt’s victory in South Carolina means to the race.  Quite frankly the Republicans will come out stronger for it.  #7discusses tax rates for Presidential candidates.  And #8 and #9 are about new polls. 

1.  Understanding Democrats

After years of puzzlement and curiosity observing modern day Democrats, I think I have finally figured them out.

I'm constantly amazed that modern Democrats have evolved beyond living in caves. I mean what other animal on this planet can disregard all common sense and logic and survive? Scientists have recently discovered that even giant sea slugs that do not possess a brain as such can learn from past experiences. That puts them a leg up over the current crop of liberals in this country. I used to subscribe to the adage that liberalism was a mental disorder, but even Rainman would have a hard time buying into the standard mantra of the present day Democratic Party. In order to believe that Democrats have the answer today, you would have to believe:

·         That you can grow the entitlement class beyond the taxpayer class and never hit critical mass where there is no money left.

·         That using the military to oust a murderous thug dictator in 2003 was criminal, and using the military to oust a murderous thug dictator in 2011 was noble.

·         That the best way to grow the wealth of the private sector is to take all the money out of it.

·         That the best way to make us energy independent is to block any effort to produce more petrocarbons in this country.

·         That the best way to create jobs is to increase taxes and regulations on the job creators.

·         That the best way to stop arms from this country from getting into the hands of the drug cartels in Mexico is to provide arms to the drug cartels in Mexico.

·         That all the ills of the economy are due to the fat cat banks and other corporations, and the best way to deal with that is to provide billions in bailouts to the fat cat banks and other corporations.

·         That more unemployment checks create more jobs….

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/i_finally_understand_democrats.html#ixzz1kHEs9c2j

As bias as this article is, it is almost entirely accurate. 

2.  Democrats behaving badly

A Des Moines man arrested Friday on charges he attempted to illegally use the identity of Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz had campaigned for President Barack Obama during the 2008 election cycle.

In addition, Zach Edwards, 29, was employed until Friday by a local political consulting firm well connected to Iowa Democrats.

Edwards was arrested on charges alleging he fraudulently used or attempted to use the identity of Schultz, a Republican, or Schultz’s brother, Thomas, with the intent to obtain a benefit. The alleged scheme was intended to falsely implicate Secretary Schultz in perceived illegal or unethical behavior while in office, according to a news release from the Iowa Department of Public Safety…

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120122/NEWS/301220044/1056/NEWS09/Political-consultants-quickly-fire-arrested-man

Nothing news worthy here except perhaps that the newspaper identified Edwards as a Democrat in the second paragraph.

3.  Why Newt is the right man

The endorsement of Newt Gingrich by Rick Perry, as well as the virtual endorsement of Gingrich by Sarah Palin, forms the battle lines for the Republican nomination. Look quickly for Santorum and Bachmann to line up behind Gingrich as well, just like Huntsman has endorsed Romney. In a three-man race with Gingrich representing historic conservatism, Paul embracing constitutional libertarianism, and Romney representing the pragmatic political wing of the party, Gingrich should wrap up the nomination relatively quickly.

The left, of course, will try to destroy Gingrich, just as it has been trying to destroy him since he forced Speaker Jim Wright into disgraceful retirement in 1989. Today, the attack will be on his personal life -- this by the same leftists who loved Bill Clinton, who ignored the ghastly behavior of John Edwards, and who since JFK have said that the private life of a political leader is not important -- but the left's real fear of Gingrich comes from Gingrich's understanding of the weaknesses of leftism and the ways to defeat it….

http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/gingrich_v_leftism.html#ixzz1kHI4YtdW

I agree.  The left is terrified that Newt will get the nomination and win the presidency. 

4.  Here’s a UCLA Professor that agrees with me about Newt being the biggest threat to Obama

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/ucla-political-scientist-heads-221059.aspx

This is only a 2.5 minute video that is worth your time to watch it.

5.  Possible Obama Slogans for 2012

During the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama glided to victory promising not only “hope” but also “change.” His campaign also came up with a carefully crafted slogan: “Yes We Can.”

As the president’s campaign team thinks up shiny new slogans for Obama’s 2012 re-election effort, The Daily Caller decided to help them out by coming up with ten very bad options that should be scrapped immediately.

10.) No we couldn’t, but maybe if you gave us four more years we can? Vote Obama 2012

9.) There is only so low we can go before we bottom out. Vote Obama 2012.

8.) I still have so many speeches left to give. Vote Obama 2012.

7.) We’re not better off than we were 4 years ago, but we are better than we were 400 years ago! Vote Obama 2012.

6.) Goodbye 18-hole Sundays, hello 9-hole Saturdays. Vote Obama 2012.

5.) Give Carter the second term he never had. Vote Obama 2012.

4.) Four words: Attorney General John Edwards. Vote Obama 2012.

3.) Ain’t no party like an Obama inauguration party and you won’t get one if you don’t vote for me. Vote Obama 2012.

2.) Two words: More Biden. Vote Obama 2012.

1.) 9/11 was an inside job. Vote Obama 2012.

http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/19/what-comes-after-hope-and-change-the-top-10-losing-obama-slogans-for-2012/#ixzz1kHNLmUop

My favorite would be “Fear, Envy and Resent.  Fear the Republicans, Envy the Rich, and Resent everyone else.”

   6.  What Newt’s Victory in South Carolina Means

Take a gander at the exit polls if you like — they really are quite something. What they show is that Gingrich beat Romney soundly across the board: 42–26 with men and 38–29 with women; by nine or more points in every age cohort; by double digits in every educational cohort except those voters with postgraduate study (which Romney won by a bare two points); among both married and unmarried voters; among the poor, the middle class, and the rich; among Republicans and independents; among the very conservative and the somewhat conservative, losing only (by just five points) among self-described moderates or liberals; among tea party backers, God-squadders, Protestants, and Catholics; among those most concerned about beating Barack Obama, about being a true conservative, and about having the right experience for the job of president; among late deciders and early deciders; and especially dramatically among those for whom the debates were important….

…Herewith five realities as we head into what promises to be the most intense and consequential primary thus far:

1. Contrary to the received wisdom up until now, Gingrich is the favorite in the Sunshine State….

2. To fend off Gingrich and regain his status as the front-runner, Romney needs to “refine his message, not sharpen his knives,” as the influential conservative blogger Erik Erickson puts it. The Romney people, however, are instinctively inclined to do the opposite….

3. Romney needs to get comfortable, and quick, in talking about money — his, that is….

 
4. If Gingrich wins Florida, the Republican Establishment is going to have a meltdown that makes Three Mile Island look like a marshmallow roast….

5. No matter who wins Florida, the race is now destined to go on a good long time….

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/01/heilemann-five-new-gop-primary-factors.html

I think the money issue is the big one.  Romney’s response to releasing his tax records showed a potential weakness, but not a fatal one.  In fact, Romney should thank the other candidates for bringing it up.  He has time to recover and take away the attacks Obama is already planning in that area.  What the Democrats hope is a weakness in the Republican primaries is actually a strength. 

7.   John Kerry only paid 13% effective tax rate

Mitt Romney acknowledged yesterday that his tax rate is probably about 15 percent--lower than what many high-income families pay. Romney, whose net worth is estimated to be between $200 and $250 million, pays a lower tax rate because most of his income comes from investments instead of a salary.

How does Romney's effective tax rate compare to the recent presidential nominees from the major parties?

In 2004, John Kerry and his wife released portions of their separate tax returns that showed the couple paid an effective federal tax rate of about 13 percent on $5.5 million in income from the year before. (At first, Kerry only released his own tax return. He later released the first two pages of the tax return of his millionaire wife, Teresa Heinz.) Some conservatives, like Stephen Moore of the Club for Growth, used Kerry's effective tax rate to criticize him for his opposition to a flat tax that would raise his taxes.

George and Laura Bush paid about 28 percent of their income in taxes in 2003, though their yearly income was a tenth of the Kerrys' that same year.

Vice President Dick Cheney, meanwhile, paid only 20 percent of his $1.3 million income in taxes in 2003.

http://nation.foxnews.com/john-kerry/2012/01/22/flashback-kerry-paid-13-tax-rate#ixzz1kHqqLbN5

This is interesting but it is never an effective argument to say someone else did worse. 

8.  Newt Leads Romney in Florida Primary

Newt Gingrich leads Mitt Romney by eight points in Florida, according to a poll conducted the day after the former House speaker won the South Carolina primary.

According to the Insider Advantage poll, Gingrich has 34 percent support, Romney has 26 percent, Texas Rep. Ron Paul has 13 percent, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum garners 11 percent.

Florida Republicans go to the polls on Jan. 31. The candidates will face off in a debate Monday night in Tampa….

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/01/23/poll_gingrich_leads_romney_in_florida_112865.html

The 20 point lead that Romney had,  disappeared quickly. What does that mean?  I think the Republicans want to beat Barack Obama badly and they are going with the front runner as long as he looks like he could be Obama.  Romney had an sense of inevitability so the voters went his way.  With Gingrich’s win in South Carolina they have now swung back his way. 

9.   Polls that don’t look good for the Democrats

Eighty-three percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the economy, making it the “most toxic” topic that Gallup polled recently. Sixty-nine percent are dissatisfied with the size and power of the federal government, and 68 percent are displeased with the country’s moral and ethical climate. Americans’ satisfaction with all three issues has fallen since January 2008.

But Americans are more satisfied with national security. Seventy-two percent of Americans are content with the nation’s security from terrorism — a 14-point increase from 2008. And 71 percent are satisfied with the nation’s military strength and preparedness — a five-point jump from four years ago.

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/288898/satisfaction-economy-down-2008-brian-bolduc

Obama came into office and tried to make government larger and more important in the economy.  It isn’t working and dissatisfaction with this is up.  Not a good sign in an election year.