What They’re Saying: Romney Flip Flopping

IT’S JUST MATH: 75% > 25%

 

WITH ROMNEY VERSION 5.0, MITT HAS STARTED ANGLING FOR THE ANYONE-BUT-ROMNEY VOTE

 

ROMNEY IS REBOOTING HIS CAMPAIGN TO ATTACK NEWT GINGRICH

 

HEADLINE: “Newt Gingrich Poll Vault Prompts Mitt Romney Reboot” [Politico, 12/7/11]

 

The Romney Campaign Is “Making An Immediate Shift In Tactics.” “The Mitt Romney campaign is making an immediate shift in tactics, a move that is necessary because, as one Republican close to the campaign put it, “What they are doing now isn’t working.’” [ABC News Radio, 12/6/11]

 

Romney Campaign Strategy: Use Surrogates To Make References To Gingrich’s Past. “Integrity: When former Vice President Dan Quayle spoke about the importance of Romney’s integrity ‘when he’s in public life. When he’s in private life,’ that was no accident. Romney will not go after Gingrich on personal issues, but ABC News has learned that you can expect to see Romney surrogates making fairly direct references to Gingrich’s tumultuous past, in the vein of what Quayle did. You can also expect to see Ann Romney and the Romney family on the trail much more, especially in South Carolina, to create a visual contrast. Their presence on the trail ‘speaks for itself.’” [ABC News Radio, 12/6/11]

 

Romney Campaign Strategy: Attack Gingrich’s Temperament. “Temperament: The Romney team sees Gingrich’s temperament as a weakness. Romney himself will highlight the importance of temperament by discussing his record as a leader. Surrogates are likely to go after Newt directly. The question that will be posed is, ‘Who do you want to make decisions?’ One Romney adviser added, ‘Gingrich is everything people don’t like about Washington.’ Romney might not try to directly rough up Gingrich at the ABC News debate Saturday in Iowa, but he will try to establish that contrast in leadership and temperament and hope Gingrich digs a hole for himself. ‘Gingrich never does well when he’s doing well,’ a Romney aide said.” [ABC News Radio, 12/6/11]

 

ROMNEY RECENTLY HIRED SARAH PALIN’S SPEECHWRITER…

 

In Recent Weeks Romney Hired Former Palin Speechwriter Lindsay Hayes. “[Romney campaign’s chief strategist, Stuart] Stevens, who has made a second career out of writing dialogue for recurring TV characters, persuaded Romney to surrender the speechwriting responsibilities to him — and in recent weeks, Stevens in turn has deferred to the punchy prose of Lindsay Hayes, a former speechwriter for Sarah Palin.” [New York Times, 11/30/11]

 

…AND HIS SPEECH TODAY AT THE RJC CHANNELS THE RHETORIC OF TEA PARTY FAVORITES GINGRICH, CAIN, AND PALIN

 

Mitt Romney: “President Obama is replacing our merit-based, opportunity-based society with an entitlement society.” [Romney, Speech to Republican Jewish Coalition, 12/7/11]

 

Newt Gingrich: "Over the last 40 years, we have become an entitlement society. We have evolved into people who say 'Give it to me now.'" [Telegraph Herald, 5/4/06]

 

Herman Cain: ''We must go from an entitlement society to an empowerment society, which means we help people help themselves.” [New York Times, 11/6/11]

 

Mitt Romney: “That which is earned by some is redistributed to others. And the only people to enjoy truly disproportionate rewards are the people who do the redistributing – the government.” [Romney, Speech to Republican Jewish Coalition, 12/7/11]

 

Newt Gingrich: “Now you have a president who says openly, you know, some people make too much money, and maybe he should decide. Now, I mean, his idea of redistribution is that politicians decide how much you ought to get to keep of what you earn.” [Newt Gingrich, On The Record With Greta Van Susteren, 5/20/10]

 

Newt Gingrich: ‘He wants to redistribute wealth. I want to make sure everybody has a chance to create wealth. You know, if somebody hasn’t created it, you can’t redistribute it.’” [Newsmax, 3/5/11]

 

Sarah Palin: “Voters were not told what it was that he truly believed in until we saw some snippets here and there that were uncensored, unedited when he alluded to his desire to redistribute wealth and to fundamentally, transform America. Now, people are realizing what he meant by that. Fundamental transformation of America and they are saying no, that is not what we need. What we need is a great restoration of America.” [Fox News, 8/12/11]

 

Mitt Romney: “President Obama has adopted an appeasement strategy.” [Romney, Speech to Republican Jewish Coalition, 12/7/11]

 

Newt Gingrich: “The Administration's commitment to "multilateralism" at the U.N. is nothing more than appeasement.” [Human Events, 8/9/11]

 

Herman Cain: “Appeasement is not a strategy. As Ronald Reagan proved, strength is the strategy.” [World Net Daily, 5/2/11]

 

Mitt Romney: “This election will come down to a president who wants to ‘fundamentally transform’ America, and a Republican candidate who can restore America and get back to the founding principles that made this nation great. “ [Romney, Speech to Republican Jewish Coalition, 12/7/11]

 

Newt Gingrich: “President Obama Wants To Change America Into A Different Country. I Want To Renew The American Dream.” “‘I think President Obama wants to change America into a different country. I want to renew the American dream, that all of us are endowed by our creator with certain alienable rights, that we have the right to pursue happiness.” [Newsmax, 3/5/11]

 

Sarah Palin:  "We must not fundamentally transform America as some would want; we must restore America and restore her honor." [National Journal, 10/2/10]

Source: DNC

ICYMI: Obama and Emanuel Pushed to Spotlight Solyndra While Major Donor Pressured for Loan

Excerpts from The Washington Post: “White House staff discussed in emails that either President Obama or his former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel were eager to help spotlight a solar company in early 2009, despite numerous internal warnings that the company could be financially unstable, according to new e-mails.

“The administration was working to arrange a way for Obama to headline a press conference in early September to announce that Solyndra of Fremont, Ca. had won a $535 million government loan to spur clean energy firms — the first his administration had provided.

“‘Ron said this morning that the POTUS definitely wants to do this (or Rahm definitely wants the POTUS to do this?),’ one White House staffer told an Obama scheduler on Aug. 17, 2009.

“Administration officials stress that Emanuel was always interested in how to showcase the administration’s effort to create jobs with stimulus funds.

“The correspondence suggests that, at the most senior levels and down the chain, the fledgling Obama administration had significant interest in using the loan to highlight progress under the Recovery Act. The e-mails were produced as part of a congressional probe and provided by a government source Friday.

“The emails also show that the Department of Energy was told by the Treasury Deparment its refinancing arrangement for the Solyndra loan in early 2011 might be improper and should be cleared with the Department of Justice.

“The administration had previously tried to arrange a way for the president to favor Solyndra with a high-profile visit. Those discussions kicked off in earnest in March 2009, after the Energy Department conditionally approved the loan to the solar startup.

“Republican lawmakers claim the company won so much attention and favor because its lead investor was a fund tied to George Kaiser, one of Obama’s most prolific fundraisers.

“An administration official said Friday that the new emails show high interest in Solyndra, and missed warning signs early on about the company’s prospects. But they do not, he said, show that the loan involved political favors.”

Click Here To Read The Full Article: http://wapo.st/o7IGmu

Excerpts from ABC News and iWATCH News: “An elite Obama fundraiser hired to help oversee the administration's energy loan program pushed and prodded career Department of Energy officials to move faster in approving a loan guarantee for Solyndra, even as his wife's law firm was representing the California solar company, according to internal emails made public late Friday.

"‘How hard is this? What is he waiting for?’ wrote Steven J. Spinner, a high-tech consultant and energy investor who raised at least $500,000 for the candidate before being appointed to a key job helping oversee the energy loan guarantee program. ‘I have OVP [the Office of the Vice President] and WH [the White House] breathing down my neck on this…’

“The White House appears to be bracing for the political fallout -- one high ranking energy official in the White House warns shortly before Solyndra's bankruptcy, on Aug. 26, that what's coming is a ‘s___ show" and ‘a mess.’

“He also corresponds with career Department of Energy loan officials who are making the final decisions on the Solyndra loan. In one instance, he writes, ‘Hopefully, this might spur [the Office of Management and Budget] a little faster to help the closing.’

“‘The emails occurred less than two weeks after Spinner received a three-page ethics agreement in which he pledges he will "not participate in any discussion regarding any application involving [his wife's law firm] Wilson [Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati].’

“Recovery Act records show Allison Spinner's law firm, Wilson Sonsini, received $2.4 million in federal funds for legal fees related to the $535 million Energy Department loan guarantee to Solyndra. That ethics agreement said his wife would forgo pay ‘earned as a result of its representation of applicants in programs within your official duties.’

“Spinner took steps to further disclose his potential conflicts in an email dated Sept. 23, 2009, after the Solyndra loan had closed, and the formal announcement involving Vice President Biden and others took place. In the email, also made public Friday, Spinner wrote ‘I will recuse myself from any active participation in any of these applications.’ Among those he listed was Solyndra's.

“An executive from a company competing against Solyndra for federal loan money asked wryly in February of 2009 if the loan program ‘is suitable as a 'bail out' program for failing private manufacturers’ given Solyndra's ‘failure to secure new investors.’ That warning came one month before Energy Secretary Steve Chu announced DOE's commitment to back the solar panel firm.

“There also appeared to be objections from the Department of Treasury to the Department of Energy's decision, in early 2011, to restructure the Solyndra loan -- a restructuring that gave private investors the first opportunity to recoup some of their losses should the company fail…

“Shortly before the company declared bankruptcy, a top Treasury official wrote to the White House to make clear that the decision to restructure the deal did not have Treasury or Justice Department approval…”

Click Here To Read The Full Article: http://abcn.ws/nSu6ee

Source: RNC

Don’t Take Our Word For It—Jon Huntsman Slams His Republican Opponents

By Melanie Roussell, DNC National Press Secretary

This morning, Jon Huntsman was on ABC's "This Week," reiterating what we already know about the Republican field of presidential candidates: that they have "zero substance" are "too far to the right," and can't be trusted with the economy. About specific candidates, Huntsman said that Romney is a flip-flopper with a weak economic record as governor of Massachusetts, and that Perry didn't sound "serious on issues."

We couldn't agree more. You can watch Huntsman’s interview here.

JON HUNTSMAN ON HIS REPUBLICAN RIVALS

Huntsman Said The Rest Of The GOP Field Had “Zero Substance” And Were “Too Far To The Right.” Huntsman on ABC’s This Week: “We have people on the Republican side too far to the right. We have zero substance. We have no good ideas that are being circulated or talking about that allow the country to get back on its feet economically so we begin creating jobs.” [ABC News – This Week, 8/21/11]

Huntsman Said He Would Not Trust His Opponents With The Economy Because They Would Have Allowed The Country To Default. When asked by Jake Tapper, “Would you trust a President Bachmann to do the right thing with the economy?” Huntsman replied, “I wouldn't necessarily trust any of my opponents who are on the recent debate stage with me when every single one of them would have allowed this country to default.” [ABC News – This Week, 8/21/11]

Huntsman Said The Republican Party Has “A Serious Problem” In Becoming “The Anti-Science Party.” On ABC’s This Week, Huntsman said: “I think there's a serious problem. The minute the Republican Party becomes the party, the anti-science party, we have a huge problem. We lose a whole lot of people, who would otherwise allow us to win the election in 2012 when we take a position that isn't willing to embrace evolution, we take a position that basically runs counter to what 100 to 900 climate scientists have said with what the national academy of science has said. What is causing climate change and man's contribution to it. We find ourselves on the wrong side of science and therefore in a losing position.” [ABC News - This Week, 8/21/11]

Huntsman Said “We’d Be Here All Afternoon” To Talk About Romney’s Flip-Flops. On ABC’s This Week, Huntsman said, “If we talk about inconsistencies and change on various issues, we'd be here all afternoon.” [ABC News - This Week, 8/21/11]

Huntsman Said He Had “No Idea Where” Romney’s Based His Claim That Corporations Are People. “Huntsman was also asked about Romney’s ‘corporations are people’ remark at the Iowa State Fair, which he quickly turned into an opportunity to cite Massachusetts’s poor job creation ranking during the years Romney was governor of the state. ‘I have no idea where that might have come from, entrepreneurs are people, but how it came out in his event, I’m not sure what it was based on.’” [ABC News, 8/13/11]

Huntsman: Romney Ranked 47th In Job Creation. “‘Massachusetts under governor Romney was number 47,’ he said. ‘We’re going to want a governor with a track record of success as opposed to one who was number 47. First versus 47th, I think there’s a huge difference in that, particularly going up against a president who doesn’t have a track record at all of expanding the economy or successfully creating jobs.’” [ABC News, 8/13/11]

Huntsman: Romney Has Flip-Flopped On The Flat Tax. On ABC’s This Week, Huntsman said, “I know in 1996 he was against a flat tax. […] If he's in favor of a flat tax now where he wasn't before, at least he's moving in the right direction.” [ABC News - This Week, 8/21/11]

Huntsman: “Call Me Crazy” But “I Believe In Evolution And Trust Scientists On Global Warming” unlike Governor Perry. “Jon M. Huntsman Jr. is eager to stand out. Just not too much. In a Twitter message sent Thursday afternoon, Mr. Huntsman wrote: ‘To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy.’ The message was a direct shot at his newest rival, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, who said this week that climate change was ‘a scientific theory that has not been proved’ and called evolution ‘just a theory.’” [NY Times, 8/18/11]

Huntsman Slammed Perry For His Secession Comments And Attacks On Bernanke. When asked to comment on Perry saying that Bernanke would be treated “ugly” in Texas and that printing money was “treasonous,” Huntsman said, “I don't know if that's pre-secession Texas or post secession Texas. In any event, I'm not sure that the average voter out there will hear that treasonous remark and say that sounds like a presidential candidate that sounds like someone serious on issues.” [ABC News - This Week, 8/21/11]

RNC Releases “Economic Turnaround?” Web Video

By Michael Short

WASHINGTON – The Republican National Committee (RNC) released a video entitled “Economic Turnaround?” after DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz claimed President Obama has turned the economy around despite 9.1 percent unemployment and an economy taking a turn for the worse. The video can be viewed at the RNC website.

Obama’s Economy By The Numbers

The Associated Press: “Employers Added 54,000 Jobs In May, Fewest In 8 Months; Unemployment Rate Rose To 9.1 Pct.”(“Employers Added 54,000 Jobs In May, Fewest In 8 Months; Unemployment Rate Rose To 9.1 Pct.” The Associated Press, 6/3/11)

•Since President Obama’s $831 Billion Stimulus Bill Passed The Unemployment Rate Has Increased From 8.2 Percent To 9.1 Percent.(Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed 6/3/11)

•The Average Duration Of Unemployment Increased To A Record 39.7 Weeks.(Bureau Of Labor Statistics, BLS.gov, Accessed 6/3/11)

Washington Post-ABC News Poll: “Americans’ Disapproval Of How [Obama] Is Handling The Nation’s Economy And The Deficit Has Reached New Highs.” “The public opinion boost President Obama received after the killing of Osama bin Laden has dissipated, and Americans’ disapproval of how he is handling the nation’s economy and the deficit has reached new highs, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.”(Dan Balz and Jon Cohen, “Obama Loses Bin Laden Bounce; Romney On The Move Among GOP Contenders,” The Washington Post, 6/7/11)

Washington Post-ABC News Poll: Nine In 10 Americans “Rate The Economy In Negative Terms And Six In 10 “Say The Economy Has Not Started To Recover.” “By 2 to 1, Americans say the country is pretty seriously on the wrong track, and nine in 10 continue to rate the economy in negative terms. Nearly six in 10 say the economy has not started to recover, regardless of what official statistics may say, and most of those who say it has improved rate the recovery as weak.” (Dan Balz and Jon Cohen, “Obama Loses Bin Laden Bounce; Romney On The Move Among GOP Contenders,” The Washington Post, 6/7/11)