August will shake the 2012 Republican presidential field
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on August 7th, 2011 4:35 am by HL
August will shake the 2012 Republican presidential field
The contest for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, until now a sleepy, shapeless and uninspired affair punctuated by comedic interludes, turns serious this month. A debate, a straw poll in Iowa and the possible entry into the race of Texas Gov. Rick Perry are likely to make the coming weeks the most consequential yet in the campaign.
By the end of August, more will be known about almost every aspect of the race, including the identity of the politician best positioned to challenge the front-runner, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the staying power of Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty and the likely final makeup of the field.
Evangelicals gather for Gov. Perry’s day of prayer
HOUSTON – Texas Gov. and possible Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry led a crowd of more than 20,000 Christians Saturday, asking God to help a nation he calls “in crisis,” at a Christian-revival event he organized.
In the football stadium where the Houston Texans play, Christians from the state and around the country gathered for an all-day event called “The Response.” It resembled a service at a very large evangelical mega church but without a formal sermon.
“Father, our heart breaks for America, we see discord at home, we see fear in the marketplace, we see anger in the halls of government,” Perry told the crowd in his prayer. “As a nation, we have forgotten who made us, who protects us, who blesses us, and for that, we cry out for your forgiveness.”
Political parties trade blame for downgrade in U.S. credit rating
Standard & Poor’s historic downgrade of the U.S. credit rating caused Washington to erupt on Saturday in the exact partisan clashes that S&P had said led to its decision in the first place.
Both major political parties accused each other of causing the downgrade and used the credit rating agency’s report to make their cases. Democrats criticized Republicans for refusing to consider increasing tax revenue to help tame the nation’s debt. Republicans blamed Democrats for not taking serious action to reform entitlements and faulted President Obama for allowing the downgrade to happen on his watch.
Mystery pro-Romney donor revealed as former executive at private equity firm
The mystery donor whose $1 million contribution set off a furor over secrecy in politics has been identified as a longtime supporter of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Edward Conard, a former executive at Bain Capital, a private equity firm that Romney helped found, gave the contribution to a pro-Romney super-PAC called Restore Our Future through a shell corporation, W Spann LLC.
Conard said in a statement to Politico that he made the anonymous donation “after consulting prominent legal counsel regarding the transaction, and based on my understanding that the contribution would comply with applicable laws.” Conard said he has asked the group to amend its disclosure filings to list him as the donor.
Venezuelan opposition resists Republican measure
Don’t do us any favors. That’s the message that Venezuela’s political opposition is sending to House Republicans, who recently voted to cut off U.S. dues to the Organization of American States.
Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.), who introduced the amendment scrapping the $48.5 million annual dues, singled out what he called the organization’s support of autocratic President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.
“Let’s not continue to fund an organization that’s bent on destroying democracy in Latin America,” he said in the debate last month.
