A new MoveOn video clearly highlights the problem Republicans could have with women in this year’s elections.
Palin Challenges Obama to a Debate
Sarah Palin responded on Facebook to President Obama’s reelection campaign after footage of her was used in a fundraising video.
Said Palin: “I’m not running for any office, but I’m more than happy to accept the dubious honor of being Barack Obama’s ‘enemy of the week’ if that includes the opportunity to debate him on the issues Americans are actually concerned about.”
She added: “I’m willing and free to discuss these issues with the President anywhere, anytime.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“Our democracy has been hacked. It no longer works, in the main, to serve the interests of our people.”
— Al Gore, quoted by CNN.
Romney Likely to Win More Delegates Tonight
Regardless of the final popular vote result in Alabama and Mississippi, Harry Enten notes the the net delegate count in each state is likely to be pretty even.
“Mississippi’s delegates are going to be split proportionally, and we’re probably looking at a split of nine delegates for Gingrich, nine for Romney, and seven for Santorum. Alabama has a ‘top two’ primary in each congressional district (that is, the winner in each district will get two delegates and second-placed candidate will get one), while the state-wide delegates will be apportioned proportionally. Determining who will win which districts is difficult in such a close state-wide race. Romney’s probably going to come in third in the more rural areas, but he could win the districts around Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile. My estimate is that he’ll take 14-17 delegates state-wide, while Santorum and Gingrich take 11-20 delegates each.”
That said, Romney will still likely end the night with more delegates than his rivals.
“Though not subject to much media focus, Romney’s going to do very well in the American Samoa and Hawaii caucuses. American Samoa is 30% Mormon (the most Mormon-dominated contest this year, outside of Utah)… Hawaii’s delegates will be divided more evenly because its allocation
system is proportional.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Had he failed in that audacious mission, he would’ve been a one-term president.”
— Vice President Joe Biden, quoted by The Hill, on President Obama ordering the mission to kill Osama bin Laden.
How Sarah Palin Ruined Politics
Richard Cohen notes that since Sarah Palin stepped on the national political stage we’ve been subjected to “a deluge of dysfunctional presidential candidates. They do not lie with quite the conviction of Palin, but they are sometimes her match in ignorance. As with Palin, it seemed hardly to matter… Palin is no longer an anomaly.”
“So far, the Palin effect has been limited to the GOP. Surely, though, there lurks in the Democratic Party potential candidates who have seen Palin and taken note. Experience, knowledge, accomplishment — these no longer may matter. They will come roaring out of the left proclaiming a hatred of all things Washington, including compromise. The movie had it right. Sarah Palin changed the game.”
Quote of the Day
“I think he’ll have the most delegates but not a majority.”
— Newt Gingrich, in an interview on Fox News, suggesting Mitt Romney will not win the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch the GOP presidential nomination.
Big Majority Wants Super PAC Banned
A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds 69% of all Americans say super PACs, a fundraising vehicle that allows wealthy donors to make unlimited donations in support of a particular candidate or party, should be banned. Just 25% said they should remain legal.
A Great Pork Senator
Though he was “totally stunned” Rick Santorum could be considered a viable presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) praised him on Morning Joe as a “great pork Senator.”
Said Rendell: “You know, Rick over the course of time, some things he did very well, he was a great — I hate to say this, he was a great pork Senator. I would call him and say we need this, we got it. He was a great pork Senator.”
Did Obama’s Approval Rate Really Collapse?
First Read looks at the dramatic drop in President Obama’s approval rating found in last night’s CBS/NYT poll but suggests it may be an outlier since there’s no major event which occurred in the past month to account for this drop.
“It’s probably worth waiting for a few more national polls before reaching the conclusion that something has happened to Obama’s standing in the past month.”
More Americans Say They’re Better Off
A new Bloomberg poll finds more Americans now say they are personally better off since President Obama took office than worse off, 38% to 36%, the first favorable reading for the president on that question since Bloomberg began asking in December 2010.
That said, Americans are still far from content, with 61% saying the U.S. is moving in the wrong direction.
How Republicans Screwed Themselves
John Avlon: “Republicans are in a bruising primary struggle with no candidate close to the 1,144 delegates needed to win the nomination, and leaving aside the advent of super PACS, they did it to themselves by adopting a proportional-delegate rule in 2010.”
Big Night for Republicans
Yes, we’ve heard this many times before, but the Republican presidential nomination could come down to a single night’s primary results.
Mike Allen: “If Newt Gingrich loses the primaries in both Mississippi and Alabama, after being tied for first in each, he could be effectively out of the race. If Gingrich wins both, he has a fresh rationale for going forward and denies Rick Santorum the chance for a one-on-one — ensuring that no non-Romney can accrue anywhere the delegates needed to deny Mitt Romney the nomination. If Santorum wins both, he has an argument to go on, despite little shot at the crown. If Romney wins both, he can say he has won in the deepest South, Michigan, Ohio and Florida – case closed.”
First Read: “By the way, there’s a reason why the Romney folks have concentrated more
on Alabama than Mississippi: Because third place in an Alabama
congressional district doesn’t net you a delegate, second place there
matters a lot.”
Polls close in both states at 8 pm ET.
Santorum Has Edge in Louisiana
A new WWL-TV poll in Louisiana finds Rick Santorum with a small lead in the GOP presidential race at 25%, followed by Mitt Romney at 21%, Newt Gingrich at 20% and Ron Paul at 6%.
The Louisiana primary is on March 24.
Romney’s Early Vote Advantage
Sasha Issenberg: “Once-meaningful distinctions between early voting, voting-by-mail, and absentee ballots are being erased as 32 states now offer voters the chance to cast their ballot before Election Day without a justifying excuse… Romney’s canny and competent handling of these varied early-voting processes this year has helped him accumulate a seemingly insurmountable lead in delegates. He is running the only modern, professional campaign against a field of amateurs gasping to keep up, and nowhere is that advantage more evident than in his mastery of early voting. Capitalizing on early-voting procedures demands formidable investment up front in the service of later savings.”
“Romney has likely already reaped enough gains from mastering the system in earlier states to ensure he is the only Republican who could enter the Tampa convention in August with enough delegates to become the nominee.”
Cheney Says Canada Too Dangerous
Former Vice President Dick Cheney has cancelled an April appearance in Toronto citing concerns Canada is too dangerous, the National Post reports.
Said the even organizer: “He felt that in Canada the risk of violent protest was simply too high.”
Limbaugh Faces a New Threat
The distributor of Rush Limbaugh’s radio show has told its radio station affiliates that they are suspending national advertising for two weeks, Radio Info reports. And Think Progress notes more than 140 advertisers have now pulled their ads from Limbaugh’s show.
But David Frum points out that Limbaugh will face “a more-serious challenge” on April 2: “That’s when the new Mike Huckabee show launches on 100 stations in Limbaugh’s very own noon-to-3 time slot. Huckabee’s competition threatens Limbaugh not only because Huckabee has already proven himself an attractive and popular TV broadcaster, but also because Huckabee is arriving on the scene at a time when Limbaugh’s business model is crashing around him.”
Romney Rules Out Santorum as Veep
Mitt Romney told Fox News that he would not pick Rick Santorum as his running mate because he’s not conservative enough.
Said Romney: “Well, that would preclude, of course, Rick Santorum. Because, I mean, look at his record. I find it interesting that he continues to describe himself as the real conservative. This is the guy who voted against right-to-work. This is the guy who voted to fund Planned Parenthood. This is the person who voted to raise the debt ceiling five times? … Rick Santorum is not a person who is an economic conservative to my right.”
