Mitt Romney’s campaign “is quietly laying the groundwork for a high-profile blitz of several key battleground states in the run-up to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, and Republicans briefed on the plans say it has all the trappings of a vice presidential rollout tour,” CNN reports.
Hickenlooper and Wife Separate
The Denver Post reports that Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) and his wife, Helen Thorpe, announced they are separating after 10 years of marriage, but plan to remain a family that spends a “great deal of time together.”
From a statement: “Both the Governor and Ms. Thorpe want the public to know that neither has had an affair, that they did seek extended counseling, and that this decision is unrelated to the difficult events Colorado has faced this summer.”
McMahon, Murphy Lead in Connecticut
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Connecticut finds Linda McMahon (R) crushing former Rep. Chris Shays (R) in the GOP Senate primary by a stunning 48 points, 68% to 20%.
The Democratic contest is closer but Rep. Chris Murphy (D) is still a clear favorite there, leading Susan Bysiewicz (D) by 17 points at 49% to 32%.
Picture of Romney Sends Man Into Rage
Lowell Turpin “suspected his live-in girlfriend of planning an affair, and when he saw a picture of a man he didn’t recognize on her Facebook page, it set him off,” the Knoxville News-Sentinel reports.
He “jerked her laptop computer from her grasp, smashed the machine into a wall, and then hit her in the face with his fist.”
The man on the computer screen: Mitt Romney.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“They took out all that brain matter yet I still didn’t become a
Democrat.”
— Congressional candidate Dan Halloran (R), quoted by the Politicker, describing his surgery earlier this year to remove a brain tumor.
Romney Made Same Argument About Palestinians in Book
Mitt Romney, under fire for suggesting that culture explains the economic disparities between Israelis and Palestinians, blamed the media for mischaracterizing his remarks and insisted that he hadn’t actually criticized Palestinian culture.
But Greg Sargent points out that in his 2010 book, No Apology, Romney made “almost precisely the same point about Israelis and Palestinians, even using the same language: ‘culture makes all the difference.'”
Candidate Quits After Reports of Dead Companion Still Voting
John Enright (R), a candidate for Pinal County supervisor candidate, “has withdrawn from the race in the wake of voter-fraud allegations involving a former companion who, records show, has continued to vote by absentee ballot in the five years since her death,” the Arizona Republic reports.
The woman, Sheila Nassar — whom Enright described as his “life companion” — lived with Enright at the time of her death.
Florida Looks Like a Toss Up
A new Public Policy Polling survey in Florida finds President Obama edging Mitt Romney in the key battleground state among likely voters, 48% to 47%.
However, Romney would gain an edge if he picked Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as his running mate.
“Regardless of who Romney picks it looks like Florida is once again a sheer toss up, and there’s not much reason to think that will change between now and November.”
“I Wish They’d Let Me Vote Against Him Twice.”
Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) has a catchy new radio ad in her challenge to Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) criticizing him for voting twice — once in the House and again in the Senate — to privatize Medicare.
A Guide to Mitt Romney’s Tax Breaks
Businessweek has a slide show.
GOP Lawmaker Says His Party is Too Extreme
Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY) blasted the Republican Party in an interview with the Syracuse Post-Standard, saying his party is “too willing to accommodate its most extreme members.”
Said Hanna: “I have to say that I’m frustrated by how much we — I mean the Republican Party — are willing to give deferential treatment to our extremes in this moment in history.”
He added: “We render ourselves incapable of governing when all we do is take severe sides… If all people do is go down there and join a team, and the team is invested in winning and you have something that looks very similar to the shirts and the skins, there’s not a lot of value there.”
Villaraigosa Eyes Run for California Governor
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) tells Yahoo News that he’s not interested in running for president someday.
Said Villaraigosa: “The answer is no… The job I’ve said to people I would like is I would like to be governor of the state of California.”
The Policy-Free Campaign
David Brooks: “President Obama’s proposals are small and medium-size retreads, while
Mitt Romney has run the closest thing to a policy-free race as any
candidate in my lifetime. Republicans spend their days fleshing out
proposals, which Romney decides not to champion.”
Wisconsin Senate Primary a Dead Heat
A new We Ask America poll in Wisconsin finds Eric Hovde (R) deadlocked with Tommy Thompson (R) at 23% each for the GOP U.S. Senate nomination, followed by Mark Neumann at 17% and Jeff Fitzgerald (R) at 12%.
The primary is on August 14.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“And I realize that there will be some in the Fourth Estate, or whichever estate, who are far more interested in finding something to write about that is unrelated to the economy, to geopolitics, to the threat of war, to the reality of conflict in Afghanistan today, to a nuclearization of Iran. They’ll instead try and find anything else to divert from the fact that these last four years have been tough years for our country.”
— Mitt Romney, quoted by National Journal, addressing the gaffes made on his overseas trip.
Large Majority of Democrats Back Gay Marriage
Reports that the Democratic party will support gay marriage in its party platform are in keeping with a big shift in public opinion over the last four years. A new Pew Research survey finds support for gay marriage among Democrats has jumped to 65% today, more than double the percentage that is opposed (29%).
In 2008, only 50% of Democrats favored allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, while 42% were opposed.
Did Staffing Make the Difference in Overseas Trips?
The Washington Post compares the campaign trips abroad taken by Barack Obama in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012.
“So what’s the difference — other than four years and two vastly different candidates? Here’s one big distinction: the Obama campaign loaded up on staff firepower while the Romney camp had a relative ghost crew.”
“For his trip, Obama got assists from at least 14 top staffers and advisors, many of whom were heavy hitters with serious foreign policy and economic credentials… Romney, on the other hand, has only three senior staffers with him for the entire trip: policy director Lanhee Chen; foreign policy aide Alex Wong; and press secretary Andrea Saul.”
Rubio Inc.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) “may be slipping down the shortlist of potential Mitt Romney running mates,” Politico reports, but the vice presidential buzz surrounding him “has helped put his new memoir on The New York Times‘s best-seller list, creating a windfall that could potentially wipe out the senator’s personal debt. Coffers for his campaign committee and leadership PAC also have become flush with cash in recent months — he’s seen a 50 percent uptick in donations.”
Said one GOP strategist: “This could be one of those times when you’re better off being the one everybody wants rather than being the one who actually gets picked.”
