ROMNEY LEADS IN COLORADO TV BUYS

Published on October 3, 2012 by

Denver-area TV buys have shifted in Romney’s favor.

CU journalism students (CU News Corp), guided by CU-Boulder journalism instructor Sandra Fish and Laura Frank, executive director of the I-News Network, have been examining ad contracts for the four Denver TV stations to see who’s buying political ads. I added Obama-side and Romney-side spending to see who was leading in the spending wars.

Sandra Fish clarified that CU News Corp reports spending dates by when the station has a contract, even though the actual ad may air at a later date. 

This spending shift validates my prediction that Obama’s TV dominance was not durable.  See my ColoradoPeakPolitics post.

What this means is that Romney should begin to move up in the polls here in Colorado. The shift will not be as stark as the 61% for Obama to 70% for Romney in ad purchases, due to pre-buys, but eventually the fact that Obama had spent much of his campaign cash before Labor Day (and voters don’t recall those ads) should mean Romney has the advantage as Election Day nears.

TV buys do influence polls. See the report, including summary, here. Dominating the television air waves appears to shift the polls 6% to the side that’s dominating. And TV ads lose their influence with voters within two weeks.

continue…

 

GLOWING REVIEWS: Pundits Praise Ann Romney’s RNC Speech

Published on August 29, 2012 by

Last night Ann Romney made her national debut, giving one hell of a Republican National Convention address, hitting prime time broadcast TV across the country and even outshining conservative superstar Chris Christie. The praise from political pundits across the political spectrum was glowing.

CBS's Bob Schieffer: "Wow…That was one heck of a speech."

NBC's Tom Brokaw: "Mrs. Romney made a very strong case, not just for her husband but also for why he ought to be President."

Fox News' Brit Hume: "I think that was the single most effective political speech I've ever heard given by a political wife."

Even Stephanie Cutter, the Deputy Campaign Manager for Obama who accused Mitt Romney of killing Joe Soptic's wife on a conference call and of being a felon, begrudgingly praised Ann's speech. She told BuzzFeed's Ben Smith it was "an effective speech — she clearly loves her husband and we respect that."

Well, Stephanie, we're glad you respect that Ann loves her husband, but that's not why her speech killed it last night. 

It's more because of brilliant lines like this: "We're too smart to know there aren't easy answers, but we're not dumb enough to accept that there aren't better answers."

Ann is clearly Mitt's best surrogate. Last night proved she'll also be one of the Obama campaign's biggest threats. 

(Photo Credit: Gateway Pundit)


 

SAY WHAT? DNC Press Secretary Says Stimulus Was For “Pet Projects” With Some “In Other Countries”

Published on July 12, 2012 by

In the fight over who is the bigger outsourcer, the Democratic National Committee recenty gave Barack Obama a migraine-level headache. In a recent radio interview, DNC Press Secretary Melanie Rousell said the federal Stimulus program had been spent on "pet projects" which included some funds that were spent "in other countries."

Her response to being called out on that by the RNC? Calling them liars. 

Let's run the tape:

Host: Would it have been, in your view, impossible to put those kinds of strings on the firms that received US dollars that none of that money would go to creation of jobs abroad?

Melanie Rousell: Well, in some of these cases the components for these pet projects were built in other countries because we didn’t have the market for it. [Peak emphasis]

Say what!?!

Is the DNC admitting that Obama used taxpayer money to create jobs in other countries for pet projects?

Deputy Communications Director for the RNC, and Colorado native, Tim Miller had this to say to Politico about the incident:

“The funny thing is this was a rare occasion where the DNC got caught telling the truth,” Miller said. “The stimulus was pet projects with components sent overseas. We agree on that.”

Calling people a liar, or even a felon, is a popular political slur today it seems. In this case, it’s not a he said/she said fight. It’s a she said Obama spent stimulus dollars overseas on pet projects fight. Whoops.  

 

LEFT BEHIND: New RNC Web Ad Hits Obama On Most Important Hispanic Issue — Unemployment

Published on June 20, 2012 by

Much has been made of Obama's election year gamble to ignore immigration laws selectively to seek some of his lost Hispanic support. But Hispanics are no different than any other subset of America — the economy is still the overriding issue. On that front, the RNC is out with a new web ad in English and Spanish that hits Obama on the issue that has hit the Hispanic community harder than most — unemployment.

In a January Pew poll 54% of Hispanics said the Obama economy has hurt them worse than other groups in America. A whopping 75% said their personal finances were "poor" or "only fair" shape. In May, Hispanic unemployment rose from 10.3% to 11%.

That doesn't sound like a situation they'd like to extend for "four more years."


 

FORE MORE YEARS? RNC Web Video Tells Obama “No Mulligan” On Economy

Published on June 15, 2012 by

President Obama's cocky tone and self-assured nature on full display throughout 2009 is coming back to bite him. The RNC is out with a new web ad using Obama's infamous promise from 2009 to turn the economy around: “If I don’t have this done in three years, then this is going to be a one-term proposition."

The ad combines two damaging themes about Obama, his extensive time on the golf course — he’s coming up on his 100th round of 18 holes since becoming president — and his words not matching his actions.

It’s been a rough few weeks for Team Hopenchange. Their solution to this problem? A speech!

To extend the golf metaphor, there’s another good clip that came to mind. It seems soliloquies are not an effective strategy in economics nor golf:

 

MAY MAULING: Romney/RNC Outraised Obama/DNC Last Month By $16 Million, 93% Of Donors Under $250

Published on June 7, 2012 by

Despite President Obama being too busy attending fundraisers to campaign for losing Wisconsin recall candidate Tom Barrett, the Campaigner-in-Chief still got handily whooped by Mitt Romney in the campaign donation department last month. The combined fundraising operation of the RNC and Romney's campaign raised $76.8 million in May, to Obama and the DNC's $60 million.

Before liberals begin their knee-jerk whining about rich donors lining the Romney campaign's pockets, they should consider one fact: 93% of donors gave $250 or less. As The Fix's Chris Cilizza tweeted about that little detail: Wowza. 

Impressive to conservatives should be the fact that Romney has $107 million cash on hand. The Obama campaign, notably, did not release their cash on hand figure. That's probably because they're spending cash like Obama does taxpayer funds, as in a drunken frat boy with his parents’ credit card. 

What makes this Romney fundraising romp even more damaging to the campaign narrative is that Obama has broken all sorts of fundraising records for Presidents — specifically he's attended more high dollar re-election fundraisers than every President since Nixon, combined. 

All the George Clooneys and Sarah Jessica Parkers of the world can't make up for the fact that Obama isn't working. His pathetic fundraising haul is proof that even Democrats get that. 


 

FABULOUS: Anna Wintour Vogues For Obama Fundraiser The Same Day The Unemployment Rate Rises

Published on June 5, 2012 by

You know what saves more lives than doctors? According to Brüno, fashion. You know what saves more jobs than Obama? According to the Obama campaign, Vogue's editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

The same day the national unemployment rate rose to 8.2% the Obama campaign released a video starring the Devil Wears Prada herself, in a tone deaf plea for campaign dollars. Now the RNC is out with a web video…starring Anna Wintour in a tone deaf plea for Obama campaign dollars.

Did she really just say Sarah Jessica Parker is one of the “most incredible women in the world"? Did she happen to see Sex and the City 2?

Maybe it's our Beavis and Butthead nature, but we can't help but think of this video while watching Wintour extol the virtues of Perezident Obama. 




Starting at 3:39 there’s an uncanny impersonation of an Obama State of the Union address.  

 

COLORADO UNEMPLOYMENT RISES: 4,000 Workers Leave Labor Force, Rate Ticks Up To 7.9%

Published on May 18, 2012 by

The economy continues to sputter in Colorado. New numbers released by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment show the unemployment rate rising at the same time 4,000 people stopped looking for work.

Reports the Denver Business Journal:

Colorado in April saw its smallest monthly gain in payroll jobs since last December, and the state's unemployment rate ticked up a 10th of a point, to 7.9 percent, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment reported Friday.

…And 1,100 of the 1,200 payroll jobs added last month were in government, with just a net gain of 100 jobs in private business. Colorado payroll jobs totaled 2.292 million in April, CDLE reported.

…The state's civilian labor force — people employed plus unemployed people actively seeking work — fell by 4,000 last month, to 2.731 million, and the number of unemployed grew by 2,200, to 216,000, not counting people not actively seeking a job, the household survey indicated.

These numbers paint a strikingly bad picture of the economy in Colorado. Normally when large numbers of people stop looking for work that helps decrease the unemployment rate since those people aren't counted in the rate. In this case, it was an economic double whammy with people leaving the work force and those still in it increasingly out of a job.  

To make matters worse, of the jobs that were created only 8.33%, or 100 of the 1,200 jobs, were in the private sector. The rest were government jobs. 

The RNC weighed in this morning via press release saying:

"It’s becoming increasingly clear that the Obama Administration’s spending and borrowing spree isn’t giving any hope to the thousands of workers in Colorado who can’t pay their bills and have stopped looking for work altogether. Despite this, President Obama is committed to doubling down on these same failed economic policies in Washington that have already given American families the worst long-term unemployment situation in decades.”

If the economy continues along this disastrous path, Barack Obama can kiss Colorado's nine electoral votes goodbye.

And since the press loves to gush on Hickenlooper, maybe someone could ask the Good Governor for a comment on the Colorado economy that is retreating on his watch.

No?

Won’t do that? Might ruin your “Hickenlooper is Amazing” storyline?

Ok, sorry, Colorado press. Nevermind.

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

“EARLY CHRISTMAS GIFT”: Pelosi’s Attack On Gingrich Only Helps

Published on December 6, 2011 by

Nancy Pelosi thought she was being sly and savvy. In threatening to release supposedly damaging information on newly-anointed GOP frontrunner Newt Gingrich, Pelosi thought she was hurting her old enemy's presidential campaign. In reality, any nasty words or threats leveled by Pelosi at a Republican candidate only strengthen that politician in the primary. It's amazing to us that Pelosi still hasn't figured this out.

Did she learn nothing from the historic drubbing of her caucus in the 2010 elections? 

Operatives dream of opportunities to write fundraising emails with subject lines saying "X Candidate Under Assault By Nancy Pelosi." The Wicked Witch Of The West is one of the GOP's top fundraisers, even if only indirectly. 

Not only did Pelosi's vague threat against Gingrich elevate him among conservatives, but gave Gingrich an opportunity to display his considerable rhetorical skill by puting Pelosi on the back of her heels with his response, forcing a fumbling, bumbling, excuse-laden backpedal from the House Minority Leader. She might as well have said that Gingrich is the top threat to Barack Obama's re-election.


After Pelosi threatened to release documents gained from an earlier House investigation, which cleared Gingrich, Newt pointed out releasing the documents would be a "fundamental violation of the rules of the House."

That forced Pelosi's spokesman to make a quick retreat saying "Leader Pelosi was clearly referring to the extensive amount of information that is in the public record, including the comprehensive committee report with which the public may not be fully aware."

Pelosi might want to think twice before opening her big mouth again.

As Gingrich himself pointed out, Pelosi's threat to break House rules to smear a candidate in a Republican primary is "an early Christmas gift."

With Ron Paul slamming Gingrich in a wed ad using footage of a Pelosi/Gingrich climate change ad, the top of Gingrich's wish list was probably an opportunity to rebuke Pelosi. She is loathed among conservatives, and Independents as the 2010 election showed. 

Nancy Pelosi may be a prolific fundraiser and capable of enforcing rigid discipline in her Democrat caucus, but one thing she is not good at is politics that include constituencies that are not big Democrat donors and liberal Congress critters. 

Nancy Pelosi is conservatives’ greatest gift. Prior to the 2010 elections, a big banner hung from the RNC building next to Congress that said "FIRE PELOSI." A day after the 63-seat gain by Republicans in Congress a new banner was hung from the RNC building. It read: "HIRE PELOSI."

We’re betting similar sentiments are being expressed at Gingrich HQ today.

 

A Priebus by Any Other Name. . .

Published on January 17, 2011 by

We have no idea how you actually pronounce his name, but we are glad Reince Priebus vanquished the incompetent Michael Steele to take over the money-strapped RNC.

Our friends in the nation's capital report Mr. Priebus is smart and solid, and his record as the Chair of the State Party in the formerly Democrat-dominated Wisconsin suggests that he is ready for prime time.

Thanks to John McCain and campaign finance reform, the national party has become a bit player in important races and issues.  Still, all things being equal, it is nice to know that the new face of the GOP is up to the job.

POLL follows.


 
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