Controversial anti-Obama billboards

Published on August 31, 2012 by

Controversial anti-Obama billboards showing children giving the finger to President Barack Obama have sparked outrage among passing drivers.

The three provocative campaign posters are on display outside a motorbike accessories store off Route 27 in Hanson, Massachusetts.

One shows a little girl raising her middle finger next to the message: ‘ Thanks Obama. You’ve spent my lunch

money, my allowance, my inheritance, 35 years of future paychecks and my

retirement. You Jerk. Vote Mitt Romney For 2012!’

Where's my lunch money? One provocative poster shows a little girl raising her middle finger and addresses the President as a 'jerk' for over-spending

Where’s my lunch money? One provocative poster shows a little girl raising her middle finger and addresses the President as a ‘jerk’ for over-spending

Another one of the politically-charged posters, supporting Republican candidate Romney, shows a smiling President with communist hammer and sickle symbols added to his shirt collar.

 

Beneath the picture are the words: ‘Somewhere in Kenya a village is missing its idiot. Obama – One Big A** Mistake America. Vote Mitt Romney For 2012!’

Eric Folsom, a father from a neighboring town, told local newspaper The Enterprise that it could put him in a difficult position when he passes by with his six-year-old daughter.

‘If she saw that, she’d say “Why is that little girl doing that? What does that mean?”‘ he said. ‘How do I explain that?’

'Racist': Another one of the signs at the busy intersection shows Barack Obama with communist symbols on his collar and says: 'Somewhere in Kenya, a village in missing its idiot'

‘Racist’: Another one of the signs at the busy intersection shows Barack Obama with communist symbols on his collar and says: ‘Somewhere in Kenya, a village in missing its idiot’

James Brown, of Brockton, said the signs outside Sullivans Inc were racist and ‘ridiculous’, and showed that the U.S. as a nation ‘needs to grow up.’

‘I don’t know how anybody can approve of that,’ said Mr Brown, a 28-year-old teacher.

‘If you want to support Mitt Romney, you can put up positive messages

for Mitt Romney rather than negative slogans for Obama. That type of

statement is real redneck. It’s regressive and not progressive.’

However, others found the boards amusing, honking or stopping to take pictures as they passed.

Stephen McGrath, a 26-year-old naval veteran from Plymouth, said: ‘People are sensitive nowadays anyway. I’ve seen (Obama portrayed) with Hitler moustaches. It’s hilarious, the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time.’

'Bankrupt America...yes we can!' Town officials say the signs are distracting for drivers and illegal, as the store's owner has no permit to display them

‘Bankrupt America…yes we can!’ Town officials say the signs are distracting for drivers and illegal, as the store’s owner has no permit to display them

The offending finger has now been covered over with packing tape and the authorities are debating whether the boards are even legal, since owner Robert Sullivan did not get a permit from the building commissioner to put them up.

Town official Bob Curran said the eye-catching signs could be distracting and dangerous for pedestrians and drivers.

Mr Sullivan’s lawyer, however, said he is protected under the First Amendment and that he is entitled to ‘free speech’.

The signs are just the latest anti-Obama displays to cause outrage. 

Earlier this month, a protest was staged beneath an Indiana Tea Party billboard that compared Barack Obama to Osama bin Laden.

It read: ‘The Navy SEALS removed one threat to America. The voters must remove the other.’

Extreme tactics: The posters erected in support of Republican candidate Mitt Romney have been called offensive and ridiculous - but others find them funny

Extreme tactics: The posters erected in support of Republican candidate Mitt Romney have been called offensive and ridiculous – but others find them funny


 

WINNING: New CU Analysis Points to Likely Romney Victory

Today, the University of Colorado released an analysis of “state-by-state factors leading to the Electoral College selection of every U.S. president since 1980” and found that these factors add up to a Romney victory in 2012 with an Obama loss in Colorado.

When just the two major parties are considered, their analysis predicts that Romney will receive 51.9% of the vote compared to Obama’s predicted 48.1% nationally.

According to the two political science professors Kenneth Bickers and Michael Berry, the “key is the economy”.  The two explained their “prediction model”:

“[The] prediction model stresses economic data from the 50 states and the District of Columbia, including both state and national unemployment figures as well as changes in real per capita income, among other factors.”

This model, developed by Bickers and Berry, is the only one of its type to include more than one state-level measure of economic conditions.  The research also shows that voters hold Democrats more responsible for unemployment, while Republicans are held more responsible for per capita income.  And, we say, carry on voters!  Check out the charts below.

When Obama took office in January 2009, unemployment in Colorado was just 6.6%.  As of the last Bureau of Labor Statistics report, the July 2012 unemployment is at 8.3%.  Ouch.

Contrast that with per capita income, which is a yearly compilation.  It’s risen 9.3% in the same time period.  In 2009, the average Colorado per capita income was $41,388 and in 2011, the average Colorado per capita income was $44,088, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Bickers noted that the “president is in electoral trouble” and the two predict that President Obama will win just 218 electoral votes, which is shy of the 270 required to win.  Further, they also predict that Romney will win 52.9% of the popular vote compared to Obama’s 47.1% of the vote in Colorado; however, this analysis only considers the two major political parties.

Berry also weighed in on the analysis:

“For the last eight presidential elections, this model has correctly predicted the winner. …What remains to be seen is whether voters will consider the economy in relative or absolute terms. If it’s the former, the president may receive credit for the economy’s trajectory and win a second term. In the latter case, Romney should pick up a number of states Obama won in 2008.”

Those states, considered swing states, include North Carolina, Virginia, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida.

Given the steep rise in unemployment just in Colorado, we could hardly blame voters for wanting a change.


 

#WhenDemsPassedaBudget: Cultural Milestones Since Congressional Democrats Last Passed A Budget

All of this talk about budgets (or lack thereof) started us thinking about the last time Democrats actually passed a budget – April 30, 2009.  We also read a great piece on HotAir.com by Mary Katharine Hamm, in which she noted that the "federal government… hasn’t even bothered to pass a budget since before the iPad existed."

With that in mind, we thought we'd put into perspective the three years that the federal government has gone without a budget by highlighting our favorite cultural milestones that have occurred since we last passed a budget.

iPad Launch: As Mary Katharine Hamm noted, the iPad hadn't yet been invented the last time we passed a budget. First iPad release date: April 3, 2010

Tiger Woods Meltdown: When the last budget was passed in 2009, Tiger Woods still dominated the greens.  Perhaps not coincidentally, his wife hadn't yet discovered that he was a serial cheater and hadn't chased him down their driveway with a golf club, earning her a spot on Time's "Top 10 Bad-Ass Wives". Driveway dash that started it all: November 26, 2009

Kim Kardashian's Marriage Mess: On April 30, 2009, Kardashian had only been married once, and the world had not yet had to witness the excruciating marriage – and divorce – for profit with Kris Humphreys.  Wedding date: August 20, 2011

Balloon Boy Bust: The country held its breath when national news outlets began reporting that a boy had escaped in a weather balloon in Fort Collins, Colorado.  The entire debacle was later found to be a hoax, perpetrated by the boy's father, who had reality TV show dreams. Hoax date: October 15, 2009

The Nook Launch: The Amazon Kindle enjoyed nearly two years without significant competition until the Barnes and Noble launched its own version, Nook, in November 2009.  The competition only improved both devices.  Nook First Launched: November 30, 2009

TSA Pat Down: Until November 2010, going through TSA screenings at the airport was simply annoying.  But, new TSA "pat down" procedures, almost required one to put another notch on the bed post, giving rise to a popular catchphrase, "don't touch my junk"TSA Phase-In of Pat Down Procedures Start-Date: November 1, 2010.


Citizens United: This landmark U.S. Supreme Court case upheld that the First Amendment prohibited the government from restricting independent political expenditures by corporations and unions, ushering in a new era of money in politics.  Citizens United Decision: January 21, 2010

Former Gov. Mark Stanford Affair: The last time a budget was passed, South Carolina Governor Mark Stanford was still a rising star.  But, that was all before he mysteriously disappeared for several days, claiming to have been hiking the Appalachian Trail.  News reports emerged days later that he, instead, had visited Argentina to engage in an affair with an Argentinian woman, Maria Belen.  Date South Carolina Legislature Censured Stanford: December 15, 2009

Jon and Kate Were Still Together: The country was fascinated by this couple who were raising one set of twins and another set of sextuplets, as chronicled by TLC's Jon and Kate Plus Eight.  Unfortunately, it was not to last as Jon and Kate separated and, eventually, divorced.  Gosslein Divorce Finalized: December 18, 2009

Occupy: Remember when "occupy" simply called up images of airplane bathrooms, instead of unwashed masses of the angry and unemployable?  As it turned out the Occupy Movement was just another failed chapter in ACORN's playbook. Birth of Occupy Movement: September 17, 2011

Kate "Waity Katie" Middleton and Prince William: Despite the splash Prince William and Kate Middleton created with their wedding and life together, their future was all but certain in April 2009.  Engagement Announcement: November 16, 2010; Wedding: April 29, 2011

Waiting for Better Education: The movie "Waiting for Superman" inserted school choice into mainstream conversation and cut across party lines.  But, it wouldn't be released until January 2010 at Sundance Film Festival. "Waiting for Superman" Release Date: January 22, 2010

Ground Zero Mosque Debate: In April 2009, if the idea to build a mosque at the 9/11 Ground Zero site had  been proposed, we might have laughed.  But, in December 2009, the New York Times reported on plans to build a 13-story Islamic cultural center in lower Manhattan.  A good lesson in "just because you can, doesn't mean you should".  Story Broke: December 9, 2009

White House Party Crashers: Prior to April 2009, the White House had never had party crashers.  That we know of.  That all changed when reality TV wannabes, Tareq and Michaele Salahi, weaseled their way into a White House State Dinner.  The best part of the story; however, was the finger pointing that ensued. Date of Party: November 24, 2009

Wikileaks: Remember when classified information was a secret?  While the Wikileaks web site was started under Sunshine Press in 2006, it wasn't until April 2010 that the site and its founder, Julian Assange, started publishing classified military documents, including gunsight footage from an airstrike in Iraq.  In October 2010, Wikileaks released the Iraq War Logs, followed by the State Department Cables in November.  Classified Video of Baghdad Airstrike Released: April 7, 2010

Steve Jobs Was Still Alive: While Steve Jobs' health problems were well-documented, it wasn't until pictures of Jobs in seemingly very poor health emerged in August 2011 that the world understood the seriousness of his illness. He died just two months later.  Death of Steve Jobs: October 5, 2011

First-Ever White House Beer Summit: On July 16, 2009, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., was arrested in his Cambridge, Mass. home by a local police officer responding to a 9-1-1 caller's report of men breaking and entering the residence.  President Obama criticized the police actions. In response to the backlash, Obama and Vice President Biden invited the police officer and Gates in a private meeting on the White House grounds, commonly known as the "Beer Summit". Date of Beer Summit: July 30, 2009

Cracked ACORN Nut: ACORN, unofficial GOTV arm of the Democratic Party, at one time represented over 500,000 people.  ACORN's demise started in September 2009 when Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe published several videos showing ACORN employees in several cities providing advice to Giles and O'Keefe on how to avoid taxes and detection by the authorities regarding their plans to engage in tax evasion, human smuggling, and child prostitution. Congress eliminated federal funding to ACORN, and ACORN announced it would be closing its offices and disbanding due to loss of funding from government and private donors.  ACORN Announced Its Demise: March 23, 2010

Joe Wilson Interrupts State of the Union: Call it passion, but Joe Wilson channeled the British Parliament when he stood up during an Obama speech and yelled, "You Lie!" after Obama claimed that illegal immigrants won't be insured under Obamacare.  His outburst subsequently channeled one million dollars right into his campaign coffers. Date of speech: September 9, 2009

While a stroll back through time is fun, the point of this exercise is to note that our President has gone over three years without passing a budget, and it's time for him to focus on our woeful state of affairs, or turn the reins over to someone who can.

 

 

BREAKING: Paul Ryan’s First Fundraising Stop in Denver On Monday Night

UPDATE: We’ve done it again. First we scooped the Colorado media on Paul Ryan coming to Cherry Creek to fundraise tonight. Now we have details about the fundraiser that no one else has been able to get. And there’s not one, but two events.

Monday, August 13th, 2012

5:30 P.M.

Reception

Denver Art Museum Residence of Lanny & Sharon Martin

1200 Acoma Street, #601 | Denver, CO 80202

($2,500 contribution per person/$5,000 per couple)

Space is Limited

7:30 P.M.

Battleground Fund Dinner

Location Provided Upon Confirmation of Attendance

($25,000 per couple)

——

According to inside sources, Republican Vice President nominee, Paul Ryan, has selected Denver as his first fundraising stop as the official nominee. Ryan will headline a fundraiser in the Republican-friendly Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver on Monday night. More details to come.

News of the fundraiser comes on the heels of Romney's announcement earlier this morning that Ryan was his choice for VP.  

With Obama sinking in the polls in Colorado, it's not surprising that Ryan would pick Colorado as his first stop. We're told that Ryan also has a fondness for Colorado and frequently vacations here. Stay tuned for the latest coverage.


 

ROAD TRIP: Gov. Jindal, Rep. Chaffetz, and Fmr. Rep. Bob Beauprez Tour Colorado with the Romney Bus

Tomorrow (Thursday) Governor Bobby Jindal (R-LA), Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), and Congressman Bob Beauprez will tour Colorado with the Romney Bus. At each stop, the trio will highlight Romney’s plan for a stronger middle class and the need to elect Governor Romney and Colorado Republicans in November. While President Obama and the Democrats insist that his plan for economic recovery has “worked,” the 224,000 Coloradans out of work suggest otherwise. Stop by and say hello:

Event: Congressman Chaffetz Attends Pueblo Event 
Location: Colorado State Fairgrounds, South Prairie Ave at Main Entrance, Pueblo, Colorado
Doors Open: 8:00 AM MDT
Program Time: 8:30 AM MDT

Event: Governor Jindal, Congressman Chaffetz, and Congressman Beauprez Attend Colorado Springs Victory Meet and Greet   
Location: The Peak Grill, 4423 Centennial Boulevard, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Doors Open: 10:45 AM MDT
Program Time: 11:15 AM MDT          
 
Event: Governor Jindal, Congressman Chaffetz, and Congressman Beauprez Attend Fountain Victory Mobile Phone Bank Event
Location: Books Automotive, 111 South Santa Fe Avenue, Fountain, Colorado
Doors Open: 12:30 PM MDT
Program Time: 1:00 PM MDT
 
Event: Governor Jindal, Congressman Chaffetz, and Congressman Beauprez Attend Colorado Springs Victory Rally
Location: Acacia Park, 115 East Platte Avenue, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Doors Open: 2:30 PM MDT
Program Time: 3:00 PM MDT
 
Event: Governor Jindal and Congressman Chaffetz Attend El Paso County Victory Office Opening and BBQ
Location: El Paso County Victory Office, 205 Sutton Lane, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Doors Open: 4:15 PM MDT
Program Time: 4:45 PM MDT


 

VP TRIAL RUN?: Romney Sends Portman to Front Lines

On Wednesday, one of Romney's top surrogates, Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman, a rumored VP contender, will take a whirlwind tour through Colorful Colorado.  To see Portman, along with some of Colorado's finest politicians, check out the schedule below.  The times cited are when the programs start, but it might be wise to arrive early. 

Note: The Grand Junction event, headlined by Rep. Chaffetz, will be held close to the time of the Jeffco event, which will be headlined by Sen. Portman.

6:30AM
Event: Greeley Meet and Greet
Where: Randy's All American Grill, 2118 35th Ave., Greeley
Who: Congressman Cory Gardner and CO GOP Chairman Ryan Call

8:30AM
Event: Johnson's Corner Mobile Phone Bank
Location: Johnson's Corner, 2842 Southwest Frontage Road, Johnstown
Who: Senator Rob Portman, Congressman Cory Gardner, Congressman Bob Beauprez, and CO GOP Chairman Ryan Call

10:45AM 
Event: Adams County Romney for President Event
Location: Adams County Victory Office, 2200 East 104th Avenue, Thornton
Who: Senator Rob Portman, Congressman Bob Beauprez, and CO GOP Chairman Ryan Call

1:00PM
Event: Jeffco Romney for President Meet and Greet
Location: Jeffco Victory Office, 13949 W. Colfax Avenue, Lakewood
Who: Senator Rob Portman, Congressman Bob Beauprez, and CO GOP Chairman Ryan Call

1:05PM
Event:
Grand Junction Romney for President Event
Location: Corner of N 5th Street and Glenwood Avenue, Grand Junction
Who: Congressman Jason Chaffetz and State Senator Steve King

2:55PM
Event: Denver Romney for President Event
Location: Parking Lot Near Mile High Stadium, 1975 Mile High Stadium Circle, Denver
Who: Senator Rob Portman, Congressman Bob Beauprez, and CO GOP Chairman Ryan Call

7:05PM
Event: Pueblo County Romney for President Event
Location: Pueblo Victory Office, 108 Lincoln Street, Pueblo
Who: Senator Rob Portman and CO GOP Chairman Ryan Call
 


 

MESA COUNTY GOP VICTORY OFFICE OPENS WITH STANDING ROOM ONLY CROWD

Published on July 7, 2012 by

The Mesa County Republican Victory Office held its grand opening today with a standing-room-only crowd in attendance. Ruth Ehlers, Mesa County Republican Chairman, her officers, and about 150 people welcomed Colorado Republican leaders and campaigners to their headquarters which are located centrally in Grand Junction.  Several press outlets, including television stations, were present. The leader of the Democrat party from San Miguel county was also huddled in the crowd, apparently tracking the words and activities of the GOP candidates present.

The Victory Headquarters will serve as both the home of the Mesa County Republican Party and the Romney for President Campaign in Western Colorado. The Romney Campaign has called upon the GOP Chairs in each Colorado county to oversee its efforts.

Jared Wright, the candidate for State House District 54 spoke first, urging those present to be active in getting their friends and neighbors to register to vote in November. 

Ray Scott, the incumbent candidate for Colorado House District 55, spoke briefly about his doings in the State House over the last two years. Ray Scott was selected by the American Conservative Union as one of the most Conservative members of the Colorado State Assembly. He received this recognition, along with several other Republican Assemblymen, at the Western Conservative Summit last weekend in Denver. Congressman Scott emphasized the need for an economic boon in Western Colorado in the form of busines-friendly legislation. He called out Governor Hickenlooper to use his influence to spur the energy sector.  Ray Scott detailed his tireless work on behalf of small-business and conservative interests in the state.

State Senator Steve King of Grand Junction, also a recepient of the ACU's Most Conservative Colorado Legislator award, gave some remarks about the economy, the burdensome regulations that the federal government has imposed on Colorado industries, and the need for the Colorado Senate to have a Republican majority as a result of the November elections.

Rose Pugliese, the candidate for Mesa County Commissioner in District 3, spoke about her plan to decrease local regulations that currently inhibit business growth in Mesa County.

Scott Tipton, the incumbent candidate for the United States House of Representatives in Colorado's District 3, one of the largest Congressional districts in the country, spoke emphatically about the potential of Colorado's energy economy.  Tipton, a small-business owner and long-time resident of rural Western Colorado, hammered home the message that the Federal Government has done more to destroy small-businesses that it has to help them. The energy economy, he said, just needs government and the Obama Administration to get out of the way. He recalled that President Obama has subsidized other countries, like Brazil, that received 2 billion dollars of American tax-payer money, to help them expand their off-shore oil industries, while simultaneously blocking energy exploration and expansion in the United States. 

The overarching theme of the speeches give by Colorado Republican candidates who were present was the need for jobs on the Westen Slope, which has languished with an adjusted unemployment rate of 10.8 percent, and an actual jobless rate around 20 percent.

The Romney Victory Team coordinators were present. They recruited several enthusiastic attendees to walk precincts and man the headquarters phone bank, which was immediately abuzz with volunteers making phone calls, assembling yard signs, and planning the election season activities.

The Mesa County Republican Party opened the official election headquarters with a sense of unity and optimism.  The board of directors of the MCRP has worked hard to unify the party and pull together people of diverse political stripes, from Republicans, to Libertarians, to Independents, to ensure that the principles of individual liberty and limited government win the day on November 6th, 2012.


 

FACT CHECK: Women Have Fared Worse During Obama’s Presidency

On Sunday, Eva Longoria told a crowd of women that "there is no way women can vote Republican".  Yesterday, we pointed out that her perspective might be off seeing as she has nothing in common with the average woman.

As it turns out, Longoria’s statement was even more ridiculous than we first pointed out.  We’ve compiled some facts and figures below showing how women have prospered under Obama.  That’s sarcasm for you at home because women in Colorado haven’t prospered under Obama’s regime.  At all.

Unemployment (CO)
The unemployment rate for women in Colorado has increased from 4.3% in 2008 to 7.8% during Obama’s reign, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  That means that there are 98,000 unemployed female Coloradans now.


 
Poverty (CO)
Since Obama stepped into the Oval Office, women are more impoverished.  According to the National Women's Law Center, the poverty rate among Colorado’s women has risen from 12.5% in 2009 to 13.1% in 2010 (when the organization stopped publishing this data).  Perhaps this data was not helpful to our fearless leader?

Why should Colorado women support him again? 

The good news is that more and more women are waking up to the inequalities that the Obama administration’s policies have thrust upon them.  According to a recent CNN poll, the top issue among women is the economy (51%) and a June Fox News poll showed that 52% of women think the Obama administration has mostly failed at creating jobs.

While Obama won 56% percent of the vote among women in 2008, a mid-June Gallup poll shows his approval rating among women at just 48%.  Ouch.

 


 

CALDARA BLASTS GLITTER BOMBER: If He Was Attacking Gay Rights Politician He’d Be Behind Bars

Independence Institute President Jon Caldara today blasted the glitter bomber who tried to attack Mitt Romney at a campaign event in Denver on Tuesday, saying that if the tables had been turned and the protester was attacking a gay rights politician "it would be called a hate-crime, not a playful, harmful stunt."

In an email to the Peak, Caldara gave kudos to the Senate Dems for firing "glitter bomber" Peter Smith, but said that Smith should be prosecuted. 

Some Democrats have tried to play the attack off as a harmless prank, even suggesting he should be patted on the back, ignoring the seriousness of the fact that Secret Service had no idea what was being thrown at their protectee.  

"I use the reversal test on things like this," said Caldara.

"If an anti-gay protester did the same type of assault to an active gay-rights politician, say Jared Polis or Barney Frank, it would be called a hate-crime, not a playful, harmless stunt.

Denunciations would be rightfully falling down from all directions, and charges would be filed. If they weren’t filed, heads would roll."

Well said, Jon Caldara. We agree. 

(Caldara Photo Credit: Independence Institute)

 

The Meaning of the Caucuses

Published on February 10, 2012 by

By Kelly Sloan

It is easy to write caucuses off as irrelevant in the Presidential nomination process – and in a strictly practical sense they are, as no actual delegates to a national convention are actually secured. But caucuses and other non-binding referenda do nonetheless have a role to play, even beyond their much-acclaimed assignment as popular political barometer.

Rick Santorum dominated the stage Tuesday night, gathering victories in Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado, three states which hold caucuses; or in the case of Minnesota (a state known as much for its quirkiness as its excellent freshwater fishing opportunities and phenomenal snowdrifts), a non-binding primary.

There are a couple of reasons for Santorum’s strong finish; first, many rank and file Republicans are itching for a solid conservative to throw against Obama, in the mold of a Reagan or a Goldwater; Santorum seems to have successfully defined himself as that more conservative option to Mitt Romney. Newt Gingrich had, of course, tried to claim that mantle, but his unfiltered habit of communicating every thought that enters his (admittedly exceptional) mind, has most likely cost him that opportunity.
The main reason for Santorum’s victories stems from that; Republican voters in non-binding contests, such as caucuses, tend to choose the most conservative candidate on the menu. The nature of such contests afford voters the luxury of prioritizing principles and convictions over more strategic qualities which tend to fall under the umbrella category of “electability”.

Of course, conviction and electability are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and historically actually complement one another; nevertheless, voters, whose fear of a second Obama term may have otherwise trumped their concerns over Romney’s fealty to conservative principles, tend to feel more liberated to put their hand up for a candidate on strictly ideological grounds when they know in the back of their minds that their decision carves nothing in stone.

So what, then, might last Tuesdays events, commonly derided as “beauty contests”, actually accomplish, beyond consigning newly selected delegates to state and county conventions to a merciless deluge of haranguing by various candidates and candidate committees?

Non-binding or not, the caucuses serve as a campaign’s evaluation tool; a way for a candidate to officially ask “how am I doing?”

The answer, in Mitt Romney’s case, is “you could be doing better”.

Tuesday’s results show that many Republicans are not yet fully convinced of Romney’s conservative bona fides.  And given his overly-cautious approach to the issues, it is difficult at times to blame them.

The lesson Romney ought to absorb from this is that an enthusiastic projection of core conservative principles is required to earn the nomination.  The results should force Romney to adopt a much bolder platform, one that offers comprehensive and systemic entitlement reform, specific program and departmental cuts, aggressive tax overhaul, and a clear program for dismantling the administrative state that has developed over the past 50 years, and restoring the systems of checks and balances and federalism upon which this country was designed.

Romney also needs to assure Republicans that he really is a conservative on other fronts as well. His silence on one of the most potent issues of the day – the HHS mandate forcing individuals and organizations (most notably Catholics) to offer and purchase health care plans that violate their most closely held moral and religious codes – is not helping in this regard. This is a defining issue, which can unite conservatives, and others, in principled opposition; while the specifics of this case are socially moral questions – revolving around services such as abortion and contraception – the overarching offense transcends one’s personal views on those matters by attacking a fundamental pillar of the American system – the freedom of religion, and the right of an individual not to be forced to do something which violates his or her faith. It is an issue which a conservative ought to be chomping at the bit to engage.

Similarly, the 9th Circuit Court’s recent usurpation of the voters of California affords Romney the opportunity to address the topic of judicial activism – a critical subject since one of the most enduring and consequential responsibilities of the post he is applying for involves nominating supreme Court Justices.

In short, the primary system, including the caucuses, is performing as it should, shaping and honing the candidacies of those who would aspire to be entrusted with the chief executive position in the entity that remains civilizations greatest political and economic achievement. Should Romney choose to learn from the results – and I believe he is capable – the nomination can still be his. If not, Santorum has emerged as a worthy alternate.

 
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