 Tomorrow April 24, 2012, the seemingly never ending search for a leader of the US Republican Party continues. Once elected this candidate will face President Obama in an election for President of the USA. As many leaders around the world are finding out, the voters more often than not will blame the current economic crisis on the incumbent leader. In truth it partly stems from years of mismanagement by all political parties and all leaders.
In some ways the race for the GOP nomination appears to be over all but the shouting but there could still be some surprises.
Dr Ron Paul is now in a good position financially. Both he and Newt Gingrich could in theory benefit from those who would have supported Rick Santorum, who has now pulled out of the race. In doing so he he failed to endorse any candidate. Most political pundits are still certain though that Mitt Romney will now win easily but politics is a strange business. As they say a day is a long time in politics.
Romney may be the presumptive Republican nominee but he still needs to go the distance. He will have to secure enough delegates to win through. It is hard to believe that the American GOP voters will be apathetic and not bother to vote but it could happen. The GOP race now definitely needs a little "oomph".
Perhaps this is why the case of the Romney dog has moved to the fore again. This blogger first heard about it some months ago. President Obama has been portrayed many times as a loving dog owner. The images of Bo and he having fun are genuine, that is plain to see. Mitt Romney strapping his dog into a kennel on the roof of his car for a long journey is despicable. In The UK it would probably have warranted a visit from The RSPCA and been classed rightly so as cruelty. Is it election material though? I think not.
That said this blogger never trusts any person who is cruel to an animal, especially a dog. Perhaps the US voters will agree. The 2012 US election though has so many bigger fish to fry, pardon any pun. Global conflict, poverty, unemployment, racism, hate, the environment and so much more that it seems rather pathetic that right now the election has sunk to "who is the most responsible dog owner"
Surely both sides have better ways to fight an election and more important issues to resolve?
APRIL 24, 2012 the next GOP elections will be held in, Connecticut (primary), Delaware (primary), New York (primary), Pennsylvania (primary), and Rhode Island (primary)
Tags: GOP race, election 2012, US election, President Obama, Bo, Mitt Romney's dog, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney
 No sooner had we reported that Rick Santorum was heading back onto the campaign trail than it was announced said politician was pulling out of the race for the White House. Although he had been second to Mitt Romney his campaign had begun to lack momentum and any feeling of a potential win.
His withdrawal will leave the way completely clear for Mitt Romney to grab the GOP nomination. Will he win out against Democratic President Obama in November 2012? Could be. Both sides have thrown enough mud to damage any politician's reputation.
SkyNews in the UK has carried the breaking news, April 10, 2012, reporting:
"Mr Santorum is holding a press conference in his home state of Pennsylvania. It comes just two weeks before the Republican presidential primary in the state, where Mr Santorum faced a tough fight against the front runner. The conservative former senator has been lagging Mr Romney in opinion polls and in the fight for the 1,144 party delegates needed to win the nomination to face President Barack Obama in the November 6 general election."
Who will Mr Santorum endorse?
More on this story as it opens up....
Tags: Rick Santorum pulls out, Mitt Romney, GOP race, US 2012 election, White House
 Gingrich promises, Santorum women, Romney Severely ConservativeThe American election process certainly seems to makes its candidates work hard. A seemingly never ending list of places to visit and votes to win, that is if your party is not the incumbent one. That said in the last few weeks President Obama has been gearing up toward full election campaign mode. In all of this politicians often promise the earth. What they can give in reality may be totally different. Currently it is the GOP nominees who are walking the treadmill of vote securing. The pace is hotting up for some. Whilst some may look as if they are racing toward the finishing line others seem to be dawdling way behind. If the GOP vote earlier this week is anything to go by though, that could all change. Both Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have played the comeback kid in recent weeks. Just when many pundits thought that Mitt Romney was a sure fire winner it was back to the drawing board. Yesterday, February 10, 2012, the remaining four nominees were put through their paces at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C.
Each of the candidates said what they thought was needed to secure votes. Last up was Gingrich who had obviously decided that simply name calling Mitt Romney was not going to be enough. This time he decided to go for broke in a different way. He attacked Republicans who have not got behind his campaign. Hardly voter persuasive one would think. He was adamant that, "We intend to change Washington not accommodate it." As the final speaker of the day he perhaps had some advantage. If you are one for a "character" he may be the man for you. Rick Santorum showed he is from a bygone age, yet again, this time with out dated views on women. Mitt Romney tried hard to stress that he was "Severely Conservative", whatever that is. On the whole the nominess decided against attacking each other concentrating venom when it surfaced on President Obama. Newt Gingrich appears to be sticking with his promise of a better rate of tax. Whether it is viable is hard to know. According to the GOP America has money troubles due to President Obama. If that is truly the case how can low taxes be the order of the day? It will of course be at the expense of something. Presumably the candidates will not be held to account over election promises. As Gingrich especially tries to appeal to the ordinary voter ridiculous promises are often made. Maybe voters should take a note of all of them. If one of the GOP bunch is victorious and becomes President then they will be able to check back and see what in reality is achieved. Voters in Maine are currently voting in their caucuses Results when available.
 So its congratulations to Rick Santorum winner of three States yesterday putting him back into the GOP nomination race. Many had felt that he was politically dead in the water after Mitt Romney's last few wins but it is never over as they say until the fat lady sings. She is still warming up in the wings. Does Santorum's win hail a change of GOP direction or just another step on the long nominee road? Rick Santorum is the extreme voice of the GOP. He does not pull his punches on abortion and gay rights. He appeals to the American Republican Christian voter. The conservative Conservative.That said his appeal will not be universal, even in the States. Would he make a good President? Apart from his stance on abortion and gay rights his policies seem rather slim. Perhaps it is just that these get less publicity. In the last few days he has launched attacks on the forerunner Mitt Romney. This has done its trick. It has launched Santorum back into the spotlight. There has been no such saving grace for Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul. Paul especially continues to trail in the vote. There is still a long way to go though. CNN carried breakdown of last night's, February 7, 2012, vote:"Colorado was the most competitive state of the day, with Santorum winning 40% of the vote to 35% for Romney, 13% for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and 12% for Texas Rep. Ron Paul. After a night of returns trickling in and the lead shifting between Santorum and Romney, Colorado Republican Party chairman Ryan Call announced live on CNN that Santorum was the winner. In Minnesota, Santorum got 45% of the vote to 27% for Paul, 17% for Romney and 11% for Gingrich, with 88% of the total counted, according to the secretary of state.With 100% of the Missouri vote counted, Santorum had 55% to 25% for Romney and 12% for Paul, according to unofficial results. Gingrich didn't make the ballot in Missouri."It is worth noting that voter turn out was low and that last night's votes were by no means a dead cert for Santorum. Mitt Romney is generally felt to be a moderate Conservative whilst Santorum could never be accused of that. In his victory speech Mr Santorum said, " "I don't stand here and claim to be the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney. I stand here to be the conservative alternative to Barack Obama."February 11 will be the next result in this long draw out very American vote. Then the American public have some respite before Arizona on February 28. Before then though will be another, yawn, televised debate on February 22 and of course more action on the campaign trail. Soon it will be time to start totting up the number of delegates each nominee has won in order to spot a clear leader. For now it is still anyone's race, except perhaps Ron Paul's. But hold that thought. Didn't Paul come second in Minnesota? Yes it is any nominees race.
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 With reports that the Florida GOP campaign has been the most negative ever you have to wonder where the remaining four candidates go from here. Yes, in simple terms they move on to Nevada but what of their campaigns? Will any of the nominees though decide that Florida was the last step on the GOP trail for them? Well if he is speaking the truth it won't be Newt Gingrich. Having received a soar in popularity only a short time ago, he is widely expected to lose out to Mitt Romney in Florida. If the winner was the one spending the most of their ad campaign Romney would win by a mile. According to Politico, "In South Carolina, Romney’s campaign, the super PAC Restore Our Future and another pro-Romney group, Citizens for a Working America, spent a combined $4.6 million on television and radio ads. Gingrich and his super PAC, Winning Our Future, spent $2.2 million. In Florida, the numbers remain almost the same with Pro-Romney forces having spent $15.4 million versus $3.4 million for Gingrich." Strikes me as a hell of a lot of money wasted. All politicians may do this but in many ways it is obscene. As they play God with our lives and with our finances they show a careless disregard for money and its value. Remember also that for some of them it will in reality be money down the drain if in the end they do not win through. The money shown above is for only a small part of their GOP 2012 campaign. Add to this the cost of the Democratic campaign and you are looking at shameful waste of money and resources. Whether Gingrich can compete with Romney's wealth or not he is adamant that his campaign will continue far beyond the Florida Primary. To quote Newt speaking yesterday, January 30, 2012, “Remember, when Callista and I first announced, it was explained to us in June and July by the establishment that we were dead”All things being equal then he has come a long way. For Gingrich though the GOP race could be an ongoing rollercoaster which he may be determined to ride but unable to weather.
 This blogger may no longer actively be a Christian but she likes to believe that she knows right from wrong. Having been brought up with Christian values these remain. That can make for much soul searching and issues with your conscience but that is all to the good. Looking across the Pond it seems that the GOP are still, at least in principle a Christian organisation. They have many voters of strong religious beliefs even though sometimes that seems at odds with their political values. After all in a debate centred on corporate greed as opposed to the occupy movement which side would Jesus have supported? A report in the Huffington Post, therefore is something of a surprise. It probably should not be though. There are many hypocrites in this world these days and they come in all political and religious guises. The report is in regards to Kansas House Speaker, Republican, Mike O'Neal and an email sent to his colleagues. Was it meant as a joke email? At times most of us are guilty of that. Knowing when to draw the line is important. Some of those joke emails go one step too far and are best sent hastily to the trash can where they belong. Of course Mike O'Neal is just one man. We should not generalise the republican party nor their religious faith. Why not I hear you ask? It is what they do. So the offending email. It refers to President Barack Obama and a Bible verse that says “Let his days be few and brief.” It is in line with bumper stickers, T Shirts and Internet postings on message boards and reads, “Pray for Obama. Psalm 109:8.”
Psalm 109:8 says, “Let his days be few and brief; and let others step forward to replace him.”
The email states: “At last — I can honestly voice a Biblical prayer for our president! Look it up — it is word for word! Let us all bow our heads and pray. Brothers and Sisters, can I get an AMEN? AMEN!!!!!!”O'Neal's office has maintained that this simply refers to Obama's term as President saying “The email is a forward expressing the desire for the President’s days in office to be short so he is replaced by someone which the Speaker agrees with on the issues — in America we have the opportunity for a peaceful transfer of power every four years. This email is about prayer expressing what Republicans around the country are working toward — voting into office a like-minded president in 2012.”O'Neals's office has said that the message here is about being careful which emails you forward on as they can be misinterpreted. That should go without saying. Too many politicians and high ranking professionals are getting caught out on twitter and facebook. You have to wonder if they have no common sense. However according to the Huffington Post the real problem is in the next verse of Psalm 109, which continues, "May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow." Whilst O'Neal's office many try to insist that he was only referring to Obama's term as President the message he attached seems to refute this. It read, " At last -- I can honestly voice a Biblical prayer for our president! Look it up -- it is word for word! Let us all bow our heads and pray. Brothers and Sisters, can I get an AMEN? AMEN!!!!!!"The verses of the 109th Psalm that follow verse 8 read: May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes. May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children. May his descendants be cut off, their names blotted out from the next generation. May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord; may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.May their sins always remain before the Lord, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth. Opinion: A storm in a teacup? Could be. More to it than O'Neal claims? Could be that too. In a country, the US, that is no stranger to the assassination of powerful people and even Presidents it is bad news. So much for Christian spirit. Is there little wonder that so many people turn away from the Christian faith in despair. The bumper stickers have been around for some time and it seems most Americans know what the true meaning of them is. It is hard to believe that Mr O'Neal did not. Shame on him.
 _In the UK we complain that in Parliament the front bench is full of millionaires. How can these people claim that "we are all in this together"? They may find that their wealth has been hit but it is hardly the same as living on a pittance which is then savagely cut. In the US it appears that usually voters are happy to elect a man or woman of means. They may like to elect a man or woman who had his roots with the people but usually have no problem with the person's acquired wealth. America loves success stories. There have been President's from wealthy families such as JJFK so would Mitt Romney fit into the desires of the US electorate? Newt Gingrich has made much of Romney's vast wealth. He has continually questioned the man on this matter and called for tax returns to be released. The in fighting amongst the GOP candidates must be good news for the Democrats and President Obama. After all this could do the GOP more harm than expensive ads run by the Democrats. This week what could be more bad news for Romney on the wealth front has been revealed. Mitt Romney has vast amount of investments held in blind trusts managed by Goldman Sachs. This means that some of his investments may not be termed as ethical by the electorate. It also means that he his hand in glove with Goldman Sachs, part of that elusive 1% which the Occupy Movement are protesting about. Part of that "corporate greed" Whilst Mitt Romney may claim his business acumen is a positive in a President how can he relate to the ordinary man or woman on the street? Like all politicians he will not be experiencing what they are NOW. Some may have to one degree or another in the past but the times are different NOW. Read the details of his investments here and decide for yourself. Whilst wealth should be a positive and not exclude a politician from office it must depend on the nature of the wealth. As the article points out, Mr Romney as a Mormon cannot consume alcohol but it never stopped him making money out of it. For this blogger though his links to Goldman Sachs are a big negative.
 For those of you unsure of just when the next GOP televised debate is read on for the latest timetable. The US must almost be ready to quit the race themselves after only a few months of intense media attention. The GOP race looks likely to stumble on until way into 2012 and then there will be the election proper. That is the Election for the next President of the United States. That role is singular though. The US electorate will also be voting for their next political representatives too. Lawd help 'em. Still at least as far as GOP televised debates go surely the people of the US are on the last lap. Having endured almost two dozen the end is in sight. The latest schedule: February 22, 20128pm ET on CNN (Originally Dec 1, then Nov 30) Location: Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona Sponsor: CNN and the Republican Party of Arizona Participants: TBD March 1, 20128pm ET on CNNLocation: Georgia Sponsor: CNN and the Georgia Republican Party Participants: TBD March 5, 2012Air time TBD on NBC Location: Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA Sponsor: Reagan Library, NBC News and Politico Participants: TBD March 19, 20129pm ET on PBS Location: Portland, OR Sponsor: Oregon Public Broadcasting, NPR, PBS, The Washington Times and the Oregon Republican Party Participants: TBD The schedule for debates between the successful GOP candidate and President Obama will follow in due course.
 January 22, 2012, from across the Pond
So the comeback kid, aka Newt Gingrich, has sailed to victory in the GOP South Carolina Primary. It was a comfortable win for him. The latest from the poll has .Mr Gingrich with 40% of the vote to Mr Romney's 28%. These two men were the front runners and with Newt's surge in popularity the last few days perhaps the result is not surprising. It will however be cause for concern for Romney and his team.
Historically the winner of South Carolina will go on to win the the GOP nomination. It may not be cast in stone, so don't hold you breath, but that is the usual way that it goes.
The Gingrich team are now appealing for donations to prop up his campaign. Politics in the US in an expensive business and most candidates need wealthy backers. You know that elusive 1%. Republicans will have no problems getting support form such a section of society. After all that same 1% will be hoping for a Republican President who will legislate to suit.
This is where Mitt Romney takes the lead. As a man of many millions, quite literally, he will be able to sustain a lengthy campaign. After the result in South Carolina he insisted that he would continue on the campaign trail. With Ron Paul, 13%, and Rick Santorum, 17%, polling a small part of the vote they may choose a different path. As yet they too have said they will continue, but we have heard that before, haven't we?
Sometime after the vote Mr Gingrich spoke from his campaign headquarters, "We don't have the kind of money that at least one of the candidates has, but we do have ideas and we do have people and we have proved here in South Carolina that people power with the right ideas beats big money and with your help we are going to prove it again in Florida."
It seems that Mr Gingrich's fire has triumphed against Mitt Romney's slick appearance. A seasoned debater there is no doubt that his TV debating triumphs have played a huge part in his popularity. Will it be on to final victory for Newt?
 A few short days ago Mitt Romney looked a dead cert to win the South Carolina Primary and ultimately the GOP nomination for 2012. As they say a day is a long time in politics. The latest polls show Newt Gingrich steaming ahead again, his campaign experiencing a resurgence. The televised debate on Thursday January 19, 2012, was won by Gingrich. The revelations about his previous marriage and infidelities did not damage his popularity but rather in some ways appeared to resurrect it. There could be many reasons for this. Those who do like Mitt Romney may blame Romney's:- - religion, being a member of the Mormon faith, which many Americans believe to be a cult rather than a religion.
- extensive wealth.
- gaffes.
- remarks re firing people.
- where his wealth came from.
- and more.....
But then again there is charismatic appeal or rather his lack of it. It appears that personality over substance may ultimately win the day. This is a bit odd when you consider that many Republicans believe that President Obama was elected on style over substance. The American people, or rather to date the GOP Americans, have failed to warm to Romney. Of course some have and initially they thought he was their party's best bet to win. This week Romney's victory in Iowa has been overturned which means that to date Mitt has only won his safe bet of New Hampshire. His home territory.This weekend voters in South Carolina will decide who is their favourite choice to represent and lead the US Republicans. After so much TV debating, with more to endure or enjoy, depending on your stance, Americans are in danger of GOP overkill and election boredom? Many however believe that if Newt wins tonight's TV debate he could be home and dry in South Carolina.SC has historic importance. Every successful GOP nomination has won South Carolina. To not do so will damage the confidence of the candidate plus the voters. Florida is the next primary and what happens in South Carolina will no doubt impact on that vote too.With so much at stake the remaining four GOP candidates will be vying to do their best in SC. They will pull out all the stops to try and win over the voters. Campaigns can soon be turned around but if the people just do not get you, what can you do? Mitt Romney's apparent charisma bypass could ultimately prevent his election success. If it does will it open the floodgates fo Newt support? It could do but it could also lead to either Ron Paul or Rick Santorum surging in the polls. This means it could still be anybody's race although right now veteran politician Newt Gingrich looks unstoppable. Presidential debate and Primary's here
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