Obama may become more combative on economy

President Obama has had of late -- and there's no denying it's been bad -- the recent debt-ceiling hike has managed to draw an already unpopular Congress to new depths, according to a series of new polls.


A CNN/Opinion Research poll shows just 14% of voters approve of Congress's job performance, while 84% disapprove -- both records.
A CBS/New York Times poll has similar numbers -- 14% approve and 82% disapprove of Congress' job performance, the latter an all-time high.
A Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll puts Congress' approval even lower -- 10%. That's a drop from 20% in late June.
Just 18% of registered voters in a Washington Post survey said they were inclined to vote to re-elect their representative in Congress -- the lowest number in more than two decades (only once before had it ever dipped below 30%).
Congress has rarely polled very well. But as Arizona Sen. John McCain joked during the 2008 primaries, polling this low means we're down to just close relatives and paid staff in the approval camp.


Administration officials, frustrated by the intransigence of House Republicans, are increasingly turning their attention toward next year's election, reflecting a belief that the best thing the president can do for the economy is to win a second term, with a mandate to advance his ideas on deficit reduction, entitlement change, housing policy and other issues.


The question is whether voters would reward bolder proposals even if they could not pass Congress.


Obama's senior adviser, David Plouffe, and chief of staff, William Daley, have advocated a centrist approach for the past year. That camp argues that Obama should maintain his focus on appealing to independent voters by advocating ideas that can pass Congress, but may not have much economic impact. These include free trade agreements and improved patent protections for inventors.


But others, including Obama's chief economic adviser, Gene Sperling, and congressional Democrats, have been pressing the president to channel what they see as rising public anger about Washington's management of the economy. They argue that the fallout from the debt ceiling debate has weakened Republicans and created an opening for bolder ideas, like expanding payroll tax cuts. Either Republicans agree and the economy benefits, they say, or the president can campaign against their opposition.


Republicans contend that the Obama administration has mismanaged the nation's recovery from the 2008 financial crisis. Obama's political advisers are struggling to define a response, aware that their prospects may rest on convincing voters that the results of the first term matter less than the contrast between their vision for the next four years and the economic ideas offered by Republicans.


Administration officials say that their focus is on a number of smaller programs that could benefit the economy, a theme Obama has emphasized in his recent speeches.

Palin weighs in on GOP debate, candidates

Palin and her One Nation bus tour are making a surprise trip to Iowa, if you haven’t heard. In an email sent yesterday to supporters of her political action committee she said she’s going to “meet folks at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines this week.


State fairs hold a special place in our nation’s history and heritage, so my family is honored to highlight one of them on one stop along the One Nation Tour route,” wrote the ex-governor of Alaska.


Does this mean a President Palin would make the Iowa State Fairgrounds a National Park? Just asking.


IN PICTURES: Sarah Palin bus tour


Palin also noted that she’s excited to try some of the Iowa State Fair’s famous fried foods, including fried butter-on-a-stick, fried cheesecake, and so forth. She’ll enjoy them “in honor of those who’d rather make us just ‘eat our peas,’ ” noted Palin, in a not-so-veiled reference to President Obama’s recent statement comparing the hard choices in a debt deal with legume consumption.


Vegetables aside, we’ll say this about that: once again, Sarah Palin has proved that she is the quasi-political attention-getting master of the US media universe.


That’s because there just happens to be a debate in Ames, Iowa tonight among declared GOP presidential contenders. A straw poll follows this weekend. So hundreds of political reporters are already in Iowa – pre-positioned for a Palin drive-by. Pure genius.


Somewhere Rick Santorum is sitting in a hotel room with his face in his hands. It’s the lagging candidates who’ll really feel the tire tracks of the bus tour. If you’re a “Good Morning America” producer, which story would you rather see on the air – Gingrich Campaign Still Dead, or Palin Views a Cow Made Entirely of Butter?


Plus, SarahPAC has posted a new one-minute Palin video that makes pretty much every other Republican contender’s commercials look underproduced.


It’s a paean to small town America, which grows “good people ... with honesty and sincerity and dignity.” It invokes Harry Truman, contains several quick shots of the young Ronald Reagan, and lingers on an Iowa State Fair sign.


Perry is expected to announce he will run for president on Saturday in South Carolina. He will travel to Iowa on Sunday.
Palin also addressed the recent treatment of Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., in the press and in the debate last night.


Asked about the Newsweek cover that showed a wild-eyed Bachmann staring into space with the headline "Queen of Rage," Palin said she was also featured wearing running shorts in a cover on the magazine.


"I think the headline is really worse than the picture," she said.


Palin was also asked what she thought of the question Bachmann was asked during the debate about whether she would "submit" to her husband if she was elected president.


"Anything in a debate is fair game. I've been asked the goofiest questions and the strangest questions too in my years in public office," Palin said. "She articulated what she feels in her heart and to her submission means respect, she explained it."


She later added, "I respect my husband too. I can't imagine my husband ever telling me what to do."


While Palin is not listed on the straw poll ballot, she was mobbed by the press like she was a frontrunner from the moment she set foot on the fairgrounds.


Around noon the word went out that Palin, her husband Todd and a small entourage had descended on the Iowa state fair sending reporters scrambling through livestock exhibits to find her.


Palin's arrival in Iowa the day before the straw poll is just the latest in a series of trips the former vice presidential nominee has made that coincides with major events for the GOP field.


Earlier this summer when she happened to arrive in Iowa the day after Bachmann's campaign launch and in May when she New Hampshire the same day as former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney official presidential announcement.


Asked why she was in Iowa, Palin said she was simply "accepting an invitation to get to be here to experience this wonderful historic event" on the bus tour she launched in May.

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Michele Bachmann wins poll at GOP's Iowa carnival

Over one warm Saturday those jostling for the Republican nomination tossed great lumps of the stuff - literally and rhetorically - at their supporters.


Outside the Iowa State University stadium queues snaked over the concrete as party activists waited patiently to pick up the food provided free by the candidates. Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann served up corn dogs, Texan Congressman Ron Paul's team gave out hotdogs, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty's campaign handed out barbecued ribs to his supporters.


In between the grand marquees of the candidates, smaller tents held lobbies for favourite conservative causes - pro-life, anti-tax, gun rights - as Iowans wandered through, taking in Christian rock, country music and lots and lots of political chat and Obama-baiting.


But it was inside the grey university stadium that the biggest chunks of red meat were served up. Speeches to the Republican faithful are not for the politically fainthearted.


Libertarian Ron Paul got some of the biggest cheers of the day with his isolationist challenge to an overstretched America.


"We need to defend our borders and forget about the borders in Afghanistan and Pakistan," called out to his supporters. "It is time to bring the troops back home.


Michele Bachmann winning the Ames straw poll Saturday. You didn't have to be a registered voter to cast a ballot - just an Iowa resident over 18 years old in possession of a $30 ticket and a pulse.


Or how the campaigns bused Iowans in from every corner of the state, entertained them with A-list bands, fed them delicacies such as "hot beef sundaes," pressed a ticket in their hand if they didn't have one and, in the case of Bachmann's well-oiled campaign, drove them from the bus to the voting booth in a golf cart.


It was a first-inning snapshot of how the United States elects a president in 2011. But the results of Saturday's conservative-a-palooza carnival on the Iowa State University campus was of limited use to Californian Republicans.


The results were intended to show which campaigns have the organizational strength to compete in the top tier of candidates, and Bachmann is expected to get a short-term fundraising boost.


The Iowa native, who campaigned relentlessly in Iowa for weeks, won 28.5 percent of the vote, narrowly beating Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, who pulled 27.6 percent. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty finished third, with 13.5 percent.


Early poll front-runner, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman were on the ballot but barely campaigned. Romney received 567 votes, while Gingrich and Huntsman received only 385 and 69 votes, respectively.


Perry gets write-ins


Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who officially began his campaign Saturday in South Carolina, was not on the ballot but received more write-in votes (718) than the other three non-campaigners.


The big winner: the Iowa GOP. It's their major fundraiser of the year.


In California, where the GOP primary isn't until June, Ames is only a sliver of what donors will consider when deciding to where to direct their support.


"The grassroots activists and major donors are already being courted here," the California Republican Party chairman, Tom Del Beccaro, said Saturday. "But what happens this weekend isn't likely to change anything about that over the next three months."


Saturday's results show "that if you can't get people to vote for you if you give them beef sandwiches and peach jam, then you really don't have much of a campaign," said Harmeet Dhillon, chair of the San Francisco Republican Party. Bob Schuman, a San Diego public relations consultant who chairs Americans for Rick Perry, said "This probably matters more for (the primary next year in) New Hampshire than anything." He was one of a number of Perry operatives who helped the Texan receive 718 write-in votes, symbolic to them because it bested Romney's 593.


The campaigns bid for space to pitch huge tents around campus, with Paul posting the high offer of $31,000 to occupy much of a high-traffic courtyard.


Country star Randy Travis performed at Bachmann's tent, where supporters waited for more than an hour to get inside the poll's only air-conditioned space. Family friends of Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania spread scoops of his family's home-canned peach jam on crackers.


Herman Cain, the former Godfather's Pizza CEO, offered slices of his former employer's product and sang a gospel tune backed by former Iowa caucus winner Mike Huckabee.


Cain's choice: "Hold on Just a Little While Longer." Apt, considering he received 8 percent of the vote Saturday. He scored much better than guitar-playing Rep. Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan, who received only 35 votes Saturday.

Sarah Palin New Documentary Seeks $30,000 on Crowd Funding Site

DES MOINES, Iowa - Sarah Palin stoked speculation anew Friday of a future presidential run, inserting herself into the 2012 conversation by visiting in Iowa during an important week in the GOP race - and just as Texas Gov. Rick Perry becomes a candidate.


"There is still plenty of room for a common sense conservative," the former Alaska governor insisted to a crush of reporters as she inspected cattle with her family at the Iowa State Fair.


Characteristically, she played coy about her plans and sent mixed messages.


Palin said she hasn't decided whether she would run for president, but suggested she was leaning toward a bid, adding: "When we're ready to announce ... you won't be able to miss the announcement."


Asked about Perry, she said: "He's a great guy and I look forward to see him in those debates." But she rebuffed questions about whether that meant she'd be standing on stage with him.


Appearing on Fox News' "Sean Hannity Show" Friday night, Palin welcomed the idea of Perry entering the race, saying: "You deserve good choices. As for me, I'm still considering it."


When pressed earlier in the day about her future plans, Palin said a trip home and a visit to the Alaska state fair were in order.


"Moose season is starting up in Alaska soon so we'll go back home and moose hunt," she said, adding: "And then, we'll come back out on the road, we hope."


As she shuffled through cattle pens and livestock buildings in a casual T-shirt and black slacks, Palin posed for pictures with well-wishers and fans. She scrawled her autograph on hats and fair programs, asked supporters what they did for a living and talked about becoming a grandmother.


Nearby, onlookers jumped onto fences and craned to get a glimpse of the Palins amid the jostling throng of journalists circling her. It was a marked changfe from the declared candidates who visited the fair and met with voters without such a buzz.


Officially, Palin, the GOP's 2008 vice presidential nominee who resigned the Alaska governorship midterm in 2009, was in Iowa as the Midwestern swing of a "One Nation" bus tour that she began in the spring on the East Coast. She called it a family vacation but her political action committee paid for the trip. Part of it included a visit to the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire - the same day GOP front-runner Mitt Romney formally entered the race.


This time, her visit to the state that leads off the GOP nominating contests was sandwiched between a Thursday night debate and Saturday's Iowa straw poll in which her would-be rivals are participating. She said she wasn't planning to stick around for the results of the test vote that could indicate which candidate has the strongest organization in the leadoff caucus state.


In an effort to raise money for the documentary’s upcoming North American release campaign, Broomfield has placed the film on the crowd funding site Kickstarter, seeking $30,000.
“This film was made for the American people and Kickstarter now offers them a chance to be a part of the distribution process to directly support the documentary’s national roll-out,” he said. “We need help getting this out so voters gain a true understanding of the person who is asking for their political support.”
The film sees Broomfield as he speaks with school friends, family and Republican colleagues of the former governor of Alaska, all while battling the icy snows of a Wasilla winter. The evangelical community, where Palin attended high school and eventually became mayor, features 76 churches with a population of just 6 thousand and is the Crystal meth capital of the state.
Palin has yet to confirm whether or not she intends to run for the Presidency, but recently announced that she would be embarking on a second leg of her One Nation bus tour.

Political campaigns, Wisconsin election, the economy, Tim Pawlenty, Vikings

On Saturday in Ames, Iowa, our good neighbors to the south will gather at Iowa State University to cast "ballots" in the Iowa Republican Party's straw poll. Even though it is a non-binding, non-scientific, and barely democratic event, it could determine the future of the Republican presidential field.


That's because the candidates and the media settled on the straw poll as the earliest possible test of strength. But we wonder: What if they picked some other, more colorful contests to winnow the field?


Here is our proposed schedule for the early-tests schedule, as well as our handicap based on this year's Republican presidential field.


February: Candidates gather for the Minnesota Eelpout Angling contest in Walker, Minn., to show outdoors abilities. Favored: Tim Pawlenty, based on past fishing-opener success.


March: Those who survived Walker compete in the Rattlesnake Roundup in Sweetwater, Texas, a chance to demonstrate grace under pressure. Favored: Newt Gingrich, who learned about handling snakes while wrangling members of Congress.


May: Calaveras County Frog Jumping Contest in California, an opportunity to show abilities in recruiting star jumper and getting it to perform. Favorite: Michele Bachmann, whose frog will jump out of sheer excitement.


June: Scripps National Spelling Bee, National Harbor, Md., testing intellect and ability to memorize. Favored: Mitt Romney, who just


Since Minnesotans have been forced to watch a barrage of commercials for the Wisconsin recall elections, I would like to send some information back to the Badger State.


As long as Scott Walker is governor, I plan to avoid spending any money in Wisconsin. I see the actions he took to eliminate collective bargaining rights as a major slash at the middle class and a threat to union workers in every state.


Politicians are talking jobs, but we don't hear much about what a job really should offer. Does it provide a decent wage to buy adequate health and life insurance?


Does it provide enough income to set aside money for a car, a house, a child's advanced schooling or a vacation away from home? A method to fight an unfair treatment by an employer? Does it provide a plan for a comfortable retirement?


My experience with public-employee unions shows that members are our neighbors. They participate in honest union elections and set goals through councils and representative assemblies.


Education unions help students by providing consistency in the workplace through a working agreement that's negotiated and addresses the needs of all parties in a system.


Public-sector unions have helped millions of middle-class workers achieve goals that have made this country great. Removing collective bargaining by public employees ignores the rights and contributions of dedicated workers.


Low consumer income, which has not kept up with the rising cost of living, is the disease. The pathogen that causes that disease is corporate and personal greed.


Let's end the real "entitlement" programs in this country: obscene salaries and benefits for those who think their titles -- CEO, CFO, etc. -- entitle them to hundreds of times what the real wealth creators (i.e., labor) makes.


Put money back in the hands of those who will spend it and stimulate the economy -- those who have earned the wealth but who have not received it.


Decades of tax cuts for business and industry haven't created jobs. Why do we think that further cuts will someday produce a different result?


Demand for products and services is what creates jobs, not tax cuts for businesses. Close the massive corporate tax loopholes. Stop providing incentives for companies to move jobs out of the United States.


We need not just jobs in this country, but jobs that pay well. That's what will build consumer confidence and stimulate the economy.

Iowa Campaign Contrast: Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty and Ron Paul

Everything she’s led the charge against, she failed to accomplish,” Pawlenty said. “Nobody’s questioning her spine, we’re questioning her lack of results.”


Pawlenty said that regardless of the fact that Bachmann is the only woman in the GOP field, it’s not about gender. It’s about the issues, results, and leading and saving our country.”


The exchange came just hours after Pawlenty and Bachmann engaged in their fiercest and most direct confrontations of the campaign so far, and a day before the critical Ames straw poll that could ultimately make or break Pawlenty’s candidacy. Pawlenty’s more sharp-edged approach was a break from the June debate, when he awkwardly backed away from earlier criticisms of front-runner Mitt Romney. But Pawlenty said Friday that he’s just answering the questions asked of him.


“No matter which way you calibrate that, a bunch of people are upset one way or the other,” he said. “So you just gotta answer the question.”


He played down a joke he made during the debate that jabbed at Romney’s considerable wealth.


“I was just having some fun with that and pulling Mitt’s chain,” he said.


Pawlenty insisted there’s no personal bad blood between him and Romney.


“I like Mitt,” he said. “We don’t have any personal tension or animosity.”


Asked by POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin whether he’s prepared to slim down his campaign if Ames doesn’t go well and a state-by-state slog emerges, Pawlenty expressed confidence that he’ll make a strong showing at Ames but acknowledged that he may be forced to pare down his campaign if he doesn’t. “We may not have any choice if it went that way.”


“We’re seeing some nice movement in the numbers. I can’t tell you that we’re gonna win it tomorrow or that we need to win it,” he said. “I think it’ll be a good result.”


Pawlenty had harsh words for the so-called congressional super committee charged with finding more than $1 trillion in deficit reduction.


“I think it’s super stupid,” he said to laughter. “We have a Congress and we have a president, do your job.”


Pawlenty dodged several questions about what he thought would have happened if the debt ceiling hadn’t been lifted by the Aug. 2 deadline, but pressed repeatedly, he came down somewhere between the conservative debt-ceiling skeptics and economists who say it would have been disastrous.


“It probably would have been very negative for a while, but it’s very negative right now anyway,” he said.


Even before Bachmann arrives at an event, the music is blaring. And I mean, blaring. Like, to the point where it’s hard to hear the person next to you talk. Then the carefully orchestrated arrival starts to take shape. At her event at the Humboldt County Republicans’ picnic on Tuesday evening, a tent was set up to the left and rear of the main outdoor stage. A Penske rental truck moved around a few times until it parked to the right and rear of the stage. As the music slowly but surely made my ears bleed, a massive blue bus pulled up – Bachmann had arrived. The bus parked directly behind the stage, between the tent and the truck. And there it sat for a few minutes while people anxiously awaited Bachmann’s appearance. Finally out she came, eagerly greeting her passionate fans that lined the stage. The event had the feel of a rally, with Bachmann firing up the crowd at every turn. When her speech wrapped up, the music quickly came back on, Bachmann did some more glad-handing, posed for photos, signed some autographs – through it all, a handful of security guards stayed close by her side, attentively shielding her from anyone who they didn’t want near the candidate (read: press). And then it was time to get back on the bus – before boarding it, she stopped to sign one last poster.


“Let’s make Obama a one-term president,” she wrote on the board. “I’ll get ‘er done!”


As she walked up the stairs to the bus, she turned around to bid farewell to her fans, the same way the president stops at the top of the Air Force One stairs for one last wave. Bachmann said a few parting words and then she was off, leaving me to go off in search of hearing aids.


Look no further than Pawlenty’s appearance at that very same event in Humboldt to see the difference between the two Minnesotans. For starters, Pawlenty spoke indoors. As far as I could tell, there was nothing choreographed about his arrival at all. He just appeared in the back of the room suddenly, standing there, listening to introductions, bowing his head in prayer and saying the pledge of allegiance. There was no music, thankfully. Overall his appearance in Humboldt was hardly like a rally. Pawlenty cracked a few jokes, but for the most part it was a subdued speech. Pawlenty clearly did not expect to top Bachmann on excitement, but he did want to beat her in substance. After the event, he greeted a few supporters and then he made for the exits, paving the way for the next speaker to take the stage. Instead of a blue bus, Pawlenty stepped on to a non-descript white RV. There was no waving from the stairs. In fact, there weren’t many people left outside at that point to watch him depart, aside from one family who posed for a photo with him. And just like that he was off for his next event in Fort Dodge.


I haven’t been to a Paul event since one in Cedar Rapids a few weeks ago, but if you want to talk about substance, there was plenty of it there. Paul seemed far more interested in talking about the Federal Reserve – boring as it might be to some people – than he did about exciting the audience. That stands to reason, since for the most part Paul’s supporters are a fervent bunch of long-time followers. In fact, at that event I asked a question about a “Made in America” story we were doing for “World News Tonight” and afterwards one Paul supporter approached me wondering why I hadn’t been asking about “more important things” like the Fed. In case you were wondering about Paul’s transportation, he hopped into a black Suburban and then drove off. It was in the midst of the debt ceiling debate in Washington, so the congressman had to jet back to DC for votes.


Today at a Bachmann rally in Pella her campaign introduced a new wrinkle: a moving ropeline held up by two of her security guards to keep the press away from her as she moved from the stage -- in the center of a town square -- to her bus on the street about 50 yards away. Something tells me we won't be seeing that at a Pawlenty or Paul event anytime soon.

Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty Challenged By Gay Teen Gabe Aderhold

An openly gay high school student from Minnesota on Friday confronted GOP presidential hopefuls Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann during campaign appearances in Iowa, to challenge their positions on marriage equality and LGBT rights.


Gabe Aderhold, 17, a senior at Edina High School in Edina, Minn., told Pawlenty, “You are discriminating against me and it hurts.”


I thought our country was about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for everyone, no exceptions. So Tim Pawlenty, I want to know — when will you stand up for me…because you are discriminating against me and it hurts, it really does.


Pawlenty: I understand we have a difference of opinion on this issue…the relationship between a man and a woman in a traditional marriage is important to our country, our society, our culture.


Pawlenty responded: “The relationship between a man and a woman in a traditional marriage is important to our country, our society, our culture. I think it should remain elevated, not just in our words, but under our laws – that's why I've supported laws, in fact have authored laws, to maintain marriage as between a man and a woman.”
The scrappy teen, however, continued, asking, “Why is government getting involved in our marriages?” and “Do you think I'm a second-class citizen?”
“We're just going to have a respectful disagreement, sir,” Pawlenty replied. (The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)
Aderhold also heckled Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, who spoke for only 3 minutes and did not take questions.
“You treat me like a second-class citizen,” he shouted. “Shame on you.”
“You can't pray away the gay,” he screamed at Bachmann's husband, Marcus Bachmann, a reference to allegations that the couple's Christian counseling centers run by Marcus attempt to “cure” gay people.

Straw poll the "graveyard" of some candidacies

Debate where the front-runner, acknowledged front-runner, if not an electrifying front-runner, Mitt Romney, goes in and comes out of it on the other side unscathed, unharmed, unwounded, has to be a good night for the front-runner.


And the others were just sort of subplots. You could see the obvious tension between Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and that state's former governor, Tim Pawlenty, who are really dueling it out in the Saturday caucuses here. And it could be a survival test for Gov. Pawlenty, who had been regarded quite seriously when he entered this race, and has been eclipsed.


And so -- then you had Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum trying to break through themselves, each with his own distinct style, Gingrich scolding Chris Wallace for daring to ask him about his -- the majority of his staff quitting his campaign. And, finally, you had the introduction of the mystery man, Jon Huntsman, the former governor of Utah and former ambassador to China.


So there were a lot of subplots, but I think the main plot is Mitt Romney goes in ahead and comes out ahead.


JIM LEHRER: Do you agree with that overall, Rich?


RICH LOWRY: Yes, it's the second debate in a row where Romney has basically skated by untouched.


But the most consequential exchanges for the next couple of days, and then the campaign following were those between Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann.


And I think what's happened to Tim Pawlenty in this race is very unfortunate. Anyone who has met him will say he is one of the nicest guys you will -- ever met in politics. And I think the best play for him in this campaign would -- to be himself, basically. Be the low-key, slightly self-deprecating guy from the Upper Midwest who has a pretty good record as governor.


Instead, he's been forced in this desperation role, where he's lashing out at Romney and especially at Bachmann, because Bachmann is stealing his thunder in Iowa. And Pawlenty has his entire campaign now riding on the outcome of the Straw Poll Saturday. If he finishes third, he probably doesn't make it through to the end of the year. So he's got to finish first or second.


In 1999, (Tenn. Sen.) Lamar Alexander made a big effort and then didn't do very well in the straw poll, and that was the end of it for him. He dropped out of the race. (Former Health and Human Services Secretary and ex-Wis. Gov.) Tommy Thompson, in 2007 -- the same thing happened to him.


"So, it doesn't tell us who the winner is, but Iowa doesn't really do that as much as it tells you what the field's going to look like going forward. It winnows out candidates, so this may be the last place for some of these campaigns. They may disappear after the ... straw poll."


O'Donnell told co-anchor Russ Mitchell, "There are high expectations for Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (of Minnesota) that she could either win this thing or do very well. (Texas Rep.) Ron Paul always has a very popular following (in Iowa). His campaign wants to do well, and they're admitting they bought thousands of tickets (for supporters to take part in the straw poll). This is a make-or-break moment, in some ways, some people think, for former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. He's got to show he can excite some voters, that he can turn out people. He doesn't say he has to finish first or second, but that he's got to finish in the front of the pack. So, I think people will be watching less about who's No.1, but who's really in the front of that pack."


Dickerson concurred, saying Pawlenty "probably has the most to lose, because everybody is looking at this as a key test for him. He needs money to continue running, not only in Iowa, but other states. There's a lot of focus on him. Michelle Bachmann has her own special corps of followers. If she didn't come in first, she could still continue. That's (also) very true with Ron Paul. So it's pretty much the (possible) biggest day of trouble for Tim Pawlenty if he doesn't have a big showing."


Looming large is the big political news to be mad outside Iowa, as well on Saturday, when Texas Gov. Rick Perry tosses his hat into the ring.


"There are a number of Iowa Republicans I talked to," O'Donnell said, " ... who are going to vote in the straw poll who said, 'Wow, I wish Governor Perry was here.' He is overshadowing the straw poll a bit by announcing today in South Carolina, then he'll go to New Hampshire and, on Sunday, he's going to come to Iowa and, very interestingly, he's gonna spend three days here in Iowa, which is a remarkable amount of time to spend in Iowa this early in the campaign, and then he goes back to New Hampshire.


"There's a lot of buzz about Rick Perry because ... he excites fiscal conservatives because of the relatively low unemployment in Texas at 8.2 percent, below the national average, he excites social conservatives, religious conservatives, so he is definitely going to be a player in this contest."


Sarah Palin is also in Iowa but, Dickerson observes, "No one really knows" what she's doing there. "Sarah Palin," he notes, "says she's still thinking about running. She is a little bit predictable though: When something big is happening for other candidates - (former Mass. Gov.) Mitt Romney, when he was announcing in New Hampshire, Sarah Palin showed up. When there's the big straw poll in Ames, Iowa, Sarah Palin shows up. So she at least wants to be a part of the conversation, and that's indeed what she's done again here by showing up out of the blue."


"What's really interesting about Sarah Palin is, just as John mentioned," O'Donnell pointed out, "likes to show up at the events, but sort of doesn't want to say whether she's running or not for president -- just wants some of the attention, and was asked a lot of questions about Michele Bachmann, the other woman in the race, and took the opportunity to weigh in and criticize that (controversial, unflattering) Newsweek cover (photo) of Michele Bachmann saying she did not think it was fair.

Obama Urges Congress to Put Americans First

President Barack Obama on Saturday said Congress needs to move beyond political brinksmanship and pass a series of proposals "right now" that would jolt the economy from its recently slow growth.


"Many Americans are hurting badly right now," President Obama said in his weekly radio address to the nation. He said later, "Putting these men and women back to work, and growing wages for everyone, has got to be our top priority."


Following a months-long standoff with Congress over the U.S. debt ceiling that barely missed resulting in a default, the president has put forth proposals aimed at expanding the nation's economy. While Congress did act in time, one ratings firm downgraded the nation's debt amid concerns the political will for spending cuts is dim.


The president reiterated his call for Congress to pass a series of trade deals along with legislation that would revamp the patent system, extend the payroll-tax holiday and provide businesses with tax credits for hiring veterans.


Mr. Obama, who is heading on a three-state bus tour next week to discuss the economy, says he plans to "put forward more proposals to help our businesses hire and create jobs, and won't stop until every American who wants a job can find one."


He added that he he is "frustrated" with the level of partisanship and brinksmanship witnessed in the last month.


The president had last week what many consider the worst of his presidency. He signed into law a bill to raise the debt limit—just hours before the nation faced the possibility of defaulting on his obligations. Stock markets fluctuated wildly. Thirty U.S. soldiers were killed in Afghanistan—the single greatest loss of life in a day for U.S. forces since the war began about a decade ago. And Standard & Poor's, a ratings firm, stripped the U.S. of its coveted AAA credit rating.


Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania, delivered the weekly radio address for the Republican party. He said the Obama administration's policies aren't working and said government needs to get out of the way and reduce burdensome regulations.


During his weekly address Saturday, Obama said too many Americans are struggling to get by. He said Congress should extend payroll tax cuts that save the average American family $1,000 a year.


President Obama says there is no excuse for "inaction," and he believes Congress will find common ground to move the country forward.


In the Republican Party's weekly address, Senator Pat Toomey blamed the Obama administration's policies for the economic stalemate and slow job growth in the United States.


Toomey said too many government regulations have discouraged businesses from hiring.

Romney's wealth endures but conflicts persist

2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife Anne are worth as much as $264 million, according to disclosure documents filed Friday.
That makes him the richest candidate in the 2012 race — including President Barack Obama. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, whose father's company invented the McDonald's clam shell, has not yet filed disclosure forms.
Romney's fortune — which is about the same value as his 2007 campaign disclosure — is unsurprising, given his successful run as CEO of Bain Capital. His assets are in more than 160 funds managed by several major investment firms, including Bain, Goldman Sachs and BNP Paribas.
Romney came under fire in the 2007 campaign for investing in countries with interests in China, Iran, and embryonic stem cell research. He subsequently promised to scrub his portfolio to "conform with his positions;" according to the new disclosure, Romney's blind trust has sold off shares in Honeywell and Schlumberger, both of which invested in Iranian oil development.
But the AP reports that the Romney family charity, the Tyler Charitable Trust, invested in some questionable companies between 2007 and 2009, including, among others: Petrobras, the Brazilian state-owned energy company that invested in Iranian oil and gas developments; Baidu, Inc., the Chinese search engine accused of web censorship; and Beckton Dickinson, a biotech firm that funds grants for stem cell research.
A lot of those investments are listed as sold on the 2011 report. Romney has invested up to $500,000 in gold since 2007.


The new records make clear that Romney is much wealthier than President Barack Obama or any of Romney's GOP opponents. The immense fortune controlled by Romney and his wife, Ann, is worth $190 million to $250 million — within the same range as his 2007 presidential financial disclosure records, his campaign said.
Romney's financial records, submitted Friday to meet a deadline set by the Federal Election Commission and the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, valued his fortune at $86 million to $264 million.
The campaign, however, reported his wealth within a narrower range.
The holdings reflect Romney's success in running a major Boston venture capital firm and his stewardship of his own investments on Wall Street — a strong base in his drive for influential donors and the Republican nomination. But amid a deep recession and populist outrage, Romney's wealth could prove double-edged, as seen in the controversy brewing over his comment Thursday that "corporations are people."
The former Massachusetts governor was criticized by GOP presidential campaign rivals in 2007 because some of his vast array of investments reaped profits from corporations with interests in Iran, China and embryonic stem research. In response, Romney pledged that his financial portfolio "would conform to my positions."
At the time, Romney urged companies to divest interests in Iran and opposed Chinese human rights violations and the creation of new human stem cell lines for medical research. Although insistent that he had no sway over the blind trust that controlled his investments, Romney said his Boston-based trustee would sort out any conflicts.
Romney's latest report shows that since 2007, his blind trust had sold off shares in many of the companies that posed conflicts with hard-line stances on Iran, China and stem cells. Among the investments listed as sold on the 2011 disclosure are Honeywell, which had aided Iranian gas production through a British subsidiary, and Schlumberger, an oil services company that operated both in Iran and Sudan. Both stocks were managed through a private Goldman Sachs portfolio, the disclosure said.
But IRS records show that between 2007 and 2009, Romney's family charity, the Tyler Charitable Trust, continued to buy and sell other investments in companies that dealt with Iranian businesses, complied with Chinese censorship or aided in stem cell research.
The Romney campaign said that a 2010 filing for the charity is expected later this year but declined to comment on any specific investments in either Romney's personal disclosure or his separate charity filings.
"Governor and Mrs. Romney's assets are managed on a blind basis," Gail Gitcho, communications director for the Romney campaign, said in a statement. "They do not control the investment of these assets."
Both Romney's blind trust assets and his family charity are under the direction of Boston attorney R. Bradford Malt. Echoing Romney, Malt said in 2007 that he would prune out investments that did not comport with Romney's political stances.
"As I become aware that ownership of a stock was inconsistent with public positions, I might sell them," Malt said during a 2007 teleconference.
Yet as late as the 2009 period, tax filings show, Romney's charity bought shares worth $5,734 in Petroleo Brasiliero SA, also known as Petrobras, a Brazilian state-owned energy company that reportedly invested $100 million to develop Iranian oil and natural gas reserves in the Caspian Sea. The charity later sold the shares that year at a loss.
Similarly, the charity bought and sold $10,600 worth of Baidu Inc., a major Chinese Web search engine company that has been accused by human rights activists of collusion with strict Chinese government censorship of the Internet.
The charity also bought and sold $37,345 worth of Beckton Dickinson, a bioscience company that has helped develop environments for the growth of stem cells and funded grants for stem cell research.
In 2007 and 2008, the charity also purchased and sold hundreds of other investment shares — worth thousands of dollars — in more than a dozen other foreign and domestic companies that have conducted dealings with Iran, China or stem cell research.
The companies included China-based businesses Hang Lung, Telefonica and China Mobile Limited; medical research companies such as Merck, Roche Holdings and Fisher Scientific; and companies that dealt with Iran, among them Schlumberger, Gazprom and Total.
Many of those companies, which had been shown as investments on Romney's 2007 financial disclosure, were listed as sold on his 2011 report. And the new report clearly shows that the blind trust has pruned many other stock purchases among the former Massachusetts governor's former investments. While the 2007 report ran to 47 pages, the new disclosure is only 28 pages.
His current investments are spread through domestic and international stocks and funds, including energy companies, banks and financial products and companies specializing in health care, technology and consumer and manufacturing goods.
Romney's new disclosure also shows signs of more cautious investing, a response to the recent recession. The report details an investment of $250,000 to $500,000 in gold since 2007, a period when gold prices climbed.
Romney's disclosures describe at least $3 million in investments from Bain Capital, the Boston venture capital firm he co-founded in 1984. Some of the assets were part of a retirement agreement with Bain that has since expired. The value of those assets were reported as of December 2010.
Bain is also the former employer of Edward Conard, a former Romney co-worker and investor who secretly contributed $1 million — through a short-lived company, W Spann LLC — to a Romney-leaning political committee, Restore Our Future, before coming forward as the donor.
In comparison to Romney's $190 million to $250 million fortune, Obama reported assets last May worth $2.2 million to $7.5 million, swelled by royalties from the books "Dreams From My Father" and "Audacity of Hope."
Romney has donated the proceeds of "No Apology," his most recent campaign-related book, to charity.
Among Romney's chief rivals, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, by comparison, holds fewer assets. He earned about $120,000 a year in salary as governor. He has outstanding credit lines on his suburban home. Upon retirement, he'll be able to draw on public pensions from his time as a legislator and governor.
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann has assets with a net worth of $500,000 to $1 million, 2010 House financial disclosure records show. That includes a family farm in Wisconsin and Bachmann & Associates in Lake Elmo, Minn., a psychotherapy clinic headed by her husband, Marcus.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is expected to announce his GOP candidacy this weekend, has disclosed two blind trusts worth more than $50,000 combined, but some reports have estimated Perry's financial worth as closer to $1 million.
Despite the vast personal reserves at Romney's command, the financial assets wielded by presidential candidates may matter less this time around, thanks in part to the 2010 Supreme Court ruling known as "Citizens United."
The court ruling overturned a ban on corporate spending in federal elections. In turn, big-money donors this election cycle have already given millions to outside political committees — known as super PACs — in support of candidates.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Romney raised $88.5 million in campaign funds in 2007, with $35.4 million coming out of his own pocket.
So far in 2011, Romney leads his GOP rivals in garnering super PAC money as well. The pro-Romney Restore Our Future raised more than $12 million during the first six months of 2011, according to FEC records.
The pro-Romney PAC has had to fend off questions surrounding the shielded identities of some of its top donors, such as Conard. Meanwhile, other groups have said they are setting up PACs in support of Bachmann and Perry.

Make or break? Iowa Straw Poll to test GOP rivals Straw poll FAQs

Christmas in August: the Ames Straw Poll — and all the free food, live music and Republican presidential drama that comes with it — is finally here.

The non-binding poll, held at Iowa State University, offers the first major test of organizational strength for the 2012 Republican presidential hopefuls. Just as important, the results from Ames are likely to winnow the GOP field—and perhaps even ignite a long-shot campaign.

Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain and Thad McCotter all bought space at the event, guaranteeing placement on the ballot. The Iowa GOP also added three candidates to the ballot who did not purchase space: Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman and Newt Gingrich.

Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Buddy Roemer and Gary Johnson didn’t make the cut. There is a write-in option on this year’s ballot, however.

The day’s festivities kick off at 10 a.m., with candidates set to give 15-minute speeches between noon and 3 p.m.

The candidates’ speaking slots at Ames are based on how much they paid for their lots on the ground, with the highest bidder choosing their time first. This year’s line-up, from first to last speaker: Santorum, Paul, Pawlenty, Bachmann, McCotter and Cain.

Paul placed this year’s top bid ($31,000) for his prime lot on the grounds next to the polling center—yet he chose to speak second. Here’s the rundown of what everyone else spent, with bidding starting at $15,000: McCotter, $18,000; Bachmann, $17,000; Cain, $17,000; Pawlenty, $15,000; and Santorum, $15,000. Gingrich sent a volunteer to the June 23 auction, but did not bid for a spot.

Voters don’t have to be registered Republicans. You just have to be 18 years old by Nov. 6 2012 (Election Day), an Iowa resident or college student, & purchase an entry ticket.

This year the cost is $30 per person, five bucks less than what those in 2007 shelled out. The grounds — where the candidates pull out all the stops with a variety of food and entertainment — are open to the public.

While the non-binding vote might not be official, the straw poll organizers are serious about the process: Anyone entering the voting area will have to show their Iowa ID, which will be scanned, and then each individual will have their thumb dipped in indelible purple ink to prevent multiple voting attempts.

Saturday's Iowa Straw Poll marks the first time Republican voters weigh in on the GOP presidential field with ballots and comes just as Gov. Rick Perry of Texas was to enter the campaign during a visit to another early nominating state.

The nonbinding results in Ames, Iowa, were likely to foreshadow the coming months here in the leadoff state.

"The Iowa Straw Poll is the first measurable proving ground for our Republican candidates for president," Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn said.

After that, just four months remain before the leadoff Iowa caucuses.

Mitt Romney leads national polls and many states' surveys for the chance to challenge President Barack Obama next fall. But there is no shortage of rivals looking to emerge as the top alternative to the former Massachusetts governor, who lost the GOP nomination in 2008.

The candidates with the most to lose were Minnesotans who were competing to fill the role of a Romney alternative: Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Rep. Michele Bachmann. The pair clashed during Thursday's debate in Ames: Bachmann said Pawlenty "sounds a lot like Barack Obama if you ask me"; Pawlenty said his rival posts "a record of misstating and making false statements.

Pawlenty, who has been languishing in early Iowa polls, is out to prove he's a strong player in the GOP race with a victory, while Bachmann hopes to build on momentum she's enjoyed since entering the race this summer.

"For some people, this is make or break," tea party activist Ryan Rhodes said.

Daylong festival

Nine candidates are on the ballot in voting that runs for six hours during the daylong political festival on the campus of Iowa State University that doubles as a fundraiser for the Iowa GOP.

They include Romney, who won the straw poll four years ago but isn't actively competing this time, and former Utah Gov. John Huntsman, who has been bypassing Iowa almost entirely in his hunt for the nomination. Neither was scheduled to be in the state; both spent Friday in New Hampshire.

Perry and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin — who made a splash Friday when she visited the state fair — aren't on the ballot, but their supporters are waging write-in campaigns that could outpace candidates who have spent months trying to line up supporters to participate.

Palin questioned the event's validity during Friday's visit.

Story: Palin makes an Ames appearance

"It's not always the tell-tale sign of what the electorate is feeling," Palin said of the poll. "It's who happens to show up and has the time and energy to spend that day for their particular candidate."

Others on the list, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and businessman Herman Cain, hope for surprise showings.

"Part of it is whether the message resonates, but the bottom line is you better be pretty well organized," Iowa Christian Alliance head Steve Scheffler said.

Story: Analysts question GOP's fiscal policy

On the Iowa State campus, a circus-like atmosphere was in the making, with campaigns putting up giant tents for live music and tangy barbecue to court activists. Between the entertainers, candidates had one last shot to pitch for votes.

Republicans wouldn't speculate how many people will spend $30 each to attend the event, but turnout in past has ranged from 14,000 to 23,000.