New poll shows Scott Brown in "strong position" for special election

New reasons to smile

Boston's NPR radio station, WBUR, conducted a poll earlier this week that shows Scott Brown is in a "strong position" to rejoin his colleagues in the Senate, assuming John Kerry is appointed to be Secretary of State, triggering a special election.

The poll was conducted with 500 registered voters on Monday and Tuesday, and Brown's favorables are very high, even though it is less than two months after he lost a brutal campaign battle against Elizabeth Warren. 

God is not dead, nor doth He sleep

Watching the news these past few days has been tough. The elementary school in Connecticut where those teachers and children were murdered is just a little more than two hours away from my apartment in Massachusetts. I have never been to Newtown, but it looks like so many of the idyllic New England small towns through which I have traveled this year, and it seems inconceivable that such a horror could happen there.

I cannot even imagine the pain for those families, losing a loved one so close to the holidays. And even for the many of us whose only connection to Newtown is through our televisions, there may be other reasons to have heavy hearts this year. A newly empty chair at the table, dreams that turned into disappointments, ongoing economic struggles, and so on. 

And yet there is always reason for hope. I believe that very strongly, and the Christmas season is a excellent time for all of us to take a few moments to find ways to renew hope in ourselves.

In praise of simplicity

'Tis the gift to be simple,
'Tis the gift to be free...

- lyrics from "Simple Gifts," traditional Shaker folk song written and composed in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett

I'm writing from a coffee shop in Washington, D.C. this morning and my online news feed is full of discussions about this fiscal cliff mess: what the President is proposing, how the Republicans are reacting, whether there is any chance of a deal, how bad it will hurt our economy if we go off this fiscal cliff, whether it's even remotely possible to avoid it, and so on.

What frustrates me is that, as usual, the debate in this town misses the main point - neither side is taking any steps to address why we're in this mess in the first place.

Yawn. The news we all knew was coming.

Democrats, you can have him.

It's official. Our former governor and World's Tallest Oompa Loompa, Charlie Crist, became a Democrat today. 

Anyone who posted this news on Twitter as "BREAKING" as anything other than tongue-in-cheek should be thoroughly mocked, as this was one of the most predictable moves in politics since dinosaurs crawled the earth.

As the Tampa Bay Times reported earlier tonight:

Rubio-sponsored amendment to protect military voting rights passes unanimously

Senator Marco Rubio's office just sent out a press release, touting an amendment he co-sponsored with Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) to the NDAA bill that is designed to streamline the process for getting absentee ballots to military personnel deployed overseas. The amendment passed the Senate unanimously. 

This is the type of issue that should be a no-brainer: the men and women who are literally putting their lives on the line to protect our country should have their rights to vote protected as well. 

Ain't that the truth!

Best depiction of the fiscal cliff negotiations I've seen so far:

High Five to Texas

I'm spending a few days in Austin, Texas and while I was in the Capitol earlier this week, I came across this sign in a hallway:

I debated Alan Grayson...well, sort of...

Earlier this month, I debated the once-and-future Congressman (sigh...) Alan Grayson on Fox 35 Orlando regarding whether ObamaCare was at fault for announced layoffs at Orlando Regional Healthcare Systems. 

Well, OK, I didn't really debate him in person. But we were both invited to comment on the story and I believe my analysis up very well against Grayson's predictable talking points:

This is a must read: "Conservative Outreach to Hispanics: A Primer"

A prominent topic of the conservative movement's endless election postmortem discussions has been the issue of the Hispanic vote. Not surprisingly, a lot of people have a lot of opinions on the subject, and it can be difficult to tell at first glance which ideas are worth pursuing.

Below, I've embedded a paper titled, "Conservative Outreach to Hispanics: A Primer," which was written by Samuel A. Rosado and Brittney Morrett, with contributions from Michelle Lancaster and Ben Domenech.

Marco Rubio: We still need answers on Benghazi

Senator Marco Rubio has a new op-ed posted on CNN.com this morning regarding the many unanswered questions about the terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012:

Is the lottery a tax on the poor?

Earlier today, I saw an article posted by a friend on Facebook, asking whether lottery programs were a form of regressive taxation, in other words, whether they have a disproportionate effect on the poor.

Missing the point about the fiscal cliff

Taking a nice stroll off the fiscal cliff

Since the election, the news has turned to the ongoing negotiations regarding the so-called "fiscal cliff," and the potential compromises that the Republican-controlled House and the Democrat-controlled Senate may make.

There are many questions being debated on the editorial pages and talk radio programs and cable television news shows:

Will the Bush tax cuts be allowed to expire?

Will the Democrats' rhetoric demonizing all those "millionaires and billionaires" actually be persuasive in getting Republicans to sign on to tax increases?

Communism vs. Capitalism

From Babalú Blog, the difference between communism and capitalism in one image:

Another shameless power grab coming from MA Dems?

It's been an interesting time for me in Massachusetts this year, seeing the differences (the many, many, many differences) between that state and Florida. 

Both states have a legislature dominated by one party, but with wide variation in how much autonomous power the controlling party really has. When the Republicans who control the Florida House and Senate push their luck too far, the Florida press corps howl in protest and voters in even heavily-Republican districts tend to reject anything really outlandish (case in point: the failure of many of the constitutional amendments, which originated in the Legislature, on the ballot this year).

In contrast, in Massachusetts, when the Democrats try something nutty, it's met with shrugs  and mostly ignored as simply business as usual. At best, media outlets like the Boston Herald may cover a story here and there, but it rarely seems to slow down the Democrats' appetite for abusing government power.

Feeling Thankful

I haven't posted anything since the election because I needed some time to clear my head, figure out what my next steps would be, and frankly, because I just needed a break after a long and all-too-often frustrating election season. 

But don't worry, I'll be back after Thanksgiving. I just wanted to put up a quick note thanking all of you who visit my little corner of the internet. It's been a fun and interesting ride, and I appreciate all of you who have joined me on it. 

Still Proud.

Sigh...anyone who has spent five minutes reading this blog knows that many of tonight's results are not what I wanted, and some of them are not just disappointing, but shocking.

Ignore the exit polls. Here's why.

The polls are starting to close in the early states, and until the official vote tallies are reported by the supervisors of elections, the networks will include information from exit polls in their reporting.

Remember, polls in FL do NOT close at 7 pm. GOP-leaning Panhandle is in Central Time Zone & open until 8 pm ET. #AndExitPollsAreBS
— Sarah Rumpf (@rumpfshaker) November 6, 2012

You should completely ignore any results coming from exit polls. Here is why:

Inspirational Election Day Video from Romney

This video, posted today by the Romney campaign, is very well done:

Positive signs for GOP in OH, FL, CO voter turnout

I'm getting a variety of reports on voter turnout around the country, and there are some positive indicators for Romney...

Problems already in Pennsylvania [UPDATED WITH VIDEO]

Even at this early hour, I am already getting reports of problems in Pennsylvania. Sigh...

Keep Calm and Stay In Line

Election day is finally (finally!) here, and the next few hours will determine our nation's future, at least for the next few years. 

It's going to be an intense day, and it's easy to lose focus in the middle of all the chaos and excitement. Here are some things to keep in mind...

Make sure you're at your correct precinct. States have different types of provisional ballot rules, and certain restrictions have been lifted for areas affected by Hurricane Sandy, but it is much easier to be at the right place and not have to fill out the extra forms and come back to validate your ballot later.

Romney campaign link to look up your polling place (links for all states available).

For Massachusetts voters, Red Sox fans, and anyone in a blue state

In all the election coverage I've read in the past month or so, one of the posts that stuck out as making a particularly good argument was written by Cat del Valle Castellanos at CNN.

In the post, Castellanos responds to a recent CNN piece about undecided young female voters, and says that she had made a choice, and that she was voting for Mitt Romney.

Rejecting any suggestion that she was merely adopting the politics of her Republican strategist father, Castellanos goes on to articulate several well-reasoned arguments for her support for Romney, including this passage:

Orange County (FL) GOP increases early voting numbers; Democrats fall short

Just got a press release with the final numbers from early voting in Orange County and there are some very positive signs for Florida Republicans. 

LIBRE Initiative launches new Spanish TV ad in Orlando

The LIBRE Initiative, a conservative organization focused on Hispanic outreach, launched a television ad for Spanish television stations in the Orlando market during this last week before the election, with a simple yet powerful message:

Just who do you think you are?

John Hawkins at Right Wing News occasionally sends out email polls to a group of conservative bloggers, and his latest one was a simple two questions about the presidential race. We were asked (1) who do we thought would win the election, and (2) for whom we were voting. 

I didn't think much of it when I sent in my response (Romney for both questions, duh), but when John emailed out the results last night, I saw red.

Florida is Romney Country

Mitt Romney just finished speaking at his last event in Florida before the election in front of an overflowing crowd at a hangar at the Sanford Airport (just north of Orlando, for those of you not familiar with the area):

WTF, NYC?

Absolutely unacceptable. 

As the New York Post reported this morning, the New York Marathon was cancelled days ago, but the generators, food, water, and other supplies still sit unused and inaccessible to those impacted by Hurricane Sandy:

Latest Romney TV Ad: "Bigger, Better America" [VIDEO]

Using footage from a rally in West Chester, Ohio two days ago, the Romney campaign has released a new television ad. From the campaign's press release:

Today, Romney for President released a new television advertisement, “Bigger, Better America.” The differences between Mitt Romney and President Obama are clear. He says it has to be this way. Mitt Romney says it can’t stay this way. President Obama is hoping Americans settle, but Americans don’t settle. We build. We aspire.

Oh Heck Yeah.

This brought a smile to my face:

A reminder about the Orange County Tax Collector's race

If you are voting in Orange County, Florida, one of the races on your ballot is for Orange County Tax Collector. I strongly encourage you to support Jim Huckeba.

Stupid is as stupid does: Union politics slowing hurricane repairs in New Jersey

This is unbelievably, mindbogglingly stupid:

#BusybodyBloomberg meddles in FL elections while NYC drowns

Rep. and Mrs. Webster

Congressman Dan Webster is one of the nicest people you might ever hope to meet, anywhere. In the cutthroat world of politics, he really stands out. I haven't confirmed it, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't even step on ants on the sidewalk.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why he always seems to attract the most unhinged and crazy attacks during his campaigns.

Obama suggests "Secretary of Business," Romney suggests he get a clue [VIDEO]

A few days ago, Obama mentioned in an interview that if he wins a second term (heaven forbid! ugh...), he'd like to create a "Secretary of Business."

The Romney campaign responded this morning with a message that is spot on:

What we can learn from Sen. Menendez's Dominican hookers (Yes, really.)

In case you missed all the excitement last night, the Drudge Report spent several hours teasing a story that eventually showed up at The Daily Caller, about how Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) apparently availed himself of the services of two prostitutes when he visited the Dominican Republic earlier this year.

I'd call Alan Grayson a pig, but that's an insult to pigs

For two mercifully short years, Alan Grayson was my Congressman. Grayson was such an embarrassment, a friend of mine started a website called "MyCongressmanIsNuts.com." After Dan Webster defeated Grayson, we breathed a sigh of relief that we once again had a rational human being representing us in Congress.

Last #FreePAC event in Chicago today! Watch the livestream here!

I had the privilege of attending the last two FreePAC events in Phoenix and Orlando, and can't say enough great things about these excellent FreedomWorks programs. The Chicago FreePAC is today, and you can watch the livestream (for free!) here:

Obama: Most. Childish. Campaign. Ever.

Fresh off their trivial, demeaning, and completely creepy "ladyparts" and "your first time" ads, the Obama campaign is now seeking inspiration from the kindergarten playground for today's message.

Connie Mack: "Defund the UN" [VIDEO]

Florida Senate candidate, Rep. Connie Mack,
addressing the crowd at FreePAC Florida

Florida Senate candidate Connie Mack delivered a rousing speech at the FreePAC Florida event last Friday to a crowd of thousands of grassroots conservative activists, saying that he wanted to go to the United States Senate to make sure that "freedom was at the top of the agenda."

One of the loudest responses Mack received was to several comments stating that the United States should withdraw funding support to the United Nations:

FreePAC is in Florida today! Watch the livestream here!

I'm in Orlando for FreePAC today, and it's so nice to be home for one last short trip before the election. FreedomWorks has been doing an amazing job with these events, and the FreePAC last week in Phoenix, Arizona was a blast.

Today's lineup of speakers includes:

Glenn Beck, Florida Senate candidate Connie Mack, Florida Congressional candidate Trey Radel, Judge Napolitano, Matt Kibbe, Reverend C.L. Bryant, Deneen Borelli, and more.

(ICYMI, check out my interview last week with Reverend C.L. Bryant for FTR Radio here, and the rest of the FTR Radio interviews from all the FreePAC events so far this year here.)

You can watch all the festivities on the livestream, which I've embedded below (if it doesn't work, go to live.freedomworks.org). We officially kickoff at 4:00 pm but FTR Radio is doing some pre-show interviews now.

Orlando Sentinel Endorses Romney for President!

Wow. The Orlando Sentinel has endorsed Mitt Romney for president, and it's a solid endorsement (as well as a brutal takedown of the many failures of the Obama administration):

This is a MUST READ:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-endorsement-president-mitt-romney-101912-20121018,0,6927962.story

This ad may ruffle some feathers...

...especially up here in Massachusetts.

Click below to see why...

Actual Women Who Actually Worked With Romney Think He's Awesome

Hat tip: @evanmc_s

The Left's attempts to keep their ridiculous "War on Women" afloat continue...

The latest example is the hyperventilating over Romney's comments at the debate last night that when he was elected Governor of Massachusetts, he had "binders full" of women's resumes to help him build his administration.

No, Romney doesn't actually want to trap women in binders. Idiots.

Now, if my future President would like to put a copy of my resume in a binder to review for potential employment, that would be just fine with me.

President, Debate Moderator Can't Keep Facts Straight on Libya

During tonight's presidential debate, Mitt Romney directly challenged Barack Obama on the issue of the terrorist attack on our consulate in Benghazi, Libya. With some assistance from teammate moderator Candy Crowley, Obama once again avoided telling the American people the straight truth about the events that led to the deaths of four Americans and heightened concerns about the safety of our diplomats around the globe.

After the debate, Crowley was forced to eat crow and admit that Romney's comments on Libya were actually correct:

Regarding the rest of Obama's desperate spin, the Romney campaign has helpfully put together a list of quotes and dates from the Obama administration's statements on Libya.

Now, this list might look strange to mainstream media types. You know, because it contains actual facts. Read on below...

Live-Blogging Tonight's Debate

Well, tonight started with an earthquake (yes, really)...it remains to be seen whether tonight's presidential debate will be as earth-shattering as the last one. Here's all the links to follow along the action tonight:

Latest Sean Bielat ad: "Joe Kennedy: A Legacy He Didn't Build"

The latest web ad for Sean Bielat's campaign for Massachusetts' Fourth Congressional District, "Joe Kennedy: A Legacy He Didn't Build," launches today, and you can view it below:

Karen Castor Dentel's inadequate response to ethics complaint filed against her

Karen Castor Dentel: Excuses, excuses, excuses.

Yesterday, I wrote a post detailing complaints filed against state representative candidate Karen Castor Dentel with the Florida Elections Commission and the Florida Commission on Ethics.

WFTV 9 covered the story last night, and Dentel's only responses to the very serious complaints filed against her were to insist she had done nothing wrong, and to whine that it was a "politically motivated" attack.

"The Buck Stops Here!" Ummm...never mind.

A tale of two presidents...

Karen Castor Dentel: Teacher Gets Schooled on Ethics

Karen Castor Dentel

Karen Castor Dentel, currently employed by Orange County Public Schools as a teacher at Dommerich Elementary School, is challenging State Representative Scott Plakon for the District 30 seat in one of the most closely watched campaigns in Florida this year.

Dentel comes from a family of prominent Democrats (mother Betty is a former state senator and education commissioner, and her sister Kathy is a Congresswoman), so I assumed she would have the best advisers helping her campaign, especially considering how highly the Florida Democratic Party was prioritizing this race.

However, recent developments reveal a stunning pattern of ethical violations by Dentel, including complaints filed with the Florida Elections Commission and the Florida Commission on Ethics. I've embedded both complaints below, or you can click on the links in the previous sentence to view them.

FreePAC Arizona today, next week Florida!

Your humble correspondent

I'm in Phoenix, Arizona today for FreePAC, sponsored by FreedomWorks. We have a great day ahead of us, including grassroots training, a preview of Atlas Shrugged II, and presentations by Matt Kibbe, Kristina Ribali, Deneen Borelli, Dana Loesch, Glenn Beck, and many more.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @rumpfshaker and the hashtag #FreePAC for all the latest news throughout the day, as well as the official FreedomWorks twitter accounts, @FreedomWorks and @FWforAmerica.

Dorworth fights back: It's not the critic who counts

State Representative Chris Dorworth has had an ongoing feud with Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell, which I've covered several times in the past (see here and here).

Despite the fact that every time he engages with the Sentinel, they kick him in the teeth, Dorworth doesn't let it faze him and just carries on, working on legislation and reforms to make government more efficient and more responsive to the needs of the Florida people.

Now, Dorworth has moved beyond "just carrying on." I've been glad to see Dorworth decide to fight back and defending his name. In a recent op-ed posted at Sunshine State News, Dorworth addressed the slanted coverage he's received in the Sentinel (hmmm, you think there's a reason so many people call it the "Slantinel"?). I've linked it below: read it and let me know what you think in the comments section. 

Shocker, I know: Biden got his facts wrong about Palin

"Hey Joe, I didn't know you could travel through time!"

At the vice presidential debate last night, Joe Biden made a curious comment regarding Sarah Palin:

“You know, I heard that death panel argument from Sarah Palin. It seems that every vice presidential debate, I hear this kind of stuff about panels. But let's talk about Medicare..."

Wait a second. Palin was claiming that  the implementation of ObamaCare would involve death panels in 2008?

The legislation wasn't introduced until the summer of 2009. 

Live-Blogging Tonight's VP Debate

Last week's presidential debate was an amazing, incredible evisceration of Barack Obama's campaign, and I am really looking forward to tonight's contest between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan.

Once again, I'll be live-blogging tonight from my Sulia account. You can follow the posts on the Sunshine State Sarah Facebook page or on Twitter at @rumpfshaker.

The Romney campaign has a widget for following the Twitter feeds of their staffers. I've embedded it below:

Coupon for 1 gallon of gas!

We all know gas prices have been much higher under Obama's presidency, so who wouldn't want a coupon?

Unbelievable: @AmbassadorRice's Actual Twitter Account

I was scrolling through Twitter earlier tonight, and came across a tweet by @SooperMexican that I thought had to be a parody:

You're a joke. RT @ambassadorrice: So proud to defend #humanrights and ensure #LGBT voices are heard at the #UN. @global_equality
— el SOOPer (@SooperMexican) October 11, 2012

New video shows widespread OFA encouragement for voter fraud

"One person, one vote." That's how it's supposed to work, anyway. 

But in a new video by James O'Keefe's Project Veritas, Obama for America staffers openly encourage undercover reporters to engage in voter fraud - specifically, offering assistance as they seek to vote in more than one state:

"P" is for Priorities

I have a post over on my Sulia page about why it's fine with me that the Obama campaign continues to hyperventilate about Big Bird (please go check it out if you haven't yet), and just wanted to share this graphic from the RNC:

ICYMI: Sean Bielat's Remarks on Benghazi

Sean Bielat, candidate for Massachusetts' Fourth Congressional District, wrote an post earlier this week for RedState regarding his thoughts on the situation in Libya. If you missed it, it's worth a read:

"Bad Lip Reading" of the Presidential Debate

The insanely clever (and possibly cleverly insane) people at Bad Lip Reading posted their version of the first debate between Obama and Romney yesterday:

"Hope Is Not a Strategy" - Excerpts from Romney's Foreign Policy Speech

Tomorrow, Mitt Romney will deliver a foreign policy address at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia.

The Romney campaign has released excerpts, as prepared for delivery, from the speech, and I am glad to see Romney taking a tough stance in support of a strong American foreign policy, and doesn't shy away from criticizing the current administration's approach.

In an especially powerful section, Romney mentions that he and President Obama both share the hope of "a safer, freer, and a more prosperous Middle East allied with the United States," but then concludes, "[b]ut hope is not a strategy." Well said, Governor.

Read the speech below:

New AFP Ad & Super Saturday Walk in Orlando

Americans for Prosperity launched a new ad today about what life is like around the dinner table for the more than 12 million Americans who are unemployed. AFP New Media Director Stephanie Fontenot described the ad as follows:

It's a common scene and, to some, an all too familiar situation. As a response to the jobs report released this morning, we've just launched our new ad, "The Dinner Table" online. It's uncomfortable, awkward, and a real-life example of the impact of President Obama's harmful economic policies and failing agenda.

You can watch the ad here:

Ferris Bueller, You're a Jerk

Jerk.

There's liberal Hollywood bias, and then there's lunacy like this...

I was flipping through the channels late last night and happened to catch The Late Show with David Letterman, just as Letterman was introducing a segment where he has an actor pretend to be Mitt Romney, under the guise of simulating how an interview with Romney might go, if the Governor were to come on Letterman's show.

Comeback for Obama in the next debate?

The consensus today, across the political spectrum, is that Romney annihilated Obama at the debate last night. The blamestorming on the Left has been nothing short of hysterical (I've been hashtagging tweets with #delicioustears), including Al Gore's pathetic excuse that Obama was suffering from altitude problems.

The question now is whether Obama will be able to mount a comeback the next time the two candidates meet on stage.

Apparently, the President may have a secret weapon:

Pre-Debate Blogger Call With Marco Rubio [AUDIO]

The Romney Digital Team set up a conference call with Senator Marco Rubio and several conservative bloggers before last night's presidential debate. Rubio is one of the best in the country at delivering the conservative message, and last night was no exception.

Rubio was very positive and upbeat during the call, both about Mitt Romney as a candidate, and about how he expected the Governor to do during the debate. As we now know, Rubio had good reason for optimism.

The campaign graciously permitted me to record the call, and I've posted it on my YouTube channel:

Live-Blogging the Debate

I'll be live-blogging the debate tonight from my Sulia account. You can follow the posts on the Sunshine State Sarah Facebook page or on Twitter at @rumpfshaker.

The Romney campaign has a widget for following the Twitter feeds of their staffers. I've embedded it below:

There's a reason they call it the "Slantinel"

State Representative Chris Dorworth

Last fall, I wrote a post that started with this question:

How can you tell if Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell will be attacking State Representative Chris Dorworth? If it's a day ending in a "Y."

My friend Tom Tillison had an excellent post at Florida Political Press yesterday regarding Maxwell's latest tirade against  Chris Dorworth, and pointing out that Maxwell's presumptuous "advice" to Republicans should be taken with a grain of salt:

Brutal new Scott Brown ad asks whose side Elizabeth Warren is really on [VIDEO]

Whoa. Scott Brown's campaign has come out with a new web ad that just eviscerates Elizabeth Warren's claims of fighting for the little guy. The ad focuses on Warren's legal representation of LTV Steel in a bankruptcy case in which coal workers lost their pensions and benefits, and some of the most damning clips are those that feature Warren herself:

New ad hits Bill Nelson's hypocrisy on agriculture taxes [VIDEO]

Here's the latest ad from American Crossroads, hitting Florida Democrat Senator Bill Nelson on his hypocrisy taking advantage of an agricultural tax exemption for his own property while pushing to raise taxes on actual farmers:

Rep. William Keating (D-MA) compares America to dirty laundry

So much for American exceptionalism. Democrat Congressman William Keating, who's running for reelection in Massachusetts' Ninth District against Republican challenger Chris Sheldon, made some curious comments in a recent interview with the Patriot Ledger:

"Just Kidding"

Not sure if this is real or photoshopped, but it cracked me up:

Obama 2012: Keeping It Classy

The Obama campaign has a Tumblr blog at barackobama.tumblr.com, and a recent image posted there should raise some eyebrows:

Democrats whine, Republicans act

State Rep. Plakon

The Democrats have been whining about a "War on Women" all year, but other than demand that taxpayers pay for birth control and abortions, have the Democrats done anything to actually help women? 

In contrast, two Florida Republicans, State Representative Scott Plakon and State Senator David Simmons, co-sponsored a bill that amended Florida's stalking statutes to make it easier for victims to get legal protection from their harassers. 

Allen West plays a darn good game of chess

Politics is a chess game.

Having a winning campaign strategy means not just planning your next move, but anticipating what your opponent's moves will be in response. The more accurately you can predict - or, better yet, influence - your opponent's actions, the more likely you are to win.

I don't know if Allen West plays chess in real life, but he's running his reelection campaign like a Grandmaster.

Oooh, Tierney's attack ad has scary words! And Sarah Palin!

Congressman John Tierney (D, MA-6) is in the reelection fight of his life, partly because his Republican challenger, state senator Richard Tisei, enjoys decent approval ratings and name recognition from his decades-long political career, and partly because people in his family keep ending up in jail.

Was Elizabeth Warren practicing law without a license?

Wow. Professor William Jacobson has a knock-your-socks off exposé of what appears to be repeated instances of unlicensed practice of law by Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren at his blog, Legal Insurrection, this morning:

Obama is running for WHAT, exactly?

Barack Obama is the current American president, if Wikipedia can be believed. He's also running some sort of campaign right now, but for what exact office is he running?

Let's review the facts:

Is the UPS Store using "You Didn't Build That" as a theme in their new ad?

I noticed this UPS Store ad about a week ago, and it stuck in my mind for some reason, a reason which didn't really make sense at first. 

Watch the ad yourself, and see if you notice the same interesting thing that I did about the ad:

Rubio in new Romney ad: "That's not politics, it's math" [VIDEO]

My Senator, Marco Rubio, is the star of a new Romney campaign ad on the subject of Medicare:

Gators for Romney

Here's my new favorite logo:

"What do you think would happen?"

Jon Lovitz asked a really good question on Twitter last night:

Obama is better than the previous 11 presidents combined!

Oh yes, I am absolutely serious about that post title. Barack Obama is better than the eleven presidents who held the office before him. In fact, he's better than all eleven of them combined.

The unfortunate thing for Obama is the category where he is better than his predecessors:

Romney gets real about the "War on Women"

Here's a great new ad from the Romney campaign, striking right at the heart of the Democrats' "War on Women" attack:

Enough.

Sadly, yesterday was not only a day for Americans to remember those we lost in the terrorist attacks eleven years ago, but also a day of violence in the Middle East, violence directed towards Americans. 

Our embassy in Egypt was overrun by protesters, who tore down our flag and ripped and burned it, then replaced it with their own banner. Even worse, in Libya similar protests resulted in our ambassador being killed. 

Embassies are legally treated as the sovereign soil of the countries that operate them, so I can't see how yesterday's violence in Egypt and Libya was anything other than an act of war against the United States. 

More on Joe Kennedy's Ignorance about Israel

Last week, I wrote a post about how the Democratic candidate for Massachusetts' Fourth Congressional District, Joe Kennedy III (yes, one of those Kennedys), had taken the the unacceptable position that the capital of Israel was Tel Aviv. 

Video of Kennedy's ridiculous statement made the rounds of the blogosphere (see Moe Lane's RedState post here), but Kennedy has not attempted to clarify his words (or, more likely, his handlers haven't let any journalists close enough to ask him any real questions). The fact that delegates at the DNC were caught on video loudly booing a vote to reinstate language in the Democratic platform that affirmed Jerusalem as Israel's capital further adds to the growing criticism that the Democrats are not as supportive of Israel as they claim.

Today, Seth Mandel has an excellent, "must-read" post at Commentary regarding Kennedy's statement and some broader related issues pertaining to the MA-4 election:

More on the polling...

Just wanted to follow up on the detailed Romney campaign memo I just posted regarding recent poll results...

Peter "DaTechGuy" Ingemi has a detailed analysis at his blog specifically looking at Public Policy Polling's recent Ohio poll. Basically, although PPP shows Obama up by 5, the numbers seem, well, less than reliable when you look at the underlying figures.

Romney pollster: "Don't get too worked up about the latest polling"

Several recent polls claim to show Obama enjoying a post-convention bounce, and back on top over Romney. There are a lot of reasons to be skeptical of what RedState's Erick Erickson characterized yesterday as "the cymbal clashing wind up monkeys of the Gang of 500," as certain sympathetic media outlets attempt to declare the election a done deal before a single voter has cast a ballot.

After we move past distracting nonsense from nationwide polls (when it's the electoral college results that matter), and polls of adults or registered voters (as opposed to likely voters), there are a number of external factors that will affect the vote in November that are not fully reflected in the polls from the past few days. The Romney campaign released a memo this morning from their pollster, Neil Newhouse, on the current state of the race. Newhouse makes a number of points that should give Republicans hope:

Paul Ryan: "This is not even close to what a recovery looks like"

Paul Ryan gave an interview earlier this morning in response to today's jobs report, which he slammed as "the result of failed leadership in Washington [and] bad fiscal policies coming from the administration:"

Romney: "If last night was the party, this morning is the hangover."

The Democratic National Convention started as our national debt crossed the $16 trillion threshold, and the morning after it ended, we have yet another depressing jobs report.

Unemployment fell to 8.1% from 8.3%, but that number is not actually a measure of new jobs created (or "saved or created," as the Obama administration likes to say), but rather how many Americans have given up looking for work.

In fact, as Reuters reported, "the labor force participation rate, or the percentage of Americans who either have a job or are looking for one, fell to 63.5 percent -- the lowest since September 1981."

Mitt Romney released a statement in response to the latest jobs report, calling it the "hangover" after the "party" of the Democratic National Convention:

Nonsense in the Ninth: Adam Chaprales needs to come clean

In my time up in Massachusetts, I've had the privilege of getting to know Chris Sheldon, who's running for Congress in the Republican primary for District 9.

Sheldon's primary opponent, Adam Chaprales, has made a number of...odd...statements over the past few years, and continued that pattern during this election cycle. 

Bumper sticker of the day

Saw this on my friend Tom Reynold's Facebook page (follow him on Twitter @Beregond) last night:

Charlie Crist is inspirational!

Oh, yes, the World's Tallest Oompa Loompa is indeed an inspiring man. Our former governor's latest round of backstabbing political opportunism has driven the Republican Party of Florida to ever-higher pinnacles of creativity.

After last week's "letter" to DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz mockingly congratulating them on their choice of speakers, the RPOF has followed up with a new video "previewing" Crist's speech to the DNC:

Obama proves again that his own words make the best RNC ads

Yesterday, our national debt officially went over the $16 trillion mark. (You can watch the numbers dizzily spin along for yourself at USDebtClock.org.)

Appropriately, we hit this nausea-inducing milestone on the day that the Democrats kicked off their national convention, hoping to reelect Barack Obama, the guy who led the way in creating a large chunk of that debt.

Never one to pass up an opportunity, the RNC released another web ad, again using Obama's own words against him to make their point:

Unacceptable: Kennedy says capital of Israel is Tel Aviv [VIDEO]

In a recent television debate with his Democratic primary opponents, MA-4 Congressional candidate Joe Kennedy III was asked about the capital of Israel.

Shockingly - especially for a candidate who professes to support Israel - Kennedy replied that the capital was Tel Aviv, and even confirmed his answer when the host questioned him on it:

EXCLUSIVE PHOTO: Obama welcomes Crist to Charlotte

In this exclusive photo, President Obama welcomes former Florida Governor and former Republican Charlie Crist to Charlotte, North Carolina for the Democratic National Convention:

New RNC ad uses Obama's own words against him [VIDEO]

This new ad from the RNC makes devastatingly effective use of Barack Obama's own words:

Allen West calls Obama a "lamb standing before lions"

I've made no secret of my admiration for Florida Congressman Allen West, and his tough, no-nonsense way of speaking...

...and West has made no secret of his disapproval of President Obama's foreign policy strategies.

In a Facebook post this afternoon, West posted a blistering critique in response to Obama's visit to Fort Bliss earlier today:

Zing! RPOF Chair sends DWS a "preview" of Crist's DNC speech

I've had a lot of fun following the Republican Party of Florida's communications over the past few years. They've been doing a great job with some pithy, snarky attacks on the Democrats, like Alex Sink's "iCheat" kerfuffle during the 2010 gubernatorial debates.

When the news broke that our former Governor (and World's Tallest Oompa Loompa) Charlie Crist was endorsing Barack Obama for president, RPOF was quick to respond with a press release condemning Crist's political opportunism and a detailed list of quotes Crist had said when he was still trying to run as a Republican.

Now that the Democrats have announced that Crist will speak at the Democratic National Committee, the RPOF was once again ready with a sharp response:

Jeb! at #GOP2012

[Live-blogging at the RNC...please forgive any errors. Make sure to follow me on twitter: @rumpfshaker]

My former governor (and the first one for whom I could vote), Jeb Bush, entered the stage at the Republican National Convention to a standing ovation and thunderous applause. 

Here are Bush's remarks, along with a teacher and school choice advocate who joined him on stage:

Rep. Connie Mack's #GOP2012 speech

Florida Congressman and Senate candidate Connie Mack gave a positive and uplifting speech to open tonight's Republican National Convention, telling the crowd that "once again, it's morning in America," a tribute to Ronald Reagan. 

Mack delivered his speech and closed with, "Thank you! God bless America!" and then, "I love you, Florida!" as he pointed at the Florida delegation and then exited the stage. 

Excerpts from Mitt Romney's speech tonight

[I'm live-blogging from the Tampa Bay Times Forum, so please forgive any errors. Also, follow me on Twitter @rumpfshaker for more updates as the evening progresses.]

The Republican National Convention concludes tonight with speeches from Florida Senate candidate Connie Mack, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a surprise guest (widely rumored to be Clint Eastwood), and the official acceptance speech from our nominee for President, Mitt Romney.

Here are excerpts from Romney's speech that he will give tonight:

Excerpts from Paul Ryan's speech tonight

Here are some excerpts from the speech Paul Ryan will give tonight:

#GOP2012 interview with Matt Kibbe

I ran into Matt Kibbe, the President of FreedomWorks, earlier today in the Google Lounge at the Tampa Convention Center. Here's his comments on Paul Ryan as the Republican Vice Presidential nominee and why conservatives need to unite behind the Romney/Ryan ticket to defeat Barack Obama:

Media Malpractice

The MSM's coverage of the Republican National Convention last night was completely ridiculous. 

Ann calls Mitt "The man America needs" in her speech tonight

The Republican Convention has released some excerpts from Ann Romney's speech, scheduled for 10 p.m. tonight:

Turning Massachusetts Red, Part II

Almost two months ago, I wrote a post titled "Turning Massachusetts Red," about several of the Republican Congressional candidates running in Massachusetts, Sean Bielat, Jon Golnik, Jeff Semon, and Chris Sheldon:

New Square app for donating to Romney

The Romney Square card reader

I ran into my friend Justin Hart earlier today, who is part of the Romney campaign's Digital Team. He told me about a new grassroots fundraising program that they are launching using the Square card readers for smartphones.

If you haven't seen this before, Square is an app that lets any smartphone accept credit card payments. You just plug the tiny device (it's about 1" square) into the headphone jack on your phone, download the app, and you're ready to go. Lots of small businesses are using them and Square is starting to be used by campaigns and charities now too.

The Romney campaign has a special app and are giving away the card reader devices free to anyone who signs up at www.mittromney.com/square. Justin was nice enough to chat with me on video about the Romney Square app and share how it works:

RIP Neil Armstrong: 1930 - 2012

Hero.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969, passed away earlier today at the age of 82.

His family released a moving statement to the media, which I've excerpted below:

Neil was our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend...

"Woman Up!" Pavilion at #GOP2012

My friend Brian Hughes at Meteoric Media just sent me an email about the "Woman Up!" Pavilion at the Republican Convention next week in Tampa that his company is helping the YG Network promote.

There will be a lot of great speakers, panel discussions, interactive displays, and more throughout the week. Make sure to stop by and check it out! Here's the email with all the information:

A quick note regarding Todd Akin's consultants

Politico posted an article this morning discussing Rex Elsass and Strategy Group for Media, the consultants managing Todd Akin's hot mess of a Senate campaign in Missouri. There's one quote near the beginning, about how SGM's response to the backlash against Akin's ridiculous "legitimate rape" comments was to have the candidate film a TV ad apologizing:

Repeat after me: "No changes to Medicare for those 55 and older!"

I've been saying for awhile that every single Republican candidate needs to start every speech they make from now until November 6th with "By the way, Paul Ryan's Medicare plan doesn't change a darn thing for seniors 55 and older!" and then segue into whatever topic they actually wanted to discuss.

Podcasts and a #GOP2012 Convention Preview

Sorry about the lack of posts the past few days. I've been busy getting ready for the Republican Convention in Tampa next week. It's going to be an amazing time and we're not going to let some stupid hurricane spoil our party.

Anyway, I may not have had much time to write, but I did manage to chatter away on some podcasts this week. I've also included some links and news about the convention below the break:

"Look Who's Going Negative!"

My friend John LaRosa posted this cartoon on Facebook yesterday, and when I tweeted it late last night, it received almost 60 retweets. Guess it struck a chord:

Paul Ryan's First Week, By The Numbers

"America's Comeback Team"

The Romney campaign sent out a memo earlier this morning, detailing some of the positive effects from Paul Ryan joining the ticket. The enthusiasm that I have been seeing online and hearing from fellow Republicans is backed up by hard numbers that show a clear enthusiasm for the Romney-Ryan ticket:

Tea party movement sets record straight: They #StandWithSandy

The District 7 Republican primary continues to be a roller coaster. The infamous troublemaker Doug Guetzloe sent out a mailer through his "Ax the Tax" organization in support of John Mica, falsely claiming that he had tea party support. Guetzloe made headlines in 2010 for his creation of a third party political party using the name "Florida Tea Party," that was frequently accused of being a plot to divide conservative votes and assist in the reelection of Alan Grayson and other liberal Democrats.

Despite Guetzloe's best efforts, the hard working conservative activists who are actually part of Central Florida's tea party movement know the truth, and aren't going to sit silently while he attempt to peddle this nonsense. Tea Party Express chair Amy Kremer came back to Orlando today to counter this story, emphasize that the Tea Party Express organization did indeed endorse Sandy Adams, and state clearly the conservative principles that inspired their endorsement.

Here is the video from the press conference earlier today:

Sigh. I'm revoking my endorsement for Judge Plogstedt.

I hate to do this. Hate, hate, hate it. I've met Judge Plogstedt several times, and like her personally. She has done a lot of great work to support our alma mater, the University of Florida College of Law. But there have some shenanigans in this race, and I am no longer willing to sign my name to it.

Awww. Poor Obama. Paul Ryan is stealing all of his thunder.

Lots of reasons to smile.

The internet exploded with excitement since Mitt Romney announced Paul Ryan as his running mate, with the new official Twitter account for the campaign, @PaulRyanVP, getting over 50,000 followers in the first day. The account now has almost 80,000.

The buzz translated in to real world effects too, with the thousands of conservatives using their wallets to show their pleasure with Romney's choice of Ryan. The campaign raised over $1.2 million in the first few hours after the announcement, and $3.5 million in the first 24 hours, as reported by campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul:

Lawson Lamar, In His Own Words [VIDEO]

As I posted a few days ago, some of the most damaging arguments against Jeff Ashton's candidacy for State Attorney come from his own words:

Most telling is Ashton's admission that the one time he was in a management position at the State Attorney's Office, he "hated it" and demanded a transfer. 

The same guy who "hated" managing one division at the State Attorney's Office and couldn't even stick it out for a year, is now asking Central Florida voters to put him in charge of the entire office...

As a contrast, let's take some time to hear what the current State Attorney, Lawson Lamar, has to say in his own words. Lamar sat down for an interview with me earlier this week, and I've broken it up into several short video segments, posted below.

ROMNEY-RYAN 2012 - November, here we come!

FoxNews.com graphic headlining their website this morning

It's official! Confirming what Twitter knew last night, Mitt Romney has confirmed that Paul Ryan will be his running mate. Here's the official press release from the campaign:

Don't wait for the app...IT'S RYAN! [UPDATED]

PLEASE SEE UPDATE AT BOTTOM OF POST...

Well, the promises from the Mitt VP app that we'd "get the exciting news before just about everyone else (except maybe Ann)" are up in smoke.

Romney VP Pick announced today!

Mitt Romney is announcing his running mate tomorrow morning...err...make that today, since it just passed midnight on the East Coast...

Anyway, it's official. Romney will announce his pick for vice president tomorrow in Norfolk, VA at 8:45 am. Excerpt from Romney digital team email I just received:

Paul Ryan for VP? Charter flight tracker might have the answer

UPDATE: Reports are saying that Romney will make the announcement at the U.S.S. Wisconsin, currently docked in Virginia, tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. Hmmm...the U.S.S. Wisconsin? Interesting...

At National Review a few hours ago, Robert Costa posted a link to a charter flight tracking website that showed a plane going from Boston to Janesville, Wisconsin earlier today:

Sarah Palin robocall urges voters to support "conservative reformer" Sandy Adams

Sarah Palin, who endorsed Sandy Adams in the Republican primary for Florida's Seventh Congressional District, recorded a robocall in support of her campaign:

Jeff Ashton, In His Own Words

My concerns about Jeff Ashton's ability to lead the Ninth Circuit State Attorney's Office aren't based on just the ridiculous Facebook comments by his campaign manager or the campaign's willingness to accept support from shady characters like Doug Guetzloe. 

Specifically, I have concerns about Ashton's temperament and suitability for the job itself. Running the State Attorney's Office for a large metropolitan area like Orange and Osceola Counties is not a job for an amateur.