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Republicans are seizing on the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold ‘Obamacare’ under Congress’s taxing power to accuse Democrats of raising taxes on the middle class. But they’re finding it difficult to square that with the fact that their presidential nominee enacted the same concept as governor of Massachusetts. Although Mitt Romney has vowed to repeal ‘Obamacare’, his 2006 law includes the same core elements, including the mandate to purchase insurance or pay a fine. In 2009, Romney wrote in a USA Today op-ed that he used “tax penalties” to achieve the objective of broadening coverage. On Fox News Sunday, Senate...

Mitt Romney criticized President Obama’s decision to give legal status to young adult illegal immigrants today, saying that the executive action had made it “more difficult” to bring about a “long-term solution.” ........................................................ UPDATE: It’s worth noting that, according to a couple of reporters, Romney was asked if he would reverse Obama’s order if he was elected — and didn’t respond.

"I believe the status of young people who come here through no fault of their own is an important matter to be considered, and should be solved on a long term basis so they know what their future would be in this country," Romney said after a campaign stop in Milford, New Hampshire. "I would like to seek legislation that deals with this issue and I happen to agree with Marco Rubio as he looked at, considered this issue, he said that this is an important matter that we have to find a long term solution," Romney said. "I think...

During his first 18 months as governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney spent considerable time hammering out a sweeping climate change plan to reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions... Before doing an about-face toward the end of his term as he began to prepare for his first run for president, Romney pushed to close coal-fired plants, encourage the development of renewable energy and contain sprawl - steps similar to some President Obama has taken. Indeed, one of Romney's top environmental staffers, Gina McCarthy, now runs the air pollution unit of the EPA under Obama. John Holdren, a scientist Romney turned to...

It sits at Decatur and Russell in Las Vegas, a stark reminder of the Ron Paul takeover of the Republican Party in the state's largest county. The message is unmistakable: Ron Paul is like Ronald Reagan and Mitt Romney is like George W. Bush. The latter is not meant kindly, I assure you. Also advertised on the billboard is Oathkeepers, a group calli

Freelance writer Peter Gemma (cf. http://www.thesocialcontract.com/artman2/publish/tsc_22_3/tsc_22_3_gemma.shtml and http://www.quarterly-review.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/QRGemma.pdf) talked policy and politics with Virgil Goode, the presidential nominee of the Constitution Party. Goode, who received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, served in the Virginia Army National Guard (1969-1975), as a member of the Virginia Senate (1973-1997), and in the U.S. House of Representatives (1996-2008). Gemma was acting a special corespondent for Independent Political Report.  IPR: Thanks Congressman for taking time off the campaign trail to talk with the Independent Political Report. What’s the latest news from the front lines?Goode: We just got back from gathering...

Poll Date Sample Obama (D) Romney (R) Spread RCP Average 5/9 - 5/23 -- 45.5 43.6 Obama +1.9 Rasmussen Tracking 5/21 - 5/23 1500 LV 45 44 Obama +1 Gallup Tracking 5/17 - 5/23 3050 RV 47 46 Obama +1 ABC News/Wash Post 5/17 - 5/20 874 RV 49 46 Obama +3 NBC News/Wall St. Jrnl 5/16 - 5/20 RV 47 43 Obama +4 FOX News 5/13 - 5/15 913 RV 46 39 Obama +7 Mason-Dixon 5/10 - 5/14 1000 LV 44 47 Romney +3 Wash Times/JZ Analytics 5/11 - 5/12 800 LV 43 44 Romney +1 IBD/CSM/TIPP 5/9 -...

Listen to interview at: http://www.wnd.com/2012/05/a-goode-plan-to-save-american-jobs/?cat_orig=money As President Obama and likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney remain locked in a virtual dead heat, is there any room for a third party to make a statement or even be competitive in 2012? That’s the hope of the Constitution Party and its nominee, Virgil Goode. Goode says Obama’s spending is completely out of control but Republican proposals are also not good enough because he says the budget needs to be balanced now and not in a few years or a couple of generations from now. “I would submit a balanced budget if elected president,...

MIAMI, FLORIDA – Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney scheduled a $50,000-a-plate fundraiser at the home of Phil Frost, the executive of the company that makes the Morning After Pill, on Wednesday night. Plan B One-Step is produced by Teva Pharmaceuticals, Frost’s company.

Mitt Romney says he rejects efforts to use President Barack Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, in ads attacking the president, insisting the campaign should remain focused on the economy. "I repudiate the effort by that PAC to promote an ad strategy of the nature they've described," Romney said in an interview with Townhall.com. "I would like to see this campaign focus on the economy, on getting people back to work, on seeing rising incomes and growing prosperity—particularly for those in the middle class of America."

May 17, 2012 EXCLUSIVE: Romney 'Repudiates' Conservative Group's Planned Rev. Wright Attacks By Guy Benson 5/17/2012 In an exclusive interview with Townhall, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney rebuked a conservative group that is reportedly planning to assail President Obama over his 20-year relationship with controversial Chicago pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright: "I repudiate the effort by that PAC to promote an ad strategy of the nature they've described. I would like to see this campaign focus on the economy, on getting people back to work, on seeing rising incomes and growing prosperity -- particularly for those in the middle class...

Levin is livid over the fact that Romney repudiated anything to do with bringing up Rev. Wright in this campaign even though in the primaries he went full throttle against Newt Gingrich, even with false attack ads:

 Thanks to LD for allowing me to publish this lengthy article that is mirror-posted at The Country Thinker. It will be shocking to some, but I have been accused (politely) of being crazy, insane, and a variety of similar expressions over my political positions. This is my rebuttal to explain in detail why I am not.I don’t normally post on Saturday, but I had a conversation with a political consultant friend of mine on Thursday and what we discussed is just too critical to let slide. (I can’t mention his name because he does paying work for the Big Two;...

Why the lack of pounding home this message at Liberty U? If he could take the time to say that marriage is "the relationship between one man and one woman" he could have used this occasion to pound the message home that he will push for a constitutional amendment that says that marriage shall be between one man and one woman. Some might say that there was no need to since Romney is not going to focus on social issues like this, as this would be a distraction and all. But that argument doesn't hold water, because if he could...

Former Fifth District Congressman Virgil Goode blasted presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney as “the father of homosexual marriages” in a statement released to the news media on the eve of Romney’s visit to Liberty University this weekend. Goode, now running for president on the Constitution Party ticket, referred to Romney’s move as Massachusetts governor to issue same-sex marriage licenses in the wake of a state-court ruling. “Gov. Romney did not stand fast in favor of traditional marriage,” said Goode, who lost his Fifth District seat in 2008 to Democrat Tom Perriello. Goode said he has been a “consistent supporter...

A day after Mitt Romney said he was “fine” with gay adoption, he took it back. Suddenly, it’s not “fine.” He said on Thursday: “And if two people of the same gender want to live together, want to have a loving relationship, or even to adopt a child — in my state, individuals of the same sex were able to adopt children. In my view, that’s something that people have a right to do. But to call that ‘marriage’ is something that, in my view, is a departure from the real meaning of that word.” On Friday,he was asked, in...

(CBS News) Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Thursday that while he opposes same-sex marriage, he is "fine" with gay couples adopting children. The presumptive nominee also declined to criticize President Obama's reversal on the issue, saying he would "respect the right of the president to reach the conclusion he has." In his most detailed comments to date on the issue of civil rights for gay people, Romney told Fox News television host Neil Cavuto, "I know many gay couples that are able to adopt children. That's fine. But my preference is that we ... continue to define marriage as...

Liberty University students and alumni are accusing the Christian school of violating its own teachings by asking Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints whose adherents are called Mormons, to deliver its 2012 commencement address. By Friday morning, more than 700 comments had been posted on the school's Facebook page about the Thursday announcement - a majority of them decidedly against the Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr.’s invitation, citing that the school had taught them Mormonism isn’t part of the Christian faith. “I can’t support Romney and I am happy I decided...

Unlike Obama, Romney says he hasn't changed at all. "I have the same view that I've had since running for office," he said. But that could depend on which office he means. Back when Romney was running for the U.S. Senate, he promised to be a champion for "full equality" for gays and lesbians — which many understood to include even gay marriage. "His campaign distributed at the gay pride parade pink flyers that asserted that he would be a better and a stronger advocate than Ted Kennedy," recalls lobbyist Arlene Isaacson. "Once he became governor and had his eye...