http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/ en Copyright 2012 2012-02-07T19:14:39+00:00 http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/icymi_chairman_priebus_hope_handbags_and_hypocrisy/ http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/icymi_chairman_priebus_hope_handbags_and_hypocrisy/#When:19:14:39Z Excerpts from Red State By: Reince Priebus February 7, 2012   “This morning’s Wall Street Journal reports on Obama’s ‘Runway to Win’ fashion fundraiser tonight, where the campaign will begin hawking campaign-themed apparel and accessories from high-end designers. The article also raises some serious issues about potential campaign finance law violations… “Visitors to www.RunwaytoWin.com may find themselves asking yet another question: Is the Obama campaign promoting a president or a product? “While the products’ prices are high by conventional standards, it all speaks to a certain cheapening of the commander-in-chief. It underscores yet again the Obama campaign’s desire to run on something—anything!—other than the president’s record. “In 2008, Barack Obama had no record, so he ran on empty slogans. In 2012, he has a record, but because that record is so abysmal, the campaign has calculated that they must run a campaign that deliberately avoids mentioning it… “In the Obama economy, few can realistically afford to be campaign-chic—even if these are supposed to be discounted prices. (See the RNC’s video, ‘The Obama 2012 Fashion Show’) “This tone-deafness comes on the same day that Team Obama took hypocrisy to a new level—embracing the very Super PACs that the president once called a ‘threat to democracy.’ It’s just the latest broken promise from Barack Obama and, like the fashion fundraising, directly undermines the administration’s own rhetoric… “Obama once declared that as a result of Super PACs, ‘every American might end up suffering’… “Obama now prioritizes fundraising over fighting supposed ‘suffering.’ It doesn’t take a fashion designer to see that’s a bad look on him.” Click Here To Read The Full Op-Ed: http://bit.ly/yWuSAX ### 2012-02-07T19:14:39+00:00 http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/icymi_highlights_from_rnc_conference_call_regarding_colorado_caucus/ http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/icymi_highlights_from_rnc_conference_call_regarding_colorado_caucus/#When:18:49:21Z RNC Political Director Rick Wiley: “Today’s caucuses in Colorado give us an opportunity to evaluate the last three years since Obama took office and how broken promises and failed economic policies have caused Coloradans to sour on Obama… “Gallup just released job approval numbers last week and six in ten Coloradans believe that Barack Obama is failing at his job. Those are dangerous numbers when you look at an electorate that is as charged up as it is right now… “I believe if you look at Colorado and the successes we have had picking up two U.S. House seats, picked the State House up, one thing I think is important to realize is we picked up Secretary of State and the Treasurer’s office along with the AG when the top of the ticket failed. So it’s rare in politics when down ballot races succeed when the top of the ticket doesn’t do as well, but it shows that the wave from 2010 certainly reached Colorado, and I believe that it’s right in our sights in 2012 to turn it from blue, back to red… “Sixty-two thousand Coloradans have lost their jobs since Barack Obama took office. If you look at the number of seats where the Broncos host their football games, 215,000 people are out of work in Colorado; you can fill that stadium nearly three times with the folks that are out of work in Colorado. “I think at the end of the day, one thing to keep in mind is that Colorado is still a GOP leaning state. We have nearly a 100,000 person voter registration advantage in the state. Obama was only the second Democrat to win Colorado in a presidential election in forty years…then you have just the strong year that we had in 2010…As we move forward…I think Colorado is ripe for the taking and I look forward to a good Caucus Day.” RNC Hispanic Outreach Director Bettina Inclán: “Colorado is yet another battleground state where Latino voters will play a crucial role in the Republican path to the White House in 2012. Just two weeks ago, the Colorado Hispanic Republicans…held a press conference to respond to Obama’s campaign stop and, at the same time, to show Obama that his path to reelection is a steep climb up the Rockies. “Latinos in Colorado have been hit the hardest by Obama’s failed economic policies and are ready to caucus today to take a step forward to make Barack Obama a one-term president. If we just look to the economy, the economic downturn has…had a major toll on the Hispanic community. And particularly true for Hispanics in Colorado who are facing an unemployment rate of 13.2%, much higher than the state’s average of 7.5%. It’s clear that Hispanics in Colorado are ready for a change in direction in Washington. “There’s no doubt Hispanic voters have been a major voice in Colorado elections, making up 1 out of every 10 Colorado voters—about 16% of Hispanics in the state are registered Republicans and about 33% are non-affiliated with either party. The harsh economic climate for those in the Hispanic community proves that Obama will face a rocky road in Colorado. We’re anxious to take this first step with the Hispanic community in Colorado and continue to work together and make sure that we send a leader who will focus on creating jobs rather than saving his own.” Click Here To Listen To The Full Audio: http://www.gop.com/audio/2.7.2012_Colorado.mp3     ### 2012-02-07T18:49:21+00:00 http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/rnc_rapid_response_web_video_a/ http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/rnc_rapid_response_web_video_a/#When:16:44:52Z WASHINGTON – The Republican National Committee (RNC) is out with a new Rapid Response web video “A ‘Super’ Failed Promise” after another failed promise from President Obama. Like clockwork, Barack Obama goes back on another one of his promises to ‘change Washington’ because his number one priority is saving his own job. It’s no secret this president will do anything and saying anything to get reelected.  Web video can be viewed here. Download the web video here.  “In 2010, President Obama decried these outside groups as ‘a threat to our democracy,’ yet, with his job on the line, he changed his position,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. “With enthusiasm for his campaign lagging, Barack Obama is going to have to do everything in his power to try and mask three years of failed economic policies.” “Today’s announcement is more evidence that this president will do and say anything to get reelected. The Obama of ‘hope and change’ is no more. He’s in full-campaign mode, focused on saving his own job.”    ###    2012-02-07T16:44:52+00:00 http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/icymi_president_obama_embraces_the_super_pac/ http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/icymi_president_obama_embraces_the_super_pac/#When:15:05:40Z In 2010, Obama Called Super PACs And Outside Spending Groups "A Threat To Our Democracy." (President Barack Obama, Remarks At Campaign Event , Philadelphia, PA, 10/10/10)   “Obama Super PAC Decision: President Blesses Fundraising for Priorities USA Action”  Excerpts from POLITICO: “President Barack Obama — in an act of hypocrisy or necessity, depending on the beholder — has reversed course and is now blessing the efforts of a sputtering super PAC, Priorities USA Action, organized to fight GOP dark-money attacks… “Monday morning, Obama reviled the ‘negative’ tone of the super PACs, a dominant fundraising source in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision…by the evening, word leaked…that Obama had offered his support for Priorities USA Action, which thus far has raised a fraction of what GOP-backed groups have raked in… “Republicans lost no time in blasting Obama’s move Monday night. “‘Yet again, Barack Obama has proven he will literally do anything to win an election, including changing positions on the type of campaign spending he called nothing short of a ‘threat to our democracy,’ said Joe Pounder, the Republican National Committee’s research director. ‘In less than 24 hours, Obama has gone from decrying super PACs in the morning to opening up the door to their money during a conference call with his big money donors in the middle of the night.’ “Obama had voiced dismay about the presence of super PACs and negative campaigning in an interview that aired Monday morning. “‘Would I love to take some of the big money out of politics? I would,’ the president told NBC’s Matt Lauer. ‘Unfortunately, right now partly because of Supreme Court rulings and a bunch of decisions out there, it is very hard to get your message out without having some resources’… “In April 2011, two former White House aides formed Priorities USA Action, which — along with an affiliated nonprofit group — hopes to raise $100 million to support Obama. But so far, its funding has been dwarfed by that of Republican groups… “Obama will have to reconcile his campaign’s move on Monday night with his previous opposition to the super PACs, especially his memorable 2010 State of the Union speech in which he denounced Citizens United and called out members of the Roberts Court to their faces for overturning the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law…” Read the Full Article Here: http://politi.co/w62vkH    “Obama Yields in Marshaling of ‘Super PAC’"  Excerpts from The New York Times: “President Obama is signaling to wealthy Democratic donors that he wants them to start contributing to an outside group supporting his re-election, reversing a long-held position as he confronts a deep financial disadvantage on a vital front in the campaign. “Aides said the president had signed off on a plan to dispatch cabinet officials, senior advisers at the White House and top campaign staff members to deliver speeches on behalf of Mr. Obama at fund-raising events for Priorities USA Action, the leading Democratic ‘super PAC,’ whose fund-raising has been dwarfed by Republican groups… “The Republican National Committee sharply criticized the decision. A spokesman, Joe Pounder, declared: ‘Yet again, Barack Obama has proven he will literally do anything to win an election, including changing positions on the type of campaign spending he called nothing short of 'a threat to our democracy’… “Mr. Obama said in 2008 that he did not want support from outside groups and took a strong stand against the influence of special-interest money in politics, effectively shutting down independent activity on his behalf… “His past criticism of outside groups, some Democrats said, had made it hard to persuade donors to back Priorities USA Action, contributing to its problems in keeping up with conservative groups. “‘It’s hard to pass the plate for super PAC money while Democratic leaders have been preaching about the sins of it,’ said Robert Zimmerman, a New York fund-raiser for Mr. Obama… “But the major Democratic groups, including Priorities USA Action, raised only $19 million for the year. Those lopsided figures led Mr. Messina to send his top network of donors an e-mail last week urging them to raise more money... “The decision comes four years after Mr. Obama became the first presidential candidate since the Watergate era to turn down public financing and the accompanying spending limits, allowing him to raise $750 million for his 2008 campaign… “Mr. Obama has consistently spoken out against the new rules that allow unlimited contributions from corporations and wealthy donors. ‘But for 2012,’ Mr. Messina said, ‘our campaign has to face the reality of the law as it currently stands.’” Read the Full Article Here: http://nyti.ms/ydNDiR   “Dems: We Won’t Unilaterally Disarm Super PACs’” Excerpts from CBS News: “Monday night for the first time, President Obama's campaign began asking major contributors to give money to a super PAC that supports his re-election… “This marks a dramatic change in policy for the president, but unsurprising, given the fact that super PAC-supporting Republicans have raised more than $50 million already…. “It's not also the first time that the president has reversed himself on fundraising. In 2008, he said that he would take public funding, but then he changed his mind. This time the reversal comes after his denunciation of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision which allowed unlimited fundraising. “At his State of the Union address in 2010 Mr. Obama had this to say: ‘I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests or, worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people, and I'd urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps correct some of these problems’…” Read the Full Article Here: http://bit.ly/yFlFzq   ###   2012-02-07T15:05:40+00:00 http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/designer_gear_for_obama_raising_a_ruckus/ http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/designer_gear_for_obama_raising_a_ruckus/#When:13:07:22Z Excerpts from The Wall Street Journal By: Brody Mullins and Elizabeth Williamson February 7, 2012   “Move over, PACs. The latest campaign-finance flap is about sacks. “At a New York fund-raising event Tuesday called ‘Runway to Win,’ President Barack Obama's re-election campaign plans to begin selling campaign-themed tote bags, T-shirts and accessories designed by more than two dozen famous designers. “Attendees can purchase a tote bag designed by Derek Lam for $75. A collectible makeup bag created by Richard Blanch with nail polish in Red-y To Win Red, Victory White and Bo Blue is going for $40. And a silk scarf featuring Mr. Obama's likeness by Thakoon Panichgul is $95. Profits from the sales will go to Mr. Obama's campaign chest. “Republicans contend the sale might violate campaign-finance rules. The gear will sell for a fraction of the price the designers' merchandise typically fetches at department stores. Republicans say that suggests they relied on corporate resources to keep costs low, which could amount to illegal campaign contributions. On Mr. Lam's website, handbags range in price from $340 to $1,890…three scarves offered on Mr. Thakoon's website go for $325 apiece. "‘This raises serious questions about whether corporate money, property and employees were improperly used in the design and production of these items without reimbursement,’ said Sean Spicer, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee… “Designers can't ask employees to work on political projects unless they willingly volunteered their time…If the designer or staff are paid by anyone other than the campaign, it would be considered a campaign contribution from a company to a candidate… “The fund-raising effort will be launched before the start of Fashion Week in New York. It was a project of Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour, who rounded up Obama supporters to apply their creativity—and more important, their names—to otherwise pedestrian campaign gear… “Election finance regulations govern almost everything a campaign does, down to how singers, artists and designers can volunteer their time. One of the first rulings on the topic came in 1975, just a year after the Federal Election Commission was created…entertainers can volunteer their time to perform, but ancillary costs such as travel expenses had to be paid by the campaign or counted as an ‘in-kind’ donation…” Click Here To Read The Full Article: http://on.wsj.com/AczTqb   ### 2012-02-07T13:07:22+00:00 http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/rnc_launches_web_video_ahead_of_president_obamaa/ http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/rnc_launches_web_video_ahead_of_president_obamaa/#When:12:47:38Z WASHINGTON – The Republican National Committee (RNC) launched a new web video “The Obama 2012 Fashion Show” ahead of the Obama campaign’s ritzy NYC fashion show fundraiser tonight. With 12 million Americans struggling to find work in this weak economy, the optics of this high-end event featuring well-heeled celebrities flies in the face of President Obama’s rhetoric. The web video can be viewed here. Download the web video here.   “President Obama will need to sell a lot of scarves and make-up to try and cover up the three years of his failed economic policies,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. “While his campaign is trying to put chic back in Chicago, 12 million Americans are out of work, struggling to get by because of Obama’s weak economic leadership.” “Instead of trying to curry favor with the rich and famous, President Obama should focus on regular Americans who are being hurt every day by his inability to get our economy back on track. But, with his job on the line, it is clear from his priorities that he cares about one thing: saving his own job, at the expense of the American people.” ### 2012-02-07T12:47:38+00:00 http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/icymi_editorial_contraception_mandate_violates_religious_freedom/ http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/icymi_editorial_contraception_mandate_violates_religious_freedom/#When:14:11:20Z Excerpts from USA Today February 5, 2012   “Few Americans of any political stripe would disagree with the simple proposition that the government should steer away from meddling in church affairs. Certainly, it should never try to force a religiously affiliated institution to violate a central tenet of its faith… “In drawing up the rules that will govern health care reform, the Obama administration didn't just cross that line. It galloped over it, requiring employers affiliated with the Catholic Church to include free birth control in their health insurance plans. That's contrary to both Catholic doctrine and constitutional guarantees of religious freedom… “The administration has mounted three lines of defense for its decision, all of which sidestep the central issue… “The exemption does not cover Catholic organizations that employ or serve large numbers of people of different faiths…Those organizations and the people who lead them would be put in the impossibly awkward position of facilitating contraception even though the church teaches that it is ‘intrinsically wrong to use contraception to prevent new human beings from coming into existence.’ “The administration…argues that nearly all women use contraception at some point in their lives…that it is expensive, and that the prestigious Institute of Medicine says birth control should be part of a comprehensive health care plan. We're sympathetic to the medical reasoning, but good intentions are not sufficient grounds to override religious freedom. The government is free to promote contraception in other ways. In fact, it already does. “In an election-year hothouse, the issue has quickly become caricatured as the Obama administration's ‘war on Catholics’ versus the Republicans' ‘war on contraception’…The First Amendment's guarantee of religious freedom deserves more weight than the administration allowed…” Click Here To Read The Full Editorial: http://usat.ly/wdcxDF   ### 2012-02-06T14:11:20+00:00 http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/rnc_chairman_reince_priebus_statement_on_the_nevada_caucus/ http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/rnc_chairman_reince_priebus_statement_on_the_nevada_caucus/#When:04:59:00Z WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus released the following statement regarding the results of the Nevada Caucus:  “Tonight, Nevada caucus-goers added to the wave of GOP momentum sweeping the country illustrating just how eager Nevadans are to send a Republican to the White House,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus.  “I congratulate Mitt Romney on his victory tonight, and I thank all our candidates for their work to put an end to Barack Obama’s failed presidency. I also congratulate the Nevada GOP on a successful caucus operation. “The state of Nevada has been especially hard hit by the Obama economy, with the highest rate of foreclosures and unemployment in the nation. Meanwhile, Nevada’s Hispanic community has endured even greater hardship. The Silver State, more than any other, knows how desperately we need a new president.”    ###   2012-02-05T04:59:00+00:00 http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/rnc_releases_web_video_a1/ http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/rnc_releases_web_video_a1/#When:13:00:23Z WASHINGTON – The Republican National Committee (RNC) released a new web video “Failed Promises: Nevada Edition” highlighting the horrible state of the Nevada economy under President Obama’s leadership. For three years, Barack Obama has been selling the American people empty promises, and Nevadans have been hurt the most. Nevada has the highest unemployment rate and foreclosure rate in the country. The enthusiasm for today’s caucus is proof positive that the people of Nevada are yearning for new leadership this fall. Web video can be viewed here. Download the web video here. “Barack Obama came to Nevada in 2008 to proclaim that we need to have ‘a real debate about how to fix our economy,’” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. “Well, after three years of higher unemployment, record deficits and no end in sight, it’s clear the debate is over: President Obama’s prescription to turn the economy around has been an abysmal failure.” “With the highest unemployment and foreclosure rate in the country, the people of Nevada are tired of the empty rhetoric and failed promises coming from Barack Obama. They’re ready for pro-growth policies to unleash the private sector and create jobs. This fall they will have a chance to vote for real solutions to get our economy moving again, instead of more failed promises.”   ###   2012-02-04T13:00:23+00:00 http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/highlights_from_nevada_caucus_conference_call/ http://www.gop.com/index.php/news/comments/highlights_from_nevada_caucus_conference_call/#When:19:27:34Z RNC Political Director Rick Wiley: “As we move into the Nevada Caucuses tomorrow, I wanted to talk a little bit about what the state looks like for President Obama. We all know that Nevada was crucial to sending Obama to the White House four years ago, but in three years, the landscape has changed dramatically in the Silver State. “You look at Nevada today, we have the highest unemployment rate in the country, nearly 82,000 jobs have been lost in the three years since Obama took office, and unfortunately for Nevadans, 60 straight months of the highest foreclosure rate in the country. “To be fair, the economic problems didn’t start the day Obama took office of the presidency, but it is fair to remind voters that repeatedly Obama has put himself on the clock and promised relief and has gone so far as to say that if you’re not better off today than you were four years ago, then this is one term proposition. I think that Nostradamus-like prediction is going to come true as we get to November of this year. “Nevada was one of the nine battleground states that Obama won in 2008 that President Bush won in 2004, which makes…Nevada very crucial to the president’s reelection campaign…Gallup reported this week that his presidential approval ratings by state are declining sharply, and Nevada is one of the highest in decline… “So those are horrendous numbers for an incumbent trying to run for reelection in this economy…In Nevada specifically, he is trailing by 11 points in the Independent votes, 53% of Independents in Nevada…disapprove of his handling of his job…Almost more troubling for the president is nearly one in five, 17% of Democrats do not approve of his handling of his job. So, you have a problem with Independents and he has a problem with his base… “For months now the Republicans have been gaining on the Democrats there. We’ve had an advantage of about 3,200 in the month of January, and we continue to make gains to catch the Democrats. They had a huge margin after the 2008 Democratic Caucus where they invoked some same day registration and we’ve narrowed that gap down to about 47,000 now…Republicans are getting very enthused about not only about voting against Obama, but voting and supporting our eventual nominee. “If you look at what happened in 2010, we elected who was just a great rising star and a great governor, Brian Sandoval. Joe Heck won a very tight and contested race and has proven to be a great member of Congress, Dean Heller, your new United States Senator, and then Mark Amodei, a good friend of the RNC, former state chairman there…On Saturday, when the Republicans go to the caucuses, I think the momentum and the action to defeat this president will be on display…” RNC Hispanic Outreach Director Bettina Inclán: “With all eyes turning to Nevada, we find ourselves once again in a state where Latino voters will play a crucial role…Nevada has the fifth largest Latino population and one-fifth of those Latinos are eligible to vote. “Latinos in Nevada are bearing the brunt of Obama’s failed economic policies and are ready to caucus tomorrow to take their first step toward making Barack Obama a one-term president. “A majority of Latinos believe the economic downturn has hit them the hardest, more than any other group…it is especially true for Latinos in Nevada. They are facing an unemployment rate of 18.6 percent in the state and 10.5 percent nationally and they are ready to change the direction in Washington. “While today’s jobs report brings welcome news of lower unemployment, still too many Americans are out of work. The nation’s economic rate is unexpectedly low…especially for families across this country who are still struggling…Latinos in Nevada have been significantly more affected by our economy with an unemployment rate that is so high. “We are anxious to take these first steps in the Latino community in Nevada, and continue to work together to make sure we send a leader who will focus on creating jobs, rather than saving his own.” Click Here To Listen To The Full Audio: http://www.gop.com/audio/2.3.2012_Nevada.mp3     ### 2012-02-03T19:27:34+00:00