Topic: Mitt Romney

Obama's Prom Was Cooler Than Yours

Time

We now know what Barry Obama and his date looked like at prom in 1979 — and they probably looked better than you. Just compare the Obama crew's not-horrible prom fashion to many politicians' prom photos they might wish hadn't been dug up.

By Adam Martin

Aug 29, 2012

A Perfect Visual Metaphor for 2012 Election Coverage

Anyone clicking on the homepage of the Tampa Bay Times today will find the newspaper's coverage of the Republican National convention nearly entirely squeezed out by two opposing ads, one paid for by Obama Victory Fund 2012 and the other by Romney Victory, Inc.

Comments | 1,609 Views

By Adam Martin

Aug 29, 2012

Matt Taibbi on Why Mitt Romney Never Wavers on Profits

Matt Taibbi is hardly the first to compare Mitt Romney to Gordon Gekko, and he's not the first to argue that Bain Capital's corporate takeovers were insidious, but he goes further in his latest long-form Rolling Stone takedown by connecting Romney's uncompromising pursuit of profit at Bain with his changing political stances.

Comments | 2,280 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Aug 29, 2012

Yahoo's D.C. Bureau Chief Fired for Romneys 'Party with Black People Drowning' Joke

David Chalian, Yahoo's Washington Bureau Chief, has been fired for a comment he made during ABC-Yahoo News' coverage of the Republican National Convention (or whatever there was of it) on Monday when he apparently made a Katrina-Romney-Isaac joke at the Romneys' expense, saying that "they [the Romneys] are happy to have a party with black people drowning."

Comments | 29,922 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 29, 2012

Fact-Checking Ann and Mitt Romney's Hardknock Early Years

If you didn't know much about Mitt and Ann Romney's biography, you might have gotten the impression from Ann's speech at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night that they were once two crazy kids in love just scraping by in a sad little slum.

Comments | 52,330 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Aug 29, 2012

What They're Saying About Ann Romney and Chris Christie's Speeches

The first night of the Republican National Convention featured two key speeches that aimed at raising the curtain for Mitt Romney. So, how did they do?

Comments | 8,938 Views

By Adam Martin

Aug 28, 2012

It's Official: Mitt Romney Is the Republican Presidential Nominee

After John Sununu formally nominated Mitt Romney to be the Republican nominee for president, the roll call is underway, and Romney has just picked up the 1,144 delegates necessary to secure the party's nomination, with New Jersey putting him over the top.

Comments | 1,114 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Aug 28, 2012

Stat of the Day

9% of Americans Ask, Ann Romney, Who?

A new survey from USA Today/Gallup finds 9 percent of 1,033 adults surveyed have "never heard of" Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's wife, Ann. 

Comments | 290 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Aug 28, 2012

Poll Watch

Romney is Behind When it Comes to Empathy

We're in convention season and it looks like Romney is lacking on questions of empathy. Meanwhile the two candidates are tied in North Carolina, DNC territory, while Obama holds leads in Connecticut and Iowa. Here's our guide to today's polls and why they matter.  

Comments | 933 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 28, 2012

Eight Things Rupert Murdoch Doesn't Like About Mitt Romney

News Corp head Rupert Murdoch still doesn't like Mitt Romney, and it's as much a style thing as a substance thing, Michael Wolff writes in The New Republic.

Comments | 1,525 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 28, 2012

Humanizing Mitt Romney Means Talking More About Ann

Ann Romney revealed she had a miscarriage in 1991, 10 years after her fifth son was born, in an interview with CBS News Tuesday.

Comments | 5,704 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Aug 28, 2012

Author Wants Romney to Repay Polygamist Great Granddad's 130-Year-Old Debt

Author Judith Freeman wants $25,000 from Mitt Romney since, as she wrote in The Los Angeles Review of Books,in the 1880s her great grandfather, William Flake paid for Miles Romney's bail when they were both locked up for polygamy.  

Comments | 2,174 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Aug 28, 2012

Trimming the Times

Convention Tensions, The Midtown Shooter's Mother, and Ichiro Suzuki

A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.

Comments | 517 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Aug 27, 2012

Poll Watch

Is Medicare Helping or Hurting the Republicans?

A new poll shows that registered voters by a small margin think Mitt Romney will do a better job with Medicare, but the same poll shows opposition to Ryan's plan for the program. Here's our guide to today's polls and why they matter. 

Comments | 1,897 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 27, 2012

Romney's Medicare Attacks on Obama Are Working

Mitt Romney has finally found a way to attack President Obama that is as powerful as Obama's attacks on his Bain Capital career: despite picking a running mate who built his political career advocating turning Medicare into a voucher program, two new polls show Obama has no advantage over Romney on Medicare. 

Comments | 1,069 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Aug 27, 2012

The New Yorker Gets Cutesy with Romney-Ryan Bromance

The New Yorker is weighing in on Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan with a wink-wink cover this week by artist Barry Blitt.

Comments | 1,985 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 27, 2012

Donald Trump Only One of Many RNC Victims of Isaac

Here are some things Tropical Storm Isaac is ruining for the Republican National Convention: Donald Trump's special surprise, the entire night devoted to the slogan "We Can Do Better," maybe Mitt Romney's Thursday speech, and TV networks' coverage of the event.

Comments | 620 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 27, 2012

Race Takes Over the Race

Mitt Romney says that Obama allowed a waiver for the work requirement for welfare -- if states have a better way of getting recipients into jobs -- so that the President could "shore up his base." Romney probably didn't mean the Republican governors who asked for the waivers but, fitting with his campaign's recent message, poor black people who take white people's money.

Comments | 10,741 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Aug 27, 2012

Who Is Speaking When at the Republican National Convention?

Now that Day One is officially not happening and the Republican Convention schedule has been compressed and re-configured, you might need to adjust your own schedule to catch your favorite politicians.

Comments | 1,901 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Aug 27, 2012

Christie Wasn't Willing to Resign as Governor to Be Romney's V.P. Pick

A report in the New York Post suggests that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who will deliver Tuesday's keynote at the Republican National Convention, is not confident of the nominee's chances.

Comments | 5,008 Views

By Connor Simpson

Aug 26, 2012

Did Mitt Romney Pay $500,000 for Journey to Play a Tampa Fundraiser?

TMZ breathlessly reported that Republican National Convention organizers paid Journey $500,000 to play at "a private fundraising party," on Thursday, but that doesn't appear to be true. 

Comments | 4,449 Views

By Connor Simpson

Aug 26, 2012

Ron Paul Was Denied a Convention Speech Because He Wouldn't Endorse Mitt

Ron Paul was apparently offered a speaking spot at the Republican National Convention, but he turned it down because the Romney campaign would only let him speak under the stipulation that he would finally endorse Mitt. 

Comments | 3,621 Views

By Connor Simpson

Aug 26, 2012

The Sunday Grind

Mitt Embraces His RomneyCare Past

Mitt Romney said he was "very proud" of his health care legislation, and he defended those pesky offshore bank accounts, in an interview on Fox News Sunday; while Reince Priebus downplayed the effects Isaac will have on the Republican convention. 

Comments | 2,363 Views

By Connor Simpson

Aug 25, 2012

Mitt Romney Is a Procrastinator

Mitt Romney is but a man. He is no better than you or I, despite his much larger checking account. He falls victim to human perils from time to time, like leaving his homework to the last minute. Yes, Mitt Romney is a procrastinator. 

Comments | 6,631 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 24, 2012

Romney's Birther Joke Explained in One Number: He Needs 61% of the White Vote

The recent direction of Mitt Romney's campaign may seem perplexing —  the candidate's birther joke, those ads accusing Obama of gutting welfare reform, John Sununu's jab that Obama needs to learn how to be American, and veep pick Paul Ryan's pride at bitterly clinging to guns and God — but it can all be explained with just one number.

Comments | 15,251 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Aug 24, 2012

Poll Watch

What's Happening in Missouri?

Post-"legitimate rape" polls are bouncing around in Missouri, while Virginia is tied. Here's our guide to today's polls and why they matter. 

Comments | 3,004 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 24, 2012

A Guide for Defending Mitt Romney's Birther Joke

Whether you're a a conservative deeply invested in Mitt Romney's election, or a reporter deeply invested in maintaining your pox-on-both-their-houses objectivity during this campaign season, you'll need to compare Romney's birther joke to something President Obama's done.

Comments | 4,182 Views

By Adam Martin

Aug 24, 2012

Romney Jokes: 'Nobody Asked to See My Birth Certificate'

He might not officially be a birther, but Mitt Romney knows how to play into that crowd's conspiracies, as he showed at a rally in Michigan on Friday.

Comments | 9,100 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 24, 2012

What's Been Found in the Bain Document Dump So Far

Gawker's John Cook got 950 pages of documents from Mitt Romney's Bain Capital holdings in the Cayman Islands, but not being a financial expert, he asked those that are to explain them. The Internet hoards -- actually, financial reporters -- have found some juicy tax-dodging nuggets.

Comments | 6,843 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Aug 24, 2012

Can the 'Beef: It's What's For Dinner' Guy Help Romney?

In an attempt to make the unsexy world of political advertising somewhat sexy, The Washington Post's Philip Rucker looks at the ad team Mitt Romney has assembled, a team that predictably calls themselves the "Mad Men." Yes, here comes that old Mad Men meme again.

Comments | 359 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 24, 2012

Here Comes the Backlash to the Akin Backlash

Republican leaders have universally condemned Todd Akin, but the conservative ground troops aren't so unified. The backlash to the Akin backlash has two arguments: that he's apologized and must be forgiven, and that his fake science wasn't so bad.

Comments | 5,845 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Aug 24, 2012

Rick Warren Cancels 'Presidential Forum' That No One Was Attending

If you ask megachurch pastor Rick Warren, the reason he's canceling his "civil forum" it's because of all of this nasty political rancor, which is a nice way of glossing over the fact that it's really hard to have a presidential forum when neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney were going to show up.

Comments | 748 Views

By Connor Simpson

Aug 23, 2012

Mitt Romney Makes His Bain Defense in Wall Street Journal Editorial

Mitt Romney's been getting hammered for his time as the head of Bain Capital for months, and he's sick and tired and not taking it anymore. It prepared him for the Presidency, he says, and he's making his case in a new Wall Street Journal editorial.

Comments | 1,006 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Aug 23, 2012

Poll Watch

Florida, Ohio, and Wisconsin Don't Like The Republican Medicare Plan

Voters in three swing states are down on the Republican plans for Medicare, but the race remains tight in a nationwide poll today. Also, Obama's maintaining something of a lead in Ohio and an even bigger one in Pennsylvania. Here's our guide to today's polls and why they matter.

Comments | 1,035 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 23, 2012

Exclusive Behind the Scenes Photos of Romney Reveal He's Still Boring

Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci got exclusive access to Mitt Romney behind the scenes on the campaign trail Wednesday, and though he might have tried to make Romney seem interesting, the candidate did not cooperate.

Comments | 3,170 Views

By Adam Martin

Aug 23, 2012

Abortion, Akin Off Limits in Romney Interview

The news from a Denver CBS reporter's interview with Mitt Romney wasn't what he said, but rather what the reporter was prohibited from asking.

Comments | 1,207 Views

By Serena Dai

Aug 23, 2012

Chart of the Day

Obama's Plans Benefit More of America Than Romney's Plans

Both candidate claims their proposals are better for Americans, but Obama's plans will benefit more of them, according to data analysis by statisticians at Politify.com, as laid out in an interactive map showing a geographical breakdown.

Comments | 6,639 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Aug 23, 2012

Calling All Accountants: Gawker Needs You to Decipher Its Romney Data Dump

Gawker's John Cook has posted 950 pages of financial documents related to Mitt Romney's investments during his time at Bain Capital, but the trick now is finding experts willing to read through them all and explain what they might mean.

Comments | 2,600 Views

By Dashiell Bennett

Aug 23, 2012

Romney Tries to Change the Subject by Promising 'North American Energy Independence'

Mitt Romney will try to turn the campaign toward energy policy today, unveiling his plan to bring "North American energy independence" to the United States by the year 2020.

Comments | 2,759 Views

By Connor Simpson

Aug 23, 2012

Obama Jokes that Akin Played Hookie During Science Class

Obama held a fundraiser with some of his personal heroes in New York on Wednesday night, but that didn't stop him from joking that Todd Akin played hookie during science class, or from making a bunch of basketball analogies about November's election. 

Comments | 1,379 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Aug 22, 2012

Poll Watch

This Race Feels Too Close For Anyone's Comfort

Polls taken nationally and out of two swing states show a nail-biter. Here's our guide to today's polls and why they matter. 

Comments | 1,379 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Aug 22, 2012

The Strange World of Mitt Romney-Paul Ryan Fan Fiction

The union of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan has brought us many wonderful things ranging from fashion editors waxing about their sartorial choices to the wonky Medicare debate, but this beautiful relationship has also spawned something far weirder: erotic fan fiction.

Comments | 37,589 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 22, 2012

The National Review Wonders if Mitt Romney Can Turn Women On

Kevin Williamson deserves a 10.0 execution score for his masterfully trolling National Review essay arguing that Mitt Romney should play up how rich he is because women like to have sex with rich men.

Comments | 7,040 Views

By John Hudson

Aug 22, 2012

The 'Fiscal Cliff' Isn't Just a Game Anymore

For the last several months, Republicans and Democrats have been posturing their way towards the the edge of the so-called "fiscal cliff," a mix of nearly $500 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts set to go into effect in January.

Comments | 3,299 Views

By Adam Martin

Aug 22, 2012

Obama Gives CNN the Gift of an Interview

It's been a rough year for CNN, what with its awful ratings, the departure of its president, and that whole Supreme Court health-care slip-up, but the network got a break in its competition with MSNBC and Fox News as President Obama agreed to an exclusive interview.

Comments | 942 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Aug 22, 2012

GOP Will Tout 'We Built This' In Arena Built With Public Funds

"We Built This" (the GOP's "Call Me Maybe"), is the catchphrase of the season, and it'll be a major theme of the Republican National Convention at the end of this month. The irony? They'll be holding that convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, formerly the Tampa Bay Ice Palace, which was publicly financed.

Comments | 5,296 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Aug 22, 2012

Trimming the Times

Afghanistan Casualties, 'Call Me Maybe,' and Michael J. Fox

A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.

Comments | 469 Views

By Connor Simpson

Aug 21, 2012

Todd Akin Could Use a New Web Guy

Like promised, Todd Akin let the 5 p.m. local deadline pass. Now that he's officially still around, Akin is trying to use his website and social media to get support. Instead, he's only managing to further alienate himself from the rest of the Republican party and make himself look silly.  

Comments | 1,166 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 21, 2012

Romney: Mr. Akin, Tear Down This Campaign

Mitt Romney has called on Todd Akin to quit his Senate campaign three hours before the deadline for Akin to do so without going to court Tuesday.

Comments | 877 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Aug 21, 2012

Poll Watch

Ryan Boosts Romney in Wisconsin

Paul Ryan helps Mitt Romney take a one-point lead in Wisconsin, but another poll shows that more Americans don't like his Medicare proposal than do. Here's our guide to today's polls and why they matter.

Comments | 267 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Aug 20, 2012

Poll Watch

A Majority of Swing State Voters Don't Think They're Better Off

In swing states voters don't think they are better off now than they were four years ago, indicating a weak spot for the Obama campaign. Meanwhile, a red state remains strongly red. Here's our guide to today's polls and why they matter.

Comments | 2,350 Views

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