Mitt Romney Set to Announce Presidential Bid

Sources close to former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and have confirmed that he will formally declare his candidacy for White House next week and he’ll make his announcement in New Hampshire.

It should be an interesting primary over the next year with anticipated opponents including Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich.

From CNN:

This will be the second time this spring Romney is using New Hampshire as a backdrop to make news. On April 11, Romney announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee with a video he taped that day at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. The Granite State holds the first primary in the presidential primary and caucus calendar and is considered a must win contest for Romney.

“Republicans in the Granite State have been closely watching Gov. Romney for 10 years since he was elected in Massachusetts in 2002. He needs to win in a state where voters know him best,” says Rich Galen, a Republican strategist who advised Fred Thompson during his 2008 GOP presidential bid, and who is the author of Mullings.com, an on-line column.

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My Thoughts on the 2008 Presidential Election…

The 2008 Presidential Election will go down in history as one of the greatest, and most important elections of all time. I was proud to have been a part of this election and that I got out and made my voice heard. I have not seen this much PASSION involved in American politics by our generation, ever! This election was our election! The passion didn’t only come from Democrats who were tired of the Bush Presidency, it also came from Republicans who had strong beliefs and fought to preserve them.

No matter which side you are on, if you are a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Red State, Blue State….always stand up for what you believe in! Some people may agree with you, some may strongly disagree with you. Some may start a heated debate, or others may calmly discuss their differences. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you voiced your opinion and stood up for what you believe in.

We have a right in this country to say and do what we want (to a certain extent) and we must never forget this. There are too many out there who take this right for granted. In many other years, we have sat back and watched what happened, while not taking our own stand. I was proud of both Democrats and Republicans for getting out and making a difference.

One point I want to make is this: Don’t forget to support our troops. I’ve heard those who say that we can now leave Iraq and bring the troops home tomorrow. Or others who go as far as saying “forget the troops and Iraq”. To those people I say, you’re not thinking clearly. You’re letting your heart cloud your judgment. Yes, we want all of our troops to come home safely, but if it takes time, then so be it. You can not leave a job half finished. Even if you believe we should not have even started the job, you still have to finish it.

Our troops are all over the world. They’re out there putting their lives in danger to protect our rights as Americans and our country. Even if you voted for Obama (like I did), or if you disagree with the war in Iraq (I know a lot of these people too), don’t turn your back on them. Yes, you have the right to disagree, but remember that they are overseas doing a job, and working to make our lives, and the lives of the Iraqi people, better.

There may have been no weapons of mass destruction, and we may not have caught Bin Laden yet, but the difference they are making in our lives is very important. Do not forget this.

This election will bring great debate between people of all sides. Just remember this, when you do argue with each other, try to be civil. Listen to what the other side has to say.

Democrats, for eight years you wanted change and now we’ll see what you make of your opportunity.

Republicans, for eight years, the Democrats wanted change. Now they have the chance to do something. I’m sure you’ll be demanding change as they did for so many years. But let’s at least give them a chance.

One thing that both Democrats and Republicans have in common is that in their hearts, they truly want what they feel is best for the country.

So to finish my rant I say…Thank You America. Thank you to both Republicans and Democrats, for coming out and making your voice heard. This is what makes America great. We may have our differences, and we will ALWAYS have differences, but we showed in 2008 that we still care about the United States and what we fought for more than 200 years ago when we began this great nation.

Thanks for listening. Feel free to give your own thoughts.

Americans Are Excited, Nervous After Obama’s Historic Victory

According to Reuters, Americans woke up this morning with joy, optimism and some worry after the historic victory by Democrat Barack Obama, who went from long shot to president-elect on the promise of change.

From the article:

Just hours after Obama’s victory speech to thousands of cheering supporters in Chicago, ordinary Americans headed to work clutching coffees and carrying newspapers that proclaimed Obama’s place in history as the first black U.S. president.

“I’m excited. It’s a huge step in the right direction,” nurse Kim Andrews said as she headed to her hospital job in Cincinnati’s dawn.

Obama rode a wave of voter discontent to triumph over Republican John McCain, while his fellow Democrats won increased majorities in Congress, as Americans emphatically rejected Republican President George W. Bush’s eight years in office.

Andrews, 23, said she cried as she watched Obama’s victory on television late on Tuesday night, amazed that America had taken such a great step in its long and troubled racial history.

“It shows that anyone can do anything,” Andrews said.

Detroit media publisher Brian Boyle was equally thrilled.

“I feel much better about the world today than I did yesterday, I think the world feels much better about our country today than they did yesterday. It was a really amazing night,” said Boyle, 43.

“I just think Barack is really uniquely qualified to go out and build bridges and build an alliance of world leaders that are committed to making the world better,” he added.

Sarah Palin Says Daughter, 17, Unwed and Pregnant

Here comes more controversy in the 2008 Presidential election. The 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is pregnant. Bristol Palin, one of Alaska Governor Palin’s five children, is around five months pregnant and plans to keep the child and marry the father.

Bristol Palin Holding Baby, Credit: Getty Images

From Reuters:

Bristol Palin made the decision on her own to keep the baby, John McCain aides said.

“We have been blessed with five wonderful children who we love with all our heart and mean everything to us,” the Palins’ statement said.

“Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. As Bristol faces the responsibilities of adulthood, she knows she has our unconditional love and support,” the Palins said.

The Palins asked the news media to respect the young couple’s privacy.

“Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family. We ask the media, respect our daughter and Levi’s privacy as has always been the tradition of children of candidates,” the statement concluded.

Senior McCain campaign officials said McCain knew of the daughter’s pregnancy when he selected Palin last week as his vice presidential running mate, deciding that it did not disqualify the 44-year-old governor in any way.

In the short period since she was announced last Friday, Palin has helped to energize the Republican Party’s conservative base, giving the McCain camp fresh energy going into the campaign for the Nov. 4 election against Democrat Barack Obama.

From the Associated Press:

John McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin said Monday that her 17-year-old unmarried daughter is five months pregnant, an announcement aimed at rebutting Internet rumors that Palin’s youngest son, born in April, was actually her daughter’s.

A statement released by the campaign said that Bristol Palin will keep her baby and marry the child’s father. Bristol Palin is five months pregnant, and the baby is due in late December.

“Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We’re proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents,” Sarah and Todd Palin said in the brief statement.

“Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family,” they added.

Sarah Palin’s son Trig was born in April with Down syndrome. Internet bloggers have been suggesting that the child was actually born to Bristol Palin but that her mother, the Alaska governor, claimed to be the mother.

McCain adviser Mark Salter said the campaign announced the daughter’s pregnancy to rebut those rumors.

Republican officials have stated that the news of the daughter’s pregnancy was being released to rebut what one aide called “mud-slinging and lies” circulating on liberal blog sites. Either way, it will be interesting to see how this affects McCain in the polls especially since Palin was selected in part to shore up the conservative, religious base. Thoughts?

Michelle Obama Addresses Democratic National Convention

“I love this country” said Michelle Obama on Monday night as she sought to reassure the nation that she and her husband and Presidential candidate Barack Obama, share Americans’  values and belief in a dream of a better future.

From the Associated Press:

In the first major address at the Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama described herself as a daughter, a sister, a wife and a mother, no different from many women. She told a boisterous crowd waving signs reading “Michelle” that she and her husband feel an obligation to “fight for the world as it should be” to ensure the promise of a better life for their daughters and all children.

Michelle Obama talked about tucking in her daughters Malia and Sasha at night.

“I think about how one day, they’ll have families of their own. And one day, they — and your sons and daughters — will tell their own children about what we did together in this election. They’ll tell them how this time, we listened to our hopes, instead of our fears. How this time, we decided to stop doubting and to start dreaming,” she said.

Michelle Obama’s mission was to humanize her husband and persuade skeptical voters to look past his unusual name and exotic background to envision him as the next president. Barack Obama has repeatedly faced questions about whether he’s a real American.

She also used the address to dismiss questions about her patriotism. Republicans have criticized her comments earlier this year that she was “really proud” of her country for the first time. Her answer at the convention was to express her love of country.

Michelle Obama drew enthusiastic cheers by praising Hillary Rodham Clinton for putting “those 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling” — a reference to the failed Democratic candidate’s vote total in the primaries. The crowd also roared.

Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton Working on a Roll Call Deal For Democratic National Convention

As the Democratic National Convention is set to begin, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are once again working together to bring unity to an uneasy relationship.

From the Associated Press:

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama worked out a convention city deal to give her some votes in the Democratic roll call for president, a step toward an uneasy alliance of former rivals and their still-bitter supporters.

Many Clinton backers said Monday they were not interested in compromise and wanted a prime-time celebration of Clinton’s nomination. Clinton herself said she wouldn’t tell her backers how to vote.

Still, she told supporters she would cast her own vote for Obama and said, “We were not all on the same side as Democrats, but we are now.”

Democratic officials involved in the negotiations said Monday the plan calls for a state-by-state vote for the presidential nomination Wednesday night, with delegates casting their ballots for Clinton or Obama.

But the voting would be cut off after several states, the officials said, perhaps ending with New York, when Clinton herself would call for unanimous nomination of Obama by acclamation from the convention floor. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity while the deal was being finalized.

Obama won 365 more delegates than Clinton in a long and heavily contested primary. Clinton ended her campaign quite some time ago and urged her supporters to back Obama, but many have not accepted the defeat. If the Democrats do not come together soon, I think we’ll be heading towards a John McCain presidency. Not sure how I feel about that but I can safely say that we are looking at a very interesting next ten weeks leading up to the general election in November. Thoughts?

Barack Obama Set to Pick Running Mate

The time is finally upon us. Barack Obama stated yesterday that he has chosen his running mate for the 2008 Presidential election. Unfortunately, he is not telling the public just yet.

Senator Barack Obama Credit: Reuters

From Reuters:

Obama has dragged out the announcement of a No. 2 for maximum political impact, but is running out of time. The Democratic nominating convention opens on Monday, with the vice president accepting the nomination on Wednesday.

Obama, 47, a first-term Illinois senator, said he had searched for a running mate who will be prepared to step in as president and one who could help him govern.

Obama’s announcement could come at any time, and he is expected to appear with his choice on Saturday in his home state of Illinois as they launch their run to the convention in Denver.

History has shown the choice of a running mate is unlikely to have a major impact on the November 4 White House election between Obama and Republican John McCain, but along with the upcoming conventions the choices give both candidates a chance for the political spotlight.

Senator John McCain

Speculation about Obama’s choice has centered on three prime contenders — Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden.

I believe that this is one of the most important elections of our lifetime and the buzz is intense right now waiting to hear who both Barack Obama and John McCain will choose as their VP running mates. There are many rumors out there of who their choices will be but there is not one definite choice on either side. I expect Obama to make his choice today with McCain’s decision coming in a few days. Time will tell. Thoughts?