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Politics
Local, state and national political news and stories.
| Obama prods Congress on payroll tax as Democrats unveil new plan |
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WASHINGTON Senate Democrats are offering a new proposal to extend the payroll tax holiday, a strategy designed to reach out to Republicans who have shown little interest in continuing the $1,000 tax break for working Americans that expires at the end of the year.
Published at 4:39pm, December 5, 2011
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| Gingrich’s immigration test |
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One week ago, I arose before dawn and went to buy coffee and a newspaper at a southwest Florida 7-Eleven. I was the lone white guy in a convenience store jammed with Latinos wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the names of lawn services whose trucks packed the parking lot.
Published at 4:22pm, December 5, 2011
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| When and how do endorsements matter? |
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By certifying Speaker Newt Gingrich as a kindred conservative spirit and hinting that Gov. Mitt Romney is instead a shape changer, the Manchester, N.H., Union Leader’s weekend proclamation invites the question, “When and how do endorsements matter?”
Published at 12:11am, December 5, 2011
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| Supreme Court weighs GOP appeal over Texas election map |
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WASHINGTON The Supreme Court is likely to decide early this week whether to act on an appeal from Texas Republicans and block the use of an election map that could help three or more Latino Democrats win seats in Congress next year.
Published at 7:47pm, December 4, 2011
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| Reid is said to have new payroll-tax proposal |
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 WASHINGTON Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will be unveiling a new proposal to extend a tax cut for American workers, a Democratic ally said Sunday.
Published at 7:08pm, December 4, 2011
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| Rand Paul pushes his tea party style of change |
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The moment was classic Rand Paul. The freshman Republican senator from Kentucky on Tuesday took on Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. _ a highly decorated veteran and former presidential candidate _ over a provision in the defense authorization bill that would deny civilian trials to American terrorism suspects.
Published at 11:18am, December 4, 2011
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| Cain suspends presidential bid, saying he's 'at peace' |
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 WASHINGTON _ His popularity sinking and his credibility under attack, Herman Cain suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on Saturday in a defiant, unapologetic blaze of glory.
Published at 11:00am, December 4, 2011
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| Huntsman says yes to Gingrich, no to Trump |
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WASHINGTON Jon Huntsman became the first Republican candidate to snub a planned GOP candidates’ debate moderated by Donald Trump, with his campaign saying Republicans deserve “a serious discussion of the issues.”
Published at 1:12pm, December 3, 2011
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| Focus group sheds light on Mitt Romney’s struggles |
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FAIRFAX, Va. Seated around a conference table in a nondescript suburban Virginia office building, a dozen Republican voters shed light on one of the continued mysteries of this election season: What ails Mitt Romney?
Published at 1:11pm, December 3, 2011
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| Cain to make decision on campaign Saturday |
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LOS ANGELES Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain, already reeling from sex harassment claims and rocked anew by allegations of adultery, has told supporters he was preparing to make a major announcement Saturday.
Published at 1:10pm, December 3, 2011
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| Republicans slam Obama over new jobless figures |
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LOS ANGELES It’s a monthly ritual in the race for the White House. The government releases a lackluster employment report, and President Barack Obama’s Republican challengers leap at the chance to condemn his jobs record.
Published at 1:08pm, December 3, 2011
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| Senate rejects competing measures to extend payroll tax cut |
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 WASHINGTON The Senate rejected competing measures to extend a payroll tax cut Thursday night, an outward display of partisanship as Republicans and Democrats moved behind the scenes to avert a $1,000 tax increase on American workers come Jan. 1. GRAPHIC: Map of the U.S. showing, by state, estimate of the tax relief provided by the 3.1 percentage point cut in the Employee Payroll Tax in 2012.
Published at 1:54am, December 2, 2011
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| Herman Cain says wife was unaware of payments to Ginger White |
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WASHINGTON Herman Cain said in an interview with New Hampshire’s largest newspaper Thursday that his wife did not know about the financial assistance he says he had offered to Ginger White, the Atlanta woman who has said she and the Republican presidential hopeful had engaged in a 13-year affair.
Published at 1:43am, December 2, 2011
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| Cain says campaign not ‘over yet’ |
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MANCHESTER, N.H. Casting allegations of a 13-year extramarital affair as “character assassination,” a defiant Herman Cain returned to New Hampshire on Wednesday telling supporters he would make a decision about whether to stay in the race within a few days after sitting down with his wife.
Published at 1:03pm, December 1, 2011
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| GOP conservatives confront a dilemma in choosing between Cain and Gingrich |
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DES MOINES, Iowa Herman Cain’s latest presidential campaign implosion has put some of the Republican Party’s most active voters in a distinctly uncomfortable position: deciding whether to abandon an accused adulterer to side with an admitted adulterer.
Published at 8:57pm, November 30, 2011
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| Herman Cain denies report of 13-year affair |
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LOS ANGELES Herman Cain, whose status as a GOP presidential front-runner had already been rocked by allegations of sexual harassment, denied Monday that he’d had a 13-year consensual affair with an Atlanta businesswoman.
Published at 8:53pm, November 30, 2011
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| Lt. Gov. Reynolds Receives “Golden Eagle” Award |
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(DES MOINES) Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds was awarded the Iowa State Association of Counties’ (ISAC) “Golden Eagle” award during the association’s annual conference in Coralville, Iowa on Nov. 16.
Published at 12:25pm, November 30, 2011
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| Stagnant in polls, Mitt Romney campaigns in Florida |
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 MIAMI Stagnant in the polls and under withering assault for flip-flopping, Republican Mitt Romney campaigned Tuesday in Miami and Tampa Bay with a simple message: President Barack Obama has failed and he won't. PHOTO: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney greets Fausto Diaz-Oliver during a campaign appearance at Conchita Foods in Medley, Florida, Tuesday morning, November 29, 2011.
Published at 12:01am, November 30, 2011
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| GOP conservatives confront a dilemma in choosing between Cain and Gingrich |
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DES MOINES, Iowa Herman Cain’s latest presidential campaign implosion has put some of the Republican Party’s most active voters in a distinctly uncomfortable position: deciding whether to abandon an accused adulterer to side with an admitted adulterer.
Published at 11:55pm, November 29, 2011
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| Cain sticks to script during Michigan speech |
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HILLSDALE, Mich. Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain didn’t address his latest campaign problem a woman alleging a long-term affair with the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO in a speech Tuesday evening at Hillsdale College.
Published at 11:53pm, November 29, 2011
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| Cain's Iowa campaign tries to respond to affair allegation |
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Nov. 29--CEDAR RAPIDS -- Despite an allegation of a 13-year affair, it's not a question of if, but how the Herman Cain campaign will proceed, according to the Republican presidential hopeful's top Iowa campaign official.
Published at 7:55pm, November 29, 2011
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| Harkin Announces Over $5 Million for Relief to Flooded Areas |
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 WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that $5,210,934 has been awarded to the Iowa Department of Transportation to repair or reconstruct federally-aided highways damaged in the 2011 spring and summer storms.
Published at 2:25pm, November 28, 2011
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| Grassley explains why Obama's appointee was "derailed" |
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 Senator Chuck Grassley issued the following comment about the President’s nomination today of Marilyn Tavenner to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Published at 10:22am, November 28, 2011
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| Grassley seeks clarification on terrestrial 4G network that could interfere with GPS systems |
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Senator Grassley has been seeking information from the agency as part of his effort to understand why the agency has allowed the company to move forward with its plans for a terrestrial 4G network, despite serious concerns of interference with the GPS systems used widely in military, aviation and emergency response venues. The agency has refused to provide the public with insight into its approval process.
Published at 10:18am, November 28, 2011
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| Congressional leaders suggest deal on payroll tax is possible |
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WASHINGTON After the failure of the congressional deficit-reduction committee last week, members of Congress from both parties signaled limited willingness to compromise on more immediate economic issues headed their way before the year ends.
Published at 1:01am, November 28, 2011
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| Gingrich wins coveted endorsement in New Hampshire |
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WASHINGTON The New Hampshire Union Leader, a powerful voice in the early-voting state, endorsed Newt Gingrich in the Republican presidential primary Sunday.
Published at 12:59am, November 28, 2011
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| Romney is still facing a trust deficit |
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SOUTHFIELD, Mich. As other Republican candidates have stumbled their way toward the presidential primaries, Mitt Romney has put together what would seem to be all the elements of a winning campaign: an effective staff, a robust treasury and smooth, knowledgeable performances both in debates and on the trail.
Published at 12:11pm, November 26, 2011
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| Newt Gingrich’s history gap |
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It isn’t just that some of the candidates for the GOP presidential nomination occasionally seem divorced from modern reality; it’s that they’re determined to refight battles that most of us thought had ended roughly a century ago. A case in point is newly inaugurated front-runner Newt Gingrich, who in a talk Monday at Harvard University denigrated federal child labor laws that date back to the 1930s.
Published at 11:59am, November 26, 2011
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| For GOP, it’s bland vs. firebrand |
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Republican voters face a choice: Do they want to play it safe, or do they feel like taking risks?
Published at 11:54am, November 26, 2011
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| Norquist’s no-tax pledge is a plague |
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When the political autopsy on Congress’ supercommittee is complete, a contributing cause of death must include the no-tax pledge that’s infecting elected officials across the nation.
Published at 9:45am, November 25, 2011
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| Core to the supercommittee flop are Bush tax cuts |
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Much hot air has been expended, with much coming, about the failure of Congress’ Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to reach an agreement to forestall $1.2 trillion in budget cuts beginning in 2013.
Published at 9:38am, November 25, 2011
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| Romney vows to visit Iowa frequently in weeks before caucus |
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DES MOINES, Iowa Speaking to thousands of Iowans on a telephone town hall, Mitt Romney pledged Wednesday to be a visible presence in the state in the weeks leading up to its first-in-the-nation voting contest.
Published at 5:22pm, November 23, 2011
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| Bachmann’s new book details the making of a conservative |
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WASHINGTON Casting about for something to wear to a 2006 fundraiser with President George W. Bush, Michele Bachmann, then a Republican candidate for Congress, recalled her mother’s advice on looking nice.
Published at 5:20pm, November 23, 2011
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| Romney defends use of Obama quote in campaign ad |
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DES MOINES, Iowa Mitt Romney on Wednesday defended his new campaign ad that takes President Barack Obama’s words out of context, saying there was “no hidden effort” to mislead voters.
Published at 5:19pm, November 23, 2011
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| Poll: Mitt Romney’s faith could be a factor in GOP primaries |
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WASHINGTON A new poll suggests that Mitt Romney’s faith could play a role in the 2012 Republican nominating race, with a sizable part of respondents saying they believe that Mormonism is a non-Christian faith.
Published at 5:18pm, November 23, 2011
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| Rick Perry’s pouring it on in Iowa, seeking to rebound |
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DES MOINES, Iowa Just a few minutes earlier, he was standing in front of plant workers in eastern Iowa, vowing to shake up Washington by creating a part-time Congress, ending lifetime appointments for federal judges and shuttering dysfunctional agencies.
Published at 5:17pm, November 23, 2011
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| Keep those GOP debates coming |
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Some people seem to think the Republicans are staging way too many debates. Heck no. We can never have enough.
Published at 5:15pm, November 23, 2011
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| Mormonism: Not a cult, not a problem |
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Some voters are convinced that if Mitt Romney wins the Republican nomination, we run the risk of ending up with a member of a “cult” in the White House. Many of my fellow evangelicals are especially concerned about this possibility.
Published at 5:09pm, November 23, 2011
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| The conservative case for health-care reform’s individual mandate |
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The Supreme Court will rule next year on the constitutionality of the health-care reform passed in 2010. But constitutionality notwithstanding, Republican opposition to the new law has been vigorous and consistent. In recent GOP presidential debates the candidates have been unanimous in condemning it, in particular objecting to the requirement that almost all Americans obtain health insurance or pay a penalty.
Published at 4:48pm, November 23, 2011
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| King: Democrats Oppose Balanced Budget |
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 Washington, D.C.- Congressman Steve King (R-IA) released the following statement on Friday, November 18, after voting for H.J. Res. 2, legislation proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the United States Constitution:
Published at 3:27pm, November 22, 2011
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| Pollsters call on Obama to step aside, make way for Clinton |
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WASHINGTON Reviving an idea they floated last year with an op-ed urging President Obama not to seek a second term, pollsters Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen are out today with a new op-ed drafting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be the Democrats’ 2012 nominee.
Published at 10:40am, November 22, 2011
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| Gingrich holds slight lead in GOP race |
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 WASHINGTON Another national poll puts Newt Gingrich at the top of the GOP pack in the 2012 presidential race, bolstered by the support of more conservative voters.
Published at 4:34pm, November 21, 2011
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| Perry’s transit dream didn’t pan out |
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 AUSTIN, Texas Rick Perry launched his Texas gubernatorial campaign in 2002 with an idea that he hoped would become his legacy: a 4,000-mile-long, 21st century transit network on which motorists would drive 90 mph on toll roads 10 lanes wide, high-speed trains would hum alongside, and there would be room for electric power lines, broadband fiber and pipes to pump oil, natural gas and water to a rapidly growing state.
Published at 11:54am, November 21, 2011
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| Debt-panel leaders see little chance for an agreement |
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WASHINGTON The co-chairs of the congressional debt-reduction committee seemed doubtful on Sunday that the panel would reach a deficit-reduction accord by Monday’s deadline, each blaming the other party’s unwillingness to budge on the issues of taxes and entitlement spending.
Published at 11:28am, November 21, 2011
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| ‘Tea party’ activists remain wary of Romney |
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DES MOINES, Iowa Throughout the roller coaster Republican presidential contest, one thing hasn’t changed: the stubborn refusal of many “tea party” supporters to warm up to Mitt Romney.
Published at 11:39am, November 20, 2011
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| In 'God's country': Voting wallets over religion |
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COLUMBIA, S.C. Nearly 60 percent of those who will vote in this state's first-in-the-South Republican presidential primary are expected to be evangelicals.
Published at 11:37am, November 20, 2011
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| Madison, Wis., recall rally draws thousands; 105,000 signatures gathered so far, group says |
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MADISON, Wis. In a demonstration reminiscent of those that occurred in February and March, between 25,000 and 30,000 protesters took over Capitol Square in Madison, Wis., on Saturday to protest Gov. Scott Walker's policies and to promote a signature drive to recall him.
Published at 11:32am, November 20, 2011
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(DES MOINES) Gov. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Reynolds today announced that they will hold six education transformation town hall meetings and a parent roundtable in coming days. 
ROCK HILL, S.C. At a book signing in Rock Hill on Friday, GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann criticized rival Newt Gingrich over his comments about the beginning of life. 
Nov. 29--Newt Gingrich is now the Republican candidate most likely to finish in the top two in next year's Iowa caucus, as the price of his contract on the Iowa Electronic Markets' Iowa Caucus market has jumped more than 22,000 percent in six weeks. 
DES MOINES, Iowa For weeks, it was the other Texan who was shaking things up as a front-runner in the Republican presidential race. PHOTO: Ron Paul in Mason City, Iowa.
SPARTANBURG, S.C. Former Sen. Rick Santorum has campaigned in South Carolina more than any of his rivals for the GOP presidential nomination 27 visits, at last count. PHOTO: Rick Santorum, in Clear Lake, Iowa.
