Tampa’s mayor said he’s prepared to call off the Republican National Convention if it’s threatened by a hurricane.
Given that the Tampa Convention Center sits smack in the center of an evacuation zone that would be inundated with water in a Category 1 hurricane, Mayor Bob Buckhorn suggested that the GOP might want to start thinking about contingency plans.
“Absolutely, we’re prepared to call it off,” Buckhorn told CNN. “I mean, human safety and human life trump politics. I think the RNC recognizes that, the organizers, certainly Gov. Romney recognizes that. Whatever we do will be based on getting people out of harm’s way. Politics will take second place.”
But will it? Right on queue, some are questioning his political motives.
What’s worse, a torrent of criticism or an actual hurricane? More at 11.
At 10:30 on Monday night, Ann Romney is scheduled to take the stage at the Republican National Convention, in Act 1 of her husband’s four-day introduction to the nation. But tens of millions of people will not be able to watch.
CBS plans instead to show a rerun of “Hawaii Five-O,” its hit police series. Viewers of NBC will see a new episode of “Grimm,” about a homicide detective with the supernatural ability to sense evil. And ABC plans to show “Castle,” a series about a best-selling mystery novelist who helps solve crimes.
Misplaced priorities, or is this speech not that big a deal?
Report: Romney to release 2011 tax return by Oct. 15
Reuters: A senior campaign adviser said Monday that Mitt Romney will release his 2011 tax return by October 15.
“Romney, a former private equity executive who is one of the richest men ever to run for president, has come under pressure for months from the Obama campaign to release more years of tax returns.
He has released his 2010 tax return and estimates for 2011 but does not plan to reveal more years of returns. In April, he requested an extension from the Internal Revenue Service to file his 2011 tax forms, while estimating his tax liability at $3.2 million for last year.”
Photo: Romney appears at a campaign rally in Ohio on Aug. 14 (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)
The Romney Plan: Release the tax return as close as possible to the election to minimize fallout, but maximize speculation.
» What “bounce”? And, as it turns out, Romney’s pick of Ryan didn’t exactly give him a desired jump in the polls. Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight puts it like so: “This is a below-average ‘bounce’ for the selection of a vice presidential candidate. In past elections, the bounce has averaged in the neighborhood of 4 percentage points instead.” Silver has Romney well behind Obama in the electoral vote count.
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Paul Ryan is the embodiment of the machine our music rages against.Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine’s guitarist blasts Romney’s VP pick and unlikely Rage fan - Rolling Stone (via brooklynmutt)
I represent a part of America that includes inner cities, rural areas, suburbs and factory towns. Over the years I have seen and heard from a lot from families, from those running small businesses, and from people who are in need. But what I have heard lately troubles me the most. There is something different in their voice and in their words. What I hear from them are diminished dreams, lowered expectations, uncertain futures.Rep. Paul Ryan • In prepared remarks the just-tapped vice-presidential candidate plans to give this morning. (more here)
The overnight vetting of Paul Ryan.From August, 2010, the Times’ “A Young Republican With a Sweeping Agenda”
From August of this year, Ryan Lizza’s “Fussbudget”
Lizza also shares this photo from Ryan’s high school yearbook, in which Ryan was named “biggest brown-noser.”
Paul Ryan’s classmates vote him “Biggest ‘Brown-Noser.’” twitter.com/RyanLizza/stat
— Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) August 11, 2012Here’s Ryan on C-SPAN in 1998, when he first joined Congress.
Here’s his big ol’ house in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Paul Ryan has a nice house here in Janesville instagr.am/p/OL5-WLi-xR/
— John Dickerson (@jdickerson) August 11, 2012Some other notes:
First prez election with no military vet on either ticket since 1932.
— daveweigel (@daveweigel) August 11, 2012Last year we found Florida voters opposed Ryan plan by 16 points, North Carolina voters opposed it by 23
— PublicPolicyPolling (@ppppolls) August 11, 2012Some early analysis of the pick from Lizza and The Atlantic’s James Fallows (who is not a fan).
The best early analysis is Ezra Klein’s “Seven Thoughts on Ryan”.
But if you’re looking for detail, here is a 290-page opposition research book on Ryan, released by a Super PAC.
Undoubtedly, more to come.
Gaywrites also points out that Ryan has a very weak gay-rights record.
Happening soon: Romney introduces Paul Ryan as his VP pick. Watch over here. The local paper is covering too. (And follow our tag here.)
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Mitt Romney chooses Paul Ryan as running mate
Mitt Romney has chosen Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan to be his vice presidential running mate.
Sourced reports of the news emerged late last night, and Romney’s “Mitt’s VP” mobile app confirmed the choice this morning. Romney is holding an event in Norfolk, Virginia, at 9 a.m. EDT today to make the formal announcement. More updates on BreakingNews.com.
Photo: Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 10, 2012. (J. Scott Applewhite / AP)
Of course they would leapfrog the official announcement with the app. Of course.
A top aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) provided new details Wednesday on the identity of Reid’s source for the claim that Mitt Romney did not pay taxes for 10 years. Romney has since called on Reid to release the name of the source.
“This person is an investor in Bain Capital, a Republican also, and somebody who has been dealing with Romney’s company for a long, long time and he has direct knowledge of this,” said Reid aide Jose Parra, referring to Romney’s tax returns.
Romney told ABC News that he would check his records to determine if he ever paid a lower rate than the 13.9 percent he paid in 2010. Despite requests from the network, however, Romney has yet to provide the information.
Parra teased the details in an interview with Mario Solis-Marich on KTLK’s Diverse LA radio program, according to audio of the show provided by the station.
Today in bluffing.
Flipping burgers at McDonald’s, steering the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, slinging cheap margaritas, and toning abs and pecs. That’s about the extent of Rep. Paul Ryan’s private sector experience.Politico’s Jonathan Martin • Discussing a glaring problem were Mitt Romney to pick Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate: He has little experience in the private sector, something Romney himself is pushing very hard. Ryan’s business experience? Limited to working at his family’s construction business only a few months. On the other hand, The Wall Street Journal just gave him some serious backing, noting that Ryan’s pick would give Romney a chance to win on big issues (with Ryan’s fiscal background offering up those big issues), rather than losing on small ones.
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