Clarkson climbs charts after Ron Paul tweet

Kelly Clarkson album sales surge after Ron Paul presidential endorsement - Brian Browdie, New York Daily News:New York Daily News:

December 31, 2011 - "Kelly Clarkson may have stumbled upon a new path to success: Endorse Texas Rep. Ron Paul for president. The Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and first winner saw sales of her latest album surge Friday, one day after she tweeted her support for the 2012 Republican presidential hopeful.

"Clarkson’s 'Stronger' climbed from #38 to #7 on Amazon’s sales list between Thursday, when Clarkson threw her support behind Paul, and Friday afternoon, CNN reported. By Saturday, the album ... also stood at #10 on Apple’s iTunes Charts....

"'Ron Paul fans will give you the shirt off their backs, but they'll also help you sell your music!!!," wrote one Amazon customer. 'She is smart and strong enough to endorse Ron Paul ... so we are all buying her excellent album,' wrote another....

"The sales lift represents a silver lining for Clarkson, whom the Twittersphere blasted on Thursday after she tweeted her support for Paul. The Libertarian-leaning congressman — who wants to recall U.S. troops from overseas, reinstitute the gold standard and defund the federal government — came under fire this week for ... newsletters published under his name in the 1980s and 1990s.

"I have never heard that Ron Paul is a racist or a homophobe," tweeted Clarkson, who said she backs Paul because he believes in less government.

"Paul, who tweeted thanks for Clarkson's 'kind words' on Thursday, entered the weekend statistically tied for the lead among Republican voters in next Tuesday's Iowa caucuses, according to a CNN/Time/ORC international poll released this week. "

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/kelly-clarkson-album-sales-surge-ron-paul-presidential-endorsement-article-1.999207#ixzz1i8Al01cP
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Gary Johnson's New Hampshire team is supporting Ron Paul for the primaries

Gary Johnson's New Hampshire Team is Supporting Ron Paul for the Primaries - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine - Lucy Steigerwald:

December 30, 2011 - "Now that Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson has left the Republican race and is going for the Libertarian Party's nomination, ... Gary Johnson's New Hampshire staffers have switched to supporting Ron Paul, at least for the duration of the Republican primary race. (They have not, however, officially joined the Paul campaign, nor are they getting paid.)

"Johnson, who, like Paul in '07 suffered the 'no respect' effect, doesn't seem offended by this buffet-style small government sampling. In fact, Johnson recently told the Daily Caller that 'yeah,' his supporters should vote for Ron Paul in the general election, but:

"'I’m believing that Ron Paul is not going to win the nomination, and that is the exciting part about this for me. I do think it is about an agenda and a message. I think Ron Paul’s a messenger. I think that I am. I think there are others.'

"Johnson ... was a member of the Libertarian Party even while serving as Republican Governor of New Mexico."

Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2011/12/30/gary-johnsons-new-hampshire-team-says-th
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Kelly Clarkson Endorses Ron Paul

Kelly Clarkson Endorses Ron Paul - Presidential Race 2012 | Gossip Cop:

December 29, 2011 - "Ron Paul has secured a major endorsement – from Kelly Clarkson.

"The 'American Idol' winner expressed her support for the Republican presidential candidate on Twitter.

"'I love Ron Paul,' Clarkson wrote on Thursday. 'I liked him a lot during the last republican nomination and no one gave him a chance. If he wins the nomination for the Republican party in 2012 he’s got my vote.... Ron Paul is about letting people decide, not the government. I am for this.'"

Read more: http://www.gossipcop.com/kelly-clarkson-ron-paul-endorsement-support-president-2012-republican-twitter/ 'via Blog this'

Taking on GOP, and Ron Paul, Gary Johnson announces Libertarian bid | Death and Taxes

Taking on GOP, and Ron Paul, Gary Johnson announces Libertarian bid | Death and Taxes - Andrew Belonsky:

December 28, 2011  –  "'I am liberated,' Johnson said today after officially announcing he’s dropping his bid for the Republican nomination and instead running on the Libertarian ticket.... 'I have been deeply disappointed by the treatment I received in the Republican nomination process. I had hoped to lay out a real libertarian message on all the issues in the Republican contest. The process was not fair and open,' said the candidate....

'Incredibly, candidates with no executive experience like Michelle Bachmann and Rick Santorum were allowed to participate while I, a successful two-term governor with a solid record of job creation, was arbitrarily excluded by elitist media organizations in New York. My appeals to the Republican National Chairman for basic fairness were ignored....

"'It is clear that the elite national media and the political ‘ruling class’ don’t want this message heard,'  he insists. 'It frightens them. It frightens them because they know our message is one that actually reflects the true beliefs of millions of Americans – and they don’t want those millions of people to know there really is a candidate for president who represents them, whether they are Republicans, Democrats, Independents or Libertarians.'”

Read more: http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/171668/taking-on-gop-and-ron-paul-gary-johnson-announces-libertarian-bid/#2
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Ron Paul holds lead over Mitt Romney… : ThyBlackMan.com

Ron Paul holds lead over Mitt Romney … : ThyBlackMan.com:

December 26, 2011 - "Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul ... finished with 21 percent of likely Iowa caucus voters support in the latest American Research Group poll released Friday. Mitt Romney finished with 20 percent, followed closely by Mr. Gingrich who finished with 19 percent.... Texas Governor Rick Perry finished in a distant third place with 9 percent of the votes.

"The American Research Group poll is consistent with several other polls in recent weeks where Ron Paul has finished with a slight lead. After trailing Mr. Gingrich and Mitt Romney for months in Iowa, the Texas congressman is emerging as the likely winner of next week’s Iowa caucus vote."

Read more: http://thyblackman.com/2011/12/26/ron-paul-holds-lead-over-mitt-romney/
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Paul, Gingrich tied for 2nd in NH poll - Boston.com

Romney leads, Paul rises in N.H. poll - Boston.com - Michael Levenson, Boston Globe:

December 25, 2011 - "Mitt Romney remains the clear front-runner in New Hampshire with a little more than two weeks until the nation’s first primary, according to a new Boston Globe poll.

"Romney has the support of 39 percent of the state’s likely Republican voters, a drop of 3 percentage points since last month.... In the closely watched contest for second place, Gingrich and Paul are tied with 17 percent each, just ahead of Jon Huntsman, who has the support of 11 percent of likely Republican voters.

"But as the race hurtles toward the Jan. 10 primary, Paul has been gaining the most in New Hampshire. His support has risen by 5 percentage points since November, while Huntsman has picked up 3 percentage points in the last month and Gingrich has gained 2.

"The remainder of the Republican field remains largely sidelined in New Hampshire. Rick Santorum is in fourth place, with support from 3 percent of the state’s likely Republican voters, followed by Michele Bachmann at 2 percent and Rick Perry at 1 percent.

Buddy Roemer, a former Louisiana governor, and Gary Johnson, a former New Mexico governor, who have campaigned in New Hampshire but been ignored nationally, each drew less than 1 percent in the poll."

Read more: http://articles.boston.com/2011-12-25/news/30557159_1_mitt-romney-new-boston-globe-poll-primary-voters
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Merry Christmas from the Political Animal

This is from December 2007, but it's still the best Christmas political ad I've seen:

Only Romney and Paul qualify for Virginia GOP primary ballot

Gingrich Perry Virginia | Romney Paul Virginia | Virginia Republicans | Mediaite:

"Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry will not be on the ballot when Virginia Republican voters go to cast their vote for their party’s nominee, meaning the primary in that state will boil down to a contest between Mitt Romney and Ron Paul....

"Gingrich actively pursued getting on the ballot in Virginia, claiming to have reached the 10,000 signature threshold to qualify. Perry’s campaign claimed they had reached it as well, but after state party officials went through all the signatures to validate them, neither candidate ended up qualifying.

"'After verification, RPV has determined that Newt Gingrich did not submit required 10k signatures and has not qualified for the VA primary,' the party announced on Twitter.

"The state certified that both Romney and Paul had enough votes to get on the ballot, but as for the rest of the candidates, Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, and Rick Santorum failed to qualify as well, not garnering enough signatures to appear on the ballot."

Read more: http://www.mediaite.com/online/its-mitt-romney-v-ron-paul-in-virginia-as-other-candidates-fail-to-qualify-for-primary-ballot/
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Report: Former Gov. Gary Johnson expected to run as Libertarian

Report: Former Gov. Gary Johnson expected to run as Libertarian - Andrew Moran, Digital Journal:

December 22, 2011 - "One news outlet has learned that former two-term Republican New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson will seek the presidency by running as a third-party Libertarian Party candidate....

"Digital Journal reported late last month that former libertarian-leaning New Mexico Republican Governor Gary Johnson hinted at running for the Libertarian Party nomination.... Politico has confirmed that Johnson will announce at a news conference in Santa Fe next week of his plans. The popular governor also announced the event on his official Facebook page....

"The governor has run on a campaign promising to slash spending, balance the budget and end government intervention in the economy. He has also advocated legalizing marijuana and is pro-choice and supports LGBT rights....

"Libertarian Party chairman Mark Hinkle told the website that Johnson will officially change his voter registration to Libertarian. Hinkle noted that the governor remained a dues-paying member of the party while he was governor of New Mexico."

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/316553
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Ron Paul fares best in GOP race among minority voters | The Daily Caller

Ron Paul | Minority Voters | Newsletters | The Daily Caller:

December 22, 2011 - "A poll released Tuesday found that ... Texas Rep. Ron Paul fared best among non-white voters. In a hypothetical contest against the president, the CNN/Opinion Research poll found Paul with 25 percent of the non-white vote.

"Romney received 20 percent of that demographic against Obama, Texas Gov. Rick Perry 17 percent, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann 18 percent, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich 15 percent.

"Paul campaign press secretary Gary Howard, who is himself an African American, told The Daily Caller that his candidate’s opposition to the War on Drugs has helped him win support from minorities.... 'He has the strongest record of any candidate in this presidential race of standing up for civil liberties, and is also a staunch advocate of ending the drug war and fixing our biased court system which unfairly punishes minorities,' he said."

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/12/22/poll-ron-paul-would-fare-best-against-obama-among-non-white-voters/#ixzz1hJX6lVBg
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Gary Johnson polls at 20% in NM as a LIbertarian | United Liberty

Could Gary Johnson play a role in November? | United Liberty | Free Market - Individual Liberty - Limited Government - Chris Frashure:

Dec. 19, 2011 - "With Gary Johnson all but having officially announced that he will seek the Libertarian Party’s nomination for President, Public Policy Polling included him in a poll of voters in his home state. The result? 'In a 3 way contest with Obama and Romney he gets 23% with Obama at 44% and Romney at 27%.  And in a 3 way with Gingrich, Johnson gets 20% to 45% for Obama and 28% for Gingrich.'

"If he can build a national campaign and garner a finish within the ballpark of the results of this poll, Gary Johnson can show that a significant number of Americans are fed up with the two major parties....
If, by some chance, a Libertarian Gary Johnson could win New Mexico, he could give birth to an all new partisan libertarian movement."

Read more: http://www.unitedliberty.org/articles/9221-could-gary-johnson-play-a-role-in-november
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Ron Paul now leading in Iowa - CSMonitor.com

What if Ron Paul wins Iowa? - CSMonitor.com - Amanda Paulson:

Dec. 19, 2011 - "According to the latest Iowa survey of the Republican presidential field, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is now on top, with 23 percent of likely caucusgoers supporting him. The Public Policy Polling survey puts former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney second (20 percent) and a rapidly falling Newt Gingrich third (14 percent).

"A second poll released Monday also has Congressman Paul leading Mr. Romney, 24 to 18 percent.... And New York Times polling analyst Nate Silver, who has developed his own forecasting model, is predicting a Paul victory in Iowa. That model – which takes various polls into consideration, and weighs them according to accuracy and other factors – now gives Paul a 52 percent chance of an Iowa victory. It assigns Romney a 28 percent chance of winning, and Gingrich an 8 percent chance."

Read more: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/The-Vote/2011/1219/What-if-Ron-Paul-wins-Iowa
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Ron Paul’s ‘Tea Party’ money bomb approaches $4 million goal | The State Column

Ron Paul’s ‘Tea Party’ money bomb approaches $4 million goal | The State Column:

December 17, 2011 - "Ron Paul (R-TX), a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, launched his “Tea Party” money bomb Friday with the goal of raising $4 million to fund campaign activities in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. As of 8:3oam EDT, Mr. Paul has pulled in more than $3,250,000."

Read more: http://www.thestatecolumn.com/texas/ron-pauls-tea-party-money-bomb-approaches-4-million-goal/
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Ron Paul tied with Gingrich in Iowa — RT

Ron Paul tied with Gingrich in Iowa — RT:

Dec. 15, 2011 - "Congressman Ron Paul is seeing continuing success in the polls.... Public Policy Polling has the libertarian-learning GOP hopeful neck and neck with former-House Speaker Newt Gingrich. In the data released on Tuesday, Paul’s favoritism in the state of Iowa is apparent in 21 percent of likely Republican voters. Former frontrunners Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann both trail the Texas congressman, coming in at 16 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

"The surge in support for Paul comes after the candidate has unleashed on Gingrich with a series of campaign ads gone viral that attack the former speaker for his “serial hypocrisy” and flippant flip-flopping. Public Policy Polling reports that Gingrich saw a drop of 5 percentage points in support in the week leading up to the survey alone....

"Read more: http://rt.com/usa/news/ron-paul-gingrich-iowa-923/
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Ron Paul won’t rule out third-party candidacy - The Boston Globe - Boston.com

Ron Paul won’t rule out third-party candidacy - Political Intelligence - A national political and campaign blog from The Boston Globe - Boston.com - Shira Schoenberg :

Dec. 11, 2011 - "Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul on Sunday refused to rule out a third-party run but said, as he has in the past, that he has 'no plans' to mount one.

"Host David Gregory pressed Paul on the point on NBC’s 'Meet the Press.'

"Paul said he was not even thinking about a third-party run, but left the option open.

“'I have enough on my plate right now,'' Paul said. 'We have a lot of campaigning to do. We’re going to be very busy the next couple of weeks. That’s what I’m concentrating on, and we’ll see what happens.'"

Read more: http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2011/12/paul/cwYL0icjk9TbUq0s2PEDXK/index.html
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Shut Out of Debate, Roemer, Johnson, Karger to Take Part in Patch Live Blog - Amherst, NH Patch

Shut Out of Debate, Roemer, Johnson, Karger to Take Part in Patch Live Blog - Amherst, NH Patch - Marc Fortier:

December 10, 2011 - "And then there were six ... tonight's ABC debate in Iowa will feature just six GOP presidential candidates – Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum.

"Three candidates are missing from that list – Buddy Roemer, Gary Johnson and Fred Karger.... As part of our ongoing effort to give all voices a chance to be heard, we invited Roemer, Johnson and Karger to be panelists in our live blog of tonight's debate. All three agreed to participate.

"That means it will be a full house for our live blog. In addition to our usual debate commentators ... we'll have three real live Republican presidential candidates offering their take on what their opponents say in the debate."

Read more: http://amherst.patch.com/articles/shut-out-of-debate-roemer-johnson-and-karger-to-participate-in-patch-live-blog
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Ron Paul closing in on top spot in Iowa race | News | National Post

Ron Paul closing in on top spot in Iowa race | News | National Post - John Whitesides:

Dec. 8, 2011 - "DES MOINES, Iowa - Could Republican Ron Paul ... steal the first big prize of the 2012 presidential race in Iowa?

"While the heavyweight fight between rivals Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney hogs the headlines, Paul has steadily climbed into contention in the state.... Recent polls show Paul in second place in Iowa, behind the surging Gingrich and essentially even with Romney....

"Paul, the Texas congressman and doctor, has two big strengths that make him a wild card.... He has an enthusiastic and loyal band of supporters, many young and new to politics, that has grown since his failed 2008 presidential bid. And Iowa political activists rate his campaign organization as the best in the state.

“'Ron Paul can absolutely win the Iowa caucuses,' said Steve Deace, a conservative radio host in Iowa. 'His people are the most passionate, his support is underestimated and his ground game is the best.'

"Paul has seen his libertarian platform of limited government, reduced spending and deep deficit cuts become standard Republican orthodoxy since ... 2008.... Paul’s Iowa support ... hit 18 percent in last weekend’s Des Moines Register Iowa poll, up from 12 percent in October and 7 percent in June."

Read more: http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/08/ron-paul-closing-in-on-top-spot-in-iowa-race/

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Ron Paul Targets Gingrich in New Iowa Ad — 2012 Presidential Election | The Texas Tribune

Ron Paul Targets Gingrich in New Iowa Ad — 2012 Presidential Election | The Texas Tribune - Thanh Tan:

Dec. 6, 2011 - "U.S. Rep. Ron Paul's presidential campaign announced today it is expanding ad buys in Iowa starting on Wednesday....

"The second ad, to be released on Wednesday, ... attacks former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who at least three recent polls indicate has widened his lead over Mitt Romney and Paul in Iowa. The latter pair are tied at 18 percent, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll.

The Paul campaign is calling the spot "Serial Hypocricy." It cuts between videos that contrast Gingrich's conservative rhetoric with his lobbying activities, which have included consulting for troubled mortgage lender Freddie Mac and for health care firms that supported the much-disputed individual mandate that came with President Obama's federal health reform plan."

Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/texas-politics/2012-presidential-election/ron-paul-targets-gingrich-new-iowa-ad/
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Gary Johnson Comes Out in Favor of Gay Marriage - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

Gary Johnson Comes Out in Favor of Gay Marriage - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine - Lucy Steigerwald:

December 2, 2011 - "The former New Mexico Gov. ... officially declared his support for gay marriage at a online town hall meeting....

"Johnson's statement: 'As a believer in individual freedom and keeping government out of personal lives, I simply cannot find a legitimate justification for federal laws, such as the Defense of Marriage Act, which ‘define’ marriage. That definition should be left to religions and individuals – not government....

"'For a very long time, society has viewed gay marriage as a moral and, yes, religious issue. Today, ... more and more Americans are viewing it as a question of liberty ... and the time has come for us to align our marriage laws with the notion that every individual should be treated equally.'"

Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2011/12/02/gary-johnson-comes-out-in-favor-of-gay-m
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