Poll: Romney Holds Strong NH Lead

With the official start of the primary season just days away, Mitt Romney appears to hold a strong position in one of the first battlegrounds of 2012.

According to a new Boston Globe/University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll, the former Massachusetts Governor leads the GOP field in the Granite state with 39 percent support among likely Republican voters. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Congressman Ron Paul trail far behind with 17 percent each. Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, whose campaign has failed to gain steam nationally, follows with 11 percent. No other candidate breaks double digits.

The poll also shows that Romney’s often-questioned Conservative credentials may do little to slow down his campaign. Among those in New Hampshire who identify themselves as members of the Tea Party, Romney leads Gingrich 44 to 24 percent and among indepdents.

The poll was conducted among 543 likely voters between December 12th and 19th.

The full report can be read here.

Exclusive: Speaker's Office Denies Shutting Down C-Span Feed

Speaker John Boehner came under fire from the blogosphere Wednesday after allegedly ordering the cameras C-SPAN uses to shut down during a moment of high drama on the House floor.

As House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer attempted to bring a two-month extension of payroll relief up for a vote, C-SPAN viewers suddenly saw the feed go silent and then shift to unrelated footage of the Capitol building’s exterior. Shortly after, the cable network Tweeted that they have “no control over the U.S. House TV cameras.” Instead, the Tweet read, “the Speaker of the House does.”

The progressive news outlet The Raw Story followed up on the occurrence with the headline “Boehner’s office cuts off C-SPAN cameras as GOP takes verbal beating” and the story quickly circulated across the web.

However, Boehner’s office denies having a hand in the incident.

“The House Recording Studio, which works under the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives, operates the cameras in the House chamber,” a Boehner spokesperson told the Talk Radio News Service. “The Speaker’s office had no involvement in this matter.”

When contacted for clarification, a C-SPAN spokesperson explained that the Tweet was not intended to hold Speaker Boehner culpable. Instead, the spokesperson said, the Tweet was aimed at emphasizing that the cameras inside the lower chamber are owned and operated by the House itself, not C-Span.

Update (3:49 pm) Dan Weiser, the Communications Director for the Chief Administrative Officer, confirms that the Speaker’s office was not involved in the decision to end the live feed.

Weiser told TRNS that Hoyer’s statements on the floor came after the House was officially adjourned, which is typically when the cameras stop rolling.

“While there are seconds of live broadcast prior and subsequent to each meeting, on Wednesday, December 21, the broadcast continued for approximately 57 seconds after adjournment,” Weiser said. “That length of time is atypical and unintended and the office of the [Chief Administrative Officer] takes full responsibility for it.”

Cantor Says Only One Hour Needed For Payroll Talks

House Minority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) told reporters Thursday that both parties are closer than one would think on a plan to extend payroll relief, saying lawmakers “can probably resolve the differences in an hour.”

“It all comes down to the pay-fors [and] the budgetary impact,” Cantor said during a press conference with Republicans tapped to serve on the legislation’s conference committee.

Cantor’s remarks come as House Republicans continue their standoff against the President and the Senate over conflicting plans to extend a tax cut on the paychecks of approximately 160 million Americans. A two month extension was passed with an overwhelming majority in the Senate last Saturday and was expected to clear the House. However, the lower chamber’s Republicans balked at the proposal, and instead insisted on a full year plan.

During Thursday’s briefing, Republicans reiterated their demand for both Senate leaders and the President to return to the negotiating table.

“I saw the President out yesterday doing his Christmas shopping, I saw he brought his dog with him,” Cantor quipped. “We’re here. He can bring his dog up here. We’re pet friendly.”

Attorney Claims Bradley Manning Proceedings Biased

The attorney for Bradley Manning, the 23 year old Army private charged with providing secret documents to the whistleblower site WikiLeaks, sys that the military’s investigating officer needs to recuse herself from his client’s case.

Lead Defense Counsel David Coombs claims that the officer, Army Lt. Col. Paul Almanza, works for the Justice Department and is therefore under pressure from President Barack Obama to deliver a guilty verdict since Obama has publicly voiced his belief that Manning broke the law. This, he argued, will lead to a flatly unjust trial.

A hearing was held early Friday at Fort Meade in Maryland prior to the start of the actual trial. The event drew supporters of Manning, including Lt. Dan Choi, who garnered popularity as an outspoken activist for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

“We must have the truth to achieve justice — and without justice we will never see true peace,” Choi said in a statement released by the Bradley Manning Support Network. “Despite the best efforts of President Obama, troops are coming from Iraq this year because of information about the cover-up of war crimes that Bradley Manning is accused of revealing to the public.”

Manning faces more than 22 charges, including aiding the enemy, which could land Manning a life sentence.

Poll: Hunstman In Third Place In NH

Jon Hunstman has thus far gained little traction among Republican voters since entering the 2012 race, but a new poll shows the Former Utah Governor holding third place in New Hampshire.

The poll, conducted by Suffolk University and Manchester television station WHDH, shows Mitt Romney leading the field with 38 percent, followed by Gingrich with 20 percent. Huntsman holds 13 percent, a development that his campaign referred to as a surge.

“This poll confirms that Governor Huntsman’s message of restoring trust in Washington, ending bailouts for too-big-to-fail Wall Street banks, and eliminating crony capitalism is resonating with voters who are fed up with politics-as-usual in Washington,” Matt David, Huntsman’s campaign manager, said in a statement sent out to supporters.

Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who came in fourth with 8 percent, previously held the third place spot.

According to David Paleologos, the director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, Huntsman’s uptick can be attributed to his campaign’s focus on independent voters.

“Huntsman has traction among independents, who could dominate the Republican Primary if mobilized,” Paleologos said in a statement.

The poll was conducted December 10^th through the 13^th among 400 likely primary voters.