Long-Shot 2012 Candidate Calls For OJ Boycott

Fred Karger, a long-shot Presidential candidate with very little name recognition, is calling for a boycott on Florida orange juice unless the state’s Republican party complies with RNC rules and moves its primary to a later date.

“Florida is jeopardizing the most important decision we make as Americans every four years, the election of the President of the United States,” Karger, in a letter to Florida officials, says of the state GOP’s plan to hold its primary on January 31st. “As one of these candidates for President, I cannot sit idly by while the state of Florida threatens the entire selection process.”

Karger, a gay rights activist running as a Republican, notes that he is prepared to launch an aggressive boycott campaign as soon as November 1st.

“We have the domain name, have begun developing our web site,” Karger says, adding that he is no stranger to boycotts, having partaken in a 1978 campaign against Florida OJ spurred by singer Anita Bryant’s attempt to repeal a ban on gay discrimination in Dade County.

Florida’s decision to hold an early primary has garnered scorn from national Republicans and has prompted numerous states to move their primary to December.

Cain, Romney Nearly Tied In Florida

The GOP’s current frontrunners, Mitt Romney and Herman Cain, appear to be running neck and neck in the Sunshine state.

According to a new Marist/NBC poll, Cain garners 32 percent support from Florida’s likely Republican voters while Romney holds 31 percent. The nearest Republican challenger, Texas Governor Rick Perry, comes in at 8 percent.

Florida holds special significance for Herman Cain’s campaign. After winning the state’s GOP straw poll, Cain saw a meteoric surge in the polls, ultimately jettisoning to top tier status. When a candidate in the 2008 campaign, Romney came in second in Florida, with approximately 31 percent of the vote.

The survey found that Cain predictably does better with conservative voters who identify themselves as members of the Tea Party. However, Republicans who don’t support the Tea Party, which Marist says makes up over 44 percent of the state’s Republicans, back Romney.

The poll was conducted among 2,520 likely Republican voters from October 10^th through the 12^th. It was released on Wednesday.

The full results can be read here.

In Vegas, Cain Attacked, Romney And Perry Spar

By Lisa Kellman

Businessman and GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain’s latest catchy description for his bold tax plan failed to extinguish the fire from his opponents during Tuesday night’s Republican debate.

Regarding Cain’s “9-9-9” tax reform plan, which would replace the current tax code with a nine percent national sales tax, a nine percent personal income tax and a nine percent business tax, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney said “I’m going to be getting a bushel basket that has apples and oranges in it because I’ve got to pay both taxes.”

“The people in Nevada don’t want to pay both taxes,” Romney added, playing to the Las Vegas audience.

Since his ascendance in the polls began over a month ago, Cain’s plan has come under fire and has been scrutinized by most on the right for imposing the national sales tax that some say would burden the poor and the middle class. Furthermore, Cain’s conservative opponents, like Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann, have argued that the tax rate could grow larger over time under subsequent administrations.

Cain, however, accused his opponents last night of “mixing apples and oranges” and not reading his plan thoroughly.

Though Cain’s plan received a considerable amount of focus early on, the rest of the debate, held in Las Vegas’ Venetian Hotel, centered around Romney and Texas Governor Rick Perry attacking each another.

The heat arrived midway through the debate over immigration issues. Verbal blows were fired when Perry blamed Romney for knowingly employing illegal immigrants — an attack that was used against Romney during the 2008 campaign — and called his position on immigration “the height of hypocrisy”

Romney denied the accusations that he knowingly employed a lawn care service that used illegal immigrants, and hit back by pointing out a 60% increase in illegal immigration in Texas during Perry’s time as Governor.
“Governor Perry, you say you have got the experience. It’s a bit like saying that, you know, the college coach that has lost 40 games in a row has the experience to go to the NFL,” said Romney.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who moderated the debate, forced the candidates to address immigration, economic and healthcare issues, but also addressed recent controversies including the statements from Perry’s Pastor calling Mormonism a cult and Iran’s attack on the Saudi ambassador.

In response to his pastor Robert Jeffress’ statements, Perry apologized to Romney and said he did not agree with the pastor’s remarks yet conceded that Jeffress indeed had a right to make them. 

Cain defended his statement last week when he called out Occupy Wall Street Protestors saying “Don’t blame Wall Street, don’t blame the big banks. If you don’t have a job, and you’re not rich, blame yourself.” He asserted that the protestors should be directing their anger toward President Obama instead.

Throughout the evening, Romney faced direct attacks from Santorum and Perry over his alleged influence on Obama’s healthcare law. He defended his decision to pass a very similar law as Governor by saying that his Massachusetts plan was a state plan and was never intended to be a model for the federal government.

Geoff Holtzman contributed to this story.

DNC Targets Romney Ahead Of GOP Debate

The DNC accused Mitt Romney of holding an out-of-touch stance on the U.S. housing crisis Tuesday, just hours before the former Massachusetts Governor was scheduled to debate alongside the rest of the GOP field in Nevada, the state with the highest foreclosure rate.

During a meeting with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Romney commented that Nevada’s economy would be improved by allowing foreclosures to take place unabated, noting that it would ultimately result in more homes hitting the market that can be sold or rented.

“Don’t try to stop the foreclosure process. Let it run its course,” Romney said in the taped interview. 

“To Mitt Romney, America’s homes are nothing more than Monopoly pieces to trade and make a quick buck,” Brad Woodhouse, the Committee’s Communications Director, said during a conference call. “That’s appalling, but it’s not unexpected from a former financial executive that wants to allow Wall Street … to write its own rules again.”

Woodhouse added that the statement runs strongly against the former Governor’s attempt to campaign as a champion for the middle class.

McCain: Obama "In Full Campaign Mode"

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) shot back at Obama Tuesday after the President charged that Congressional Republicans lack a legitimate jobs plan.

“I think thats very unfortunate to mock serious proposals. I think it really indicates he’s in full campaign mode,”  McCain, who co-authored the GOP’s jobs proposal, told reporters.

The Jobs Through Growth Act, which was introduced by Senate Republicans last Thursday, does not contain provisions from President Obama’s stalled jobs package. Instead, it focuses on repealing the healthcare reform law and adding a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. 

McCain levied additional criticism at the President’s decision to host a three day bus tour through North Carolina and Virginia.

“Going down their on the tax payers dime, calling it not a campaign event and then attacking Republicans is probably the worst overreach I’ve observed in the years that I’ve been in the Congress,” McCain said.