AUDIO: Romney Calls On Obama To Halt Defense Cuts

NASHUA, NH — Speaking before a packed auditorium at the Nashua offices of defense contractor BAE Systems, GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney accused President Obama of making a serious tactical mistake by allowing $600 billion in defense cuts to potentially occur.

The cuts would begin taking shape in 2013 unless the twelve-member congressional super committee reaches a deal in the next two days to trim the federal deficit by $1.3 trillion.

A BAE employee who didn’t give his name responded to Romney’s remarks saying, “He’s playing to his audience.”

No fewer than six times in his fifteen-minute talk, the former Massachusetts governor said the world is a dangerous place. The presidential hopeful, who’s made the economy his major theme, didn’t hesitate to invoke Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s warning that the proposed $600 billion in defense cuts would jeopardize national security.

Romney also said that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is an excellent program and that it would also be tragic if the U.S. doesn’t proceed in developing the new aircraft.

The one-term Massachusetts governor and Utah Winter Olympic leader said that while he was in Britain recently he met with former Prime Minister Tony Blair and current Prime Minister David Cameron.

Pivoting to the economy, Romney touted his experience working with the largely Democratic Massachusetts Legislature.

“The Massachusetts Legislature was 80-percent Democrat. The one thing I learned to do while governor was find the leaders who loved the state and to find common ground,” Romney said.

“That’s the kind of leadership I’ll bring to the White House,” Romney added.

In response to an audience question, Romney said, the ‘do-nothing Congress,” isn’t all bad. He said it’s good that Congress has stopped ‘Cap-and-Trade’ and the union-supported card-check program.

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‘Birthers’ Get a Collectible Keepsake From The Obama Campaign

By Tim Young

On Friday, New Hampshire’s Republicans allowed a hearing in their State House on the long debated and beaten-to-death issue of Obama’s birth certificate in order to determine if the current President of the United States was eligible to run for re-election.

The Obama campaign’s fundraisers have used the issue to their advantage, and on Saturday, released an announcement to their supporters letting them know they can buy “limited-edition” mugs with the President’s long-form birth certificate emblazoned on the side.  The alternate side has a picture of the President with the tag line, ‘Made in the USA.’

The mugs will be sent to those who donate $20 or more to the campaign and are said to be made “in honor of birthers everywhere.”

The issue of Obama’s birth status has been raised multiple times including the 2008 election and more recently, when Donald Trump made it one of his principle issues for running for President himself.  President Obama has released birth certificates in both instances silencing the conspiracy theorists.

AUDIO: Gingrich Plays Up Jobs Ideas To Harvard Crowd

GOP Presidential hopeful and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) told a Harvard University audience Friday that President Obama’s deficit spending is endangering economic recovery. The best way to jumpstart the economy, Gingrich said, is to create jobs.

“When you create jobs, you get people off of Medicaid, off of public housing, off of unemployment, off of welfare,” he said. “So, you’re reducing government spending without pain.”

(Click here  to listen to Gingrich slam Obama’s spending policies)

Discussing the budget crisis facing the country, Gingrich was less than complementary about the so-called “Super committee,” calling the group “stupid,” and added that a major fault of that panel is that none of the members have consulted anyone who has balanced a budget.

Gingrich also covered national security and foreign policy issues.

Commenting on President Obama’s decision to send 2,500 Marines to Australia, he said the move is largely symbolic and will only irritate the Chinese.

“I’m not against him doing it. I think it’s a good thing, but it’s not central to our relationship with China,” Gingrich said.

A member of the crowd asked Gingrich if he would support the Kyoto Accords and the UN Treaty on landmines. Gingrich said he opposed both treaties saying, “You couldn’t find a single member of the Senate that supported the treaty because it was so poorly written.

On another foreign policy issue, Gingrich said that the U.S. is right to withhold dues from UNESCO because of the organization’s decision to recognize the Palestinian Authority.

(Click here  to listen to Gingrich bash a pair of President Obama’s foreign policy decisions)

Gingrich now heads back to Iowa to attend a family forum in anticipation of the January 3 Iowa caucuses. A new Rasmussen poll out today showed Gingrich leading the rest of the Republican field by 13 points in the Hawkeye State.

New Hampshire Business Owners Not Sold On Romney

By Janie Amaya

A group of small business owners in New Hampshire attacked GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Friday for displaying a record of inconsistency over the years, and said that his plan to help them is unclear.

“Politicians often say that small businesses need certainty and consistency to grow and I’m sure Mitt said that when working with Bain Capital. Well, right now it is very clear there is nothing consistent, nor certain about Mitt Romney,” said Mason Donavan, a part owner of the Dagoba Group in Salisbury.

Donavan said that Romney’s opposition to President Obama’s American Jobs Act represents a turn-about for the former Massachusetts Governor, who once supported a $2,000 tax credit for small businesses to hire people who had been unemployed for longer than six months. Obama’s bill would provide $4,000 tax credits to businesses who hire the long-term jobless.

Donavan added that under Romney from 2003-2007, Massachusetts’ economy grew at just one percent, compared to the national level of five percent during that same period.

“We really do need a president that’s out for the small business, that’s there for small businesses and has a record of job growth,” Donavan said.

Small business owner Peter Hoiriis of Manchester said he doubts whether Romney’s 59-point jobs plan can help reduce the nation’s 9.1 percent unemployement rate. Hoiriis also waged a common complaint against Romney; that he’s inconsistent on the issues.

“I’m questioning Romney where he really stands,” Hoiriis said. “I have an old business affiliation with him from twenty years ago, and it just seems that it’s hard to target what he supports or doesn’t.” Hoiriis did say, however, that Romney would be “worthy of listening to.”

Though Romney is ahead of the rest of the GOP field in the Granite State, a new poll released today shows his lead slipping. According to the survey, conducted by Magellan Strategies, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich trails Romney by just two percentage points.

Given the news, Romney will likely need to win over as many small businesses as he can to win the primary, which is less than eight weeks away.

Pelosi Declines Rick Perry's Debate Proposal

By Janie Amaya

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) declined Rick Perry’s challenged for a debate next Monday.

Poking some fun at the GOP candidate’s gaffe during a presidential debate last week, Pelosi said her schedule is full and jokingly said she couldn’t remember all of her scheduled engagements on her schedule next Monday.

“Well, he did ask  if I could debate here in Washington on Monday. It is my understanding that such a letter has come in. Monday I’m going to be in Portland in the morning. I’m going to be visiting some of our labs in California in the afternoon- that’s two, I can’t remember what the third thing is,” Pelosi said. 

According to Perry, the unorthodox proposal came after House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer’s (D-Md.) criticized Perry’s “Overhauling Washington” plan.

In a letter to Pelosi, Perry asks if the top Democrat in the House “truly opposes lawmakers spending more time in their districts,” if his plan of cutting Congress’ pay is passed as President.

“A part-time Congress with half the pay would still make $38,000 a year more than the average American family,” Perry said in his letter.