It's Romney Over Paul In Iowa

A new CNN/Time poll released Wednesday shows Mitt Romney clinging to a three-point lead over Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

Both candidates are up five points each from where they were in the same poll conducted earlier this month.

The poll also reveals a mild surprise, with former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum finishing in third place at 16 percent. Santorum clocked in at just five percent in the earlier poll.

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Romney Running Away In New Hampshire, Huntsman Hanging On

PELHAM, NH — Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney picked up 44-percent of likely New Hampshire voters surveyed in the latest CNN/Time poll.

The poll showed Romney leading Texas Congressman Ron Paul by 27 points. A similar poll conducted back in the first week of December put Romney at 35 percent.

Meanwhile, Newt Gingrich seems to be slipping. The former House Speaker from Georgia saw his approval numbers drop from 26 percent in the earlier poll to 16 percent in this latest one.

Jon Huntsman, who has been spending nearly all of his time campaigning in the Granite State, finished fourth at nine percent. Though the same survey showed him at just one percent in Iowa, the former Utah Governor and American Ambassador to China is hoping to win over a more moderate voting bloc in the New England state.

WBZ-TV political analyst Jon Keller says Huntsman may have a shot in New Hampshire due to all the face time he’s gotten with voters in the state.

“They like a candidate who basically pledges his or her undying affection to that state, by camping out there,” Keller said. “This is true with Santorum, who has had a late surge in Iowa, and Huntsman has essentially been living in New Hampshire for the last two months,” he added.

Keller says that New Hampshire’s open primary could also bode well for the former Utah Governor.

“Huntsman may improve on that nine percent showing come primary day on January 10th because don’t forget, independent voters can walk up and take a Republican ballot on primary day.”

Huntsman made his 129th campaign appearance in New Hampshire at a town hall meeting Wednesday in Pelham. Speaking with reporters after the rally, Huntsman says he likes Keller’s assessment.

“I agree with that analyst. There will be another poll tomorrow and another one the next day. But the only one that matters is the one on the 10th,” he said.

Huntsman’s poll numbers have hovered at around 10-percent in the major polls since December 1st. His highest rating was 13-percent in a Suffolk University poll released last week.

The CNN/Time poll was recorded with 1508 adult likely voters from December 21st to the 24th and again from the 26th and 27th.

Click here to listen to a pair of audio reports on the story from TRNS’s Michael Carl.

OPINION: The Impacts Of Fukushima

Scientists are trying to figure why scores of seals have washed ashore in Alaska this year either dead or suffering from a mysterious disease. 

The seals have lesions, irritated skin, and hair loss – often symptoms of radiation poisoning - and scientists worry it might have come from the Fukushima plant in Japan. 

So far – there’s been no sign of elevated radiation in the waters in the Pacific Northwest - although the US government moved monitoring from daily to quarterly – but scientists are conducting tests to determine if indeed the seals have been poisoned by nuclear fallout making its way to US waters from Japan. 

Test results aren’t expected for a few more weeks.

A study conducted earlier this month suggested that as many as 14,000 premature deaths in the United States – mostly among infants – might be attributed to nuclear fallout from Fukushima.  

The world is clearly different now, post-Fukushima.

OPINION: Let's Move Congress Into The 21st Century

I go to a lot of Christmas parties. I love them! Because I cover politics, the discussion at these parties often turns to how Washington is broken. This year, the conversation reached a full crescendo. The parties were in full swing as the Senate passed the payroll tax bill and the House did not. “What is going to happen?” I was asked, as if I somehow could see the future. I gave my usual answer that I give whenever Congress is in town late during the Christmas season. “Congress doesn’t want to come back to Washington” or “The husband or wife is on the phone with the kids and the family pressure is on the member to get something done.” Sure enough, this year was no exception.

Members of Congress are people, even if they are also politicians. They have kids and grandkids and husbands and wives, and it does not sit well with them at this time of year to have them in Washington, D.C. There is the Christmas play, and Aunt Jane and Uncle Jim who have come to visit. The next-door neighbor has planned a cocktail party with your friends, and your spouse is not very excited to go alone. Pressure is on, and that bill that you felt so strongly about suddenly fades with the days of the season. It’s Christmas, and no one wants to be in Washington, D.C., far away from home.

So, what did Congress do this year? It went directly to the easiest trick in the book. It decided to do things by unanimous consent. It means a few members of Congress get up in the chamber and pass a bill. It only takes a few minutes and happens while the member is out shopping, going to the Christmas play, watching a sporting event or cooking with the family. There’s no heavy lifting.

Why, if this important bill passed with just a few members showing up in the chamber, can’t most of Congress’ work happen while members are home? I am not suggesting that all bills happen by unanimous consent, but if such a big bill can get passed while members are in their home districts, then why can’t others?

We live a very technological era. There is face recognition technology, fingerprint and iris readers, complicated sign in verifications. Why can’t we use some of these so that members can vote while at home? If the idea is to be in touch with the voters, then why does everyone need to come to Washington, D.C., for every vote?

I am not suggesting that we do a virtual Congress. There are real reasons for people to work together and make decisions and get to know other members from around the country. But, the money that would be saved by having Congress in town a whole lot less is staggering. Members would not be traveling back and fourth each weekend, and those terrible fundraisers that members have to go to every night would not happen. The influence of “power breakfasts,” aka interest groups seeking to influence legislation, would not be as prevalent. The wear and tear on the body of the members traveling home every week would also be saved.

We live in the 21st century. We no longer elect someone to stay in Washington for months at a time. The founders never intended for Congress to be a weekly commute. It is time we get real and looked at the realities of how legislation can get passed, the fundraising/influence peddling that now occupies members’ time in Washington and the broken game of partisanship in Congress. Have members vote from home, come to Washington for real legislative meetings and save us all from watching the dysfunctional show we saw this December. Let’s move Congress to the 21st century.

Ex-Republican Gary Johnson To Run As Libertarian In 2012

The Libertarian National Committee released the following statement in response to former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson’s announcement today that he’ll run for President next year as a Libertarian:

“The Libertarian Party welcomes Governor Gary Johnson to the race for the Libertarian nomination for president. Governor Johnson has an outstanding record for vetoing legislation as former governor of New Mexico. He vetoed more bills than all other governors in the country combined, stopping the expansion of Big Government.”

“Governor Johnson has also proposed a substantial reduction in federal spending. Libertarians look forward to learning the specifics and the time frame of that reduction. Governor Johnson appeals to fiscal conservatives -rank-and-file Republicans, libertarians, independents and even many Democrats - who see most Republican candidates as agents of Big Government and high taxes.”

“Governor Johnson also appeals to non-interventionists of all political stripes who are disappointed with President Obama’s surge in Afghanistan and his involvement in Libya.”

“Free market advocates understand that third parties provide essential competition for the entrenched two parties. Without the Libertarian Party, Republicans typically nominate a Big Government, high tax candidate such as Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich — which results in guaranteed further expansion of Big Government.”

“The Libertarian Party will be on the ballot in nearly all, if not all, 50 states - including Virginia. At least 99% of the population of voters in the United States will have the opportunity to vote Libertarian.”

“The party’s nominating convention will be held in Las Vegas May 4th and 5th.”

“Regarding the charge that the Libertarian Party could “spoil” the election for the Republican nominee, Carla Howell, Executive Director said, “You can make that case only if Ron Paul is the Republican nominee. If any other remaining contender in the GOP primary were to win, then the Republicans will offer a choice for more Big Government and higher taxes. You can’t spoil tainted meat.”

“All of the Republican Party presidential candidates ” except for Ron Paul ” have a track record of voting for higher levels of government spending. Many have raised taxes, supported bailouts, and/or voted to expand Big Government.”

“Mitt Romney went one better in Massachusetts when he championed ObamaCare Part I,”said Howell.”

“Should one of the non-Paul candidates prevail, then the Libertarian Party will be our only means to restore fiscal sanity, to create a friendly business environment and to create desperately-needed new jobs,” said Howell.”