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Romney's case against Vision2

I'm sure Mitt Romney is too busy with his own campaign to pay attention to a sales tax election Tulsa County, Oklahoma, but several of the Republican presidential nominee's comments about government and business in tonight's third debate suggest he wouldn't support Vision2, the Tulsa County sales tax scheme on...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 22, 2012 9:47 PM

Power your president to winning!

The Gregory Brothers, who brought you the songified soundbites of George Lindell ("Reality hits you hard, bro."), Antoine Dodson ("Hide your kids, hide your wife."), and Debbie the Dater ("Can't hug every cat.") reveal the similarities in Romney and Obama's acceptance speeches:...

Posted by Michael Bates on September 26, 2012 11:44 PM

Mitt Romney's RNC power grab

I hate to have to miss the Republican National Convention this year, but it's especially tough to miss the convention's Rules Committee proceedings the week before the convention. I was one of a handful of reporters and bloggers covering the 2004 and 2008 Rules Committee proceedings, and I suspect I...

Posted by Michael Bates on August 26, 2012 9:46 PM

Mitt Romney and the Republican predilection for executive deference

There's a theory being circulated among conservative bloggers and Tea Party activists that we shouldn't worry about the likelihood of bailout-backing, mandate-loving, flip-flopping Mitt Romney winning the nomination. Anyone can beat Obama, the theory goes -- even with Romney unable to run against Obama on Obamacare -- and if we...

Posted by Michael Bates on March 29, 2012 1:21 AM

Santorum leads statewide, in each congressional district

SoonerPoll.com has released a poll of 300 likely Oklahoma Republican presidential primary voters (deemed likely because of voting history). 278 said they planned to vote in the March 6 Super Tuesday primary. Margin of error is +/- 5.66%. The survey occurred over a nine-day period (February 8 - February 16)....

Posted by Michael Bates on February 21, 2012 2:05 AM

Presidential roundup 2012/02/06: Nevada, Newt, narcissism

Some links of interest regarding the presidential campaign: Newt Gingrich had to know that he was not going to finish first in Florida and Nevada, so why not be prepared with statement that puts a positive spin on the results in preparation for likelier victories in the south on Super...

Posted by Michael Bates on February 6, 2012 8:25 AM

Flat February: No need to head for the exits

The Wall Street Journal has a fascinating interactive graphic, with stair-steps showing how allocated Republican delegates accumulate over time in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012. It's striking to see how far to the right everything has moved this year. The massive step up on Tsunami Tuesday (February 3, 2008) has...

Posted by Michael Bates on January 22, 2012 10:52 PM

Not Romney wins South Carolina

Thanks to Sarah Palin, Not Romney won South Carolina by giving Newt Gingrich a plurality of the vote. Newt Gingrich's 1st place finish in South Carolina halted Mitt Romney's winning streak of one and deflated the notion that Romney is inevitably going to be the nominee. Romney's best assets in...

Posted by Michael Bates on January 22, 2012 12:27 AM

Iowa caucuses: How Ron Paul can "win" and lose in the same night

Several recent poll results suggest that Texas Congressman Ron Paul could be in for a good result this coming Tuesday, the night that Iowa voters gather for Republican precinct caucuses, the first step in a series of conventions that will lead to the selection of delegates and alternates to...

Posted by Michael Bates on December 30, 2011 8:40 PM

Not Mitt, not Newt

The Daily Oklahoman used Sunday morning's editorial to shout at Oklahoma Republicans to rally 'round Mitt Romney. In a nutshell, the editorialists said we need to stop wasting time flirting with other possibilities. We need to forgo the frivolous notion of a competitive primary season. Instead, ve musst alles goosestep...

Posted by Michael Bates on December 19, 2011 12:39 AM