Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Long Washington record starting to haunt Gingrich

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks at a news conference in New York, Monday, Dec. 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks at a news conference in New York, Monday, Dec. 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

(AP) ? Newt Gingrich's long political record and Washington ties are coming back to haunt him four weeks before Iowa's leadoff Republican presidential caucuses.

The former House speaker was pressed Tuesday in a radio interview to explain his past support of health care mandates, his belief in human-caused climate change, and his advocacy for a certain level of government regulation ? positions that irk many conservatives ? just as rival Ron Paul rolled out a hard-hitting TV ad in Iowa that uses Gingrich's own words to accuse him of "serial hypocrisy."

"If you want to put people in jail, let's look at the politicians who created the environment, the politicians who profited from the environment," Gingrich is shown saying in the ad. It casts him as a Washington insider who espoused conservative principles as House speaker only to profit from special interests when he became a high-dollar consultant.

Chief opponent Mitt Romney weighed in, too, telling Fox News Channel: "If the American people believe that what we need is someone who has spent the last 40 years or so in Washington, D.C., working as an insider, why, he's the right guy."

And Romney added: "America needs a leader, not someone who's an insider."

It's just the start of what could end up being a deluge of criticism as rivals look to curb Gingrich's rise in polls between now and the Jan. 3 caucuses. Opponents are mining his lengthy Washington career ? he was an elected official and then a sought-after consultant ? for ammunition as they try woo an electorate that views experience in Washington as unsavory.

Such criticism comes as a Washington Post/ ABC News poll shows Gingrich with 33 percent support in Iowa, with Paul and Romney at 18 percent. It's similar to other polls in Iowa and elsewhere that show Gingrich with a lead.

Given the gulf, rivals are turning to the long paper trail of Gingrich's quotes and votes from his two decades in the House as well as his lucrative consultant business after leaving office in 1999. There also are the circumstances surrounding the ethics investigation he faced, an issue that has not yet been examined anew but certainly will in the coming weeks.

"One of these days we'll have a conversation about Newt Gingrich," Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House, told Talking Points Memo this week. "I know a lot about him. I served on the investigative committee that investigated him, four of us locked in a room in an undisclosed location for a year. A thousand pages of his stuff."

It didn't take long for Gingrich to respond, saying Pelosi would violate House rules if she released more than has been made public about the investigation and the resulting $300,000 settlement.

So far, Gingrich is not shying away from his record.

In campaign appearances, he brings up his for-profit work after leaving office. And he and his wife, Callista, come up with responses to expected tough questions.

Gingrich submitted to an interrogation of sorts Tuesday by conservative radio host Glenn Beck.

Beck spent the bulk of his time confronting Gingrich on equivocations on certain issues, juxtaposing the candidate's past comments with his current positions? and grilling the candidate on the discrepancies.

Gingrich, at times testy, didn't back down when pressed but instead launched into lengthy explanations of where he stood and, like the college professor he once was, offered up answers that explored the intricacies of certain policies.

On climate change, Beck cited a television commercial Gingrich once filmed with Pelosi, a Democrat, on the need to address the issue and recalled a debate Gingrich once did on the topic with Democratic Sen. John Kerry. Some conservatives question the role of humans in global warming.

Gingrich now says filming the ad with Pelosi was a mistake, and he hedges when asked about humans' role in climate change.

"There is evidence on both sides of the climate change argument," he told Beck.

On health care, Beck presented Gingrich with audio of his past statements ? in 1993 and twice this year ? supporting health care mandates for individuals.

These days, Gingrich criticizes the Democrats' requirement in the health care overhaul that all Americans have coverage and seeks to explain away any discrepencies by saying that a mandate has a role but, as he told Beck, "I wouldn't impose it on everybody across the board."

"In a free society, you don't elect officials to impose on you things that you disagree with," he added.

On federal regulations, Beck unearthed a comment Gingrich once made calling himself a Theodore Roosevelt Republican when it comes to the role of government in people's lives.

Gingrich welcomed his previous comparison but said was referring to Roosevelt's interest in protecting consumers prior to 1912, by which Gingrich said the president had become "a big government, centralized power advocate." Added Gingrich: "There are minimum regulatory standards of public health and safety that are I think really important."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2011-12-06-Gingrich/id-9b6424c89c6140179a4d4dc99432ebf3

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Cain suspends campaign shifting GOP race

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, right, bows and his wife Gloria applauds as Cain arrives on stage for a scheduled announcement Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, in Atlanta. "I am suspending my presidential campaign because of the continued distractions and the continued hurt caused on me and my family," Cain told several hundred supporters gathered at what was to have been the opening of his national campaign headquarters. (AP Photo/David Tulis)

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, right, bows and his wife Gloria applauds as Cain arrives on stage for a scheduled announcement Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, in Atlanta. "I am suspending my presidential campaign because of the continued distractions and the continued hurt caused on me and my family," Cain told several hundred supporters gathered at what was to have been the opening of his national campaign headquarters. (AP Photo/David Tulis)

Supporters from left, Marianne Sanderson, Lisa Shiflett, and Michelle McDonald, react to the announcement by Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain that he is suspending his campaign at an event Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain announces he is suspending his campaign as his wife Gloria, left, looks on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011, in Atlanta. "I am suspending my presidential campaign because of the continued distractions and the continued hurt caused on me and my family," Cain told several hundred supporters gathered at what was to have been the opening of his national campaign headquarters. (AP Photo/David Tulis)

ATLANTA (AP) ? A defiant Herman Cain suspended his faltering bid for the Republican presidential nomination Saturday amid a drumbeat of sexual misconduct allegations against him, throwing his staunchly conservative supporters up for grabs with just one month to go before the lead-off caucuses in Iowa.

Cain condemned the accusations as "false and unproven" but said they had been hurtful to his family, particularly his wife, Gloria, and were drowning out his ability to deliver his message. His wife stood behind him on the stage, smiling and waving as the crowd chanted her name.

"So as of today, with a lot of prayer and soul-searching, I am suspending my presidential campaign because of the continued distractions and the continued hurt caused on me and my family," a tired-looking Cain told about 400 supporters.

Cain's announcement came five days after an Atlanta-area woman, Ginger White, claimed she and Cain had an affair for more than a decade, a claim that followed several allegations of sexual harassment against the Georgia businessman.

"Now, I have made many mistakes in life. Everybody has. I've made mistakes professionally, personally, as a candidate, in terms of how I run my campaign. And I take responsibility for the mistakes I've made, and I have been the very first to own up to any mistakes I've made," he said.

But Cain intoned: "I am at peace with my God. I am at peace with my wife. And she is at peace with me."

White's attorney said in a statement after the announcement that Cain had disparaged his client and should apologize. Cain had called her a "troubled Atlanta businesswoman" whom he had tried to help.

"We continue to encourage Mr. Cain to retract these statements and apologize for the way he has characterized these women in the media," Edward Buckley said. Cain's campaign had no immediate response.

Cain's announcement provides a new twist in what has already been a volatile Republican race. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has, so far, been the biggest beneficiary of Cain's precipitous slide. Polls show Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney atop the field in what is shaping up as a two-man race heading into early voting states.

But others, such as Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, will likely make a strong play for Cain's anti-establishment tea party backing as they look to rise as a viable alternative to Romney, whose conservative credentials are suspect in some GOP circles.

Cain said he would offer an endorsement, and his former rivals were quick to issue statements on Saturday praising his conservative ideals and grassroots appeal.

At a tea party rally in Staten Island, Gingrich praised Cain for bringing optimism and big ideas to the race.

"He had the courage to launch the 9-9-9 plan, which, whether you liked it or disliked it, was a big idea and started to elevate the debate toward big solutions and not the usual nitpicking, consultant-driven negativity," Gingrich said. He was referring to Cain's catchy but controversial plan to scrap the current tax code for a 9 percent tax on personal and corporate income as well as a new 9 percent national sales tax.

Some disappointed Cain supporters were clearly in search of a candidate on Saturday following his withdrawal.

"I don't know where I will go now," Janet Edwards, 52, said following Cain's announcement. "I guess I have to start looking at the rest of them."

Cain told supporters he planned to continue his efforts to influence Washington and announced "Plan B" ? what he called a grassroots effort to return government to the people.

"I am not going to be silenced, and I am not going away. And therefore, as of today, Plan B," he said.

Plan B includes formation of TheCainSolutions.com, which he described as a grassroots effort to bring government back to the people. It would also continue to push his signature 9-9-9 plan.

Cain's announcement was a remarkable turnabout for a man that just weeks ago vaulted out of nowhere to the top of the GOP field, propelled by a populist, outsider appeal and his tax overhaul plan.

Saturday's event was a bizarre piece of political theater even for a campaign that has seemed to thrive on defying convention.

Cain marked the end of his bid at what was supposed to be the grand opening of his new campaign headquarters in Atlanta. Minutes before he took the stage to pull the plug, aides and supporters took to the podium to urge attendees to vote for Cain and travel to early voting states to rev up support for his bid.

"Join the Cain train," David McCleary, Cain's Georgia director, urged the audience.

Volunteers had been up through the night preparing the former flooring warehouse to open as the new hub of Cain's early-state outreach.

He marveled at rising from a childhood in Atlanta marked by segregated water fountains and poverty to what he called "the final four" of the presidential contest.

The former Godfather's Pizza chief executive, who has never held elective office, rose just weeks ago to lead the Republican race. But he fumbled policy questions, leaving some to wonder whether he was ready for the presidency. Then it was revealed at the end of October that the National Restaurant Association had paid settlements to two women who claimed Cain sexually harassed them while he was president of the organization.

A third woman told The Associated Press that Cain made inappropriate sexual advances but that she didn't file a complaint. A fourth woman also stepped forward to accuse Cain of groping her in a car in 1997.

Cain has denied wrongdoing in all cases and continued to do so Saturday.

Polls suggest his popularity had suffered. A Des Moines Register poll released Friday showed Cain's support plunging, with backing from 8 percent of Republican caucus goers in Iowa, compared with 23 percent a month ago.

___

Follow Shannon McCaffrey: http://www.twitter.com/smccaffrey13

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2011-12-03-Cain/id-698d959c68da4d4ba3bc31315acfa078

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Sunday, December 4, 2011

A List Of Startups Goldman Sachs Thinks Will Most Likely IPO

Screen Shot 2011-12-03 at 8.43.44 PMVery very quietly (there is almost no Google?footprint), investment bank and securities firm Goldman Sachs held its "Private Internet Company Conference" this week in Las Vegas. During the two-day conference, which lasted from November 29-30th, a gaggle of companies presented their business models to an elite audience composed of bankers, investors and peers.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/5sBKkaYddSU/

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Stabile-Pro Tablet Stand Review

Lately, I have been reviewing a variety of iPad and tablet desktop stands.? A few weeks ago I was asked to review the Stabile-Pro Desktop Tablet Stand from Thought Out, and I jumped at the chance as I had read about this new stand and wanted to take a look to see if it would [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/12/01/stabile-pro-tablet-stand-review/

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

Southern California residents face more windy weather

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Another blast of strong winds has been buffeting Southern California.

A high wind warning is in place Saturday for Ventura and Los Angeles counties, with gusts up to 60 mph expected in some areas. City News Service reports wind gusts of 73 mph were clocked atop a mountain near Acton.

Residents are still cleaning up from this week's violent windstorm that brought down trees and knocked out power.

Southern California Edison said early Saturday that its crews have restored service to all but 9,400 customers who have been without power for nearly four days. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power says about 17,000 of its customers remain without electricity.

The latest winds bring increased wildfire danger. Fire officials have moved crews and other resources into areas of western LA County that are prone to brush fires.

?2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://www.wetmtv.com:80/news/national/story/Southern-California-residents-face-more-windy/pKBJvhvMJE2VC-DKtpMEng.cspx?rss=129

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Art Collective Melts Modelling Clay into Stunning Portraits [Art]

Jackson Pollock is one of my favorite artists—the depth and delicateness of his paint dribblings is simply sublime. Argentinian art collective Mondongo carries on his artistic legacy but without paint. Instead, they use Plasticine—melted modelling clay. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/6WsknZCPl_M/art-collective-melts-modelling-clay-into-stunning-portraits

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Friday, December 2, 2011

Another Tibetan sets himself on fire in protest (AP)

BEIJING ? A former Buddhist monk in Tibet has been hospitalized after setting himself on fire, the latest in a series of apparent self-immolation protests against Chinese rule, a human rights group said.

Most of the protesters who have set themselves on fire are calling for Tibetan freedom and the return of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled to India during an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

The Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet said Tenzin Phuntsog, a former monk in his 40s, set himself on fire Thursday. The attempted self-immolation reportedly occurred near the Karma monastery in Tibet's Chamdo region.

The group cited exiled Tibetans in India whom it did not identify by name.

A woman who answered the telephone at the propaganda office of the Chamdo regional Communist Party denied the incident occurred.

"Nobody self-immolated. Nothing like that happened in Chamdo," said the woman, who would not give her name.

If the incident is confirmed, at least 12 monks, nuns and former monks have now set themselves on fire this year in what are seen as acts of desperation in the face of tightening Chinese controls over Tibetan life and culture. All but the latest occurred in heavily Tibetan areas of China's Sichuan province.

Earlier this week, China's public security minister, Meng Jianzhu, visited Sichuan's Aba prefecture, where eight self-immolations have taken place this year and another occurred in 2009. The ministry said on its website that Meng visited Aba police stations and inspected their facilities, including video surveillance equipment.

While sympathizing with Aba police for their hardship post ? the region is at a high altitude and endures extremely cold weather ? he encouraged them to ingratiate themselves with local people and regularly do small favors for them "so compatriots from all ethnic groups can feel the warm care of the government and the party."

Meng also met with monks at the local Kirti monastery, urging them to bolster national unity and patriotism, the ministry said.

The report paraphrased Meng as saying he hoped monks there would "carry on the tradition of loving the homeland and the faith, and actively contribute to national solidarity, economic growth and social advancement."

The ministry's statement did not mention the self-immolations.

Aba has been the scene of numerous protests over the past several years against the Chinese government. Most are led by monks who are fiercely loyal to the Dalai Lama. The area is off-limits to foreign journalists.

China says Tibet has always been part of its territory, but many Tibetans say the Himalayan region was virtually independent for centuries.

Chinese authorities routinely deny Tibetan claims of repression, although they have confirmed some self-immolations and accused supporters of the Dalai Lama of encouraging such acts. The Dalai Lama and representatives of the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile in India say they oppose all violence.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111202/ap_on_re_as/as_china_tibet

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