Romney defends George W. Bush ... sort of
In this 2002 file photo, then-President George W. Bush speaks at a fundraiser for Mitt Romney, who was running to be the governor of Massachusetts. Romney won that race and served as the Bay state's executive from 2003-2007.
(Credit: TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images)(CBS News) ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney harshly criticized President Obama on Wednesday for calling "his predecessor" - former President George W. Bush - "irresponsible and unpatriotic" for adding $4 trillion to the debt and then failing to lower it once elected. But Romney failed to mention the unpopular Texas Republican by name even though Bush endorsed him a day earlier.
With a large debt clock on the wall behind him, Romney kept his focus on the nation's deficit for a second consecutive day while speaking to a crowd made up primarily of senior citizens at the Mirror Lake Lyceum. "It's high time that we have a president who will stop this spending and borrowing inferno and I will. I'll get the job done," Romney said.
He again compared the debt to a prairie fire sweeping across the country, although the line seemed to resonant less in coastal Florida than it did a day earlier in Iowa.
Continue »Campaign seeks to limit press access to Romney
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney hands out an autographed campaign button after speaking at a campaign stop, Wednesday, May 16, 2012, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
(Credit: Mary Altaffer)(CBS News) ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Attempts by Mitt Romney's campaign on Wednesday to limit reporters' access to the presumptive GOP nominee provoked a litany of complaints from the reporters.
Reporters initially were told they would not be allowed to ask the candidate questions all day. They then were not allowed to watch an off-the-record meeting between Romney and middle-class families.
Continue »Rove-backed group launches $25M campaign
(CBS News) The Karl Rove-linked group Crossroads GPS announced Wednesday that it is launching a $25 million "issue advocacy" campaign to frame the presidential election on jobs, the economy, President Obama's health care overhaul and government debt.
The new campaign starts today with an ad airing in 10 key swing states, slamming Mr. Obama for his "broken" economic promises. The first ad run, which will last through May 31, costs $8 million. The new initiative is the latest show of strength from Crossroads GPS and the affiliated group American Crossroads, which aim on spending $300 million to influence the presidential election.
The initiative essentially matches a $25 million ad buy the Obama campaign announced earlier this month, but it one-ups it: The Obama ad is running in nine key states, while the Crossroads ad is running in those same states, plus the state of Michigan. The nine states in common are Colorado, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Continue »Ron Paul plays the long game
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AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)
NEWS ANALYSIS
(CBS News) On a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Ron Paul's campaign chairman Jesse Benton stressed that the campaign wants the Texas lawmaker's supporters who travel to Tampa in August for the Republican National Convention to be "respectful."
"We just can't emphasize that enough," said Benton, adding that the campaign wants to "make sure that decorum and respect are the name of the game, but we're going to respectfully show that our people are here, and we're the wave of the future."
Continue »Obama, Democratic Party raise $43.6M in April
(CBS News) President Obama's re-election campaign on Wednesday reported raising $43.6 million in donations in April in conjunction with the Democratic Party, cash the campaign is using to set up a ground game in key swing states and run ads against the presumptive Republican nominee, Mitt Romney.
In a video released on Wednesday, Obama campaign manager Jim Messina announced that the $43 million haul came 437,323 "grassroots supporters," including 169,500 first-time supporters. The average donation size was $50.23, with 98 percent of the donations $250 or less.
The figure is down from March, when the Obama campaign raised $53 million, but it doesn't include the money raised at recent lucrative events, such as the Hollywood fundraiser at George Clooney's house last week that brought in $15 million.
In his video message, Messina stressed that the Obama camp isn't just running against Romney, but also against well-funded conservative super PACs. He pointed out that groups opposed to the president have spent $60 million so far.
Continue »Fischer wins Nebraska Senate primary in upset
Nebraska state Senator Deb Fischer applauds her supporters with her husband Bruce Fischer, left, at her election party in Lincoln, Neb., Tuesday, May 15, 2012.
(Credit: AP Photo/Nati Harnik)Fischer, a rural rancher from the state's 43rd legislative district, eked out a 5-point victory over Bruning, winning 41 percent to the Attorney General's 36 percent with nearly all the votes counted. State Treasurer Don Stenberg earned 19 percent.
As of just a few weeks ago, Bruning was widely considered the favorite in the race, and was expected to handily defeat Fischer and Stenberg to face off against Democratic candidate Bob Kerrey in November.
In recent days, however, some signs suggested the tides might be turning in Fischer's favor. While Bruning was hit with a series of scathing attack ads -- a number of which were funded by outside groups supporting Stenberg -- some polls showed Fischer surging.
Romney wins primaries in Nebraska, Oregon Continue »Romney wins primaries in Nebraska, Oregon
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney greets supporters after speaking at a campaign stop, Tuesday, May 15, 2012, in Des Moines, Iowa.
(Credit: AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)Updated: May 16, 10:41 a.m. ET
(CBS News) Mitt Romney on Tuesday won GOP presidential primaries in Oregon and Nebraska, putting the former Massachusetts governor ever closer toward officially clinching the Republican presidential nomination.
In Nebraska, with nearly all of the votes counted, Romney led by an overwhelming 71 percent support. Rick Santorum, who ended his presidential bid last month, earned 14 percent support.
In Oregon, with 62 percent of the votes in, Romney earned 73 percent. Ron Paul came in second place with 12 percent.
Despite his two victories Tuesday, Romney was not be able to earn the number of delegates needed to make his nomination official. Oregon had 25 delegates at stake in its primary, while Nebraska, which will be sending 32 delegates to the national convention, held a non-binding primary.
In upset victory, Fischer wins Nebraska Senate primary Continue »George W. Bush voices support for Romney
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SAUL LOEB/AFP/GettyImages)
(CBS News) Former President George W. Bush voiced his support for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign for the first time today, ABC News reports.
In a decidedly underwhelming fashion, the former president said to a reporter, "I'm for Mitt Romney," as the doors of an elevator closed on him. Mr. Bush was in Washington to deliver a speech on freedom and democracy at the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
The presumptive Republican nominee has already been endorsed by Mr. Bush's father, former President George H.W. Bush. The former president officially announced his endorsement in his Houston office with Romney at his side. Mr. George W. Bush's brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, also officially endorsed Romney in a statement.
Andrea Saul, a spokesman for the Romney campaign, said of the latest unofficial endorsement, "We welcome the president's support, as we welcomed his father's."
Continue »Paul camp: Supporters to be "respectful" at RNC
(Credit:
AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)
Acknowledging that Mitt Romney is in a strong position to win the Republican nomination, Ron Paul campaign Chair Jesse Benton said Tuesday that Paul's famously loyal and enthusiastic fan base will be represented at the Tampa convention by the hundreds, with "a very, very strong message that we're here," but in a way that's "respectful."
"We're going to respectfully show that our people are here and we're the way to the future, and we're here to work with people, we're here to play ball, and we believe in very, very specific things," Benton said in a conference call with reporters. "And we're going to continue to fight for ideas. And moving forward, we're going to continue to become an even stronger voice in the party." At the convention, he said, "We're emphasizing decorum."
Another goal, he said, is to arrive in Tampa with as many delegates as possible to influence the debate and to "vote on party rules and allow us to shape the process for future liberty candidates." As National Journal/CBS News reported last week, the Texas congressman's campaign is paving the way for his son, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to take over the libertarian reigns and in a possible 2016 presidential bid.
Continue »Obama gives himself an "incomplete" on the economy
(CBS News) Reminded that he once said his presidency would be a "one-term proposition" if he didn't turn the economy around, President Obama now says he can't give himself a letter grade on the economy.
"I think it's still incomplete. We've still got work to do," Mr. Obama said in an interview on ABC's "The View," which aired Tuesday morning.
In 2009, the president told NBC that he'd be held accountable for the economy after his first term.
Responding specifically to a question about the 2009 stimulus, he said, "One nice thing about the situation I find myself in is that I will be held accountable. You know, I've got four years. And, you know, a year from now I think people are going to see that we're starting to make some progress. But there's still going to be some pain out there. If I don't have this done in three years, then there's going to be a one-term proposition."
Three years later, Mr. Obama told the hosts of "The View," "We still have some headwinds out there."
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