Well That Settles It

Governor Chris Christie told CNN’s Piers Morgan that he is “100% certain” that he won’t be a candidate for President in 2012.

I’ll be 100% certain when Christie stops doing interviews with the national media and cancels his upcoming trip to Iowa.

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Christie On (Not) Running For President

Governor Christie spoke at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University earlier this month.  The final question of the evening was asked by Linda Sipprelle, mother of Lincoln Club President and former congressional candidate Scott Sipprelle.  Linda didn’t really ask a question.  She told the Governor how she would love for him to be President.

Christie’s response was perhaps his most comprehensive answer to date as to why he continues to reject the calls for him to run for President and to why he keeps entertaining the question.

At the time of this posting, the video of Christie’s answer has only been viewed 46 times.  It really should go viral.

Hat tip to InTheLobby.  Watch the video here

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Zogby Poll: Herman Cain Takes Lead With GOP Primary Voters. Christie Second

By Art Gallagher

Former Godfather Pizza CEO Herman Cain is the top choice for the GOP nomination for President, according to an IBOPE Zogby poll released yesterday.  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is second.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s standing among GOP voters improved in this latest Zogby poll which was conducted May 20-May 23.  In the previous poll conducted May 6-9, 27% of the respondents said they would never vote for Romney. Only 9% said they would never vote for Romney in the more recent poll.

37% of the respondents believe Romney is most likely to be the nominee. No one else gets more than 6%.

Christie does best in a match-up with Obama, but trails, 45%-44%. Obama leads both Romney and Tim Pawlenty by 45%-40%. Obama is ahead of Cain, 46%-38%.

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Trump Won’t Rule Out Reentering 2012 Race

By Art Gallagher

Declaring that no candidates in the current field of Republicans can beat President Obama in 2012, this morning Donald Trump told Fox and Friends that he wouldn’t rule out reentering the race for the GOP nomination for president.

Personally,  I think Trump left the race too soon and that his presence in the campaign was positive.

Trump’s unique position in American culture as an accomplished business leader and an entertainment celebrity gives him a voice and a platform from which to criticise the President that no one else can match.  Unlike other candidates who could be politically damaged by counter attacks by the Obama campaign and the main stream media, Trump gets stronger and his stature elevated by the counter attacks. He really is biggest threat currently to Obama’s reelection.

By leaving the door open to enter the race late, Trump has taken back the platform he gave up when he said he wasn’t going to run.   I hope he keeps using it to weaken the President politically.

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Obama Campaign Looking For Dirt On Christie

By Art Gallagher

The Christie for President buzz has the Obama campaign doing opposition research on the Governor, according to Josh Margolin at The New York Post.

The Corzine campaign already did that.  They found that Christie likes Haagen Daz, has received traffic tickets, doesn’t stay at Motel 6 when traveling on government business, and ripped the label off a mattress.

Margolin reports that well-heeled GOP donors in New York are spreading the word that Christie might enter the race if he can get part of his pension reform package passed and score a GOP takeover of one of the Democratically controlled houses of the legislature.  

Given the new legislative map, there’s a better chance that Christie will beat Carl Lewis in a 100 yard dash than there is that he will run for president.

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Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels Will Not Run For President

By Art Gallagher

In an email to supporters sent early this morning, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels said he would not enter the race for the GOP nomination for president, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The two term governor who worked for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush said his decision came down to family concerns:

“I was able to resolve every competing consideration but one, but that, the interests and wishes of my family, is the most important consideration of all,” he said in an e-mail sent after midnight.

Daniels and his wife Cheri divorced in 1993 and remarried in 1997.  During those four years Cheri married a California man.  The Daniels’ four daughters, now adults, remained in Indiana with there father.  The Governor issued an other statement this morning to the Indianapolis Star this morning defending his wife against growing media scrutiny into their marriage, divorce, remarriage, and the claims by some that Cheri abandoned her daughters during their split:

“The notion that Cheri ever did or would ‘abandon’ her girls or parental duty is the reverse of the truth,” said his statement.

He called the idea “absurd to anyone who knows her, as I do, to be the best mother any daughter ever had.”

With Daniels out of the race, many observers expect the national Republican establishment to step up their efforts to recruit New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to seek the nomination.   Christie has repeatedly declared that he will not be a candidate while at the same time establishing himself as a national leader for education reform, entitlement reform and reducing the size of government.

Daniels withdrawal will also increase the focus on former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman.  Huntsman, who was President Obama’s ambassador to China,  is on a five day tour of New Hampshire.  He delivered the commencement address at Southern New Hampshire University and has made 12 campaign style stops throughout the Granite State.

If Huntsman formally enters the presidential race, for the first time two Mormons would be competing for a major party nomination.  Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the leader in most polls for the GOP nomination, is also a Mormon.

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Trump Withdraws From Presidential Race. Declares Victory

By Art Gallagher

The Donald announced that he won’t be a candidate for President and that he will continue as the star and co-producer of Celebrity Apprentice raising “lots and lots of money for charity.”

He then said he would have won the Oval Office had he run.

With Trump and Mike Huckabee both out, the race for the 2012 GOP nomination will be a lot less entertaining.  Time will tell if that is good or bad.  Entertaining gets people to pay attention.

I don’t believe Trump was ever serious about seeking the nomination.  Yet I liked the role he was playing.  He, more than anyone was able to lay a glove on Obama.  He got under the candidate in chief’s skin.  Taking politically incorrect positions actually helped Trump’s agenda.   He created room for “real” candidates to take on the President.

If he had his druthers I think Trump would have played the gadfly through the summer.  But NBC needed to let their affiliates know if Celebrity Apprentice was going to be back on the air in the fall.  The Donald made the business decision he was always going to make.

Hopefully Trump will continue to speak out.  He can do the country a service positioning himself as a conservative counter punch to Michael Moore and his ilk.

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Newt Gingrich Announces His Presidential Exploratory Committee

By Art Gallagher

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee today in an email announcement to his supporters and friends.

In his announcement and fundraising appeal, Gingrich said:

Over the last year I’ve watched a failure in leadership, and have spent a lot of time thinking and praying about taking the first step. I am writing you to ask for your advice, as Callista and I consider whether or not I should run in 2012.

What I need to do right now is listen to and learn from people all across America. I need to be certain that if I run, my candidacy will have the support it will need to make a positive difference for our nation. However, I can’t do it alone. What I am hoping you will do is help me and support me during this exploratory process.

I have asked a lot from you over the years. In return you have humbled me by demonstrating your talent, energy, and financial sacrifice that reflect how deeply you and others like you, care about our nation. You are an indispensable part of helping me decide what to do next, and I have to tell you, I need you now more than ever before. If I run, this will be the single biggest challenge we’ve ever faced together. So, success depends entirely upon you. I want to hear from you. I need to hear from you. So let me ask you:

1. Would you support my candidacy if I were to run for President?
2. Will you support my exploratory effort with a financial contribution
of $35, $50, $100, or even more at this vitally important early
“Newt Explore 2012” stage today?

I am convinced that the 2012 election is the best opportunity to realize all we have worked for together over all the past years. We must move from the world that fails — to the world that works. The time is now to reject the Left’s ideas, and replace them with better ideas; ideas that fulfill our bigger dreams for ourselves, our families and our country.

Now is the time. I need your help. I need to know if you believe I could run and serve effectively as President of the United States. And I need to know today. I am waiting to hear from you.

Gingrich’s website is at NewtExplore2012.com

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