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Laura Ingraham: “If You Can’t Beat Obama With His Record, Shutdown GOP”

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On her Monday program, conservative radio host Laura Ingraham ripped into Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s campaign for its lackluster performance, citing unfavorable polling data showing Romney trailing President Barack Obama, despite the bad economy and high unemployment numbers.

Given that the economy is bad, Ingraham argued Romney should be shoo-in and blamed the Republican Party’s leadership for that not being the case.

“If you can’t beat Barack Obama with this record, then shut down the party,” Ingraham said. “Shut it down, start new, with new people because this is a give-me election, or at least it should be. And the millions of dollars — I keep going back to the million and millions and millions of dollars that are paid to these political consultants election after election. We hire people who have lost previous campaigns, that run campaigns that have failed, who have message campaigns where the message fell flat — and they keep getting rehired. I don’t understand that. I don’t know why those are the people you hire.”

Ingraham singled out branding as one of the Romney campaign’s primary flaws.

“If I’m hiring messaging people — I’m finding out for instance who did the original GEICO gecko commercial?” she said. “Because that guy or gal who did actually knows how to brand something. So I’m going for the best branders and the people who have been successful against the Alinsky crowd in the past. That’s it. And if you’re Mitt Romney with all of your expertise and all of your knowledge about how the economy works and you’re in this — you have one shot. This is going to be the first line of your obituary. You won, or you lost. It’s all on the line for the country and it’s all on the line for you. You know saying that, ‘Well the numbers are disappointing’ — yeah the numbers are disappointing.”

Read more from this story HERE.

FAA Tells Employees They’ll Lose Their Jobs if GOP Wins

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Two federal agency supervisors allegedly warned employees earlier this year that a Republican takeover in Washington could threaten their jobs — comments that some workers apparently took as guidance on “how to vote” and that one group claims may have violated federal law.

Nonprofit watchdog Cause of Action wrote a letter Wednesday asking the Department of Transportation’s inspector general to launch a probe into the incident, involving senior officials with the Federal Aviation Administration. The incident occurred in May during a meeting at the FAA’s Seattle office, according to the letter.

Emails obtained by FoxNews.com show one FAA employee recalling what John Hickey, deputy associate administrator for aviation safety, said at the meeting.

“I would not be able to quote Mr. Hickey (sic) exact words but what I took out of it was, if the conservative (Republicans) gain control of congress then the FAA could be looking (at) as much as a 15% cut in budget and we (may) be looking at furloughs. If the liberal Democrats take control of congress then we would be looking at a flat budget,” the email said. “In short if the Republicans win office our jobs may be (affected) … if the Democrats win office then our jobs would not be (affected).”

The recipient of that email then relayed the account, and others, to apparent higher-ups at the FAA. He said, “there seems to be some energy within the office as a reaction to Mr. Hickey’s, inappropriate at best, comments and more than a few employees took umbrage that a person in such an elevated position in the agency would make those remarks.

Read more from this story HERE.

Romney Says if He’s Elected, God Will Stay

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Making reference for the first time to the Democrats’ about-face on having the word “God” in their party’s platform, Mitt Romney said here today that if he is elected, God will not be removed from the Republican platform.

“I will not take God out of the name of our platform,” said Romney to thunderous applause. “I will not take God off our coins and I will not take God out of my heart. We’re a nation that’s bestowed by God.”

It was Romney’s first reference to last week’s awkward proceedings during the Democratic National Convention, in which after one day the platform was amended to include the word “God” and name Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reportedly under the instruction of President Obama.

Romney debuted a new stump speech here today, one that hinged on the candidate leading the crowd of thousands in the Pledge of Allegiance.

“I remember as a boy, I was in the fourth grade, somehow in my mind I remember being there in the fourth grade in front of the blackboard, we had an American flag that was pinned in front of the blackboard. And every day we stood, lined up in front of that blackboard and we recited the pledge of allegiance. Do you remember?” asked Romney, launching into the pledge.

Read more from this story HERE.

Clint Eastwood makes Mitt’s Day (+video)

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Transcript of Clint Eastwood’s speech to GOP Convention in Tampa:

I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, what’s a movie tradesman doing out here? You know they are all left wingers out there, left of Lenin. At least that is what people think. 

That is not really the case. There are a lot of conservative people, a lot of moderate people, Republicans, Democrats, in Hollywood. It is just that the conservative people by the nature of the word itself play closer to the vest. They do not go around hot dogging it.

But they are there, believe me, they are there. I just think, in fact, some of them around town, I saw Jon Voight, a lot of people around.

Jon’s here, an academy award winner. A terrific guy. These people are all like-minded, like all of us.

So I’ve got Mr. Obama sitting here. I was going to ask him a couple of questions.  I remember three and a half years ago, when Mr. Obama won the election. And though I was not a big supporter, I was watching that night when he was having that thing and they were talking about hope and change and they were talking about, yes we can, and it was dark outdoors, and it was nice, and people were lighting candles.

They were saying, I just thought, this was great. Everybody is trying, Oprah was crying.

I was even crying. And then finally — and I haven’t cried that hard since I found out that there is 23 million unemployed people in this country.

Now that is something to cry for because that is a disgrace, a national disgrace, and we haven’t done enough, obviously. This administration hasn’t done enough to cure that. Whenever interest they have is not strong enough, and I think possibly now it may be time for somebody else to come along and solve the problem.

So, Mr. President, how do you handle promises that you have made when you were running for election, and how do you handle them?

I mean, what do you say to people? Do you just – you know – I know, people were wondering, you don’t handle that OK. Well, I know even people in your own party were very disappointed when you didn’t close Gitmo. And I thought, well closing Gitmo, why close that, we spent so much money on it? But, I thought maybe as an excuse.

What do you mean shut up?

Read more and see the video HERE.

Video: Clint Eastwood makes Mitt’s Day

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Politico called it “unscripted,” a “disaster,” “sad,” and “crazy,” the Washington Post, “rambling.”

But that was not the assessment of the GOP faithful at the Tampa Convention:

Click HERE for a transcript of the speech.

GOP Tampa Convention: Huckabee hits it out of the park (+video)

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Photo credit: Gage Skidmore

I was so very honored to be asked to address one of this week’s themes, “We Can Do Better.” Then I was backstage and I heard some folks say that after hearing me speak, the delegates are going to say, “We sure can do better than Huckabee.” And that’s when they will unanimously nominate Mitt Romney to be the next president of the United States of America.

I want to say that Tampa has been a wonderful and hospitable city. And I’m grateful for all that they’ve done for us. But the only hitch in an otherwise perfect week, was the awful noise coming from the hotel room next door to mine. Turns out it was just Debbie Wasserman Schultz, practicing her speech for the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte next week. Bless her heart.

Four years ago, Mitt Romney and I were opponents. We still are, but we’re not opposing each other. No, we are mutual opponents of the miserably failed experiments that have put this country in a downward spiral. The United States of America was originally an experiment. But it was an experiment in recognizing God-given individual liberty and creating a government in which we no one is deemed better than another. And in which all of us are equal. Not equal in abilities, but equal in intrinsic worth and value. It is the essence, not just of who we are, but what we are. Now let me just say to those who question how once rivals can be now united, it’s quite simple, we have Barack Obama to thank.

It was Barack Obama who said, “You didn’t build it.” Translation, “It doesn’t belong to you.” Well no small differences among us in our party approximate the vast differences between the liberty limiting, radical left wing, anti-business, reckless spending, tax hiking party of Barack Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, versus an energized America who knows we can do better.

For four years, we’ve given a chance to a man with very limited experience in governing, no experience in business whatsoever and since taking office, mostly interested in campaigning, blaming and aiming excuses at his predecessor, the Republicans and people in business. Or as Republicans like to call them, “employers.” We’ve stagnated into an economy that has taken all that hope right down the slope and has left millions without jobs.

Forced out of their homes by foreclosure. Herded into dependency upon a government that promises us candy, but gives us cavities. Barack Obama seems intent on enrolling more people on food-stamps. Mitt Romney’s focus is going to be on generating more jobs that will make food-stamps unnecessary for them. We know full well, we can do better.

Read more from this story and see the video HERE.

Mystery Speaker Slated for GOP Convention Tonight: Is it Palin, Eastwood, or someone else?

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The Republican National Convention is abuzz with speculation over the identity of a mystery speaker who’s supposed to appear Thursday night.

Convention officials have refused to reveal who will fill the “To Be Announced” slot on the closing-night schedule, but the list of possibilities being generated by convention delegates and observers stretches from Hollywood (Clint Eastwood) to hologram (Ronald Reagan) to a handful of conservative favorites who fall somewhere in between.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus refused to give even the smallest hint Wednesday.

“Everyone’s going to have to tune in on Thursday night and check it out,” he told Fox News.

Rumors were flying on the convention floor Wednesday afternoon that Hollywood icon Eastwood is the surprise guest, the speculation fueled by reports of the actor and director’s travel plans.

Read more from this story HERE.

Ryan’s speech “electrifies” Tampa GOP attendees (+video)

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By Russell Berman and Erik Wasson. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Wednesday night electrified the Republican Party with a speech that combined lacerating attacks on President Obama with homespun values and a tribute to GOP candidate Mitt Romney.

In a 35-minute address that drew thunderous applause from Republican delegates, Ryan condemned the Obama presidency and presented an optimistic vision of the future under Romney’s leadership.

The core theme of the speech amounted to four words: “We can do this.”

Ryan said the Romney-Ryan team would fix the nation’s problems, not blame others. “Our nominee is sure ready,” the vice-presidential nominee said. “His whole life has prepared him for this moment — to meet serious challenges in a serious way, without excuses and idle words. After four years of getting the run-around, America needs a turnaround, and the man for the job is Gov. Mitt Romney.”

The seven-term lawmaker focused much of his address on Obama, mentioning the president’s name 16 times and Romney on a dozen occasions. He said Obama promised to deliver change, but had failed after four years. Read more from this story HERE.

Here’s a video excerpt of his speech:

Clint Eastwood makes Mitt’s Day (+video)-Page 2

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Transcript of Clint Eastwood’s Speech – Page 2 [see the video of his speech HERE]

OK, I thought maybe it was just because somebody had the stupid idea of trying terrorists in downtown New York City.

I’ve got to to hand it to you. I have to give credit where credit is due. You did finally overrule that finally. Now we are moving onward. I know you were against the war in Iraq, and that’s okay. But you thought the war in Afghanistan was OK. You know, I mean — you thought that was something worth doing. We didn’t check with the Russians to see how they did it — they did there for 10 years.

But we did it, and it is something to be thought about, and I think that, when we get to maybe — I think you’ve mentioned something about having a target date for bringing everybody home. You gave that target date, and I think Mr. Romney asked the only sensible question, you know, he says, “Why are you giving the date out now? Why don’t you just bring them home tomorrow morning?”

And I thought, I thought, yeah, I am not going to shut up, it is my turn.

So anyway, we’re going to have, we’re going to have to have a little chat about that. And then, I just wondered, all these promises; I wondered about when the, what do you want me to tell Romney? I can’t tell him to do that. I can’t tell him to do that to himself.

You’re crazy, you’re absolutely crazy. You’re getting as bad as Biden.

Of course we all now Biden is the intellect of the Democratic party.

Kind of a grin with a body behind it.

But I just think that there is so much to be done, and I think that Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan are two guys that can come along. See, I never thought it was a good idea for attorneys to the president, anyway.

I think attorneys are so busy, you know they’re always taught to argue everything, and always weight everything, weigh both sides. They are always devil’s advocating this and bifurcating this and bifurcating that. You know all that stuff. But, I think it is maybe time – what do you think – for maybe a businessman. How about that?

A stellar businessman. Quote, unquote, “a stellar businessman.”

And I think it’s that time. And I think if you just step aside and Mr. Romney can kind of take over. You can maybe still use a plane.

Though maybe a smaller one. Not that big gas guzzler you are going around to colleges and talking about student loans and stuff like that.

You are an — an ecological man. Why would you want to drive that around?

OK, well anyway. All right, I’m sorry. I can’t do that to myself either.

I would just like to say something, ladies and gentlemen. Something that I think is very important. It is that, you, we, we own this country. We, we own it. It is not you owning it, and not politicians owning it. Politicians are employees of ours.

And, so, they are just going to come around and beg for votes every few years. It is the same old deal. But I just think it is important that you realize , that you’re the best in the world. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican or whether you’re libertarian or whatever, you are the best. And we should not ever forget that. And when we, when somebody does not do the job, we got to let them go.

OK, OK, OK just remember that. And I’m speaking out for everybody out there. It doesn’t hurt, we don’t have to be

[Audience member: “Make my day”]

I do not say that word anymore. Well, maybe one last time.

We don’t have to be — what I’m saying, we do not have to be meta-masochists and vote for somebody that we don’t really even want in office just because they seem to be nice guys or maybe not so nice guys, if you look at some of the recent ads going out there, I don’t know.

But OK. You want to make my day?

All right. I started, you finish it. Go ahead.

[Audience: “Make my day!”]

Thank you. Thank you very much.

See the video of Clint Eastwood’s speech HERE.