TRUMP TAKES FLORIDA & ILLINOIS, TRUMP IS IT (DELEGATE COUNTDOWN)

TRUMP TAKES FLORIDA & ILLINOIS, TRUMP IS IT:

KASICH WINS OHIO.

TRUMP WILL BE THE GOP NOMINEE NOT KASICH.

Sources: Chicago Tribune, Fox News, Youtube

***** Trump wins Florida, Illinois, North Carolina; Kasich takes Ohio

Donald Trump won a decisive victory in Florida's primary Tuesday night, forcing home-state Sen. Marco Rubio to abandon the race for the Republican presidential nomination. But another big prize — Ohio — went to its governor, John Kasich.

Florida's outcome strengthened Trump's chances to secure the Republican presidential nomination. The third contender, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, is hoping to pick up enough delegates to force a contested national GOP convention in July.

"Do not give in to the fear," Rubio said in a not-so-subtle reference to Trump. "Do not give in to the frustration."

Florida and Ohio award the most delegates in voting Tuesday; Missouri, Illinois and North Carolina also weigh in.

Kasich had to win Ohio to keep his struggling campaign alive, but even so, he has virtually no path to the nomination.

"I want you to know the campaign goes on," Kasich said at his victory rally. He sought to maintain his positive persona. "I will not take the low road to the highest office of the land."

Trump's plainspoken — while controversial — appeals have resonated across the country, leaving other candidates reeling for a strategy to topple the unconventional front-runner.

"He will fix everything that is wrong with the economy and immigration," said Alex Perri, a 59-year-old retired firefighter from Margate, Florida, who was campaigning for Trump in the parking lot of an Oakland Park voting place.

Trump's promise to impose tariffs on goods from countries that don't "play fair" has been particularly resonant with voters across the industrial Midwest.

Even as Trump racks up more wins, questions have intensified about whether he is doing enough to stem violence at his raucous rallies.

Trump said Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America" that his record-setting crowds have had "very, very little difficultly."

The New York real estate mogul backed away from a suggestion that he might cover legal costs for a supporter who punched a protester in the face during a rally last week in North Carolina. He has blamed a larger recent clash in Chicago on Democratic protesters.

His Republican rivals and other GOP leaders insist Trump deserves some responsibility, while both Rubio and Kasich in recent days have refused to say whether they would support a Trump nomination.

In a clear reference to Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan, the GOP's top elected leader, declared that all candidates have an obligation to do what they can to provide an atmosphere of harmony at campaign events and not incite violence.

For some voters, Trump's tone has been a turn-off.

Tom and Cathy Lewis cast their votes Tuesday for Kasich, who lives in their hometown of Westerville, Ohio. Beyond feeling a hometown connection to the Ohio governor, the couple said they were looking for a candidate with integrity and someone they can trust.

"We need to have a man who will speak against things that are wrong," Cathy Lewis said.

In recent weeks, Republicans who dislike Trump have banded to wage multimillion-dollar advertising campaigns against him. One political ad highlights Trump'sstatements that appear to encourage violence.

Trump still leads the race for delegates, with 568. Ted Cruz has 370 delegates, Kasich has 129 and Rubio left the race with 163.

A tally by The Associated Press shows Kasich would have to win 91 percent of the remaining delegates to clinch the nomination before the summer convention

It takes 1,237 delegates to win the Republican nomination for president.

RAHM EMANUEL WHERE WAS YOUR APOLOGY WHEN LAQUAN MCDONALD WAS FIRST MURDERED?

RAHM EMANUEL WHERE WAS YOUR APOLOGY WHEN LAQUAN MCDONALD WAS FIRST MURDERED?

AN APOLOGY IN 2014 WOULD HAVE DERAILED RAHM'S RE-ELECTION CHANCES.

So why didn't Mayor Rahm Emanuel apologize when 17- yr old LAQUAN MCDONALD was first Murdered in 2014 after he was Shot by Chicago Police sixteen times?

If he had apologized back in 2014, Rahm Emanuel would Not have been re-elected.

If Rahm Emanuel RESIGNS as Mayor will his resignation improve the quality of life for Chicago's BLACK voters, or bring Laquan McDonald back from the dead?

NO.

~ Emanuel apologizes for Laquan McDonald police shooting, repeats call for change

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday apologized to aldermen for the police shooting of Laquan McDonald "that happened on my watch."

"If we're going to fix it, I want you to understand it's my responsibility with you," Emanuel said in a rare speech to the full Chicago City Council. "But if we're also going to begin the healing process, the first step in that journey is my step, and I'm sorry."

Emanuel — who has dismissed his police superintendent, parted ways with the head of the police shooting review agency and dropped opposition to the release of the McDonald shooting video during the last two weeks — framed up the situation as "a defining moment on the issues of crime and policing — and the even larger issues of truth, justice and race."

The address of about 40 minutes, coming during a crucial time of Emanuel's tenure, was more of a political speech designed to assuage Chicagoans than one filled with specific plans that several aldermen called for this week to deal with entrenched problems in the Chicago Police Department.

Those problems were highlighted nationally by the fatal shooting of 17-year-old McDonald, an African-American, by a white police officer, the 13 months it took for video of the incident to be made public by court order and for a murder charge to be brought only shortly before the video's release.

And so the mayor on Wednesday talked about many Chicagoans' lack of trust in police officers, and returned to his oft-discussed argument that there are too many guns on Chicago streets. He reiterated his frequent argument that elected officials and community leaders have a responsibility "to earn back that trust and to change that narrative," and said there's a need for police to build trust with young African-Americans.
Emanuel spoke of the larger challenges as ones shared by people throughout Chicago.

"This time must be different. It will be a bumpy road, make no mistake about it," Emanuel said. "It is a painful process, and it is a long journey because of the issues we need to confront. But we as a city will not hesitate in the pursuit of what is right. We cannot shrink from the challenge any more than we can ignore the wrenching video of a troubled young man, a ward of the state of Illinois, failed by the system, surrounded by the police and gunned down on the streets of Chicago."

Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th, said the mayor still has a lot of work to do to regain the city's trust.

"That's the challenge he has, quite honestly, and it's going to be judged by his actions, not his words," Sawyer said moments after the mayor's speech. "So, we hope the ensuing actions will be substantive and will show real meaning to make that connection back with the community so we can establish that trust."

The Rev. Jesse Jackson sat in the front row of the gallery in the City Council chamber to watch Emanuel deliver his speech, which he called "an impassioned address on the extreme duress" of the city.

"The word must become flesh, and we'll know the value of it then," Jackson said of Emanuel's speech. "It must become a practice, and it must happen immediately. We now know police saw the killing of Laquan McDonald and filed a false report. They should be addressed immediately."

Jackson called on the federal government not to limit its Justice Department probe to the Police Department, but also investigate Emanuel's office and Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez's office.

 He said many questions remain about what Emanuel and Alvarez knew and when they knew it.

"Who saw the tape when and delayed the tape for 13 months?" Jackson asked. "When subpoenas are issued to testify under oath, then we'll know who knew what when."

The real test, Jackson said, will be how Emanuel deals with the stringent Fraternal Order of Police contract that limits police discipline.

Aldermen — many of whom have approved hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements for victims of police brutality while demanding little change in how the department operates — had mixed reactions to the mayor's talk.

Ald. Howard Brookins, 21st, a congressional candidate who has long spoken out about police abuse, said he thought Emanuel's speech was "genuine and heartfelt," but that many in the public will be skeptical and he'll have to follow up his words with actions.

"Everybody will be cynical that we're just doing this, or it was just said to get past this particular crisis at this time," Brookins said. "I'm saying that the public will hold us to the standard that 'talk is cheap, let's see what your actions will be.' "
Ald. Will Burns, 4th, a mayoral ally, said Emanuel will have to take real action. "I think that in order for our city to function, for our city not to tear itself apart, the reforms have to happen," Burns said.

Ald. Pat Dowell, 3rd, said "it's going to be a tall order" to make the type of real improvements in policing that Emanuel called for Wednesday. "It's going to take a lot of funding, and given the state of the city, we're going to have to find the resources to do this," she said.
Ald. Leslie Hairston, 5th, a frequent Emanuel critic, said the mayor surprised her by not delivering "just the regular speech" she expected.

"It seemed to be real. It hit me. It hit me. It went straight to the core, and that's what I appreciated about it," Hairston said. "This is something we haven't heard before. It was not window dressing. It talked about some of the core and key things that are problems here in the city of Chicago, and I think that's a very big step."

Emanuel has appointed his own five-person task force to recommend Police Department reforms in response to the McDonald shooting fallout, and the task force is set to announce its findings by the end of March.

In his speech, Emanuel said the panel has already recommended the hiring of a "senior officer for civil rights" at the Police Department to implement the panel's recommendations and those of federal investigators.
As he has in recent days, Emanuel focused much of his talk on the broader implications of McDonald's death after being shot 16 times by police Officer Jason Van Dyke in October 2014.

Nothing, nothing can excuse what happened to Laquan McDonald," Emanuel said. "Our city has been down this road before. We have seen fatal police shootings and other forms of abuse and corruption. We took corrective measures, but those measures never measured up to the challenge."

The mayor was at his most emotional when he discussed the need for respect between officers and young black men, and when he mentioned parents who have lost children to violence and people who get out of jail with few options.

He talked about a recent lunch with young men who had been in trouble with the law.

"So I asked them, tell me the one thing I need to know," Emanuel said. "And rather than tell me something, one young man asked me a simple question that gets to the core of what we're talking about. He said, 'Do you think the police would ever treat you the way they treat me?' And the answer is no, and that's wrong," Emanuel said, his voice rising before he began to pound the lectern. "And that has to change in this city. That has to come to an end and end now. No citizen is a second-class citizen in the city of Chicago. If my children are treated one way, every child is treated the same way."

Aldermen applauded the mayor when he noted that double standard.
As he often does when talking about the parents of gunshot victims, the mayor choked up as he recounted "their extraordinary grace."

And without giving specifics, he called for residents to have a forum to talk about their problems with the police. "We have to have better oversight of our police officers to make sure they are living up to the high standards we expect of them, and we also have to create a place for the community to vent their understandable feelings and fears about the police without it devolving into acrimony and finger-pointing," he said.

Emanuel said the next police superintendent who will replace the recently fired Garry McCarthy will need "to address the problems at the very heart of the policing profession."

"This problem is sometimes referred to as the Thin Blue Line," Emanuel said. "Other times it is referred to as the code of silence. It is the tendency to ignore, deny or in some cases cover up the bad actions of a colleague or colleagues.

No officer should be allowed to behave as if they are above the law just because they are responsible for upholding the law. Permitting and protecting even the smallest acts of abuse by a tiny fraction of our officers leads to a culture where extreme acts of abuse are more likely, just like what happened to Laquan McDonald."

Emanuel, who once tried to settle a police brutality lawsuit that found a code of silence existed in the Police Department, said Tuesday evening on "Chicago Tonight" that such a code exists. "The short answer is yes," Emanuel said.

Access to City Council chambers was limited Wednesday. The administration said there was a list of those who were to be allowed in but later said some members of the public were admitted.

Protesters chanted outside council chambers after the speech, and more protests were unfolding against Emanuel later Wednesday.

Sources: Chicago Tribune, YouTube

RAHM EMANUEL INVOLVED IN COVER-UP OF LAQUAN MCDONALD'S MURDER

WHAT HAS MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL REALLY DONE FOR CHICAGO'S BLACK VOTERS?

In this video I discuss how Pres OBAMA'S close friend Chicago Mayor RAHM EMANUEL, may have played a significant role in the cover up in the Murder of LAQUAN MCDONALD who was shot 16 times in 2014 by a Chicago Police Officer.

When he died LAQUAN was a 17-yr old Foster Care kid.

Long before 17-yr old Laquan McDonald (Black, male Youth) was shot 16 times by Chicago police, he was a walking dead person.

Laquan's Mother, his troubled childhood and the Foster Care system in Ilinois were actually responsible for his premature death.

So although Laquan recently died due to SUICIDE BY COP, the Police should not be solely blamed for his Murder.

~ After Police Shooting in Chiacgo, Calls for Emanuel to Resign.

"A leader has to be held to account for the code of silence... in the Chicago police department," one civil rights lawyer says.

For nearly two years, he was the second-most powerful Democrat in Washington, a famously confrontational, joyously profane White House gatekeeper who traded in his job as the first black president's right-hand man to run for mayor of Chicago, their shared, beloved hometown.

Now, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, President Barack Obama's former chief of staff, is facing calls for his resignation amid disturbing questions on the latest and, arguably, most egregious, incident of police use of deadly force against an African American citizen.

Tuesday's release of a graphic video showing a white Chicago cop pumping 16 bullets into a black teenager will likely cast a pall over Obama's push to ease strained relations between police and the black community in cities nationwide, an issue he personally elevated to the national agenda last year.

Besides adding the Windy City to the ever-expanding list of places that which have become shorthand for deadly confrontations between police and African Americans:

Ferguson Missouri; Staten Island, New York; Cleveland; Baltimore -- the incident isn't a good look for the president.

Despite Emanuel's strained relations with the black community, Obama endorsed him for office during his first campaign in 2011, and Emanuel surged to office -- and to re-election in 2015 -- in part on the black vote.

Yet Obama's former top aide is suspected of helping police cover up the death of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, the newest name in an issue that cuts to the heart of the black community.

When Officer Jason Van Dyke shot McDonald on a city street last year as police responded to reports of theft and vandalism in the area, police administrators and city officials "said things that were knowingly, demonstrably false within minutes of the shooting," says Craig Futterman, a Chicago civil rights lawyer who helped break open the case.

"A leader has to be held to account for the code of silence that continues to exist in the Chicago police department. He has to acknowledge it and address it," he says.

In a press conference Tuesday with Chicago Superintendent Garry McCarthy, Emanuel announced the city would release a long-sought video of the shooting, recorded on a dashboard camera in Van Dyke's police cruiser that night.

Both the mayor and the commissioner said they expect protests from an angry black community, but wouldn't tolerate violence; they also stressed that Van Dyke, who was charged with first-degree murder just days earlier, was a lone bad actor.

Demonstrators on the streets of downtown Chicago hours later, however, didn't seem to agree.

"While we know the system has failed, no one can specifically say how," city Alderman Roderick Sawyer told ABC-7, a local TV station. "You cannot change a system by ignoring a system."

The grainy, nighttime video -- which police and city authorities had refused to make public until a judge ordered it released by Thursday -- shows McDonald jogging past Van Dyke and other officers, a small knife in his hand.

Although McDonald doesn't appear to confront the officers, several of them draw weapons on him; Van Dyke opens fire within seconds, gunning McDonald down.

Although the young man lies motionless on the ground, Van Dyke continues to fire, emptying his 16-round clip.

When the gunfire ends, a second officer walks over to McDonald's body and kicks the knife from his hand. Although several officers are on the scene, no one gives first aid to McDonald.

Shortly after the shooting, Futterman says, the Chicago police released a statement declaring that McDonald was the aggressor, was under the influence of PCP and that Van Dyke shot once in self-defense.

Days later, however, a police whistleblower came to Futterman and independent investigative journalist Jamie Kalven with a tip: Authorities are withholding a videotape, trying to sweep an unjustified shooting under the rug.

After a year of legal wrangling with the department amid growing publicity about the shooting, Futterman says, a judge ordered the release of the dash-cam video from Van Dyke's cruiser -- a decision that triggered a series of rapid-fire developments in the case.

Under pressure, prosecutors who said they'd spent months on the investigation quickly charged Van Dyke with murder, Emanuel and McCarthy met with African American community leaders and braced the city for release of a potentially explosive piece of evidence.

"I believe this is a moment that can build bridges of understanding rather than become a barrier of misunderstanding," Emanuel said in Wednesday's press conference. "I understand that the people will be upset and will want to protest when they see this video. We as a city must rise to this moment."

While Van Dyke's attorney insists his client acted in self-defense, Emanuel says the officer will be held accountable for his actions.

But Futterman says the buck ultimately stops at Emanuel's desk: the mayor let linger a false narrative McDonald's death, didn't compel the police to release the video when reporters asked for it and neither he nor McCarthy have taken steps to demolish the department's wall of silence.

After the shooting, Futterman says, officers destroyed videos of the incident recorded at a nearby fast-food restaurant ("Ironically, other security videos show them doing this," he says), rounded up and intimidated a group of eyewitnesses into silence and used news reporters to feed disinformation to the public.

"All the evidence appears to point to it: That a lie was told to the media," Futterman says.

"No official corrected that lie. And there were actions on the part of multiple officers to intimidate witnesses, to destroy evidence and to lie."

On Twitter Wednesday, ‪#‎ResignRahm‬ was trending, and Futterman agrees the mayor himself must answer for "keeping people in the dark and letting lies be told on behalf of Chicago police officers to hang in the air."

While Futterman doesn't hesitate to call it a "coverup," he stops short of accusing Emanuel of direct involvement, although "it's a fair question" to ask what he knew, when he knew it and what he did to ensure justice in the case.

The mayor "has fallen far short in this case, and I think it's up to the voters to decide" whether he should continue to lead Chicago, Futterman says, noting Van Dyke is the only one who's clearly been punished.

"What about all these officers that participated in covering up what happened and intimidating witnesses?

That's criminal," Futterman says. "Heads need to roll because this has become the practice and culture that's established by leaders like Mayor Emanuel and Superintendent McCarthy."
"I'm too cynical to say I'm surprised" no one's been fired, Futterman says.

While the majority of the Chicago police rank-and-file do a fine job, he adds, the culture at the top "protects the minority of officers who are out there abusing people.

That's fundamentally what needs to change."

If that were actually addressed, he added, "there's a good chance [McDonald] would be alive."

Sources: Chicago Suntimes, US News, YouTube

Mega Millions Lottery Winner: Maryland Resident! Additional Winning Tickets In Illinois & Kansas! Congrats!

Winning ticket for record Mega Millions jackpot sold in Maryland


Someone in Maryland is about to have a wildly euphoric weekend.

A Winning ticket for the record-breaking $640 million Mega Millions jackpot was sold in Baltimore County, the Maryland Lottery said Saturday.

Lottery officials are waiting for information on potential jackpot winners from other Mega Millions states.

The winning numbers in the Mega Millions lottery Friday night were 2, 4, 23, 38, 46 with a Mega Ball of 23.

California Lottery Commission spokesman Alex Traverso said 29 tickets sold in that state matched five of the six winning numbers. He said the payout will be about $125,000 to $130,000.

The multistate jackpot caused long lines at convenience stores, with many dreaming of creative ways to quit their jobs if they get the lucky numbers.

Sales skyrocketed at Manhattan Tobacco, a New York convenience store, cashier Alex Shanahe said. He said the store has proved to be lucky before, having sold winning tickets of $3 million and $5 million.

"The sales have tripled. Everybody wants to win the Mega Millions," Shanahe said before the drawing.

A single winner could claim yearly payments or a one-time cash option of $462 million, Mega Millions spokeswoman Kelly Cripe said.

The Mega Millions lottery is played in 42 states plus the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands, lottery officials say.

The odds of winning the jackpot are about one in 176 million, which means a person would have a better chance of getting struck by lightning.

Myra Langford, 70, a retired school administrator, said she knows the odds but still bought five tickets.

If she wins, Langford said, she will help fix the roof of her church and move out of the cramped Queens apartment she lived in for the past 47 years.

"You got to be in it to win it," she said, parroting a commercial.

Economist Austan Goolsbee, a professor at the University of Chicago who also chaired the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said the winner or winners should take the lump sum instead of the annuity.

The choice comes down to interest rates, and with interest rates at zero, the lump sum just makes better financial sense, he said.

"If you are fortunate enough to win the lottery, you most certainly want to take the lump sum," Goolsbee said.

Psychologist Scott Bea said if a winner is a poor money manager and has been unhappy in life before winning, that's likely to continue.

"It solves one problem, but it creates a half-billion others," he said. "You have about no chance at winning this, but it really gets people excited."

His wife asked him if the couple could spend $10 on lottery tickets.

"We could probably flush it down the toilet and have the same outcome, but if it gives you some hope, why not?" Bea said.


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Sources: CBS News, CNN, Google Maps

Santorum's Campaign Faces Economic Hardship After Romney Scores Jeb Bush Endorsement

I'm sorry folks but after Mitt Romney won Illinois last night & Jeb Bush endorsed him this morning, I don't see how Rick Santorum can continue on in this Primary.
It takes BIG Money & Santorum just doesn't have it.

After Romney scored that Endorsement from Jeb Bush, I believe Santorum, Gingrich & Paul are ALL finished!



Santorum asks Gingrich voters to join him. Will they in Louisiana?


For some time, Rick Santorum's presidential campaign has argued the former senator would be winning more votes -- and thus, more delegates -- in the Republican presidential primary if Newt Gingrich were to drop out.

The Illinois primary provided the latest evidence that may not be the case. Furthermore, Gingrich continues to insist he's going all the way to the Republican National Convention in August.

Hence, the Santorum campaign Tuesday night slightly recalibrated its message. Rather than calling on Gingrich to drop out, the Santorum campaign asked Gingrich voters to join them. There's some evidence Santorum's pitch could work in Louisiana, the next state to hold its primary.

After Santorum lost by a double-digit margin to Mitt Romney in Illinois Tuesday night, Santorum's chief strategist John Brabender told reporters, "It's time for Gingrich supporters to get behind us if they truly want a conservative candidate."

"We need not only Gingrich supporters," he added. "We would love to have Newt Gingrich be an important voice for our campaign, quite frankly. We would like to have people that are working for Gingrich to be working for us."

Based on remarks he made to Fox News' Sean Hannity Tuesday night, it doesn't look like Gingrich will be joining the Santorum team any time soon.

"Frankly, Sen. Santorum, who I like personally, I think has a hard time explaining why the guy who set the all-time record for losing Pennsylvania, somebody who... as part of the leadership ran up a trillion, $700 billion in deficits, and was part of the largest defeat since Watergate in 2006, as part of the leadership, [should be president]," Gingrich said. "I'm staying in this race because I really do think it's a question of who can beat Barack Obama."

He added that, after finishing fourth in Illinois, "I think we have a much better chance of winning in Louisiana."

Romney cruises to Illinois primary win
Estimated Republican Delegate Scorecard
Complete GOP primary results

While the former House speaker may not like the idea, the latest poll out of Louisiana suggests Gingrich supporters could get behind Santorum.

A poll conducted March 19 by Magellan, a Republican firm that uses robocalling, Santorum leads in Louisiana with 37 percent. Romney carries 24 percent support while Gingrich takes 21 percent. The poll has a 2.18-point margin of error. In a two-person race between Santorum and Romney, Santorum's lead widens to a 21-point margin (55 percent to 34 percent). As many as 61 percent of Gingrich supporters would move to the Santorum column, according to the poll, while just 22 percent would back Romney.

In North Carolina, which holds its Republican primary on May 8, the Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling shows Romney in the lead with 31 percent while Santorum wins 27 percent and Gingrich 24 percent. However, the poll suggests that if Gingrich were to drop out, Santorum would lead with 42 percent to Romney's 38 percent.

Polling is scant in other states where Gingrich's decision to stay in or drop out could make a difference, such as Texas or Arkansas.

Furthermore, there's enough evidence to suggest Santorum could have to proactively court Gingrich voters rather than just let them flock to his campaign as Gingrich loses steam. In Illinois, CBS News exit polling showed that if it came down to Santorum versus Romney, 8 percent of Santorum's share of support would come from Gingrich voters while 6 percent of Romney's supporters would come from former Gingrich backers.

A recent Gallup poll also suggested that nationally, Gingrich supporters would split between Santorum and Romney.


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Sources: CBS News, CNN, Google Maps

GOP Leaders Rallying Around Mitt Romney; Definitely A Game Changer! Jeb Bush Endorses!

G.O.P. Nomination Becoming a One-Man Race

Mitt Romney’s big victories in Illinois and Puerto Rico this week have expanded his lead over Rick Santorum by roughly 60 delegates, putting him ahead by 300 delegates over all.

Increasingly, the nomination race is entering an endgame stage in which it is less a two-man contest between Mr. Romney and Mr. Santorum than one that pits Mr. Romney against himself. How certain is Mr. Romney to get the 1,144 delegates required to clinch the Republican nomination? And if he gets them, how soon will he do it?

Mr. Romney, who has 563 delegates, according to an Associated Press count, is almost halfway to the clinching threshold. But the voting calendar is now entering a slower phase that will persist for the next five weeks, until five Northeastern states vote on April 24, with 209 delegates at stake.

The soonest that Mr. Romney could officially clinch the nomination is May 22, when Arkansas and Kentucky vote. That situation would require Mr. Romney to win at least 95 percent of the delegates in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia, Oregon and the District of Columbia, and to receive endorsements by virtually all of the Republican Party’s 77 undecided superdelegates by that time.

Some of those states, of course, are not so strong for Mr. Romney. And even if he won 70 percent of the delegates in those states, as well as in Texas, which votes on May 29, he would still need to wait until June 5 — when California and New Jersey vote — to clinch the nomination.

This sort of calculation, however, can sometimes be taken too literally. Barack Obama has yet to clinch the Democratic nomination officially, for instance, but there is no real doubt about the outcome.

The more telling number, therefore, may be this one: Mr. Romney has so far won 56 percent of the delegates, according to the Associated Press count. That is, obviously, more than half — in fact, Mr. Romney’s share of the delegates as calculated on this basis has steadily been inching upward over the course of the last month.

It’s also enough to permit him some slack. Mr. Romney would need to win only 46 percent of the remaining delegates to get to 1,144.

There is no reason to think that the remaining states will be much better or worse for Mr. Romney than the ones that have already voted. He should do well in places like California and New York, but more poorly in states like North Carolina and Texas.

If the remaining states play out according to their demographics, as prior ones have, Mr. Romney should continue to win slightly more than half of the delegates on average. If he wins slightly less than half, he should still have no real problems.

Until recently, of course, the Republican race had been highly volatile — perhaps introducing the possibility that Mr. Romney could go through a pronounced slump and fail to hit his delegate targets for weeks at a time.

However, in what is an underappreciated piece of good news for Mr. Romney, the race seems to have become considerably more stable. Mr. Romney has held the lead over Mr. Santorum in the Gallup national tracking poll for the past 24 days. The results in essentially all recent states have been in line with what might be predicted from their demographics (even if the polls sometimes got them wrong). Not since Mr. Santorum’s win in Colorado on Feb. 7 has there been something that cut dramatically against the preconceived notions about how a state was supposed to vote.

Nor does Mr. Santorum appear to possess the ability to control the media narrative and manufacture news of the sort that could represent hurdles for Mr. Romney. His victories in Alabama and Mississippi produced little apparent momentum. Popular interest in the nomination race has begun to decline.

Mr. Santorum’s campaign, moreover, is resource-strained along a number of dimensions. It spent just $220,000 on advertising in Illinois. It employs relatively few consultants and has no regular pollsters — the kind of people who might have told him that going to Puerto Rico (where Mr. Romney won with 83 percent of the vote) was a waste of time.

To the extent there is a departure from the status quo, in fact, it is now much easier to imagine a case against Mr. Santorum.

Mr. Santorum and his campaign team have begun to talk openly about a brokered convention. To some extent, this is a recognition of the mathematical reality: Mr. Santorum would need to win 69 percent of the remaining delegates to secure the nomination before the convention, in Tampa, Fla., something that is close to impossible.

However, voters will not necessarily react well to the talk of a brokered convention. Polls have found that about two-thirds of Republican voters do not want one.

A different but related question, posed to Republican voters in the Illinois exit poll, asked them whether they would prefer that their favorite candidate win or that the nomination contest end soon.

About 25 percent of Mr. Santorum’s voters said they would prefer that the race end soon. Perhaps some of these voters believe that they can have it all — the race would end soon with Mr. Santorum winning. But that has essentially become impossible — whatever slim chances that Mr. Santorum has would depend on going to the floor in Tampa.

As this becomes increasingly clear to voters, they may come to see their choice as being less one between Mr. Romney and Mr. Santorum and more one between Mr. Romney and a brokered convention. Some of Mr. Santorum’s supporters may desert him once they view the race in those terms, making Mr. Romney’s path easier still.

And if the nomination were to go to the convention floor, it is not clear how Mr. Santorum would expect to prevail there. Before Michigan, it was possible to envision a situation in which Mr. Romney would have the plurality of delegates but Mr. Santorum would do better by measures of popular support, like the aggregate popular vote, national polls and the number of states won. Mr. Romney now leads in all those metrics. And he has won in enough key states — including Florida, Michigan, Ohio and now Illinois — that it would be hard for one of his opponents to assert that his nomination had vetoed the will of the Republican electorate.

Before an election in 1983, Gov. Edwin W. Edwards of Louisiana declared, “The only way I can lose this election is if I’m caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy.” We’re getting close to the point where it might take a major revelation for Mr. Romney to lose, something that substantially and permanently alters the way voters view him.

If, for instance, Mr. Romney faced a period comparable to the one that Mr. Obama did in 2008 when the Jeremiah Wright tapes drove up Mr. Obama’s unfavorable ratings, he could begin to fall below the delegate thresholds that he needs to reach, and superdelegates could be slower to endorse him. Because of the way this year’s Republican calendar is structured, with so many delegates being awarded so late, Mr. Romney could be more vulnerable to something like this than candidates in past nomination races.

Of course, a situation like this is not particularly likely. Mr. Romney has been running for president essentially for the past five years and has had very few vetting problems. (Although Mr. Romney might have some weaknesses as a November candidate, the lack of those problems seems to be an overlooked strength.) Also, Mr. Romney’s opponents have not shown much skill at opposition research; reporters browsing through the Lexis-Nexis archives have had more success in uncovering damaging details about Mr. Romney than Mr. Santorum’s campaign has.

And if Mr. Romney were to be disqualified in some way, it is not clear that Mr. Santorum would be the beneficiary of this — particularly if Republican elites look at his mediocre fund-raising totals and his somewhat uneven campaign and decide that he would have trouble going up against Mr. Obama. At the betting market Intrade, Mr. Santorum is now given just a 1.5 percent chance of winning the nomination — lower than the combined total for a series of dark-horse figures like Jeb Bush, Sarah Palin and Chris Christie, who together have about a 3 percent chance.

The race will continue on until Mr. Romney clinches or everyone else quits, but the only real question is whether Mr. Romney could somehow beat himself.


Sources: Fox News, NY Times

Jeb Bush Endorses Mitt Romney! Jeb Is Popular With Latino Voters! Wake Up Democrats!

First former President George H.W. Bush endorsed Mitt Romney, now his son former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has also just Publicly Endorsed Mitt Romney.

Jeb Bush Also Calls For ALL GOP Supporters To Rally Around Romney.

Wake Up Democrats & Independents!

This Endorsement Changes Everything Because The Bush Family Has Plenty Of $$$!

Jeb is popular with Latino Voters & Romney has just won Puerto Rico.

Wake Up Democrats & Independents!

Wake Up & Stop Being Complacent.

This Is No Time To Run Away Scared!

This Is No Time To Start Throwing BLACK & Latino Voters Under The Bush To Save Your Own Skins!

Wake Up & Get Busy!


Jeb Bush Endorses Mitt Romney in GOP Primary



Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush endorsed Mitt Romney after Romney’s lopsided win in Illinois Tuesday night. The former Florida Governor – a Republican heavyweight – called on members of the party to coalesce behind Romney.

“Congratulations to Governor Mitt Romney on his win last night and to all the candidates for a hard fought, thoughtful debate and primary season,” said Bush in a statement. “Primary elections have been held in thirty-four states, and now is the time for Republicans to unite behind Governor Romney and take our message of fiscal conservatism and job creation to all voters this fall.

I am endorsing Mitt Romney for our Party’s nomination.

We face huge challenges, and we need a leader who understands the economy, recognizes more government regulation is not the answer, believes in entrepreneurial capitalism and works to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed.”

Bush, the brother of former President George W. Bush, is a much-respected voice in the party and was considered by some to be a leading contender for the nomination if he had d was courted by some conservatives as an alternative candidate.

But he rejected calls for his candidacy. Romney also won the primary in Bush’s home state of Florida.

His father, former President George H.W. Bush has also endorsed Romney.


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Sources: ABC News, CBS News, CNN, The Hill, The Root, Youtube, Google Maps

Romney Wins Illinois! Santorum's Unemployment Comments Cost Him - Romney To Be GOP Nominee

Romney wins Illinois primary, Fox News projects

Mitt Romney beat back Rick Santorum in the Illinois Republican presidential primary Tuesday, Fox News projects, notching his latest win in an industrial state after shelling out big bucks on advertising.

The victory delivers a setback to Santorum, with just a few contests left on the calendar until late April. And it helps Romney build his case that he is marching inexorably toward the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination.

It's too early to say how the candidates will split up the 54 delegates up for grabs on Tuesday, but Romney will certainly be able to pad his lead in the overall delegate race.

Very early returns show Romney leading with 54 percent in Illinois, followed by Santorum with 28 percent. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are battling for third place.

The candidates head next to Louisiana, where polling shows Santorum has the edge, but the state is not worth as many delegates as Illinois.

Santorum had fought hard for an Illinois upset, campaigning in the state and hoping to follow up his back-to-back wins in Alabama and Mississippi a week earlier.

Despite those wins, Santorum has struggled to make any delegate gains on Romney, who most recently added to his lead with a shut-out victory in Puerto Rico over the weekend.

In Illinois, Romney invested heavily ahead of Tuesday's vote. Romney and the super PAC that supports him outspent Santorum and his super PAC by roughly 7-1 in the state.

Operational problems in the Santorum camp also opened the door for Romney to win more delegates on Tuesday, regardless of the outcome. Because of filing problems, Santorum was ineligible for 10 of the 54 delegates at stake.

Exit polls in the state showed Romney dominating among self-described moderates, as well as voters who view electability as the most important candidate quality.

Romney enjoyed 52 percent of support among moderates, compared with 24 percent for Santorum.

Santorum was leading among voters who most want their nominee to either have strong moral character or be a "true conservative."

Though Gingrich and Paul continue to campaign, neither campaigned extensively in Illinois.

The two trail in delegates, with Gingrich at 136 and Paul at 50.

Including Romney's victory last weekend in Puerto Rico, the former Massachusetts governor had 522 delegates going into the Illinois voting, according to The Associated Press count. Santorum had 252. It takes 1,144 to win the nomination.

Going into Illinois, Romney and Santorum sparred over their economic credentials.

"Senator Santorum has the same economic lightweight background the president has," Romney said at one point. "We're not going to replace an economic lightweight with another economic lightweight."

Santorum had a tart reply: "If Mitt Romney's an economic heavyweight, we're in trouble."

As Illinois Republicans voted on Tuesday, Romney raised more than $1.3 million at a luncheon in Chicago.

He planned an election-night event in nearby Schaumburg, Ill., while Santorum was in Gettysburg, Pa., site of Illinois favorite son Abraham Lincoln's most famous speech.

Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, has been seeking to make up in broadcast interviews what he has lacked in advertising money.

On Monday, his campaign began before sun-up and ended well after dark, including four appearances at rallies around the state, as well as an extraordinary 19 radio and television interviews.

He accused Romney anew of putting his signature on a Massachusetts health insurance law that is similar to the one Obama pushed through Congress.

Romney cut short his planned time in Puerto Rico, site of caucuses last weekend, to maximize his time in Illinois. He has eked out victories in other big industrial states over the past few weeks, beginning in Michigan on Feb. 28 and Ohio on March 6.

In Illinois, as in Michigan and Ohio, Romney enjoyed an enormous advantage in TV advertising. His campaign and Restore Our Future, a super PAC that supports him, outspent Santorum and his super PAC by $3.5 million to $500,000, an advantage of at least 7-1.

One estimate by the Campaign Media Analysis Group, cited by CBS News, put the margin at 18-1.

Illinois was the 28th state to hold a primary or caucus in the selection of delegates to the nominating convention, about halfway through the calendar of a Republican campaign that has remained competitive longer than most.

Next up is a primary Saturday in Louisiana, where Santorum projects confidence following twin triumphs a week ago in Alabama and Mississippi.

There are 25 delegates at stake. After Louisiana is a three-primary night in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Wisconsin on April 3, with 95 delegates combined at stake.

Santorum is not on the ballot in Washington, D.C., but is ahead in opinion polls in Maryland. Wisconsin -- adjacent to Illinois -- shapes up as the most competitive primary of the night.


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Sources: CBS News, CNN, Fox News, Google Maps

Rick Santorum Out Polls Mitt Romney Among GOP Women Voters (Washington Post)

Karen Santorum & Contraception: "Rick Is Not Anti-Women & Not Opposed To Contraception"






Rick Santorum doesn’t have a (Republican) woman problem


Judging from the coverage of Rick Santorum’s presidential campaign over the last few weeks, you might think that the former Pennsylvania Senator’s numbers would be cratering among women.

But you would be wrong. Way wrong.

In a new Washington Post-ABC poll, Santorum’s numbers among Republican and Republican-leaning women have soared over the past month. He now has the highest favorability rating among that group of any of the top-tier Republican presidential candidates.

The poll numbers reinforce findings from recent exit polls that suggest Santorum is holding steady — if not strengthening — among Republican women. In Alabama, Santorum beat former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney by eight points among women; in Mississippi, Santorum took 35 percent among women to 32 percent for Romney.

There are a variety of theories as to why Santorum’s numbers among women have improved even amid an onslaught of negative press regarding comments he has made about contraception and women’s rights.

One is that Santorum’s rise in favorability among women in the Post-ABC poll is due less to the positions he has taken on women’s issues than to the fact that he went from a largely unknown figure in January to the main alternative to Romney in March. Santorum’s numbers among men have also bumped up — although far less significantly — over the past few months.

The second theory is that all of the negative press has convinced many Republican women that Santorum is the victim of a relentless attack from the national media, which most GOP voters — men and women — believe to be biased in favor of Democrats. Being hammered by the media then — regardless of the reason — is a sort of badge of honor for Santorum.

The third potential reason for Santorum’s improved position among Republican women is that he has successfully framed the issue as one of government imposing on people’s personal beliefs — an argument that hits home with the GOP base. Karen Santorum, the candidate’s wife, made that case during an appearance on CNN Monday night. “I think the issue is the government forcing people to go against their conscience,” she said. “That’s really the issue here.”

Regardless of the reason, it’s clear that Santorum’s comments have not hurt him one bit with his target audience at the moment: Republicans — and, in particular, Republican women.

That said, if Santorum does become the Republican presidential nominee, his positions almost certainly will be far more problematic for independent women who are widely assumed to be the swing voting bloc this fall.


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Sources: CNN, MSNBC, Washington Post, Youtube, Google Maps

Romney vs Santorum: Super Tuesday In Illinois! Whomever Wins Captures The Nomination

Romney faces another 'must-win' state in Illinois primary

Here we go again -- another Tuesday, another "must-win" primary state for Mitt Romney.

Fifty-four delegates are up for grabs Tuesday when Illinois votes for the Republican presidential nominee.

But for the former Massachusetts governor, capturing the popular vote might be just as important as increasing his lead in the battle for delegates.

"Romney could really use a romp in Illinois. It wouldn't put him over the top, but it would put him back on track with a head of steam," said CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley.

After finishing third last Tuesday in Alabama and Mississippi to his main rival for the nomination, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, and to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Romney regained a bit of momentum on Sunday when he trounced Santorum in Puerto Rico's primary, getting 83% of the vote and picking up all 20 delegates up for grabs.

Now comes Illinois, with a large, somewhat moderate GOP electorate, thanks to the large number of voters in metropolitan Chicago.

Call Illinois the new Michigan, or the new Ohio -- the last two "must-win" states.

Back on February 28, pundits said Romney had to win Michigan, the state where he grew up and where his father was governor. He did.

A week later, on Super Tuesday, political analysts and strategists said Romney had to win the crucial battleground state of Ohio. Again, he did, narrowly edging out Santorum.

"If he and Santorum stay true to the template that fits most of the past contests, Santorum will pull strongly in rural and more conservative downstate Illinois and Romey will do better up north, in the more populous areas, particularly around Chicago and its suburbs," said Crowley, anchor of CNN's "State of the Union."
Republican consultant Matt Mackowiak agrees.

"Illinois presents a must-win for Romney as the state's more moderate makeup and urban population set up better for Romney than Santorum," Mackowiak said.

An American Research Group poll released Monday showed Romney with a 14-point lead over Santorum. According to the survey, which was conducted over the weekend, 44% of likely GOP primary voters in Illinois said they were backing Romney, with 30% supporting Santorum, 13% backing Gingrich and 8% supporting Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.

Romney added events in Illinois on Friday morning and Saturday evening and all day Sunday, cutting back on time in Puerto Rico to Friday evening and Saturday morning.
He also dropped his emphasis on the math that he argued made it clear that he alone has the only shot during the primary and caucus season to reach the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch the nomination.

Over the past few days, he appears to be increasing his attention to female voters and to gas prices.

"People across this country are wondering what they are going to do with these gasoline prices," Romney said Monday morning at an event in Springfield. "A lot of moms are wondering if they can take their kids from event to event, from school to soccer practice. People are hurting in this country with gasoline prices the way they are. And the prices are, to a degree, a result of failed economic policies by this president."

And he continued to tout his economic credentials and attack Santorum over the economy.

"I am someone experienced in the economy. I am not an economic lightweight. President Obama is. We are not going to be successful replacing an economic lightweight with another economic lightweight. We are going to have replace him with someone who knows how to run this economy."

In response, Santorum asked if Americans wanted a president with ties to big banks.
"I heard Gov.

Romney here called me an 'economic lightweight' because I wasn't a Wall Street financier like he was. Do you really believe this country wants to elect a Wall Street financier as the president of the United States?" Santorum asked at a campaign rally in Rockford.

Later Monday, the two campaigns argued over a quote from Santorum at a rally in Moline, Illinois, in which he hit on an often-repeated theme that the two biggest issues in the campaign were freedom and health care, and Romney would be a weaker candidate on the latter because the health care reform effort Romney oversaw in Massachusetts was the "blueprint for Obamacare."

"We need a candidate who's going to be a fighter for freedom -- who's going to get up and make that the central theme in this race, because it is the central theme in this race.

I don't care what the unemployment rate is going to be. It doesn't matter to me. My campaign doesn't hinge on unemployment rates and growth rates. There's something more foundational that's going on here," Santorum said.

Following Santorum's speech, Romney's team blasted out an e-mail to reporters with a link to a five-second clip of Santorum saying: "I don't care what the unemployment rate is going to be. It doesn't matter to me."

In the e-mail from Romney's campaign, spokeswoman Andrea Saul criticized Santorum over the comment.

"Wow. Sen. Santorum may not care about the unemployment rate in this country or the nearly 24 million Americans struggling for work, but Mitt Romney does and is running to get people back to work," Saul said.

After Santorum's event, he sought to clear up his remarks, telling reporters that he is concerned about the unemployment rate.

"Of course I care about the unemployment rate, I want the unemployment rate to go down, but I'm saying my candidacy doesn't hinge on whether the unemployment rate goes up or down," Santorum said. "Our candidacy is about something that transcends things, about freedom."

Later, Santorum's spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement to CNN that Romney's team was "trying to deceive voters."

"Rick was making the point that the Santorum campaign is not based solely on unemployment rates -- it's based on returning freedom and restoring this country's greatness -- and that it's a mistake for anyone to try and reduce the idea of America to just the 'economy.' Sadly, Mitt Romney thinks this country and this election should be reduced to math, money and spreadsheets," Gidley said.

Regardless of what polling shows, Santorum remains confident. And he knows the stakes hold in Illinois.

"If we're able to get out of Illinois with a huge or surprise win, I guarantee you, I guarantee you, that we will win this nomination. We will nominate a conservative, we will beat Barack Obama in the fall election," he told voters Saturday night in Effingham, Illinois.

And his criticism of Romney appears to be getting more personal.

"It really has to do with what your principles and your core is," Santorum said Monday in an interview on CBS. "I have a core. I'm someone who has really strong convictions about the limited role of government, about the importance of having a strong defense, you know, lowering taxes and getting regulation down. That's a sharp contrast with Mitt Romney."

GOP strategist and CNN contributor Alex Castellanos says to win, Romney needs to think big.

"Romney can put this campaign away only if he elevates his campaign into a cause. Romney's campaign now is only about why he's a better businessman than Barack Obama.

He is offering a very small campaign to a country craving a big change in direction. And Americans want to be part of something large, not something small," said Castellanos, who was a media adviser for Romney's 2008 White House bid but who's not taking sides this cycle.

"This campaign is his for the taking but Romney won't put this race away until he offers voters a purpose larger than his campaign provides them today."

Gingrich made a quick swing through Illinois last week, but those were his last stops in the state. He is concentrating his efforts on Louisiana, which holds its primary on Saturday. Paul made one stop in the state last week as well.

But neither campaign is putting any ad money into the state.

Romney is once again pouring big bucks into a crucial state. His campaign and the pro-Romney super PAC "Restore Our Future" have spent more than $4 million on broadcast and cable ads.

At the same time, Santorum's campaign "Red, White and Blue Fund" super PAC that supports him has spent about $530,000 in television time in the state -- that equates to about a 7-1 spending advantage for Romney

So what if Santorum pulls the upset in Illinois? It will be costly to Romney, Mackowiak said.

"While Romney does appear the likely nominee, losing Illinois will intensify concerns about Romney, potentially drive Gingrich from the race (forcing a Romney-Santorum head-to-head matchup) and drag out the already costly primary," said Mackowiak, a former press secretary to Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas and former Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana.

"While Santorum has repeatedly over-performed polling, Romney should win Illinois Tuesday giving him a significant momentum boost and slowing down Santorum's progress."

Crowley had a similar take, saying a loss for Romney "would be close to catastrophic for him."

And a Romney victory?

"A nice win would at least let Romney dust himself off after losses in Alabama and Mississippi," she said.

Stay tuned. There are many more Tuesdays to come.


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Sources: CNN, Google Maps

Karen Santorum & Contraception: "Rick Is Not Anti-Women & Not Opposed To Contraception" (Video)

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Sources: CNN, Google Maps

Mitt Romney vs Planned Parenthood: Stands Firm On Promise To Cut Funding For ABORTIONS. I Agree!

Mitt Romney stands firm on his promise to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood ABORTIONS. This I DO Agree with! I would NOT vote for Romney but I do Agree Planned Parenthood Should NOT be receiving Federal Dollars for ABORTIONS as Pres. Obama promised Bart Stupak back in 2010.


Romney can't escape birth control questions in Illinois


Mitt Romney tried to make his final day before Tuesday’s Illinois primary all about the economy, but in the end he couldn’t escape the distracting questions about birth control that have seeped into the Republican presidential discussion for weeks on end.

Romney faced two questions about contraception as he wrapped up his last event Monday, a sun-splashed outdoor town hall on the campus of Bradley University in Peoria.

After Romney riffed for about 20 minutes on President Barack Obama’s management of the economy, he solicited questions from the large student-heavy audience.

As the first questioner made apparent, these voters were not pre-screened.

“So you’re all for like, yay, freedom, and all this stuff,” said the first woman to approach a microphone. “And yay, like pursuit of happiness. You know what would make me happy? Free birth control.”

Her remark drew a mix of applause and boos from the crowd, and a rebuke from the Republican frontrunner.

“You know, let me tell you, no no, look, look let me tell you something,” he said, waiting for the crowd noise died down. “If you’re looking for free stuff you don’t have to pay for? Vote for the other guy, that’s what he’s all about, okay? That’s not, that’s not what I’m about.”

That exchange was followed by another question about Romney’s plan to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

A female audience member asked Romney where he might suggest “millions of women go” without Planned Parenthood offering reproductive and sexual health care.

“Well they can go wherever they’d like to go,” Romney told her. “This is a free society. But here’s what I’d say, which is the federal government should not tax these people to pay for Planned Parenthood … The idea of the federal government funding Planned Parenthood I’m going to say no, we’re going to stop that.”


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Sources: ABC News, CNN, KSDK, Youtube, Google Maps