Wyoming Caucuses Tomorrow

Wyoming takes the spotlight tomorrow (Wednesday) in the GOP race for President.

Republican Delegate Count

Mitt Romney now has 165 delegates to the GOP National Convention.  1,144 delegates are needed to win.

Romney Scores a Win for Abortion

Good to see Republicans have come to their senses and are supporting the right to choose.


Mitt Romney has won both Michigan and Arizona, according to the most recent results.  With 93% of the vote in Michigan, Romney has 41% to 38%.  Ron Paul has gathered just 12% while Newt Gingrich is an afterthought with 7%.  Still, less than enthusiastic support for a guy who grew up there.


Romney routed Santorum in Arizona, 47 to 26 with Gingrich getting 16% and Paul 8%.

Obama Increases Lead to Double Digits

This new poll confirms everything I've been saying.  The GOP has no new ideas, no answers, and is in danger of becoming an afterthought.


A Politico/George Washington University Battleground Poll released today shows President Obama leading Mitt Romney 53-43% and Rick Santorum 53-42%.  Both Republicans have more negative voters than the president.

Presidential Polls

President Obama currently leads Mitt Romney in a hypothetical matchup 49-44%.  This is bad news for Romney because the general election will always expose the negatives of a new candidate.  We already know all of the negatives for Obama and the negatives for a sitting president don't get worse.  


Worse news for Rick Santorum--Obama leads Santorum 50-44 before we find out the negatives about Santorum.

GDP Growth Rates Under U.S. Presidents

Democrats have occupied the White House in 27 of the 63 years since 1948. Average GDP growth in the country over those 26 years has been 4.01%. 

Republicans have occupied the White House in 36 of the 62 years since 1948. Average GDP growth over those 36 years has been 2.75%. 

Here are the GDP growth rates for each of the U.S. presidents since 1948.  What is particularly noteworthy is that current President Barack Obama in three years already has a larger growth rate than either Bush, even though the Great Recession hit before the younger Bush left office and affected the numbers in the early months of Obama's presidency more than in the Bush presidency.  So in effect, Obama absorbed the mess left behind and still shows better GDP numbers than George W. Bush did in eight years.  Very telling.

1948-1952 (Harry S. Truman, Democrat), +4.82%
1953-1960 (Dwight D. Eisenhower, Republican), +3%
1961-1964 (John F. Kennedy / Lyndon B. Johnson, Democrat), +4.65%
1965-1968 (Lyndon B. Johnson, Democrat), +5.05% 
1969-1972 (Richard Nixon, Republican), +3%
1973-1976 (Richard Nixon / Gerald Ford, Republican), +2.6% 
1977-1980 (Jimmy Carter, Democrat), +3.25% 
1981-1988 (Ronald Reagan, Republican), 3.4%
1989-1992 (George H. W. Bush, Republican), 2.17% 
1993-2000 (Bill Clinton, Democrat), 3.88% 
2001-2008 (George W. Bush, Republican), +2.09% 
2009 (Barack Obama, Democrat), +2.35%

Romney and Santorum in a Virtual Tie in Michigan

So once again Republicans are at a crossroads.


The Michigan primary is coming up Tuesday, a key state not only because of its size but because it was the childhood home of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.  A loss by Romney in Michigan would be the equivalent of a slap in the face and a vote of no confidence by Republicans.  It wouldn't be devastating, but it would be damaging.


But do the Republicans go with Santorum, who has virtually no support among the nation's independents, who basically decide elections?  If Santorum wins Michigan, it would be a continuation of the momentum he began to build a few weeks ago and would carry him into Super Tuesday on a high note.  If he wins Michigan and if he holds his own or wins on Super Tuesday, Santorum would all of a sudden be the guy to beat in the GOP.  Are Republicans OK with losing the race for president, losing the House of Representatives and getting close to a 60-Democrat Senate again?