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Tag: Republicans

  • Obamacare at Risk of Being Defunded by Republicans

    The new agenda for House Republicans is drawing national attention, after they are pushing legislation introduced Wednesday in an attempt to defund Obamacare. Using the upcoming budget deadline, John Boehner, R-Ohio, is one that is leading this effort, taking one more stab to do away with President Barack Obama’s health care reform law.

    “We’re going to continue to do everything we can to repeal the president’s failed healthcare law,” Boehner told reporters on Capitol Hill. He stated the House will pass a resolution “that locks the sequester savings in and defunds Obamacare.”

    This agenda is to appease conservatives who vowed to force a government shutdown unless Obamacare was defunded, but is destined to die in the Democratic Senate. This feud to fund the government between House Republicans, Senate Democrats and Obama has the potential for a government shut down, with the September 30 deadline approaching.

    “There should be no conversation about shutting the government down,” Boehner said. “That’s not the goal here.”

    House Majority Leader, Eric Cantor, R-Va., said Wednesday that Republicans would move to delay Obamacare for a year, which is a seemingly simple offer, to negotiate for a raising the debt limit in order to avoid government shut down at the end of September.
    “In the coming week we will unveil a plan to extend our nation’s ability to borrow, while delaying Obamacare and protecting working, middle-class families from its horrific effects,” Cantor said.

    Despite more than 40 attempts to vote to repeal the 2010 law, Republicans are live up to their vows to “repeal and replace” the existing law, using any means necessary.

    “You have never seen in the history of the United States the debt ceiling or the threat of not raising the debt ceiling being used to extort a president or a governing party,” Obama told the group of business leaders. He said such a precedent would “fundamentally change how American government functions.”

  • Mitt Romney: GOP Hopefuls Fish for the Money Machine

    An AP story out of Boston yesterday morning is getting some traction: apparently, some of the 2016 Republican potentials with their sights on the White House are trying to quietly take advantage of Mitt Romney’s political operatives, in particular his financial advisers.

    Even though the election is three years out, in a world with a 24-hour news cycle and campaigns that last upwards of 80 weeks, it’s never too early to start the campaigning. Romney’s financial network was able to rapidly generate donor dollars that feed the political machine, and no matter what you think of Romney’s politics, everyone must admit that the man knew how to rake in the dollars, and there was a time during the 2012 presidential race that the Romney campaign outspent the Obama campaign.

    Romney’s finance chairman, Spencer Zwick, said that during the failed candidate’s races “We built an interesting network of people. A lot of them would be inclined to get involved again… I would love to be heavily involved.” Romney himself did not suggest many of the GOP hopefuls would get the chance he did; in his own words, merely one “or perhaps two” of the potentials has a shot at the White House.

    Interviews with over a dozen senior donors conducted by the AP have suggested that those who assisted Romney to generate millions of campaign dollars are politically pragmatic when compared to the recent Republican offerings, meaning they would not respond as positively to rigid and inflexible conservatism. That does not mean donors have been unwilling to throw their hats into the ring; on the contrary, Charles Spies (Mitt Romney’s personal Super-PAC heavyweight) has been courted by several Republican hopefuls. Although they were mute as to which ones, the AP’s interviews suggested that the donors would stay away from extreme conservative views (like those of Texas Senator Ted Cruz) or unfavorable press (like that which follows Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who has his own watchdog website).

    At least half a dozen Republican leaders will be weighing their chances at a presidential nomination. A September 23 fundraiser to be held at the home of Romney donor Woody Johnson (who owns the New York Jets) will include New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, and Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan.

    Although nobody knows for sure just how much influence Romney continues to exert over his extensive donor network, Romney has called for his party to “stay smart” and nominate candidates who can win. At a New Hampshire Republican Party fundraiser, he said that “My guess is that every one of the contenders would be better than whoever the Democrats put up.”

    [Image via a YouTube video about the Romney 2012 campaign’s cash advantage]

  • Facebook Engineering Head Andy Barkett Tapped as New CTO of the Republican National Committee

    Facebook Engineering Head Andy Barkett Tapped as New CTO of the Republican National Committee

    A senior engineer at Facebook has been tapped to lead the Republican National Committee’s new focus on technology and the “digital divide” that some feel contributed to Mitt Romney’s recent loss to President Obama in the 2012 election.

    Andy Barkett, an engineer with over a decade of Silicon Valley experience who has worked at Facebook since 2011, has been named the new Chief Technology Officer of the RNC.

    “I am excited to announce that Andy Barkett will be leading the effort to expand our data and digital capabilities as our Chief Technology Officer,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. “I am confident that with Andy’s experience and our continued efforts to build meaningful relationships with experts in Silicon Valley, we’ll see the changes to this part of our operation that we all agree are both important and necessary to winning elections in the future.”

    The creation of the CTO position was a key part of the RNC’s “Growth & Opportunity Project” report that came out of the party’s recent defeat in the 2012 Presidential election. The sprawling report detailed many of of the problems Republicans face and highlighted some proposed solutions.

    “Perhaps the area of campaign 2012 that received the most interest from a media standpoint is the “digital divide” that existed between the GOP and the Democrats as a result of the Obamacampaign’s signifcant commitment to building an in-house tech and digital team and sharing data resources across multiple entities within the campaign,” said the report.

    The report proposed the recruitment of a new “chief technology and digital officer” for the RNC.

    It appears that the national committee has found their man in Barkett.

    “It’s essential that the Republican Party has the resources to drive voter turnout as we look toward the elections of 2014, 2016 and beyond,” said Barkett. “Silicon Valley welcomes the party’s efforts to be more creative and innovative, and I look forward to helping the party accomplish these goals.”

    [Photo via Facebook]

  • Michael Steele Could Run For Governor of Maryland

    Former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele is giving serious consideration to running for governor of Maryland. Last week, Steele called in for an interview with radio station WMAL, telling the hosts that he and his staff are currently running the numbers on a potential campaign.

    “I love my state,” said Steele. “I think that the potential in Maryland is huge. I look at the last 8 years, I look at the tax increases, I look at some of the things they’ve done to drive jobs away and opportunity out the door. And you just kind of say, ‘Ok, can you contribute something?’ So, we’ll weigh it, we’ll see.”

    This week, Steele further confirmed that he is seriously considering a run for governor. Steele, who stepped down from his position as RNC chairman in 2011, is now a political analyst for MSNBC. He appeared this week on MSNBC’s The Daily Rundown, and stated again that he’s “looking at it.” He was then asked why he wants to run for office.

    “Well, because I love the idea of service,” said Steele. “I think we can move the state in a different direction. I mean, you know, we’ve lost 30,000 employers over the last eight years. You know, our economy is not competitive in the region anymore.”

    Steele stated he would make a decision on whether or not to run by the end of the year.

    Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

  • Pregnant Congresswoman Announces Via Facebook

    Jamie Herrera Beutler, the Republican congresswoman from Washington’s 3rd district, has announced that she is pregnant. The 34-year-old Beutler was elected to congress in 2010, making her the second youngest female in the current U.S. Congress. She is married to Daniel Beutler, and the couple do not yet have any children.

    In a sign of the times, Beutler announced that she is expecting on her Facebook page. She stated that she and her husband are “blessed” and “excited” to be able to give their parents grandchildren.

    The Facebook note, in full:

    A few years ago when I was newly married and recently elected to Congress, I remember fielding some speculation as to whether or not I was “expecting.” Well… my husband Dan and I are thrilled to announce that this fall, there will be yet another person in Southwest Washington who will – for their entire adult life – get to explain “No, no, it’s pronounced Butler.” That’s right – we’re expecting a baby!

    Not only are we blessed to begin building our family, we’re also pretty excited to be giving Dan’s parents, Paul and Patti Beutler of Salem, their first grandchild and to be giving my parents, Armando and Candice Herrera of Camas, a grandchild to visit only a few miles away. I am thankful for the close proximity to both sets of grandparents because like any new parents, I’m sure we’ll need the help!

    Thank you for your thoughts, prayers and encouragement.

    Jaime and Daniel

    Beutler isn’t the first congresswoman to be pregnant, though the event is rare. Eight other women have become pregnant during their terms in office. Most recently, another Washington congresswoman, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, gave birth to a daughter in December 2010, making her the first congresswoman to give birth twice in office. Her first time giving birth in office was in April 2007. Similar to Beutler, Rodgers also announced her pregnancy through her Facebook page.

  • Bob Perry Dies; Republican Donor Was 80

    Texas homebuilder and noted political donor Bob Perry has died at the age of 80.

    According to a report from The Dallas Morning News, Perry died in his sleep on Saturday night or Sunday morning at his home in Houston. The cause of the death has not been released

    In the late 1960s, Perry started a homebuilding business in Houston called Perry Homes. The company is now one of the largest home builders in the U.S.

    With the success of Perry Homes, Perry became wealthy, and used his wealth to support conservative political causes. He was a major donor for both George W. Bush and Rick Perry (no relation) during their campaigns for Governor of Texas. Perry was also reportedly donated over $900,000 to the Texas Republican Party in 2002.

    During the 2004 election, Perry was the largest single donor to the 527 group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, donating over $4.4 million to the group. Since that time, Perry has donated millions to organizations dedicated to electing Republican candidates, including 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

  • Zuckerberg Leads Push to Form New Super PAC [REPORT]

    Zuckerberg Leads Push to Form New Super PAC [REPORT]

    Some Silicon Valley leaders, led by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, are looking to form their own SuperPAC to tackle a variety of issues in Washington.

    According to sources quotes by the San Francisco Chronicle, Zuckerberg has already pledged as much as $20 million into the new group – and has already gotten others to pledge a few million dollars of their own.

    The group looks to be leaning heavy to the right (at least in its initial leadership), according to the reports. The group will include a well-known Republican strategist, Jon Lerner, who is tied to Grover Norquist (of the no tax pledge) as well as Rob Jesmer, who previously worked with Republican Senator John Cornyn. Apparently, the whole thing was set into motion by Zuckerberg’s old Harvard roommate Joe Green (co-founder of Causes and NationBuilder).

    As you may remember, Zuckerberg was among 100 tech presidents, CEOs, and chairmen who penned a letter to President Obama and Congressional leadership earlier this month asking for them to move on comprehensive immigration reform. They argued that immigrant entrepreneurs have founded thousands of companies, and that our outdated system is forcing out highly-skilled, great minds. Basically, better immigration policy is good for business.

    The letter was also signed by Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, HP CEO Meg Whitman, and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer.

    This new SuperPAC won’t be an immigration-minded entity, however. Sources say that the group’s focus will be “more far-ranging and deal with an agenda of topics related to economic growth and vitality.”

    Zuckerberg, who up until recently had not made huge waves in the political arena, hosted a big fundraiser for Republican Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie as his Palo Alto home.

  • GOP Platform Touches on Protecting Internet Freedom

    The 2012 Republican platform may have continued to demonstrate that party’s slide to the far right, but the GOP seems to be taking a mostly hands-off policy when it comes to the internet. The platform, which was finalized at the 2012 Republican National Convention this week, takes a very idealistic approach to internet freedom and the competition it brings. It also gives a nod toward stringent privacy protections for those online.

    The first mention of the internet in the platform is to state that there should be no regulation of political speech on the internet. Next, an entire section is devoted to the topic titled “Protecting Internet Freedom.” The GOP has chosen to go with its free market sensibilities in regard to the topic, and states that it generally wants things to stay as they are. From the relevant section:

    The Internet has unleashed innovation, enabled growth, and inspired freedom more rapidly and extensively than any other technological advance inhuman history. Its independence is its power. The Internet offers a communications system uniquely free from government intervention. We will remove regulatory barriers that protect outdated technologies and business plans from innovation and competition,while preventing legacy regulation from interfering with new and disruptive technologies such as mobile delivery of voice video data [sic] as they become crucial components of the Internet ecosystem. We will resist any effort to shift control away from the successful multi-stakeholder approach of Internet governance and toward governance by international or other intergovernmental organizations. We will ensure that personal data receives full constitutional protection from government overreach and that individuals retain the right to control the use of their data by third parties; the only way to safeguard or improve these systems is through the private sector.

    The platform mentions in several other places that the GOP opposes any diplomatic measures that would put the internet under some sort of international regulatory control, such as the UN. It also states that Republicans want to auction off any surplus spectrum to help spread broadband access and dismisses the FCC’s net neutrality stance as government micromanagement.

    The Republican platform, however, is not wholly libertarian with regard to the internet. There is another section in the document titled “Making the Internet Family-Friendly.” It details the GOP position that internet gambling should be illegal and pays lip-service to having “service providers” protect children from internet predators.

    The full text of the 2012 Republican Platform can be seen on the GOP website.

  • GOP Convention Begins With a “Debt Clock”

    An abbreviated 2012 Republican National Convention will begin today with the activation of a “debt clock.” Repbulican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus will call the convention to order at 2 p.m. this afternoon. He will then promptly activate the “debt clock,” which will show a representation of the total U.S. National debt and count up towards $16 Trillion during the convention.

    “This clock reminds every delegate and every American why we are here in Tampa – because America can and must do better,” said Priebus. “Every American’s share of the national debt has increased by approximately $16,000 during the current administration.”

    Priebus added that Mitt Romney would be able to “turn this fiscal mess around.”

    The activation of the debt clock will be the only official event of the Republican National Convention on Monday. A full speaking lineup was originally scheduled, but worries about Tropical Storm Isaac caused convention organizers to rearrange the schedule. Nearly the entire convention will now take place in three days instead of four.

    A full current schedule for the convention can be found on the Republican National Convention’s website. Some of the speakers to be featured during the convention include Speaker of the House John Boehner, former senator Rick Santorum, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (who recently became the first woman to join Augusta National), and, of course, Mitt Romney.

  • Obama’s ‘Life Of Julia’ Keeps Democrats At Social Media Forefront

    Last week the Republican party launched a Social Victory app to try to get a foothold onto what has been a one sided battle: The fight for social media dominance. This fight was utterly dominated by Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential election, and some strategists pointed to this as a huge reason why he won so handily.

    The 2012 campaign has seen basically the same thing. Mostly due to the fantastic job the Democratic party did last time to build up their good social media karma, they are still riding high. As you can see from the infographic below, even with all of the Republican Presidential hopefuls put together, they don’t even make a dent into what is an enormous social media advantage for Obama.


    Thanks to Overdrive Interactive for this great Infographic!

    This kind of forward thinking has allowed the Obama reelection people to focus on promoting their ideals and beliefs, and not spending time to build a social media presence. This is where the ‘Life of Julia‘ slideshow comes in. In something that resembles a Google product release video, ‘Life of Julia’ follows a fictional woman who, throughout different stages of her life, is benefitting from the entitlements given to her by President Barack Obama.

    “Julia starts her own web business. She qualifies for a Small Business Administration loan, giving her the money she needs to invest in her business. President Obama’s tax cuts for small businesses like Julia’s help her to get started. She’s able to hire employees, creating new jobs in her town and helping to grow the local economy.” This kind of political showcase is how and where the Democrats have a chance at getting Obama reelected. The Republicans will have a huge unknown factor unless they can do something to show that they know how to run a social media campaign that is effective.

  • GOP Unveils Social Victory App For Facebook To Combat Obama

    Obama did not just win the Presidential election in 2008, he dominated it. One of the biggest factors as to how he was able to do that, was that he is the first President in history to really nail down the proper way to use social media as a campaign tool. Not only does it reach the masses way faster than any other form of traditional advertising, but it is in most occasions completely free.

    Today the Republican party has finally started to get on board with this idea that social media is a viable option for voter connection and they have released the Social Victory Center App for Facebook. The app, which is brought to you by the Republican National Committee, features a lot of ways for either potential, or existing Republican voters to get a little more involved in things.

    The social media app features 4 main sections:

    News

    The news section gives you a one stop place for all the news that the GOP feels you need to know. Kind of pigeon holes you into one set of ideas, but i’m pretty sure you won’t be at this site unless you are a fairly ardent conservative. You have the option of choosing national or local news stories. There is also a videos section, which at this time is populated by political campaign ads.

    Events

    The events section is where you can find all the national or local events to participate during the upcoming campaign. There are listings that you can RSVP to such as phone banks and county meetups. They also organize door to door and get togethers on election days.

    Volunteer

    The volunteer tab is an interesting one. There are 2 distinct parts to this section. One part just gives you the names and addresses of the Republican Party offices in each state. The second part allows you to call potential voters and poll them on things that are important right now. All you do is enter your number and you get a phone call from a New York City number that immediately redirects you to the potential voter you are polling.

    This is a very cool option, but it also has the potential to backfire, as anyone can do this if they want to.

    Discussions

    The discussions tab is basically the forum of the site. The big problem is that you cannot submit your own topics for discussion, which is probably done to keep out the extremists. There are a wide range of topics to discuss with people from Obamanomics to Solyndra to the Fast and Furious scandal.

    It is obviously way to early to tell if something like this will have the ability to sway voters, or even reassure voters. This election will be one of the hardest and nastiest elections since the early 1800’s when candidates use to accuse each other of having sex with farm animals and cross dressing. It looks like the Republicans are in for the long haul and are ready for the challenge.

  • Obama Says No Google Or Facebook Without Govt.

    President Barack Obama is in full campaign mode. The one thing that he will preach to his supporters is that the Republicans are trying to gut the government. He said that under the Republican budget “the government is shrunk to the point where things that we take for granted as a society — as an advanced, responsible society — are gutted: education, science and research, early childhood education, caring for our environment, looking after our veterans, keeping up with our infrastructure, rebuilding our roads and our bridges so that they’re safe, food safety laws, our capacity to enforce basic consumer protections. All of this is shrunk to the point of near invisibility.”

    He went on to say the “vision” portrayed by the Ryan budget “is of an America where everybody is fending for themselves, a few are doing very well at the top, and everybody else is struggling to get by.” Obama obviously has a vision for how the government needs to interact with it’s citizens. His vision includes an all encompassing federal government and a diminished state government. His “European Spending” includes providing everything for it’s citizens including healthcare, jobs, and housing.

    “I believe in investing in basic research and science because I understand that all these extraordinary companies that are these enormous wealth-generators — many of them would have never been there; Google, Facebook would not exist, had it not been for investments that we made as a country in basic science and research,” Obama said. “I understand that makes us all better off.”

    What he doesn’t say, is that these technologies came from military programs, that then branched out to the private sectors. They did not come from the Federal government investing in companies that they feel push their vision of the country. This is one of the reasons that the military has had a historically massive budget, because of the fact they spend more on research and development than any other entity(govt or private) than anyone in the world. The DOD will spend $77 billion next year on R&D, the highest private company is Merck & Co Inc which will spend $10 billion. The DoD will in fact spend more on R&D than the top 10 companies put together.

    Republicans have their own ideas of what should be done with the Federal government and they say that Obama is distorting the facts while he is trying to get reelected.

    “Chairman Ryan, passed a responsible budget that would help put Americans back to work, protect our seniors, close President Obama’s massive budget deficits, and do ‘all of the above’ to address high gas prices,” House Speaker John Boehner said. “It makes the tough choices the president refuses to make to address the staggering deficits and debt that are slowing our economic recovery, costing jobs, and threatening to destroy the American dream.”

    (image)@NewsNinja2012
    Wayne Dupree    Obama doesn’t take credit for Solyndra, failed stimulus, gas prices, economy, but he will take credit for Facebook and Google……WOW!!!(image) 14 hours ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@WeDemandFreedom
    Marwa – B.    Facebook’s clearly made more changes than Obama.(image) 22 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@Joy__Bishop
    Joy Taylor Bishop    The Obama spin….Really??? and the sheep follow…Facebook Would Not Exist’ Without Government Funding http://t.co/iTBDOd0Y(image) 21 minutes ago via Tweet Button ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Google “Official Social Platform” for Republican National Convention

    Google has been selected to provide the technological know-how for the Republican National Convention later this year when the GOP convenes in Tampa, Fla., to officially coronate the party’s presumed presidential candidate, Mitt Romney. Google, along with its online video site, YouTube, have been given the lofty title of “Official Social Platform and Live Stream Provider” of the party’s convention.

    As Google has done with previous events that it has played a large role in, everything from CES to SXSW, don’t be surprised if you see some customized features begin to roll out ahead of August’s convention such as indoor maps of the arena, several Google+ Hangouts, and a livestream of several events via YouTube.

    Susan Molinari, Google’s Vice President of Public Policy, said in a statement, “By incorporating our tools and technology, we are offering a behind-the-scenes look at the convention process and allowing voters, delegates and viewers to shape the conversation.” Molinari was a notable addition to Google’s lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., earlier this year as she became the latest former Republican politician to assume a high-profile position in the company’s policy wing.

    Google’s been keeping itself busy with thus far with the primary stages of the presidential election. Earlier this year, the company created a Election & Politics section within its general news aggregator, and has also put together several election tools for people to use in order to more closely follow the results of the Republican primary contests. Back in 2010 for the midterm elections, interested parties were able to tune into YouTube in order to livestream the election results.

    Convention CEO William Harris said, “Having Google as a partner ensures the most engaging convention experience in history. Our goal is to bring the convention to you, no matter where you are or which device you use.”

    Interestingly, on the GOP’s website for the 2012 convention visitors are given the option of signing in with their Facebook account but not with their Google+ account. Whoops. Guess even the GOP can’t deny Facebook’s overwhelming popularity advantage over Google’s social networking service.

    Since Google has become the adoptive technology resource for the RNC, it will be interesting if the Democrats try to tap Facebook in order to be their official social media platform for the party’s convention in Charlotte, N.C., in September. There really is nothing quite like taking sides in very public and very superficial rivalries.

  • Infographic: The True Cost Of Piracy

    Online piracy is a global problem in regards to both consumers and industry groups. Expensive media, low incomes and cheap digital technology are said to be the primary reasons for rampant media piracy.

    In 2010, the U.S. Government Accountability Office announced that previously estimated figures “could not be substantiated,” and the folks at Backgroundcheck.org have put together some figures:

    The True Cost of Piracy
    Via: Background Check Resource

    Some key figures – In 2008, pirated content accounted for 41% of all installed PC software, which translated to a loss of $51 billion. Movie piracy costs movie studios roughly $25 billion a year.

    Interestingly, men and women are equally prone to piracy, and the study shows that Democrats tend to steal more digital music than Republicans, at 35% and 24% respectively. Likewise, it has been reported that voters are more concerned with online censorship than piracy regardless.

  • Mitt Romney Is President Of The United States Of Facebook

    While Ron Paul is winning the Republican constituency of the Twitternation, Mitt Romney has established himself as the candidate of Facebook, even ahead of President Obama.

    Experian Hitwise Director of Research Heather Doughtery wrote about the Facebook traffic for the presidential candidates this election season and found some encouraging news – if Facebook has anything to say about it – for one Willard Romney and company, at least insofar securing the Republican nomination. The traffic data only leads up to January 21, which was the date of the South Carolina primary so it’s anybody’s guess as to whether I’ll be announcing that Newt “The Gravedigger” Gingrich is the new President of Facebook after Florida’s primary next week.

    Regardless, this is where we are now: Romney’s killing it on Facebook. Not only is his official Facebook page getting 1.7x more visits than Ron Paul’s fan page, his closest Republican/Facebook competitor, Romney’s page is netting 2.5x more visitors than Obama’s page. I know the line graph below is a little hard to see, but that red line that’s leaps and bounds ahead of every other line you see? Red is for Romney, and everybody else basically in the gutter looking up at his Facebook star.

    If you’re Mitt Romney’s campaign staff and you believe that Facebook is in any way a valid reflection of people’s Real Life behavior and interests, here’s some news to send you to sleep with a smile: people making less than $30,000 are visiting your Facebook page a lot, and people in Ohio are visiting your Facebook page a lot. Why should this make Mitts happy? Because being poor and living in Ohio are two characteristics of the ever-important swing voters who would help decide a general election should Romney obtain the nomination and face Obama.

    31.8% of visitors to Romney’s Facebook page in the last four weeks were reported to earn less than $30,000. Furthermore, visitors from Ohio had the highest share of visits in the last four weeks (Utah was closely behind Ohio in shares of visits but that’s Mormon country – Romney’s bread and butter – so that’s not surprising). Whether people just wanna get close with the enemy or are genuinely interested in learning about Romney, he’s pulling in some Facebook interest.

    As Dougherty concluded, this is good Facebook news for Romney because it suggests that “social efforts are gaining attention and building an audience on Facebook.” This has been a crazy primary thus far, though, and who knows what the results of the South Carolina primary have done to this race. Also, keep in mind: this is not madness, this is Facebook; where people go when they need to post creepy pictures of their ultrasounds and share the latest frog/wolf/Asian father meme to their dubious friends. And since the third (more?) act of the Newtation is apparently really happening, so we’ll see how everybody’s settled on Facebook after the Florida primary.

  • Ron Paul Is Still President Of The United States Of Twitter

    Now that Rick Perry has awkwardly called it quits, there are only four remaining members in the Fellowship of the Ring of Republicans. There’s another primary coming up this weekend, this time in South Carolina, that will surely winnow the field of candidates a little more so as to further solidify the conclusion that Mitt Romney is already the Republican presidential candidate.

    But, the Republicans aren’t Facebook official with their Romney relationship status yet and so we’re still supposed to play along as if we still believe in Santa Claus. Contributing to the charade that this weekend’s primary is meaningful, social media scientist (can you actually major in that now?) Dan Zarrella took a look at the Twitter activity regarding the final four candidates – Romney, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich – to see how each of them are doing among the crucial Twitter constituency. Using the multiple metrics examined by Zarrella, let’s score how each candidate did and just get this primary election over with:

    Most followers: Gingrich.
    Average number of Retweets: Paul.
    Retweets-per-follower: Paul.
    Reply percentage: Gingrich.
    Link percentage: Paul.
    Mentions per hour: Romney.
    Followers per mention: Romney.

    Final Score: Santorum, 0; Gingrich, 2; Romney, 2; Paul, 3.

    Ron Paul wins! He’s the next President of the United States of Twitter! Come on down! Although, Paul’s had a pretty good relationship with the Twitterscape as the primaries have lurched to inevitabile Romney-vision.

    (Oh, and as a conciliatory note, in case people on Twitter weren’t aware, there’s a guy named Rick Santorum running for president, too.)

    If only everything were that easy, right? Right. Unfortunately, this is the real world where we still have to grunt and sweat under a weary life of real elections, so take a look at the full infographic to actually understand what’s happening on Twitter with the Drab Four.

  • Google Election & Politics Helps Informed Voters Stay Informed

    The U.S. presidential election cycle used to be like a regulated yet exhilarating amusement park ride that you could count on starting and stopping at certain times. Think of the Scrambler: dizzying in experience yet timed to end at a reliable time. Now, with the ubiquity of the 24-hour news cycle and the hordes of blogs and other commentators, the teeth have been stripped off the gears that regulate the speed of the news cycle to the point that not only can you never get off this ride but it just keeps going faster and faster. Barf bags not included.

    Due to the breakneck recycle speed of the political news cycle, trying to stay informed on what’s happening in the world of politics can be nauseating. You’re probably always going to be me missing something somewhere. However aggregating your own collection of news sources doesn’t have to be so stupefying since Google has made it a little easier for voters and otherwise interested parties to attempt to stay abreast of the latest news concerning topics, candidates, and election results. Google Politics & Elections, a new wing of the Google News service, collects articles covering breaking stories related to politics in the United States. With the service, readers can isolate topics to certain candidates (right now it’s a bunch of Republican primary candidates and the current POTUS, Barack Obama) as well as issues related to categories like the economy, social issues, and healthcare. From the post on Google’s official blog:

    The site enables voters, journalists and campaigns to quickly sort through election info by popularity, race or issues. People can also check out the Trends Dashboard to take the web’s real-time political pulse by comparing candidates’ YouTube video views, search traffic and Google News mentions. Campaign staffers, advocates and everyday citizens can utilize our tools and features to reach, engage and inspire voters.

    What might be most interesting for anyone who makes a hobby out of political speculation there is a function on the Politics & Elections homepage where you can track trends related to each specific candidate. For instance, given the latest surge of Rick Santorum out of the bowels of obscurity and into a legitimate third place (the fact that third place is now a consummation devoutly to be wished is kind of absurd, really), readers can actually see the rise in Google News Mentions of Santorum in the past week. It’s a fun tool as an observer, but given how tumultuous this primary cycle has been for all Republican candidates I wouldn’t recommend placing any bets on the reliability of any search trends as proof of sustainable electability.

    The Google Politics & Elections also employs the Hangouts tools for journalists who are personally covering the election, perhaps as an effort to promote sodality and collaboration but I anticipate it will most likely be used as an online watering hole where everybody commiserates and decompresses. You can add the Politics & Elections tool to your Google+ account, as well, if you’re interested in participating or watching any of the activity in the Hangouts. Additionally, you can follow news stories as they develop by adding this group to your Circles. The news service will also cover international politics as well as the home-grown brews but given that we are officially in the election year, expect most of the news to be dominated by the election of the next POTUS.

    Since today kicks off the election of the Republican primaries with the Iowa caucus, following these services might be a good idea if any of you are hoping to stay informed as the results start to come in about which candidate will claim victory in Iowa this evening.

  • Herman Cain “Suspends” Presidential Bid, Twitter Reacts

    Social media plays an enormous role in the election race. It also, of course, plays a big role in giving people a platform to express their feelings about (and poke fun at) candidates. That includes when they decide to “suspend” their bids.

    As you may know, Republican candidate Herman Cain announced that he’s suspending his bid for the the presidential nomination. As you might imagine, Twitter is aflutter with everyone weighing in. While I wouldn’t dare attempt to capture all that is being said (with so many tweets rolling in every second, it would be impossible), it’s always fun to pull out a sample of the public’s reaction.

    So here’s a sample.

    (image)@ConanOBrien
    Conan O’Brien    First my kids stopped believing in Santa. Then they stopped believing in Herman Cain.(image) 3 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@politicoroger
    Roger Simon    Who will get the Cain endorsement, which could bring tens of supporters with it?(image) 35 seconds ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@mqsullivan
    Michael Q Sullivan    Sorry to see Mr. Cain depart the race under these circumstances, but like it or not appearances drive reality in politics.(image) 29 seconds ago via HootSuite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@MichaelRWarren
    Mike Warren    Isn’t it pretty much the odds on favorite that Cain will endorse Newt? Makes sense given close friendship as seen in their L-D debate.(image) 1 minute ago via Twitter for Android · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@DJGroup
    David Johnson    Presidents have nuclear launch codes. We want a real smart calm one we trust. Cain had shown he failed this key criteria.(image) 2 minutes ago via Twitter for iPad · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@GPollowitz
    Greg Pollowitz    The Cain endorsement will be as powerful as the Edwards endorsement in ’08.(image) 33 seconds ago via Twittelator · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@sandinbrick
    Sandy Dover    I feel sorry for Mrs. Cain, bet she is angry now, Cain dropping out and all that damage, anyone hear?(image) 37 seconds ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@piersmorgan
    Piers Morgan    Don’t mean to be persnickety but how do you ‘suspend’ a Presidential run AND endorse another candidate? Isn’t the Cain campaign ‘over’ ?(image) 8 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@JohnFugelsang
    John Fugelsang    Herman Cain tells the crowd it’s time for ‘Plan B’ & half of America replies ‘That’s what she said.’ #cainwreck(image) 7 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@TaoistSoul
    greg    Photo: The Cain Train finally pulls in to Shining Time Station. http://t.co/Zk0elEIN(image) 1 minute ago via Tumblr · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@Kysh_Incredible
    Kyneshia Aslanian    commented: This is not a surprise. Hope we don't see him on Maury for a paternity test next. http://t.co/0zpjIRv0(image) 1 minute ago via Yahoo! · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@davidaprice
    David Price    That’s a bummer. I was looking forward to not voting for Cain.(image) 1 minute ago via HootSuite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@Palin_Posse
    ISupportPalinReforms    Sincerest condolences to my Cain supporting tweeps. And welcome to the “who the heck do I vote for” boat. Keep fighting – we MUST oust Obama(image) 29 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@JeffKropf
    Jeff Kropf    At Phoenix arprt on way hme frm ALEC. Bummd bout Cain and wish him well. Been textng friends in his campagn. More to come(image) 35 seconds ago via Twitter for Android · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@ameliousJr
    Amelious Whyte    When the time comes I hope Mrs. Cain gets 99.9% rather than just half in the settlement.(image) 36 seconds ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Cain is quoted as saying:

    As of today, with a lot of prayer and soul searching, I am suspending my presidential campaign…

    I am suspending my presidential campaign because of the continued distraction, the continued hurt caused on me and my family. Not because we are not fighters.

  • Social Media and the Republican Hopefuls

    Newt Gingrich just announced via Facebook and Twitter that he will be making an announcement tonight on the Sean Hannity show on FOX news regarding his campaign to run for President.

    This announcement announcement is not the first we’ve seen so far as the cycle of republican presidential hopefuls gear up for primary season. Earlier, former Minnesota governor and hopeful Tim Pawlenty tweeted a link to an announcement he was making live on Facebook, which turned out to be the development of an exploratory committee on running for President. He has since thrown his hat in the ring officially.

    @newtgingrich
    Newt Gingrich    Be sure to watch Hannity this Wednesday at 9pm ET/8pm CT. I will be on to talk about my run for President of the United States @seanhannity 1 day ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Newt GingrichI have been humbled by all the encouragement you have given me to run. Thank you for your support. Be sure to watch Hannity this Wednesday at 9pm ET/8pm CT. I will be on to talk about my run for President of the United States. 1 day ago · 1,251 likes · 346 comments

    Mitt Romney, who is seen as the likely frontrunner early on in the primary race also kicked things off through social media. Back in April he announced his own exploratory committee for President on Twitter and also put out a short message on YouTube.

    Is it possible that whichever hopeful best utilizes social media will be the one to emerge victorious in the Republican primary? The Republican party should be praying that the most social media friendly candidate is the one that moves on to face President Obama in the national election. We all remember how well Barack Obama used Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to win his 2010 campaign. Just ask John McCain who, though active on Facebook and Twitter, looked like a Luddite in comparison to Obama’s media blitz.

    And Obama is still incredibly active on the social media sites, posting daily to his millions of followers. There is strong evidence to suggest that social media will heavily influence the outcome of the 2014 race.

    So that got me to thinking – how do the primary hopefuls stack up in terms of social media presence? I looked at Facebook statistics and used two different applications for determining Twitter influence (Klout and Twitalyzer). Klout factors in Facebook likes and comments into some of their ratings.

    Since Newt is in the news for just recently beginning to announce, let’s start with him.

    Newt has just shy of 126,000 likes on his official Facebook page. The page is active, meaning it has regular postings, photos and event notifications. The most recent 5 posts from Newt have an average of 846 likes and 144 comments.

    On Twitter, Newt has 1.3 million followers. He is also fairly active on the service, tweeting almost once a day. His total Klout score is 67. According to Klout, his true reach (number of actually engaged followers) is 507K. His amplification probability (likelihood that content will be acted upon – retweets and such) is 48 and his network influence score (how influential is their engaged audience) is 71.

    According to Twitalyzer, Newt’s impact score is 27.9% which puts him in the 99.1 percentile. Not bad.

    Let’s look at some of the other candidates thought to be frontrunners in the primary race.

    Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts, has 883,000 likes on his Facebook page. It is also an active page, posting almost every day – sometimes twice a day. His most recent 5 posts average 4532 likes and 397 comments, dwarfing Gingrich.

    Romney only has 40,000 followers on Twitter. His Twitalyzer impact score is 27.5%, which puts him in the 99th percentile. His total Klout score is 71, higher than Newts, most likely because it incorporates Facebook to some degree. His true reach on Twitter is 16K with an amplification score of 54 and a network influence score of 76.

    Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has 583,000 likes on his Facebook page. His last 5 posts average 1148 likes and 230 comments.

    His Twitalyzer impact score is 29.3% and his Klout score is 68 – with a true reach of 54k, and amplification score of 49 and a network influence score of 72.

    Former Alaska Governor and TLC reality star Sarah Palin is like the celebrity of the party if you go by her social media prowess. She has just shy of 3 million likes on his Facebook page, with her last 5 comments averaging 19453 likes and 1983 comments. These numbers dwarf those of any other Republican who has been implicated in the 2014 race.

    Palin has 513,000 twitter followers and her Twitalyzer impact score is 59.5%, putting her in the 99.8 percentile. Her Klout score is 78 with a true reach of 180K, an amplification score of 67 and a network influence score of 82.

    Finally, Tim Pawlenty is the mainstream candidate with the least impressive numbers. He only has 86,000 likes on his Facebook page and is averaging 291 likes and 48 comments on his last 5 posts.

    Pawlenty has 32,000 followers on Twitter and an impact score of 16.5 %. His Klout score is 67 with a 12K true reach, and amplification score of 48 and a network influence score of 72.

    Out of these 5 candidates, Sarah Palin is clearly the social media star. But she has yet to actually announce her candidacy. It is just highly speculated by pundits and insiders that she is thinking about running. Of the candidates who we know are running, Mitt Romney looks like he utilizes social media better than the rest. He is a force on Facebook, garnering massive feedback when he posts. He could stand to expand his Twitter influence, however, by tweeting more frequently and engaging with his audience through replies and retweets.

    People seem to respond to politicians who engage with them through social media.  There is a sense of authenticity and truth that springs from direct messages from the leaders.  Instead of speaking through a spokesman or press release, politicians can (at least feign) real involvement with the people through Facebook and Twitter.  So, in order to compete with the social savvy President in 2014, the GOP is going to have to engage with people on the interwebs with a vigor to match.