Posts Tagged ‘Barack Obama’
McDonnell chides Obama on campaign “kickoff”
Governor Bob McDonnell is a prominent Mitt Romney supporter so it is not a surprise that he doesn’t share the same enthusiasm about Barack Obama‘s upcoming visit to Virginia as the wide-eyed Obama volunteers who we featured Wednesday night.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate the significance of the Obama campaign picking Richmond as one of two locations to kickoff off the president’s re-election bid.
“We are going to see plenty of the candidates, that’s good,” McDonnell said. “Most people ignore Virginia because they think it is going one way or the other. But this is going to be a real competitive race.”
But McDonnell stops short of buying into the notion that Saturday May, 5th is really the start of the Obama campaign.
“Well he’s been campaigning for the last two years so it’s really not the kickoff to the campaign,” he said.
The republicans seem intent to remind everyone that the president has been spending a lot of time in swing states. Events that may not have been campaign events, but ones that played to audiences that will play a key role in his re-election. House Speaker John Boehner was among those who said the White House was campaigning on the taxpayer’s dime. The Speaker even called on the Obama campaign to reimburse the federal government for the president’s recent trip to college campuses to drum up support for an extension on lower student loan rates.
The Obama campaign deflected the criticism and argued that the president’s travel is not out of the ordinary for a Commander-in-Chief. Even one seeking reelection.
McDonnell said regardless of how many times Obama comes to Virginia it can’t change what he views as policies that have not worked.
“No matter what the president may say that doesn’t change the fact that we are $16 trillion dollars in debt and unemployment is at 8.3%.”
Expect McDonnell to be front and center as a chief surrogate for the Romney campaign, there to rebut the president’s speech and offer the alternative perspective.
See an extended clip from Governor McDonnell’s remarks below:
Obama to launch 2012 campaign in Richmond
In case you needed even more proof, (and you shouldn’t) it became very clear the Obama 2012 campaign is making Virginia a high priority in their re-election bid.
The president, who has yet to make an official public campaign stop, will hop on the campaign trail for the first time in Columbus, Ohio and at the Seigel Center at VCU in Richmond.
President Obama coming to Richmond is no longer earth shattering news. He has made five official White House visit to the Central Virginia region since becoming presidents. This visit is different, because he will be a candidate and the points he generally talks around during his policy trips, he will be able to drive home and leave no doubt.
The president, who became the first democrat to win Virginia since LBJ, wants to make sure he wins again in 2012.
Here is my story for NBC12 on the announcement:
RICHMOND (WWBT)- President Barack Obama is no stranger to Central Virginia, but his next visit to Richmond will be much different. That is because the 2012 campaign is officially underway.
Saturday May 5th, the president will make his first two campaign stops in Columbus, Ohio and here in Richmond, Virginia, on the campus of VCU. Republicans have been very critical that the president has used the White House travel budget to visit swing states like Virginia to push his agenda, in fact today the RNC filed a formal complaint to that effect.
But, this trip will be paid for by his campaign, and he won’t mince words.
He wants your vote.
It was Barack Obama’s loyal volunteers, at his downtown Richmond headquarters who were the first to get the news.
“President Obama will be holding his very first campaign rallies in Columbus, Ohio and the Seigel Center in Richmond,’ said Obama For America Virginia Field Director Lise Clavel to cheers.
Of the many places the president could’ve picked for his first campaign rally, he chose two with enormous significance in November, Ohio and Virginia.
“It’s recognition that Virginia is a really important state in this election and that it is all up for grabs,” said Sai Iyer a VCU student who has the unique distinction of being the only student national co-chair for the Obama Campaign. He is excited the president is coming to the place where he will graduate from in just two weeks.
“I think it’s recognition that Richmond came out in a big way in 2008 and it is going to come out in a big way in 2012,” he said.
But republicans were quick to criticize the announcement and downplay its importance.
Governor Bob McDonnell, a Mitt Romney supporter and a potential vice presidential pick said that all the president is doing his bringing his “failed policies and broken promises to Virginia.”
read and see the rest of the story on NBC12.com…
OBAMA EVENT DETAILS/ TICKET INFORMATION
The event will take place Saturday May 5th. The specific time of the event has not been released, but the doors to the Seigel Center will open at 1:45pm.
Official ticket distribution has not been revealed yet, but those eager to claim a spot can RSVP on the Obama Campaign web site. Keep in mind that reservation does require you to submit an e-mail address, which can than be used to solicit future campaign information.
The full response from Governor Bob McDonnell to the Obama visit can be found after the jump:
Warner helps Kaine unveil economic plan
Former Governor Tim Kaine has been a candidate for the U.S. Senate for exactly one year. It was a job that he took on a bit reluctantly, but has since attacked with vigour.
In a race that is expected to be a titanic struggle between two of Virginia’s most prominent politicians, Kaine appears willing to do whatever it takes to give himself the advantage. One of those advantages is his old running mate, Senator Mark Warner. Warner consistently polls as one of Virginia’s most popular elected officials and seems ready and willing to help keep both U.S. Senate seats in the hands of democrats.
But while, Warner helps Kaine draw crowds, and potentially TV cameras that might not be their otherwise, it was the candidate that had to sell the message. Kaine focused his remarks at various stops in Virginia on his plan for the economy. A broad plan, based on three basic tenants of job growth, strengthening the talent pool and building a balanced budget while bringing civil discourse to Washington.
Kaine’s most prominent Republican opponent George Allen wondered what took the former governor so long to release his plan.
“It took a year, but Chairman Tim Kaine has finally put on paper what Virginia families already knew,” said Allen campaign manager Mike Thomas. “He (Kaine) wants to raise taxes on families and small businesses.”
The Allen campaign once again hammered home Kaine’s connection to President Barack Obama and specifically his support of the stimulus plan and health care reform.
For his part, Kaine countered that attacks like those are exactly what Washington, D.C. needs less of.
“It’s all about balance, civility and working together,” he said during an interview at an event at Maggie Walker Governor’s School in Richmond. “You know restoring the traditions of let’s find ways to work together.”
It was a sentiment that Warner echoed. Warner who has tried, with little success, to find bi-partisan partners in Washington said Kaine has the type of personality that will bring people together.
“People are pretty frustrated with congress at this point,” said Warner. “They want us to get stuff done. Tim Kaine will get up there and get stuff done.”
An extended clip from Kaine and Warner at Maggie Walker Governor’s School can be found below:
Allen’s campaign released his economic plan “A Blueprint for America’s Future” last year.
More on Kaine’s plan can be found after the jump:
O’Malley on 2012, Romney, Obama and McDonnell
In a rare opportunity, NBC12 was granted a one on one interview with Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. We talked to O’Malley Tuesday night from Baltimore as the polls were closing in his state’s GOP primary. O’Malley is a rising democratic star and shares much in common with Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell.
We talked about his relationship with McDonnell, the GOP primary and President Barack Obama‘s prospects for November.
The full interview can be seen below:
Tuesday night on NBC12 we took an in-depth look into the relationship of O’Malley and McDonnell:
BALTIMORE, MD (WWBT)- The State of Maryland is solidly blue and its votes probably won’t have that big of an impact on the general election, but it’s governor just might. Martin O’Malley is a rising democratic star, who may one day be a candidate for president himself. He shares quite a bit in common with our Governor Bob McDonnell.
“On a personal level, Governor McDonnell and I get a long fairly well,” said O’Malley.
And why shouldn’t they? They are both military veterans, Irish Catholics, with big families and important jobs. They both also serve as the chairs of the republican and democratic governor’s associations. But despite all they have in common, when it comes to practical politics O’Malley and McDonnell couldn’t be more different.
“I believe the way me move America forward is by not treating like an old car that you stop repairing when it gets old,” O’Malley said.
O’Malley believes that republicans like McDonnell, are advocating policies that keep the country locked in neutral. He was particularly critical of Virginia’s past general assembly session. A session he believes will resonate into the presidential election.
“We have very different views when it comes to workers rights, when it comes to women’s rights and when it comes to voters rights,” said the Maryland Governor.
read and see the full story on NBC12.com
Governor McDonnell’s spokesman Tucker Martin issued this statement in response to our interview with Governor O’Malley.
“Governor O’Malley is a really nice guy who just happens to really love raising taxes. Right now he’s trying to increase taxes in Maryland on everything from gas to income to cigars, and he’s already pushed through numerous other tax hikes. Governor McDonnell likes and respects Governor O’Malley, but he strongly disagrees with his persistent desire to always take more money from hard-working taxpayers.”
– Tucker Martin, Director of Communications
Priebus comes to Richmond as RNC kicks off anti-ObamaCare ad campaign
Just a few days after they launched a robo-call campaign targeting Virginia seniors, the Republican National Committee is back, this time launching a series of TV ads in Richmond attacking President Barack Obama on health care reform.
Chairman Reince Priebus came to Richmond Wednesday to talk about the impact Republicans believe the Affordable Care Act will have on Virginia. Priebus was joined by Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, VA Victory Chairman and potential candidate Pete Snyder, RPV Chair Pat Mullins and Dave Napier a Shockoe Bottom business owner.
The overwhelming impression that the GOP is hoping to leave is that the potential for a federal mandate may start with health care, it could lead to many other things.
“You’ve got Barack Obama who believes that government can be a European sized huge entity that can tell you what insurance to buy, what foods to eat, what you should wear,” Priebus said. “And we believe there has to come to end with this government overreach.”
But democrats aren’t shying away from their association with the program that republicans love to refer to as “ObamaCare”. Richmond Del. Jennifer McClellan (D) said that her side is ready and willing to be on the side of health care reform.
“It has helped millions of americans and Virginians who have health insurance who otherwise wouldn’t,” said McClellan “A lot of us are one illness away from being poor.”
It could be the issue that decides the election. We are a long way away from November but both sides seem prepared to draw a clear line between “for” and “against” and let the voters decide.
The RNC ad that is already running in the Richmond market can be found below.
GOP targets Virginia with anti-ObamaCare robo call
They don’t have a candidate yet, but that is not stopping the Republican National Committee from going to work attacking President Barack Obama.
The RNC has launched a robo call effort tied into the two-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act being signed into law. The calls will delivered to voters 65 and older who have been identified as independents. The call hammers the president’s health care reform effort and threatens serious ramifications as the law continues to be implemented.
“Instead of the relief he promised, health care premiums are rising, budget deficits skyrocket, and 6 million Seniors will lose their prescription drug benefits,” says a female narrator in a 33 second recorded call. The narrator identifies herself as “Rebecca from the RNC”.
The call than encourages the listener to visit the RNC’s web site or call a phone number to learn more about how they can Help them “defeat” Obama in November.
These robo calls are just one front in a coordinated effort to make health care reform a central issue in the 2012 campaign. Republicans on all levels found ways to mark the anniversary of what they call “ObamaCare”. The picture above shows a banner hung today outside RNC headquarters in Washington, D.C. (courtesy Weekly Standard)
The White House did not mark the event themselves, but democrats did signal that they will not run away from their association to health care reform. The official Barack Obama twitter page retweeted and fired off messages of their own under the hash tag banner “#ilikeobamacare”. The move is a significant development because “ObamaCare” is a generally used as a negative name for health care reform designed to attach the president to its passage.
During his press briefing today White House Press Secretary Jay Carney argued that more and more people are benefiting from health care reform. He said the GOP is proposing to halt that progress. “They wanna go back to a system where insurance companies have all the rules on their side,” he said.
Expect this to just be the beginning of the battle over health care reform, with Virginia front and center. The RNC is blasting this call out to 10 states, all of them swing states, all of them expected to play a key role in deciding who the next president will be.
We will play a portion of the call tonight on NBC12 News at 11.
The full call and transcript can be found below:
;
In 2008 Barack Obama campaigned on the promise of providing relief to American families and creating jobs. Instead of the relief he promised, health care premiums are rising, budget deficits skyrocket, and 6 million Seniors will lose their prescription drug benefits. America can’t afford 4 more years of Barack Obama. Help us defeat Obama in November. Visit www.gop.com
Poll shows positive signs for Obama in Virginia
President Barack Obama has made Virginia an important focus and it is paying off. A new poll from Quinnipiac shows Obama opening up his largest lead in the 2012 campaign. He is up 8 points. The poll also revealed that Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell would have a negligible impact on the ultimate outcome of the race.
See the full poll on Quinnipiac’s web site
It is early, but the Obama campaign has to be thankful that their work leading to success. Team Obama already has a great deal of paid staff on the ground and the president has made many visits to the commonwealth. Democrats also believe that their work drawing attention to controversial bills in the General Assembly on abortion and gun rights are having an impact. According to this poll, Obama leads Mitt Romney among women 52%-39%.
Of course it is very early and Romney paid no attention to Virginia during the GOP primary because of the lack of competition. He has almost no organized staff on the ground here and his only visits have been private fundraisers. And it is also worth mentioning that he is not the official nominee quite yet.
I have more on what this poll means in the context of the 2012 race on NBC12.com.
RICHMOND (WWBT)- The topsy-turvy Virginia political picture took another turn today, with a new poll that is filled with good news for President Obama. It is just one poll, but democrats are very satisfied with what it says in many key areas that will be vital to the November election.
It is still a very close race, but it appears that President Obama’s intense focus on the commonwealth is starting to pay off. A new poll conducted by Quinnipiac shows the Obama- Biden ticket with their largest lead in Virginia, 8 points over Mitt Romney.
Democrats credit the intense focus on social issues in the recent general assembly session as part of their success. They have coordinated on all levels to bring a bright focus to bills, sponsored by republicans impacting abortion and guns.
That may have pushed Obama to a 52%- 39% lead with women.
But republicans have yet to pick a candidate. While Romney is in the lead, The GOP nomination isn’t sealed. On CNN Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell said the long primary is not a problem.
“He’s getting more and more endorsements from key people, conservatives, independents, moderates,” said McDonnell, Romney supporter. “I think he’ll be the nominee and I think it will be by June.”
read and see the whole story on NBC12.com.
Prince George officials upset over POTUS geographic snub
Tip O’Neill the late Speaker of the House once said “all politics is local” and that includes national politics. Members of the Prince George County Board of Supervisors are openly expressing their disappointment that President Barack Obama chose to talk about being in Petersburg instead of Prince George, during his visit to the Rolls Royce plant last Friday.
I was at the event and many people from Prince George stopped to ask me why the president chose to talk about Petersburg instead of Prince George. Those in attendance told me that despite being so close on the map and even some sections of Prince George having Petersburg mailing addresses, the plant was distinctly part of Prince George.
The scuttle has gone from quiet whispers to a full-blown complaints, even one member of the Prince George County Board of Supervisors asking the White House for an apology.
Our Tri-Cities reporter Nicole Bell covered the story for NBC12. Here is what she found:
PRINCE GEORGE, VA (WWBT)- A controversy is brewing over President Barack Obama’s visit to Prince George last week.
He was standing in the county for his speech but most of the spotlight fell about three miles away.
And it’s those three miles that have county leaders filing a complaint to the white house.
The president came to town to talk jobs and the economy but during his roughly 25 minutes he mentioned the city of Petersburg at least 5 times.
“…It’s great to be back in Petersburg.”
“….right here in Petersburg VA.”
“…before towns like Petersburg can get back on there feet,” said Obama.
Problem is, the president was not in Petersburg but neighboring Prince George County –home of the Rolls Royce plant where the president chose to deliver his speech. The Rolls Royce facility sits on a thousand acres in the northwest part of the county — about 3 miles away from Petersburg city limits.
The vice chair on the board of supervisors, Jerry Skalsky, says he’s received dozens of phone calls from residents asking why Prince George was not mentioned once by the president.
“Somebody messed up. We didn’t get any recognition,” said Skalsky.”
….read the rest of Nicole’s story on NBC12.com
The issue was a hot topic at a recent Prince George Board of Supervisors meeting. After the jump is the full transcript of the email sent by Board of Supervisors member Alan Carmichael asking the White House for an apology.
Obama to talk “insourcing” in Prince George
In front of the backdrop of a booming Virginia business, President Barack Obama will propose a $1 billion package aimed at bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.
On the same day that the labor department released another encouraging jobs report, the president will argue that the U.S needs to build on the slowly forming recovery, and put up the resources to help companies hire American blue collar workers.
Mr. Obama will call for a National Network for Manufacturing Innovation that will establish 15 different institutes across the country that will help build a base of knowledge in different technology sectors. The goal will be for international companies to consider building their plants in the U.S.
The Rolls-Royce plant at Crosspointe is considered an example of that potential. The jet disc manufacturing plant is considering an expansion. The company is headquartered in the United Kingdom.
The idea of $1 billion in new spending is something that will be a tough sell to republicans in Congress. They have been resistant to most of the president’s proposals to expand business opportunities that are based in spending, not tax cuts.
Gov. Bob McDonnell will be at today’s event as well. We’ll get his take on the proposal as well.
We will have live coverage of the president’s visit on air and online. Tune into NBC12 and NBC12.com starting at 11:30, when the president is expected to arrive at RIC.
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