Tuesday, October 18, 2011
  Lead up to the WRLC/CNN Debate in Las Vegas, Nevada
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PRESS RELEASE from Newt 2012
Oct. 14, 2011


Gingrich Spokesman: Newt will Debate on Tuesday, Hopeful States will Work out Schedule

Atlanta, GA - Newt 2012 spokesman R.C. Hammond released the following statement today regarding the Nevada caucus and New Hampshire primary:

"Newt will debate in Nevada on Tuesday and is hopeful a boycott will be unnecessary because states will work out a schedule. With five Tuesdays on the calendar in January, it is still very possible for Nevada and New Hampshire to work out an agreement that allows each of the five early states to hold a January contest. Holding the first five contests in January 2012 is fair to every candidate in the race and would protect each state's important role in the nominating process."

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PRESS RELEASE from Jon Huntsman for President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Tim Miller
October 14, 2011

Huntsman Campaign to Boycott Nevada Debate; Hold "FITN Town Hall" in New Hampshire

Manchester, NH - Jon Huntsman for President campaign manager Matt David issued the following statement:

"Next Tuesday, Governor Huntsman will boycott the Nevada presidential debate, and instead hold a 'First-in-the-Nation' Town Hall Meeting in New Hampshire, to discuss his bold plans to create jobs and reform America's foreign policy for the 21st Century.

"While Mitt Romney's campaign has tried to game the system by encouraging Nevada to move to an earlier date, Governor Huntsman is sticking up for the Granite State.

“We call on all other campaigns to join us, avoiding typical hypocritical politics by paying lip service to New Hampshire, while campaigning in Nevada.

“New Hampshire plays a vital role in our nominating system in that -- unlike any other primary -- it gives voters the opportunity to engage substantively with the candidates on the myriad issues facing our country.

"To that end, this town hall will provide Granite Staters a substantive alternative to yet another in a long string of sound-bite dominated debates."


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EXCERPT OF TRANSCRIPT of Gov. Jon Huntsman on WMUR-TV's "Close Up"
taped Oct. 14, aired Oct. 16, 2011
Huntsman

McElveen: You’ve made no secret that New Hampshire is very important to you and your campaign hopes. In addition to that you pledge to boycott Nevada if they don't move their caucus date. Everybody is aware of the primary shuffle, but in addition to that you made a decision as well.

Huntsman: We made a decision to forego and boycott the debate. If you're going to boycott Nevada for their, I think, insane attempt at leapfrogging the primary process which is bad for the people of new Hampshire, bad for American democracy, bad for the candidates who are trying to make some sense out of the path way forward you ought to boycott it in total. So we’re saying instead of being at the debate Tuesday night we're going to be here in the Granite Sate, doing what the people expect us to do, we are going to have town hall meetings, we are going to talk about the issues, we are going to hear out the good people of the state and do it the old fashion way.


PRESS RELEASE from Rick Santorum for President
October 15, 2011
For Immediate Release 
Contact: Matt Beynon

SANTORUM CANCELS CAMPAIGN EVENTS IN NEVADA

 Upholds Commitment To Early State Pledge

Verona, PA - Former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) has postponed planned campaign events slated for October 17th and 18th in Nevada.  Senator Santorum was originally scheduled to hold several campaign events in the Reno and Las Vegas areas; however, these events were postponed in conjunction with the multi-candidate boycott of Nevada as a result of the state's decision to hold its caucus on January 14th and potentially push Iowa and New Hampshire into the Christmas season.

 

Hogan Gidley, National Communications Director, said: "While Senator Santorum appreciates the hospitality of the people of Nevada, he is concerned that Nevada's decision encroaches on Iowa and New Hampshire's election calendar and may push them into the Christmas season.  Senator Santorum continues to hold out hope that cooler heads will prevail and Nevada will simply move their caucus back a few days to allow a semblance of sanity to be reinstated into the primary process.  Once this occurs, Senator Santorum greatly looks forward to returning to the Silver State.

 

However, if Nevada refuses to move its primary date, the Senator will not campaign in the state for the duration of the primary. He believes a condensed campaign calendar hurts the presidential process and the nation by placing emphasis on big money TV ads and campaign consultants instead of retail politics."

 

While the Senator's campaign events have been postponed until Nevada officials re-evaluate their decisions, he fully intends to participate in the CNN Republican President Debate scheduled for Tuesday, October 18th. This is a nationally televised debate with a significant viewing audience allowing the people of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina another chance to see and compare the candidates side by side.


To learn more about former Senator Rick Santorum, please visit www.RickSantorum.com.

                                               

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PRESS RELEASE from Gary Johnson 2012

GARY JOHNSON SENDS CNN A LETTER ON DEBATE EXCLUSION

October 17, 2011, Santa Fe, NM - In response to being excluded from the October 18th CNN debate Presidential candidate Gary Johnson sent CNN Senior Vice President and Washington Bureau Chief Mr. Sam Fiest the following letter:

"Much has been said over the past several months about the mysterious logic by which CNN has systematically excluded me from your Republican presidential debates, apparently including the one to be held tomorrow evening in Las Vegas.

Commentators of all political stripes have pointed out the inconsistency by which other candidates are invited whose performance in national polls is within a point or two of mine, and whose records and credentials are in no way more substantive than that of a very successful two-term Republican governor from an overwhelmingly Democrat state.

The mystery of CNN's decisions reached an entirely new level when, after I outperformed both Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum in your own August poll, and tied Herman Cain, you inexplicably did not include me in your subsequent polling. And it is worth noting that those other candidates have spent millions of dollars in their campaigns, while I have not.

As evidenced by the volatility in this race, nationally-televised debates are clearly having a major impact on the nomination campaign. Given that reality, it is more than disturbing that major news outlets, such as CNN, are exerting their own influence into the process by what can only be viewed as arbitrary decisions as to who is on the stage - and who is not. Debates should provide a level playing field on which name ID and money spent are set aside, and candidates' "viability" is judged by voters on the basis of ideas and positions. However, when a successful former Republican governor is not even allowed onto that field, fairness goes out the window.

I will not speculate as to your reasoning for not allowing me on your stage. I will, though, suggest that there is no rational basis for excluding me, while inviting others whose credentials and polling performance are in no way measurably different than mine - particularly when the news media excludes me from the very same polls that are used to determine participation in debates. I would also point out, as have others, that with one or more invited candidates having decided not to participate in tomorrow night's debate, CNN presumably has room to include one more candidate - particularly when that candidate's credentials clearly merit inclusion.

This process is too important to be unduly influenced by arbitrary decisions made in news media conference rooms. I urge you to reconsider your approach and those decisions."

Please contact Lizz Renda at media@garyjohnson2012.com or 801.303.7924 to schedule an interview with Gary Johnson. For more information, please visit www.garyjohnson2012.com.

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MEMO from the Democratic National Committee

DNC Memo

To: Interested Parties
From: Brad Woodhouse, Democratic National Committee Communications Director
Date: October 18, 2011
Re: A Preview of Today’s GOP Debate

The Las Vegas debate, like all of the previous Republican presidential debates, will continue to show a sharp contrast between the President, who is working hard to create more jobs and grow the economy, and the GOP candidates, whose plans would fail to create jobs, could actually make the economy worse, and would simply provide more tax breaks for special interests and millionaires and billionaires – all while opposing economic relief for the middle class and common-sense protections for families and consumers.

As the GOP presidential candidates and their Republican allies in Congress attempt to push through policies that would devastate the middle class and undermine our nation’s economic security, they refuse to work with President Obama to pass the bipartisan American Jobs Act, the President’s jobs proposal that would get more Americans back to work and put more money back into the pockets of middle-class families and small businesses. 

This debate will demonstrate that for the American people, the choice is clear: the President is committed to fighting for the interests of the middle class, while Republicans are only interested in fighting for special interests and protecting the wealth of the privileged few.

Week in Review: GOP Candidates Continue to Push for Failed Policies

In the week that has passed since the last debate, the Republican presidential field has continued to advocate for policies that are deeply out of touch with middle-class Americans.  Herman Cain has been criticized for his headline-grabbing but substantially substantively weak 9-9-9 plan, which would amount to a massive tax increase on middle and low-income Americans.   

During last week’s debate, Mitt Romney came out in opposition to extending the President’s payroll tax cut for the middle class, saying it amounted to “little Band-Aids” that he would let expire.  Romney’s characterization of this vital economic relief for middle-class Americans is both belittling and factually inaccurate: the President’s American Jobs Act would cut the payroll tax in half, meaning a typical American family would be able to keep an extra $1,500 of what they earn a year.  $1,500 would pay for roughly four months of groceries, more than seven months of gasoline, and an electric bill for an entire year.  Apparently Mitt Romney doesn’t think that money is important for working Americans – he’s preoccupied with cutting taxes for corporations and the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the middle class. Instead, Mitt Romney has proposed cutting capital gains, interest and dividend taxes for those making $200,000 or less. That would save a family earning $50,000 a mere $54. 

Additionally, Rick Perry has proposed an energy plan that doubles down on using up finite natural resources with no plan to transition America to a clean energy economy.  All of these proposals would fail to create jobs and improve the lives of middle-class Americans.

GOP Candidates Support Washington Republicans in Blocking the President’s Jobs Plan

The GOP presidential candidates remain in lockstep with the Washington Republican establishment, led by people like House Majority Leader Eric Cantor – who declared the American Jobs Act dead before even holding a single hearing on the bill or giving it a minute of serious consideration – and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who has said that his number one goal for the country is not creating jobs, but ensuring that the President isn’t re-elected. 

Last week, the U.S. Senate had an opportunity to proceed with consideration of the American Jobs Act, and despite the fact that this bill incorporates ideas that Republicans have previously supported, every single Republican in the Senate voted to filibuster it.  It was a moment of truth for Republican Senators – a chance to put country before party for once and work with the President and Democrats to provide immediate relief to the middle class, keep teachers in the classroom and police and firefighters on the beat, and put construction workers on the job rebuilding America’s crumbling schools, roads and bridges.  But Senate Republicans all said “no” – “no” to compromise, “no” to giving working Americans a chance to succeed, and “no” to restoring our economic security. 

And the Republican presidential candidates are with them every step of the way – refusing to work with President to create jobs and get our country back on track.  Republicans have made one thing perfectly clear: they are more than willing to suffocate our economy – even if it means risking American jobs and plunging the nation back into recession - to increase their odds of winning an election next year.    

Economists and the American People Agree: President is Right, GOP Wrong on Jobs

 Just days after Senate Republicans voted to block the President’s plan to get more Americans working again, the Senate GOP unveiled a so-called jobs plan that, according to a leading Moody’s economist, could actually hurt rather than help our economy and bring our country spiraling down into another recession.  This was just the latest development demonstrating that leading economists and the American people agree: the President is right and Republicans are wrong on jobs. 

 Prior to the Senate GOP introducing its disastrous new plan, a report from John McCain’s former economic advisor estimated that the that the American Jobs Act, President Obama’s plan to get more Americans working again, would create as many as 1.9 million jobs and spur economic growth and recovery.  And the American people are echoing the sentiment of our nation’s leading economists: in a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, when asked about the individual components of the American Jobs Act, 63% of respondents said they favored the bill, with just 32% opposed.  The majority of Americans want to see the President’s jobs bill passed now.

 Unfortunately, the Republican candidates don’t seem to be getting the message.  Mitt Romney’s campaign, for example, at the same time their candidate is belittling middle class tax cuts as “little Band-Aids,” seems quite proud of the fact they are leading the money race for campaign cash from Wall Street.  Well, considering Mitt Romney has promised Wall Street’s big banks that if he’s elected he will allow them to write their own rules again – just as they were doing when the economy nearly collapsed just three short years ago – perhaps no one should be surprised that he’s raking in big bucks from the banks for his campaign.  And of course, it’s the same Mitt Romney who posed for this famous photo when he was buying up companies and laying off workers for his and his partners’ profit in the private sector.

The truth is, from Mitt Romney to Herman Cain to Rick Perry and the rest of the field - they have cast their lot with the Tea Party and its extreme, out-of-touch economic policies that would hurt the middle class.  Their support of Congressional Republicans’ “Cut, Cap, and Balance” plan would result in protecting corporate subsidies and costly tax loopholes while doing nothing to help America’s middle-class families.  In fact, if the balanced budget amendment that is part of Cut, Cap, and Balance were fully implemented today, it would cost our economy an estimated 9.5 million jobs – and according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, it would inevitably lead to drastic cuts to Medicare and Social Security benefits that millions of America’s seniors rely on to make ends meet. 

 Conclusion

Unlike the President, who is actively working to move our nation forward with an economic vision and jobs plan that will get provide much-needed relief to middle-class families, the Republican candidates in today’s debate will continue to appease the increasingly influential Tea Party, which has been afforded more and more power by Washington Republicans. 

 Instead of working in a bipartisan manner to create jobs like the American people want, the Republican candidates are sticking to their same old failed policies of slashing taxes for corporations and the wealthiest Americans and claiming it will trickle down to the middle class.  Rather than offering their support for more reckless proposals that will lead us to another recession, it’s time for the GOP candidates for president to wake up, start listening to America’s economic experts and middle-class families, and work with the President to create jobs now.