Free Republic

Romney wins on Jobs, Economy, Taxes, and Deficit

My favorite idiot: "Most of us come from different countries."

Obama holds a slender lead, but in statistical terms it is now a dead heat. Midwest swing states very much in play: In recent days Romney's underlying support has firmed, particularly in the Midwest, where he has trailed for much of the last month but now is tied with Obama. Since the first two days of our poll, Obama has pretty consistently maintained a 46% to 47% reading. In the most recent poll, which is a moving average that represents trends from more than one day, his support has weakened by 1.2 percentage points. Obama shows noticeably weaker results among...

Romney drops a point; Obama still at 46

Obama continues to hold a 2- point lead in our recent polls, showing that Romney still has ground to make up among key demographic groups.

Dolphins Stadium has been renamed Landshark Stadium, at least temporarily. The renaming is the result of a new partnership between Stephen M. Ross, Dolphins owner, and recording artist Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Enterprises. Landshark Lager is an Anheuser-Busch brand licensed under Buffett’s umbrella Margaritaville brand. As reported previously by the Business Journal, sources close to the deal have said Buffett will help pay for the deal by playing shows at the stadium at little or no cost. No further details of the partnership were available. Buffett helped unveil the new stadium name and logo Friday with a brief performance for the...

The stimulus bill will force doctors to hand your medical records over to the government. (Cannot link to Bloomberg - go to Drudge's home page for link)

At 735 pm [Tuesday], Roberts administered the oath of office again to Obama in the Map Room. Robert Gibbs said the WH counsel, Greg Craig, believes the oath was fine Tuesday, but one word was out of sequence so they did this out of a "an abundance of caution." "We decided it was so much fun..." Obama joked while sitting on a couch. Obama stood and walked over to make small talk with pool as Roberts donned his black robe. "Are you ready to take the oath?" Roberts asked. "I am, and we're going to do it very slowly," Obama...

OBAMA-BUST: Bill Richardson will withdraw as Commerce secretary... Developing...

The Sugar Bowl’s total revenue was $12.9 million in 2006 according to tax documents. Its chief expense is paying $6 million into a payout pool for BCS teams. The rest of the money for teams comes from a cut of television and sponsorship revenue. The Sugar Bowl can do whatever it wants with the other $6.9 million (or however much it can drum up). Like the other BCS bowls it’s a not-for-profit, so while no individual is walking away with millions, the enterprise appears to be little more than a massive boondoggle. For the politically connected, a BCS game is...

It was like watching pigeons fight over breadcrumbs. Sixty-eight teams will play in 34 bowl games that start Saturday, and San Jose State and Florida Atlantic were desperate to be in the mix. How desperate? The Motor City Bowl needed a team, and the two schools swooned as if courting the The Granddaddy of Them All. San Jose State, in a proposal certain to lose money, offered to take $250,000 and game tickets as payment to play in a contest that ranks right up there with its automotive cousin, the Meineke Car Care Bowl. No dice. Florida Atlantic agreed to...

Link to AP story provided

Prolific novelist and "ER" creator Michael Crichton has passed away. He was 66. Perhaps best known for being the author of Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World, which were turned into a hugely successful movie franchise, his numerous books have sold over 150 million copies worldwide. In what his family calls an unexpected death, it was revealed that he was waging a private battle against cancer.

DENTON — Whether a proposed new football stadium at North Texas meets with opposition or financial barriers, university president Gretchen M. Bataille said Saturday the project must move forward no matter how long it takes. During the Mean Green’s annual football kickoff cookout, Bataille called a new stadium "the one piece that’s missing" in UNT’s construction of new sports facilities since 2005. She reiterated that UNT won’t break ground until $30 million is raised or pledged — half of the projected $60 million cost. "Until we have half the money in pledges or cash in hand, we’re not going to...

NEW YORK - Lehman Brothers said Thursday Chief Financial Officer Erin Callan and Chief Operating Officer Joseph Gregory have been removed from their positions, days after the investment bank announced a $3 billion quarterly loss.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A nearly $15 billion Amtrak bill passed the House on Wednesday as lawmakers rallied around an alternative for travelers saddled with soaring gas prices. The bipartisan bill, which passed by a veto-proof margin of 311-104, would authorize funding for the national passenger railroad over the next five years. Some of the money would go to a program of matching grants to help states set up or expand rail service. Besides the $14.9 billion provided for Amtrak and intercity rail, an amendment to the bill would authorize $1.5 billion for Washington's Metro transit system over the next 10...

Malnutrition should be the world’s major priority for aid and development, a panel of eight leading economists, including five Nobel laureates, declared yesterday. *snip* Efforts to control global warming by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, however, were rated at the bottom of the league table, as the economists considered the high costs of such action were not justified by the payoffs.

Baghdad, Iraq (AHN) - In a surprise move Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr on Sunday ordered his fighters off the streets of Basra and other cities in Iraq. Sadr said in a statement that his movement wanted the Iraqi people to stop the bloodshed and for Iraq to maintain its independence and stability. He had previously defied the Iraqi government's deadline to turn weapons in for cash. According to reports, it is unclear if all of Sadr's followers will comply with his order. According to reports, the United States has used ground troops in Basra.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez is sending 10 battalions of troops to country's border with Colombia. He's also ordered the Venezuelan embassy in Bogota closed and say all embassy personnel will be withdrawn from Colombia. The announcements by Venezuela's leftist leader pushed relations with its neighbor to their tensest point of his 9-year presidency. Chavez is also warning that Colombia could spark a war in South America, calling its U.S.-allied government "a terrorist state" and labeling President Alvaro Uribe (oo-REE'-bay) "a criminal."

Oscar-winning Marion Cotillard was facing embarrasment with her new American public last night after it emerged that she doubted the official account of the September 11 attacks. The 32-year-old French star has swept this year’s best actress awards, also receiving a Bafta, Golden Globe and a César for her performance as singer Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose. Miss Cotillard, who earned under £1 million in 2007, could expect her Oscar success to significantly increase her earning power. She is due to start filming Public Enemies with Johnny Depp. But the actress faces a potential backlash in the US...