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Media still bring up the fake George Bush/grocery store scanner story to illustrate that Republicans are out of touch with the public and our everyday lives and concerns. They’ll bury this nugget as deeply as they possibly can. MSNBC, which created a smear of Mitt Romney when he visited a WaWa store, and which Politico among others repeated, will ignore this until the very end of time.

<p>Congress will shut down on Thursday, and leaders have told lawmakers the Defense Department will fly them to Florida for the funeral of Rep. C.W. Bill Young, who died late last week.</p> <p>Mr. Young was the senior Republican in the chamber, and the move to close down business is a mark of respect for him — though it also means that there will be no floor votes and that many committee meetings have been canceled, cutting short what was already a mostly empty week. The House’s hearing examining the health exchange rollout will continue as planned, however.</p>

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is swatting down criticism from GOP ranks that he isn’t conservative enough, saying in an interview airing Friday that he’s a “damn good Republican.” “Is it a fair question to ask that if you ran as a Republican for president of the United States, what Republican Party do you see that would support your candidacy out there right now? How would you survive a primary process on the current set-up of the Republican Party?” NBC’s Brian Williams asked Christie, who is considered to be mulling a 2016 run. “Listen, I think very well. I’ll worry...

Maybe being "out of touch" isn't a bad thing.

Political reporters on Twitter are saying they are standing by for a Romney media availability on the video released today by Mother Jones of Romney at a May fundraiser speaking frankly of his thoughts on Obama's base voters and their entitlement mentality, aka the 47% who pay no federal income taxes.The media and GOP-E have jumped ugly on Romney tonight.Steve Holland, Reuters: Romney at press avail to respond to video says his comments weren't "elegantly stated," and "could have said it in a more effective way."

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — First lady Michelle Obama's Tuesday speech was written at a 12th grade level and was the most 'advanced' speech ever delivered by a presidential nominee's spouse, an analysis finds. The University of Minnesota's Smart Politics blog finds, using the Flesch-Kincaid readability test, that Obama's speech was delivered at a 12.84 grade level. That's in contrast with Ann Romney's speech last week at the Republican convention, which measured at a 5th grade level. The test — which does not factor in the message of speeches — judges readability by word syllables and sentence structure. President Obama, on the...

Obama bemoans ‘people hurting out there’ at Sarah Jessica Parker’s $40,000-per-person fundraiser Mark Knoller ✔ @markknoller At the 4-story brownstone that is the home of Sarah Jessica Parker & Matthew Brokerick, Pres Obama addressed 50 ppl paying $40K per. 14 Jun 12 ReplyRetweetFavorite CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller reported from the glitzy $40,000 a person Obama fundraiser at the home of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. Yes, you read that right, $40,000 each.  Ponder that as you read this next tweet: Mark Knoller ✔ @markknoller Pres Obama said he knows there are "still a lot of people hurting...

PHILADELPHIA – President Barack Obama said Tuesday night he believed the majority of Americans were not closely following the ups and downs of the presidential campaign. Obama, who attended six fundraisers in Baltimore and Philadelphia on Tuesday, has not had a good start to June after coming under fire for saying "the private sector is doing fine" during a news conference last Friday. Speaking at a fundraiser at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, Obama said he believed the good news is that the American people agree with his campaign's policies of moving the country forward. "They're not...

He. Cannot. Be. Serious. And yet, he is. If this doesn’t qualify as playing up the intellectually cheap, populist, class-warfare rhetoric, then I don’t know what does. He’s not just decrying ‘tax cuts for the wealthy’ (a.k.a., here, the Bush-era tax cuts) as a paltry route to prosperity, he’s throwing in a steak-and-a-martini metaphor to really classy it up! (snip) “Those of us who have spent time in the real world understand that the problem is not that the American people aren’t productive enough,” Obama said during a fundraiser today, after saying that Romney believes that America “automatically” prospers when...

Former Governor Mitt Romney is already offering top donors access to a special "Presidential Inaugural retreat," planned on the assumption that he will be elected president this November. The offer, in a fundraising email circulated by a top Georgia supporter to fellow Republicans and obtained by BuzzFeed, is one of several goodies offered to those who contribute more than $50,000 to the joint fundraising committee known as "Romney Victory," a program whose outlines were first reported by POLITICO. Those donors will be named "Founding Members" of Romney Victory and invited to a California retreat with Romney and offered "yet to...

"We have come together at critical times times and made the sacrifices necessary to preserve our liberty. So a campaign based on attacks, a campaign based on demonizing one another, that's not going to be successful. This country is going to be successful by pulling together, by recognizing that we have some common challenges and working together to overcome those things," Mitt Romney said on "Hannity" tonight. "The President's a nice guy, but we just can't afford him for four more years. Our kids can't afford him. We have to get back to machine who know what is it takes...

“In the absence of a candidate who has any poetry — who has any ability to connect on an emotional level — how do you create a bond?” Romney’s agenda, the adviser said, is “warmed-over oatmeal” and needs to be bolder. “If you’re a super-charismatic candidate like George W. Bush or John McCain...They had other, more emotional-level, values-level ways to connect with voters. This guy just doesn’t have it. He has all the warmth of a Wall Street CEO.” ...the more they put on a facade, the more people pick up on it.” "...Mitt Romney is still a big question...

Chris Wallace To Mitt Romney: Can You Understand Why Some Voters Might See You As Out-Of-Touch? On Fox News Sunday today, Chris Wallace was rather direct with Mitt Romney in addressing the GOP candidate’s falling poll numbers and favorability ratings. Wallace attributed these numbers to two important factors: 1) Romney’s campaign turning into naught more than attacks on his rivals, and 2) the impression many people have that Romney is unable to connect with average voters. RELATED: Chris Matthews: Romney Cannot Connect With Voters Because He Has ‘No Evidence Of Having Suffered’ Wallace highlighted two clips of Romney from the...

“ … states' rights, states’ rights, states' rights!” — Rick Perry at the Alamo, June 15, 2009 Until you get higher in the hills, Laconia might be considered the vortex of New Hampshire redneck politics, heavy into the Tea Party. The Lakes Region Tea Party is small but might be indicative of how things will go. A straw poll on Nov. 16 gave Newt Gingrich 49 percent while Cain tied with Ron Paul at 15. Romney 12 percent and Rick Perry 0. Similar results in a straw poll at a Republican club in Alabama on Saturday: Newt 45 percent, Cain...

Up for re-election in 2012 on a Democratic ticket headed by President Barack Obama, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) continues to struggle for traction. In this morning's Fairleigh Dickinson University Public Mind poll, 30% of registered statewide voters have a favorable view of the Democratic senator and 23% an unfavorable view. Forty-seven percent don’t know him at all or have no opinion of him, including 49% of Democrats.

(VIDEO AT LINK) While addressing college students in Richmond, VA, President Obama was surprised to learn that schools use trailers, also called 'modular buildings' or 'modular classrooms.' During his visit Obama said he was approached by an educator who mentioned she teaches in a trailer. Obama did not mention that the teacher had a problem with her situation, but he made it clear this was unacceptable. "I just -- in the back, I was taking some photos with folks who had helped out to organize this event, and there was a young lady who is a teacher. And she said,...

Obama deflected blame for high gas prices by blaming American consumers for their automobile choices. According to the AP, "Obama needled one questioner who asked about gasoline prices. Obama laughingly said: 'If you're complaining about the price of gas and you're only getting 8 miles per gallon you might want to think about a trade-in." For most Americans, however, gas prices are no laughing matter. And for the president to suggest that a taxpayer's inability to buy a new $40,000+ hybrid vehicle (that still requires gas) is the root problem, rather than his price-increasing oil policies is shameful. Before Obama...

It seems pretty clear that Indiana Senator Richard Lugar has resigned himself to a primary challenge from his right flank and is attempting to shore up his support among moderate Republicans and dems. This would explain his high profile effort to renew the ban on assault weapons. Politico: "Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) this weekend called on Congress to reinstate the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004. "Lugar is the first GOP senator to call for increased gun control following the Tucson tragedy that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. But Lugar, who supported...

SECRETARY CLINTON: It is such a delight to welcome you back here for this wonderful national tradition. It is, by any standard we can imagine, the best weekend in Washington. (Applause.) And it is the tenth time since I have been involved with helping to host some of the Kennedy Center Honors. For eight years, Bill and I were privileged to host at the White House, and now as Secretary of State I get the great honor of hosting you here. And it was really extraordinary standing in the receiving line and seeing the genres and generations going by. (Laughter.)...

Several months ago a huge billboard appeared near Wyoming, Minnesota, with a beaming photo of George W. Bush with the caption “Miss me yet?” The answer to that question is clearly yes, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research poll, which shows the former president staging a remarkable political recovery despite having largely disappeared from public life since leaving office: By 47 to 45 percent, Americans say Obama is a better president than George W. Bush. But that two point margin is down from a 23 point advantage one year ago. ...The CNN poll is of course deeply humiliating for the...