Free Republic

Boarded-up shops and a nearly empty parking lot provided the backdrop for former Masschusetts' Gov. Mitt Romney’s visit today to a struggling shopping center near the intersection of Victory and Laurel Canyon boulevards. Romney, presumed to be among the leading Republican contenders for the presidency in 2012, said President Barack Obama’s economic policies have contributed to the decline of this and many other malls across America. “Proposing raising taxes did not put people back to work. Obamacare made it less likely for employers to want to hire people. The talk about cap-and-trade and higher energy costs made it less likely...

Gov. John Kasich has a special round of golf coming up. Kasich will join President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. House Speaker John Boehner as the fourth member in a golf foursome that will take to the links June 18. Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols confirmed Kasich's place in the foursome, and the Cincinnati-area Republican Boehner said as much on his Twitter account. Obama and Boehner, both avid golfers, scheduled the golf outing to smooth over some of their differences as they seek a compromise over raising the national debt limit and cutting spending.