What advice would you give Mitt Romney?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Mitt Romney has been running for president for six years – and he still can't seal the deal.
After losing the Republican nomination to John McCain in 2008, Romney became the presumptive nominee this time around.
The problem is, no one told the rank-and-file Republicans.
And instead of a coronation for Romney, Republican voters have spent the past year holding tryouts for candidates to fill the anyone-but-Romney slot.
They’ve gone from Rick Perry to Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich and now Rick Santorum.
And if Santorum's sweep this week didn't shake Romney up, it should have. Compared with Romney, Santorum has little money or organization. But conservative voters like him.
For many, the bottom line is that Romney just hasn't been able to connect. He is seen as out of touch, too scripted and even aloof.
Think about the infamous $10,000 bet he offered during one debate or his comment that he's not that worried about the very poor.
Furthermore, it's not really clear what Romney's message is, other than attacking President Obama. As Howard Kurtz writes in the Daily Beast, Romney "lacks an animating idea that would bring voters to their feet."
Romney is still the likely Republican nominee. However, with low voter turnout and a lack of enthusiasm among Republicans, there are signs that he might not fare that well against Obama.
InTrade, the online betting site with a high accuracy in predicting elections, puts Obama's chances of winning in November at 60%. Romney's odds are only 32%.
Here’s my question to you: What advice would you give Mitt Romney?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
How does Rick Santorum's sweep change the race?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The Santorum sweep of Missouri, Minnesota, and Colorado once again raises serious questions about why many conservatives can't stomach Mitt Romney.
One, it wasn't even close. And two, Romney failed in places where he was successful four years ago.
Santorum had more than double Romney's support in Missouri.
Romney came in third in Minnesota, a state he won in 2008.
And worst of all for Romney, he was losing Colorado, where he won 60% of the vote last time around.
Writing for the Daily Beast, CNN political contributor Paul Begala points out Romney has more national experience, more staff, more money and "better hair" than Santorum.
Begala described Romney's losses this way, "There's a technical term in political consulting for a performance like that: It's called sucking."
Although Romney is still the GOP's likely nominee, Tuesday’s thumpings will make more people wonder about his electability.
Santorum is now out to convince Republicans that he, not Newt Gingrich, is the strongest conservative challenger to Romney.
And the convergence of recent events is a conservative's dream come true, from the Komen Planned Parenthood uproar to the Proposition 8 ruling in California to President Obama's dust-up with the Catholic Church over birth control.
As for Gingrich, his showing pretty much confirmed that it's over for him.
For Republicans, none of this can be very encouraging. Low turnout in Tuesday’s races suggests Republican voters aren't overly thrilled with any of their choices.
President Obama must be watching all this the way NASCAR fans enjoy a multi-car pileup at the race track.
Here’s my question to you: How does Rick Santorum's sweep change the race?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 4pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
What does it mean when half of Americans live in a household that gets government assistance?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Nearly half of Americans live in a household that receives government assistance.
This stunning finding comes from a new report from a George Mason University-based research center.
More than one-in-three Americans lived in a household getting Medicaid, food stamps or other means-based government assistance in 2010.
When you add in those getting Social Security, Medicare and unemployment benefits, it represents almost half of the country.
More than 148,000,000 Americans.
The federal government sent a record total of $2 trillion to individuals in 2010. The stunning part is that's up 75% from a decade ago.
There's another new study from the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation that shows the public's dependence on the federal government shot up 23% in just two-years under President Obama.
This comes at a time when fewer Americans - less than half of us - pay income taxes.
Some say the rise in dependence under President Obama is due to the recession and high unemployment. But others say extending unemployment benefits indefinitely actually keeps unemployment rates higher because it creates an incentive not to work.
Meanwhile the country's safety net has become a hot topic in the presidential race.
Mitt Romney is under fire for saying he's not concerned about the very poor because they have an "ample" safety net. It's a comment I bet he wishes he could take back.
Here’s my question to you: What does it mean when half of Americans live in a household that gets government assistance?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
Is Newt Gingrich kidding himself at this point?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Another primary/caucus day - and with it, yet another day of bad news for Newt Gingrich. In this case, it looks like three more losses.
For starters, Gingrich isn't even on the ballot in Missouri. Plus, recent polling shows him in third place in Colorado and Minnesota. That’s probably why Gingrich is in none of these states today, choosing instead to campaign in Ohio.
Newt's future doesn't look too bright at this point. There are two more weeks to go before the next debate, where he tends to excel. At the end of the month come Arizona and Michigan. Romney is favored in both.
Super Tuesday is on March 6, but Gingrich has even given up on getting on the ballot in his adopted home state of Virginia that day.
When Gingrich took a beating at the hands of Mitt Romney in Nevada - much like he did in Florida - he seemed to ignore the results.
Gingrich held a bizarre news conference after the Nevada loss in which he vowed to "find a series of victories which by the end of the Texas primary will leave us at parity" with Romney.
Say what?
The writing is on the wall for Newt - but it appears he's the only one who can't see it. Former candidate Michele Bachmann says she thinks the race will soon be over; and tea party leader Dick Armey says Gingrich is a lost cause for those voters.
Meanwhile, here’s one more sign that Gingrich is losing touch: Wikipedia says Gingrich's communications director has made or requested dozens of edits on Gingrich's behalf. These include factual references to Gingrich's three marriages and ethics charges brought against him while U.S. House speaker.
Here’s my question to you: Is Newt Gingrich kidding himself at this point?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 4pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
Does Pres. Obama risk alienating Catholic voters because of the birth control part of his health care law?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The Catholic Church is at odds with President Obama - which is not a comforting thought for Democrats in an election year.
And it all goes back to the president's health care law.
Catholic leaders are furious over a provision that requires all employers - including religious ones - to pay for contraceptives through health insurance plans.
This includes the birth control pill and Plan B.
Churches are exempt, but religious hospitals and schools must comply.
Critics say this provision violates their freedom of religion.
The Catholic Church opposes the use of contraceptives even though a large number of rank-and-file Catholics disagree.
Catholic leaders have called for protests and are asking the faithful to put political pressure on the administration. They say they will fight this thing out "with lawsuits, with court decisions, and maybe even in the streets."
Like we said, not what Mr. Obama needs in an election year.
Which is probably why the president's re-election campaign now says they're open to compromise.
David Axelrod tells MSNBC that they'll look for a way forward that "both guarantees women that basic preventive care that they need and respects the prerogatives of religious institutions."
There are 70 million Catholics in the U.S. and a lot of them live in critical swing states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Florida.
Back in 2008, President Obama won 54% of the Catholic vote.
Here’s my question to you: Does Pres. Obama risk alienating Catholic voters because of the birth control part of his health care law?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
How much of an issue will race be in the 2012 presidential election?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The issue of race is already rearing its ugly head with nine months still to go before the general election.
No one knows what impact the race card will have on President Obama's re-election prospects - but it's out there.
FULL POST
Why isn't anyone doing anything about the bloodshed in Syria?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Another deadly day of bloodshed... as the world stands idly by and watches Syria's government murdering its own people.
Opposition groups say more than 50 people were killed today. Hundreds more were reportedly killed in the city of Homs over the weekend.
FULL POST
How have collapsing home prices impacted you?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Shocking new numbers on the housing crisis which show home prices down nearly 33% since peaking in the summer of 2006.
Translation: the value of many Americans' biggest asset has dropped by one-third in just the last 5 years.
The latest S&P/Case Shiller 20-city report shows home prices posted a steep drop in November, falling 1.3%. Some of the hardest-hit cities include Chicago, Atlanta and Detroit.
Compared to a year ago, home prices are down close to 4%.
Experts say that home prices are still falling despite record low interest rates and better GDP growth. They think prices will continue to drop this year and maybe even into next year before finally stabilizing.
Some suggest prices are down in part because more sellers are willing to accept the weak market conditions and lower their asking prices.
Also playing a role is the increase of sales of properties in foreclosure - look no further than Nevada, the site of Saturday's caucuses, which is the foreclosure capital of the country. Arizona and California also suffer from some of the highest foreclosure rates.
Meanwhile the U.S. Census Bureau says that the nation's homeownership rate has fallen to 66% - the lowest in seven years.
Economists tell USA Today that while the housing industry's downturn may be nearing a bottom, the impact will be felt for years.
They say even for people who want to buy a home, they may have difficulty getting financing for a mortgage.
In short, we've got a long way to go before the housing market rebounds.
Here’s my question to you: How have collapsing home prices impacted you?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
How worried should President Obama be about winning a second term?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
As the Republican candidates keep tearing each other apart, President Obama may want to start worrying about November - if he hasn't already.
New Gallup state-by-state polling on the president's approval rating suggests he might be in trouble.
Overall, President Obama averaged a 44% job approval in his third year in office - down from 47% in his second year.
According to gallup, his approval rating declined from 2010 to 2011 in 47 of the 50 states. Not good.
The president's approval rating was above 50% last year in only 10 states plus the District of Columbia.
Gallup suggests that the state approval rating could provide some clues into how President Obama will fare in the electoral college.
If the president were to carry only the states where more people approved than disapproved of him last year, he would lose to the Republican nominee 323 to 215. That's landslide territory.
And Politico reports on several additional factors working against the president.
The congressional budget office says unemployment is likely to climb to 9% by the election.
There's polling that shows President Obama tied or trailing Mitt Romney in key swing states.
And there's growing evidence that the idea that the president will raise a lot more money than the Republicans just isn't true.
Of course there are still nine months to go before the election; and we don't know yet who the Republican nominee will be, or if there will be a third party candidate - which could work to Mr. Obama's advantage.
Nevertheless...
Here’s my question to you: How worried should President Obama be about winning a second term?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Does Newt Gingrich have a problem with women?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Three marriages and two divorces later, it turns out Newt Gingrich might have a real problem with women. Go figure.
As part of the beating he took in Florida on Tuesday night, Gingrich was abandoned in large part by female voters.
Exit polls in the Sunshine State showed Romney getting 52% of women Republican voters, compared to only 28% for Gingrich - a 24-point margin. It was also a turnaround from South Carolina, where Gingrich won the women's vote.
Florida exit polls also showed Romney led Gingrich among married women by more than 20 percentage points. Among male voters, Gingrich trailed Romney by only 5 percentage points. Appears to be a gender gap.
It's no secret that Gingrich has been saddled with this personal baggage from the start of the race.
And he's been quick to own up to it, saying that he's done things he regrets, but it's all in the past. Gingrich talks about making peace with God and likes to describe himself as a 68-year-old grandfather.
But at the end of the day, maybe women voters just can't make peace with an adulterer who left his first wife, who was being treated for cancer, for his second wife; and left his second wife, who was fighting multiple sclerosis, for his third wife.
It actually looked like these issues might come crashing down on Gingrich before the South Carolina primary, when his second ex-wife told ABC News he had asked her for an open marriage. But in the end, South Carolina voters brushed it off.
But now that the women voters of Florida have spoken, it remains to be seen if women in the rest of the country will give him a pass.
Here’s my question to you: Does Newt Gingrich have a problem with women?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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