Politics

Dixville Notch has cast its ballots in the New Hampshire primary. If the tiny village is anything like the rest of the state (which it's not), this is gonna be close!

Voters in the hamlet famed for casting the first ballots in the US' first primary found themselves in a 2-2 tie between Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman.

Coming in second with one vote apiece were Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul.

For the Democrats, President Barack Obama received three votes.

The nine residents who cast their ballots in Dixville Notch at daybreak include three registered Republicans, two registered Democrats, and four independents.

Those voters also represent the town's entire population. Talk about turnout!

Are Democrats salivating at facing the guy winning - or at least perceived, by the media, to have the best chance of winning - the Republican presidential race?

Yes, Rush Limbaugh says.

The radio host is one of several prominent Republicans who believe the party would stand a better chance with a less vanilla candidate - and Democrats know it.

Rush Limbaugh: Dems Want Romney!

"The Democrats are afraid of any candidate they have sought to destroy. You can start with Sarah Palin, you can move on to Santorum. Any - any conservative who shows any interest - the Democrats set out to destroy," he said.

"That’s who they’re genuinely afraid of. They are not hammering Mitt Romney at all, and (Democratic strategist) Donna Brazile let the cat out of the bag. Don’t doubt me."

Do you agree with Limbaugh's point? Makes you wonder if Ron Paul were leading polls, how the White House and other prominent Dems would react.

The common knock against Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul is that he is out of touch with too much of the electorate to possibly win the presidency.

If that's true, perhaps it's the electorate's problem, not Paul's.

In a chilling speech on April 24, 2002, the Texas Congressman outlined numerous issues he predicted would transpire over the next decade and why. Watch Paul's address to Congress, juxtaposed with the reports of the news he saw coming, here:

Ron Paul - Predictions in Due Time

Basically, Ron Paul accurately predicted:

• The invasion of Iraq
• The failure of the government of Afghanistan
• Both political parties endorsement of military interventionalism
• The erosion of U.S. civil liberties and the Constitution
• Americans becoming poorer over the ensuing decade
• An international financial crisis that would decimate U.S. government finances, trigger a recession and resulting in exploding deficits for years

Paul concluded his speech saying he hoped he would be wrong on all accounts. Can anyone really argue that he was - or that he's out of touch now?

Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker, is striking a populist tone as he looks to fight back against Mitt Romney, the frontrunner in the Republican nomination fight.

In a bid to discredit Romney's economic expertise - the strength of his candidacy, besides perceived "electability" - Gingrich lambasts him for firing people and ruining lives.

In a manner of speaking, of course.

Insisting he is “totally for capitalism,” Newt cited Microsoft for becoming “extraordinarily rich” by “providing a service” while firms such as Bain strip companies down for profit.

It's unclear if this will resonate with voters, but a pro-Gingrich PAC, Winning Our Future, produced a movie about Mitt's tenure at Bain to make its point. Here's the trailer:

Mitt Romney - King of Bain Movie Trailer

A deluge of pro-Romney PAC ads have drawn fire from Newt Gingrich in recent weeks. Now it seems the one-time national frontrunner is firing back in kind.

Time will tell if this line of attacks pays dividends, but it almost seems better suited to a Democratic National Committee ad, not one from a fellow Republican.

Probably not the best word choice, Mitt, regardless of context.

The frontrunner in New Hampshire since, oh, 2009, Mitt Romney will likely win today's GOP primary, according to polling estimates. But the former Bain Capital CEO is still under fire over a comment he made Monday on the campaign trail.

Talking about how he wants to allow people to shop for their own health insurance and to change insurers if they aren't happy with them, Romney said he likes being able to fire people who don't provide adequate business services.

While Mitt's remarks don't imply he wants to lay people off en masse, this is not exactly a great quote from a guy branded as a corporate raider who laid people off en masse:

Mitt Romney: You're Fired!

Sarah Palin’s husband is endorsing Newt Gingrich for president. Yes, Todd Palin has offered an official endorsement, as Sarah is still - shockingly - making up her mind.

The former Alaska governor and John McCain’s 2008 Republican running mate has yet to decide “who is best able to go up against Barack Obama,” Todd Palin said.

Todd, however, respects Gingrich for what he went through in the '90s and compared that scrutiny in public life to what Sarah Palin went through running for V.P.

Todd Palin said he believes being in the political trenches and experiencing the highs and lows help prepare a candidate for the future and the job of president.

He has not spoken to the Gingrich campaign and did not criticize any of the other GOP candidates and said his “hat is off to everyone” in the Republican race.

But Todd did point to last summer, when a large portion of Gingrich’s staff resigned and the candidate was left, largely by himself, to run the campaign.

Gingrich’s ability to overcome the obstacle and still move up in the polls showed his ability to campaign and survive, according to an impressed Todd Palin.

"Newt Gingrich is not one of the typical beltway types" and his campaign has “burst out of the political arena and touched many Americans,” he said.

No word if the First Dude plans to appear on the former House Speaker's behalf or if his wife will follow suit in the run-up to the South Carolina primary.

[Photos: WENN.com]

Some viewers of Sunday's Republican debate remarked that the coverage of said debate sorely lacked for Ron Paul, who is running second in New Hampshire polls.

With that in mind, we present a video montage that should more than make up for that - highlights from Sunday morning's NBC/Facebook debate, Ron Paul style!

Despite being more or less dismissed by many pundits as having no chance at the White House, Paul finished a strong third in Iowa and may top that in New Hampshire.

His message strikes a chord with a motivated section of the electorate. The only question is whether he can grow it. Check out some of the candidate's answers Sunday:

GOP Debate Highlights: Ron Paul Edition!

Multimillionaire Mitt Romney, a wealthy venture capitalist who has refused to release his tax returns while running for president, has a tougher time than some candidates forging a common-man connection with primary voters.

Case in point: This moment in New Hampshire yesterday.

Romney said during a rally, “I know what it’s like to worry whether you’re going to get fired. There were a couple of times I wondered if I was going to get a pink slip.”

Cute pundits and political opponents’ eyes rolling en masse:

Romney Says He Feared Getting Fired

A Romney spokeswoman  had no specific dates or jobs to support this claim, but said his “pink slip” fears occurred “while he worked his way up the career ladder.”

University of New Hampshire political science professor Andy Smith said: “He’s trying to identify with regular folks, but he’s seen as somebody who’s wealthy.”

The former Bay State governor, dubbed a “career politician” by his rivals, also sought to play down his long-held presidential ambitions at Exeter High School.

“I never imagined I’d get a chance to run for president,” said Romney.

At the same rally, Romney faced Occupy protesters chanting “Mitt kills jobs.” On the sump with him, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie responded as only he can.

If nothing else, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie always livens things up.

Campaigning in Iowa last week on behalf of Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, he threatened to return "Jersey style" if the state's caucus-goers let him down.

Yesterday in New Hampshire, he handled some hecklers in typical fashion. While he didn't threaten to have them whacked, he did smack them down, Jersey style.

After a chant broke out involving Christie killinh jobs, he turned it right back around ... with a reference to oral sex. Romney could not have looked more uncomfortable.

Listen to the exchange between Christie and his hecklers below:

Chris Christie at Mitt Romney Rally

Mitt Romney has a sizable lead in most New Hampshire polls heading into the first primary of the Republican nomination race, but did he take on water today?

With the election set for Tuesday, Romney is expected to win, with Ron Paul in second in every survey to date. Thus, the rest of the field is playing catch-up.

Newt Gingrich, in particular, took Mitt to task today twice over:

1. Romney's insistence that he is not a career politician
2. His connection to Super PACs running attack ads

GOP Debate - Romney vs. Gingrich, Santorum

After Rick Santorum asked Romney why he didn't run for reelection in 2006 if he was such a successful governor, Newt told him to cut the "pious baloney."

Later, Gingrich chastised the deluge of negative ads run by pro-Romney PACs, and specifically Mitt's failure to disavow them in a public setting. Watch:

New Hampshire GOP Debate - Mitt Romney vs. Newt Gingrich