Chad’s Morning Brief: Romney Kicks Off the General Election, Voter ID Fight, and More

Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of April 25, 2012. Give us your feedback below and tune in to Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty for these and many more topics from 6-9 am.

1. The General Election Begins (link)

A better America. Sounds good doesn't it? Last night Mitt Romney claimed victory and turned all of his attention to the General Election. Romney gave a speech last night called, 'A Better America Begins Tonight' which sounded like an acceptance speech, which it basically was. In the speech, Romney hit on an all-time favorite political question, "are you better off now than you were four years ago?". According to the WSJ, Romney also said:

“Four years ago Barack Obama dazzled us in front of Greek columns with sweeping promises of hope and change.  But after we came down to earth… what do we have to show for three and a half years of President Obama?” Mr. Romney asked.

“Is it easier to make ends meet? Is it easier to sell your home or buy a new one? Have you saved what you needed for retirement? Are you making more in your job? Do you have a better chance to get a better job? Do you pay less at the pump?”

Romney also touched on the topic of wealth:

"I see an America with a growing middle class, with rising standards of living," Romney will say. "I see children even more successful than their parents – some successful even beyond their wildest dreams – and others congratulating them for their achievement, not attacking them for it."

It's time for Republicans to rally behind Romney. Obama must be defeated. Here's to hoping for a better America.

2. Gingrich to Reassess Campaign (link)

Could it really happen? Could Newt Gingrich really drop out of the GOP race? According to his daughter, the former House Speaker might want to look things over after last night.

Gingrich has hung his comeback hopes on a strong showing in Delaware and has spent considerable time there in recent weeks. He has not won a presidential primary since finishing first in his home state of Georgia on March 6.

Gingrich's daughter said the campaign would re-evaluate its standing after Tuesday's vote.

"He talked about waiting for results and looking to see what happens and then potentially reassess," she told MSNBC on Tuesday about her father, who has been under pressure for some time to drop out of the race.

She hinted, as Gingrich has in recent days, that the race is fluid and that a dramatic shift could come at any time.

"You never know what's going to happen tomorrow," she said.

Despite trailing Romney in convention delegates and fundraising, Gingrich has vowed to campaign until the party's late-summer convention in Florida. He has more than $4.3 million in debt.

It's time for Gingrich to step aside. $4.3 million in debt and he wants to preach about fiscal responsibility?

3. Texas Backs Romney (link)

Anyone who thought the State of Texas would reject Romney no matter what was kidding themselves. A new poll shows that Texas in Romney country.

It wasn’t that long ago when the Texas primary seemed to be a long shot for Mitt Romney. But with the former Massachusetts governor now firmly in control of the Republican presidential race, a new poll shows him out front in Texas.

According to a survey released today by Public Policy Polling, Romney is garnering the support of 45 percent of Texas Republican voters. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich follows with 35 percent, and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Lake Jackson received 14 percent.

“If Newt Gingrich was going to win a big victory anywhere between now and the Republican convention, Texas would be the logical candidate ... but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen,” Tom Jensen, the director of Public Policy Polling, said in a news release.

Romney also came out on top in head-to-head polling with President Obama, with a 50 percent-43 percent advantage. Obama had more support among Latinos, leading Romney 56 percent-34 percent, and among young voters with a 57 percent-35  percent edge.

4. Voter ID (link)

Voter ID critics took time yesterday to sound stupid.

“This law is unnecessary and unjust,” said Wendy Wiser, director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University’s law school.

Wiser spoke about the law on a conference call — organized by New America Media, a collaboration of ethnic news organizations – along with Myrna Perez, senior council at the Brennan Center, and state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio. The conference call is part of a series being held through November in response to what critics call restrictive voting laws and executive actions that have passed across the country since the beginning of 2011.

I'm not sure how critics are able to play this off without thinking to themselves how stupid they sound. You have to have an ID to do virtually anything these days yet voting is what infringes on someone's right. It pathetic and Democrats should be ashamed. Those who support Voter ID laws are trying to protect elections. What are the opponents trying to do?

5. Dumb story of the morning (link)

The TSA.

Of all the many complaints about airport security and the TSA, one of the most common is that they make little distinction between plausible security threats and passengers unlikely to be doing anything wrong.

And a recent incident in Wichita, Kansas has reinforced that argument, as a four-year-old girl was apparently subjected to a humiliating ordeal after she hugged her grandmother while she was waiting in line.

The girl was accused of having a gun and declared a 'high security threat', while agents threatened to shut down the whole airport if she could not be calmed down.

When asked about the overbearing treatment the girl received, a TSA spokesman did not apologize and insisted that correct procedures had been followed.

Isabella then, according to her mother, 'excitedly ran over to give her a hug, as children often do. They made very brief contact, no longer than a few seconds.'

The young girl was immediately detained by security agents, who apparently shouted at her that she would have to be frisked too, and refused to let her mother explain what has happening.

Ms Brademeyer wrote: 'It was implied, several times, that my mother, in their brief two-second embrace, had passed a handgun to my daughter.'

Thank goodness the TSA is here to protect us from four year old huggers.

6. Good Brews Good News of the Day (link)

Tribute to military veterans.

A preview of the honor planned for military veterans by three history-related organizations was introduced Tuesday morning at the silent Wings Museum with the landing of a World War II plane.

The C-47, a type that carried paratroopers on D-Day and, in re-enactment, filled the skies with parachutes in each episode of “Band of Brothers,” was familiar to a generation of soldiers.

The Museum of Texas Tech Association is gathering exhibits for its museum in a collaborative recognition with the Silent Wings Museum and the Science Spectrum of all veterans through exhibits that will begin June 1 and continue through September.

The Vietnam Center at Tech also is contributing to the displays, and PlainsCapital Bank is sponsoring the program.

Everyday, Good Brews Coffee & Tea Lounge brings you the Good News of the Day! 

Other Top Stories:

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Obama, Students, and Amen

White Man Beaten Because of Trayvon Killing

Washington Sues Florida City Over Firefighter Tests

LIVE APPEARANCES!

Friday 4.27.12- KFYO Lunch Rush at Stone Gate Golf Course with Chad Hasty Details

Saturday 4.28.12- Chad Hasty Show broadcast from Heroes & Legacies. Longest Ash Competition! Details

These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty. Tune in mornings 6-9am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.