19. February 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Congress passed a measure to extend the payroll tax cut for the remainder of 2012.  The measure passed the House 293-132 and the Senate 60 -36.  In the Senate, 14 Republicans voted for the measure and 5 Democrats and 1 Independent were opposed.  The bill will lower payroll taxes for 160 million workers.

To read a related Roll Call article, please click here:

http://www.rollcall.com/news/congress_seals_the_deal_sends_payroll_tax_bill_to_obama-212521-1.html?pos=hbtxt

Jim Sutliff

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16. February 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

The House and Senate could vote on the payroll tax deal as early as Friday.  Four Democratic Senators and all 13 House Representatives at the payroll tax conference signed the agreement.  Republic Senators did not sign the agreement but that should not prevent passage of the tax cut measure.  The payroll tax cut agreement resolves an issue early in the election year.

To read a related Roll Call article, please click here:

http://www.rollcall.com/news/conferees_sign_payroll_tax_deal-212503-1.html?pos=hftxt

James Sutliff

Posted in Congress, Tax, Economy, Presidential, Budget, 2012, Republican, Regulatory, Democrat, Business, Election, General, Politics, Administrative | No Comments »

13. February 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Republican leaders in the House are supporting the extension of the payroll tax cut without reductions in spending.  This clears a major hurdle in negotiations to extend the payroll tax cut which applies to 160 million workers.  The payroll tax cut is set to expire at the end of February.  The payroll tax cut extension may reach the House floor by the end of the week.

To read a related Reuters article, please click here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/13/usa-taxes-payroll-idUSL2E8DDC0D20120213

Jim Sutliff

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11. February 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Mitt Romney held on to win the Maine caucus with 39% of the vote.  Ron Paul finished a close second with 36%.  The Romney victory ends a three state losing streak by the candidate.  There were 24 delegates at stake in the Maine Republican caucus.  The candidates will turn their focus to Arizona and Michigan which hold primaries at the end of February.

To read a related Fox News article, please click here:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/11/republican-candidates-maine-caucuses/

James Sutliff

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9. February 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Santorum swept the three contests in Minnesota, Colorado, and Missouri.  The Santorum victories have raised the possibility of a brokered convention.  Republican Presidential primaries in Arizona and Michigan are the focus of most campaigns.  The Arizona Republican primary is a winner take all contest.  There are 29 delegates at stake in Arizona and 30 in Michigan.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-08/santorum-wins-non-binding-primary-in-missouri.html

Jim Sutliff

Posted in 2012, Caucus, Primary, Presidential, Republican, Fundraising, General, Politics, Election | No Comments »

7. February 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Mitt Romney added to his lead in delegates with a win in the Nevada Caucus.  Romney finished first with almost 50% of the vote and Newt Gingrich came in second with 22%.  The next three states to hold elections are Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri.  The candidates need 1,144 delegates to secure the Republican nomination for President.

To read a related Roll Call article, please click here:

http://www.rollcall.com/news/Romney-Wins-Big-in-Nevada-212125-1.html

James Sutliff

Posted in Presidential, 2012, Caucus, Republican, Politics, Election, General, Democrat | No Comments »

4. February 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Mitt Romney won the Florida primary with 46% of the vote and gained all 50 delegates.  Newt Gingrich finished second with 32% and Rick Santorum came in third with 13%.  Romney leads the race for the Republican nomination with 87 delegates.  Gingrich has 26 delegates and Santorum has 14 delegates.  The number of delegates required to secure the Republican nomination is 1,144.  The next contest will be Nevada on February 4th.

To read a related Fox News article, please click here:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/31/romney-leading-among-seniors-hispanics-in-florida-exit-polls/

Jim Sutliff

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26. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

The CNN Republican Presidential Debate is being held tonight in Jacksonville Florida.  Fireworks are expected between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.  Recent polling indicates that Gingrich and Romney are neck and neck in Florida.  The Florida Republican primary is winner take all and there are 50 delegates at stake.

To read a related Reuters article, please click here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/27/us-usa-campaign-debate-idUSTRE80P1UG20120127

James Sutliff

Posted in 2012, Debate, Primary, Presidential, Republican, Election, General, Politics, Democrat | No Comments »

22. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary and has the lead in delegates for the Republican Presidential nomination.  Gingrich finished with 40% of the vote and gained momentum heading into Florida.  Romney came in second with 27% and Santorum finished in third with 17% of the vote.  The Gingrich win should help with fundraising as well as building a campaign infrastructure.  The Florida primary will be held on January 31st and is a winner take all contest.  Also, Florida is a closed primary and only Republicans are allowed to vote in the contest.  In addition, there is expected to be over 200,000 votes cast through early voting and absentee ballots.  The next Republican Presidential debate will be held in Tampa on January 23rd.  There are 50 delegates at stake in the Florida Republican primary.  After Florida, the next contests are the Nevada and Maine Republican caucuses scheduled for February 4th.

To read a related Roll Call article, please click here:

http://www.rollcall.com/news/Gingrich-Rolls-to-Victory-in-South-Carolina-211662-1.html?pos=hftxt

To read a related MSNBC article, please click here:

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/22/10210334-first-thoughts-the-race-is-on

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Economy, Infrastructure, Presidential, 2012, Primary, Debate, Tax, Republican, Election, Democrat, Fundraising, General, Politics, DC | No Comments »

21. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

The South Carolina Primary is being held today and recent polls indicate that Gingrich has pulled ahead of Romney.  A Clemson University poll has Newt Gingrich at 32% and Mitt Romney falling to 26%. The Clemson poll has a margin of error of 4.7%.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-20/debate-exposes-tensions-as-republican-primary-race-reshaped-by-surprises.html

James Sutliff

Posted in Presidential, 2012, Primary, Republican, Politics, Election, General, Democrat | No Comments »

19. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Rick Perry suspended his Presidential campaign and endorsed Republican Newt Gingrich.  Perry has been lagging in the polls and his endorsement could propel Gingrich to win the South Carolina primary.  A Gingrich win in South Carolina should provide his campaign with momentum heading into Florida.  The South Carolina primary is only 10 days before the winner take all Florida primary.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-19/perry-suspends-presidential-bid-backs-gingrich-for-nomination.html

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Presidential, 2012, Republican, Politics, General, Election | No Comments »

17. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

The South Carolina Republican Presidential debate was held last night in Myrtle Beach.  Mitt Romney is the current frontrunner and he was the focus of the other four candidates.  Currently, Newt Gingrich trails Mitt Romney by only 8 points in recent South Carolina polls.  The South Carolina GOP primary will be held on January 21st.  There are 25 delegates at stake in the South Carolina primary.

To read a related Yahoo! News article, please click here:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/candidates-pile-romney-south-carolina-debate-040231969.html

James Sutliff

Posted in 2012, Debate, Primary, Presidential, Republican, General, Politics, Election | No Comments »

13. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

According to the Commerce Department, the U.S. trade deficit increased by 10.4% to 47.8 billion in November.  The increase was larger than economists had expected and was the widest trade deficit since June.  Petroleum products accounted for a significant amount of the increase in imports.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-13/u-s-trade-deficit-widened-more-than-forecast-to-47-8-billion.html

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Economy, Budget, Trade, General, Business, Administrative | No Comments »

11. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Mitt Romney won the New Hampshire primary with 39% of the vote.  Ron Paul finished in second place with  23% and Huntsman was third with 17%.  Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum each had 9% of the vote.  Romney leads the field with 18 delegates and Santorum is second with 11 delegates.

To read a related Roll Call article, please click here:

http://www.rollcall.com/news/mitt_romney_earns_historic_win_new_hampshire_primary-211425-1.html?pos=hftxt

James Sutliff

Posted in 2012, Primary, Presidential, Republican, General, Politics, Election | No Comments »

7. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

The Institute of Supply Management’s factory index rose to 53.9 for the month of December.  The increase marked the fastest that U.S. manufacturing has expanded in the last 6 months.  The jobs report also showed gains for the month of December.  Positive factory and jobs data helped send Treasuries lower in trading last week.  The Ten year note yield rose to 1.96%.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-07/treasuries-drop-as-reports-showing-economic-strength-damp-demand.html

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Infrastructure, Economy, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Regulatory, Business, General, Administrative | No Comments »