2012 Presidential Campaign Blog

RNC Chairman Michael Steele today Announces Appointments To Temporary Delegate Selection Committee

RNC CHAIRMAN MICHAEL STEELE ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS TO TEMPORARY DELEGATE SELECTION COMMITTEE

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele today announced the appointment of Ohio National Committeeman Bob Bennett, Wisconsin National Committeeman Steve King, Florida National Committeeman Paul Senft, former Maryland Secretary of State Mary Kane, former Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis, former Office of Personnel Management Director Kay James, former Iowa Republican Party Chairman Brian Kennedy, former White House Spanish media spokesperson Mercy Schlapp, and former New Hampshire Attorney General Tom Rath to the RNC Temporary Delegate Selection Committee.

“I am proud to announce the appointments of this impressive group of people to the RNC Temporary Delegate Selection Committee.  They are all exceptionally qualified people and I look forward to working with them in the future,” said Chairman Steele.

The RNC Temporary Delegate Selection Committee serves to review the timing of the election, selection, allocation, or binding of delegate and alternate delegates to the Republican National Convention. In accordance with The Rules of the Republican Party, the RNC Chairman appoints three RNC members and six non-members to the RNC Temporary Delegate Selection Committee, which is already comprised of four elected RNC members.

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour To Headline Republican Party Of Iowa Event

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour to headline premier Republican event:
Night of the Rising Stars to celebrate new Republican outreach efforts

Des Moines, IA – Matt Strawn, Chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, today announced that Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour will be the featured guest for the Party’s premier event of the year, titled:  “Night of the Rising Stars.”  Governor Barbour will be surrounded by an exciting group of new, young Republicans who are taking the Capitol by storm.

Strawn said, “Governor Barbour is a rock star in the Republican Party.  He led the national party to stunning victories in 1994 and then defeated an incumbent Democrat to become Mississippi’s Governor.  Couple his winning vision with the renewed Republican spirit as embodied in our Iowa Republican rising stars and in the new leadership provided by Rep. Kraig Paulsen and Sen. Paul McKinley and you have the recipe for success in 2010.”

“Governor Barbour is providing his state with the type of competent, common-sense conservative government that Iowa so desperately needs," said Strawn, citing Gov. Barbour’s handling of post-Katrina disaster rebuilding and his efforts to encourage business development and job creation while exercising fiscal responsibility.

The event will be held at historic Hoyt Sherman Place.  Event details include:

Thursday, June 25
5:30 cocktails, 7:00 program
Hoyt Sherman Place
Des Moines, IA

Strawn concluded, “There is no neighborhood or community off limits to the Republican Party or our relevant solutions to real life problems.  Our principled conservative message of limited government, entrepreneurship, and strong families will find a home in the hearts and minds of Iowans and will carry us to victory in 2010.”

United States Mint Launches John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin at 10th President’s Virginia Home

United States Mint Launches John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin at 10th President’s Virginia Home

CHARLES CITY, Va. - The United States Mint celebrates a new $1 coin today to honor John Tyler, the 10th President of the United States.  Former President Tyler's grandson, Harrison Tyler, joined United States Mint Deputy Director Andy Brunhart to celebrate the coin's release.  The event took place at Sherwood Forest Plantation, the home of President Tyler.  The official launch of the coin into general circulation is May 21.

"The John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin is the 10th coin issued by the United States Mint to honor those who have served in our Nation's highest office," Brunhart said.  "Americans will be reminded of President Tyler's contributions each time they use the coin, and we hope that will be often.  The Presidential $1 Coins are convenient to use for everyday commerce and 100 percent recyclable.  They also are great teaching tools." 

Brunhart and Tyler gave each child under 18 years old a new John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin to commemorate the event. There was no coin exchange at the event.  However, collectors may purchase rolls of John Tyler Presidential $1 Coins beginning at noon Eastern Time on May 21, at www.usmint.gov or by calling 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).  Hearing- and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468).  There is no order limit on the rolls of Presidential $1 Coins. 

The obverse (heads side) of the John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin features a dramatic portrait of the former President and the inscriptions JOHN TYLER, IN GOD WE TRUST, 10TH PRESIDENT and 1841-1845.  The coin's reverse (tails) bears the image of the Statue of Liberty.  The inscriptions 2009, E PLURIBUS UNUM and the mint of origin (P or D) are incused on the coin's edge. 

John Tyler was born in 1790 to a prominent Virginia planter family.  Tyler, a lawyer, served as a Virginia state delegate and governor, U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator.  He also served as vice president for one month under President William Henry Harrison.  Tyler was the first vice president to take office following the death of his predecessor.  At that time, the U.S. Constitution was not clear on succession.  Rather than give up the office or accept limits on his power, President Tyler assumed all the duties and powers of an elected president, setting an important precedent.  President Tyler supported Texas statehood, a controversial proposition at the time.  He signed the bill annexing Texas three days before leaving office after his defeat in the election of 1844.  Tyler retired to his Virginia home, Sherwood Forest, named to reflect his political "outlaw" status.  He died in Richmond, Virginia, in 1862.

The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 requires the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue Presidential $1 Coins to honor the U.S. Presidents in the order in which they served.  Four new designs will be released annually. 

United States Mint Launches Second Redesigned One-Cent Coin Honoring Abraham Lincoln’s Indiana Roots

United States Mint Launches Second Redesigned One-Cent Coin Honoring Abraham Lincoln’s Indiana Roots

LINCOLN CITY, Ind. - The United States Mint held a ceremonial launch today at the Lincoln Amphitheatre in scenic Lincoln State Park to mark the release of the second redesigned one-cent coin (penny) struck in honor of the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth.  The new one-cent coin-released to the Federal Reserve today-features a reverse design representing Lincoln's formative years in Indiana.

"This second design reflects the formative years of Abraham Lincoln's life in Indiana, when he developed the qualities that served as the foundation for his extraordinary life," United States Mint Director Ed Moy said.

Joining Moy to celebrate the coin's release were Connie Nass, chairwoman of the Indiana Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (IALBC); Darrel Bigham, professor emeritus of history at the University of Southern Indiana, Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC) commissioner and IALBC member; and Joan Flinspach, chief executive officer of Presenting the Past, ALBC commissioner and IALBC member. 

Following the ceremony, children ages 18 and younger received a newly minted one-cent coin bearing the "formative years" design, and adults were able to exchange their currency for a minimum of two rolls and up to six rolls of coins bearing the new design.  The coin, packaged in a two-roll set, also became available at noon ET on the United States Mint Web site, www.usmint.gov, and at the toll-free number 1-800 USA-MINT (872-6468).  The set contains one roll each of coins from the United States Mints at Philadelphia and Denver.  There is an order limit of five sets per household.

The formative years design, by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Charles Vickers, is the second of four new designs Americans will see on the reverse of the penny this year.  Inscriptions on the reverse (tails side) of the redesigned Lincoln Cent are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, E PLURIBUS UNUM and ONE CENT.  The obverse (heads) of the coin bears sculptor Victor David Brenner's likeness of President Lincoln, introduced in 1909.  Inscriptions on the obverse are IN GOD WE TRUST, LIBERTY and 2009.

Upcoming United States Mint products honoring Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday include numismatic versions of the four redesigned pennies minted in 95 percent copper and five percent tin and zinc-the same metallic content as the 1909 coin.  The coins will be minted in proof and uncirculated conditions, and will be included in the United States Mint's annual product offerings and as part of a special Lincoln Coin and Chronicles Set.

Title III of Public Law 109-145-the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005-authorizes the United States Mint to issue four different one-cent coins throughout 2009 to recognize the bicentennial anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's birth and the 100th anniversary of the production of the Lincoln Cent.  The first reverse design, representing his birthplace in Kentucky, was released into circulation in February.  Reverse designs representing Lincoln's professional life in Illinois and his presidency in Washington, D.C., will be released later this year.  At the end of the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Program, the one-cent coin will feature a reverse design emblematic of President Lincoln's preservation of the United States of America.

Free lesson plans about the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Program are available online at:  http://www.usmint.gov/kids/teachers/lessonPlans/. 

John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin to Be Released May 21, 2009

John Tyler Presidential $1 Coin to Be Released May 21, 2009

WASHINGTON - The United States Mint will release the 10th coin in the Presidential $1 Coin Program into circulation on May 21, 2009, in honor of former President John Tyler.  Beginning at noon Eastern Time the same day, collectors can purchase rolls of John Tyler Presidential $1 Coins directly from the United States Mint for $35.95.  There is no order limit on the rolls of Presidential $1 Coins.
 
Each roll contains 25 circulating quality coins that were struck on the main production floors at either the United States Mint facilities at Philadelphia or Denver.  President Tyler's portrait is featured on the obverse (heads side), along with the inscriptions JOHN TYLER, IN GOD WE TRUST, 10TH PRESIDENT and 1841-1845.  A striking image of the Statue of Liberty is on the reverse (tails).  Incused on the coin's edge are the inscriptions 2009, E PLURIBUS UNUM and the mint of origin (P or D).  Packaging for the rolls displays the mint of origin, face value of the contents ($25) and United States Mint logo.

Orders for the rolls of John Tyler Presidential $1 Coins will be accepted at the United States Mint's secure Web site, www.usmint.gov.  Telephone orders will be accepted at
1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468).  Hearing- and speech-impaired customers may order by calling 1-888-321-MINT (6468).  A shipping and handling fee of $4.95 per order will be added to all domestic orders.

As an added convenience, customers may enroll in the United States Mint's Online Subscription Program to receive future rolls of Presidential $1 Coins as they are released.  For more information about this convenient ordering method, please visit www.usmint.gov.

Vice President Biden Issues Statement Following Meeting with Al Franken

Vice President Biden Issues Statement Following Meeting with Al Franken

"The election process and recount in Minnesota have lived up to the state's reputation for organization, transparency, and bipartisanship.  The officials have been meticulous and every ruling has been unanimous. 

"While Senator Amy Klobuchar is one of the hardest working members of the United States Senate, Minnesotans deserve their full representation. 

“Once the Minnesota Supreme Court has issued its final ruling in this case, the President and I look forward to working with Mr. Franken on building an economy for the 21st century.”

Mitt Romney Released The Following Statement On Jack Kemp

Former Gov. Mitt Romney today released the following statement on former Congressman Jack Kemp:

"I was deeply saddened by the news of Jack Kemp's death. Jack was a bright light of the Republican Party, a one-man idea factory whose energy and passion for conservative principles helped propel the Republican Party. Ann and I send our sympathies to Joanne Kemp and the rest of the family."

Statement By Senator Bob Dole On The Death Of Jack Kemp

STATEMENT BY SENATOR BOB DOLE ON THE DEATH OF JACK KEMP

Washington, DC: “We all lost a wonderful friend with the passing of Jack Kemp. Jack
was an eternal optimist who was always searching for solutions that would help the
American people.

Jack and I really got to know one another in the 1996 presidential race. We lost, but
Jack’s enthusiasm and his willingness to reach out to Americans everywhere made the
race an exciting one.

The people who really knew Jack knew the many, many contributions he made
broadening the base of the Republican Party. Elizabeth and I extend our heartfelt
condolences to his wife, Joanne, his family, and thousands upon thousands of friends. In
summary, he was a good and decent man. Elizabeth and I were privileged to have known
him.”

Mike Huckabee Statement On The Death of Jack Kemp

Mike Huckabee Statement On The Death of Jack Kemp

Janet and I are saddened by the news of Jack Kemp's death. He was an innovative and forward looking leader for the conservative movement and represented compassionate conservatism before anyone called it that. Janet served on the board of Habitat for Humanity with Jack and saw first hand his
genuine commitment to making the world a better place, but believing that the best way for that to happen is to empower individuals.

Statement From RNC Chairman Michael Steele On The Passing Of Jack Kemp

STATEMENT FROM RNC CHAIRMAN MICHAEL STEELE ON THE PASSING OF JACK KEMP

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele released the following statement today:

“For over three decades Jack Kemp was a standard-bearer for economic conservatism and lower taxes within the Republican Party.  From his 18 years spent representing upstate New York in the United States House of Representatives, to his four years as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President George H. W. Bush, to his work with Empower America, to his selection as the 1996 Republican vice-presidential nominee, Mr. Kemp was a tireless proponent of America’s entrepreneurial and political spirit. 

On a personal note, Jack was a dear friend and mentor.  He would often remind me what it meant to be a ‘Lincoln Republican.’  Through his words and deeds, he inspired a new generation of republican activists.  Our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife Joanne and their children, Jeffrey, Jennifer, Judith and Jimmy and the entire Kemp family as we thank them for sharing the life of Jack Kemp, with the American people.”