Romney Fund-Raising Breakfast in Israel to Bar News Media

JERUSALEM — Mitt Romney’s high-dollar breakfast with donors at the King David Hotel here on Monday morning will be closed to the news media, his campaign decided Saturday, a change from the norm for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

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The trip to Israel holds opportunity and peril for Mr. Romney, and his campaign aides have spent weeks preparing him for the fine diplomatic line he must walk while abroad. His relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, which dates to their days as young consultants in Boston, is being scrutinized for signs of warmth or cooling, and everything said — and unsaid — will be carefully parsed.

The fund-raiser may be an especially delicate situation for Mr. Romney because of the attendance of Sheldon Adelson, a billionaire casino magnate who has pledged to spend some $100 million this election to help defeat President Obama, as well as elect Republicans. Though Mr. Adelson first supported Newt Gingrich during the early nominating contests because of his strong support for Israel, he has since thrown his support behind Mr. Romney. Mr. Adelson and his wife recently gave $5 million to a pro-Romney “super PAC.”

Mr. Romney seems to be taking pains to keep the fund-raiser under wraps. Typically, a small pool of reporters is allowed into fund-raisers held in public locations, in order to provide a written report on Mr. Romney’s remarks. Though there have been a few occasions when the campaign has tried to limit access — citing an especially small venue or the fact that Mr. Romney was not giving formal remarks — this is the first time that a public fund-raiser has been closed without any explanation.

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Republicans Wage Repeal Campaign on Social Media

The Republican National Committee released a video titled “The Final Verdict” on YouTube as part of its social media campaign in response to the Supreme Court ruling on the health care law.

Soon after the Supreme Court ruling on President Obama’s health care law was announced, Republican leaders took to Twitter with a new hashtag, #fullrepeal, aimed at helping to focus the conversation on ousting Mr. Obama in November and reversing the law.

The fight for #FullRepeal begins NOW. The way to get rid of #Obamacare is to defeat Obama in November.

— RNC (@GOP) 28 Jun 12

The hashtag and a new video on YouTube titled “The Final Verdict” are part of a social media strategy that Republican Party leaders agreed upon with Romney campaign officials this week in the event the court allowed the health care overhaul law to stand.

On Facebook, there’s a Repeal It Now page with a link to a petition and fund-raising drive.

As part of the plan, the Republican National Committee also introduced a new Web site, People v. Obamacare on Thursday morning to provide what it said was information for people “so they can continue to fight for free market health care solutions that will decrease costs and increase care.”

Users who do a Google search for Republican National Committee are directed to the new Web site, which features a tab showing the conversation on Twitter around the #fullrepeal discussion.

“Today’s Supreme Court decision sets the stakes for the November election,” said Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee in announcing the debut of site. “Now, the only way to save the country from Obamacare’s budget-busting government takeover of health care is to elect a new resident.”

To help drive the #fullrepeal message, the committee bought advertising space on Twitter, using what it is calling a promoted tweet, which directed people who were searching for information about the law to the new Web site.

By noon on Thursday, #fullrepeal was a trending topic on Twitter. According to Topsy analytics, the term has been mentioned thousands of times in the last 24 hours.

The Romney campaign embraced the hashtag with Andrea Saul, press secretary for Mr. Romney, using it throughout the day to announce updates on Twitter about how much money Mr. Romney had raised online from people upset with the decision.

9,500+ donations to @MittRomney & Victory today for #FullRepeal $1.1 million & climbing

— Andrea Saul (@andreamsaul) 28 Jun 12

The #fullrepeal hashtag accompanied Twitter posts from the National Republican Senatorial Committee; House Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio; Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the House majority leader; and even the College Republicans before the coordinated, strategic messaging spread to supporters across the country.

On July 11th, the House will once again vote to repeal ObamaCare. #healthcare #fullrepeal

— Eric Cantor (@GOPLeader) 28 Jun 12

#fullrepeal #4jobs RT @GOPLeader: During the week of July 9th, the House of Representatives will once again repeal ObamaCare.

— Speaker John Boehner (@SpeakerBoehner) 28 Jun 12

McConnell: “The Supreme Court has spoken. This law is a tax. The bill was sold to the American people on a deception” #fullrepeal

— NRSC (@NRSC) 28 Jun 12

“#Obamacare was bad policy yesterday. It’s bad policy today.” – #MittRomney #FullRepeal

— College Republicans (@CRNC) 28 Jun 12

The hashtag helped develop conversations on Twitter about the Republican leadership’s proposed next steps even among those with small followings.

@EmilyMcCargar only way to repeal now is get @MittRomney elected along with #GOP Senate majority. #FullRepeal

— jjrohloff (@jjrohloff) 28 Jun 12

It was also used on Twitter in posts criticizing Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. for voting in favor of the law.

CJ Roberts Opinion, pg 6: “It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices.” #fullrepeal

— Rep. James Lankford (@RepLankford) 28 Jun 12

On the other side of the debate, supporters used Twitter to criticize the new Web site.

@GOP you mean peoplevromneycare?

— Raymond Rehayem (@libraryeye) 28 Jun 12

And to suggest new hashtags. In this case, a Twitter user suggested #moveforward.

.@GOPLeader: “For the next 5 years, I’ll keep putting politics before progress, despite overwhelming public sentiment to #MoveForward.”

— Jonas Heineman (@SanFranCitizen) 28 Jun 12

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Santorum opens Primary Day in NH with media blitz (AP)

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum says he'll be pleased if he finishes in the middle of the pack in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, but adds that he "might sneak up on some people."

The former Pennsylvania senator tells Fox News Channel a third-, fourth- or fifth-place finish would be proof that he's "climbed up and reached the pack." And he says he's proud he did it "without spending a dime on broadcast TV" ads in New Hampshire.

Instead of buying airtime, Santorum was spending the morning of primary day giving interviews to cable TV and radio programs. After the media blitz, he was planning to visit polling places for some last-minute, face-to-face campaigning.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum is hoping to emerge as the leading conservative alternative to front-runner Mitt Romney after the wrap-up of voting in New Hampshire.

The former Pennsylvania senator is preparing for a busy day of visits to polling places and non-stop media interviews Tuesday. He hasn't bought advertising in the state and is instead relying on a constant stream of TV appearances to put himself before voters. He was slated for appearances on cable programs and radio shows before visiting polling places to do some last-minute, face-to-face campaigning.

"We're not asking much. Our founders gave their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor," Santorum said at a primary eve rally. "I'm asking you for 24 hours of effort to pull off a huge surprise here in New Hampshire to give us the boost to show that the momentum is continuing so we can go down to South Carolina, kick a little butt down in South Carolina, go down to Florida and keep kicking until we have a strong, principled conservative in the model of Ronald Reagan."

Santorum said Republicans don't have to settle for someone who doesn't share their values.

"We're going to vote for the real conservative because we know the real conservative can win this race and change this country," he said.

Santorum's fundraising didn't pick up until after his strong second-place finish in Iowa, and his advisers decided against spending money here on the air. In Iowa, he spent just $30,000 on ads to finish just eight votes behind the former Massachusetts governor.

"Given the fact that we're not running any media up here and that we've really only spent five days in the last month here, second place would be a dream come true," Santorum said Monday, looking to manage expectations.

The key, he said, was emerging as "the strong alternative to Gov. Romney and continuing to build off that momentum."

Late Monday, Santorum sharpened his criticism of Romney and urged voters not to settle on the former Massachusetts governor simply because "it is his time." He cited other candidates who captured the GOP's nomination only to lose: Gerald Ford, Bob Dole and John McCain. They have been described as moderates by many in the more conservative wing of the party.

"We win elections when our people are excited about who to vote for," Santorum said.

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The Strange Ways Candidate Gary Johnson Gets Media Attention (The Atlantic Wire)

It's difficult for a marginalized presidential candidate to get attention without saying or doing something embarrassing. For the most part, former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson isn't one of those fringe candidates, but--as The Atlantic's Conor Friedersdorf has noted here, here and here--he isn't getting media share like the better-known, backed, and funded GOP contenders. So he's clearly been trying to create his own buzz, with mixed results.

Related: First Official Republican 2012 Candidate Is Gay

Today, Johnson made news for launching a new website catered to gamblers before his trip to Las Vegas on Thursday, of which CNN briefly noted: "Gary Johnson is trying to hold 'em - poker players." The site was only his latest effort to get a little bit of attention, and we've noticed a few similar PR moves of his recently. Here's our quick list.

Related: Obama Must Be Thrilled: Trump Wants to Run as an Independent

Appealing to Poker Players and Heading to the World Series of Poker Party - Take a look at Gary Johnson's special website set up to help raise funds from those who don't think the federal government should be "involved in restricting lawful commerce that doesn't harm anyone," (i.e. gambling) as he put it on the site. It's a little Ron Paul-esque, but seems to have the intended effect: Matthew Kredell, a writer at Poker News noted "Even today, only a fringe candidate would go out on that ledge to court poker players. But for any candidate at all to see value in the poker vote is progress."

Related: Trumpdate 2012: Gives $50,000 to Rahm, Doesn't Vote Much

Arguing With an Obama Impersonator on Fox Business Network - In retrospect, this surreal moment of television has to be considered a misstep: how can a presidential candidate be taken seriously when he's earnestly arguing with an Obama look-alike now-known for telling racy jokes at June's Republican Leadership Conference? Of course, Johnson didn't know that said-impersonator Reggie Brown would be mired in controversy only a little over a week later. But the candidate should have known he was walking into a circus on Fox Business Network with this faux-debate:

Related: Drunk Pawlenty Worker Tries to Break Through Teen's Door at 3 a.m.

Responding to Every Single Question at the Debate He Wasn't Invited To - His notable exclusion (he didn't have enough support in national polls) from the much-hyped CNN presidential debate in June doesn't mean he missed much: it was Michele Bachmann's night anyway. But, dutifully, Johnson produced a 40-minute video splicing moderator John King's questions with his own trademarked answers. Of his answers, an impressed Conor Friedersdorf wrote: "If another lesser known produced a 40 minute clip with answers so compelling that I thought they could go viral, or were worthy of wider attention, I'd totally hit the embed button again."

Related: Mitt Romney Still Outpacing Rivals in Money and Polls

Trumpeting 'Legalize Marijuana' as a Signature Issue - He's done interviews with 420 Times magazine, been the unofficial choice of a High Times magazine staffers straw poll, and boldly endorsed marijuana legalization at CPAC. So by now, he seems to have established himself--aside from Ron Paul--as the Republican candidate who supports the legalization of pot. He even devoted his valuable, brief moment on the Colbert Report to give his full-throated endorsement: Leveraging Counterintuitive Positions: "I didn't create a single job" - A few weeks ago,  the conservative National Review magazine praised the former New Mexico governor's record on job growth in comparison to the other contenders, saying "Gary Johnson has the best record of the official candidates." (We made a chart of the job growth numbers cited in the report.) Instead of just accepting the praise, Johnson responded: "Contrary to the news, I didn't create a single job," before explaining that he didn't want to take credit for growth in his state. In a savvy move, he did, however, transform National Review's praise into a blurb for his campaign ad, below:

Want to add to this story? Open Wire.

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LAST TICKET: Glenn Beck makes Rick Santorum uncomfortable, Romney to London, Pawlenty beefs up media buy in Iowa… (The Ticket)

Here are the stories we took note of today but didn't give the full blog treatment:

• Days after House Speaker John Boehner played a round of golf with President Obama, GOP Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy said the president should "get off the golf course." (Bloomberg News)

• Mitt Romney is heading to London to raise cash from expats. (CBS News)

• Glenn Beck to Rick Santorum while shaking hands on camera: "I could kiss you in the mouth!" (Mediaite)

• Tim Pawlenty buys $14,000 of radio time in Iowa on top of a $50,000 TV ad campaign. (Ben Smith)

• Romney channels Margaret Thatcher. (Slate)

• Sarah Palin's move "The Undefeated" premieres in Iowa next week. (Des Moines Register)

• Herman Cain continues to endear himself to the press. (The Note)

• Van Jones launches a "liberal tea party." (The Fix)

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