Mediaboss Marketing

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) took the top spot for the third year in a row at Saturdays Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll, edging out Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.) as the favorite in the last CPAC presidential preference contest before primary voting begins.

Paul had been the prohibitive favorite heading into this years balloting, which featured 17 candidates. More than 3,000 attendees voted, a 20 percent increase over 2014's turnout.

Hundreds of Paul fans had streamed in from across the country for the multi-day event in National Harbor, Md -- but his percentage of the vote actually dropped, to 25.7 percent, from 31 percent in 2014. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush (R) had made a major effort, sponsoring buses that brought supporters in from Washington, D.C. to Maryland and paying entry fees for some supporters a push that brought him a fifth-place showing. Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.), who drew a significant level of grassroots excitement at the conference with a strong performance in his Friday address, drew 21.4 percent of the vote, dramatically and improving on his fifth place showing last year. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who finished second to Paul in 2014, drew 11.5 percent of the vote, roughly the same as he had in 2014.

Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who boasted a swell of grassroots support at CPAC, came in fourth place. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie came in 10th place, with 2.8 percent of the vote.

Organizers said the results showed "how fluid and open the race is."

A candidates popularity with the Conservative Political Action Conference hasnt necessarily been a great predictor of his or her success with the larger GOP electorate, as attendees tend to have a stronger libertarian bent than the Republican majority. The Kentucky senator had won the CPAC straw poll in 2013 and 2014, and his father former Texas congressman Ron Paul won in 2010 and 2011. Mitt Romney won in 2012.

But that isnt really the point of CPAC anyway.

The event which is sponsored by think tanks, conservative Web sites and influential interest groups like the National Rifle Association is really more about theater, a forum for budding presidential candidates to road-test ideas. And in that regard, this years gathering did not disappoint.

Some of the excitement had to do with the fact that organizers changed the format of the event from previous years. Rather than just deliver speeches, candidates were expected to take questions from the audience a twist that helped some candidates, but hurt others.

Walker, who tops many polls, made headlines for appearing to draw a parallel between his fight in 2011 against public sector unions and the challenge the United States faces in combating the Islamic State, the militant group that has taken responsibility for beheadings, burnings and other savagery. Commentators shook their heads at the implicit comparison between Wisconsin citizens exercising their right to free speech by protesting with terrorists. A spokeswoman for the governor later clarified that he was in no way comparing any American citizen to ISIS. She continued, What the governor was saying was when faced with adversity he chose strength and leadership.

Go here to read the rest:
Rand Paul wins CPAC straw poll, with Scott Walker a close second

TIME Politics 2016 Election 5:40 PM ET Updated: 6:47 PM ET Mark PetersonRedux for TIME Rand Paul speaks at CPAC in National Harbor, Md. on Feb. 27, 2015.

Sen. Rand Paul won the Conservative Political Action Conference for the third year in a row, but the real action was in second place, where Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker took the honors.

Pauls victory, with 26% percent of the vote, was widely expected due to the throngs of young, libertarian-minded attendees. (He won 25% of the vote in 2013 and 31% in 2014.) But Walkers second-place win showed the Midwesterners growing credibility among conservatives.

In securing 21% of the vote, Walker is sure to ignite more buzz as he seeks to appeal to both the partys wealthy elite and its conservative base. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush may be dominating the fundraising primary, but Walker is picking up support among the partys grassroots.

Walkers continued rise has only pressured the more moderate Chris Christie, who placed 10th with the unfriendly audience and is finding his path to the nomination narrowed by Walker and Bush.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, whose fiery brand of conservatism appeals particularly to the CPAC attendee, placed third with 12% of the vote.

But the straw polls results are hardly predictive of the GOP primaries, providing only a murky window into the polarized political party. Only registered attendees are provided a code with which to vote, turning campaign staffers and volunteers into temporary travel agents.

Bush came in fifth with 8% of the vote. He faced a skeptical crowd at CPAC, where the conservative base views the Bush heir as an establishment figure backed by Washington D.C.s power brokers. Many view his support of the Common Core education standards and immigration reform with suspicion, and his appearance on Friday punctuated was by heckles and jeers.

Busing in supporters to pack the audience and juice the vote in the straw poll is a longstanding CPAC tradition. On Friday crowds of young students descended on the Convention Center, bused in by Bush allies who helped them obtain passes to the conference when he spoke.

Paul and Cruzs PACs organized discounted registrations and hotel rooms nearby for young attendees, who play an outsized role in swaying the polls results.

Read the rest here:
Rand Paul Wins CPAC Straw Poll, Scott Walker Takes Second

Top 10 Sleazy Valentines Libertarian Pick Up Lines
The top 10 list of sleazy libertarian valentines day themed pick up lines. #fatlibertariandude #libertarian #ValentinesDay.

By: Chris Newman

Original post:
Top 10 Sleazy Valentines Libertarian Pick Up Lines - Video

press release

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned, in the strongest possible terms, the needless resort to sheer hysteria by the PDP and the Jonathan Administration over the globally-acclaimed appearance of the APC's Presidential Candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, at the Chatham House in London on Thursday.

In a statement issued in London on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said even when it was so apparent that the PDP and the Jonathan Administration were so stunned and stung by Gen. Buhari's well-accepted presentation, they could have saved themselves from further disgrace by simply keeping quiet, instead of exposing their inanities.

"For the spokesmen of the PDP and the Jonathan Campaign organizations to have rushed to the press to denounce what was a patriotic presentation by a high-regarded Nigerian is not only absurd but a new low, even for those who have lost every sense of propriety in their public actions and pronouncements," it said.

APC said the level of paranoia of the PDP and the Jonathan Administration was so high, even before the General's presentation, that they went to hire some poor folks to protest at the Chatham House over an issue they knew nothing about.

The party said it was just as well that the rent-a-crowd show boomeranged on the PDP/Jonathan Administration, when those among the scanty protesters who were interviewed said they did not even know why they have come there, with some of them hiding behind their placards of shame!

"The fact that the Jonathan Administration wasted public funds in hiring people to protest against Gen. Buhari's appearance is another indication of how the commonwealth has been consistently frittered away under the clueless and incompetent Jonathan Administration," it said, wondering who appropriated the funds that were wasted on the uninformed and disinterested band of protesters.

APC also described as the worst case of double standard for the loudmouths of the PDP and the Jonathan Administration to question the basis for Gen. Buhari's appearance at the Chatham House, when the same platform was used a few weeks back by the Administration, which sent National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki there to push for the postponement of the 2015 general elections.

"So it is OK for Dasuki to speak at the Chatham House, one of the most important platforms for any statesman, but forbidden for the APC Presidential Candidate to use the same platform? The needless vituperation of the PDP and the Jonathan megaphones against our candidate is precisely the reason the sinking ruling party and the failed Administration it sired have become the butt of jokes around the world.

"Instead of apologizing for seeking to pull the wool over the eyes of Nigerians by saying that Gen. Buhari went to London for medical treatment, these band of poor propagandists persisted in dancing naked in the public square. What a pity?" the party said.

See more here:
Nigeria: Buhari At Chatham House - APC Slams Paranoid PDP, Presidency

Tinubu; Amaechi

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council on Saturday condemned an alleged plot by the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Peoples Democratic Party to cripple the campaign of the partys presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd).

This was contained in a statement signed by the Director Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential campaign, Mr. Garba Shehu, in Abuja.

He said the APC Presidential campaign condemned the plot by the Jonathan-led ruling Peoples Democratic Party to clip the electoral success wings of the opposition APC, through a proposed grounding of aircraft and freezing of bank accounts belonging to stalwarts of the party.

According to him, the plot to destabilise the APC and cripple its flag-bearer, General Muhammadu Buhari, may be linked to the global attention on its candidates performance at the United kingdoms Chatham House last Thursday.

The statement partly read: The hint we gather from sources is that the government, through its agents, is plotting to ground aircraft and freeze bank accounts of APC stakeholders. But history has shown that the forces of evil can never succeed against the zeal of men and women of virtue and good deeds.

Shehu said information at APCs disposal had uncovered the plot by the Jonathan administration to use the Aviation Ministry and the security service to hound and clampdown members of the APC, by prospecting obnoxious means to halt and slow down Buharis popularity.

There is also a plot to block or freeze the bank accounts of APC chieftains like Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Rotimi Amaechi (Director General of APC Presidential Campaign Organisation), and other prominent leaders believed to be funding the Generals campaign; and availing him their aircrafts for electioneering purposes, Shehu said.

The APC Presidential campaign spokesperson recalled that private jets conveying APC Governors, Amaechi of Rivers State and Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, were either prevented from taking-off or landing during crucial political occasions, particularly during the Ekiti State gubernatorial elections that saw PDPs Ayodele Fayose defeating Dr Kayode Fayemi, in a most controversial military-assisted contest now known as Ekiti-gate Tape.

When contacted, the deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Abdullahi Jalo said, he was not aware of any such plan and challenged the APC to produce evidence if it had any.

View post:
Jonathan plans to freeze Tinubu, Amaechis account APC