GOP debate: Rick Perry vs. Mitt Romney, plus Gary Johnson and some dogs

  

If you believe pollster Frank Luntz's focus group in the post-game analysis on Fox News, Mitt Romney did himself a lot of good in Thursday's two-hour Fox News/Google GOP Debate, held in Orlando, Fla.

Nine candidates faced questions from FNC anchors Bret Baier, Chris Wallace and Megyn Kelly, and from citizens via YouTube and text messages: Gary Johnson, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain and Jon Huntsman Jr.

Baier mentioned Google had provided Fox News with a new "boop" sound to indicate a candidate had run over time, since the former bell raised the ire of dog owners (and apparently the volume of their pets' barking).

Speaking of dogs, former New Mexico Gov. Johnson, who hasn't been in a debate since the first one in May, got in the line of the evening, quipping, "My next-door neighbors' two dogs have created more shovel-ready jobs than this current administration."

It got a lot of laughs even though some people swear they've heard Rush Limbaugh tell the same yarn.

Not to be outdone in the canine arena, Georgia-born businessman Cain criticized....

Sarah Palin is running in Iowa

 

 
Is Sarah Palin running?

Why, yes, she is ... in a half-marathon. (She's the one in red above.)

As reported by Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren on her GretaWire blog, as well as by the Iowans4Palin blog, Palin -- as of this moment, still a non-candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential contest -- and husband Todd Palin headed to the LakeTrail in Storm Lake, Iowa.

There, Palin took part in the "Jump Right In and Run" race, which was sponsored by the Storm Lake Running Club and included a half-marathon, two-runner half-marathon relay and 5K run/walk.

Although Palin doesn't show up in the official results, Van Susteren reported that her time was 1:45 for the 13.1-mile race.

(UPDATE: According to a report in the Des Moines Register's 2012 Iowa Caucuses blog, Palin ran under her maiden name of Sarah Heath. She was the second-place finisher among women 40-49, with an official time of 1:46:10.)

On Saturday, Palin spoke at a Tea Party of America event in Indianola, Iowa -- as The Ticket reported (link below, with video).

But the avid road warrior and daughter of a track coach was up bright and early Sunday morning (the races were scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. local time) to shake the kinks out before getting back on the non-campaign trail.

Iowans4Palin reported:

This was not a campaign event, this was some personal time for Governor Palin to get in a good run in a beautiful setting, and they didn't want anyone to know they had slipped in. Very low profile. Amazing they can pull this off.

After running her race in Iowa, Palin took time to pose for a photograph with Iowans4Palin's "teledude" and his wife.

Palin also tweeted a thank you to the town.

SarahPalinUSA 

Thank you, Storm Lake, Iowa. You put on a great event & we loved meeting some great folks in your beautiful town today!

Now Palin's off to speak at the Tea Party Express event Monday (Labor Day) in Manchester, N.H.

Coincidentally -- or not -- Iowa is the first presidential caucus state in the nation, and New Hampshire is the first presidential primary state.

Still no word from Palin on the other kind of running.

RELATED:

Gov. Chris Christie's blunt Labor Day advice

Sarah Palin thrills Iowa crowd, stays mum on presidential plans

Sarah Palin gives a rousing non-campaign campaign speech in Iowa

-- Kate O'Hare

Media critic Kate O’Hare is a regular Ticket contributor. She also blogs about TV at Hot Cuppa TV and is a frequent contributor at entertainment news site Zap2it. Also follow O'Hare on Twitter @KateOH.

Speaking of 2012, follow The Ticket via Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or click this: @latimestot. Our Facebook Like page is over here. We're also available on Kindle. Use the retweet buttons above to share any item with family and friends.

Photos: Sarah Palin running a half-marathon in Storm Lake, Iowa; Palin posing with Iowans4Palin blogger "teledude." Credits: GretaWire.com; Iowans4Palin/Joni Wulfekuhler (Palin posing)

Appeals court rules Obamacare individual mandate unconstitutional

  
President Obama's healthcare overhaul legislation has been handed its biggest legal defeat to date.

In a 2-1 vote, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta sided Friday with 26 states challenging the constitutionality of a provision in the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Referred to as the "individual mandate," it requires nearly all Americans not covered under employer-provided health plans to purchase health insurance or face a penalty.

The administration had argued that the general-welfare and commerce clauses of the Constitution gave Congress the power to require Americans to purchase coverage, but the appeals court rejected that reasoning but also ruled that the rest of the massive law could remain in effect.

The decision is the latest of several rulings on this law, both for and against, including one by U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson in Florida, who struck down the entire law as unconstitutional in January.

Because the individual mandate is a cornerstone of the legislation, the issue is widely expected to wind up before the Supreme Court, which reconvenes in October.

RELATED:

Judges sharply challenge healthcare law

Obama offers strong defense of healthcare law

'Congress exceeded the bounds of its authority' - Federal Judge Roger Vinson on Obama healthcare law

-- Kate O'Hare

Media critic Kate O’Hare is a regular Ticket contributor. She also blogs about TV at Hot Cuppa TV and is a frequent contributor at entertainment news site Zap2it. Also follow O'Hare on Twitter @KateOH.

Speaking of 2012, follow The Ticket via Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or click this: @latimestot. Our Facebook Like page is over here. We're also available on Kindle. Use the ReTweet buttons above to share any item with family and friends.

Photo: U.S. Supreme Court Justices. Credit: Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images

Obama salutes National Health Center Week

NATIONAL HEALTH CENTER WEEK, 2011
- - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, A PROCLAMATION

Across our Nation, over 19 million Americans look to community health centers for medical checkups, education, advice and critical services that keep them healthy. Throughout National Health Center Week, we recommit to supporting this vital resource for underserved communities, and we recognize the critical role community health centers play in our healthcare system.

Every day, men, women, and children find help at community health centers. These centers lead the way in providing high-quality services at an affordable cost, while lifting up the quality of life for their patients. We see the results among Medicaid beneficiaries -- those receiving care from a health center are less likely to be unnecessarily hospitalized or visit an emergency room.

We also see the effects in rural areas with community health centers, where hospitals see fewer uninsured emergency room visits. These health centers are easy to access -- Americans can find a health center near them by using the "Find a Health Center" tool at www.hrsa.gov.

My administration continues to support these centers. Between the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Affordable Care Act, new funding has been committed to support technology and infrastructure updates to existing centers, as well as the construction of new ones.

These laws also provided for important new initiatives that will benefit all Americans. The Affordable Care Act provided for the Health Centers Advanced Primary Care Practice demonstration project, which will use community health centers to test the impact of team-based treatment approaches on the care of elderly patients.

Across our vast and diverse land, Americans have always made it their duty to serve their neighbors in need. It is the common interest and purpose of building a stronger, healthier nation that drives the work of community health centers and fuels our efforts to improve our healthcare system.

During National Health Center Week, we celebrate the contributions of community health centers, and we rededicate ourselves to advancing the well-being of all our people.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, president of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim the week of Aug. 7 through Aug. 13, 2011, as National Health Center Week.

I encourage all Americans to celebrate this week by visiting their local community health center, meeting local health center providers, and exploring the programs they offer to help keep their families healthy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 5th day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

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Photo: President Barack Obama. Credit: Associated Press

Guess which District of Columbia has the nation's worst drug and alcohol abuse problems?

Here's a taste of federal irony:

Washington, D.C., the powerful, self-important place that is so ready these days to dictate health rules and regulations and tell Americans what they should eat less and more of, turns out to have the worst alcohol and drug abuse problems of any state or district.

And D.C. doesn't even have one senator!

A new study by the feds' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that 21.3% of district adults aged 18 to 25 were dependent on or abusing alcohol or drugs in the past year, according to an article in the Washington Examiner.

The national average is 8.9%.

D.C.'s substances of choice are alcohol, marijuana and cocaine, the report said, according to the Examiner. 

The study was concluded before the recent weeks of contentious negotiations over raising the national debt limit to its second record high in two years. No pun intended.

"All ten states that had the highest rates of past month illicit drug use among persons age 12 or older," the study said, "were also the top 10 states for past month marijuana use -- Alaska, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont," the Examiner quoted the report as stating.

Among other findings:

Alaska had the highest rate of current marijuana use (11.5%), while Utah had the lowest (3.6%).

We may have reached a plateau in terms of Americans acknowledging the risks of cigarette smoking. No states reported an increase in the perception of risk.

South Dakota and Hawaii had the lowest rate of serious mental illness in the last year (3.5%).

Rhode Island had the nation's highest percentage of serious mental illness (7.2%) .

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Michael Reynolds / EPA (the Capitol reflected in the Reflecting Pool).

Obama hails Americans with Disabilities Act signing without mentioning who signed it (Hint: a Bush)

Twenty-one years ago today on the South Lawn of the White House, a president signed into law the historic Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark civil rights measure that enhanced the United States' global role as a protector of individual rights.

Today, President Obama issued a proclamation hailing that signing (scroll down for his full text).

But the Democrat apparently didn't have room to mention the Republican president who enthusiastically advocated for and signed that pioneering piece of legislation into law, President George H.W. Bush, the father of Obama's immediate presidential predecessor.

Funny in a sad way how the Republican president who signed the bill hailed at some length the bipartisan nature of its construction and passage. Click here to watch President Bush's 1990 signing remarks.

And yet the Democratic president who ran on restoring bipartisanship to the nation's capital couldn't find the words to mention the signer. Although he had several to say about his own belated Executive Order.

(UPDATE: A White House spokesman points out that President Obama did acknowledge his predecessor's major role in ADA a year ago on the 20th anniversary with a phone call and public mention. At that time Obama said: "He was very humble about his own role, but I think it’s worth acknowledging the great work that he did." Thanks for the amplification.) 

-- Andrew Malcolm

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ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, 2011
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, A PROCLAMATION

Generations of Americans with disabilities have improved our country in countless ways. Refusing to accept the world as it was, they have torn down the barriers that prohibited them from fully realizing the American dream.

Their tireless efforts led to the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), one of

Michele Bachmann's migraines are infrequent but caused by 'trigger factors,' doctor says

Michele Bachmann released a letter from the attending physician of Congress on Wednesday, intended to clear the GOP presidential hopeful of any doubts that her admitted migraines would not be an issue if she were to become the commander in chief.

Dr. Brian Monahan wrote to the congresswoman telling her that "your migraines occur infrequently and have known trigger factors of which you are aware and know how to avoid."

That account is much different than those being published by Politico and the conservative website the Daily Caller, which both reported that Bachmann's migraines have caused her to miss congressional votes and forced her office to literally go dark as she recovered.

"One former top Bachmann staffer, who denied being a source of the Daily Caller report, told Politico the congresswoman’s migraines were so prevalent that the entire office and campaign staff — even interns — knew about the problem," Politico reported early Wednesday morning.

"For the Bachmann campaign, this is the first big challenge," Republican strategist Karl Rove told Fox News. "It's evidence of what happens when you jump up into the top ring of these polls, and the kind of scrutiny that you get."

Healthy-eating advocate Michelle Obama downs 1,700 calorie lunch: A burger, fries and shake (chocolate)

It's good to be first lady.

Michelle Obama has become the nation's foremost advocate for restaurant menu reform and healthier eating to reduce obesity, especially among children. 

She has made much of the need for Americans to routinely pack away fewer calories and carbs, more veggies, fruits -- that sort of stuff.

Plus, of course, get more exercise.

But alas one of those annoying media types, a reporter from the Washington Post, happened to be on the scene in Washington today.

Of course, it's hard to miss when a busy street and a new diner are totally shut down to the public for its normal bustling traffic of lunch-hour customers for the benefit of one VIP eater.

While her husband was telling the country it's time to eat its peas and address the staggering national deficit, Mrs. Obama went out for lunch.

But the healthy-eating advocate was nabbed doing 60 in a 35 zone: At today's lunch Mrs. Obama downed a good-sized ShackBurger.

And french fries.

And a milk shake of the chocolate variety.

According to the Shake Shack's website, that adds up to a whopping 1,700 calories for one meal.

Obama has said that occasional indulgences are OK. This obviously was one.

And Obama may have forgotten that today is July 11 as in 7/11 or 7-Eleven. As such, it is the annual midsummer day when that national convenience store chain offers free Slurpees over in the sticky-floor corner.

However, to make up for the 1,700-calorie indulgence, the first lady did cut back on the cals for her second luncheon drink. She had a diet Coke.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Associated Press (First Lady Obama leaves Air Force One on a vacation).

Bill Gates and others pledge $4.3 billion for vaccines for children in poor countries

Bill Gates, the Microsoft cofounder who has recently been focusing most of his efforts on philanthropy, joined several world leaders to pledge billions for vaccines for children in poor countries.

"This is absolutely human generosity at its finest," Gates told reporters Monday at the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization conference in London.

"For the first time in history, children in developing countries will receive the same vaccines against diarrhea and pneumonia as children in rich countries," Gates, who founded the alliance, said, according to Reuters.

Gates and several international donors pledged $4.3 billion to buy vaccines to protect children in poor countries against potentially fatal maladies like pneumonia and diarrhea.

British Prime Minister David Cameron pledged $1.3 billion and said despite his nation's budget cuts, this cause is a no-brainer.

"Frankly, the idea of children dying from pneumonia and diarrhea should be absolutely unthinkable in 2011," Cameron said from the conference. "But for many parents in the developing world it is a devastating reality."

The global alliance has already vaccinated 288 million children in 19 countries and hopes to immunize 243 million more by 2015. It wants to broaden its reach in coming years by going to 26 additional countries.

"Today is an important moment in our collective commitment to protecting children in developing countries from disease," Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said. "But every 20 seconds, a child still dies of a vaccine-preventable disease. There's more work to be done."

RELATED:

Is Bill Gates' fight against polio quixotic or practical?

Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen says Bill Gates plotted to dilute his stake

-- Tony Pierce
twitter.com/busblog

Photo: Bill Gates speaks at the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization conference in London. Credit: Paul Hackett / Associated Press

Medicare 'is a problem because we have become a poor nation,' Donald Trump says

Medicare was the topic on the table when Donald Trump called in from a golf course to speak to Bill O'Reilly, but naturally the subject returned to the billionaire's plans to run for president.

But first Trump explained that if Asian countries "would let us have our jobs back," the issues with Medicare would get resolved naturally.

"Bill, if we could get the economy going and if China would stop taking all of our jobs because our leaders are not smart -- in fact, I'll go a step further -- because we have stupid leadership, and if South Korea and all of these other countries that make all of our products and, in particular China, would let us have our jobs back, if we had intelligent people negotiating, where all of these countries -- by the way, China, what they are doing with their currency in terms of manipulation makes it impossible for our people to compete," Trump told the Fox host on "The O'Reilly Factor" on Friday.

"So if we took our jobs back and we made this country strong again and we made our own product and we got together, not -- you don't get together -- if we did something with respect to OPEC, who is ripping us off like nobody's ever ripped us before, Medicare would take care of itself," deduced The Donald.

Trump's favorite subject, of course, is himself, and he did not miss the opportunity to tell O'Reilly of his intention to run as an independent if the GOP nominates someone weak.