CAMPAIGN 2012
Cain says his straw poll win wasn’t fluke
Businessman Herman Cain says his victory in the Florida Republican straw poll was authentic and not a statement by voters against Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
Mr. Cain told NBC’s “Today” show the weekend test balloting was “not a protest vote.”
Mr. Cain said his performance shows “the voice of the people is more powerful than the voice of the media.”
He won roughly 37 percent of the vote, compared with 15 percent for Mr. Perry and 14 percent for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Mr. Cain also said he doubts Mr. Perry’s poor showing was the result of his uneven performance last week in the GOP debate in Florida.
Mr. Cain said the straw poll illustrates that “people are listening to the message and not just, with all due respect, to the media.”
IOWA
Bachmann: GOP nominee must be true conservative
CEDAR RAPIDS — Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is dismissing concerns about the strength of her campaign, saying she’s the Republican with the best conservative credentials and “the complete skill set” to become president.
The Minnesota congresswoman told reporters after a campaign event Monday in suburban Cedar Rapids that her campaign is “positioned perfectly right now” to make a strong bid for the GOP nomination, even as her standing sags in national polls.
Mrs. Bachmann urged a group of about 35 who gathered in a hotel ballroom not to settle on a more moderate candidate who is considered more likely to beat President Obama. She said conservatives “have to have a candidate who has it all” this cycle — and argued that she’s the one.
NEW YORK
GOP candidates seek Trump stamp of approval
NEW YORK — A visit with Donald Trump has become an important campaign stop for Republican presidential candidates.
The celebrity real estate mogul opted out of his own bid for the GOP nomination. Now, the major candidates are seeking an audience with him.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is the latest to pay a visit. Mr. Trump met Mr. Romney on Monday afternoon at Manhattan’s Trump Tower.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann have both met with Mr. Trump. He shared a pizza in Times Square last spring with Sarah Palin, who is still considering a presidential bid.
Strategists say Mr. Trump’s tough, in-your-face warning of a declining nation resonated with voters as he considered entering the race.
CALIFORNIA
Obama: Europe crisis ’scaring the world’
MOUNTAIN VIEW — President Obama says the financial crisis rippling through Europe is “scaring the world” and that steps taken by European nations to stem the eurozone debt problem “haven’t been as quick as they need to be.”
Speaking at a town hall hosted by LinkedIn, Mr. Obama said Europe never fully healed from the financial crisis in 2007. He said Europe’s troubles have spilled beyond the Continent and are affecting the U.S. economy as well.
Mr. Obama’s comments were in response to a question posed by a laid-off worker.
Mr. Obama’s reference to the European debt crisis came on the heels of remarks by Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner this weekend urging governments to unite with the European Central Bank to help defuse the “most serious risk now confronting the world economy.”
JUSTICE
Feds returning $55M to online investors
Federal authorities say they are returning $55 million to people ripped off by an Internet-based Ponzi scam.
The Justice Department and Secret Service announced Monday that they are returning the funds to 8,400 victims who invested on sites run by AdSurf Daily Inc.
The company’s founder, Thomas “Andy” Bowdoin Jr., of Quincy, Fla., has been indicted in connection with the investigation but has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. He is accused of drawing in investors by promising returns of 125 percent to 150 percent on their money if they would view websites for a couple of minutes each day.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington obtained money to repay victims through forfeiture of numerous bank accounts, real estate, luxury vehicles and watercraft.
From wire dispatches and staff reports
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