Presidential races

Libertarian Rep. Ron Paul (R), who is considering a presidential bid, criticized the House Republicans' budget proposal during an appearance in Iowa on Monday. 

Paul said that the proposals from House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and President Obama don't do enough to solve the nation's oncoming fiscal woes.

"Neither of those budgets will solve our problems, won't even come close," Paul said during his talk at the Family Leader Presidential Lecture Series, according to Reuters. 

The veteran congressman often stakes out positions that are antithetical to his party's leaders, but has said he would remain on the Republican ticket should he run for president. 

Paul's position stands out from other potential 2012 GOP contenders, who last week largely praised the proposal to cut $5.8 trillion over 10 years. 

The congressman said that Ryan's budget plan does not do enough to reduce the amount of social welfare provided by the government. Other critics on the right have pointed to the fact it would not balance the federal budget for about two decades. 

His son, Rand Paul (R), a Tea Party-backed senator from Kentucky, is also circulating a "Dear Colleague" letter to members of the upper chamber urging them not to vote for a compromise on government funding for the rest of the fiscal year. 

Ryan spent much of last week defending his drastic proposal, saying that the amount of time his proposal would take to balance the budget is due to the profoundly deep fiscal problems facing the United States.

“This just shows you how deep a hole our country is in,” he said.

Paul said last week he would make a decision by May whether to make his third run for the White House.

Tim Pawlenty has chosen Nick Ayers, former executive director for the Republican Governors Association, as his presidential campaign chief.

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The former Alaska governor applauded Donald Trump for opening a private probe into President Obama's birth certificate.

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As a possible government shutdown looms, one of the GOP's top political strategists reminded Republicans Thursday of the positive impact the shutdowns of the mid-'90s had on the political fortunes of then-President Clinton.

In a polling memo posted on his website, Republican strategist Karl Rove wrote, "The shutdowns helped inprove Clinton's political standing, boosting both his approval rating and perceptions of him as a strong leader."

Rove referenced a Gallup poll that showed Clinton's approval rating in the mid-40s before the first shutdown, but jumping to 54 percent by the time government reopened in November of 1995.

"Clinton's approval rating never again fell below 50 percent for the remainder of his presidency," wrote Rove, who said that while the shutdowns didn't jeopardize the GOP's hold on Congress, they did help position Clinton for reelection in 1996, when he won easily over Republican Bob Dole.

"President Obama's ratings as a strong leader have slipped this year — Gallup polling last week found he had dropped eight points," Rove concluded. "Republicans should be careful not to let him recover as he gears up for his 2012 reelection campaign."

Former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) sparked presidential speculation when he held a lunch Tuesday with supporters.

Christian Heinze, of The Hill's GOP '12, has the details, including clues from the past that hint to a Pataki bid.

A Pataki spokesperson told The New York Post that the lunch "was not a fundraiser. He got together with some friends and supporters ... They did talk about politics, they talked about the future."

And when asked about a 2012 run, the spokesperson said: "He's going to look at the field and look at what he's got going on, and make a decision based on those facts. He certainly hasn't ruled it out."

CNN will hold a presidential primary debate in Las Vegas later this year, the network announced Wednesday.

CNN and the Western Republican Leadership Conference (WRLC) have teamed up for the event, which will be held Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011, at the Venetian Resort Hotel in Las Vegas.

Nevada is an important early primary state in the nominating process.

"Republicans in Western States will play an important role in determining the next Republican nominee for president," said former Rep. Jon Porter (R-Nev.), chairman of the Western Republican Leadership Conference, in a release. "On behalf of the Western Republican Leadership Conference, I am excited to be working with CNN on this important debate. I look forward to hosting our 2012 Presidential candidates, and showcasing their ideas on Western and national issues."

The WRLC is made up of GOP leaders from 16 states and territories in the western region of the country.

The Western Region includes: Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

CNN is also hosting a debate Tuesday, June 7, in New Hampshire and Monday, Sept. 12, in Tampa, Fla.

Other debates include a May 5 debate in Greenville, S.C., sponsored by Fox News.

The Reagan Library had planned a May debate but shifted it to September due to the fact that few contenders have officially entered the presidential race.

He says Sarah Palin will be competitive but notes he doesn't know her 2012 plans.

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Mitch Daniels will become the latest Republican presidential hopeful to take the stage at the American Enterprise Institute. The Indiana governor will be at the conservative think tank on May 4 to deliver a speech on education, an AEI spokeswoman confirmed to The Ballot Box.

Daniels is mulling a bid for the Republican 2012 presidential nomination. He's told reporters he remains focused on the current state legislative session, which must end by April 29, but will consider his future prospects after it wraps up.

During his second term as governor, Daniels has focused on several education reforms, including a measure to allow high-school students who finish a year early to use the savings from their senior year on their first year of college tuition. Daniels could tout his record on education during a national campaign. In 2000, for instance, then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush made that one of his signature issues in his race against Vice President Al Gore.

AEI recently played host to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, whom many Republicans also consider a presidential contender.

Palin's absence on the stump presents a major opportunity for Rep. Michele Bachmann, who relishes the anti-establishment mantle.

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Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer will help lead a Republican National Committee effort to adjust and refine the party's national message heading into 2012.

Fleischer, who served as press secretary to former President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003, is set to steer the committee's "communicators group," according to an email from RNC Communications Director Sean Spicer.

The RNC is planning monthly conference calls with a group of GOP communications pros to discuss strengths and weaknesses of the party's messaging and disseminate ideas.

"As we enter a key presidential cycle at the RNC, we are putting together a group of top notch communicators inside and outside the beltway," Spicer wrote in an email to GOP insiders that went out Sunday night. "I am pleased to announce that former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer has agreed to help lead this group."

The RNC is holding its first call Tuesday morning, which will include Fleischer and Republican pollster Glen Bolger. It comes just a day after President Obama announced his reelection campaign with a video message to supporters.

Under former Chairman Michael Steele, the RNC's 2010 performance was widely panned despite a strong election cycle for Republicans nationally. New Chairman Reince Priebus has pledged to regain the trust of major donors and is working to rebuild the committee's political infrastructure.