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By James Hohmann (
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jhohmann@politico.com ; Twitter: @jameshohmann)

FIRST IN SCORE - ROMNEY ATTACKS OBAMA FOR REQUESTING ANOTHER STIMULUS: The Romney campaign will release the latest installment of its "Obama isn't working" video series today. "Stop the spending" highlights the unmet promise by President Obama in Feb. 2009 that his stimulus would "save or create 3.5 million jobs" over two years. "Since then 1.7 million additional jobs were lost and more than 25 million Americans are out of work or struggling with employment," the video says. Five "Private Sector Job Creators" say on camera that the stimulus did not help their businesses and that the proposed second stimulus (aka the jobs act) would be ineffective. "It would be a total waste of money," one
says. "And as a business owner I can't go out and spend more than I make," a second says. "It will get to the point where you can't recover," a third adds. Here's the 90-second video:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5608978e581f2df24e5814634d2768ae2ab34228a35587f6c5f7a7539136e607
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5608978e581f2df24e5814634d2768ae2ab34228a35587f6c5f7a7539136e607 .

Apparently these economic-based attacks on the president are resonating with the donor class. Bloomberg reports that "Romney has raised more than twice as much money from Wall Street as Barack Obama - an edge gained in part by luring away at least 100 donors, mostly investors, who backed the president in 2008."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5608978e581f2df2a5fd2dbc41da9c741b820c6bdc8ee0afe25fbabecab8439f
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EXCLUSIVE - ACU RELEASING RATINGS FOR LEGISLATORS IN FIVE STATES THIS FALL: The American Conservative Union has been giving members of Congress annual ratings since 1971. Starting this year they will grade all state legislators in Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia on how they vote on key conservative issues. "With state governments on the frontlines of many of the most significant and controversial policy debates facing our country - from fighting ObamaCare to cutting spending to preserving traditional values - the ACU is committed to playing a defining role in this conversation at every level of government," says ACU Chairman Al Cardenas. The scheduled announcements of the
inaugural ratings: Virginia, October 13 in Richmond; Nevada, November 3 in Las Vegas; Ohio, November 9 in Columbus; Florida, November 15 in Tallahassee; and North Carolina, November 29 in Raleigh. Each event will honor state-level "Defenders of Liberty."

*** As Santorum tries to peel away Bachmann supporters, Perdue's staff says she was kidding and McCotter reckons with his criticisms of Mitt, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.

LAST NIGHT IN SIMI VALLEY - "CHRISTIE SENDS MIXED MESSAGE IN CALIFORNIA": That's the headline of the Los Angeles Times story from the event at the Reagan library. He referred the hundreds in the crowd to a POLITICO video that strung together months of "I'm not going to run" denials, but then he did not definitively repeat them. By not pouring cold water on the buzz, he'll fuel at least one more day of speculation that he still might. He's reportedly told donors he won't run, and many close to him say he's serious. The full text of Christie's half-hour speech:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5608978e581f2df2c777f23b23a7a14a20ed58b94699c5bba40c1b1574b0c76e
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5608978e581f2df2c777f23b23a7a14a20ed58b94699c5bba40c1b1574b0c76e .

This comes across in the headlines. The Washington Post: "Though hearing pleas to run, Christie sidesteps 2012 questions." The New York Times: "Christie Adds Little New, but Fails to Quell The Talk." The Wall Street Journal: "After Christie Speech, The Answer Is Still 'No.'" The stories:
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http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5608978e581f2df23c6452c2ca0c4614c06b8f2cad98a7cd7e9dbd6dad1d63bb ;
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5608978e581f2df22047fa0cd71395448908b45d013295e3f692e19b7d9c29c4
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5608978e581f2df22047fa0cd71395448908b45d013295e3f692e19b7d9c29c4 ;
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5608978e581f2df2c802f956ac3cfd7e5ca1fc9fee1e7af3dd01b7c612512f72
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5608978e581f2df2c802f956ac3cfd7e5ca1fc9fee1e7af3dd01b7c612512f72 ;
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5608978e581f2df273ef5b2aba93830c2ae313da145107df585ed94246d65bf7
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5608978e581f2df273ef5b2aba93830c2ae313da145107df585ed94246d65bf7 .

Maggie Haberman tweeted last night: "I don't believe Christie runs. I do believe he is letting people know he is considering it."

Christie had no qualms hitting Perry on immigration during the Q&A: "Responding to a question from the audience, Christie said he opposed laws that allowed the children of illegal immigrants to pay lower in-state tuition at public colleges. 'From my perspective, that is not a heartless position,' Christie said. 'That is a common-sense position.'"
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PERRY DEFIANT - CAMPAIGN PLANS TO RATCHET UP CRITICISM OF ROMNEY: "Even as some of his supporters grow anxious, the Texas governor's top aides insist they have no plans for real or even symbolic changes to their campaign," Jonathan Martin writes in the story leading POLITICO's home page this morning. "The only pivot they'll make, they say, is to become more aggressive with Mitt Romney. "An undefeated, forward-leaning politician, Perry has become perhaps the most powerful governor in Texas history in large part because of his relentlessness. So in responding to his young campaign's first dose of adversity, he's doing what he's always done: hit harder."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3c329c25d435223dc6ab55d2d3495deada9e2b9cc6d8b7eae7298f9b12a8838f
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IOWA - SANTORUM GOING AFTER BACHMANN SUPPORTERS: "Santorum said his camp has even been in talks with 'key people' in Bachmann's camp. These people are not paid staff, but Iowa activists that 'are in conversations with us and see things not going well for her,' he explained," according to an ABC News write-up of an interview he gave the network. "There's no question that doubts have been raised about Michele [Bachmann] and her electability, and certainly we clearly benefit from that," Santorum said. "We are picking up people, not just [Tim] Pawlenty people in Iowa, but also folks who had supported Bachmann and we know that folks, even some of her key people are coming to talk to us, let's
put it that way." He calls it a "slow and steady" approach.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3c329c25d435223dcd8fccd9b9ced52ae84680e3d8dbabdfd6e63212fac03af3
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TRYING TO REIGNITE - IOWANS SOUR ON BACHMANN: Today's Wall Street Journal has a story on Michele Bachmann's struggle to reignite her campaign in the state where she is devoting virtually all her attention. The nutgraf: "The seven weeks since her win in the Iowa straw poll have revealed weaknesses in her resume, message and style, [Iowa Republican leaders] say, that may be hard for her to shake off."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3c329c25d435223d3dff7de89673863d197dccb35256a9baa7d58cdc25b1feb2
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3c329c25d435223d3dff7de89673863d197dccb35256a9baa7d58cdc25b1feb2 .

NEW HAMPSHIRE - WHERE HUNTSMAN IS FOCUSED "SINGULARLY": "We're going to focus singularly on New Hampshire,' Jon Huntsman said on Morning Joe yesterday. 'That is not an overly expensive market. That is a market where the old Adlai Stevenson shoe leather is important. I know how to work that market. The early signs are that we're connecting with the people. They like the message.'
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3c329c25d435223d8244ecba10166656d6bb42cd439701551d301d727401b42a
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WHAT BACHMANN IS UP TO TODAY: Pretty much everyone else is doing private fundraisers ahead of Friday's Q3 deadline. Michele Bachmann speaks at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., at 10 a.m. Then she heads to South Carolina. The campaign has scheduled a "short press availability" after a 5:15 p.m. interview at a Greenville radio station.

MEME ALERT - ROMNEY "FLIP-FLOPS" ARE BACK: Romney hosts an 11:30 a.m. town hall meeting at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics in Goffstown on the campus of Saint Anselm College. Then he heads to Massachusetts for a fundraiser.

No less than three Democratic groups gave us a heads up about their plans to attack Romney as a flip-flopper today. Manchester City Democrats Chair Bob Backus will hold an 11:20 a.m. press conference in front of the building where Romney will speak at a podium that will be adorned with colorful flip-flops. New Hampshire Young Democrats will kick off a campaign to collect flip-flops. Finally, the Massachusetts Democratic Party state chair will send an email to his list later today asking donors to chip in $5 or $10 to buy a pair of life-sized flip-flops. Apparently they've misplaced the ones they used in 2007.

American Bridge, meanwhile, put out a new web video last night in their "Mitt's Flip" series. This one focuses on Romney making fun of Harvard, where he earned his JD and MBA.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3c329c25d435223d539b690b6afb3a9f8b81481ae2b07eaf48dc0b4208e16bb6
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WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS UP TO - Per White House Daily Guidance: "In the morning, the President will participate in an 'Open for Questions' roundtable in which he will respond to questions from readers of Yahoo!, MSN Latino, and AOL Latino/Huffington Post Latino Voices on the issues that matter most to the Hispanic community and all Americans... Later in the afternoon, the President will deliver his third annual Back-to-School Speech at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, DC."

ELECTABILITY MATTERS - HICKENLOOPER SAYS THE RIGHT GOP NOMINEE COULD WIN COLORADO: CNN's John King asked Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper whether President Obama would carry Colorado if the election were today. "It would be very close. It's hard to say if it was an election today. I think it would depend on who his opponent was."
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"TITANIC STRUGGLE" - OBAMA SURROGATES INCREASINGLY TALK OF UPHILL BATTLE: 'We have the wind in our face because the American people have the wind in their faces,' David Axelrod told an audience of New Hampshire politicians and business leaders, per the AP. 'So this is going to be a titanic struggle. But I firmly believe we're on the right side of the struggle.'
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EXCLUSIVE - NAPOLITANO PICKS HAHN OVER RICHARDSON: Taking sides in the primary between two House Democratic incumbents, Rep. Grace Napolitano will announce her endorsement today of Rep. Janice Hahn. Hahn, who just won her seat in a special election, has aggressively rounded up establishment support for her battle with Rep. Laura Richardson, including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and key labor groups. "I am extremely proud to announce my support of my longtime friend Congresswoman Janice Hahn, a true champion for working people, a fighter for job creation, a steadfast believer of quality education, and a continuing supporter of helping small businesses grow to create new jobs,"
Napolitano says in a forthcoming statement.

THE PERIL OF THINKING OUT LOUD - NC GOVERNOR SUGGESTS SUSPENDING CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS: North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue, one of the most vulnerable incumbents on next year's ballot, is shifting into major damage control mode after floating the idea during a Rotary Club discussion yesterday that Congress could turn the economy around if members didn't need to be on the ballot. Drudge quickly picked up a blog post about the remarks, which said: "It's unclear whether Perdue, a Democrat, is serious -- but her tone was level and she asked others to support her on the idea." As the off-hand comment developed into a full-fledged crisis, the governor's office issued a statement saying she was
"obviously using hyperbole."

PERDUE'S QUOTE: "You have to have more ability from Congress, I think, to work together and to get over the partisan bickering and focus on fixing things. I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover. I really hope that someone can agree with me on that...You want people who don't worry about the next election.'
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3c329c25d435223d48ce5bdf1c1acead9efdd0e677f1956414be1260754cae03
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SNEAK PEEK - TWO MORE YOUNG GUNS: The NRCC will announce today that Beth Ann Rankin (AR-04) and Carl Wimmer (UT-04) are On the Radar candidates in the Young Guns program.

EMILY'S LIST - PICKS A CANDIDATE IN RACE TO SUCCEED BALDWIN: The group will announce today that Wisconsin State Rep. Kelda Helen Roys, running to fill the seat opened by Tammy Baldwin's run for Senate, is going "On the List." Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY's List, says the group is "thrilled that there is another strong pro-choice Democratic woman to step in and ensure that women's voices are heard in Washington." Roys is in a three-way race for the Democratic nomination with State Rep. Mark Pocan and Dane County Treasurer Dave Worzala. State Sen. Jon Erpenbach passed on the race yesterday.

FLORIDA HOUSE - DEMS WILL TIE INCUMBENT TO UNPOPULAR GOV: Eyeing a pick-up opportunity, Democrats will intensify their efforts to bloody freshman Rep. Steve Southerland by linking him to unpopular Florida Gov. Rick Scott. The state party, AFSCME Local 79 and a few other organizations are holding a conference call at 1:15 p.m. to talk about the 'the Rick Scott-Steve Southerland slash-and-burn agenda." Both ran as experienced businessmen who would create jobs in Florida. Scott won't be on the ballot until 2014, but Democrats bet they can turn him into a drag on down-ticket Republicans in 2012.

FEC FINE - DENT'S OPPONENT MISUSED MAYOROAL CAMPAIGN FUNDS: The Federal Elections Commission has fined Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan for using $9,932 of funds from his mayoral campaign for his congressional campaign against Rep. Charlie Dent. The Morning Call reports that he will pay a civil fine of $1,200.
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TROUBLE IN PARADISE - HAWAII GOP CHAIR RESIGNS UNDER PRESSURE: "Jonah Kaauwai, who lost the confidence of influential Republicans, resigned Monday as chairman of the Hawaii Republican Party, telling members that the overall health of the GOP is more important than any one leader," the Honolulu Star Advertiser reports. "Several members of the party's executive committee had called on Kaauwai last week to either step down or be removed. He had led the GOP since 2009 and was re-elected to a second two-year term in May, but he had difficulty with fundraising and was struggling to close a party debt of nearly $100,000."
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"THE WORST 15 MINUTES OF MY LIFE" - MCCOTTER'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN JEOPARDIZES HIS POLITICAL FUTURE: "Rep. Thaddeus McCotter's ill-fated presidential campaign - which he called 'the worst 15 minutes of my life' - is in the books. But his brief 2012 flirtation is haunting him in his resumed House reelection bid," Alex Isenstadt writes. "Looming for McCotter is a primary against at least one serious GOP rival who wants to cast the congressman as less interested in serving his constituents than waging a futile presidential foray. To add to his woes, McCotter must make amends for attacking Mitt Romney, a favorite son whose family name is well respected in southeastern Michigan."
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BELTWAY POLL - 19% OF D.C. AREA RESIDENTS SUPPORT TEA PARTY: WTOP's Beltway Poll, conducted by Heart and Mind Strategies, finds 19% of Washington-area residents think of themselves as tea party supporters. Among DC-area Republicans, 45% support the tea party and among those who self-identify as "strong Republicans," an even larger 70% say they are tea party supporters.

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Is a title worth it? Does a title shackle a person?" - Sarah Palin on Fox News last night, talking about her biggest consideration as she weighs a last-minute dive into the presidential race
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