This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Romney tries to capitalize on his "47 percent" remarks. Utah has a surplus. 48 days until Nov. 6.
Happy Wednesday. After videos of Mitt Romney criticizing the "47 percent" went viral Monday, the GOP candidate spent Tuesday in recovery mode. [Reuters] But that doesn't mean Romney backtracked. He embraced the substances of those comments saying it shows the real difference between his campaign and that of President Barack Obama. [NYTimes]
-> Salon argues that Romney's gaffe actually helps him because it may drive up support from his base. [Salon]
-> Kevin Madden, a top Romney adviser, predicts the controversial remarks will blow over. "It has to," he said. [LATimes]
-> The liberal newsgroup Mother Jones released the full video Tuesday morning, proving that Monday's clips weren't "snippetized" and that "he was captured raw and uncut." [MotherJones] A report suggests that the recording might have been illegal. [Politico]
Topping the news: Romney was in Utah on Tuesday telling about 1,100 donors who attended the $1,000-a-plate luncheon that the way to help the poor is not through wealth redistribution. By the time he flew away, Romney had collected another $2 million. [Trib] [DNews]
-> Mark Crockett, Republican candidate for Salt Lake County mayor, was accused by the county's Democratic Party of violating fundraising rules. [Trib]
-> The Utah Legislature will have an additional $46 million in surplus money to divvy up among the state agencies in the upcoming session. [Trib] [DNews] [UtahPolicy]
Tweet of the day: From @RealClearScott: "'Ha. Ha. Ha." - Romney, if he ends up winning 53 to 47."
Happy birthday: to the Trib's Sheena McFarland, a lovely gal.
In other news: The Tribune profiles Chris Stewart, a pilot-turned-author running for Utah's 2nd Congressional District seat. [Trib]
-> Utah hosts its fair share of Romney's "47 percent," ranking 13th in the nation for the number of non-taxpayers. [Trib]
-> Democrat Scott Howell isn't backing down from his claims that Sen. Orrin Hatch is too old to serve another term noting that except for 15 men, the LDS Church releases general authorities when they turn 70. [Trib] [DNews]
-> The Salt Lake City Council passed an ordinance allowing for neighborhood bars, but only after some false starts and horse trading. [Trib] [DNews]
-> The Utah Education Association backs Dee Smith, the Democratic candidate in Utah's attorney general race. [Trib]
-> Jon Huntsman is to appear at a sold-out Equality Utah fundraising event, a group advocating the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Utahns. [Trib]
-> Paul Rolly reports an incident involving allegedly drunk University of Utah fans who barged into the suite of high-profile BYU fans Saturday night. [Trib]
-> Davis County establishes a three-person ethics commission to review complaints made against area officials. [Trib]
-> AG Mark Shurtleff argues for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. [UtahPolicy]
2012 watch: Romney needs to get the conversation back on the economy and try to fight off rumblings that his missteps may make the race unwinnable. [WaPost]
-> A new poll shows Romney is in striking distance and ironically that 47 percent of voters prefer Obama. [USAToday]
-> Romney calls the Israel-Palestinian conflict "unsolvable" and says the Palestinians are not interested in peace as part of the secretly taped fundraiser from May. [NYTimes]
-> The Romney campaign goes into debt, and still owes $11 million of the $20 million it borrowed from the Bank of Georgetown right before the Republican National Convention. [NationalReview] [ABCNews]
-> President Barack Obama made rounds in the celebrity circuit Tuesday, first taping his appearance for "Late Night with David Letterman" before heading to a fundraiser hosted by musicians Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z. [Reuters] [NYTimes] Here is that Letterman video: [CBS]
-> Vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan says that the Romney-Ryan ticket isn't simply an referendum on the president's performance, but rather a platform that offers specifics to the American people. [ABCNews]
-> Washington Post's Fix suggests there are five things Romney can still do to turn the race around. [WaPost]
-> The elderly and low-wage workers are among those classified by Romney as the 47 percent. [BusinessWeek]
-> Obama leads Romney by 8 points in Virginia, according to a new poll. [WaPost]
-> Social Code, an advertising agency focusing on social media, polled Facebook fans of both Romney and Obama to find out which brands epitomize each candidate. Interesting: Romney fans are 10 times more likely to also be fans of Maxwell House coffee. [WaPost]
-> Comedy Central's Jon Stewart teams up with Fox News' Bill O'Reilly to host a philanthropic comical presidential debate on Oct. 6. It's pay-per-view. [FoxNews] [USAToday]
-> Romney writes an Op-Ed saying he'll deliver a true economic recovery and stop dependency on the government. [USAToday]
Where are they?
Rep. Jason Chaffetz meets with JC Watts and the Domestic Energy Producer's Alliance before attending the Utah Banker's dinner.
Gov. Gary Herbert takes a personal day.
Lt. Gov. Greg Bell welcomes the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists and later meets with the Utah State Historical Society.
SL Co. Mayor Peter Corroon receives the "Richard Wirick Mr. Downtown Award" from the Downtown Alliance at the Salt Lake Chamber.
SLC Mayor Ralph Becker sits in meetings with congressional members and federal agencies.
President Barack Obama meets with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before participating in an ambassador credentialing ceremony.
Got a tip? A birthday, wedding or anniversary to announce? Email us at cornflakes@sltrib.com. If you haven't already, sign up for our weekday email and get this sent directly to your inbox. [Trib]
— Matt Canham and Betsy Blanchard Twitter.com/mattcanham and Twitter.com/betsyblanchard