Summary: Politico reports that Barack Obama’s aides and advisers are preparing to center the president’s reelection campaign on a ferocious personal assault on Mitt Romney’s character and business background, a strategy grounded in the early-stage expectation that the former Massachusetts governor is the likely GOP nominee. However, the Obama campaign would be sorely misguided if it diverted inordinate resources to fending off Romney as Barack Obama’s likely opponent. Despite being the early front-runner in public opinion polls, Romney is unlikely to be the Republican presidential nominee, with the vastly underestimated Michele Bachmann potentially posing the greater reelection threat to Obama in terms of personal charisma. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on August 9, 2010, Aubrey Immelman appealed to Minnesota voters to support Independent Tom Horner for governor in the August 10, 2010 primary election.

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Summary: MSNBC TV hosts Chris Matthews, Lawrence O’Donnell, and Rachel Maddow have made early forecasts of the winner of the 2012 presidential election. With the exception of Matthews, the talks show hosts are overestimating Barack Obama’s prospects for reelection and all three are underestimating Michele Bachmann’s potential for success. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on August 2, 2010, Aubrey Immelman endorsed former Republican Tom Horner as the best choice for Minnesota in the Independence Party gubernatorial primary.

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