Santorum performs for the cameras - curses out NY Times

Rick Santorum clearly knew the cameras were rolling and that this would get picked up.

His "anger" over being asked a question is laughable. He has said in many speeches that he feels Romney is the worst Repub to run against President Obama. If he means something slightly different - like "run against Obama on healthcare due to Romneycare" - then he should say exactly that.

But this is all political theatre at this point. Rick Santorum will not get the nomination, but I'm sure he's looking for "Sarah Palin sized" fees and offers from Fox News once this is over.

Rick Santorum looks for win in Louisiana today

The math is pretty much done for Rick Santorum, but onward he goes...

Greenwell Springs Baptist Church removing proof of Rick Santorum speech

Greenwell Springs Baptist Church pastor Dennis Terry says he never told those who disagree with his views that there is only one God and America was founded as a Christian nation that they should "get out!" of the country during an event at his church on Sunday featuring Rick Santorum.

Pastor Terry is saying that his comments were "taken out of context" although lots of people have seen the full length speech through the power of the internet. If you haven't seen it yet, take a peek. It speaks for itself.

Yesterday, Greenwell Springs' Worship Minister Jeremy Dailey posted a message on his Facebook account asking that all church members "remove from Facebook and/or any other public site, any video showing footage from the Sunday Evening service of March 18, 2012":

Now, gee... I wonder why they would do that?

Rick Santorum: "The unemployment rate doesn't matter to me"

Santorum has made this argument many times, as Dave Weigel points out at Slate, but the soundbite and the message convey his campaign's lesser focus on the economy.

Perhaps this is because Santorum's focus is on the social issues?

Mitt Romney in Peria, Ill. later same day: "I do care about the unemployment rate, it does bother me. I want to put people back to work."

Infighting is fun...

Dennis Terry introduces Presidential candidate Rick Santorum with a speech of fire and brimstone

Get ready for some fire and brimstone sinners.

Greenwell Springs Baptist Church pastor Dennis Terry introduced presidential candidate Rick Santorum and Family Research Council president Tony Perkins Sunday night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with a rousing speech railing against liberals and non-Christians and condemning abortion rights, "sexual perversion," same-sex marriage and secular government.

Terry said that America "was founded as a Christian nation" and those that disagree with him should "get out! We don't worship Buddha, we don't worship Mohammad, we don't worship Allah!" Terry, who has a long history of attacks against the gay community, went on to criticize marriage equality for gays and lesbians, and said that the economy can only recover when we "put God back" in government.

So, in case you didn't get all that: you don't belong in the United States if you believe in any other religion other than this that of Dennis Terry.  Those of you thinking the Constitution ensured freedom of religion were clearly wrong according to Mr. Terry.

Notice, Rick Santorum seems to have NO problem with Mr. Terry's positions.

At the end of the event, Terry prayed over Santorum and asked God to "have favor upon Rick Santorum."  
(source)

GOP presidential nomination race stats

Interesting snapshot of where the race is at this moment: states won, delegates won, money raised, odds of winning...

Click on the pic to see larger. Really interesting, especially the money raised by Romney versus the other guys. Based on that alone he should be cruising.
(source)

Rick Santorum shirtless

Click to enlarge pic

After campaigning in Puerto Rico, telling citizen there that they don't deserve statehood unless they make English their official language, Rick Santorum took some time for a little poolside R&R at a local resort.

Who knew things could look this bad? President Obama could give Rick Santorum some workout tips.

Also staying at that resort were passengers from an Atlantis all-gay cruise, who snapped the above photo. Surely the fact that several gay folk were staying at the same hotel and swimming in the same water would have horrified Rick.
(via JMG)

Rick Santorum says he will ban pornography

Rick Santorum said that “America is suffering from a pandemic of harm from pornography,” and accused the Obama administration’s Justice Department of favoring “pornographers over children,” in a statement on his campaign website.

The former Pennsylvania senator argues that "current federal 'obscenity' laws prohibit distribution of hardcore [obscene] pornography on the Internet, on cable/satellite TV, on hotel/motel TV, in retail shops and through the mail or by common carrier."

The statement said that if elected, Santorum would appoint an attorney general who would vigorously enforce federal obscenity laws.

“The Obama administration has turned a blind eye to those who wish to preserve our culture from the scourge of pornography and has refused to enforce obscenity laws,” the statement read in part. “While the Obama Department of Justice seems to favor pornographers over children and families, that will change under a Santorum administration.”

“A wealth of research is now available demonstrating that pornography causes profound brain changes in both children and adults, resulting in widespread negative consequences,” the statement noted.
(source)

Obama leads all GOP candidates in head-to-head contests

President Barack Obama is leading all of the Republican presidential candidates in head-to-head match-ups, according to a poll released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

• A national survey taken March 7-11 showed Obama leading Romney by 12 percentage points (54-42) and even further ahead of Santorum with 57 percent of support to Santorum's 29 percent.

• For the first time since shortly after Osama bin Laden was killed, half of all Americans (50 percent) say they approve of Barack Obama's job performance.

• Mitt Romney currently holds a 33-24 lead over Santorum among registered Republican and Republican-leaning independent voters, with 20 percent backing Newt Gingrich and 14 percent favoring Ron Paul.

• By a 59-32 margin, most Americans think Barack Obama will win the election if Mitt Romney is the Republican nominee. That margin is far wider if Rick Santorum is the GOP nominee: 68 percent think Obama would win, while just 24 percent predict a Santorum presidency.

• In the current survey, just 29 percent of Americans say they have a favorable view of Romney, while 51 percent say they have an unfavorable impression.

• Women favor Obama over Romney by 20 points—virtually unchanged from a month ago.
(source)

Rick Santorum makes up a law saying Puerto Rico must adopt English as official language to join US

Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum said Wednesday that Puerto Rico should only gain statehood if the territory makes English its main language.

In an interview with a San Juan newspaper, El Vocero, Santorum said English would have to be the “main language” if Puerto Rico were to become a state.

“As in any other state, you have to comply with this and any federal law. And that is that English has to be the main language,” Santorum told the paper. “There are other states with more than one language as is the case in Hawaii, but to be a state in the United States, English has to be the main language.”

There is no federal law designating English as the country’s official language, although some states and local governments have adopted such “English only” laws.

Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution spells out how states can be admitted to the union, making no mention of language requirements. The passage states: "New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress."

Rick Santorum: Government Paternity Tests For Single Mothers Or No Welfare

The Huffington Post obtained transcripts of Santorum's comments and speeches from various campaign stops in 1994. Produced for the then-Sen. Harris Wofford's campaign, the video and audio transcripts show that the Pennsylvania Republican was willing to deny unwed mothers government services including welfare until they revealed private family information.

Under the plan, those unwed mothers would have to reveal the name of their child’s father in exchange for welfare and subsidized medical care.

"What we say is that in order for Mom to be able to go on welfare if she has a child out of wedlock, you have to tell us who the father is," Santorum said at an event in Carlisle, Pa., on April 1, 1994. "If you don't tell us who the father is, you're not eligible for any welfare benefits, none, not even medical care. You tell us who the father is or you don't receive benefits."

Santorum argued that his proposal could persuade single women to slow their sex lives, which, in turn, would lead to less out-of-wedlock parenting. "If Mom knows that she isn't gonna receive welfare if she doesn't tell us who Dad is, y'know maybe she'll be a little more careful, maybe," he said.

"Or maybe she gives us a list, say 'Well it could be one of five,'" Santorum went on. "I mean, y'know, I don't know what she's gonna do, but at some point we're gonna see her cooperate."

Read more at the Huffington Post.

Rick Santorum in his own words

Campaign ad from Newt Gingrich.

Keep at it kids. More popcorn!

Rick Santorum: "I'm not asking anyone to drop out"

After the ambiguity of Super Tuesday, reporters asked Rick Santorum if he felt Newt Gingrich should get out of the race for the GOP nomination, thereby making a clearer path for Santorum.

Santorum says he feels everyone should continue in the race as long as they feel that want to, and he wouldn't ask anyone to drop out.

"I'm not saying I don't want [Newt Gingrich] to get out. I'm all for him getting out," he said. "I'm all for Mitt Romney getting out. I'm for everybody getting out. I wish President Obama would just hand me the whole thing. But that's just not going to happen. The idea is let folks decide, you know, what they think is best–what's best for getting a conservative, someone who's going to put this country on the right track, elected to president."

Stuart Roy, an adviser who works for Red, White, and Blue Fund, the pro-Santorum super PAC, said Wednesday that "based on his electoral performance last night and his out-of-step record, it's time for Gingrich to exit the Republican nominating process." He added that Gingrich's "campaign is an obvious non-starter."

Mitt Romney camp: Nomination is an "impossibility" for Santorum and Gingrich

The morning after a mixed Super Tuesday victory, Romney campaign strategists made a bold new case: He's inevitable.

"The nomination is an impossibility for Rick Santorum or Newt Gingrich," said one aide, adding that "they would have to ben the laws of reality" to pull off a win at this stage.

Strategists noted that for Santorum to clinch the nomination, he would need to win 65 percent of the remaining delegates—so far, he's won only 22.

For Gingrich, the path to the nomination is even steeper: he'd have to win 70 percent of remaining delegates, while he's only won 14 percent so far.

"It's going to take some kind of act of God to get where they need to get to the nomination," the aide said.

Mitt Romney, on the other hand, needs to win only 48 percent of the remaining delegates—and he's won 52 percent to date.
(source)

President Obama versus GOP candidates

Click pic for larger view

Although it's very, very early I was curious to see the most recent polls regarding head-to-head match ups between President Obama and Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.

According to the Real Clear Politics Averages, President Obama is leading Mitt Romney in polls by an average of 5.1%

And polls show President Obama leading Rick Santorum by an average of 6.8%.

Head over to Real Clear Politics to see a round-up of the latest polls.  Great resource.

Mitt Romney ahead in recent nat'l polls - Santorum already behind in Ohio before Super Tuesday arrives

Click for larger view

Mitt Romney leads by 6.7% in the Real Clear Politics average of recent polls regarding the GOP Presidential nomination.

We'll see where that lies after this coming Super Tuesday.

By the way - everyone is talking about Ohio being the big prize both Santorum AND Romney really need to win.

However, not much attention has been paid to the fact that Santorum has already lost nine delegates by not being on ballots in three Ohio congressional districts. Each district merits three delegates.

Santorum failed to file a full complement of delegates in six additional districts, said central committee member Bob Bennett. That adds up to another nine delegates, for a total of 18 out of the 63 up for grabs.

Santorum also did not file all 18 of his at-large delegates.

"He may very well leave delegates on the sidelines," Bennett said. "Say he would win 70 percent of the state. He doesn't have that many delegates."

Jon Stewart on Romney and Santorum's latest gaffes

I've spoken recently with several people about the "game" that politics truly is.

The second half of this nails that issue. Rick Santorum tells HIS audience that President Obama is a snob for wanting Americans to go to some higher education. He then "clarifies" that by saying vocational schools are just as good an option.

What he doesn't say is that three years ago, that's exactly what President Obama urged Americans to do: four year college, community college, vocational school... Anything that would give an American an extra leg up on finding the job they want. Because knowledge helps us do that.

Wow. What a snob.

By the way, you do know that Rick Santorum has 3 university degrees, right?

Released by Romney campaign: Democrats vote for Santorum

"Democrats voted for Santorum because they want four more years of Obama..."

Well, duh...

Stock market up 56%, unemployment has improved 23 consecutive months, troops out of Iraq, soon to be out of Afghanistan, repeal of DADT...

You do the math.

Tweet of the day: Nate Silver

Got that Rick Santorum?

2/3's of the United States believe the Constitution requires clear separation of Church and State.

Class is over.

Rick Santorum on separation of church and state: "makes me want to throw up"

Rick Santorum on Sunday took on of separation of church and state.

"I don't believe in an America where the separation of church and state are absolute," he told 'This Week' host George Stephanopoulos. "The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country...to say that people of faith have no role in the public square? You bet that makes me want to throw up."

The GOP candidate was responding to comments he made last October. He had said that he "almost threw up" after reading JFK's 1960 speech in which he declared his commitment to the separation of church and state.

STEPHANOPOULOS: That speech (by President Kennedy)has been read, as you know, by millions of Americans. Its themes were echoed in part by Mitt Romney in the last campaign. Why did it make you throw up?

SANTORUM: Because the first line, first substantive line in the speech says, "I believe in America where the separation of church and state is absolute." I don't believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute. The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country.

This is the First Amendment. The First Amendment says the free exercise of religion. That means bringing everybody, people of faith and no faith, into the public square. Kennedy for the first time articulated the vision saying, no, faith is not allowed in the public square. I will keep it separate. Go on and read the speech. I will have nothing to do with faith. I won't consult with people of faith. It was an absolutist doctrine that was abhorrent (ph) at the time of 1960. And I went down to Houston, Texas 50 years almost to the day, and gave a speech and talked about how important it is for everybody to feel welcome in the public square. People of faith, people of no faith, and be able to bring their ideas, to bring their passions into the public square and have it out. James Madison—

STEPHANOPOULOS: You think you wanted to throw up?

SANTORUM: -- the perfect remedy. Well, yes, absolutely, to say that people of faith have no role in the public square? You bet that makes you throw up. What kind of country do we live that says only people of non-faith can come into the public square and make their case?

Where Rick Santorum gets this wrong is where he swerves from "faith shouldn't direct public policy" to becoming the victim and saying "What kind of country do we live in that says only people of non-faith can come into the public square..." No one says people of faith aren't allowed. The issue is not about people - it's about faith directing policy. All people are allowed. Subtle difference, but he's getting religious conservatives riled up over something that has existed for centuries.

Santorum also on Sunday told Meet The Press host David Gregory that separation of church and state was "not the founders' vision."

I'd love to know how he knows that... Was he there? How do all these conservatives KNOW what the founder' vision was???

The GOP candidate has been doubling down on religious rhetoric in an effort to court evangelical voters ahead of Super Tuesday. Last week, he questioned Obama's spiritual beliefs.

"[Obama believes in] some phony ideal, some phony theology ... not a theology based on the Bible, a different theology," he said.