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Subscribe to RSSRick Santorum leads in polls, but he's spent much of the last two days defending provocative comments. ... A Romney Arizona co-chairman -- and hard-line immigration sheriff -- quits after a sex scandal erupts ... Romney asks Trump to give him air cover ... And half of all GOP primary ads have been negative.
1. Santorum leads nationally, in states…
Rick Santorum is maintaining the lead in national polls. His margin in the ever-fluctuating Gallup Daily Tracking poll expanded to 10 (36%-26% over Mitt Romney) today.
Another poll conducted by Gallup for USA Today shows Santorum up six, 50%-44%. (By the way, two-thirds of Republicans in that poll say they oppose a so-called “brokered” convention.)
National polls in primaries mean almost nothing. But as Super Tuesday March 6th approaches with 11 states across the country voting, national polls will mean a little bit more.
In Oklahoma, the Sooner Poll shows Santorum up 16 points, 39%-23%, with Newt Gingrich -- not Romney -- in second. Romney is third with 16. (In Texas, there’s a robo poll -- a methodology NBC doesn’t report on -- that shows Santorum up 30. Should there be more evidence that shows similar results in live caller polls, we’ll report it.)
2. …But he’s also defending his own words
We’re not sure if the Philadelphia Daily News is one of Santorum’s morning reads, but if it is, he woke up to this headline from a Daily News columnist: “Santorum? Really? He's atop the GOP heap. Are they nuts?”
Depending on your perspective, Santorum either had a tough weekend or is standing up for very conservative values.
Yesterday on the Sunday shows and again today, Santorum was left defending remarks accusing President Obama’s of believing a “phony theology” that is not based on “the Bible;” pre-natal testing leading to abortions; the greatest generation during World War Two and how they stepped up – albeit late because they thought Hitler might not be that bad and then pivoted and said people “today” need to step up. That left some to wonder if he were likening Hitler to President Obama (More on the full remarks here); And there were his remarks on public schools, in which Santorum, who homeschools his children, said, “Where did they come up with public education was the role of the government? … The idea that state governments or the federal government should run schools is anachronistic.”
On almost all of those except pre-natal testing, which he defended, he tried to walk back or try to blame the media for overhyping them.
On “theology,” he said he wasn’t questioning Obama’s faith, that if he says he’s Christian, he believes him. And he changed his language today from theology to “ideology.” (Though a surrogate today also explained that there’s a certain “secularist theology” or “theological secularism” that Obama and liberals ascribe to.
On his World War Two comments, he said, “No, of course not,” he wasn’t comparing President Obama to Hitler. And: "It’s a World War Two metaphor. It's one I've used 100 times."
On education, on CBS’s Face the Nation yesterday, Santorum put it this way: “To the extent possible, with respect to mandates and designing curriculum and the like, I’d get the state government out. I think that the parent should be in charge, working with the local school district to try to design an educational environment for each child that optimizes their potential. … It’s another thing to dictate and micromanage and create a one-size-fits-all education system in states and certainly in the federal government, which is what President Obama’s trying to do.”
Not helping his cause today, spokeswoman Alice Stewart slipped and called Obama’s policies “radical Islamic policies,” instead of what she meant and said on the show as well – “radical environmentalist policies.” It’s a comment the left has had a field day with.
For those who have seen Santorum in person, he tends to go without notes, can speak for a long time, and meander into territory that, if there were a script, would be off of it. Now, these comments could actually help Santorum with very conservative voters. But they could hurt him not just with independents in a general election, but also with Republicans for whom electability matters most.
3. Romney Ariz. co-chair quits campaign
A co-chairman of Romney’s Arizona campaign Paul Babeu, who was seen walking along the border in that famous McCain “complete the dang fence” ad and is running for Congress, quit the Romney campaign after a report in the Phoenix Times alleged that he threatened to deport an ex-boyfriend if he didn’t keep quiet about their relationship.
He denies that accusation, but did come out at a press conference acknowledging he is gay. (MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts interviewed a reporter from the Arizona Republic who has been covering the story.)
4. Romney camp asks Trump to do radio
NBC’s Garrett Haake reported that, at the request of the Romney campaign, Donald Trump is now doing radio interviews for Romney in Ohio and Michigan. In one interview today in Michigan, Trump left open a third-party bid if Romney doesn’t win the nomination.
“There's a good possibility would do something,” he said, “because I love the country.”
He said Santorum “has no chance,” and that people in Pennsylvania turned him away. Locally, where they knew him best, was even worse.”
He said he went with Romney because of electability. Santorum, he said, “can’t win in a general. I see that and I see some of his views which are so out there, he cannot win the general.
He also acknowledged though one of Romney’s weaknesses – connecting with average voters. “He’s a much different guy on a personal basis than on TV,” Trump said.
And he also revealed that he knows Gingrich, because he is apparently a member at his D.C.-area country club.
5. Study: 50% of GOP ads negative
If you thought the ad wars this year were even more negative than ever before, you are right.
A new study by ad tracker CMAG/KANTAR media shows that just 6% of campaign ads in 2008 were negative in the GOP primary. This year, that number has jumped to 50 percent.
And you have Super PACs to thank for that. They have run more ads than the candidates themselves. And the Super PACs have spent about three-quarters of their cash on negative ads.
And, get this, 100% of Restore Our Future’s and American Crossroads’ ads have been negative.
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Listen to all the GOP & Teabaggers R the party of No: No & Newt: that wants to go to the moon. & Mitt: sending his money off shore, so he doesn't have to pay Taxes.T Its all about the Wealthy getting richer and the middle class getting poorer.....They don't want to help out the poor, I do mean the poor not the lazy good for nothings...Who are the one's that leach off the taxpayer. They: are the Wealthy that get welfare both for themselves or for the Corps.TRUE So really All party are at fault...But it seems that the Wealthy get away with it like the .(.Democrat )... They steal billions and the few poor steals a few thousands. So what does the GOP want to do is Screw the MIddle Class to get even with the few. As I say its the me me me and F everyone else.... The failures of the Republicans party trying to take away SS and Medicare so they can give their wealthy Blackmailers more money... To hell with the Poor and Needy. Let them freeze in the winter and stave the Old and Babies,let them die from bad water, do away with the EPA and thats what you'll have, just like all you Teabaggers want...You make me sick with your Me Me Me altitude. It just a matter of time before the masses raise up against you . Greedy and you all call yourself Christains.Christains: What a laugh: Your no better than all the Muslims you all hate. Wake up America!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WAKE UP. We R Next in line...Stop the crooked Banks and Wall Street.
I know it is difficult, but what part of "WE CAN'T AFFORD IT" do people have difficulty with. Republicans want to stop the crooked banks and Wall St. just as much as the democrats. Please look at the financial side of things and tell me what you are willing to give up.
PUT: They do??? News to me buddy. It's your crowd who are the apologists for Corporate America which is why they've done everything in their power to shut down the new department set up by Elizabeth Warren to protect consumer rights. Exactly how much of a preponderance of evidence would it take for you to view things differently???
What part of "We can't afford it" don't I get? The part where for 8 long years of the Bush admininistration, 6 where Congress was run by the GOP, they pissed money away like it was going out of style. 2 UNFUNDED WARS, and UNFUNDED drug plan and of course those fantastic Bush tax cuts which were supposed to rev up the economy, remember???
NOW you clowns get religion, now because Obama is in office you're all born again fiscal conservatives. Do you know how to spell H Y P O C R I S Y????
Yes we want to shut down the completely unnecessary department. There is already government agencies in place that should be handling it. That doesn't mean that we don't want consumer rights. Far from it. We think that money would be better spent under existing channels instead of creating a new bureaucracy.
I do remember that the Bush tax cuts revved up the economy. Anybody who care to look can see that the economy was revved up. I agree that the GOP wasn't good. That is why Bush had such a low approval rating. But why did Obama have to be significantly worse than Bush? It isn't hypocrisy; it is a matter of degree. If Bush was a 6 on the spending scale, Obama is a 9 or 10.
Put: Under the Bush tax plan people like Romney pay 13.9% taxes while making $30 million a year. I on the other hand pay 25% of my income for taxes.. And this disparity happened for 11 years.
Any idea how many millions this added to Romney's wealth while my income remained stagnment and the wealth Romney accumulated over those 10 years only added to the deficit.
We were on track when Bush took power to have the entire debt paid off in 3 years.
And there's a huge difference between what Bush inherited (Economy) and Obama. Bush inherited one of the most prosperous times in US history while Obama inherited something along the lines of the Great Depression. No president taking office in 2008 would have not run massive deficits,...none.
To think otherwise is to think Hebert Hoovers plan in 1929-1932 was the right plan. It resulted in 25.6% unemployment and took 15 years to get out of....
So whos is it going to be ? Palin or Bush or Christie , that walks on stage at the brokered repub convention ?
anyone but obama 2012 ... even msnbc is talking hillary again
Bush will not take the nomination, he has already said that, Christie is a volatile choice for them, he runs at the mouth too much. Palin? Seriously, she gave Obama the election in 2008, she might as well in 2012.
"We must never forget what the "W's" did to our Country" The TeaPugs stood by and watched "W" jr. Destroy this Nation, the "W's" are finished thanks to jr. and Santorum is not our answer, rick is the worst of them all.
One word for the GOP lineup....SCARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its crazy how much you libs believe this and all the lib media lies .... stop taking only a few words out and making something of it .... watch the whole clip and you can see he was talking about obuma and his green policies ...... for once watch the whole clip and if you do you will see how they twisted it and left out everything out ...
KEVIN: I have watched the "whole clip" and it's quite clear. This nutcase has made similar remarks many, many times before. This is no aberation or a slip of the tongue. The one good thing you can say about Santorum is that he actually says what he believes. The horrible thing about Santorum is that he actually believes the horrible things he say.
Not to worry, this clown will never get within a country mile of the White House. Even your party is not that stupid.
Sorry Kevin, it's all on film! Those darn facts....bummer isn't it?
"Rick Santorum is dumber than a box of rocks"
Love the protest in Virginia today..The protesters stood in line,silently not saying a word as the legislators walked pass..Not a single word shouted out..Naturally,the majority were women..YOU GO GIRL.The Party of No and the Ditto Heads have awoken
What was the protest about?
It was about the republicans plan to insert medical probes into the vaginas of unwilling women as part of their effort to "get the government out of our private lives" .
tag - Last time I looked in 50 States that's called Rape!
Now wouldn't it be interesting if one of these women whose doctor willingly performed this procedure brought the doctor under rape charges and cited the Virginia Congress under accomplices to rape?
Rick Santorum: in your heart, you know he is far, far right. The more Santorum puts his foot in his mouth and says something stupid, the more he appeals to the sizable lunatic fringe of the Republican party, and the greater his chances of winning the nomination.
I agree. As a conservative, he would not get my vote because I am also against big government. Anyone that is into telling people how to live their lives isn't going to get my vote. Its big government. His social stuff is just a loser of a campaign in the general election. It doesnt go in america (not for the conservatives) but it seems there are enough crazy republicans left to vote for a joke like him to get him the nomination. Last time , it was hold overs of the liberals from the republican establishment that got mccain elected. It would be nice just to have a conservative who wasn't in it to try game the system even more. (obama is worse but I would rather have divided government and let it fail)....I can tell you also, I was at a caucus for republicans and the religeous crazies just love this guy. You have to wonder if he won't win it. He certainly will not win the general election. .I don't want his two faced hog wash jammed down my throat and I know a lot of people won't buy what religeous garbage he is selling. Guys like him, they are out preaching while they are sc rewing someone on the side. Reminds me of that joke of lawyer the democrats put foward a few years back. He was scre wn while his cancerous wife was dying.
Rick Santorum is the modern day Joseph Goebbels of the Party of No..
JOLLY: You're against "Big Government"??? Yes, Rich Santorum is a religious zealot and total nutcase. Burt what about the rest of the GOP???
Half the states in this country, the ones where GOP has control, are passing draconian laws against woman's reproductive rights. Virginia is set to mandate that a woman must undergo invasive physical exams prior to getting an abortion. Last time I looked, abortion rights were the law of the land and woman were supposed to have free access to them. If your party is so Libertarian and loaths big government then how come they are so busy probing into everyone elses sex and reproduction lives. I want these bastards out of my bedroom and out of my doctor's office. What is wrong with you folks? Does your party intend to drag us back to the Dark Ages, cause it sure seems that way.
jolly......I don't see where Santorum is trying to tell anyone how the live their lives. He hasn't proposed any legislation that does that. I think he might be too far right, but I have yet to see anything where he wants to impose his "will" on anyone. If he does, it is certainly less than Obama.
Your right. That's why romney has to win or oBama wins. The GOP has a loser in taking the religeous track. Independents won't vote for a republican candidate that thinks they have a pipeline to God. Ain't gonna happen. People don't go for that self righteous crap while their scre wing on the side.... If they get a conservative that wants to reform government, obama is toast because of high gas prices, high unemployment and high inflation. The dem's have a loser case against romney. He got rich but he donates to charity and he also paid taxes. He hides his money off shore because he 's afraid of big government not to hide it. The us has a tax law on foreign earnings, they are treated as ordinary income. Also, these were capital gains. That' is, he paid taxes on this already...the gains are the second time around. His affective rate is really 50%.(35% the first time and 15% the second time - the gain) Isn't that enough for you dems?
Santorum NEEDS to shut the hell up and talk about the economy. Not his religeous background. Too late, he is painted as a nut. He may win the nomination ,but obama is going to litterly throw c rap at him every week. Last week it was women in the military , next week it will be gays and the following probably profolatics. These are insignificant items to even respond to. They are bait to rile up the base, nothing to do with managing a country or an economy. The party has lost its mind and needs to get back to the thumbscrews that will win the election. OBAMs rotten handling of the economy. Front and center.
Jolly, You mean the Republican house of representatives. Right? They are the ones that have obstructed the rebuiling of the economy at every stage and every step. You seem educated and able to speak somewhat clearly. Therefore, you must be just trolling to put out backhande talking points.
Jolly is right, Santorum cannot get the female vote needed. His views on education alone are troublesome. He thinks all parents should home school their children. Then he goes off on bible banging rampages. Even if he talks about the economy now, he has lost independents and moderate women.
Wow! that is wrong in so many ways. The part that is bad is not his sexual orientation. It is his criminal behavior. How can that be lost on you?
Anytime someone uses the Bible as the basis for solving the problems of 21st century America, you know you've left the world of reality and entered la-la land--a place where Santorum resides full time.

RICHMOND, Va. – Hundreds of women locked arms and stood mute outside the Virginia State Capitol on Monday to protest a wave of anti-abortion legislation coursing through the General Assembly.
Capitol and state police officers, there to ensure order, estimated the crowd to be more than 1,000 people -- mostly women. The crowd formed a human cordon through which legislators walked before Monday's floor sessions of the Republican-controlled legislature.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/20/women-protest-anti-abortion-legislation-in-virginia/#ixzz1myqwQ5Ee
RICK SANTORUM IS NUTS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Transcript of taped conversation between President Richard Nixon and John D. Ehrlichman (1971) that led to the HMO act of 1973:
Ehrlichman:
“Edgar Kaiser is running his Permanente deal for profit. And the reason
that he can … the reason he can do it … I had Edgar Kaiser come in …
talk to me about this and I went into it in some depth. All the
incentives are toward less medical care, because …”
President Nixon: [Unclear.]
Ehrlichman: “… the less care they give them, the more money they make.”
President Nixon: “Fine.” [Unclear.]
Ehrlichman: [Unclear] “… and the incentives run the right way.”
President Nixon: “Not bad.”
show less
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/20/alabama-courts-wrongful-death-ruling-used-to-recommend-abandoning-viability/#comment#ixzz1myv3lsGQ
(In Texas, there’s a robo poll -- a methodology NBC doesn’t report on -- that shows Santorum up 30. Should there be more evidence that shows similar results in live caller polls, we’ll report it.)
Come on MSNBC? Seriously? You just reported it. How about if you don't believe it is reliable then you don't quote it, state it, or list it until you can verify it's accuracy. Terrible reporting.
Santorum didn't need to ACTUALLY compare Obama to Hitler because the MEDIA seems to be doing all the work for him. Come on! We can do better than this. Doesn't the media know these Republican tactics by now? Make an unclear reference and wait for the media to make the connection so the headlines all read OBAMA IS LIKE HITLER and then when questioned about it DENY, DENY, DENY. This is horrible reporting and the media fell for it.
Drew - Nice try - again blaming the media - I am not the media and I saw the inferrence - Okay - take a good listen a WW11 person whom the people loved - is true - Germany was coming off a terrible time - no jobs - no future and Hitler was a great speaker same as Obama and the people loved him - and followed like sheep - while the rest of the world looked idly by - Same analogy - except Obama is not Hitler but Santorum wants you to think so
You are possibly too young to grasp this but we oldies knew exactly what he was talking about!
Barbara - I've decided to call this method of double speak that Santorum has adopted -
"The PeeWee Herman" method of getting out the message,while being able to deny that he actually said it.
"I never actually said that. You can't catch me."
It's so infantile.
If Obama and Biden are re elected the United States of America will be ruined.
Yes, I can understand how 23 consecutive months of job growth would be terrible. I can understand how ensuring that all American's are treated fairly and equally would be terrible. I can understand how standing up for American workers would be terrible. I can understand how standing up for woman would be terrible. I can understand ending the war in Iraq was terrible. I can understand how killing Bin Laden was just terrible.
You are sooooo right. We will be ruined. Bwahahahahahaha. Fox News is calling for their idiots. Run along now.
Well, I must admit, it was terrible for Osama Bin Ladin and Kadhafi....for me and my family, not so much!
THE TOP 10 REASONS NOT TO ELECT RICK SANTORUM PRESIDENT.........
#10 He is really creepy
#9 His sweater vest mocks his anti gay stance
#8 He calls his wife "my baby mama"
#7 His name sounds like a place for crazy people
#6 He spews evil venom
#5 He thinks "stay free mini pads" is government run housing for dwarfs
#4 He has serious mommy issues
#3 He is a mouth breather
#2 He hates women
and the number one reason not to elect Rick Santorum President is.........drum roll
So we never have to hear the words SURGE and SANTORUM in the same sentence ever again !!!!!
Great..Send it to Letterman...
Also, he's out of his f/king mind. Kind of like Arizonatime.
The more I listen to Santorum the more he sounds like the Nazi Third Reich in the 30's..
I actually hope Santorum wins the Redumblicans bid. Just means there will be no woriies in the upcoming election!
Santorum has awakened a sleeping tiger(s)......
Why is it that these people who gripe about "Big Gub'mint" are so keen on forcing their beliefs on everyone else? Hypocrisy, methinks thy name is Republican.
I feel very sorry for the media people, who have to act like the crop of GOP candidates are actually electable - and not far-right wingnuts (Santorum), not smart but lacking any resemblance of integrity (Gingrich), not weak and all over the place (Romney) or not just plain out there (Paul). Every day I hear NPR (NPR!) cover these dregs and they have to pretend that any of them would actually not lead to pure disaster from day one if they ever did achieve the presidency. They have to broadcast quotes from the Republican voters who actually show up to support one of these pitiful excuses for candidates- with such stomach churning blather its painful to even know we have such ignorant people in this country! What has happened that someone doesn't just stand up and go, "OH MY GOD THOSE GUYS ARE CRAZY!"
Kate - I don't know what media you watch, but Chris Matthews calls it the "Clown Car" and the rest of MSN team are on to these jokesters
PS Mellisa Harris-Perry on MSN on Sunday morning will be interviewing Anita Hill - first time this woman has spoken since "her High Tech Lynching"
If anyone should have been nominated to the Supreme Court it is she - more brains and credentials than Clarence Thomas -who never wrote an opinion in twenty years - guess he doesn't know how
Santorum....the guy who says that it is a blessing if your wife or daughter is raped and it results in a pregnancy.
Over the weekend we learned that Santorum and Virginia Republicans are in favor of treating American women like farm animals. We have a big Taliban problem in our own country.
Santorum - This compassionate Christian conservative founded a charity that was actually a bit of a scam. In 2001, following up on a faith-based urban charity initiative around the 2000 GOP convention in Philadelphia, Santorum launched a charitable foundation called the Operation Good Neighbor Foundation. While in its first few years the charity cut checks to community groups for $474,000, Operation Good Neighbor Foundation had actually raised more than $1 million, from donors who overlapped with Santorum's political fund raising. Where did the majority of the charity's money go? In salary and consulting fees to a network of politically connected lobbyists, aides and fundraisers, including rent and office payments to Santorum's finance director Rob Bickhart, later finance chair of the Republican National Committee. When I reported on Santorum's charity for The American Prospect in 2006, experts told me a responsible charity doles out at least 75 percent of its income in grants, and they were shocked to learn the figure for Operation Good Neighbor Fund was less than 36 percent. The charity -- which didn't register with the state of Pennsylvania as required under the law --- was finally disbanded in 2007. Huffington Post
Likewise, a so-called "leadership PAC" created by Santorum that was supposed to fund other Republicans instead seemed to mostly pay for the lifestyle of Santorum and those around him. My investigation of the America's Foundation PAC showed that only 18 percent of its money went to fund political candidates, less -- and typically far less -- than any other "leadership PACs." What America's Foundation did spend a lot on with what looked like everyday expenses, including 66 trips to the Starbucks in Santorum's then-hometown of Leesburg, Va., multiple fast-food outings and expenditures at Walmart, Target and Giant supermarkets. Campaign finance experts said the PAC's expenses -- paid for by donations from wealthy businessmen and lobbyists -- were "unconventional," at best and arguably not legal. Santorum also funded his large Leesburg "McMansion" with a $500,000 mortgage from a private bank run by a major campaign donor, in a program that was only supposed to be open to high-wealth investment clients in the trust, which Santorum was not, and closed to the general public. Huffington Post
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported that Santorum took the most cash from corporate lobbyists of any other politician in Washington, adding that Santorum "has a black belt in hypocrisy" (10/22/2006). Watch the video Rick Santorum Who is He type Rick Santorum Who Is He Walmart
Rick Santorum was named among the most corrupt politicians in 2005-2006 by a Washington watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Watch the video The Gang of Four starring Rick Santorum