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Like other politicians before him, Rick Santorum announced that he is "suspending" his campaign.
It's a euphemism often employed by modern political candidates. They rarely explicitly say what they are actually doing -- "dropping out," "getting out," "quitting," saying, "Adios, amigo."
They're rarely that forthright, though Santorum came closer than most. "This presidential race is over for me," he said.
But why has this specific "suspend" language become so popular -- and what does it mean?
It's a political distinction rather than a legal one, said Michael Toner, a prominent Republican election lawyer and former Federal Election Commission chairman.
"It gives you more flexibility politically" and "political cover to get back in the race," if a candidate chooses to do so, Toner said. "It gives you more wiggle room."
By not officially terminating a campaign, a candidate can continue to raise money to retire debt. A candidate would not be allowed to "terminate" their campaign -- in the technical sense with the FEC -- unless they paid off their obligations and debts.
By point of fact, Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign has never been terminated, because of outstanding debts and obligations.
She, too, "suspended" her campaign.
There is nothing a candidate would file with the FEC to say they are "suspending" their campaign, Toner said, and it would take months for them to officially "terminate" it, because of those debts and obligations.
A candidate can also remain on ballots for which he has already qualified, but it can depend on state law, another election lawyer said.
Hypothetically, a candidate would also continue to be eligible for public financing -- if he applied for it. It's unlikely that Santorum, like Cain before him, applied for those funds, as he made no public comments about it.
It's also possible that a secretary of state could interpret Santorum's announcement as withdrawing from the race and that he is no longer to be included on a ballot. There are a slew of states in May, where he is expected to do well. More likely, however, Santorum's name would remain on whatever ballots he's already on.
Cleta Mitchell, another GOP election lawyer who works with candidates and committees, said of Cain's campaign, for example, "I think this particular campaign has used that term as a 'soft landing' exit rather than the more dramatic statement of 'terminating.'
"There was a point in time when presidential candidates accepting federal matching funds would use the term 'suspend,' so they could still receive their federal matching funds after their campaigns had ended," she continued, adding, "I think it is essentially in this instance a euphemism for ending his campaign and had no legal impact."
A version of this report was originally posted in December 2011 after Herman Cain "suspended" his campaign.
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BUH Bye little Ricky!
The last train to Beckistan is pulling out of the station & you have a first class ticket back to
ConservatiVilleCrazy Town...Nice of you to finally see the writing on the wall, although I was SOOO looking forward for the circus to continue all the way to Tampa!
I do want to thank you for all of the delicious material you have given President Obama to use against Willard!
Absolutely PRICELESS!
Women everywhere won't miss Rick.
Ah, Cleric Santorum, you will be missed, as one of the most orthodox of all the Muslims in charge of the Republican Party these days. The Communist Democrats are already cheering, but those poor Godless souls just don't realize that it is far better to have your body owned by God than by the State.
We all know a Godless Chinese Democrat has no interest in fixing money, but those fools fail to realize that all their maybe fair but definately unhappy lives will not prepare them for the afterlife. Those Commies can look forward to an eternity swimming in a lake of fire! In the meantime, gather your hijabs and pray for Muslim Romney! Religion tells you what to do, 2012! Throw the Commies out!
Derek, this is pure word salad.
Blue Cheese, please. Delicious!
"Suspending" means i am not gong any further. But i fully intend to screw the taxpayers with matching my funds .So i don't get stuck having to pay back my campaign debt alone ..I need the funds that i don't want " any" of you middle class or seniors to have access to !
"Suspending" means you are too stupid to admit that nobody really liked you
that too ..they hated him and his cult psycho babble
LOL! With comments like that, JimmyCarter 1980 Part II is going to be soooooo much sweeter come November!....lol
Need a towel Feisty DumbFux?!? LOL
Romney/Rubio 2012!
You might want to find out how much the "taxpayers" are being "screwed" by Hillary Clinton
Derek, that's pure crap and makes no sense!
Michael, wishful thinking doesn't win elections, good candidates do, so you are out of luck with your delusions about those two clowns.
Santorum's OUT??
Dammit! I was really wanting to see him get totally crushed, annihilated, obliterated and thoroughly embarrassed in the general election.
I do not even think that Santorum has been accepting matching funds, so this has nothing to do with "screwing the taxpayer" as some have implied. It is really just a way for him to keep his foot in the door with the possibility of jumping back in should there be some outpouring of support to convince him to return. It also allows him to continue to accept donations to retire any outstanding campaign debt instead of having to pay it off himself.
So wait ... that's Santorum, Backman, Perry, and Cain .... all four candidates said they were told by god to run for office. Do you think this will finally let the fundies know that ideas are more powerful than faith?
Probably not...
Dear Realist: It makes total sense when you get down and pray to Mecca.
Pray harder!
Right on Right on my liberal friend. Problem is - Obama has nothing to run on save for a bullet in Bin Laden's head.
Wishful thinking is not needed here. I'll bet my left nut November's gonna be a bloodbath, especially after the SCOTUS tells our "Constitutional Lawyer" "leader" his agenda is a wee bit tooooo socialist for America!
Romney/Rubio 2012!
Which goes to show that God's got one edgy sense of humor.
"pssst. Michele... do it. I want you to run for office...." "Herman. Dude. It's God. No, put down that pizza dough and listen. Run for president. Really." Et cetera.
Followed by popcorn and cold brewskis as the fun really gets rolling...
Michael,
You better hope the economy gets worse not better.
(04-10-12) A new Washington Post/ABC News poll fins President Obama leading Mitt Romney in almost every category. The poll finds Obama with a double digit lead on protecting the middle class and handling of international affairs and health care. Obama is seen as better on women’s health, and women favor him heavily. On the economy, people think the recovery is moving too slowly.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-holds-key-leads-against-romney-as-economy-malaise-looms-over-bid/2012/04/09/gIQA8s1G7S_story.html?hpid=z1
Gallup (Apr 02, 2012) Voter enthusiasm:
42% of registered voters nationwide say they are "extremely" or "very enthusiastic" about voting for president in this year's election. That is down significantly from 52% in January and 47% and 48% in December and October, respectively.
The decline is especially apparent among Romney voters, whose enthusiasm has fallen 13 percentage points from January, and now is on par with Obama voters' enthusiasm. Prior to the latest poll, at least half of Romney voters were extremely or very enthusiastic about voting, and their enthusiasm exceeded that of Obama voters. Currently: Obama 46% v Romney 43%.
[Graph #2]
http://www.gallup.com/poll/153668/Obama-Romney-Among-Registered-Voters-Nationwide.aspx
I thought suspending a campaign allowed the candidate to retain their committed delegates at the national convention.
The number of committed delegates may not affect the nomination - but - would still allow the candidate to have stronger input on the party platform. Isn't that the idea behind Ron Paul's campaign?
I believe the big battle in Tampa will be over creating the GOP platform - not the nomination. Will it be a TEA platform or not?
Michael, the "socialist" mantra does not work anymore.
Think of something new. Bloodbath? Are you planning to go berserk with a gun and give us another massacre like the ones we see every day from the right wing-gun-nuts? Hope not.
Michael ... I like your goatee. Is it hard to keep clean?
Now the Tea Party is stuck with Romney as are the evangelicals. I wonder how many won't vote?
It most certainly does.....lmao....The vast majority of real Americans want ObummerCare sh*tcanned....and so do you.....we all know it (just say it baby)
The only folks that want that disaster are the freeloaders of society that want something for free and the politicians that want their votes.
It's official. You're as goofy as your ringleader, Feisty DumbFux......now run along and pull the level for socialism baby!
Romney/Rubio 2012!
Gay much? LOL
Nevermind, it's the looney libs I'm typing to....I know the answer.
"Suspending a campaign" = I'm out.
I doubt anyone will "re-enter" the campaign, although Gingrich might try this at the convention.
One of the biggest changes in the heath care bill was that a few million children who weren't covered before, now are. Are those the "freeloaders" you're talking about?
Personally, I could care less if the bill is overturned because I agree that it's garbage. But only because it didn't go far enough ... it's a watered-down piece of legislation that's worked better as a political football than anything else.
Obama should have came into office guns-blazing on the economy. That really should have been his entire focus. We all agree health care needs a fix, but he should have padded his economic stats before he dove in.
Look Michael, I'm one of those "socialist liberals" that you so vehemently hate. But the kicker is, you have absolutely no understanding of what true socialism is. All you know is what Beck and Hannity tell you to know. The truth of the matter is, I can't stand freeloaders anymore than you, but getting something for free, or taking from others what you haven't earned is not true socialism. There's a human altruism involved that you conservatives just can't comprehend (and you're supposed to be the party of Jesus?)
Educate yourself my friend. Things are seldom black or white. You may want to read up on the social philosophies and their variants before spouting more ignorance.
You're the one posing like your auditioning for "Bear" weekly. How far down does that unbuttoned shirt go? You should pop the collar ... there ya go ... classy.
I want to see Romney's birth certificate.
That may very well be, but if it proves to be true it shows the gigantic gap between political activists and regular voters better than almost anything else ever could. It has finally started to dawn on activists of all stripes that platforms are essentially meaningless except as a source of material for the opposition research teams of the other party to find embarrassing points inserted into them at the insistence of activists whose candidate lost and are thrown the "bone" of a place on the platform committee. I don't even know the extent to which journalists even bother to read them anymore, for they have been utterly meaningless for decades, routinely ignored by the candidates of both parties and their campaign mechanisms. Everyone but party activists ignores them, and all but the dullest activists (of whom there are still several on both sides of the aisle) and fans of "process" over substance are aware of this. Normal human beings do NOT read party platforms, at least not in the U.S.A. in the 21st century. They are like kidney stones -- a huge amount of pain over something relatively tiny.
Derek
You are far more radical in your ideology than any one on the left. At least everyone left of center keeps their views inside the realm of reality, however much you oppose them.
Michael
I've never accepted a hand out in my life, work for my money, have stock in the NYSE, etc etc, and I think the reformed healthcare is not only great but it is something that had to be done. Stick your socialist cry's up your a-- you simpleton. The rich spend a lot of their money to keep people like you brainwashed...
Listen up, Chad! If you would stop following the Communist agenda for one minute, you would realize that if you are a respecting Muslim Republican, Allah hates a hairless face. Michael is simply following the faith of the Muslim Republicans, and you would too, if you don't want to drown in a lake of fire after you die.
Being anti-gay is also as orthodox Muslim as it gets, so don't be saying you are attracted to a handsome man face if you are a man, and pretend to be anything but a communist. Surely relationships run by a Godless state are certainly worse than homosexual relationships. I mean, if you eat shellfish, you might as well declare yourself both a homosexual and a communist. That's about two to three eternities in a lake of fire. How many do you want to stack up?
By the way, there is no appeals court after you die under Allah. Appeals courts are a creation of evil. So beg for your solemn forgiveness starting right now.
@Status-unknown. Don't tell me how radical my beliefs are when I embrace everything my Muslim Republicans tell me! You, sir, are clearly wearing your Communist grey uniform and are building rockets to threaten the world. But I sincerely appreciate your lack of humor, as Allah too hates funny times. There is redemption for you yet!
[Michael ... I like your goatee. Is it hard to keep clean?]
That's just leftovers from his last date...Edna the elephant.
And if you think that's bad...take a gander at this...but first, make sure the kiddies have left the room...wouldn't want them to have nightmares:
http://www.fubar.com/michael1969/photo-3042466-0-2301561262
Looks like his mommie hasn't gotten to his laundry yet...she's probably out in the barn "looking for tools" with Uncle Ray...
Derek,
This is Michael's problem:
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/878915/are_homophobes_just_repressing_their_homosexual_desires_new_study_says_yes/
Derek: truly LOL. Where you been ? You gotta get up early and get our good friends Fiesty Red Head and Beverly in Chicago some of your words of wisdom on the First Thoughts every day.
It truly is too bad Mr. Santorum decided to "suspend his campaign." I guess if everyone else dies in a horrible plane crash or something, he can get back in the race and be the savior of the United States he knows he is destined to be.
Gotta wonder if Carl Rove told him to get out and offered to have American Crossroads send a little money his way to pay off the campaign debts.
You gotta wonder about Cross Roads GPS, doesn't have to disclose its donors and is not prevented from accepting money from foreign corporations. Maybe its Rove's way of have Saudi's pay for the GOP Presidential run.
@Mickey: Uh oh, are you telling me Michael is NOT a practicing Muslim Republican? I'm going to have to call the Purity Guard to do an investigation into him. Hopefully he has a family member who can vouch for him, like his dad.
@dirp: I think Feisty hates me, actually. Or at least is keeping her distance. That's because I keep comparing Democrats to the Chinese Communist Party. Either she's laughing silently or wants to send me to a Gulag. Thanks for the comment, though. I'm going to go pray for my salvation now.
The REAL reason for a 'suspension' is so he can still raise money to pay off campaign debts.
The rest is 'fluff'.
I'll take that bet.
By the way, Obama has done a lot more than kill bin Laden - which is something dubya's team couldn't accomplish in 8 years. Here are just a few:
Financial industry reform
Preventing a 2nd Great Depression
Bringing the war in Iraq to an end
Passed legislation to curb greenhouse gases and improve the environment
Nuclear non-proliferation agreement
Repairing Our Image Abroad
Lifted Bush restrictions on embryonic stem cell research
Reversed George W. Bush’s ban on federal funding to foreign organizations that allow abortions
Implemented education reforms
Tobacco regulation
Repeals DADT
Beginning the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq
Removed restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research
US Auto industry rescue plan
Ended media blackout on war casualties; reporting full information
Limits on lobbyist’s access to the White House
Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants) after years of neglect
Ended the previous policy; the US now has a no torture policy and is in compliance with the Geneva Convention standards
Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office
Attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles
Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children
Closed offshore tax safe havens
Ended the previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back
Lower drug costs for seniors
Ended the previous practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug manufacturers for cheaper drugs; the federal government is now realizing hundreds of millions in savings
Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other military hospitals
Ended previous policy of awarding no-bid defense contracts
Improving benefits for veterans
Ended previous practice of having White House aides rewrite scientific and environmental rules, regulations, and reports
Making more loans available to small businesses
Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to $100,000
Attempting to reform the nation’s healthcare system which is the most expensive in the world yet leaves almost 50 million without health insurance and millions more under insured
"Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong." ~ Mark Knopfler
Once again, the salient items in this article appear to be completely overlooked in the usual juvenile attempts to draw reactions from one another through Jr High level puns, curse words, name calling.....I find it most offensive that ANY politician (Hillary included), who by definition already has more money than most Americans will ever see in a lifetime, is eligible for any sort of federal funding....perhaps this is where the insanity began....Politicians can always focus on others to finance their smear campaigns, so when they get into office, they believe that the well will never run dry for their other projects as well. We need campaign reform, and I think reform among politicians and policy will naturally follow. If a budget has to be adhered to in order to get into office, perhaps budget will have more meaning, once they are in office.
C'mon people! Start demanding to see Romney's tax records and his birth certificate.
Having the RWNJ's drop off one by one is making it too easy for a guy the GOP still can't warm up to.
Sue -- would you consider the idea that somewhat limited federal funding of campaigns is far better in the long run than allowing unlimited corporate and union money through PACs? Let's face it, very little of that money is "donated" in the interest of the public good and furthering the debate; most of it is "invested" in the hope of getting favorable laws, tax breaks, etc., for the donors, which costs us far more in the long run that the relatively little in an absolute sense spent on funding anyone's campaign, including HRC's.
Hillary Clinton still owes debt from 2008? What is wrong with our political system? Nixon's "slush fund" was only $700,000. Today's candidates spend, and apparently owe, millions and millions conducting these gladiator battles. It's ridiculous.
I wonder if Santorum has made any deals with Romney to help retire his debt?
I couldn't agree more Amy. With the amount of money being spent by politicians at every level (council, assembly all the way to the presidency, it is little wonder that the people who are elected are so out of touch with the needs of the average American. Far to many of the elected officials are wealthy individuals who have no concept what struggles the working class faces everyday. Many say they do, but unless you walk a mile in the their shoes, you don't really know.
Maybe there will come a time when there will be a "cap" on what a politicians campaign can spend. If so, all of us would benefit greatly.
Amy,
In an interview, President Carter was saying that when he was in office, you just ticked a box on your Tax Returns, saying whether you agreed (or not) to contribute $3 or $4 dollars towards the presidential election.
It was all very gentlemanly - and the crazy campaigning requirement just wasn't there at all back then.
Hillary is still in debt! Although I think she has done an outstanding job as Secretary of State...I'm now remembering why I didn't vote for or support her Presidential run in 2008...it was a mess! Still is, wonder if she still owe money to Iowa firms for the "cheese and cracker" platters for her supporters in the Iowa Caucuses? or for all those expensive lavaliers for precinct captains? Anyway, I digress, glad Rick his going home to his wife and children for their ill daughter, prayers go their way. He wasn't "good" enough to be President..but I'll bet his debt isn't anywhere near what Newt and other's are....but will Mitt go for Rick for VP? who knows! Thanks for a great ride and being the shining light for the GOP War on Women!
Public funding of elections would not change the primary campaigns. The money that has been spent, so far, is about who gets to 'define' the priorities of the Republican Party.
The Republican primaries have been a battle between Republicans - between the lunatic fringe and the Reagan establishment. The odd thing is that both represent extreme political views - and not historic Republican philosophy.
Mitt Romney always has been the Republican candidate for President. The primaries have shown that the Republican Party is getting two candidates - in one person - for the price of ten.
Ryan's a more likely pick than Ricky. Of course Romney could pull Palin out of his magic hat.
Please, oh please let him pull Palin out of that magic hat. But first I need to get to Kroger and get some more popcorn.
I want to see Ryan's birth certificate.
Nerm:
Do you really think that the Republican establishment is in any sense a "Reagan establishment", even now? He was foisted on them by the voters in the Republican primary process (they would've prefered George H. W. Bush or Howard H. Baker, Jr.) in 1980 and was never more than begrudgingly accepted by them. He could have gone to a similar defeat to that of his buddy Goldwater sixteen years earlier except that he was running against by far the least competent President (although arguably the best one, characterwise) of the second half of the 20th century.
Rlquall: and don't forget the dirty tricks he and Ollie North cooked up to keep US Citizens held hostage in Iran while also doing gun running in S. America.... Go Republicans, sell out your countrymen, your ideals, and your country, so long as its for guns (defense), power and money.
IMO, Mitt Romney won't be elected President. He panders too much and is too stupid to get away with the kind of things Republicans need to do to win the White House.
Hillary still owes debt because Obama did not fulfill his promise to help her with her debt. What a great insurance policy against having the only truly serious challenger financially unable to try again.
Steeler Fan. A few weeks ago, Santorum was asked if he would consider a VP bid with Romney. Santorum said he would, Romney promptly answered that he was not considering Santorum.
@Rlquall -- Yes the Reagan establishment Republicans are alive and well. Both the current Republican factions thrive on 'Gubment is the problem' politics. That is a way to avoid any accountability for solving problems - Republicans (in government) cannot solve problems because 'Gubment is the problem'.
The difference between the two fringe groups is that Reagan Republican fringe believe in a strong but ineffective Federal government. The TEA Party fringe believe in a weak and ineffective Federal government - along with strong but ineffective state governments. The Republican role of government is simply to send the pork back home.
Supporting either of the Republican fringe groups simply means that the government under Republican leadership cannot solve any problems facing the country.
-----------------------------
To the others discussing a possible VP pick -- I suggest Jan Brewer, Governor of AZ.
Romney/Brewer is the 'path to obscurity' for 2012!
Amy, out of approximately $5.3 million Hillary Clinton owed from her campaign, she is down to approximately $329,000 owed as of the 1st quarter of this year to pollster Mark Penn's firm. She is barred from fundraising as long as she is Secretary of State, which is probably why it has taken so long to pay the debt off.
Nerm: Think that "strong but ineffective" govt. could be domestically weak, let the states take the lead, federal govt. leading in foreign and defense policies primarily. I think that's close to "original intent". I would suggest in many ways the Republican ideal was Ike. Built the Interstates by dragging some of his party and some Demos (led by Albert Gore, Sr., who hugely supported the idea as a fellow veteran of the European Theater of WWII), moderate policies, and stopped Ark. Gov. Orval Fabus in his tracks when he tried to use the National Guard to stop the school intergration called for in Brown v. Board of Education.
Warned us about the "military-industrial complex" and people who had a profit interest in permanent war mobilization; kept the deterrent force but didn't overbuild missiles, leading to Kennedy defeating Nixon in part on the bogus issue of the "missile gap" back when the leading "hawks" were mostly Dems. Got N. Korea to agree to a truce that (mostly) still holds. Business cycle mostly favorable despite a fairly deep recession 1957-58 (the "rolling readjustment"). If he were available now (obviously a contemporary, living version) he'd have a wide appeal. But I don't see steady, moderate pragmatists like him surviving the primary process -- in either party.
Feisty, I am happy he finally dropped out. Best wishes to his family.
Lisa,
I'm gonna miss the poor guy! lol
I hope you had a splendid Easter!
Ditto...
Feisty, I'm sure you will miss him. But now that he's gone maybe we can get back to the real issues facing this country. I hope you had a good holiday weekend.
All politics aside, I wish nothing but the best for his family.
So long Rick, can't say we'll miss you. In fact, many of us wont miss you and your skewed views of how life should be.
I, for one, do not believe you have added anything of value to the conversation with your out of date views. One thing I will say you helped with, was to make us aware of how many extreme right wingers we have amongst us and how ignorant they are.
GBM--hope you had a nice Easter.
I've been trying to recall my favorite Santorum moment from the campaign and I think it is when he called the President a snob for suggesting that people pursue job training and college educations. This from someone with 2 graduate degrees who is sending his own children to college.
Mine is when he mentioned his 'fire down below'... still lmao at that one! ☺
My favorite Santorum moment - "That's bull-$%#@!"
"Fire down below". Will penicillin cure that? And where did he get it -- was he toe-tappin' in the Minneapolis men's room with L. Craig?
Mine was when he "endorsed" Obama and then after he got his spanking, from the GOP Establishment, he tried to spin his way out of it. Now that was priceless!
What will the bible thumpers do now?
We will praise God for His goodness and mercy!
Ultimately, we dance to the beat of a different drummer, and the drummer doesn't have an "R" or "D" behind His name.
"Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God!"
cercernedone: That doesn't make you a "bible thumper" it actually makes you a Christian...at least according to my religious training anyway! =o) Have always been taught to be leary of those who wrap themselves and in the flag and come after you with a Bible in their hands...
I remember my father's advice, which was, "Whenever the first thing someone tells you is what a big Christian he is, watch your wallet."
You only need to consult 2008. Romney was being dragged down by Huckabee, just like Santorum was being held back by Gingrich being in only Santorum was much closer to Romney and further from Gingrich than Romney was to McCain and Huckabee. Huckabee refused to drop out, so Romney said, I'm young enough, I'll step aside and join with McCain. Huckabee thought, just like Gingrich that the Conservative vote flock to him. Well the vote goes to the next highest candidate, not the next lowest, ever.
Gingrich thinks that since Santorum is out the conservative vote will go to him. How self-centered and cynical can you get?
Ive never been a Rick Santorum supporter.
That said, I pray that this decision was motivated solely by his realization that he had no chance at the nomination-never mind the election- and not by bad news about his baby daughter.
My prayers will stay with the entire family.
Wasn't sure how to read this at first, but, yes, let us hope that this is not because Bella's condition has become more serious.
Nicely put, nojo.
It's one thing to tilt at windmills yourself. It's another when you might be (although I hope not) missing the final time, or at least the final "quality time", you'll ever have with your little girl. Best wishes to her, her parents, and the other children in the family, especially the ones closest to her in age who may not truly grasp the seriousness of the situation but realize that she and not they is the one receiving the lion's share of attention right now.
Best wishes to Bella Santorum.
All of you baby-killers are happy now, I'm sure.
I didn't think there were any baby-killers around here.
Another mesianic christian idiot talking about something irrelevant to this blog.
Screw you, Jim 'numbers'. I have not killed any babies. Had one die after 3 days of life, but did not kill him or any other babies.
What, exactly, the hell is wrong with you? Think maybe you're Jesus or something?
you and your like are the baby killers you could care less for the quality of life of children just that they get here so you can mistreat them and call them horrible names. You pro life people need to take a good long look into your very souls and in your own closets
What an Idiot!
They all do...that's why it's okay for them to judge us "godless heathens" out there. You know what Jim, I'll eat a goddamn baby, I don't care. That's what non-christians do, right? I'm not pro-choice, I'm pro-abortion...I say kill them all! And I'd rather go back to the rusty coathanger method of abortion because it's a hoot.
Jesus, Jim...you want to have your fairy tale, that's great, just try not to be a @!$%#ing @!$%# about it. People like you are the reason people turn away from the church and people like you are far, far more dangerous than people like me. I have common sense and a sense of morality from not murdering you...what do you have?
"Suspending" means i am not gong any further. But i fully intend to screw the taxpayers with matching my funds .So i don't get stuck having to pay back my campaign debt alone ..I need the funds that i don't want " any" of you middle class or seniors to have access to !
Correct In Palm and how much did Clinton screw the seniors of of with the money she has not paid back from 2008?
Hey sonmanvb, why don't you enlighten us about that? You seem to know so much!
Well, of course he will be going for the matching fund, and hey sonmanvb! not more so than McCain screwed...whoever with his campaign debt....or Newt, or Paul, or whoever...aren't you the same people who got your undies all in a bunch when Obama refused to take the taxpayers matching funds in 2008?
Obama (and McCain for that matter, ignoring the act with his name on it) didn't forgo "taxpayer" funding because of any love for the taxpayers or some sort of sense of sanctity of tax funds, which are designated by a checkoff on the Form 1040 anyway and not taken from the unwilling in any event, but rather because that funding comes with limits on overall total expenditures he didn't desire to be bound by. And, once one competitor realizes that he is going to be better-funded by foregoing them, the other(s) are likely to follow suit. Different rules for different campaigns will generally result in a win for the one playing by the less-restrictive rules.
The bottom line: If the Republicans win, the people loose! The last twelve years clearly substantiate that with their total concentration on: their political ambitions at any cost to the people; their "puppet" performance to cater to "the money" who strongly support them and who "pull their strings"; and their cocky confidence that with the power, influence and money of their supporters they can easily con the people and manipulate public opinion - just insultingly taking the people for granted as "pawns" in their game. Even now, Cheney's SuperPac is beginning their campaign to spend $300 million on ads against Obama to dupe and sway the people and to manipulate the voters. Fault Obama and the Democrats for being imperfect but don't ever doubt that the Republicans are owned and controlled by "the money" and that together they intend to continually push this country into being a two class society with "the few" (1%) competing in having it all while the majority (99%) struggles to survive - any doubt can be quickly dissolved just by looking at the results while discarding their propaganda. You want the former GOP back, with a sincere honest and responsible representation for the people, then firmly and totally reject what they have become - otherwise be ready to accept “more of the same”, Bush-Cheney style, with the complete neglect and total duping of the people.
The last 12 years would have to include 3 years of Obama and 1 year of Clinton. Obama has double the debt of Bush in the last 3 years so whats your point? That Democrats out spend Repubs 2 to 1?
Joe: Why don't you change your record? That mantra is getting tiresome.
We all know why the debt ballooned when Obama took office, he put in the books what Bush left out: two unfunded wars and an unfunded drug program for the pharma industry in the trillions.
Get informed, get educated.
""he put in the books what Bush left out""
Rasputin...where did you people come up with that idiotic explanation. The national debt is the national debt. It does not matter if it was or was not on a budget plan somewhere. The money is owed, by us, in total. It was borrowed, had interest added and is owed. End of story.
The largely failed "stimulus" is only part of the huge increase in already-ludicrous deficit spending that we have seen under Pres. Obama. The rest of govt. (beyond the stimulus) is growing far faster than it has in decades, even under the responsible GWB. If we could go back just to the extreme level of spending that was in effect under GWB in the middle of the last decade the budget would be balanced or nearly so. We have also heard (from the left, mostly, but also from people like Rep. Ron Paul) how the Iraq war was breaking us up financially, which made some sense to me as an outside observer. It was on a far larger scale for most of its conduct than the ongoing operations in Afghanistan (don't get me started on that; another time, another place) and therefore far more costly, so where is the "peace dividend"? Apparently also fully spent and then some.
We are never going to get well just by tax increases; nor are we apt to do so simply by spending cuts. Who is advocating common sense on fiscal issues (while maintaining a semblance of the modern level of government we have come to expect, so please don't say "Ron Paul!")? I would get behind this person except for the fact that he or she doesn't seem to exist, at least at the national level.
Rlquall: you don't get a "peace dividend" when you don't raise taxes when going to war. When you cut taxes, add additional requirements to Medicare and get into TWO wars, you end up in a recession that is extremely hard to get out of.
That's what Republicans fail to understand. They call Democrats "tax and spend." The most accurate description of Republicans would be "Tax cuts to the Rich and spend for the Rich."
The wealthy don't need tax incentives to get wealthy, they are already wealthy. How does taking away the ability to go to college, have a healthy life or eat give the poor incentive to become wealthy? The Republican budget takes funding from: the Pell grant program (college), Medicaid (health for the poor) and SNAP (food for the poor) while admitadly lowering taxes with the wealthiest getting the largest (both in dollars and %) tax cuts. Take from the poor and lower middle class and give to the rich.
The GOP budget doesn't just push gramma off the cliff, it pushes your aunt, uncle, grandpa, brothers, sisters and you too.... and it gives the money taken from the poor to the wealthy, LITERALLY!!!
WAKE UP PEOPLE !!!! If you vote for the GOP, you vote for the end of our country !!!!
This is an omen for the right wing extremists that those more toward the center are going to win and you are not.
"Suspending a Campaign" means you are too stupid to admit that nobody really liked you in the first place & you want to keep sucking up free money from idiots who are too stupid to realize they've lost
An "entitlement" they feel they deserve
Then H. Clinton must be VERY stupid because hers has been suspended since 2008.
Son: again, why don't you enlighten us about it? Or are you just empty words like the GOP candidates?
Hillary isn't campaigning,,,, If I'm not mistaken she didn't "suspend" hers, she accepted defeat & got out off the campaign trail
Technically, Hillary did "suspend" her campaign as it is still "in business", still filing with the Federal Election Commission (most recently 1/31/12), because it still owes over a half-million dollars and can still fund-raise to pay off its creditors. Hey, at least they're still trying. It's easy to see this as influence-peddling, as anyone contributing now certainly isn't trying to help her get the 2008 Democratic nomination, but when campaigns just stiff people on their debts what does that say about the candidate which they supported?
If Mr. Santorum's speech after last Tuesday is any indication, he is now free to sit back in anticipation of Mitt Romney's loss in the general election. He will then return in 2016 with the hopes that he will be embraced as the "True Conservative" (under the misguided impression that he is Ronald Reagan).
"There are a slew of states in May, where he is expected to do well. More likely, however, Santorum's name would remain on whatever ballots he's already on."
Well, that should be interesting.....does this mean Romney will finally be able to get more than 40% of the vote in some of the remaining primaries? Will conservatives still show up to vote for Santorum as an "Anyone But Romney" protest? Or will the "enthusiasm" and voter turnout now plunge even lower than it's already been? Will Romney continue to run as "severely conservative", or are we about to see his biggest flip-flop ever? Does this leave Romney free to stop attacking Santorum and focus on how "out of touch with average Americans" he claims President Obama is? Will President Obama need to buy a beach house and install a car elevator in it to prove he's just as much "in touch" with us as Romney is??? Stay tuned.....
And just for the record.....I despise Rick Santorum as a self-righteous prig and a dangerous fanatic. That being said, six months ago I never in my wildest dreams would have expected him to be the last man standing with Mitt Romney at this point in the primary season. I'd like to believe that's a testament to the value of hard work and determination and the old-fashioned on-the-ground dogged campaigning Santorum was so good at, as opposed to the value of Super-PAC's, money, and the corporate powers that now run the GOP. What I actually believe, though, is that it's a testament to just how far right the Republican party has been hijacked. Hopefully they'll wake up and realize that before they can "take America back", they need to take their own party back first.
And everything else aside, I wish good health for his daughter and strength for his family to deal with whatever lies ahead for her. There is nothing more heart-breaking than a seriously ill child.
I agree, I also wish the best for his daughter's health.
It throws republicans into a moral dilemma & shows the dire need for expanded affordable health care coverage for all families in the USA... Something private industry & the Free Market wants
JoAnne---great post. I do think the Presidency has been Santorum's goal since his early days in politics. That said, I think his success this year is also evidence of just how much his party does NOT like Romney.
And, it is at least in part exemplary of how while Evangelicals and conservative Catholics are not exactly in love with each other or about to merge under the papal flag, they do understand that they have far more in common with each other than they do with Mormons. To some, this undoubtedly smacks of the crassest form of religious bigotry, but to others it rings of unvarnished fact.
it means he can't say QUIT, and it means we the Independents who heard the debates and are sick of Republicanism will vote for Obama for 4 more years and plenty of distance from The Great Bush Depression.
Does this mean that the Evangelicals will start calling Romney a Christian now? Of course they will because he is a Christian. The trinity is a doctrine not from Jesus but from man.
Holy Crap! ---- The term "Holy Crap" is as old as religion is... Christianity is a sect of Judaism far removed from the Jesus movement & the Mormon faith is a sect of Christianity with their own angels & savior
Somehow, I have over the years gotten the idea that the gist of Jesus' message was to do right by each other, especially the poor, widows, homeless, and downtrodden, and stop being a hypocrite, more than it was "define the exact relationship between the Creator and Myself, and if you get the question wrong I'm going to throw you into Hell (a place named in English for the Norse goddess of the underworld) to burn forever!"
That is exactly the problem with the extremist Republicans. The hypocricy is so great, they don't even realize what they are doing. They claim to be conservative christians, yet they plan to cut or close down the very programs which help the poor, widows, homeless, disabled, veterans, and, most particularly, women.
On a personal note my Prayers go out to the Whole Santorum family and especially for little Bella!
Politically the writing was on the wall. It's also time for Newt and Ron to get out of the race so the GOP can Unite around one candidate. Too much time has been spent on Petty squabbles between potential Candidates. It is time to concentrate on the true objective of defeating Obama in November.
You are going to need a lot of prayer if you think you can defeat Obama with the GOP candidates.
No more Santorum. No more Gingrich. Hey, maybe Ron Paul can muster enough anti-Romney votes to actually win a state now.
"No more Gingrich"? Or will Newt see this as a sign that he was meant to stay in until Tampa all along?
Well, he has saved himself the embarrassment of loosing to Romney in his home state of Pennsylvania.
Rick, now you can truly take care of Little Lulu (Bella)!
Hey Frothy, I really would have loved to see you loose in your "home state."
now big ears will tell us all about what he is going to do to help us what a pas full of lies any that would vote for this lier well has to be insane
Your phrasing is impeccable, not to mention your grammar.
Your post makes no sense, because you don't vote for Obama but you are insane! Some contradiction!
Santorum & Gingrich says "We are not done fighting", even Perry & Paul have stayed on the campaign after being soundly defeated
That's GOP code for "I'm not done spending all the free money you stupid people keep giving me"
I guess he thinks this gets him ahead of the line in 2016. Not so fast Slick Rick. Unlike Reagan and “Tricky” Dick Nixon who had successful campaigns the second time around, yours will fall flat. You see Rick, America remembers. And those past successful Republican campaigns didn’t treat us to a steady diet of psycho-talk, anti-women, anti-contraception, anti-abortion, anti-education, anti-diplomacy, war-mongering that you just love to blabber about. You’ll never recover from the apt “wing-nut” label associated with your minority fringe. Mittens will soon fall to a similar fate now that his second coming includes some of the same nonsense coupled with his gaffes and the fact that he’ll say anything (and its exact opposite in the same sentence) to win—which only bolsters his two-faced, chameleon tendencies. So, spare us all the suspense and pain of your so-called “suspension” and just go away. There’s probably a future job waiting for you in Punxatawney, PA as Phil’s handler. Who knows, if you’re lucky enough, your repeat “Groundhog Day” election nightmare might just end with an elected office—as Coudersport Selectman!
Now if only Obama will suspend his campaign we can get to fixing the countries problems.
One of those problems is Romney pays half the taxes that an office worker pays --- Obama has been working on our nation's problems, catch up
Republicans still don't recognize his US citizenship... Let alone want to admit all the things he has done to turn this country around from a certain depression.
They can't stand the idea that he supports rights for gay people, the really can't stand him helping the Middle Class & American families & they really don't like the way he has succeed in foreign policies
They really hate the idea of this President killing both Gadhaffi & OBL & they loved Gadhaffi & failed to get OBL
Instead they call it "weak leadership"
Yes, I think Sarah Palin should replace Obama. She is a real political genius.
And if things go wrong, she can always quit in the middle of her term, no problem.
You betcha!!
Obama wants a big Jobs Bill & Republicans fight against him & want to cut everything that has created jobs ---- You really want to bitch about who's not helping our country Devdoc?
Yes I do Jim, because it is the Democrat party that refuses to put forward a budget, whether one of their own or one of the multiple ones that the House has passed. And the two that Obama put out got zero votes from either democrat or republican.
The Democrats would rather play politics with the countries future just as they did with national security.
And Obama wants a socialist European style utopia, that doesn't exist, and can not sustain a nation. The problem with socialism is sooner or later you run out of other peoples money.
Don't give me that budget garbage,,, Republicans budget plan relies on undisclosed spending & emergency spending bills with the Romney/Ryan plan
If they were the least bit serious they wouldn't have a "NO TAX" pledge
We will give up the NO TAX pledge when you leftist worshippers of the government come out with a LIMIT GOVERNMENT SPENDING pledge...
Then you certainly won't be able to pay for a republican budget without an increase... It's hidden spending that relies on emergency supplemental spending
They leave out our veterans & slash 11 billion from them while they are demanding a return to Cold War policies & more Middle East war which will cost trillions
I will vote for a GOP when they show me their birth certificate.
The GOP was born in Ripon, Wisconsin, in 1854, and was originally a liberal, anti-slavery movement in contrast to the Democrats, the party of the Southern slaveholding aristocracy. The legacy of this can be seen to this day in the seating arrangements, where in violation of the now-traditional meaning of the terms, the Republicans sit to the Speaker's left, the Democrats to his right.
Seems like the parties have entirely switched roles over the past 100 years. No wonder blacks vote 90% or more for Democrats.