Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney's Epic Health Care Journey: How He Flip-Flopped On Mandates

Benjy Sarlin | May 12, 2011, 7:21AM

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

Seeking to defuse his biggest vulnerability in the GOP primaries, Mitt Romney is set to deliver a speech outlining his position on health care on Thursday. The issue has been his glass jaw ever since 2009, when Democrats launched a successful push to pass health care reform modeled on a Massachusetts law widely considered Romney's signature achievement as governor.

The element of both laws that is most despised by those on the right is a requirement that people purchase insurance, leaving Romney in the awkward position of fiercely defending his own law's use of a mandate while labeling it an unconstitutional government takeover on a national level.

"Governor Romney has made it very clear over the last many years, including during the 2008 presidential cycle, that he opposes a federally imposed individual mandate," a Romney spox told NRO this week.

While it's true that Romney did not call for a federal mandate in the 2008 election, he has in fact supported two sweeping health care proposals in Congress that included an individual mandate, the most recent in 2009. In addition, he's repeatedly boasted that Massachusetts mandate would -- and should -- eventually be adopted on a widespread scale.

TPM SLIDESHOW: Meet The 2012 GOPers: Ex Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

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UT-SEN

Mike Lee: 'Not My Intention To Support Any Candidate' In Hatch's Primary (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | February 11, 2011, 1:00PM

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who effectively won his Senate seat when he defeated incumbent Sen. Bob Bennett for the Republican nomination, now says he won't take any position in the next GOP Senate contest in Utah -- where his senior Senator, Orrin Hatch will likely face a primary challenge of his own.

It is widely expected that Hatch will face a stiff challenge from Rep. Jason Chaffetz, already leading in recent polls . Hatch has recently gone out of his way to impress the Tea Partiers, most notably appearing at the Tea Party Express town hall in Washington this week. TPMDC's own Evan McMorris-Santoro asked Lee at that event whether he would endorse Hatch -- and got no answer.

Lee appeared this morning on The Daily Rundown on MSNBC, where Chuck Todd asked him: "Senator Lee, does your colleague in Utah, Senator Orrin Hatch, deserve re-election?"

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START treaty

GOP Senators Isakson, Bennett Back START

Eric Kleefeld | December 21, 2010, 12:05PM

Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Bob Bennett (R-UT)

Two more Republicans have come out in favor of the START nuclear weapons reduction treaty with Russia, with the agreement appearing to be on track for the constitutional requirement of a two-third majority for ratification.

Sens. Bob Bennett (R-UT) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) have announced their support, following an earlier announcement this morning by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN). In addition, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is expected to announce his support later today -- which would officially put it over the magic number.

Republican Senators who had already announced their support are Richard Lugar (IN), Susan Collins (ME), Olympia Snowe (ME), Scott Brown (ME) and George Voinovich (OH).

Bennett was defeated for renomination at his Republican state convention earlier this year, due to a Tea Party-backed challenge, while Isakson was just re-elected this past November.

START treaty

Dems Close In On START Ratification

Brian Beutler | December 21, 2010, 10:12AM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and President Obama

At this point it's all but certain that the Democrats will be able to ratify the new START treaty before the end of the week. Yesterday was a breakthrough, as key on-the-fence Senators announced their support or near support. But the dam fully broke this morning when Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) -- the Senate's third-ranking Republican -- broke with his leadership team, including anti-START ringleader Jon Kyl, to announce his support.

"I will vote to ratify the new START treaty," Alexander said on the Senate floor. Even after the arms reductions the treaty demands, Alexander said, the US will still have enough weapons to blow "enemies" to "kingdom come."

He joins Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) as the most recent Republican to announce their intent to support the treaty; Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is widely expected to solidify his support for the treaty as well.

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Health Care

Republicans Plan To Increase Deficits By Repealing Health Care Reform

Brian Beutler | July 20, 2010, 4:32PM

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Republicans are at pains these days to present themselves as the party of fiscal austerity. They're also at pains to advertise themselves as the party that will repeal (or repeal and replace) the Democrats' new health care law.

The problem for them is that those two platforms are basically mutually exclusive. If Republicans attempt to repeal the health care bill, they'll run headlong into the Congressional Budget Office, which found that the health care bill reduces deficits by over $100 billion over its first 10 years. Repeal that, and Republicans will have to raise taxes or cut spending to keep from driving up the deficit they decry. Or they could simply ignore Congressional scorekeepers -- which is what top Republicans seem intent on doing.

"We all know that it's going to increase the deficit," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell at his weekly press availability, in response to a question from TPMDC.

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2010 elections

The Top 5 Republicans Who Think The Tea Partiers Are Bad News

Christina Bellantoni | July 16, 2010, 11:49AM

A tea party really with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC) and Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) inset.

Maybe it's just sour grapes, but sure seems like a lot of Republicans are hating on the tea party these days. Spurned GOPers ousted in primaries have been the most vocal, but even candidates who tried to court the tea party are criticizing the approach of the populist movement.

Whether it's because they feel liberated (or because, as some tea partiers have suggested, maybe they are liberals at heart), here's TPM's roundup of the Top Five Republicans who have spoken ill of the movement in recent weeks.

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NV-SEN

Sharron Angle: Bob Bennett Has 'Outlived His Usefulness' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | July 13, 2010, 3:37PM

Senator Bob Bennett (R-UT) and NV-Senate candidate Sharron Angle (R)

Sharron Angle, the Republican nominee for Senate in Nevada against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, fired back at Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT), who predicted that she would lose to Harry Reid because of her associations with the Tea Party movement. In response, she says that Bennett, who lost his renomination at the state GOP convention this spring, has "outlived his usefulness."

"I'm glad to be lumped to a crowd of mainstream Americans who believe as they showed at the polls that Sen. Bennett has outlived his usefulness. I suppose he's not mainstream any longer," Angle said during an appearance Monday on the Neil Cavuto show. "He has become one of those elitists that is no longer in touch with what the country is really thinking about in these economic times."

The TPM Poll Average currently gives Angle a lead of 45.9%-41.7%.

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Republicans

Quit Whining: Cornyn Pushes Back On Bennett's Tea Party Criticisms

Brian Beutler | July 13, 2010, 9:51AM

Senators Bob Bennett (R-UT) and John Cornyn (R-TX)

NRSC Chairman John Cornyn disagrees with his colleague, Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) that the rise of the Tea Party is bad news for Republicans this election cycle. Late last week, Bennett made waves by declaring, among other things, that the Tea Party will allow Harry Reid to save his Nevada Senate seat. Cornyn responded yesterday by speculating that Bennett's recent defeat at the Utah Republican convention.

"I disagree with that," Cornyn told TPMDC. "I respect Sen. Bennett a lot. He's been through a tough experience because of the unusual selection process in his state and that may have had some impact on his views."

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2012 elections

Bennett: The GOP Is A Party Of Slogans, Not Ideas (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | June 30, 2010, 12:49PM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) has some tough words for his party. Bennett became the first incumbent senator to lose his re-election bid in 2010 after his defeat at Utah's Republican convention in May. Speaking yesterday to The Ripon Society, Bennett predicted Republicans will win the House -- and maybe even the Senate -- this fall, but he expressed doubts that the party has the ideas needed to govern successfully.

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UT-SEN

AP: Mike Lee Wins Utah GOP Senate Primary To Replace Bob Bennett

Eric Kleefeld | June 23, 2010, 12:57AM

Senate candidate Mike Lee (R-UT)

Attorney Mike Lee has won the Republican Senate primary in Utah, the Associated Press projects, defeating businessman Tim Bridgewater after they had jointly knocked out incumbent GOP Sen. Bob Bennett last month.

With 84% of precincts reporting, Lee leads Bridgewater by 52%-48%. Bennett was eliminated at his state Republican convention in May, due in part to anger among the regular grassroots over his vote for TARP, combined with the new rise of anti-incumbent Tea Party activism. Lee and Bridgewater then went on to face each other in a primary, as neither received the 60% delegate vote needed to clinch the nomination outright. Bridgewater very nearly took the nomination with 57% of the delegates, but Lee was able to win tonight.

After the convention, Bennett subsequently endorsed Bridgewater, choosing from among the two opponents who had previously defeated him, while groups such as the Tea Party Express backed Lee -- with the latter winning out. Lee is heavily favored to win election in this deep-red state, which voted for John McCain by a 63%-34% margin in 2008, and last voted for a Democratic Senator in 1970.

UT-SEN

Bob Bennett Won't Attempt Write-In Campaign

Eric Kleefeld | May 20, 2010, 12:31PM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT), who was defeated for renomination at his state Republican convention nearly two weeks ago, has announced that he will not try to hold on to office through a write-in campaign.

"I will not run a write-in campaign for the Senate race in Utah," said Bennett, who was successfully targeted for defeat at his party convention by the Club For Growth and the Tea Party movement, due to his having voted for the TARP bailout and having worked on a health care reform proposal with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Bennett was first elected to the Senate in 1992, and has served for three terms. When he lost at the state GOP convention earlier this month, Bennett became the first incumbent Senator to lose re-election in the 2010 cycle, followed this week by Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter in his Democratic primary. The eventual Republican nominee in this deep-red state will be determined in a June 22 primary between attorney Mike Lee and businessman Tim Bridgewater, who both defeated Bennett for spots on the ballot under the Utah convention process.

UT-SEN

Bob Bennett: 'Stay Tuned Tomorrow' For Decision On Possible Write-In Bid

Eric Kleefeld | May 19, 2010, 2:35PM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT), who was defeated for renomination at the state Republican convention a week and a half ago, is seemingly poised to announce tomorrow whether he will fight on in the general election with a write-in bid.

Speaking to USA Today, Bennett was rather cryptic. Here is their report:

Asked in an interview whether he would pursue the write-in route, Bennett offered his standard line: "Once I make that decision, you'll be the second to know," he said. But Bennett, 76, then added, "Stay tuned tomorrow." Asked if that meant he would announce his decision tomorrow, Bennett repeated, "Stay tuned tomorrow."

The Republican nominee in this deep-red state is yet to be determined, with a June 22 primary between attorney Mike Lee and businessman Tim Bridgewater, who both defeated Bennett for spots on the ballot under the Utah convention process.

Republicans

Their Dirty Little Secret: GOP Senators Say Bailouts Worked -- Just Please Don't Tell Anyone!

Brian Beutler | May 14, 2010, 9:46AM

Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), John McCain (R-AZ), Bob Bennett (R-UT), and Judd Gregg (R-NH)

Perhaps the most fascinating political conundrum of the 2010 election is one faced by GOP senators, almost all of whom voted for TARP and supported some of the other bailouts in the thick of the financial crisis. The good news is that, for all their shortcomings, the bailouts did the trick, preventing a deeper economic crisis. The bad news is those bailouts are now considered political poison by the tea partying conservative base.

That puts Republicans in a strange position: unable to say the legislation failed, but at pains to distance themselves from their vote nonetheless. Over the past couple days, I've asked a number of GOP senators whether, nearly two years later, they think the bailout bill was effective. Their answers were revealing.

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UT-SEN

Utah Lt. Gov's Office: A Bennett Write-In Win Would Be Unprecedented

Ben Frumin | May 13, 2010, 11:18AM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT), who failed in his renomination bid after his own party dumped him at its convention earlier this month, hasn't ruled out a write-in campaign.

But if he did attempt to win as a write-in, it'd be a tough, unprecedented undertaking.

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Bob Bennett

Is Bob Bennett Considering Running As A Write-In Candidate?

Ben Frumin | May 11, 2010, 5:41PM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) -- who lost his renomination bid at last weekend's Utah GOP convention -- might still run for Senate again this year. He hasn't ruled it out yet.

Asked today about the possibility of running as a write-in candidate this fall, Bennett didn't say no.

"I've made no decisions to make a decision," Bennett said, adding that he would decide "later."

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Newt Gingrich

Gingrich On Utah: Watch Out Incumbents

Evan McMorris-Santoro | May 11, 2010, 11:47AM

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA)

Former House Speaker/maybe future presidential candidate Newt Gingrich delivered a warning to incumbents after Utah Republicans ousted Sen. Bob Bennett -- change the system or you might suffer the same fate.

I caught up with Gingrich after a speech he delivered to the annual RNC gathering of state party chairs, hosted this year just across the Potomac from D.C. in Maryland. As he mingled with party chairs in a hotel ballroom, I asked him about Bennett's ouster by angry conservatives in Utah.

"It's a sign of the anger of the American people," Gingrich said. I asked him if there was a lesson for other incumbents to learn from Bennett's fate. "Any politician that wants to be reelected had very clearly be the candidate for change," he replied.

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Bob Bennett

Republicans And Democrats Mourn Bennett's Defeat

Brian Beutler | May 10, 2010, 5:51PM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

Republicans and Democrats are unanimous: the end of Bob Bennett's career is a loss for the Senate--perhaps for the country. In fact, it is with almost a sense of reluctance that GOP leaders say they'll support the eventual winner of the Republican primary in Utah--likely a Tea Party-backed insurgent candidate with no experience in politics.

Part of that sentiment, no doubt, has to do with the myopic and inward-looking culture of the Senate itself. Bennett, for better or worse, was part of the club, and the club protects its own. But Bennett--no centrist, he--was, by all accounts ousted thanks to conservative anger over of a handful of instances in which he worked with Democrats, or cast difficult, but perhaps necessary, votes. He voted for TARP, for instance, and he co-authored a far-reaching health care reform bill with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR).

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UT-SEN

Club For Growth: 'We Put A Lot Of Work' Into Defeating Bob Bennett

Eric Kleefeld | May 10, 2010, 1:49PM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

The Club For Growth is declaring victory from the defeat of Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) at this past weekend's Utah Republican convention, when the incumbent was denied renomination after three terms. And what's more, they are pointing to a whole record of successes in Republican Senate primaries so far this cycle.

In an interview with TPMDC, Club executive director David Keating estimated that the group spent about $180,000 against the incumbent Senator.

"Well, we put a lot of work into it. I think as far as I could tell, we were the only organization that was trying to defeat Bennett at the convention," said Keating. "So we put a lot of effort into the caucus itself. What we hoped to do, and it seemed to work well, was to drive up knowledge about Bennett's record -- and to tell people that there even was a caucus, which a lot of people didn't seem to know."

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UT-SEN

Sen. Bob Bennett Loses Re-Nomination At Utah GOP Convention

Eric Kleefeld | May 8, 2010, 5:34PM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) has lost at his state Republican convention -- officially defeating him for re-nomination without a primary. He is the first incumbent Senator to lose re-election in 2010, a Republican driven from office by the anti-establishment conservative insurgency.

The results of the second ballot, courtesy of the Salt Lake Tribune: Businessman Tim Bridgewater 37%, attorney Mike Lee 36%, and the incumbent Sen. Bennett 27%. There will now be a final round of voting pitting Bridgewater against Lee, to see whether one of them can get 60% of the delegate vote and thus be nominated outright. If neither receives 60% of the delegate vote, the race will go to a primary on June 22.

It should of course be noted that Utah is one of the most conservative, Republican-friendly states in the nation. The last time it voted Democratic for president was in the 1964 Lyndon Johnson landslide; the last time it elected a Democratic Senator was 1970; and it voted for John McCain in 2008 by a margin of 63%-34%. So with that said, the eventual GOP nominee will be heavily favored to keep the seat in Republican hands.

Late Update: There will be a primary. Bridgewater took 57.28%, short of the magic 60%, to Lee's 42.72%.

UT-SEN

Bob Bennett Faces Moment Of Truth On Saturday

Eric Kleefeld | May 7, 2010, 5:31PM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

Sen. Bob Bennett's (R-UT) political life is on the line tomorrow, with a state Republican convention that has the power to deny him even any chance to fight for the GOP nomination in a primary -- and a party base that has been dissatisfied and sees him as being too settled in Washington after three terms.

Bennett, who for his part has a conservative voting record, has been targeted for defeat by the right for not being conservative enough. In addition to grassroots angst with his vote for the TARP bailout, the Club For Growth has also targeted him for having briefly worked with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) on a health care bill, though he ultimately voted against the bill that passed a month and a half ago. At the party caucuses in March, many supporters of challenger candidates won delegate seats for the convention thanks to a heavily increased turnout.

Bennett faces a total of seven challengers at the convention, but three are the most significant: Attorney Mike Lee, businessman Tim Bridgewater, and businesswoman Cherilyn Eagar. A Mason-Dixon poll from two weeks ago, of a sample of convention delegates, gave Lee 37%, Bridgewater 20%, and Bennett only 16%, with Eagar at 11%.

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Financial Reform

Vote On Fed Audit Delayed To Accommodate Bennett

Brian Beutler | May 6, 2010, 8:23PM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

A last minute snag tonight temporarily delayed a vote on Bernie Sanders' amendment--still expected to pass overwhelmingly--to force an audit of the Federal Reserve.

Republican Sen. Bob Bennett is in his home state of Utah today, in the last days of a tough primary campaign. Because the race is so close, he doesn't want to be held accountable for missing a vote on an important amendment, popular on the grassroots right, so Republicans sought a delay. To move things along, Democrats acceded, but will instead hold votes on several other amendments tonight--including one, authored by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), limiting the size of large financial institutions.

Sanders' amendment will likely get a hearing Tuesday.

UT-SEN

Bye-Bye Bob Bennett? Why The GOP Senator Could Lose His Seat

Eric Kleefeld | May 3, 2010, 8:50AM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) could very well become the first incumbent Senator to lose re-election in 2010, when his state party convention convenes next weekend. So how is that even though Bennett has voted against the Obama administration's key initiatives, he may become a casualty of the anti-spending Tea Party right and its fellow travelers?

Bennett himself has offered an explanation, which rings true in many ways. There is an anti-incumbent, anti-establishment mood among conservative activists, who want to throw the bums out in Washington. "But in this state, there is no Democrat to get really mad at in this fashion, so they get mad at me," Bennett has said.

A recent Mason-Dixon poll of convention delegates gave attorney Mike Lee 37%, followed by businessman Tim Bridgewater with 20%, the incumbent Bennett at only 16%, and businesswoman Cherilyn Eagar with 11%. In another bad sign for Bennett, a whopping 61% of delegates view Bennett unfavorably, with only 28% having a favorable view of him.

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UT-SEN

Poll: GOP Sen. Bennett On Brink Of Defeat For Renomination At State Convention

Eric Kleefeld | April 27, 2010, 11:24AM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

A new Mason-Dixon poll commissioned by the Salt Lake Tribune suggests that Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) could be doomed to defeat at his state GOP's convention in May -- which would defeat him for renomination without even having a primary.

The poll of convention delegates gave attorney Mike Lee 37%, followed by businessman Tim Bridgewater with 20%, the incumbent Bennett at only 16%, and businesswoman Cherilyn Eagar with 11%. In addition, a whopping 61% of delegates view Bennett unfavorably, with only 28% giving him a favorable rating.

Under the rules of the Utah GOP, a candidate with 60% of the convention vote will be nominated outright, with no primary. If the super-majority is not reached, then the final two contenders will have a primary -- meaning that a candidate must receive at least 40% of the convention vote in order to make it to the primary. With the incumbent Bennett at only 16%, it is seems highly unlikely that he could make it out of the convention.

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Health Care

Viagra, ACORN and Gay Marriage: The 10 Most Ridiculous GOP-Proposed Health Care Amendments

Brian Beutler | March 24, 2010, 12:04PM

Clockwise: Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT); inset: viagra pills

As I noted here, the GOP strategy for reconciliation is pure hardball. Democrats want to pass a clean bill, so Republicans will make Dems vote down politically charged amendments, including one--introduced by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)--to prohibit insurance companies for covering Viagra costs for rapists, and another--also introduced by Coburn--to fire one government employee each time the health care bill requires a new bureaucrat be hired.

Once the votes are cast, of course, they become fodder for attack ads come election season.

So far, the GOP has filed 32 amendments. But these 10 are our picks for the most ridiculous:

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UT-SEN

Club For Growth Goes After GOP Sen. Bennett In New Ad (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | March 3, 2010, 5:58PM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)

The conservative Club For Growth has launched a new attack ad against Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT), who has become a top target for them in their quest each cycle to take out a Republican incumbent they deem to be insufficiently conservative.

Bennett has been in the Club's sights for quite some time. The new TV ad attacks Bennett for such big-spending programs as the TARP bailout and the "Bridge To Nowhere" in Alaska -- and even accuses him of colluding with liberals on health care reform. The ad then exhorts viewers to attend their local Republican Party precinct caucuses on March 23 -- a process that could potentially unseat Bennett, as explained below.

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Census

Obama Administration Dodges Political Problem As Census Amendment Moved To Back Burner

Christina Bellantoni | October 14, 2009, 3:17PM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) and Sen. David Vitter (R-LA)

For the last week folks across Washington - from the Commerce Department to Senate leadership to left-leaning advocacy groups - have had a bad case of heartburn over a potential floor fight on an amendment Republican senators were pushing to force the Census Bureau to ask immigration status during their 2010 count.

I wrote about the issue last week when Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) and Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) attempted to attach the amendment to the Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill outlining spending for the next year.

Senate leaders feared the amendment was getting some support from red-state Democrats so the Obama administration worked furiously to get it stripped from the bill, killed or at least pushed down the road to debate when Congress finally tackles immigration reform.

Commerce Sec. Gary Locke made a tough case to senators asking they oppose the amendment, reminding them such a change would cost "hundreds of millions of dollars," and long delays since the 300 million census forms would need to be reprinted and reshipped.

"It is too late to shift gears at this point in the process," Locke wrote in a memo obtained by TPMDC.

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Census

Republican Senators Vitter, Bennett Attempt To Force Census To Ask Immigration Status

Christina Bellantoni | October 8, 2009, 2:27PM

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) and Sen. David Vitter (R-LA)

Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) and Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) want to amend the pending Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill (which funds NASA and the census, among other things) to force census takers to ask immigration status.

The amendment ties funding for the census bureau to asking of the question on "all future" decennial censuses.

Vitter said because some states have included illegal immigrants in their counts, that's led to more Congressional seats.

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