Barack Obama

A History Of Republicans Slamming Judges (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler and Sahil Kapur | April 6, 2012, 5:33AM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) conducts a news conference along with fellow GOP members on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on November 30, 2011.

If the week of April 2, 2012, goes down in political history, it'll be for the fact that Republicans suddenly rediscovered their reverence for the third branch of government.

What brought about the change of heart? President Obama's comments on Monday and Tuesday in which he opined that an adverse Supreme Court ruling on his health care law would represent an extraordinary act of judicial overreach.

On Tuesday, in an extraordinarily unusual step, three Republican appointees to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals went toe-to-toe with the president in the political sphere. On Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell advised Obama to "back off." The courts' authority is to be respected, regardless of outcome, he said.

This is a rich new twist for the GOP, which has made decades of sport out of attacking an out-of-control judiciary for legislating from the bench. You literally only have to look back to this GOP presidential primary to find examples of Republicans questioning the courts' legitimacy and even threatening to neuter them using powers reserved for the other two branches of government.

Here's a brief digest:

Read more »

Individual Mandate

Supreme Court Zeros In On Health Care Law's Centerpiece

Sahil Kapur | March 27, 2012, 5:47AM

The linchpin of President Obama's health care law will come into focus Tuesday as the Supreme Court hears two hours of oral arguments on whether Congress can require Americans to purchase insurance.

For supporters and foes of the law, and for court watchers who have been awaiting this case for over two years, Tuesday is the main event.

Read more »

Oil

The Simple Chart That Pops Santorum's Housing Bubble Theory

Brian Beutler | February 29, 2012, 5:26AM

On Monday, Rick Santorum raised the bar for high-fuel price hysteria.

"The housing bubble was caused because of a dramatic spike in energy prices that caused the housing bubble to burst," Santorum told an audience in Colorado.

Well, fuel prices are on the rise again, and in defiance of the logic of the market, Republicans across the country want to hold President Obama and the Democrats to account. In Santorum's scenario, Obama is risking yet another worldwide financial crisis by not drilling in ANWR or green lighting the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

Here's what Dean Baker, who was miles ahead of most economists in giving early warnings about the housing bubble, said about Santorum's theory.

Read more »

Mitt Romney

D'oh! Debt Hawks Fear Most GOP Tax Plans Will Increase Deficit

Brian Beutler | February 23, 2012, 1:48PM

A key test for the political establishment and the media this campaign cycle will be whether they accurately explain the Presidential candidates' budget plans to voters, or whether they allow the candidates to spin their way out of the severe implications of their own proposals. The election will hinge to a large extent on the two parties' visions for the role of the federal government and how to pay for it, and keeping the taxing and spending implication of those visions clear is the key to helping voters make informed decisions at the polls.

An event hosted Thursday morning by the fiscal discipline hawks at the Center for a Responsible Federal Budget offered this corner of the establishment an early critique of the GOP candidates' tax and spending plans -- all of which drew mixed reviews or worse.

Read more »

Rick Santorum

CHART: Santorum Calls For Tiny (Huge!) Tax Cuts For The Poor (Rich)

Brian Beutler | January 19, 2012, 3:50PM

The Tax Policy Center in DC has released numbers Rick Santorum's tax plan -- the latest, and perhaps final, in a series of analyses of the leading GOP contenders' tax plans.

It's a variation on the theme underlying all of the Republicans' tax proposals -- its impact on the middle class is trivial compared to the massive tax cut it proposes for the wealthiest Americans.

Read more »

Rick Santorum

Hmmm... Santorum's Healthcare Pitch Sounds An Awful Lot Like Obamacare For The Elderly

Brian Beutler | January 9, 2012, 2:11PM

Ever since Republicans in Congress voted overwhelmingly for Paul Ryan's budget, the GOP has expected its leading Presidential candidates to back a similar Medicare privatization scheme. Most of them have followed suit. Rick Santorum is trying to have it both ways.

During Sunday morning's NBC debate, the come-from-behind winner of the Iowa caucuses talked about his Medicare pitch to voters.

Read more »

2012 Presidential Primaries

Santorum: The Gay Community Is On A 'Jihad' Against Me

Eric Kleefeld | August 29, 2011, 11:43AM

Rick Santorum at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition's Spring Kickoff Event

Rick Santorum really does not like the political activism that gay people have launched against him, ever since his 2003 remarks comparing the legalization of gay sex and gay marriage to pedophilia, bestiality and incest.

"So the gay community said, 'He's comparing gay sex to incest and polygamy, how dare he do this,' and they have gone out on a, I would argue, jihad against Rick Santorum since then," Santorum said at a campaign event in Spartanburg, S.C., on Friday, The Hill reports.

There is a certain irony here, in that radical Islamists -- like Santorum himself -- would want to see homosexuality outlawed. And it is Santorum's prior remarks on that subject that have led to the situation that he is complaining about.

Read more »

2012 Presidential Primaries

Santorum: I'll Take Up Huntsman's 'Offer' -- He's Crazy To Believe In Global Warming (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 19, 2011, 4:33PM

On Thursday, Jon Huntsman tweeted a jab at fellow GOP primary candidate Rick Perry with the declaration: "To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy" -- a brave move for a Republican presidential candidate in the age of the Tea Party. In response, his fellow (and much more conservative) candidate Rick Santorum seems to be saying: Yup, you are crazy.

Santorum on Friday singled out Huntsman for accepting the scientific consensus on manmade activities being a significant contributor to global warming -- and did not talk at all about Huntsman's belief in evolution, despite his own long political history of questioning evolutionary science and advocating for the teaching of the "intelligent design" movement of creationism.

"Yeah well, I'll be the first one to take him up on his offer," Santorum told MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell. "You know, look, I've been very, very clear that the science just simply doesn't back up the issue of global warming.

Read more »

Tim Pawlenty

Michele Bachmann Wins Ames Straw Poll

Benjy Sarlin | August 13, 2011, 5:36PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Michele Bachmann has won the Ames Straw Poll, state GOP chair Matt Strawn announced on Saturday.

Bachmann secured 4823 votes, edging out Ron Paul, who had 4671 votes. Tim Pawlenty finished a distant third with 2293 votes - a disappointing result for the Minnesota governor after investing heavy resources as part of his broader Iowa-focused strategy. He suggested recently that he may have to a "reassess" his campaign if he fails to make an impact in the straw poll.

"We made progress in moving from the back of the pack into a competitive position for the caucuses, but we have a lot more work to do," Pawlenty said in a statement congratulating Bachmann.

Rounding out the rest of the field were Rick Santorum with 1657 votes, Herman Cain with 1456, Mitt Romney with 567, Newt Gingrich with 385, Jon Huntsman with 69, and Thad McCotter with 35. The bottom four, except for McCotter, did not participate in the day's events.

Read more »

Ames Straw Poll

Perry, Palin, and Polls: The GOP Primary's Wild Weekend

Benjy Sarlin | August 12, 2011, 5:16PM

Ames, Iowa. 2011. Ron Paul Supporters

Saturday is easily the most important day of the Republican primaries so far as the candidates face a major test in Iowa -- and a new challenger enters the arena.

The bulk of the field has been gathered in Iowa all week mingling with locals and noshing on corn dogs as crowds of national reporters follow their every move. The big show is Saturday afternoon as candidates make their final appeal for votes in the Ames Straw Poll, with the ballots closing at 4 PM.

Candidates are already planning all sorts of stunts to attract supporters. Rick Santorum is handing out free jelly. Tim Pawlenty invited Christian rockers Sonicflood. Herman Cain will sing gospel. All three will receive a visit from 2008 Iowa caucus winner Mike Huckabee, who will play bass at their booths.

The poll is totally unscientific, but a strong showing can give candidates a nice shot of positive press. And every candidate besides the state-leading Michele Bachmann is in desperate need of some help in that category. The only other heavyweight in the national polls, Mitt Romney, is not participating (although he's spent the last few days in Iowa). Tim Pawlenty is staking big money on Ames to jolt his lackluster campaign back to life and said on Friday that a flop would require him to "reassess" his approach. For some of the less establishment candidates, like Ron Paul and Herman Cain, a straw poll win could vault them back into the national conversation, much like Huckabee's second place finish helped draw new attention to his campaign and built momentum for his eventual upset victory in the state.

For the middle of the pack candidates, that boost is especially important given who isn't at Ames. That would be Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is expected to announce his presidential campaign in Charleston, South Carolina at a convention organized by right-wing site RedState.com. Perry's perfectly timed entrance threatens to squash contenders' straw poll gains by dominating the news cycle. If they don't break out soon, they could become buried as the race turns into a top-heavy war between frontrunners Bachmann, Romney, and Perry.

As if Perry's announcement isn't enough of a news suck, candidates in Iowa will also have to share headlines with Sarah Palin, who's in Ames. Although there's little evidence Palin is still seriously preparing for a presidential bid at this late stage in the game, she's still doing her best to convince her supporters not to rule her out. "There is still plenty of room in that field for a common-sense conservative," Palin told state fair-goers on Friday. "Watching the debate, not just last night, but watching this whole process over the past year, it has certainly shown me there's plenty of room for more people."

2012

GOP Fight Night: The Top Five Moments

Benjy Sarlin | August 11, 2011, 11:06PM

Remember that nice friendly New Hampshire debate from June when the GOP's fresh-faced field candidates, still basking in fluffy magazine profiles, joined hands to sing songs of President Obama's failed stimulus? That wasn't this debate.

Instead the candidates mixed it up early and often, even lashing out at the moderators. We compiled the pugilistic highlights, from Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann's snowball fight to Newt Gingrich's war on FOX News, into a video. Read on for the nitty gritty details after that.

Read more »

Pres '12

Paul And Santorum Battle Over Iran

Eric Kleefeld | August 11, 2011, 10:52PM

Rick Santorum at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition's Spring Kickoff Event

Sparks flew between Ron Paul and Rick Santorum during Thursday night's Republican debate, over Paul's opposition to a hawkish foreign policy approach against Iran.

"Why wouldn't it be natural that they might want a nuclear weapon? Internationally they would be given more respect," said Paul. "Why should we write people off? We should at least talk to them - Reagan talked to the Soviets."

Paul added that during the Cold War that the Soviet Union and China had many nuclear weapons -- compared to Iran's current efforts to produce just one -- and represented genuine threats to the United States. But America did not go to war with those countries, instead maintaining diplomatic relations.

This prompted a fiery response from Rick Santorum, who boasted of how he had passed legislation to isolate Iran when he was in the Senate.

Read more »

Debates

Iowa Showdown: Five Stories To Watch In Tonight's GOP Debate

Benjy Sarlin | August 11, 2011, 6:00AM

Jon Huntsman, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

You might say that 2012 really starts tonight. At 9pm Eastern time, the declared Republican presidential candidates take the stage at Iowa -- barely two days ahead of the Ames Straw Poll, which many consider the unofficial first round of the primary season.

Of course, this debate will also be interesting for who it doesn't have: Texas Governor Rick Perry. Today he made it official that he'll be declaring his candidacy on Saturday. His shadow is sure to loom large over tonight's proceedings.

TPM's livewire will keep you updated of the night's events as they happen. We'll also be posting blog posts, fuller articles, and video throughout the evening.

Meanwhile, in preparation for the debate itelf, here's TPM's advice on what to look for:

Read more »

Ames Straw Poll

No Favorites: Huckabee To Join Cain, Santorum, And Pawlenty At Ames

Benjy Sarlin | August 10, 2011, 9:26AM

Mike Huckabee

Not one to play favorites, Mike Huckabee will play bass for not only Herman Cain but Rick Santorum and Tim Pawlenty as well at the Ames Straw Poll this weekend.

The news takes some of the thunder out of Cain's earlier announcement that Huckabee would back him up while he sang gospel himself at the event. The former Arkansas governor won the state handily in 2008 and it was considered his to lose in 2012 if he had decided to run. He has yet to endorse any of the candidates.

Huckabee's daughter, Sarah Huckabee, is a top aide to Pawlenty and tweeted on Wednesday that her father would play bass with the bands Sonicflood and the Nadas, who are performing at Pawlenty's booth. As for his Santorum appearance, the Des Moines Register reports he'll play Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day" and "Peggy Sue."

Iowa straw poll

Come To Ames -- For The 'Santorum Summer Dance Party'

Eric Kleefeld | August 8, 2011, 2:11PM

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Oh, Boy!

Rick Santorum is hoping to show Iowans a good time at the Ames Straw Poll: First with Santorum's homemade jelly -- and now, his campaign has announced, with musical entertainment from the late Buddy Holly's backup band the Crickets, plus the Big Bopper Jr.

Back in 1959, the 22-year old Buddy Holly and the 28-year old original Big Bopper, plus 17-year old Ritchie Valens, were killed in a plane crash -- in Iowa, during a Midwestern tour called the "Winter Dance Party."

As such, the name of the Santorum campaign event is the "Santorum Summer Dance Party."

"After three weeks of traveling across Iowa and meeting thousands of Iowans, we are excited to cap off our family trip with a day of fun in Ames," said Santorum in a press release. "We are all looking forward to eating, singing, and dancing along with the traditions that make summertime in Iowa the epitomizes the heart of the American experience."

2012 Presidential Primaries

GOP 2012 Candidates Agree Obama Deserves The Blame For S&P Downgrade... But Disagree Over Why

Thomas Lane | August 6, 2011, 11:55AM

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

S&P's own explanation of their decision to downgrade the U.S credit rating spreads the blame around. Tellingly, It slams the GOP's intransigence over letting the Bush tax cuts expire. Overall, it paints a bleak picture of the whole political system.

However, for the GOP presidential candidates it's pretty clear where the blame really lies. You guessed it: with President Barack Obama.

Read more »

Iowa caucus

Santorum Denounces 'Super-Right' Of 'Sexual Liberty,' And The 'Pursuit Of Pleasure'

Eric Kleefeld | August 5, 2011, 2:27PM

Rick Santorum at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition's Spring Kickoff Event

Rick Santorum is continuing his staunch opposition to gay rights -- warning that courts have created a "super-right" to sex, which overrides the constitutional right of religious freedom.

In an interview with the Des Moines Register's editorial board, Santorum claimed that same-sex marriage was a threat to religious liberty, alleging for example that government could threaten the licenses of marriage counselors who don't treat gay couples.

"Religious liberty is now trumped because we have now created a super-right," said Santorum. "We have a right [in] the Constitution of religious liberty but now the courts have created a super-right that's above a right that's actually in the Constitution, and that's of sexual liberty. And I think that's a wrong, that's a destructive element."

Also, the paper reports: "Santorum says if 'pursuit of happiness' means 'pursuit of pleasure,' we won't be a country very long."

Iowa straw poll

Santorum To Give Out Free Jelly At Ames

Eric Kleefeld | August 3, 2011, 3:34PM

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Rick Santorum may not have raised a lot of money or attracted much support in the polls, but his campaign for the presidency will be trying a new tack for votes at the Ames Iowa Straw Poll: Some delicious homemade peach jam.

The Des Moines Register reports that Santorum told an Iowa audience on Tuesday that his family has fruit trees back home, and he and his children harvested peaches, peeled them, and made them into jelly. And now, they will be bringing 40 jars to Iowa.

"We are bringing them to the Straw Poll and we are going to give everybody a sample," said Santorum, dubbing the product "Pennsylvania Presidential Peach Preserves."

Don't count out this tactic completely. In the 1840 presidential election, one thing the opposition Whig Party did to cement its momentum from the economic depression was to mount a national effort of handing out hard cider at campaign events, tying it to the manufactured image of nominee William Henry Harrison as a rugged outdoorsman. Though come to think of it, 40 jars of peach jelly probably isn't as convincing as hard cider.

Iowa caucus

Santorum: Govt Pre-School Programs Want To 'Indoctrinate Your Children'

Eric Kleefeld | August 2, 2011, 6:13PM

Rick Santorum at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition's Spring Kickoff Event

Rick Santorum fired a verbal salvo at early-education programs on Tuesday, telling an Iowa crowd that government pre-school programs are part of a hideous plot by the government to indoctrinate children.

"It is a parent's responsibility to educate their children. It is not the government's job. We have sort of lost focus here a little bit," said Santorum, the Des Moines Register reports.

"Of course, the government wants their hands on your children as fast as they can. That is why I opposed all these early starts and pre-early starts, and early-early starts. They want your children from the womb so they can indoctrinate your children as to what they want them to be. I am against that."

In order to shield his own family from indoctrination, Santorum and his wife have home-schooled their seven children through the eighth grade.

Read more »

Rick Santorum

Dan Savage Threatens To Santorum The Name 'Rick', Too (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | July 27, 2011, 1:58PM

Dan Savage

Watch your step, presidential candidate Rick Santorum: Your old nemesis Dan Savage just threatened to take away the one good name you have left.

Santorum's been cooking up a new war with Savage -- the sex columnist and LGBT-rights activist who Goggle-bombed Santorum's last name in 2003 -- to help raise money for his campaign following some controversial statements Savage made on Bill Maher's HBO show. More on all that here.

Read more »

Rick Santorum

With His Campaign Lagging, Rick Santorum Turns Once Again To Dan Savage

Evan McMorris-Santoro | July 21, 2011, 5:55AM

Dan Savage and Rick Santorum

Like some kind of strange VH-1-C-SPAN hybrid, the bottom rung of the 2012 presidential race is turning into an episode of I Love Esoteric Political Rivalries Of The Early-2000s. Rick Santorum, down on money and lagging in the polls, is turning to an old foe, columnist Dan Savage, to help fill his coffers and grab some headlines.

Savage, who back in 2003 perfected the Google bomb that's still plaguing Santorum, is happy to oblige him.

"We just can't quit each other," Savage told TPM in an email.

Read more »

Fundraising

Rick Santorum Raises Under $600,000 For 2012 Bid

Benjy Sarlin | July 15, 2011, 11:12AM

Rick Santorum at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition's Spring Kickoff Event

Rick Santorum's quixotic quest for the presidency isn't going over well with donors. The ex-Senator's campaign raised under $600,000 raised for the quarter, lagging virtually the entire field.

As of June 30, the campaign managed to collect $582,000 in donations. But they've already used up $352,900, leaving him few resources to staff up, get on the airwaves, and organize supporters ahead of key events like Ames Straw Poll.

The campaign noted that Santorum only officially declared a few weeks before the deadline, and described the numbers as "solid."

"It is worth noting that Senator Santorum didn't hold his first official fundraiser until June 22, and between that day and June 30, he raised nearly half of the money he raised as an official presidential candidate," said Amanda Kornegay, finance director for Rick Santorum for President," spokesman Matt Beynon said in a statement.

Santorum, best known for his anti-gay and pro-life politics, drew some attention early on as a possible contender in socially conservative Iowa. Instead it's been Michele Bachmann hoarding the energy, jumping to an early lead the polls, and raising a solid $2 million in only a couple of weeks, with another $2 million transferred over from her Congressional campaign.

2012

Inflammatory Social Conservative Pledge Trips Up GOP Contenders

Benjy Sarlin | July 11, 2011, 3:30PM

Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum are taking heat for signing onto a group's pledge suggesting African-American families were better off in some ways under slavery.

The two most prominent social conservatives in the 2012 field signed onto "The Marriage Vow - A Declaration of Dependence upon Marriage and Family," by The Family Leader, a Christian group. According to the pledge, "Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA's first African-American President."

Read more »

2012

July 4 Big-Time Campaign Day For 2012 Field

Benjy Sarlin | July 1, 2011, 12:39PM

GOP Presidential Candidates Debate, Jun 13, 2011

Fairs, rallies, parades! They're everywhere a candidate wants to be and July 4 is the mother lode for voter-friendly events. The top candidates are all keeping busy schedules for the holiday and their plans say plenty about their broader strategy.

In one case, two candidates will directly overlap. Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman are both participating in a parade in Amherst, New Hampshire to commemorate Independence Day. New Hampshire is the center of Romney's strength in the 2012 race and he enjoys heavy frontrunner status. Romney will also hit up a couple of other holiday events in the state, including another parade later in the day. For Huntsman, who is competing with many of the same moderate and establishment voters and donors, catching up on Romney in the polls there is crucial to scoring him some much-needed credibility.

Herman Cain will end his busy day in New Hampshire, throwing out the first pitch at a minor league baseball game, but he'll start off in Philadelphia for a Tea Party rally with former UN Ambassador John Bolton. Firing up the grassroots is crucial to Cain's candidacy and he needs to broaden his small donor base if he wants to make an impact in fundraising after a lackluster start.

Michele Bachmann's presidential hopes rest on a strong showing in Iowa, where she was born and launched her campaign (albeit with a few hiccups). Not surprisingly, she's digging in for the entire holiday weekend, hoping to capitalize on her momentum in the polls. She'll be hitting her share of parades and local celebrations across the state.

Intersecting with Bachmann will be Newt Gingrich, whose campaign has lost most of its top staff. The two are both participating in the Clear Lake Independence Day parade. Rick Santorum is also expected to campaign in Iowa that day, where he will need a strong performance to stay in the race.

One exception to the July 4 rush: Tim Pawlenty, who has not released a public schedule for the holiday.

Afghanistan

Whatever Way You Go On Afghanistan, There's A Republican Prez Candidate For That

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 23, 2011, 12:54PM

In the hours after President Obama's Afghanistan draw-down speech (remember that?), Republican presidential candidates fired off responses that ranged from subtly supportive but unimpressed to totally opposed and really unimpressed.

Yes, GOP primary voter: No matter where you stand on the longest war in American history, there's a Republican running for president who speaks your language.

Read more »

Rick Santorum

Santorum Blames Liberal Plot For Students' Bad History Scores (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | June 21, 2011, 4:33PM

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Another day, another entry for Rick Santorum's list of liberal conspiracies.

This time Santorum is arguing that the reason so few U.S. students perform well in U.S. history is because of "a conscious effort on the part of the left who has a huge influence on our curriculum, to desensitize America to what American values are so they're more pliable to the new values that they would like to impose on America."

Read more »

Rick Santorum

Dirt Bike Fight: Santorum Ad Mocks Huntsman Over Anti-Abortion Pledge

Jillian Rayfield | June 21, 2011, 10:09AM

A web ad Tuesday from Rick Santorum's presidential campaign mocks an ad from now official presidential candidate Jon Huntsman and attacks him for not signing a pro-life pledge from the group the Susan B. Anthony List.

Huntsman's original ad, one of several released in the run-up to his entry into the race, shows him riding a dirt bike and teases the announcement of his presidential plans as coming "in 4 days." Santorum's ad shows a dirt bike rider wiping out and says Huntsman "Hasn't signed the anti-abortion pledge. Just like Mitt Romney..."

Read more »

2012 elections

Poll: Little Love For Rick Santorum In Home State

Eric Kleefeld | June 15, 2011, 1:44PM

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

Rick Santorum served for 12 years as a very conservative senator from the big perennial swing state of Pennsylvania, only to lose re-election by an 18-point landslide in 2006. And as a new Quinnipiac poll suggests, if nominated for president he would again lose Pennsylvania -- and not only that, but he's not even the strongest Republican against Obama, nor is he even the favorite of Pennsylvania GOP voters for the nomination.

The poll for the Republican primary gives Mitt Romney the plurality with 21%, followed by Santorum at 16%. Sarah Palin follows with 11%, Herman Cain 8%, Ron Paul 6%, Michele Bachmann 5%, Newt Gingrich 5%, Tim Pawlenty 4%, and Jon Huntsman 1%.

For the general election, President Obama leads Santorum by 49%-38%. Mitt Romney actually does slightly better than Santorum, only trailing Obama by 47%-40%.

The poll was conducted from June 7-12. The sub-sample of Pennsylvania Republicans has a ±4.3% margin of error. The wider survey of registered Pennsylvania voters has a ±2.7% margin of error.

Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum: I Love My Gay Friends (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | June 15, 2011, 9:55AM

Former Senator and GOP Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Of course Rick Santorum has gay friends, and he loves them! They're awesome!

Read more »

2012

Muslims, Medicare, And Mandates: The Top 5 Moments From The GOP Debate

Benjy Sarlin | June 14, 2011, 5:45AM

GOP Presidential Candidates Debate, Jun 13, 2011

OK, so the fireworks weren't quite there on Monday. The candidates seemed more concerned with introducing their dozens of grandchildren and out-doing each other's attacks on President Obama than in directly addressing each other. But the GOP debate produced some illuminating moments, from Tim Pawlenty's awkward avoidance of a confrontation with Mitt Romney to Herman Cain's plan to root out "violent" Muslims. Without further ado, here are the top five highlights:

Read more »

2012

Let The Games Begin! A Guide To Tonight's GOP Debate

Brian Beutler | June 13, 2011, 6:45AM

Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty

Not since the first head-to-CPU contest between Gary Kasparov and Deep Blue has the world waited so breathlessly for the kind of battle of the minds we're likely to witness Monday evening.

For the first time this primary season, seven of the top contenders for the GOP presidential nomination will field tough questions, pitch Republican voters, and take on each others' foibles and apostasies during an 8 pm ET, CNN/WMUR/New Hampshire Union Leader-sponsored debate in Manchester, New Hampshire.

On hand will be Herman Cain, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, and Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) -- all of whom participated in the first GOP debate last month. They'll be joined on stage by three big names in Republican politics: Newt Gingrich, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Like every primary debate since the advent of cable television, the forum will be marked by predictable talking points, unctuous spells of self-flattery, and reflexive attacks on the incumbent president.

But as the GOP field takes shape, it will also be one of the first opportunities for the contenders to stake out or clarify their positions on the issues defining this race. Here are the five key things to be on the look out for.

Read more »

Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum: The Idea Of Climate Change Is A Liberal Conspiracy

Jillian Rayfield | June 9, 2011, 10:06AM

Rick Santorum at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition's Spring Kickoff Event

Rick Santorum thinks the concept of man-made climate change is both "patently absurd" and part of a "scheme" by the left to get more government regulation.

Read more »

Rick Santorum

Report: Rick Santorum On Board Of Hospitals Sued By DOJ

Jillian Rayfield | June 8, 2011, 9:46AM

Rick Santorum at the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition's Spring Kickoff Event

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum has for four years served on the board for a group of hospitals facing a number of legal problems, including a lawsuit by the Department of Justice for Medicaid fraud, The Huffington Post reports.

Read more »

Rick Santorum

Santorum: D-Day Troops Fought For Health Care Freedom

Jillian Rayfield | June 6, 2011, 1:43PM

Former Sen. Rick Santorum

Newly minted GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum is appalled that President Obama would disrespect those who fought at Normandy by not trusting them to make their own health care decisions. "Those Americans risked everything so they could make that decision on their health care plan," he said Monday.

Read more »

Rick Santorum

Santorum Starts Presidential Bid By Calling Himself Tougher Than Paul Ryan (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 6, 2011, 9:50AM

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is running for president, he announced this morning. And unlike many of his other rivals, who tiptoe around the controversial Republican plan to scrap Medicare while praising author Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Santorum jumped in this morning by calling himself tougher than Ryan when it comes to making hard choices about spending.

"I didn't back down on trying to reform the Social Security system," Santorum said when asked by ABC's George Stephanopoulos about his 2006 race, which he lost in a landslide. "In an election year, I went out to the floor of the United States Senate with Jim DeMint and started arguing for reforming Social Security."

"Not even Paul Ryan in his budget now, in the face of trillions of dollars of deficits currently, had the temerity to step forward and say we've got to do Social Security," he added.

Read more »

Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum: Obama's Support For Entitlements Shows He Doesn't Believe America Is Exceptional

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 4, 2011, 11:57AM

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Rick Santorum has a message for President Obama: Despite what you may think, America was pretty awesome before the mid-60s.

Santorum is one of two presidential candidates speaking during the Saturday sessions at the Faith and Freedom Conference in downtown DC. At home before the social conservative crowd today, he offered up a ripping speech that touched on his long history as a national culture warrior.

As is so often the case in a Santorum address -- or a speech by virtually all of the Republicans in contention for the presidential nomination these days -- the subject of American exceptionalism came up. Sanoturm has woven this into his foreign policy speeches before, but today he raised the idea in the context of the entitlement fight.

Read more »

Pres '12

Report: Santorum To Kick Off Campaign June 6 In Pennsylvania

Eric Kleefeld | May 26, 2011, 3:30PM

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), who has been exploring a run for president, is set to officially announce his candidacy on June 6 in his old stomping grounds of southwestern Pennsylvania.

"This location is significant because when Sen. Santorum's grandfather left fascist Italy, he came to this country for America's freedom and the opportunity our nation afforded him," a source told NBC News.

Santorum has been campaigning heavily in the key early primary and caucus states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, so that an announcement isn't happening in any of those places seems notable.

It is also interesting to point out that Santorum lost in southwestern Pennsylvania in 2006, when he was defeated for re-election by a statewide margin of 59%-41%.

Pres '12

Report: Santorum To Officially Declare Candidacy In Early June

Eric Kleefeld | May 24, 2011, 4:55PM

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Former Sen. Rick Santorum, who has been exploring a bid for president, is set to officially declare his candidacy in two weeks.

The Des Moines Register reports:

Pennsylvania Republican Rick Santorum is making plans to throw his hat into the presidential ring and will make a big announcement about his plans in two weeks, an aide told The Des Moines Register this morning.

Santorum, 53, a former two-term senator, will reveal his plans the week of June 5, but his staff said they're still working out the details on which state he'll choose for his launching pad.

As the Register notes, Santorum has paid 16 visits to New Hampshire, 15 to Iowa, and 14 to South Carolina. So it's anybody's guess which state Santorum will pick to officially get in the mix.

Middle East

2012 GOPers Call Obama's Middle East Speech An Attack On Israel

Evan McMorris-Santoro | May 19, 2011, 6:22PM

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

President Obama's middle east policy speech was a wide-ranging address that touched on a number of hot-button issues in the world's most volatile region. But for the Republicans running for president, the speech was about one thing: Obama falling down on the job when it comes to defending the state of Israel.

"President Obama has thrown Israel under the bus," former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said in a statement. "He has disrespected Israel and undermined its ability to negotiate peace."

Read more »

Rick Santorum

Santorum Backtracks On McCain Comments: I Respect His Service But Torture Still Works

Jillian Rayfield | May 18, 2011, 12:31PM

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Rick Santorum backtracked on his comments that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) may not "understand how enhanced interrogation works" if he doesn't believe it led to the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden.

Santorum said in a statement Wednesday that he disagrees with McCain's view that torture doesn't work, but "for anyone to infer my disagreement with Senator McCain's policy position lessens my respect for his service to our country and all he had to endure is outrageous and unfortunate."

Read more »