SOURCE
Mitt Romney may have all but locked up the Republican nomination with his victories in the East Coast primaries this week, but Ron Paul and his army of acolytes aren't ready to give up the fight just yet.
As the rest of the political world's attention shifts to the general election, Paul is still quietly amassing delegates at district and county conventions, and is now poised to take a real bite — or at least a big nibble — out of Romney's delegate total.
In just the last week, Paul locked up 49 delegates, including five in Pennsylvania and four in Rhode Island, two states thought to be firmly on Romney's turf. In Minnesota, Paul won 20 of the 24 delegates awarded at last weekend's district caucuses, an impressive sweep that guarantees that Paul will control a majority of the state's delegation at the Republican National Convention.
And despite staunch opposition from the state Republican Party, Paul took 20 of the 40 delegates awarded in Missouri last weekend, according to campaign chairman Jesse Benton.
In at least five other states — Colorado, Nevada, Iowa, Washington, and Maine — Paul has done remarkably well at county and district conventions, and his supporters are expected to win a big chunk of the RNC delegates at the state conventions later this spring.
"We are very pleased with the results," Benton told Business Insider. "We still have a long way to go, but we've done very, very well at the county caucuses and district conventions and that bodes well for our strength when we get to the state conventions. Now we need to keep our nose to the grindstone."
Even Rick Santorum, who earlier in the race accused Paul of shilling for Romney, acknowledged the Texas Congressman's impressive organization this week, telling CNN's Piers Morgan that "Ron Paul is working the delegates hard."
In a surprising twist, a lot of Paul's recent success can actually be attributed to Santorum's decision to suspend his campaign earlier this month. In many places, Santorum supporters have banded together with Paul organizers in an attempt to deny Romney delegates.
In Colorado, for example, Santorum supporters have bonded with their Paul counterparts over a shared skepticism of Romney's conservative values. Although the Colorado GOP won't select its RNC delegates until the state convention next month, Paul organizers have gotten many of Santorum's pledged delegates to commit to supporting Paul over Romney.
"In Colorado, there is a real anti-Establishment sense — they want to send a very conservative delegation to the national convention," Benton told BI. "We're fighting it out, and we think there are enough Santorum delegates that are sympathetic to Ron Paul who will come over to us."
In Washington, Santorum's county caucus organizer sent an open letter to his fellow supporters urging them to vote for Paul's delegates rather than Romney's.
Here's an excerpt of the letter, obtained by Business Insider:
Romney wants everybody to quit. Quitting may be his solution when his back is up to the wall, but it's not what we want from our leaders. Our country has it's back up against the wall! We need principled fighters and not a pretty boy in a suit. We nominate Romney and it's the equivalent of making him the starting quarterback because he simply looks good in the uniform. He's a defensive coordinators dream. The mere fact he wins in the same places liberals do in the general election says a lot.
At some point, and it might as well be now, people are going to reign back power from party leaders, unite and actually make something like a Paul/Santorum unity slate work. As I see it, it's the only way to balance power, restore it back to the people and take it away from big money.
Those against such an alliance, especially elected state delegates, might want to address future problems and complaints concerning government to the person in the mirror. I fail to see the logic in people not trusting such an arrangement that both Paul and Santorum's people have agreed to, yet they'll trust the same people running the party for years that have helped bring us to this junction in history.
That Santorum's supporters are taking a second look at Ron Paul rather than vote for Romney's delegates is an indication that the former Massachusetts governor still has major problems with his party's Republican base.
"The plurality of them just don't want to vote for Romney," Doug Wead, a senior advisor to the Paul campaign, told Business Insider. “A lot of people are upset that Romney has not reached out to them at all. [They feel like] 'Why in the hell should we support him when he’s not asking for our support or doing a single thing to get it."
Both Wead and Benton concede that it would be difficult — if not impossible — to deny Romney the delegate majority he needs to win the nomination. The goal now, Benton told BI, is "to win as many delegates as we possibly can."
"We want to have a strong, respectful presence that says 'We are here, we are are going to participate, and we are ready to talk about the party platform with you if you take our issues seriously," he said. "We're going to send a message that the liberty wing of the Republican party is strong, and that it isn't going anywhere."
The Romney campaign declined to comment on Paul's delegate wins. But if Paul continues his hot streak, the presumptive nominees might not be able to ignore the libertarian iconoclast and his army of delegates by the time the national convention rolls around.
Showing posts with label pRick Santorum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pRick Santorum. Show all posts
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
pRick Santorum Sides With Trayvon
SOURCE
On “Face the Nation” Sunday on CBS, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum explained that his view of the Trayvon Martin shooting differed significantly from the one held by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Gingrich was critical of President Barack Obama’s reaction, but Santorum placed the blame on accused shooter George Zimmerman’s mental state.
“Well, you know, obviously, I’m not privy to what’s going on in someone’s mind,” Santorum said. “Obviously, in my opinion, someone … has a very sick mind who would pursue someone like this. This is clearly a heinous act. You know, there are a lot of people who have a lot of distorted views of reality. It’s a tragic, tragic case.”
“And my heart goes out to the parents, too. I can’t imagine what they’re suffering, losing their son in such a horrific way. All I would say is that, whatever the motive is, it was a malicious one, and a very, very tragic one.”
{snip}
“All I can say is that, again, there are a lot of people who have very perverted views of reality and obviously have, as we see, people who do horrible things for seemingly senseless reasons,” Santorum said.
On “Face the Nation” Sunday on CBS, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum explained that his view of the Trayvon Martin shooting differed significantly from the one held by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Gingrich was critical of President Barack Obama’s reaction, but Santorum placed the blame on accused shooter George Zimmerman’s mental state.
“Well, you know, obviously, I’m not privy to what’s going on in someone’s mind,” Santorum said. “Obviously, in my opinion, someone … has a very sick mind who would pursue someone like this. This is clearly a heinous act. You know, there are a lot of people who have a lot of distorted views of reality. It’s a tragic, tragic case.”
“And my heart goes out to the parents, too. I can’t imagine what they’re suffering, losing their son in such a horrific way. All I would say is that, whatever the motive is, it was a malicious one, and a very, very tragic one.”
{snip}
“All I can say is that, again, there are a lot of people who have very perverted views of reality and obviously have, as we see, people who do horrible things for seemingly senseless reasons,” Santorum said.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Santorum Vs Ron Paul
SOURCE
Rick Santorum helped bring about the fiscal calamity that is destroying the United States. He was, and is, as much a part of the problem as Obama and the Democrats. Ron Paul, meanwhile, was and remains the lone, consistent voice of opposition to the big-spending, government-expanding schemes of both Republicans and Democrats. Santorum's path has led the country to ruin. If Dr. Paul's prescription had been followed, all of this could have been avoided. Here is the record.
As a U.S. Senator, Rick Santorum voted to raise the debt ceiling FIVE TIMES. Ron Paul has opposed EVERY debt ceiling increase, and has NEVER voted for an unbalanced budget or tax increase.
Santorum voted to DOUBLE the size of the U.S. Department of Education. Ron Paul has always advocated ABOLISHING the Department of Education, as Ronald Reagan promised but never succeeded in doing.
Santorum supported the largest expansion of the welfare state since the 1960s, the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, which added a $16 TRILLION UNFUNDED LIABILITY to the national debt. Ron Paul has always opposed ALL federal interference in medicine -- even as a doctor, when he treated patients for free rather than accept Medicare and Medicaid payments from the government.
Santorum supports foreign aid, the process by which the U.S. government borrows money from China and uses it to bribe and prop up foreign governments (including China's), while taxing Americans to pay interest on the loans. Ron Paul has NEVER voted for foreign aid because, as he points out, it is not permitted by the Constitution, it is a bad idea, and, anyway, the U.S. government is broke.
Santorum was a vocal cheerleader for war against Iraq and voted for the authorization to use force, which left the final decision of whether or not to go to war in the hands of the president. As a result of the war, more than 4,000 American service members were killed and more than 30,000 were wounded. Untold numbers of Iraqi civilians died and Iraq's Christian community was decimated. The war cost more than $700 billion in direct appropriations and much more when the indirect costs (long-term treatment of wounded veterans, etc.) are factored in. Now, after a partial American withdrawal from Iraq (an embassy larger than the Vatican remains, along with high-paid military contractors), the different ethnic factions of that country are embroiled in a civil war. And all of this because of fear-mongering over non-existent weapons, based on fraudulent information.
Ron Paul saw the push for war against Iraq beginning right after 9/11, and issued many articles and statements against it. On September 4, 2002, just months before the war began, Paul addressed the House of Representatives: "Mr. Speaker; I rise to urge the Congress to think twice before thrusting this nation into a war without merit — one fraught with the danger of escalating into something no American will be pleased with." When it became clear that war was imminent, Paul introduced a resolution calling for a declaration of war, as required by the Constitution, although he intended to vote against it. This was blocked by other members of Congress, one of whom told Paul, "That part of the Constitution is anachronistic. We don't follow it anymore."
Now, after all the needless death and destruction wrought by the Iraq war, Santorum is leading the charge for another war of aggression based on dubious claims about weapons. And Ron Paul is, once again, counseling restraint and a return to the neutral foreign policy advised by America's founders.
There's more, sadly.
Santorum sided with big labor unions in opposing a national right-to-work law that would have protected workers from being forced to pay union dues. He supported federal housing programs and government-sponsored enterprises like Fannie and Freddie, which inflated the housing bubble, while Ron Paul warned -- as far back as 2001 -- that a bubble was forming and would eventually burst, and proposed legislation to eliminate the line of credit from the U.S. government to Fannie and Freddie.
Ron Paul has never taken a government-paid junket, has refused participation in the lucrative congressional pension plan, and returns a portion of his office budget each year to the U.S. Treasury. Santorum, on the other hand, collected $100,000 in taxpayer funds from the Penn Hills School District between 2001 and 2005 to pay for online courses for his home-schooled children. He did this by fraudulently claiming residency in Pennsylvania while he and his family actually lived in Washington, D.C.
If you support Santorum, don't act surprised when you end up with more of the same -- more big spending, debt, wars, lies and corruption. If you want real change -- if you REALLY believe in the principles of limited government enshrined in the Constitution -- then the choice is obvious. Go with the only candidate who has ALWAYS stood for these principles, through thick and thin, and oftentimes alone: Ron Paul.
Rick Santorum helped bring about the fiscal calamity that is destroying the United States. He was, and is, as much a part of the problem as Obama and the Democrats. Ron Paul, meanwhile, was and remains the lone, consistent voice of opposition to the big-spending, government-expanding schemes of both Republicans and Democrats. Santorum's path has led the country to ruin. If Dr. Paul's prescription had been followed, all of this could have been avoided. Here is the record.
As a U.S. Senator, Rick Santorum voted to raise the debt ceiling FIVE TIMES. Ron Paul has opposed EVERY debt ceiling increase, and has NEVER voted for an unbalanced budget or tax increase.
Santorum voted to DOUBLE the size of the U.S. Department of Education. Ron Paul has always advocated ABOLISHING the Department of Education, as Ronald Reagan promised but never succeeded in doing.
Santorum supported the largest expansion of the welfare state since the 1960s, the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, which added a $16 TRILLION UNFUNDED LIABILITY to the national debt. Ron Paul has always opposed ALL federal interference in medicine -- even as a doctor, when he treated patients for free rather than accept Medicare and Medicaid payments from the government.
Santorum supports foreign aid, the process by which the U.S. government borrows money from China and uses it to bribe and prop up foreign governments (including China's), while taxing Americans to pay interest on the loans. Ron Paul has NEVER voted for foreign aid because, as he points out, it is not permitted by the Constitution, it is a bad idea, and, anyway, the U.S. government is broke.
Santorum was a vocal cheerleader for war against Iraq and voted for the authorization to use force, which left the final decision of whether or not to go to war in the hands of the president. As a result of the war, more than 4,000 American service members were killed and more than 30,000 were wounded. Untold numbers of Iraqi civilians died and Iraq's Christian community was decimated. The war cost more than $700 billion in direct appropriations and much more when the indirect costs (long-term treatment of wounded veterans, etc.) are factored in. Now, after a partial American withdrawal from Iraq (an embassy larger than the Vatican remains, along with high-paid military contractors), the different ethnic factions of that country are embroiled in a civil war. And all of this because of fear-mongering over non-existent weapons, based on fraudulent information.
Ron Paul saw the push for war against Iraq beginning right after 9/11, and issued many articles and statements against it. On September 4, 2002, just months before the war began, Paul addressed the House of Representatives: "Mr. Speaker; I rise to urge the Congress to think twice before thrusting this nation into a war without merit — one fraught with the danger of escalating into something no American will be pleased with." When it became clear that war was imminent, Paul introduced a resolution calling for a declaration of war, as required by the Constitution, although he intended to vote against it. This was blocked by other members of Congress, one of whom told Paul, "That part of the Constitution is anachronistic. We don't follow it anymore."
Now, after all the needless death and destruction wrought by the Iraq war, Santorum is leading the charge for another war of aggression based on dubious claims about weapons. And Ron Paul is, once again, counseling restraint and a return to the neutral foreign policy advised by America's founders.
There's more, sadly.
Santorum sided with big labor unions in opposing a national right-to-work law that would have protected workers from being forced to pay union dues. He supported federal housing programs and government-sponsored enterprises like Fannie and Freddie, which inflated the housing bubble, while Ron Paul warned -- as far back as 2001 -- that a bubble was forming and would eventually burst, and proposed legislation to eliminate the line of credit from the U.S. government to Fannie and Freddie.
Ron Paul has never taken a government-paid junket, has refused participation in the lucrative congressional pension plan, and returns a portion of his office budget each year to the U.S. Treasury. Santorum, on the other hand, collected $100,000 in taxpayer funds from the Penn Hills School District between 2001 and 2005 to pay for online courses for his home-schooled children. He did this by fraudulently claiming residency in Pennsylvania while he and his family actually lived in Washington, D.C.
If you support Santorum, don't act surprised when you end up with more of the same -- more big spending, debt, wars, lies and corruption. If you want real change -- if you REALLY believe in the principles of limited government enshrined in the Constitution -- then the choice is obvious. Go with the only candidate who has ALWAYS stood for these principles, through thick and thin, and oftentimes alone: Ron Paul.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Rick Santorums Voting Record
SOURCE
Rick Santorum voted with Barbara Boxer with this: S Amdt 3230 – Gun Lock Requirement Amendment
Rick Santorum voted for H J Res 47 – Debt Limit Increase Resolution – Key Vote
Rick Sandtorum flip flopped here by voting FOR Title: Firearms Manufacturers Protection Bill and here he voted against it! Rick Santorum voted against S 1805 – Firearms Manufacturers Protection Bill
Rick Santorum voted for CAFTA that Removes duties on textile and apparel goods traded among participating nations which resulted in almost ALL textile companies to leave the South! and this bill..
Rick Santorum voted for taxes in the Internet Access Tax Bill
Rick Santorum voted against S 1805 – Firearms Manufacturers Protection Bill
Rick Santorum voted for HR 5005 – Establishing the Department of Homeland Security
Rick Santorum voted for Use of Military Force Against Iraq
Rick Santorum voted against HR 2356 – Campaign Reform Act of 2001
Rick Santorum voted for HR 1 – No Child Left Behind Act
Rick Santorum voted to confirm President William J. Clinton’s nomination of
Alan Greenspan to be Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a fourth four-year term.
Rick Santorum voted for HR 3448 – Minimum Wage Increase bill which allows punitive damages for injury or illness to be taxed.
- Allows damages for emotional distress to be taxed.
- Repeals the diesel fuel tax rebate to purchasers of diesel-powered automobiles and light trucks.
Rick Santorum Voted to confirm President William J. Clinton’s nomination of Alan Greenspan to be the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for the third four year term.
Rick Santorum voted for the protection of Abortion Clinics
Rick Santorum voted for “Dont ask, Dont tell”
Rick Santorum voted for the Military Commissions Act of 2006 which
Rick Santorum voted with Barbara Boxer with this: S Amdt 3230 – Gun Lock Requirement Amendment
Rick Santorum voted for H J Res 47 – Debt Limit Increase Resolution – Key Vote
Rick Sandtorum flip flopped here by voting FOR Title: Firearms Manufacturers Protection Bill and here he voted against it! Rick Santorum voted against S 1805 – Firearms Manufacturers Protection Bill
Rick Santorum voted for CAFTA that Removes duties on textile and apparel goods traded among participating nations which resulted in almost ALL textile companies to leave the South! and this bill..
Rick Santorum voted for taxes in the Internet Access Tax Bill
Rick Santorum voted against S 1805 – Firearms Manufacturers Protection Bill
Rick Santorum voted for HR 5005 – Establishing the Department of Homeland Security
Rick Santorum voted for Use of Military Force Against Iraq
Rick Santorum voted against HR 2356 – Campaign Reform Act of 2001
Rick Santorum voted for HR 1 – No Child Left Behind Act
Rick Santorum voted to confirm President William J. Clinton’s nomination of
Alan Greenspan to be Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a fourth four-year term.
Rick Santorum voted for HR 3448 – Minimum Wage Increase bill which allows punitive damages for injury or illness to be taxed.
- Allows damages for emotional distress to be taxed.
- Repeals the diesel fuel tax rebate to purchasers of diesel-powered automobiles and light trucks.
Rick Santorum Voted to confirm President William J. Clinton’s nomination of Alan Greenspan to be the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for the third four year term.
Rick Santorum voted for the protection of Abortion Clinics
Rick Santorum voted for “Dont ask, Dont tell”
Rick Santorum voted for the Military Commissions Act of 2006 which
- Strips the right of detainees to habeas corpus (the traditional right of detainees to challenge their detention);
- Gives the US President the power to detain indefinitely anyone—US or foreign nationals, from within the US, and from abroad—it deems to have provided material support to anti-US hostilities, and even use secret and coerced evidence (i.e. through use of torture) to try detainees who will be held in secret US military prisons;
- Gives US officials immunity from prosecution for torturing detainees that were captured before the end of 2005 by US military and CIA.
Santorum Voted to Subsidize Abortion, Planned Parenthood
SOURCE
GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum is under fire in South Carolina for touting his alleged pro-life beliefs but voting to subsidize abortion and Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortions in America, while serving in the U.S. Senate. He has also backed pro-abortion candidates and voted for legislation that is being used to federally prosecute peaceful pro-life protesters who demonstrate outside of abortion clinics. Critics are outraged.
The once top-tier Republican candidate, who surged into the spotlight after an unexpected strong finish in Iowa before a disastrous showing in New Hampshire, defended himself against the attacks by lashing out at fellow GOP contender Rep. Ron Paul. He also argued that he voted for the unconstitutional appropriations — used for terminating pregnancies, lobbying against pro-life legislation, handing out birth control, and litigating to keep abortion legal — because they were part of bigger spending bills he supported.
A group called Iowans for Life first went after Santorum on the issue before the caucuses there, distributing fliers calling the former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania a “Pro-Life Fraud.” The leaflets highlighted, among other points, the fact that Santorum had "a long and storied history of campaigning for radical pro-abortion candidates” such as former Sen. Arlen Specter — a Republican who later turned Democrat.
On January 13, Santorum’s record on abortion came back to haunt him again when he was confronted about voting to subsidize abortion and its apologists during a small town-hall meeting in South Carolina. He promptly attacked the questioner, accusing him of being a “Ron Paul supporter.” Then he plowed into a diatribe against the pro-life Texas Congressman, who finished a strong second in New Hampshire last week and is widely seen as a front-runner in the Republican race.
“This is a very interesting thing,” Santorum said, puzzled, apparently looking for the right words to answer a question he had not been expecting. “There is nobody that’s been a stronger pro-life leader in the United States Congress than I was.” He also alleged — inaccurately — that Ron Paul, who has never voted to fund Planned Parenthood, did not have a solid record of defending life while in office.
Santorum continued his anti-Paul rant, accusing the 12-term Congressman of not voting for federal spending even while inserting earmarks into legislation in an effort to return money to his constituents from the federal government. But despite Santorum’s bumbling efforts to attack Ron Paul, analysts say the Texas veteran — who delivered over 4,000 babies during his career as a doctor — actually proposed the most effective way to constitutionally overturn Roe v. Wade.
Indeed, Paul introduced a bill known as the We The People Act to remove the Supreme Court’s purported jurisdiction over abortion and other issues. He sponsored the legislation in every legislative session since at least 2004, though Santorum never got on board.
Santorum then continued to defend his vote by claiming that the funding was used for birth control. However, because money is fungible, few serious analysts accept the implied argument that tax funds for Planned Parenthood are not used to subsidize abortion. They undoubtedly are.
“The program that he’s talking about is a program called Title X, and it’s a program that is in appropriation bills that funds — allows for funding of, uh, uh, uh — of birth control,” Santorum claimed when he eventually addressed the original question, carefully avoiding any mention of Planned Parenthood’s far more lucrative abortion business or its pro-abortion lobbying. “I am not for federal funding of that, but it’s in a big bill that provides a lot of things. Did I vote for that overall bill? Yes, I did.” He then resumed his attacks on Paul for not supporting enough federal spending.
The legislation in question was also used to fund several other federal departments not authorized by the Constitution including Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. But for many pro-life activists, voting for any bill that sends even a dime of tax money to an organization known to commit over 329,000 abortions every year is deal breaker — let alone voting to appropriate almost half of a billion dollars for the abortionist cause.
One pro-life commentator in South Carolina, Brian Frank, wrote in the S.C. Hotline that Santorum’s vote to fund Planned Parenthood actually “makes him a partner in crime of the ungodly murder of the innocent unborn.” Frank assailed the GOP hopeful for other faults, too. “’Mr. Pro-life’ voted to have innocent Americans placed into the PP vegi-matic laboratories and enthusiastically campaigned for pro-abortion Arlen Specter against the more conservative Pat Toomey,” the critic noted. He also said Santorum was mistaken if he believed his votes to fund Planned Parenthood could be hidden from Christians and pro-life activists.
Santorum also voted for the Democrat-sponsored “Freedom of Access to [Abortion] Clinic Entrances Act,” legislation purportedly making it a federal crime to “interfere” with a person seeking to terminate a pregnancy. As critics warned at the time, the bill has been used with increasing frequency to prosecute peaceful protesters. The former Senator vigorously campaigned for several rabidly pro-abortion candidates, too — even against their pro-life opponents.
Beyond abortion, Santorum’s voting record in the Senate also includes other evidence that the GOP hopeful is not quite as “conservative” as he would like voters to believe. For example, he supported unconstitutional gun control, the Medicare Part D prescription drug program, raising the debt ceiling, invading Iraq without a declaration of war, and expanding the unconstitutional Department of Education. He also backed indefinite detentions, torture, removing habeas corpus, and other legislation repugnant to American traditions and the Constitution. But it has not gone unnoticed by his opponents.
As the GOP race heats up, in addition to his votes for Planned Parenthood and the law used to prosecute pro-life protesters, critics are also taking aim at Santorum’s consistent support for big government. Comments by the former Senator advocating a “long war” to “eradicate” many of the world’s more than one billion Muslims have been the focus of some criticism, too. And his vow to unilaterally and unconstitutionally attack Iran when elected if its government refuses to obey him has some analysts very nervous as well.
GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum is under fire in South Carolina for touting his alleged pro-life beliefs but voting to subsidize abortion and Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortions in America, while serving in the U.S. Senate. He has also backed pro-abortion candidates and voted for legislation that is being used to federally prosecute peaceful pro-life protesters who demonstrate outside of abortion clinics. Critics are outraged.
The once top-tier Republican candidate, who surged into the spotlight after an unexpected strong finish in Iowa before a disastrous showing in New Hampshire, defended himself against the attacks by lashing out at fellow GOP contender Rep. Ron Paul. He also argued that he voted for the unconstitutional appropriations — used for terminating pregnancies, lobbying against pro-life legislation, handing out birth control, and litigating to keep abortion legal — because they were part of bigger spending bills he supported.
A group called Iowans for Life first went after Santorum on the issue before the caucuses there, distributing fliers calling the former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania a “Pro-Life Fraud.” The leaflets highlighted, among other points, the fact that Santorum had "a long and storied history of campaigning for radical pro-abortion candidates” such as former Sen. Arlen Specter — a Republican who later turned Democrat.
On January 13, Santorum’s record on abortion came back to haunt him again when he was confronted about voting to subsidize abortion and its apologists during a small town-hall meeting in South Carolina. He promptly attacked the questioner, accusing him of being a “Ron Paul supporter.” Then he plowed into a diatribe against the pro-life Texas Congressman, who finished a strong second in New Hampshire last week and is widely seen as a front-runner in the Republican race.
“This is a very interesting thing,” Santorum said, puzzled, apparently looking for the right words to answer a question he had not been expecting. “There is nobody that’s been a stronger pro-life leader in the United States Congress than I was.” He also alleged — inaccurately — that Ron Paul, who has never voted to fund Planned Parenthood, did not have a solid record of defending life while in office.
Santorum continued his anti-Paul rant, accusing the 12-term Congressman of not voting for federal spending even while inserting earmarks into legislation in an effort to return money to his constituents from the federal government. But despite Santorum’s bumbling efforts to attack Ron Paul, analysts say the Texas veteran — who delivered over 4,000 babies during his career as a doctor — actually proposed the most effective way to constitutionally overturn Roe v. Wade.
Indeed, Paul introduced a bill known as the We The People Act to remove the Supreme Court’s purported jurisdiction over abortion and other issues. He sponsored the legislation in every legislative session since at least 2004, though Santorum never got on board.
Santorum then continued to defend his vote by claiming that the funding was used for birth control. However, because money is fungible, few serious analysts accept the implied argument that tax funds for Planned Parenthood are not used to subsidize abortion. They undoubtedly are.
“The program that he’s talking about is a program called Title X, and it’s a program that is in appropriation bills that funds — allows for funding of, uh, uh, uh — of birth control,” Santorum claimed when he eventually addressed the original question, carefully avoiding any mention of Planned Parenthood’s far more lucrative abortion business or its pro-abortion lobbying. “I am not for federal funding of that, but it’s in a big bill that provides a lot of things. Did I vote for that overall bill? Yes, I did.” He then resumed his attacks on Paul for not supporting enough federal spending.
The legislation in question was also used to fund several other federal departments not authorized by the Constitution including Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. But for many pro-life activists, voting for any bill that sends even a dime of tax money to an organization known to commit over 329,000 abortions every year is deal breaker — let alone voting to appropriate almost half of a billion dollars for the abortionist cause.
One pro-life commentator in South Carolina, Brian Frank, wrote in the S.C. Hotline that Santorum’s vote to fund Planned Parenthood actually “makes him a partner in crime of the ungodly murder of the innocent unborn.” Frank assailed the GOP hopeful for other faults, too. “’Mr. Pro-life’ voted to have innocent Americans placed into the PP vegi-matic laboratories and enthusiastically campaigned for pro-abortion Arlen Specter against the more conservative Pat Toomey,” the critic noted. He also said Santorum was mistaken if he believed his votes to fund Planned Parenthood could be hidden from Christians and pro-life activists.
Santorum also voted for the Democrat-sponsored “Freedom of Access to [Abortion] Clinic Entrances Act,” legislation purportedly making it a federal crime to “interfere” with a person seeking to terminate a pregnancy. As critics warned at the time, the bill has been used with increasing frequency to prosecute peaceful protesters. The former Senator vigorously campaigned for several rabidly pro-abortion candidates, too — even against their pro-life opponents.
Beyond abortion, Santorum’s voting record in the Senate also includes other evidence that the GOP hopeful is not quite as “conservative” as he would like voters to believe. For example, he supported unconstitutional gun control, the Medicare Part D prescription drug program, raising the debt ceiling, invading Iraq without a declaration of war, and expanding the unconstitutional Department of Education. He also backed indefinite detentions, torture, removing habeas corpus, and other legislation repugnant to American traditions and the Constitution. But it has not gone unnoticed by his opponents.
As the GOP race heats up, in addition to his votes for Planned Parenthood and the law used to prosecute pro-life protesters, critics are also taking aim at Santorum’s consistent support for big government. Comments by the former Senator advocating a “long war” to “eradicate” many of the world’s more than one billion Muslims have been the focus of some criticism, too. And his vow to unilaterally and unconstitutionally attack Iran when elected if its government refuses to obey him has some analysts very nervous as well.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Santorum Recieved More Money From Lobbyists Than EVERYONE Else In 06
He is bought and paid for.
SOURCE
| 1 | Santorum, Rick (R-PA) | Senate | $496,683 | |||||||
| 2 | Allen, George (R-VA) | Senate | $360,919 | |||||||
| 3 | Burns, Conrad (R-MT) | Senate | $277,045 | |||||||
| 4 | Clinton, Hillary (D-NY) | Senate | $276,874 | |||||||
| 5 | DeWine, Mike (R-OH) | Senate | $260,054 | |||||||
| 6 | Nelson, Bill (D-FL) | Senate | $229,770 | |||||||
| 7 | Casey, Bob (D-PA) | $219,912 | ||||||||
| 8 | Kyl, Jon (R-AZ) | Senate | $209,794 | |||||||
| 9 | Talent, James M (R-MO) | Senate | $208,050 | |||||||
| 10 | Nelson, Ben (D-NE) | Senate | $207,085 | |||||||
| 11 | Murtha, John P (D-PA) | House | $199,300 | |||||||
| 12 | Menendez, Robert (D-NJ) | Senate | $198,995 | |||||||
| 13 | DeLay, Tom (R-TX) | House | $198,200 | |||||||
| 14 | Cardin, Ben (D-MD) | House | $197,382 | |||||||
| 15 | Lieberman, Joe (I-CT) | Senate | $189,935 | |||||||
| 16 | Conrad, Kent (D-ND) | Senate | $185,150 | |||||||
| 17 | Cantwell, Maria (D-WA) | Senate | $183,765 | |||||||
| 18 | Bonilla, Henry (R-TX) | House | $181,800 | |||||||
| 19 | Kennedy, Edward M (D-MA) | Senate | $177,963 | |||||||
| 20 | Steele, Michael (R-MD) | $169,425 |
SOURCE
Monday, January 16, 2012
Santorums Family "Red Communist To The Core"
SOURCE
In the tiny town of Riva del Garda in northern Italy, 83-year-old-Maria Malacarne Santorum keeps her family’s secrets—including those of her late husband’s cousin, Rick. In an exclusive interview with the Italian weekly magazine Oggi, Mrs. Santorum recalls fondly when Rick visited her in 1985 during his law internship in Florence, and when he came back again in 1986 and 1989. “He loved our culture and cuisine so much, he brought his wife-to-be, Karen, a massive cookbook of Italian recipes,” she said.
But the elder Santorum matriarch doesn’t understand why he has diverged so far from the family’s longtime political stance. “In Riva del Garda his grandfather Pietro and uncles were ‘red communists’ to the core,” writes Oggi journalist Giuseppe Fumagalli, likening the family to “Peppone” after a famous fictional Italian communist mayor who fought against an ultraconservative priest known as Don Cammillo and about which a popular television series is based. “But on the other side of the ocean, it’s like his family here doesn’t exist. Instead he draws crowds as the head of the ultraconservative faction of the Republican party, against divorce, gay marriage, abortion, and immigration.”
Those politics don’t play well in Riva del Garda, a community of ultraliberals. On the campaign trail, Santorum often touts his grandfather’s flight from Italy “to escape fascism,” but he has neglected to publicly mention their close ties with the Italian Communist Party. “Rick’s grandfather Pietro was a liberal man and he understood right away what was happening in Italy,” Mrs. Santorum told Oggi. “He was anti-fascist to the extreme, and the political climate in 1925 was stifling so he left for America. After a few years he returned to Italy with his wife and children, including Aldo, Rick’s father, who passed away late last year. It’s a shame he won’t have the joy to see his son’s success in his bid for the White House.” She goes on to explain how the family then became pillars of the Communist Party in Italy.
The matriarch lauds her distant relative as a “masterpiece” of the family, whom she calls a man of high intelligence and integrity. “He would be a great president,” she told Oggi. “But if he wants to make it, he will have to soften some of his positions. To take a stand against homosexuality or to oppose divorce is harmful. Principles count, but in politics one must have the capacity to be open-minded.”
The Oggi piece also quotes an angry cousin who preferred to voice his dissent anonymously, remembering the time when high-ranking Communist Party members frequented the Santorum household in Riva del Garda. “There are Santorums who would roll over in their graves to hear [Rick’s] rhetoric,” he said.
But the rest of the family seems content to turn a blind eye to their American cousin’s political persuasion. One cousin, Michela Santorum, told Oggi that she fondly remembers Rick’s interest in his Italian heritage, and especially Italian cuisine. “We were always astonished at how many ice cubes he put in his drinks,” Michela told Oggi. “But he loved everything else, including polenta.”
According to Oggi, the general sentiment is that the Italian Santorums will forgive their American cousin if his bid is successful. “When he wins, he will send the American presidential airplane and take all the Santorums to the White House,” Bruno Santorum told the magazine.
But after Santorum’s loss in New Hampshire and his recent slump in the polls, the question of whether he would bring his communist cousins to his ultraconservative White House may never be tested.
In the tiny town of Riva del Garda in northern Italy, 83-year-old-Maria Malacarne Santorum keeps her family’s secrets—including those of her late husband’s cousin, Rick. In an exclusive interview with the Italian weekly magazine Oggi, Mrs. Santorum recalls fondly when Rick visited her in 1985 during his law internship in Florence, and when he came back again in 1986 and 1989. “He loved our culture and cuisine so much, he brought his wife-to-be, Karen, a massive cookbook of Italian recipes,” she said.
But the elder Santorum matriarch doesn’t understand why he has diverged so far from the family’s longtime political stance. “In Riva del Garda his grandfather Pietro and uncles were ‘red communists’ to the core,” writes Oggi journalist Giuseppe Fumagalli, likening the family to “Peppone” after a famous fictional Italian communist mayor who fought against an ultraconservative priest known as Don Cammillo and about which a popular television series is based. “But on the other side of the ocean, it’s like his family here doesn’t exist. Instead he draws crowds as the head of the ultraconservative faction of the Republican party, against divorce, gay marriage, abortion, and immigration.”
Those politics don’t play well in Riva del Garda, a community of ultraliberals. On the campaign trail, Santorum often touts his grandfather’s flight from Italy “to escape fascism,” but he has neglected to publicly mention their close ties with the Italian Communist Party. “Rick’s grandfather Pietro was a liberal man and he understood right away what was happening in Italy,” Mrs. Santorum told Oggi. “He was anti-fascist to the extreme, and the political climate in 1925 was stifling so he left for America. After a few years he returned to Italy with his wife and children, including Aldo, Rick’s father, who passed away late last year. It’s a shame he won’t have the joy to see his son’s success in his bid for the White House.” She goes on to explain how the family then became pillars of the Communist Party in Italy.
The matriarch lauds her distant relative as a “masterpiece” of the family, whom she calls a man of high intelligence and integrity. “He would be a great president,” she told Oggi. “But if he wants to make it, he will have to soften some of his positions. To take a stand against homosexuality or to oppose divorce is harmful. Principles count, but in politics one must have the capacity to be open-minded.”
The Oggi piece also quotes an angry cousin who preferred to voice his dissent anonymously, remembering the time when high-ranking Communist Party members frequented the Santorum household in Riva del Garda. “There are Santorums who would roll over in their graves to hear [Rick’s] rhetoric,” he said.
But the rest of the family seems content to turn a blind eye to their American cousin’s political persuasion. One cousin, Michela Santorum, told Oggi that she fondly remembers Rick’s interest in his Italian heritage, and especially Italian cuisine. “We were always astonished at how many ice cubes he put in his drinks,” Michela told Oggi. “But he loved everything else, including polenta.”
According to Oggi, the general sentiment is that the Italian Santorums will forgive their American cousin if his bid is successful. “When he wins, he will send the American presidential airplane and take all the Santorums to the White House,” Bruno Santorum told the magazine.
But after Santorum’s loss in New Hampshire and his recent slump in the polls, the question of whether he would bring his communist cousins to his ultraconservative White House may never be tested.
Santorum Says Assasinating Foreign Scientists A "Good Thing"
Not sure which Constitution he reads from.....
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