Dayton Daily News: Former Clinton Adviser Speaks At Mandel Event
On February 20, 2012, the Dayton Daily News reported:
In the “where are they now” files, famed former political consultant Dick Morris – the man who advised former President Bill Clinton in the days after the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke – is now speaking at fundraisers for Republican Senate candidate Josh Mandel. Mandel paid $10,000 to Triangulation Strategies for a speaking fee at an Oct. 12, 2011 event for Mandel, according to research by American Bridge, a Democratic super PAC.
Journal Sentinel: Thompson Worked For Birth Control Maker
On February 19, 2012, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported:
In Wisconsin, U.S. Senate candidates Tommy Thompson, Mark Neumann and Jeff Fitzgerald condemned the president's actions. But in the case of Thompson, his criticism comes with a more complicated past when it comes to the issue of contraception.
Miami Herald: Connie Mack Preaches Penny-Pinching, But Has A Court-Record Past Of Debt And Liens (And Fights)
On February 17, the Miami Herald reported:
Congressman Connie Mack has made penny-pinching debt-reduction central to his U.S. Senate campaign, but privately he has struggled at times with borrowing and paying his own obligations, court records show. Mack sometimes appeared to spend more than he earned, had property liens filed against him, overdrew his bank account and didn’t have enough money to pay his federal income taxes after his 2004 congressional election, according to court records from Fort Myers to Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale. His finances aside, the records also show that Mack in his youth got into four confrontations — from an arrest at a nightclub to a bar brawl with a pro baseball player. Later, while in Congress, his estranged wife accused him of not living in his Fort Myers district and of using his influence to strong-arm her during their divorce.
Daily Kos: Oops! Mitt Romney's New Michigan Ad Uses Picture Of Him In New York To Prove He Grew Up In Detroit
On February 16, the Daily Kos reported:
"I remember going to the Detroit auto show with my dad," he recalls, the ad simultaneously cutting to a photograph of Mitt Romney and his father, standing on a roof, looking down on the unwashed masses milling about at what voters are supposed to believe is the Detroit auto show. The only problem? That's not the Detroit auto show. It's the 1964 World's Fair grounds. In New York.
Washington Post: Romney’s Work On Olympics, Mass. Projects Reveals Complex History With Earmarks
On February 16, 2012, the Washington Post reported:
Mitt Romney is escalating his attacks on GOP presidential rival Rick Santorum as a Washington insider who sought more than $1 billion for wasteful projects during his time in the Senate. But Romney has a complicated relationship with federal funding. As the head of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, he led an aggressive effort to win hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid for the struggling Winter Games. As governor of Massachusetts, Romney requested millions in federal earmarks for state transportation projects. He once boasted about his prowess at winning taxpayer money.
AP: Santorum Views On Birth Control At Odds With Most Of U.S.
On February 17, 2012, the Associated Press reported:
Most Americans don't share Rick Santorum's absolutist take on abortion. He's out of step on women in combat. He questions the values of the two-thirds of mothers who work. He's even troubled by something as commonplace as birth control - for married couples. Even among a Republican presidential field eager to please religious conservatives, Santorum's ideas stand out.
Washington Post: Scott Brown Struggles To Refight Old Culture War With Elizabeth Warren
On February 16, 2012, the Washington Post wrote:
Late yesterday, Scott Brown — who is under fire from Elizabeth Warren over the issue — went on a New England TV station and faced an absolutely brutal grilling from his questioner, forcing him to repeatedly dissemble about the legislation. You can watch video of the interview here. The reporter repeatedly pointed out that the measure goes much further than just exempting religious organizations from covering contraception; it also allows employers and insurers to refuse to cover any health service they findmorally objectionable. Brown repeatedly insisted that the bill doesn’t do this. [...] Republicans like Brown are desperate for this battle not to be about women’s health or the health care economics of familes, as Warren is framing it, and want to fight it exclusively on old culture war turf by alleging a war on religion. After all, polls suggest that large majorities, including of independents and moderates, see it as the former.Read the full column here.
Boston Globe: Blunt Words For Brown
On February 16, 2012, the Boston Globe wrote:
What is Senator Scott Brown thinking? This is not a rhetorical question. I really want to know: Why would a Republican hoping to be reelected in Massachusetts leap headlong onto Missouri Senator Roy Blunt’s slippery-slope? In case you missed it, Brown cosponsored Blunt’s legislation allowing employers to limit insurance coverage for treatments they find objectionable on moral or religious grounds. [...] And just like that, Blunt has brought us to Crazyland, a place far beyond the issue of contraception, not to mention common sense. What’s mystifying is that Brown has followed him there.Read the full column here.
Boston Herald: Contraception Bill Bad Choice For Scott Brown
On February 16, 2012, the Boston Herald wrote:
U.S. Sen. Scott Brown has co-sponsored a bill that would allow health plans to deny coverage both for contraception and any service that violates the planners’ beliefs. It was a huge mistake.
Columbus Dispatch: Dems Say Mandel's Campaign Trips Illegally Funded
On February 15, the Columbus Dispatch reported:
The Ohio Democratic Party today filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that state Treasurer Josh Mandel illegally used money from his state candidate fund to pay for activities related to his campaign for the U.S. Senate. Mandel, the Ohio GOP-endorsed candidate against incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, "appears to have paid for a least 10 trips" from his state fund -- Citizens for Josh Mandel -- for the purpose of gathering support for his Senate, the Democrats allege.