TPM: Mitt Romney: Don’t Run For Office If You Need The Salary
On January 8, 2012, Talking Points Memo reported:
Mitt Romney recounted some advice from his father, former presidential candidate George Romney, in Sunday’s NBC/Facebook debate about running for office: make sure you’re set for cash already. [...] Rodell Mollineau, president of Democratic Super PAC American Bridge, also condemned the comments. “I’d say that Romney has forgotten what it’s be part of the working class or middle class, but he never was,” Mollineau said, adding his quote showed he “has no idea what average Americans are going through on a daily basis.”
WSJ: Earmarks Carry Risk For Santorum
On January 6, 2012, the Wall Street Journal reported:
On the campaign trail, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum talks up his role in overhauling welfare laws and curbing abortion rights. Less mentioned is the money he sent home to preserve cannons at Gettysburg National Military Park or to build new quarters for polar bears at the Pittsburgh zoo.
BuzzFeed: 11 Newt Gingrich Tweets That Should Exist, But Don't
On January 6, 2012, BuzzFeed reported:
It's hardly a secret that Newt Gingrich is furious with Mitt Romney after pro-Romney groups spent millions attacking is character in Iowa. And while Gingrich hasn't shied away from going on the offensive, the pro-Obama SuperPAC American Bridge doesn't think he's quite gone far enough yet. They sent along these 11 tweets for Gingrich to send to get his campaign back from the dumps.
Bloomberg: Santorum Becomes Millionaire In Six Years After U.S. Senate Loss
On January 5, 2012, Bloomberg reported:
Since his 2006 re-election defeat, the former Pennsylvania lawmaker has gone from being one of the poorer members of the U.S. Senate to earning $1.3 million between January 2010 and August 2011. In 2007, he spent $2 million to buy a 5,000-square foot home in Great Falls, Virginia, according to property records. Santorum’s financial rise was powered by consulting contracts with fuel producer Consol Energy Inc. (CNX), faith advocacy group Clapham Group and American Continental Group, a Washington consultancy, as well as media engagements.
MSNBC: Pro-Obama Super PACs Hit Romney For Own 'Solyndra'
On January 5, 2012, MSNBC's First Read reported:
A video produced by American Bridge, called “Romney’s energy loan hypocrisy,” hits Romney for loans made while he was governor of Massachusetts to two companies that eventually failed or moved away – and had ties to Romney campaign donors.
Daily Beast: Is New Hampshire Jon Huntsman’s Last Hurrah?
On January 5, 2012, The Daily Beast reported:
Indeed, one of the enduring mysteries of the 2012 presidential race is why Jon Huntsman’s candidacy turned out to be a dud. Was it the candidate or the ideological environment? Was it his message or his delivery? [...] "He's plenty conservative, but his unwillingness to give the base red meat and his penchant for relying on logic and common sense doomed him from the start. Also, his rollout was horrible,” says Democratic operative Rodell Mollineau, president of American Bridge to the 21st Century.
LA Times: Rick Santorum's Political Evolution Sparks Scrutiny
On January 5, 2012, the Los Angeles Times reported:
But during four years in the House and 12 in the Senate, Santorum became an insider himself. He brought home earmarks that his competitors are now criticizing. He helped lead Republican outreach to K Street lobbyists. And despite his campaign promises, Santorum established his family's home in an affluent Washington suburb while charging his children's school tuition to Pennsylvania taxpayers. [...] Since leaving the Senate, Santorum has quietly built a comfortable life, following a path that has become well-worn for former members of Congress. He doubled his net worth with lucrative contracts with Fox News and Washington lobbying and consulting firms.
MEMO: Candidate Romney’s Attack Boomerangs On Governor Romney
Mitt Romney today has adopted the message of former Tea Party candidate Michele Bachmann in a transparent attempt to appeal to her extremist supporters. Romney’s phony outrage about “crony capitalism” is particularly surprising considering Romney’s record in Massachusetts. When Romney was Governor of Massachusetts, “the state handed out $4.5 million in loans to two firms run by his campaign donors that have since defaulted, leaving taxpayers holding the bag.” Romney lured one of the companies to Massachusetts by offering a direct loan from the state and his Administration bragged about using government loans to attract business. But, now that Romney is running for President, he claims that government loans to private companies are “crony capitalism.” It’s the worst kind of hypocrisy from a candidate who has proven he will do or say anything to advance his political career.
ABC News: Rick Santorum, Mr. Bipartisan Compromise – And Mr. Pro Wrestling?
On January 4, 2012, ABC News reported:
Interestingly, Santorum early in his legal career played a key role in the rise of pro wrestling. As a young associate attorney for Kirkpatrick & Lockhart in Pittsburgh in the 1980s, Santorum lobbied in Harrisburg on behalf of the World Wrestling Federation in a successful effort to de-regulate pro-wrestling, “arguing that pro wrestling was entertainment, and not a sport, and, as such, should be exempted from federal steroid regulations,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported in a 1994 profile.
POLITICO's Arena: Is Santorum's Surge For Real?
Is everyone familiar with the phrase 'save the best for last'? This is pretty much the opposite of that. Right now, Santorum is the reaping the benefits of being the worst candidate in the field. Republican primary voters are so desperate to nominate anyone but Mitt Romney, that they've literally gone through everyone else. This started with Donald Trump last spring, and since the summer has rapidly cycled through Bachmann, Perry, Cain, Gingrich, and Paul. Each of them proved to be a fatally flawed candidate once they got their moment in the spotlight. Fortunately for Santorum, his turn just happens to coincide with the Iowa caucuses. He is also benefiting from having his surge occur in the week between Christmas and New Year's. Assuming that the latest polling accurately reflects Santorum as the anti-Romney vote du jour, the increased scrutiny he'll receive this week will help Republican voters realize that since losing his last election by 17 points, Santorum has been working as a corporate lobbyist.