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.
Think Progress: Mitt Romney Is Financially Invested In The Birth Control He Seeks To Restrict
On February 8, 2012 Think Progress reported:
Now, an examination of Romney’s financial investments reveals that the very same GOP frontrunner who is now petitioning the White House to extend the regulation’s conscience clause and exclude more women from the benefits of birth control is himself invested in and profiting from pharmaceutical companies that produce the frequently prescribed and extremely common medication:
Huffington Post: Mitt Romney Slams Birth Control Decision Similar To One He Made In Massachusetts
On January 30, 2012, the Huffington Post reported:
The Mitt Romney campaign sharply criticized President Barack Obama's recent decision to require most religiously affiliated employers to offer their employees birth control coverage in an email to The New York Times Sunday, calling it a "direct attack on religious liberty." But in 2005, Romney made an almost identical decision as governor of Massachusetts.
MEMO: Debate Prep For Republican Presidential Candidates
To: Republican Presidential Candidates And Their Esteemed Representatives From: Ty Matsdorf, Senior Advisor American Bridge 21st Century RE: Debate Prep Date: January 19, 2012 Tonight’s debate may offer you your last best chance to reach voters not only in South Carolina, but across the nation. After more than a dozen debates, a lot of ground has been covered but there is still room to distinguish yourselves from Mitt Romney and attempt to derail his coronation. Since it seems that you have struggled to focus in on a sustained line of attack that erodes Mitt Romney’s standing and qualifications for being president among the Republican primary voters while not costing you support from your conservative base, we have mapped out three central themes that will accomplish both should you choose to highlight them in tonight’s debate. Themes For The Debate:
Romney Puts Personal Profit Above Values And Beliefs: It is no secret that Governor Romney is wealthy, and that is not something to begrudge. But highlighting what that wealth encompasses is a key line of attack that could be used. Below are examples that should be broached tonight:
Romney Profits From Abortion Services: On the campaign trail (even though he was previously pro-choice,) Romney continually touts his pro-life positions. However, that hasn’t stopped him from padding his bank account with investments in Stericycle, a company that disposes of aborted fetuses. Stericycle has been targeted by many conservative groups, the same demographic that Romney has been pandering to on the trail. (Huffington Post, 1/17/12)
Romney Profits From Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: Despite demonizing Speaker Gingrich for his work for Fannie/Freddie, and the continual disparaging of them on the campaign trail, Romney personally invested up to $500,000 in these organizations and made up to $50,000 last year alone. (Boston Globe, 9/19/11)
Romney Profits From China: On the campaign trail Romney is quick to talk tough on China, but that didn’t stop his investors from investing his money in Chinese holdings. And if Romney hides behind his “blind trust,” remind him of his quote from 1994 calling blind trusts “rouses” (Wall Street Journal, 12/17/11)
Romney Profits From Offshore Tax Shelters: This line of attack writes itself. But just in case, this just further shows that with Mitt Romney his own personal profit trumps all else. (ABC News, 1/18/12)
Romney’s Business Success Was Due To “Corporate Welfare”: Governor Romney has held up his business experience as his main qualification for being President, and has been quick to dismiss the manner in which he acted as simply “free market capitalism.” What he doesn’t mention is that some of his success has been due to huge government subsidies and tax breaks, something decried by the conservative Cato Institute as “corporate welfare.”
Steel Dynamics: Undoubtedly, Governor Romney will tout Steel Dynamics, the “steel mill in Indiana,” as one of his successes. You must tell the other side of the story: this was only a success because of more than $37 million in government subsidies. And what is even more damaging, these subsidies were paid for by raising taxes on the local residents. (LA Times, 1/12/12)
Romney Is Out Of Touch: This has been percolating for months but nowhere was it more crystalized then his flippant comments about the amount of money he made from giving speeches. Again, while no one begrudges success, Governor Romney’s complete inability to relate to the struggles of working families is absolutely astounding.
Romney/Speeches: On Tuesday, Romney offhandedly said he didn’t make very much money from giving speeches. In reality, he has made more than $360,000 dollars last year alone giving speeches. (Politico, 1/18/12)
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.
TPM: How Mitt Romney Revived A Scandal-Plagued CEO’s Career
On November 18, 2011, Talking Points Memo reported:
In this particular case, however, Romney’s business experience really was instructive. As an executive at Bain Capital he faced a similar situation in the private sector with a businessman whose successful career had been derailed by a sex scandal...
ABC News: Santorum Launches Policy Tour, Pushes Social Issues
On November 4, 2011, ABC News reported:
URBANDALE, IOWA Rick Santorum launched a three-speech, three-state policy roll-out tour Friday beginning with “moral, cultural” issues. The economy and national security will follow, but this was chosen as the first topic because it is the most important to Santorum, according to campaign aides. [...] Democrats responded quickly. American Bridge, a Democratic SuperPac, issued a statement while Santorum was still speaking. “Rick Santorum, and the other candidates running for the nomination, are dusting off the old playbook of using socially divisive issues to reignite the culture wars of the past in a desperate attempt to appease their base. Proposing ideas like disbanding the 9th circuit court will create exactly zero jobs and shows that they are more interested in playing politics than getting our economy back on track,” communications director Ty Matsdorf said in the statement.
Helena IR: Rehberg in the thick of budget fray
On October 9, 2012 the Helena Independent Record reported:
As he oversees U.S. House Republicans’ draft of the federal government’s 2012 health and education budgets, Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg finds himself hip-deep in the Washington, D.C., political fray, defending a $153 billion plan that’s drawing fire from all sides. The proposal — unveiled last week — would torpedo virtually all funding for the Obama Administration’s health reform law, including additional money for community health clinics across Montana; ax federal money for two dozen family planning clinics in the state; reduce funds for Pell grants that help low-income students pay college tuition; and scale back money for home-heating assistance. Those and other cutbacks have prompted Democrats to say the “Rehberg budget” unduly targets women, families, students and workers.
Rick Perry: Tea Party Frenemy
Rick Perry was quick to recognize and capitalize on the tea party’s rise in 2009, casting himself as a strong advocate for “state-based” solutions and railing against perceived encroachments from Washington. But activists have been less than impressed with Perry’s deviation from the movement’s hardline stances on immigration, property rights, government mandates and spending itself. See the research after the jump.
MEMO: Questions For The Republican Debate
During tonight’s debate the American people will see the Republican candidates firsthand and will get a glimpse at the positions and ideology driving the field. Over the last few months, as they have scrambled further and further to the right, American Bridge’s research and tracking has documented the candidates adopting positions that are: hypocritical (Romney and taxes), evasive (Huntsman and Libya) and just downright out of the mainstream (Bachmann and contraceptives). Yet tonight, as the candidates face a national audience, and not solely a fawning crowd of TEA party activists, the nation will see if they will maintain their extreme positions as the candidates attempt to answer the following questions...