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Daily Archives: 01/06/2012
the Progress Report — Rick Santorum’s Most Outrageous Campaign Moments and …
Rick Santorum’s Most Outrageous Campaign Moments
Rising GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum is presenting himself to national audiences as a common sense conservative senator from a Democratic state with both economic and national security acumen. A late surge in Iowa led the former Pennsylvania senator to a near-win in that state’s caucuses and gave his campaign momentum ahead of next Tuesday’s New Hampshire GOP primary.
But on the road to his second-place finish, Santorum laid out some extreme positions on health, economic, and social policies. His conservative stances may have won him endorsements from anti-gay Iowa leader Bob Vander Plaats and other groups, but here are 12 outrageous claims that Santorum has made on the campaign trail that you should know about:
1) ANNUL ALL SAME-SEX MARRIAGES: Arguing that gay relationships “destabilize” society, Santorum wouldn’t offer any legal protections to gay relationships and has pledged to annul all same-sex marriages if elected president. During his 99-country tour of Iowa, Santorum frequently compared same-sex relationships to inanimate objects like trees, basketballs, beer, and paper towels and even tried to blame the economic crisis on gay people. As Santorum explained back in August, religious people have a constitutional right to discriminate against gays: “We have a right 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.”
2) ‘I’M FOR INCOME INEQUALITY’: “They talk about income inequality. I’m for income inequality,” Santorum said during an event in Pella, Iowa in December. “I think some people should make more than other people, because some people work harder and have better ideas and take more risk, and they should be rewarded for it. I have no problem with income inequality.”
3) CONTRACEPTION IS ‘A LICENSE TO DO THINGS’: Santorum has pledged to repeal all federal funding for contraception and allow the states to outlaw birth control, insisting that “it’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.”
4) GAY SOLDIERS ‘CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR PEOPLE LIVING IN CLOSE QUARTERS’: During an appearance on Fox News Sunday in October, Santorum defended his support for Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell by arguing that gay soldiers would disrupt the military because “they’re in close quarters, they live with people, they obviously shower with people.” He also suggested that “there are people who were gay and lived the gay lifestyle and aren’t anymore.”
5) OBAMA SHOULD OPPOSE ABORTION BECAUSE HE’S BLACK: During an appearance on Christian television in January, Santorum said he was surprised that President Obama didn’t know when life began — given his skin color. “I find it almost remarkable for a black man to say ‘now we are going to decide who are people and who are not people,” he explained.
6) WE DON’T NEED FOOD STAMPS BECAUSE OBESITY RATES ARE SO HIGH: Speaking in Le Mars, Iowa in December, Santorum promised to significantly reduce federal funding for food stamps, arguing that the nation’s increasing obesity rates render the program unnecessary.
7) ABORTION EXCEPTIONS TO PROTECT WOMEN’S HEALTH ARE ‘PHONY’: While discussing his track record as a champion of the partial birth abortion ban in June, Santorum dismissed exceptions other senators wanted to carve out to protect the life and health of mothers, calling such exceptions “phony.” “They wanted a health exception, which of course is a phony exception which would make the ban ineffective,” he said.
8) HEALTH REFORM WILL KILL MY CHILD: Santorum, who claims that Obamacare motivated him to run for president, told reporters in April that his daughter Bella — who was born with a genetic abnormality — wouldn’t survive in a country with “socialized medicine.” “Children like Bella are not given the treatment that other children are given.”
9) UNINSURED AMERICANS SHOULD SPEND LESS ON CELL-PHONE BILLS: During a meeting with the editorial board of the Des Moines Register in August, Santorum said that people who can’t afford health care should stop whining about the high costs of medical treatments and medications and spend less on non essentials. Answering a question about the uninsured, Santorum explained that health care, like a car, is a luxury resource that is rationed by society and recalled the story of a woman who said she was spending $200 a month on life-saving prescriptions. Santorum told her to stop complaining and instead lower her cable and cell phone bills.
10) INSURERS SHOULD DISCRIMINATE AGAINST PEOPLE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS: Santorum sounded like a representative from the health insurance industry when he addressed a small group of high school students in Merrimack, New Hampshire in December. The former Pennsylvania senator not only defended insurers for denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, he also argued that individuals who are sick should pay higher premiums because they cost more money to insure. And just this morning, he mocked President Obama for extending health care to “everyone.”
11) HIS FAVORITE JUSTICE THINKS CHILD LABOR LAWS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL: At a recent GOP debate, Santorum identified Justice Clarence Thomas as his favorite current member of the Supreme Court, even though Thomas believes that pretty much everything violates the Constitution. Thomas has repeatedly advocated a twisted reading of the Constitution that would invalidate a long list of essential laws, including the federal ban on workplace discrimination, similar laws protecting older Americans and Americans with disabilities, the national minimum wage, national child labor laws, and the federal ban on whites-only lunch counters.
12) MUSLIMS SHOULD BE PROFILED: During the CNN national security debate in November, Santorum endorsed the idea of profiling Muslims to increase airport security. “Obviously, Muslims would be someone you’d look at,” he told the debate’s moderator Wolf Blitzer. But his proposed profiling for the sake of national security follows a pattern of his holding anti-Muslim beliefs.
Evening Brief: Important Stories That You May Have Missed
ICE officials mistakenly deported a missing Dallas teenager.
Economic mobility in the United States versus Denmark.
Ohio stops fracking after earthquakes.
Corporate profits soar, but corporate tax revenue lags.
Like Florida, just 1 percent of government benefit recipients in Indiana fail drug tests.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker recall petition on pace to get 720,000 signatures.
The GOP’s new hope Rick Santorum: Bomb Iran, send nuke scientists to Gitmo, distract “Eye of Mordor.”
Medical marijuana could soon be coming to Massachusetts.
Announcing the 2011 Climate B.S. (Bad Science) of the Year awards.
Other recent Progress Reports
Jan 4, 2012: Why The Appointment Of Richard Cordray Is A Victory For Middle Class Families
Nearly 18 months after the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the agency will finally have its first director. That’s because President Obama, using his power to make appointments during a congressional recess, announced today that he was appointing former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray — [...]
Jan 3, 2012: Who Will Win The Iowa Caucuses?
Who Wins Tonight? The Wealthiest 1 Percent The true winner of the Iowa Caucus and the battle for the GOP nomination is the wealthiest 1 Percent of Americans. All of the Republican candidates share at least one thing in common: an economic agenda that will benefit the wealthiest 1 Percent of Americans at the expense of [...]
Dec 23, 2011: Happy Holidays from ThinkProgress
Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for 2012! 2011 has been an exciting year with many up and downs — and 2012 stands to be even more action-packed. ThinkProgress and the Progress Report will be there to report on it every step of the way. To celebrate the end of this year, we’ve put together a [...]
Dec 21, 2011: Cutting Mercury Pollution, Saving Lives, Creating Jobs
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson announced today an important new rule that finally sets limits on mercury, arsenic, and other toxins released into our air. For 21 years, coal-fired power plants were allowed to unleash unlimited mercury and other toxic pollution, poisoning the air. Today’s rule requires power plants to update their pollution-control technology [...]
Upcoming event: Arab Tech Emerging – Enabling the Next Generation of Innovators
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Arab Tech Emerging — Enabling the Next Generation of Innovators Featuring global business development experts from When: Thursday, February 2nd / Reception 6pm — 6:30pm, Program 6:30pm — 8pm Who should attend the event?
Space is limited. You may purchase tickets here Official invitation and additional details to follow Contact Caroline Silver for more information |
Who Needs Facts To Attack Planned Parenthood? Not The O’Reilly Factor – Media Matters for America
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Guy Cecil … What he’s reading
Believe it or not, it’s now 2012 – election year. We got good news from Michigan this week: A new poll shows Sen. Debbie Stabenow leading by 10 points, 52-42. Meanwhile, Republican infighting just might help Democrats in Wisconsin and Virginia. In Missouri, businessman John Brunner says he had nothing to do with the job layoffs at his own company, and it’s Chamber of Commerce vs. Chamber of Commerce over attack ads in Montana. And in Massachusetts, Sen. Scott Brown is on the run from Elizabeth Warren. After weeks of polling showing Warren taking the lead over Brown, he reversed course to save his re-election and came out in favor of President Obama’s recess appointment of Richard Cordray to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – after issuing a press release announcing he was opposed to it! While Brown is busy pandering and flip-flopping, Warren is busy fighting for the middle class.
Make sure you share these links on Facebook and Twitter. You can also follow @DSCC and my own account, @guycecil, where I talk about politics, among other things.
NEW POLL: Sen. Stabenow Up 10 Points
Here’s one of the first new polls of the new year, and it’s a good one: Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow is up 10 points over failed gubernatorial candidate Pete Hoekstra, 52-42. It’s no wonder. Sen. Stabenow has kept jobs and the economy at the forefront of her campaign – and her work representing Michiganders. And Hoekstra still has to survive a nasty Republican primary against candidates preferred by the GOP’s Tea Party wing. Read more »
Wisconsin GOP Primary Getting Nasty
Next door in Wisconsin, there’s a another civil war brewing within the Republican Party. It seems that the extremist Club for Growth is not so impressed with Tommy Thompson, and it’s doing everything it can to ensure that Thompson is not the Republican nominee. “We think the more Republican voters know about Tommy Thompson’s record, the less likely they’ll be to support him,” said Club for Growth spokesman Barney Keller. In the meantime, Democratic Rep. Tammy Baldwin is taking her message of job creation and putting the middle class first statewide. Read more »
Tea Party Hero Weighs Run Against George Allen
It looks like failed Sen. George Allen might have a tough Republican primary after all. Bob Marshall, a longtime member of the Virginia House of Delegates, is putting thought into challenging Allen for the GOP nomination. Many Virginia Republicans are unhappy with Allen and might jump at the chance to back an even more conservative candidate. No matter whom they choose, Republicans will wind up with a candidate too conservative for this swing state that backed President Obama in 2008 – and will support former Gov. Tim Kaine in 2012. Read more »
“Job Creator” Brunner’s Company Lays Off Workers
Get this: Missouri businessman John Brunner – who’s running for the Republican nomination for Senate – says he had nothing to do with recent layoffs at Vi-Jon. You know, the company he leads as chairman and where he launched his Senate campaign! “John Brunner filmed a campaign ad calling himself a ‘job creator’ on the same factory floor where those workers got their pink slips,” said Caitlin Legacki, Missouri Democratic Party spokeswoman. Unbelievable. Read more »
Chamber Takes on Chamber over Attack Ads
This is fun: The Missoula Chamber of Commerce is crying foul over attack ads the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is running against Democratic Sen. Jon Tester. The Missoula Chamber called the ads “counterproductive” and full of “half-truths.” The Great Falls Chamber of Commerce also criticized the national Chamber. The national Chamber’s ads have made quite an impression. They also misspelled Tester’s first name and suggest that Tester’s votes cost jobs in Marysville – a town that’s been abandoned for more than 100 years. Read more »
Warren: I’m Fighting for the Middle Class
Elizabeth Warren is traveling the state of Massachusetts making a strong case why she’d be a much better voice for the middle class in Washington. “The middle class has been squeezed for a generation now, and it can’t hold on much longer,” Warren told a crowd in Boston. Meanwhile, Sen. Scott Brown has been a strong voice for Wall Street, and voters know it. Recent polls show Warren gaining an advantage. Read more »
Proof That Scott Brown is Scared
Here’s further proof that Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown only cares about his re-election and is worried about Elizabeth Warren’s grassroots campaign: This week, Brown flip-flopped and spoke out in favor of President Obama’s recess appointment of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – after issuing a press release opposed to it. Remember, this is the agency Warren helped create. Talk about a shameless opportunist. Somehow, I don’t think Brown’s blatant political pander is going to steal Warren’s considerable momentum. Read more »
Media Matters for America — Summary
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TGIF &some News
just another rant … long
The word of the day is stifling … It is winter yet the first week of January brought the NW 50degrees and some sun shine then a lot of sleet, wind and more wind to last me a while. Our temps had been 30degrees since October and gotta say this warm, cold and or freezing thing one day here there only to have 3″ of rain sun and 50 on the other days is just odd …and as if somebody said hey … It’s winter the temp dropped and we are back down into the 3o’s …Can we just All accept that global warming exists. Therefore, we will call this Climate Change.
Anyway, it is a good time to breathe in slowly, reach up to the sky, and breathe out through your nose very slowly while letting your arms lower to your sides. Repeat as needed …
Yes, there is a lot of stuff going on all over the World that could and probably will ultimately affect us all and it is not just climate change -dang, and it is only the first week of January. It is sad to say nothing is going on in Congress, the place where lawmakers …make laws that help keep our Democracy functioning but has been somewhat of a failure lately. I know i am not alone in saying … thank goodness President Obama has ALL Americans in his mind and heart and was willing to do what was right, what we all used to believe was the job of Congress but Teapublican members of both Chambers have misused abused and probably signed a Pledge with the decision to slow down progress with less time spent Session.
Americans are not stupid, we see what Teapublicans are doing …limiting and tying the hands of our Elected President and governing Party that 53% voted them in to do….Govern
Some folks say it is about time President Obama used his executive powers while others said yeah sure but he did not go far enough or why did he wait for so long. I like to think there are more folks like me who have stayed tuned in and see a verbal and paper trail that needed to be laid out given the brinksmanship that broke out say the 1st day President Obama took office. Can’t lie, I wanted the Democratic Party to hit the ground running , be bold be brave move some stuff through both Chambers of Congress but here we are three years later and I’m still wondering where when and why they have yet to go bold. Hell, who are these people is more like it; who knew our own party was strange. I will also admit I take quite personally what happened prior to the midterm elections and afterward. What I saw was a bunch of members so distracted by the possibilities of losing their seats that they left just elected President Obama blowing in the wind, some still holding onto Hilliary grudges, others race issues and some just on the extreme side period. I blame Congress for not getting our economy back on track sooner but what better way to be slapped into a rude awakening after Mitch McConnell shocked us all and told the truth … That his job was to make Barack Obama a one term President. Reality … “they want their country back” ok, 53% voted for Barack Obama and excuse me but who exactly are “they” who want ”their country back” and what the hell does that mean anyway … ok, i know but hey i am still ranting about that and FYI lefties he is not a King though if you listen to matt damon and some others he wants his mandate implemented …or he will oh wait he had the melt down right … where is that school house rock vid when you need it … … oh wait … enjoy …matt damon should watcht this O ;
<<< click on link for … school house rock i’m just a bill
So, the journey toward progress has been slow but not impossible and as the months went by and Teapublicans filibustered more and more people began to have some sort of distorted view of just exactly what a President does and how he does it. I had this … go big go bold or go home attitude toward Congress because 53% wanted big bold changes for all Americans. I still have the audacity to have hope to make big changes but I have realized that our diverse group of dems can also self-sabotage our progress and this is so sad. The Democratic Party even with all the filibusters has accomplished some great stuff in Congress …
This week, President Obama has made some executive orders that will help consumers and has been absent for at least a year because Teapublicans have managed to block the nomination 2 Obama Admin Agency heads for the CFPB for almost if not longer than a year, appointing nominees to the NLRB and 180,000 summer job programs for our youth. We all know President Obama, ridiculed by the left for not using his executive powers and by the right for being in power period. Thankfully, he has decided to use his executive power by exercising his right to recess appointments for Mr. Cordray, in charge of the CFPB and three NLRB board members to take care of worker rights, which is a no brainer while Teapublicans have come out in outrage. I wonder if their staff is telling them to stand down because y’all words can be played back and expose the truth … That union; women, children, minorities, vets, worker, and gay rights are and would be at risk if we let Teapublicans gain control. I guess my attitude upset some people.
I received a comment on my blog some time ago, which I totally love and hope others will as well but I wanted to share the question because it was a good one …I am no expert I just have a lot to say… good bad and sometimes really bad; Anyway here it is: what is wrong with capitalism? People want to start companies and make money and be profitable, and people like you have a problem with that, why? You also have a problem with people wanting to limit government spending and ending socialized programs. They are trying to do smart things to make this country prosperous again, and yet you think they are extremists. If you can explain this to me, I would appreciate it.
My response was that I have absolutely nothing against capitalism with a small c but the big C and D that brought us this economic crisis represents Capitalism and Deregulation that was so out of control gotta wonder what was their definition of good “self-regulating.” How can anyone accept what happened as par for the course as Teapublicans seem to , if Wall Street, the oil, insurance and gas companies lack of regulation led to dabbling and or using other people’s money to bet on stocks that had no value. Teapublicans bet and lost most if not all of our $$ and here we are. I believe that people invest their earnings with the idea of trusting folks who say they know what they are doing…example a 401k and yes it is a risk but that risk is or should not be corrupted. In addition, as far as having a problem with people wanting limited government. I think having limited government depends on the status of our economy and who is governing it. I know that before President Obama was elected we all found out the house of Bush had a financial crisis and instead of cooperating with the governing power Teapublicans decided to throw Americans under the bus vote NO on legislation that probably would have made a significant impact on the state of our economy. We the people wanted to do big things hoping Congress would throw $$ at a big problem but again Teapublicans and conservadems said NO to the notion and or idea of big government programs or stimulus while behind the scenes they were all asking for more stimulus money.
I am still trying to understand how Republicans were able to get away with not just threatening or saying they will not help unless you give us what we want but our Democratic Party seemed to have a passive aggressive reaction. Clearly ,it was reckless behavior and if it weren’t for government programs the Gulf Coast would not exist; and what would your neighborhood look like without Teachers, Cops, Emts, First responders because they are all government jobs; Republicans keep doing whatever they can to ruin President Obama by offering up no solutions no viable plans of substance no details. People act like all this spending would happen whether the economy collapse or not …that is just not so -and it is sad offensive and typical that the Media and folks on the right are promoting this nonsense. The problem we had needed a huge sum of money thrown at it but the Republican Tea Party has been the spoiler…the obstacle and the blame if things get worse and I will admit there are some conservadems to blame as well. I wanted someone to ask … when Bush knew we were headed for an economic collapse and why Bush did not head off the collapse off at the pass before the 2008 election can be debated. The other questions we should all ask are … why not pay for the 2wars waged and the 2tax cuts. The last guy screwed us and the fix takes both sides of the aisle and that is not happening … I blame Republicans.
As far as ending socialized programs or limiting government.
I believe a woman should have the right to choose and if a law is needed, the Hyde amendment is the current law and should be enough for everyone. Yet, most conservatives believe they have the right to tell me what to do with my body and yes, I believe that the people who are able and willing to build an Islamic center should be given the chance to help the community and just to remind you, not all Muslim Americans are terrorist, they can be Caucasian, African American, and Asian too. The new attacks on women, children, and worker rights are a great warning to all and any notion to manipulate the 14th Amendment should scare those of us with dark skin or who look reasonable suspicious …oh and don’t forget gays or straights who support gay marriage and religious freedom.
Makes you wonder what year it is.
Other News …
Pres. Obama, Top Defense Leaders Release Military Strategy Report
Commerce Secretary John Bryson on the Economy
House Dems Discuss Payroll Tax Conference Committee
CFPB Director Richard Cordray in His First Day on the Job
Congress:
The Senate will convene for pro forma sessions only, with no business conducted on the following dates and times:
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 11:00am
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 9:30am
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 12:00pm
Friday, December 30, 2011 at 11:00am
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 12:00pm, during which the 2nd Session of the 112th Congress will convene
Friday, January 6, 2012 at 11:00am
Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 11:00am
Friday, January 13, 2012 at 12:00pm
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 10:15am
Friday, January 20, 2012 at 2:00pm
When the Senate adjourns on Friday, January 20th, it will adjourn until Monday, January 23rd at 2:00pm. Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business until 4:00pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
Following morning business, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Calendar #438, John M. Gerrard, of Nebraska, to be United States District Judge for the District of Nebraska with up to 90 minutes of debate, 60 minutes equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley, or their designees and 30 minutes under the control of Senator Sessions or his designee.
Upon the use or yielding back of time (at approximately 5:30pm), the Senate will conduct a roll call vote on confirmation of the Gerrard nomination.
As a reminder to all Senators, cloture was filed on the Reid motion to proceed to Calendar #70, S.968, a bill to prevent online threats to economic creativity and theft of intellectual property and for other purposes on Saturday, December 17th. By unanimous consent, this roll call vote will be at 2:15pm on Tuesday, January 24, 2012.
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CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS
LEGISLATIVE DAY OF JANUARY 6, 2012
112TH CONGRESS – SECOND SESSION
-The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to section 4(c) of H. Res. 493. The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on January 10, 2012.10:04:00 A.M. -PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Ms. Edwards to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.10:03:42 A.M. -JOURNAL APPROVED – The Chair announced that pursuant to section 4(b) of H. Res. 493, the Journal of the last day’s proceedings is approved.10:02:25 A.M. -Today’s prayer was offered by Reverend Clete Kiley, Archdiocese of Chicago.10:01:53 A.M. -The Speaker designated the Honorable Jeff Denham to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.10:00:38 A.M. -The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
