New Drilling And Pipelines Will Not Solve High Gas Prices

The Republicans seem to think they have a hot issue with rising gasoline prices, and for the uninformed masses out there, they may be right. The fact is every time they cry "drill baby drill!", push for the Keystone Pipeline, rail for access to the vast tracts of government land that is just waiting to be tapped, putting us on a path toward energy independence, the promises of $2.50 a gallon gas, the pledge never to bow again to a Saudi King, or the President's ineffective energy policy, just remember its all a lot of crap!


Of the 91.5 Million acres of land, on and offshore, currently leased for crude oil and gas production by Big Oil in this country, 68 Million acres of that land is currently NOT PRODUCING. Well most people would think, that doesn't make any sense? Ah, but if you're Big Oil, it makes perfect sense. Why wouldn't they utilize all this product rich territory? Because it would flood the market, and gas and oil prices would tumble. The Oil Industry, for decades now, loves to make everybody think the next energy crisis is right around the corner, or they tout huge reserves just waiting to be tapped, but government regulations are holding up the works. It is all smoke and mirrors, perpetuated by a Republican party it holds in its back pocket. Big Oil doesn't care if you pay 4,5,6 dollars a gallon for gasoline, because it makes them rich. Add a President that wants to take away their government subsides because oil giants like Exxon-Mobil made over 23 Billion dollars just last quarter. In an election year, or any year for that fact, who gets blamed for high gas prices? It's not the oil companies, it,s the President. If your an oil company dealing with a hostile President, what better way to hurt him, and the economy than rising gasoline prices. Add all the geo-political turmoil in the Middle East, and you have the perfect recipe to hurt the one man who doesn't have your interests at heart.

Ten days ago a House subcommittee held a hearing on "The American Energy Initiative" Wednesday morning that focused solely on rising pump prices. Seventy members of Congress signed a letter this week to regulators at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), urging immediate action on oil speculation by enacting "strong position limits" and to "utilize all authorities available to…make sure that the price of oil and gasoline reflects the fundamentals of supply and demand."

The CFTC was given authority in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to impose position caps on oil traders beginning in January 2011. These limits have not yet been implemented by the CFTC. In an interview Wednesday with The Daily Ticker, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) says the CFTC doesn't "have the will" to enact these limits and "needs to obey the law."

"What we need to do is…limit the amount of oil any one company can control on the oil futures market," says Sanders, who has long advocated limits on speculation. "The function of these speculators is not to use oil but to make profits from speculation, drive prices up and sell."
This is not the first time oil speculators have been blamed for higher energy prices. In 2008 U.S. oil prices skyrocketed to $145 per barrel and gasoline prices averaged well above $4 per gallon. There were calls to increase domestic offshore drilling and legislation was proposed that would have required buyers of oil to physically own and store the oil barrels. Then the 2008 financial crisis hit causing oil and gasoline prices to plummet.

Blaming the speculators may seem like scapegoating to some (namely, oil traders) but speculators control more than 80 percent of the energy futures market, up from 30 percent a decade ago, and there is mounting evidence that speculation contributes to higher prices:
•At a Senate hearing last June, Rex Tillerson, the CEO of ExxonMobil, said speculation was driving up the price of a barrel of oil by as much as 40 percent.
•A study conducted by the nonpartisan consumer advocacy group Consumer Federation of America found that speculation caused the average American household to spend an additional $600 on gasoline expenditures in 2011. Moreover, the report concluded that excessive speculation (which the organization estimated added about $30 per barrel to the cost of oil in 2011) drained the U.S. economy of more than $200 billion in consumer spending in 2011.
•The St. Louis Federal Reserve has also recommended that the CFTC do more to prevent oil speculators from driving up the price of oil. Fed officials studied the effect of oil traders on the price oil over five years and determined that "speculation contributed to around 15 percent to oil prices increases."
•CFTC Chair Gary Gensler declared last year that "huge inflows of speculative money create a self-fulfilling prophecy that drives up commodity prices." Rising gasoline prices are a huge pocketbook issue for many Americans, a reason that stands alone for politicians to focus on the role of speculators.



My Thanks to Morgan Korn at Yahoo Finance for the information regarding the CFTC and Wall Street Speculation. - MJP Bluefieldstars.

What Is Mitt Romney Selling?

Former Governor Mitt Romney is the presumed front runner for the Republican nomination, but what are his plans for America? You would do better to find out all the things he believes President Obama has done wrong, rather than find his vision for what he would bring to the White House. Whatever that vision may be, it goes without saying his personal appeal is pivotal to explaining that vision.

So first, lets look at Romney the man. He has a net worth of 250 Million dollars. He has 5 homes scattered across the country. He is a Mormon, or if you prefer, member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, many media people refer to this as (LDS). Half way through the primary season, he has spent 30 Million dollars on negative campaign ads attacking his opponents, with mixed results. He has outspent his rivals on a massive scale, proving his money can't buy him love. He has a major problem in the south, and among evangelical social conservatives in general. The 2 groups where he has consistently done well are, those who make over 100 Thousand dollars a year, and moderates who do not agree with the Tea Party. He is backed by the Republican establishment, and known in most circles as a fiscal conservative. He has a daunting reputation as a flip flopper, who often takes the position that is politically expedient for the moment.

Personally, he is uncharismatic, almost robotic on the public stage. He gives the impression that his messages are forced, which makes him come off as uncomfortable in his own skin. He is probably one of the worst panderers I have ever seen on the campaign trail. Try as he might, he has failed to connect with regular working class people. For example, you ask him about NASCAR or professional football, and he'll tell you he knows some owners. He makes no apology for his wealth, but hopelessly emphasizes it every time he opens his mouth. He is a 1% candidate, desperate to appeal to the other 99%, and is failing miserably.

So what does HE stand for? Well the major things I found were this. Repeal Obamacare, or as it's known in Washington, The Affordable Health Care Act of 2010. This would allow insurance companies to drop you if you reach a predetermined monetary limit, like a million dollars. It would allow insurance companies to deny you coverage for pre-existing conditions. He would prevent children up to 26 years of age from staying on their parents insurance. He would prevent seniors from getting assistance with their prescription drugs, in what is know as the donut hole. This is just to name a few. Next, cut taxes on the rich, and raise them on the poor.


Third, he would increase defense spending. We currently outspend the next closest 9 nations and then some, COMBINED. See the chart below to see where we rank in the world in defense spending.


So if you cut taxes on the rich, and increase defense spending, want to balance the budget and cut the deficit, where is the money going to come from? Well, he endorses the Ryan plan, which would end Medicare and Social Security as we know it. He also favors overturning Dodd-Frank. This is the bill designed to prevent another Wall Street meltdown. So to sum up, tax breaks for the rich, no regulation for Wall Street, Scrap Health Care reform, destroy Medicare and Social Security. WHERE DO I SIGN! Add in the Republican wars on women's rights and voting rights, and you have quite a platform there. Do they live in 2012, or 1912? In any event, watching Romney struggle to be the standard bearer for all this good news borders on the insane. This is what they're fighting to bring to America in 2012? It's like crashing your car before the race. Sadly, there are a lot of people who embrace this message even if it runs contrary to their own personal interests, but after all that is what Republicans do best, that and trying to scare the crap out of you. Republicans always have a boogie man just around the corner, but don't look for him, he's not there.

No Southern Comfort For Romney

Last nights 2 primary fights in the heart of Dixie, once again emphasized Romney's weakness with social conservatives. In Mississippi, where 80% of Republican voters identified themselves as evangelicals, and Alabama, where 74% did the same, in this true test of the bumpkin belt electorate, it was Rick Santorum who emerged as the victor in both contests. Once again pulling out the wins, despite being outspent by Romney's big money machine. In keeping with his streak of island victories, Romney did win the caucuses in Hawaii and American Samoa.


So Father Rick's crusade toward the presidential nomination continues, as he refuses to go quietly into that good night. As for Newt Gingrich, who declared these 2 states as "must wins", his ego once again will not allow him to see the big picture. While his "southern strategy" imploded last night, Gingrich again vowed to fight on. I think despite his great appeal in the south, people there are beginning to realize he simply can't win, no matter how HE spins it. However, while taking very close silvers in both contests last night, he most likely will fade into the ranks of the marginal candidate, only to cultivate 3rd place finishes from here on out. He can continue his delusion of grandeur all he wants, the fact is the final nail went in his coffin last night. Despite his refusal to leave the race, look for Santorum to pick up a bigger slice of what would normally go to Gingrich. A scenario that looks like, for the moment, is going to be the best Santorum can manage in turning this into a 2 man race.

The next state, Missouri will hold its caucus Saturday. Actual delegates will be awarded this time, after February's "beauty contest", I see no reason for the state not to remain in Father Rick's column. Next will be Puerto Rico on Sunday, followed closely by Illinois on Tuesday March 20th. Like Florida, Michigan, and Ohio before it, this is another must win for the "front runner" Romney. Latest polling has Romney with only a 4 point lead, which with a week to go, should give little comfort to the former Massachusetts Governor.

For those of us who follow politics, this is a political junkies wet dream. If only Gingrich would get out of the way, and let Santorum and Romney go head to head. In a 2 man race, Mitt Romney would have a serious problem on his hands, and he knows it. As hard as he tries to push Santorum out of the picture, like a bad dream, with no money, he keeps winning. The fact of the matter is, the evangelical social conservative base is not going to just settle this primary season. If Romney is going to be the inevitable nominee, social conservatives are going to make him pay for every delegate he needs to capture that prize. They don't like him, he doesn't connect with them, and if the establishment is going to try and force a moderate like Romney down their throats, they're going to make him pay for it. End result, a bloodied nominee in Tampa, and more fodder for the President come the general election. The longer this fight goes on, the worse it is for Romney, and I don't see him being able to put this away anytime soon. So the struggle continues, and it the words of Montgomery Burns all I can say is "Excellent".

Enough Already In Afghanistan

I wanted to take a break from election politics to weigh in on the recent turmoil in Afghanistan. Yesterday, at about 3am local time, an unidentified 38 year old United States Marine, walked about a mile to the nearest Afghan town, and killed 16 people. Among the total were 9 children, and 3 women. The marine knocked on door after door at three houses, and then methodically killed the inhabitants of each home. When he was finished, he walked back to his base and went back to business as usual. The marine a staff sergeant based in Fort Lewis Washington State, has 2 children of his own. He had previously served 3 tours in Iraq, this was his first tour in Afghanistan. It is believed this marine may have been suffering from (PTSD) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.


A week earlier, 6 U.S. Marines were killed by rioting across Afghanistan, when U.S. forces mistakenly burned Korans. Four of those marines were killed by Afghan Security Forces, the same forces we are supposed to be training. The rioting was sparked by the Taliban, who is still very much alive and well in the country. As for this latest incident they claimed, it would "take revenge from the invaders and the savage murderers for every single martyr." further calling our troops, "sick-minded American savages". Afghan President Hamid Karzai called it "an assassination, one that cannot be forgiven." This from a government leader who has been proven illegitimate, mentally unstable, and, plagued by corruption on a massive scale.

So my next question is, What are we still doing here? The country is no better than it was 10 years ago when we started this war. While meeting with initial successes early in the campaign, the years that followed have proved to be nothing but a giant quagmire. Can someone tell me what we are trying to accomplish here? To add insult to injury we now have cries from the Right, to engage in wars in Syria and Iran. Haven't we learned anything from 10 years and 2 wars? We have troops who have been put on multiple deployments in the region, like the staff sergeant in question, and our forces are quite literally burning out. Things like PTSD and suicides, are rampant in both active, and inactive troops. So again I ask, what are we trying to accomplish there?, and the bigger question, what have we won for our 400 Billion dollars and counting, besides the 17,000 brave servicemen and women that have been killed or wounded?

We prop up a corrupt government, have paid the ultimate sacrifice in both blood and treasure, and our people are now being killed by the very forces we are training to take over the country when we leave. The Taliban has had a resurgence in not only Afghanistan, but Pakistan, yet we remain? How many more of our brave armed forces do we have to lose? How many more staff sergeants have to snap? How many more billions of dollars must we spend? All questions no one has the answers to, but I think it's time, we at the very least, need to start asking the questions, don't you?

Can Mitt Romney Win In The South? ...Maybe

Well aside from the handful of delegates to be decided today in the American territories of the Northern Marianas Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Guam, most eyes will be on the caucus in the sunflower state of Kansas. It is widely expected that Rick Santorum will win big here. There are 40 delegates up for grabs in Kansas, and 27 delegates in the 3 territorial contests combined, 9 delegates each. The next series of contests are this coming Tuesday March 13th. They will include caucuses in the Territory of American Samoa with 9 delegates, and Hawaii, with 20 delegates, also the primaries in Alabama, with 50 delegates, and Mississippi, with 40 delegates.

The primaries in Alabama and Mississippi, are thought to be fights between Father Rick and Newt Gingrich. Gingrich in particular has said both states are must wins for him to continue. However, the latest polling I have, puts both states very much in question.




IN ALABAMA:

Gingrich: 31%
Romney: 30%
Santorum: 29%
Paul 8%




IN MISSISSIPPI:

Romney: 35%
Gingrich 31%
Santorum 26%
Paul 7%

In what were suppose to be easy pickings for the social conservatives, Romney is in a statistical dead heat in both of these southern states. In 2008, Huckabee won Alabama, but McCain won Mississippi. So is it possible Romney can stake some wins in the bumpkin belt? Maybe. In spite of himself, Romney has struggled to end this rather damaging and contentious primary fight. He needed to win in Florida, and did. He needed to win in Michigan, and did. He needed to win in Ohio, and did, but still he can't shut down the process. If he wins just one of these states,(and my money is on Mississippi), he will have passed every test put to him. If he wins in the south, while Santorum and Gingrich may linger, the shows over. The problem is he will become the Republican nominee, without the support of the Republican base. Jimmy Carter did the same thing in 1976, with the Democrats. However, it is an incredibly difficult position to operate in, and Romney's fiscal conservative message, will have a hard time finding a home in the party's current social conservative firestorm. The thing he's betting on is that once nominated, he will end up getting the social conservative voters anyway, if for no other reason, than their hate of Obama. A bet I would say is a pretty sad, but fair assumption.

Republicans Phoney War On Gas Prices

The recent rise in oil prices has prompted Republicans, and the subsequent rise in gasoline prices, as a hot political issue they can use to their advantage. They have put the blame squarely on President Obama's energy policies, as the main reason prices have spiked of late. The current unrest in the Middle East has nothing to do with it, nor does the impact of Wall Street speculators, who some say add upwards of 56 cents plus, to a gallon of gasoline.



So lets look at some facts that are all factors in rising gas prices. 1) Israel has made it well known as a matter of national security, it will bomb Iran to prevent it from gaining a nuclear weapon. 2) Iran has threatened to close the strait of Hormuz, and conducted military exercises there to emphasize it. 3) In response, promising to keep the strait open, the United States sent 2 carrier strike groups into the Persian Gulf. It should be noted 1 out of every 5 barrels of oil pass through this strait. 4) Tensions in the Middle East are much higher than usual. Libya is struggling through a power vacuum since Gaddafi's death. Egypt is struggling to transfer government power from the military to the people. Syria is imploding, and sinking into civil war. 5) To add fuel to that fire, Senator John McCain has taken to the Senate floor calling for the United States to bomb Syria. It should be noted the Syrian regime is supported by both Russia and China, and any military attacks would become a proxy war against those states, Syria is not Libya. 6) All of the Republican presidential contenders, (except Ron Paul), have been quite outspoken about going to war with Iran in order to stop them from obtaining nuclear weapons. 7) At least 3 major oil refineries have suffered fires, or some kind of disaster, that has limited or stopped gasoline production at those facilities. 8) The general atmosphere in the Middle East has Wall Street speculators driving the price of oil up, on the fear that supply could be cut at any time.

Now, in the face of so many factors, is it really President Obama's fault gas prices are rising? Under President Obama, national domestic oil production has risen 8%, after declining during the Bush Administration. Oil rig start ups are up 350%. Supply has never been greater, despite demand being at its lowest level since 1997, which is a direct result of the high prices. So when you hear how gas prices are all President Obama's fault, give them the facts. To illustrate how the Fox News Republican noise machine blames President Obama when he is in office, and "uncontrollable market forces" are responsible when President Bush was in office, you have to watch this clip from The Ed Show on MSNBC which sums it all up quite nicely.

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45755822/ns/msnbc_tv-the_ed_show/#46661745

Romney Takes Ohio, But Did He Seal The Deal?

After a night that had something for everybody, Mitt Romney won 6 of Super Tuesday's 10 contests, including the all important state of Ohio. In Ohio, Romney grabbed 39% of the vote to Santorums 38%, out of 895,835 votes cast, Romney's margin of victory was only 12,019. So with 23 contests in the books, lets check the map. Remember Romney is DARK RED, Santorum is RED, Gingrich is PINK, Paul is GRAY. According to CNN, the delegate count is Romney at 404, Santorum 165, Gingrich 106, and Paul 66. 1,144 are needed to win.


Romney comes out of Super Tuesday with the lions share of victories, and the delegates to go with them, but did he seal the deal last night? I'm not so sure? The fact remains that Mitt Romney has a serious problem in the rural south and mid-west. In the south he has been unable to reach 30%, In the mid-west Romney squeaked by in Ohio because he outspent Father Rick 12 to 1, and even then still almost lost.

So Romney picked up Ohio, Vermont, Virginia, Massachusetts, Idaho, and Alaska. Father Rick took Oklahoma, Tennessee, and North Dakota. Newt Gingrich won big in his home state of Georgia. However, Romney better savor the flavor, because he is entering a series of states he will not win. The 5 major states upcoming are Kansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Illinois with the exception of Illinois, where Chicago may carry Romney over the hump, the remaining 4 will go to either Santorum or Gingrich. Further compounding his problem of connecting with the nation's rural, evangelical, social conservative voters.

So where are Gingrich and Santorum winning? Gingrich has won South Carolina, Georgia, and despite losing the state of Florida, he carried the old south redneck northern part of the state. Setting himself up for possible wins in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Santorum I think would be highly competitive in Kansas and Illinois. Oddly I don't have any data on Hawaii from 2008, so I'm not sure who might win there. So after coming through Super Tuesday with the most gained, he is heading into a period that will prove very difficult for him.


So in spite of Newt Gingrich's baggage, and Father Rick's wild religious rhetoric, both men are appealing to a part of the Republican electorate that simply can not bond with the idea that Mitt Romney, most likely, will get this nomination. To add insult to injury they're doing it with little or no money, and poor national organizations. I have news for you people, if Newt Gingrich was out of this contest, Father Rick would have wrapped this up weeks ago. How's that for a sobering thought?

The next question, is this primary process over? not a chance. If the social conservatives were smart they would be turning up the heat on Gingrich to get out of the race, giving Santorum a fighting chance to really challenge Romney. The problem, Newt Gingrich is an overblown ego maniac, who will screw Santorum just to stay in the fight. Which is odd, considering his rabid dislike of Romney. Yet, in Gingrich's mind Santorum should be the one to drop out, which in his deluded dreams of grandure, would somehow propel him to the nomination. Of course this is a pipe dream of gigantic proportions, Gingrich may win a few more states, but he is not going anywhere, the man as a viable presidential candidate is finished.

So with Super Tuesday quickly fading in the rear view mirror, can Romney maintain his front-runner status after 3 weeks of unfriendly contests? Can Santorum continue despite his disadvantage in message, money, and organization? Will Gingrich and Father Rick split the upcoming states, in Kansas and the south? Will Gingrich get out of the race to give Santorum a shot? All this and much more to be decided in the days ahead. Next stop the Kansas Caucus this Saturday March 10th, be there or be square.

Will Romney's Momentum Carry Him Through Super Tuesday

Mitt Romney is coming off two caucus wins in Wyoming on Thursday, and Washington State yesterday, as we head into the contests on Super Tuesday. Added to his wins last Tuesday in Michigan, and Arizona, puts him on a four state roll. There are seven primaries, and three caucuses less than 48 hours away, so can Romney keep it going?


In what is seen as the, do or die state of Ohio for Rick Santorum, last weeks eleven point lead has degenerated into a statistical dead heat. Father Rick is banking on his western Pennsylvania blue collar appeal to help him in the buckeye state. However, he has continued to target his rhetoric on social conservative religious issues, which many attribute to his drop in the polls. In Tennessee, where just three days ago he held a twenty one point lead, it now stands at just four. In Oklahoma, Santorum is maintaining a fifteen point edge over Romney.

So where Father Rick stood to gain at least three states on Super Tuesday, now he looks to hold only one in the bag. In Georgia, it looks like former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is going to carry his home state. So with Gingrich concentrating on Georgia, and Oklahoma looking like Santorums only sure thing, that leaves the other eight contests within Romneys grasp. However, in North Dakota, Ron Paul is expected to give Romney a run for his money, some are even saying Congressman Paul has a good chance to carry the state.

However, despite all the good news for Romney, the man still has a likability problem that shows no sign of going away in the days ahead. His often robotic uncomfortable perception remains, and is something that he is definitely going to have to improve on in the coming weeks. If he wins the lion share of states this Tuesday, it should relieve some of the pressure to keep pace with Father Rick, and the lunatic fringe. I put my money on Romney last August, and while his competitors will linger, Tuesday will signal the beginning of the end for the rest of the field. I think this will particularly hold true if Romney pulls out a win in Ohio. The next step will be if he can repair the damage his opponents have inflicted, not to mention the damage he has done to himself.

Republicans Are Out Of Touch And In Turmoil

If you have watched even fifteen minutes of any national news,(except FOX of course), you can't help but see this giant Hindenburg of the Republican party filled with highly flammable gas, descending into its moorings. Then, as it approaches bursts into flames in horrific fashion, while the country watches speechless, and in terrified amazement.

If you need a little help with that visual click here: Hindenburg
Disaster - 1937 - Herb Morrison reports

Republicans are in a far Right feeding frenzy, and they just can't stop. As they crash and burn, you can't help but watch, but what does my analogy mean? First, we can point to the ongoing purge of moderates from Congress. This week Senator Olympia Snowe (ME-R), announced she would not be running for re-election in the fall. Her reasoning, increased pressure from the hard Right in her party, and the ongoing polarization of politics in Washington. In Indiana, long time moderate Republican Senator Richard Lugar is facing a serious Tea Party challenge in a primary there. In Utah, long time conservative Senator Orrin Hatch is facing a similar fate. In 2010, it was moderate Senator Evan Bayh (IN-R) who left siting the same reasons Senator Snowe mentioned, and it's not limited to the Republicans. In 2010, moderate Senator Blanche Lincoln (AR-D) was forced from office. This year you can add moderate Senators Kent Conrad (ND-D), Ben Nelson (NE-D), and Joe Liebermann (CT-I) to the list. All of which leads to a body in which almost every member thinks "Compromise" is a dirty word. The result, government gripped by narrow ideological dogmas that do nothing but entrench their own personal politics, over the general welfare of a people desperate for government to address their problems.

However, since 2010 when Republicans captured the House, we have seen gridlock on a scale never before seen. The only highlight, a budget battle last summer that Republicans took to the wire, costing the United States its AAA bond rating. It was Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who listed the Republicans number one goal in 2010 was not to create jobs, improve education, or invest in infrastructure, it was to defeat Barack Obama. It was this same Senator who took to the Senate floor this week to support stripping all manner of women's health care, at the whim of her employer, with the Blunt-Rubio Amendment. While the amendment went down 51-48, he argued that President Obama took over the banks, took over the auto industry, and now wants to take over religion. In what can only be classified as a dispatch from fantasy land, it is this type of hard Right rhetoric that find the Republicans consistently on the wrong side of the argument. Do they realize how ridiculous they sound with comments like this?

Then we have the two Republican presidential candidates, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, or as I affectionately call him Father Rick. First, there is Mitt Romney. A man who is so uncomfortable in his own skin, I get nervous just watching him. He is a man of obvious privilege, who definitely dwells within the ranks of the 1%, and is hopelessly trying to connect with regular middle class voters. The problem is he hasn't got a clue about how middle class people live, how hard they work, or even what they like? The disconnect is so bad at this point, the gaffs are coming on a daily basis. He won't talk to the media because he's petrified he'll say the wrong thing, and continues to portray himself as a man on every side of any issue, in a desperate attempt to tell people what they want to hear. It's like when he's off stage, his handlers are constantly beating the moderate out of him, forcing him to be something he isn't, and it shows every time he opens his mouth. It is really sad to watch as an observer.

Then we have Father Rick, who has captured the ultra social conservative lunatic fringe of the Republican base. So poor Mitt Romney has to continuously pander to these loony tunes, in order to somehow create some kind of appeal for a message he is instinctively uncomfortable with. It is truly reality T.V. at its best. However, courting the crazies does have its cost. A new Super Tuesday poll from Ohio, which Santorum needs desperately, showed his lead in that state cut from 11 points to 4 with just 4 days to go. In a party that wants to party like it's 1959, rehashing issues long settled, while alienating about 70% of the women in this country. They are on a path that will leave them so damaged come November, their general election appeal will win them about 4 States. To which I can only say, "keep talking boys, keep talking."

Romney Pulls Out Big Win In Michigan

After weeks of speculation and a growing threat from challenger Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney re-established his front runner status last night. In Arizona, Romney beat Santorum by 20 points, and carried every county in the state. In Michigan, Romney's home state, He pulled out a 3 point win against a surging Father Rick. So now that the dust has settled, Romney has emerged to fight another day. This despite a campaign that has been foundering, and desperate to find a way to connect with conservative voters. While this win in Michigan has put the wind back in his sails, it failed to take any out of Santorum's, who remains a real threat one week out from Super Tuesday.

Let's also not forget the Washington State Caucus this Saturday March 3rd, where the latest polling had Santorum winning here by 11 points against his closest competitor Romney.

So where do we go from here? Well the contests are going to become more frequent, starting with Super Tuesday on March 6th, which has 10 contests, with over 400 delegates ups for grabs. Then from March 10th to the 24th another 11 contests will follow fast and furious, holding another 381 delegates for distribution.

My take on all this? Mitt Romney got his must win in Michigan, but it had nothing to do with Mitt Romney. Michigan was Rick Santorum's to lose, and he did just that. Father Rick's ultra conservative religious diatribes over the last 10 days hurt him in Michigan, where he had a comfortable lead just one week ago, only to lose it, and hand Romney a 3 point win. While Santorum shot himself in the foot in Michigan, he is far from out of the race. However, the tables have been turned, and the pressure is now on Father Rick to win in Ohio. He holds an 11 point lead there currently, but a week is an eternity in politics, and with Romney regaining momentum, will Father Rick be able to hold on there? If Super Tuesday was held today I'm guessing the states would fall like this:

ROMNEY:
Alaska
Massachusetts
Idaho
North Dakota
Vermont
Virginia

SANTORUM:
Oklahoma
Ohio
Tenneesse

GINGRICH:
Georgia

A little bit for everybody, and a very good indicator that this process is far from over. Some things to consider? 1) Can Romney use this new momentum to his advantage? In a campaign plagued by gaffs, and no real message other than "I'm better than the other guy" can he finally find a way to rally Republicans, and more importantly, attract conservatives? 2) Did Rick Santorum's ultra social conservative rants on contraception, education, and religion, damage his candidacy to a point he may not be able to recover? He let a lot of genies out of the bottle in the last 10 days, genies that can't be put back in the bottle. Did he destroy his chances as a general election candidate, by trying too hard to fire up the conservative base? 3) If Newt Gingrich wins in Georgia, as expected, will that be enough to keep him in the race? There is no question should Gingrich remain, it helps Romney. In fact, Romney's win in Arizona was in large part due to Santorum and Gingrich splitting the conservative vote there. This roller coaster ride continues, starting Saturday in Washington State. Who will survive the twists and turns, as things get fast and furious, we shall see.

Rick Santorum Theocrat In A Democracy

I have never seen anything like Rick Santorum in my life. Once again he doubled down on crazy over the weekend, which for him is becoming a daily occurrence. He said the notion of religion not playing a role in politics “makes me want to throw up." He continued, "To say that people of faith have no role in the public square? You bet that makes me want to throw up. What kind of country do we live in where only people of non-faith can come in the public square and make their case? That makes me throw up. And that should make every American [throw up]," Santorum said on ABC's This Week. The former Pennsylvania senator was referring to John F. Kennedy’s famous 1960 speech that argued religion should be separate from politics. "I don't believe in an America where the separation between church and state is absolute," he said.

Now just to be clear here, I'm not suggesting people of a particular faith cannot participate in our government. Frankly, that has been an unavoidable fact for over 235 years. However, I draw the line when a political candidate wishes to impose his own particular brand of religion into the lives of the American people, whether they happen to agree with him or not. Oh and just for the record, its against the United States Constitution. You know that wonderful governing document that Republicans love to shove in every body's face when it's convenient for them, and hide it under a rock somewhere when it's not. If I had a dime for every conservative who's screamed about upholding THEIR interpretation of the Constitution, I'd be a millionaire. Now you have a Republican presidential candidate openly fly in the face of that very document, and what do you hear from the Right? A chorus of crickets!

Rick Santorum needs to find his way to a Catholic Parrish house, not the White House. He needs a church pulpit, not a bully pulpit in the oval office. He needs a congregation, not a delegation. There is no way around it, this man is off his rocker! I understand on Aaron Klein's WABC Radio Show, former New York Mayor Ed Koch called him "Nuts" today, well I'm right there with you Mayor, the interview will air tonight. I think there is a bumper sticker out there that says "The last time we mixed religion and politics people got burned at the stake." My question is where can I buy one. I'm making light of this a little, but this is serious as a heart attack, Father Rick is certifiable. Here is a little something that might enlighten my good readers about the impact of fear in the imposition of religion in the United States. Lets not let Rick Santorum add to that list in the year of our Lord 2012.

DID YOU KNOW:

THE ORIGINAL CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES THAT WAS RATIFIED IN 1789 HAD ONLY ONE REFERENCE TO RELIGION [ARTICLE 6] NO RELIGIOUS TEST SHALL EVER BE REQUIRED AS A QUALIFICATION TO ANY OFFICE OR PUBLIC TRUST UNDER THE UNITED STATES.

THE DE FACTO MOTTO OF THE UNITED STATES, ADOPTED AS PART OF THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES BY AN ACT OF CONGRESS IN 1782 WAS E. PLURIBUS UNUM [OUT OF MANY ONE] CONGRESS CHANGED IT 174 YEARS LATER. [1956] TO IN GOD WE TRUST

THE ORIGINAL "PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE" WAS WRITTEN IN 1892 BY BAPTIST MINISTER FRANCIS BELLAMY WHO DID NOT INCLUDE THE WORDS "UNDER GOD." THOSE WERE ADDED BY CONGRESS 62 YEARS LATER. [1954]

THE UNITED STATES DID NOT ISSUE CURRENCY UNTIL 1861, AND "IN GOD WE TRUST" DIDN'T APPEAR ON IT FOR 96 YEARS. [1957]

JUST AFTER THE RED SCARE OF THE 1950'S, CONGRESS CHANGED THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND OUR NATION'S MOTTO OVER THE FEAR OF COMMUNISM.

In a time when FEAR is traded like a commodity, and the word Socialism is being used the same way Communism was used then. Remember that our Nation wasn't founded on FEAR. Our Nation was founded out of hope for a world where all people were equal, that we were ONE FROM MANY.

Lets not let FEAR change our nations great tradition and direction again.

Rick Santorum Run Away Train

He is out of control, the Republican establishment can't stop him, and with each speech he gives, he does more and more damage to the general electorate. As long as Father Rick maintains his momentum, it looks like nothing can stop Santorum's hard line brand of social conservatism. From Satan eyeing America's soul, to his radical theological view on women's rights. Views he would gladly impose on contraception, and abortion contrary to existing law, doesn't just stoke the Republican culture wars, for him, it's personal.


He continued that theme this morning on NBC's Meet The Press. When moderator David Gregory played a clip of President Kennedy's 1960 speech distancing himself from the Catholic church, where he proclaimed an absolute separation between church and state. Santorum responded that was wrong, that in fact religion should drive social policy in American government. He openly admitted that christian religious values should actively dictate public policy. I have never heard a conservative state that flat out. Religion has been touted as personally helpful, a guiding force, a consideration of moral implication, but never before advocated as a driving force in a candidates public policy goals. While some may dismiss this, it underscores the comfort of those on the Right to publicly exclaim this as part of their personal narrative, as a candidate for President of the United States. I believe this is over reach on a gigantic scale, and will do serious damage to Republican efforts to win the White House, it is unprecedented in it's effect.

Just to give you a little perspective hear is what the Constitution says about this:

AMENDMENT I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof:...

That's it folks, that's all the Constitution says about Religion. By promoting an agenda of public policy based on one religion, you automatically create an establishment of religion with-in the state. Not to mention the implied discrimination against those of other religions, or no religion at all. Now you tell me Rick Santorum doesn't want a theocracy? he freely admits it. There is no putting this toothpaste back in the tube.

It doesn't stop there either? Santorum called President Obama "a snob" for saying every American child should be able to go to college. "Why does Obama want everybody to go to college? So his liberal college professors can be indoctrinating people like he has," Santorum actually said this! Then he makes the leap that America's college's and universities are some kind of liberal indoctrination camps? Which totally plays into his contempt for the public school system in America. All his kids were home schooled, he wouldn't dare subject them to the undergraduate and graduate liberal academia, that may somehow contribute to making his children, oh I don't know, free thinkers? His kids are only allowed to believe the narrow dogma, and theological rantings of what he considers acceptable.

How sad for this man, how sad for his children, and how sad for America that in the year 2012, this man is a viable choice to be the Republican nominee for President? This man is out of control, and probably the biggest danger to the United States since NAZI Germany. How's that for a Hitler reference. Here is the really scary thought kids, people who support this man are in every state, in every corner of our country. They like what he's selling, and come November are willing to buy. I know the Left will rally against this wingnut, but this battle is going to be settled by moderates and Independents, will they hear what he's preaching? or will they vote for him because gasoline is $5.00 a gallon? Think about that? Yes, it's the economy stupid, but despite recent gains, people vote their pocketbook. If Rick Santorum is the Republican nominee will that be enough? For a lot of people in this country it will be, and that my friends is dangerous beyond words.

Commentary On A Dying Party

Since the 2010 red tide, that allowed Republicans to capture the House of Representatives, and several state houses nationwide, there has been a definite sense of urgency driving these elected officials. Despite the claims that brought them to power regarding fiscal discipline, and job creation, what they have actually pursued is quite different. As if driven by the sound of a ticking clock, Republicans have concentrated their collective fire on the state and national level, on social issues. The very first thing they did when they took control of the House wasn't jobs legislation, it was abortion legislation. House Bills (HB)1, 2 and 3, all were attacks on abortion, and women's rights.


In states like Wisconsin, Ohio, and New Jersey Republican governors went after collective bargaining rights, and anti-union legislation. They pushed voter ID Laws meant to target students, the elderly, and the poor, not to correct voter fraud (which was their premise), but as an attempt to disenfranchise voters who overwhelmingly vote Democratic. In Virginia, a new bill was introduced that said women seeking an abortion, must be mandated to have a trans-vaginal ultra-sound. A procedure which is not only invasive, but medically unnecessary.

Presidential candidates have launched a full fledged attack on individual liberties, under the guise of protecting religious freedom. In debates, their audiences cheer letting people die if they don't have insurance, cheer touts of having executed 235 people, boo active duty soldiers who put their lives on the line for our country because they are gay, and boo questions that demand their views on contraception, when they are the ones making it an issue?

The one overwhelming constant in their messages is their inability to give any hope to Americans. It is always in terms of what will happen "If". It is consistently negative, consistently divisive, consistently fearful, consistently pitting one group against another. Whether it's immigrants, unions, the rich, the poor, minorities, gays, the elderly, and now even women. These are called wedge issues for most people, but for Republicans they ARE the issues. You can almost smell the panic of a party that has gone to far to the Right, and knows in a relatively short period of time, for most Americans, this kind of derisive politics isn't going to resonate much longer. The party has become to old, to white, to entrenched in the past, and hopelessly incapable of attracting new members in a rapidly changing and diverse America, that rejects their reactionary ideals outright. To Republicans I can only issue this warning, "That your party, your hate, and your fear, will die... with you.

Final Republican Debate Was A Dud

Well if you missed the 20th and, if there is a God, last Republican debate last night, you didn't miss a thing. The final four squared off in Arizona, with just five days to go until that states primary with Michigan next Tuesday. While there was no real winner, there was a loser, and that was Rick Santorum. Father Rick basically played dodge ball all night. He was off message most of the debate, and got hammered from all sides which put him on perpetual defense. His responses were basically long winded admissions that he did do things contrary to what he is now advocating, and to top it off, when asked for a one word description of himself he said "courage." Well, I'm not sure what type of courage he was referring to, but it certainly wasn't courage of conviction. In a nutshell, he proved himself to be the Washington insider Mitt Romney claims him to be. Add that to a hostile Arizona Republican audience, and Father Rick was probably thanking God when it was all over.

Mitt Romney probably scored highest on points, but still couldn't knock it out of the park. Ron Paul had what I thought was his best performance, and Newt Gingrich did his best to remain relevant. The two hours passed slowly, and really didn't provide any new insights into the minds of these four horseman of the apocalypse. It is a consistent theme put forward by these Republicans of negativity, fear, and gloom, and it has become stale and tiresome to listen to on its unending loop.

I found it interesting that it took 45 minutes for CNN's John King to get around to Father Ricks religious crusade, and even when the subject was broached, it was done by presenting it as a question from an online viewer. The question raised a chorus of boos from the conservative audience as expected, and centered solely on birth control. They all painted this horrifying vision of President Obama with his boot heal on the neck of religion across America. It was just more of the same old fear mongering for the rest of us, but red meat for the conservative base.

As for the number one issue in America, "Jobs", there wasn't a peep. If I was an independent and watched last night, I'd be asking myself, "This is what they have to offer?" As for the implications going into next Tuesday's big contests in Michigan and Arizona, I think it safe to say Romney has stopped the bleeding, at least for now. Santorum withered under fire last night, and may have given Romney a much needed boost in his home state. Recent polls have the Michigan contest in a statistical dead heat, but I would bet Romney's lead begins to widen in the next few days. The result of Father Rick's poor showing last night, coupled with a week of radical theological babble, that has establishment Republicans, Independents, and women all moving toward the isles. Yes I agree with the former Pennsylvania Senator, the devil has his eyes set on America, and his name is Rick Santorum.

A Commentary On A Rough Few Days

It would be remiss of me not to rise above all the bomb throwing that has been going on in the Republican nominating fight, and point out a few things. First, there is poor Mitt Romney. Who has turned into his own worst enemy, and frankly is so disheveled one cringes at what he might say next. His speech in Michigan last week is a perfect example, he said he liked the lakes, and cars, and that in Michigan all the trees are the right size. All the trees are the right size? Did he leave his prepared speech in the car that day? and if he did, is that the best he could come up with? Throw in a another one of his stirring off key renditions of America the Beautiful, and sideshow would be complete. Add to that fact, that one week out from his home state primary in Michigan, he is still trailing, yet closing the gap on Rick Santorum. Father Rick currently leads there by 4 points in the latest polling. Some would say Romney's ship hits the iceberg, should he lose Michigan. My take is, he has already hit the iceberg, Michigan will prove whether he can stay afloat, or starts going down by the head.

Then we have Rick Santorum who must be exhausted from carrying that huge cross on his back all weekend. He challenged the Presidents religion, compared him to Hitler, inferred Obama is a Muslim, made a general indictment of the American public school system, said birth control is bad for women and the country, and asserted women shouldn't be in combat situations because of all the emotions involved. Whew! I'm tired just listing it. That is a lot of shit shovelling for one weekend, even for Father Rick.

There was one other thing he mentioned that I wanted to focus on, and that is prenatal testing. Here is what Father Rick had to say, "One of the mandates is they require free prenatal testing in every insurance policy in America," Santorum, a conservative Roman Catholic, told a Christian Alliance luncheon in Columbus. "Why? Because it saves money in health care. Why? Because free prenatal testing ends up in more abortions and therefore less care that has to be done, because we cull the ranks of the disabled in our society." He added that the requirement was "another hidden message as to what President Obama thinks of those who are less able."

Now I don't know if that's true or not, the fact is I don't care. Obviously Father Rick is pro-life, anti-abortion, but here again he oversteps the mark to the point of being offensive. Again, if he wants to feed this kind of ardent pablum to the evangelical masses in his party, while independents and moderates run screaming from the building, I say go for it. Because for every 10 voters he fires up on the right, he loses 100 voters in the middle, and that is not a recipe for victory in November. Speaking directly to the issue itself, I can think of a no more difficult situation, or greater hardship for parents, than learning their child may have a defect inutero that would prove life altering. However, the last time I checked, despite countless attempts by the Right to undermine it, abortion is still legal in this country. What if those parents don't have the means to properly care for a special needs child? What if the pregnancy may endanger the mother in some way? What if for any number of reasons continuing that pregnancy was not an option? Is Rick Santorum going to pay the bills associated with such a child, or make the sacrifices needed to provide proper care? Of course not! But that's not even enough for him, he has to continue by linking the President to this most incredibly difficult decision, by saying this is what President Obama "...thinks of those who are less able." As if the President is making the decision for all those who find themselves in this wrenching position. It is despicable on its face, not just to raise the issue in this light, but to link it directly to President Obama. It is contemptible, presumptuous, and just one more, of a growing number of reasons why Father Rick should not become President.

Can Gingrich's Southern Strategy Hold Against Santorums Surge?

There hasn't been much talk about the most hated man in American politics, of course I speak of former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. The fact is since his big upset in South Carolina, Gingrich has had to settle for the bronze is most of the contests that have followed. So the question is can he capture the South, or as I affectionately call it, "The Bumpkin Belt", to remain a viable candidate in the ever changing Republican primary process? His first opportunity at some of these states won't happen until Super Tuesday March the 6th. His home state of Georgia is in play, as well as, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Virginia. He stated over the weekend, any candidate who loses their home state would be put into a very compromised position. The reference was more about Mitt Romney's upcoming battle against Father Rick in Michigan, but made the overall point about him in Georgia, Santorum in Pennsylvania, and Ron Paul in Texas. So lets look at some numbers, and see how Gingrich's would be strategy is looking at the moment.



In Georgia:

Gingrich - 41%
Romney - 26%
Santorum - 16%
Paul - 6%

So it looks like, for the moment, Gingrich has a comfortable lead in his home state. Georgia is also the biggest delegate prize on Super Tuesday with 76, and would probably give Gingrich the will to fight another day. Mike Huckabee won the state in 2008.






In Oklahoma:

Santorum - 39%
Romney - 23%
Gingrich - 18%
Paul - 8%

It would appear here, Newt is headed for another bronze, trailing Father Rick by 21 points. John McCain won the state in 2008.






In Tennessee:

Santorum - 34%
Romney - 27%
Gingrich - 16%
Paul - 13%

Once more Newt looks headed for a third place finish, but there is still plenty of time for these numbers to change. In a race as fluid as this one, and with Father Rick doubling down on crazy this last weekend, anything is possible. Mike Huckabee won the state in 2008.







In Virginia:

Romney - 68%
Paul - 19%

Virginia is going to be a shoe in for Mitt Romney as neither Newt Gingrich, or Father Rick, got their paperwork in on time to make the ballot. So Romney can count on at least one state win Super Tuesday. I wonder if the trees are the right height in Virginia, like they are in Michigan? I guess we'll find out later. John McCain won here in 2008.

So looks like Gingrich is holding in Georgia, but faltering in the other southern states where he hoped to make a play. So the beat goes on, the next big event on the horizon is yet another Republican debate in Arizona, this coming Wednesday night at 8pm on CNN. So take a Xanex, or three, and settle in for a night of laughs and lies. Newt lost his debate mojo in Florida, we'll see if he can recapture the magic come Wednesday.

Santorum Social Conservative or Fanatic?

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse Rick Santorum has gone off the rails. While pandering his special brand of zeal to the Ohio Christian Alliance, Santorum unleashed a barrage of harsh attacks against President Obama today, in an attempt to keep his religious crusade at full throttle. He said of the Presidents agenda, "it’s not about you. It's not about your quality of life. It's not about your jobs. It's about some phony ideal, some phony theology. Oh, not a theology based on the Bible, a different theology, but no less a theology."

You know people, comments like this are not made by mistake. Just like Senator Santorum wanted to maintain some hidden mystery about the Presidents religion when he refused to correct a woman who called him a Muslim, here he attempts to reinforce that mystery, by in some way, invalidating the Presidents faith. Of course he tries to cover up this pile of crap explaining, "In the Christian church there are a lot of different stripes of Christianity," he said. "If the president says he's a Christian, he's a Christian." If I say Rick Santorum is a pious horses ass, he's a pious horses ass. Can you see what's happening here? It's just one more lame attempt to say the President is "Not one of us." He's a Muslim, a socialist, a communist, a NAZI, a Kenyan colonialist, the anti-christ! For Gods sake give it a rest!

The Obama Administration called Santorum's comments, "the latest low in a Republican primary campaign that has been fueled by distortions, ugliness, and searing pessimism and negativity." Did that stop Father Rick? Hell no, when your on a roll, run with it. Santorum rebuffed the Administration by saying, "If you don’t want to call it a theology, I’m fine, you can have them let me know what they want to call it, but it is a different set of moral values that they are imposing on people who have a constitutional right to have their own values within the church, and that’s not a new low. That’s a reflection of exactly what….it is a new low. I should go back, it is a new low. The President has reached a new low in this country’s history of oppressing religious freedom that we have never seen before. If he doesn’t want to call his imposition of his values a theology that’s fine, but it is an imposition of his values over a church who has very clear theological reasons for opposing what the Obama administration is forcing on them.”

He wanted to insure a woman's right to have access to birth control? He's not firing up some secular American Inquisition? He's not the one who wants to legislate what you do in the privacy of your own bedroom?! This kind of rhetoric makes me absolutely mental! Who the hell is Rick Santorum to tell the President, or anybody else, he doesn't pass the Santorum litmus test for what is religiously correct or incorrect? Last I heard we were a democracy, not a theocracy? I respect the fact that the man has serious religious convictions, but don't tell me I'm somehow sub-standard, because I don't live up to the Father Rick Bible Quiz! I mean where does this guy get off?!

Tread lightly Father Rick, that kind of garbage may be foder for your evangelical standard bearers, but nobody wants to have your religion, or any religion rammed down their throat. Least of all by some two bit, second string, conservative windbag like you. You are the worst of worst Senator. Now I know why you lost your Senate seat by 700,000 votes, because of your sanctimonious, judgemental, ungodly proclamations, that show just how Christian you really are.

Rick Santorum's Socially Conservative Religious Zeal Is Just Scary

The rights social conservative crusade, like most things Republican, has a very distinct tinge of hypocrisy. They want to tell you who you can love, what you can do in your own bedroom, what you can do with your own body, and attempt at every turn to legislate their own brand of religious morality. While on the other hand, if your some multi-millionaire, corporation, or industrial giant that has the potential to influence all manner of public policy that effects our economy, our tax code for the rich, regulations on banks, our water, our air, our food, and our environment, its hands off? It is a perspective that is to often lost in today's political discussions.
From attempting to strip funding for Planned Parenthood, have state referendums that dictate life begins at conception, to morphing a government mandate about fairness with regard to woman's rights, into a battle over religious freedom, the republican agenda is crystal clear.

Enter our man Rick Santorum. I spoke previously about his 2005 book It Takes A Family, but politician's who write books often give us a blueprint of the man behind the curtain, the man some individuals may otherwise not want revealed. In the recent HHS contraception mandate fight, Santorum was front and center in calling it an infringement on religious freedoms, well at least he's consistent.

So lets take a look at the world according to Rick Santorum? His political credo is Faith, Family, and Freedom, it is important to note the order here, because it's not only spot on, its quite literal. Lets look at some quotes from his book, as well as, some of his comments on the record.

From the Book:
"Conservatives trust families and the ordinary Americans that are formed by them. Liberals don't. They border on disdain for the common man."
"Ordinary Americans" who is he talking about? What is an "ordinary American? Again this is dog whistle political verbiage meaning white, christian families, that function in the 1950's traditional role where women stay home and raise babies, while men go to work. To be against this is to have "...disdain for the common man."

"We now have a generation that has grown up with the belief, inspired by the Sixties' free-love assault on sexual mores, that true love is a feeling, and that it should not be resisted or constrained--rather, its ultimate validation is through sexual relations, without regard to the outdated social convention of marriage."
Once again, lets get into our wayback machines and go back to the 50's where minorities, women, and homosexuals knew their place.

On the Record:
Republican former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum's statements about homosexuality and the right to privacy. In an interview with the Associated Press (AP) taped on April 7, 2003, and published April 20, 2003, Santorum stated that he believed mutually consenting adults do not have a constitutional right to privacy with respect to sexual acts. Santorum described the ability to regulate consensual homosexual acts as comparable to the states' ability to regulate other consensual and non-consensual sexual behavior, such as adultery, polygamy, child molestation, incest, and bestiality, whose decriminalization he believed would threaten society and the family, as they are not monogamous and heterosexual.
OK here we have a perfect example of Republicans who preach the horrors of big government, while telling you what you can and can't do in the privacy of your own bedroom? Maybe if it was Exxon and Mobil in the bedroom they would leave them alone?

In the interview by Associated Press reporter Lara Jakes Jordan When Jordan asked "Okay, without being too gory or graphic, so if somebody is homosexual, you would argue that they should not have sex?" Santorum's response concluded:"In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. It is one thing. And when you destroy that you have a dramatic impact on the quality —" (At this point, Jordan commented, "I'm sorry, I didn't think I was going to talk about 'man on dog' with a United States senator, it's sort of freaking me out", coining a phrase widely used in connection with this incident.
Here again, no matter your thoughts on the subject, Republicans have to take it to the extreme in an attempt to save their argument. No one is suggesting "man on dog" sex here. Its simply about the right of two consenting adults, regardless of their gender, to display affection for one another in the privacy of their own homes. Again they have to turn it into something they see as so repellent it borders on the edge of social anarchy.

He lamented the laws that overturned states ability to ban the sale of contraception in 1965. He further decried the law that outlawed interracial marriage in 1967. He has openly stated his support to allow states to once again ban contraception, and his homophobic rhetoric continues sometimes veiled, sometimes not. Regardless, this is the real Rick Santorum. He makes no excuses about what he believes, and what he stands for, and that my friends, is scary.

New Polling Has Rick Santorum Prepared to Overtake Romney

Yes it's true honestly, Rick Santorum. Lets go to the polling numbers.

In Ohio:

Santorum 36%
Romney 29%
Gingrich 20%
Paul 9%





In Pennsylvania:

Santorum 34%
Romney 32%
Paul 16%
Gingrich 15%



In Michigan:

Santorum 39%
Romney 24%
Paul 12%
Gingrich 11%

Mitt Romney is down by by 15 points in his home state of Michigan, just 13 days from the primary, that ladies and gentleman spells big trouble for Mitt Romney. He was raised in Michigan, his father was a popular Governor there, his mother even ran for Senate there. If he loses in Michigan, a state he carried big in 2008, all bets are off. Last August I predicted Romney would win the Republican nomination. I'm still not prepared to back away from that yet, but if he goes down hard in Michigan, it will be a massive game changer. Adding to his polling nightmare, in 3 out of 4 national polls he is either losing, or in a statistical dead heat against Santorum. In the era of "Citizens United" maybe money can't buy you the Presidency... Maybe? There is no question Romney has a serious disconnect with Republican voters, and with the conservative rebellion stared by Gingrich, and now catching fire with Santorum, Romney seems to be losing control of a dialogue he struggled with from the beginning. Here is his latest mistake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9fUJ87p9Htw

Here he makes an ad that touts his roots in Michigan, and then talks fondly about the American automobile industry, and the Detroit Car Show, all of which would be GONE if Mitt Romney had gotten his way. It is astounding that he dared to even go there?! If he thinks this ad is going to help him make up 15 points, with 13 days to go, guess again.

On the other hand, you have the rise of religious Rick. Who only 18% of Republicans think can beat Barack Obama, 55% think Romney can. So there sits the dilemma for Republicans. Do they go with the man who has the best chance to win that they hate, or do they go with the guy who has little chance of winning that they love? Make no mistake people, Rick Santorum is just as good as Newt Gingrich when matched against the President. Oh he has his hard right political convictions, and blue collar appeal, but he's just as big a whack job as Gingrich ever was. He just hasn't been baptised by the fire of being vetted by the media, or truly taken on by his opponents, because until now he was thought a non factor, but that's gonna change real quick. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take my Gingrich sign off the lawn to put up my new Santorum one.

A Mixed Week In Review All Around

Poor Mitt Romney, he doesn't know whether to scratch his watch or wind his butt. He ended the week up, with a negligible 3 point win over Ron Paul in Maine last night. At the CPAC convention this week, where all the real hardcore conservative crazies meet once a year. Mitt Romney said conservative so many times, maybe if he clicked his heals real hard three times he'd win the nomination. He suffered a major setback with Rick Sanatorum's trifecta in Minnesota, Missouri, and Colorado, which turned this nomination fight on its head. In keeping with the Wizard of Oz metaphors, Romney is like a Republican tin man. He's hollow with no political core, and desperately wants to capture the heart of the Republican party. Yet, every time he tries to shed a tear for the middle class, he rusts. Then he has to backtrack, and his campaign comes running with the oil can. If he admits he has a heart, he gets hit by the right. If he admits he's looking for a heart, Republican don't think he's the man for the job.

Rick Santorum's three state win on Tuesday gave his faltering campaign a much needed shot in the arm. He, and front runner Mitt Romney have now each won four states, Newt Gingrich has won one. Santorum has now also managed to put himself into the cross heirs of Mitt Romney's money machine. Look for him to flush the bombers against Santorum in the next two big contests, the primaries in Michigan and Arizona. Santorum also exposed his Achilles heal this week, by diving head first into the contraception mandate fight. It was his rigid religious dogma regarding women's issues, birth control, abortion, and his belief religion(christian religion specifically), is a corner stone of our governments power. As apposed to an individuals protected freedom to practice whatever religion they wish outside the reach of government. It was this very zealous conviction that got him kicked to the curb by the people of Pennsylvania in 2006 by more than 18 points. Thomas Jefferson once said, "If God is just, I tremble for my country." For a party who loves to invoke the founding fathers, they might do well to read what they actually said, as opposed to what they think they said.

Santorum wrote a book called It Takes A Family: Conservatism and the Common Good. The book was released on July 4th, 2005. Hows that for blatant irony that misses the mark. It was written in response to then First Lady Hillary Clinton's best seller It Takes A Village. Upon reviewing the then Pennsylvania Senator's book, The Philadelphia Inquirer referred to Santorum as "one of the finest minds of the Thirteenth Century". Id say that puts him right up there with Pope Benedict and the rest of the Catholic church, who have been trapped in the Thirteenth Century for some time now. I was raised Roman Catholic, I graduated from a Catholic High School, and for those who remain active in the church, you will be hard pressed to find anyone who buys Catholic dogma lock, stock, and barrel. The term used this week was "Cafeteria Catholic" those in the church who pick and choose what makes sense to them, and what doesn't. This is not a new phenomena. Catholics still active in the church go to give their hour to God, no matter how out of touch their religious leaders are, especially on birth control.

Finally, A big thumbs down to the Obama Administration for creating this shit storm in the first place. You had good economic news, poll numbers up across the board, and somebody lets this skunk out of the barn? The President lost control of the conversation almost immediately, and gave an uninspiring group of second string contenders for the Republican nomination a wedge issue they will now use for months. Add Catholic Bishops balking at the compromise announced Friday, and look for the big red toxic rhetoric machine to beat this issue to death, using misinformation and their hallmark scare tactics. I wonder sometimes if President Obama isn't happy unless he finds himself on the shitty end of the stick? A reasonable administration might tackle an issue like this in an off year, but an election year? All I can say is, "What were they thinking?"