Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on TwitterBe a Facebook FanTumble us!

08 Feb 2012 01:53

tags

Politics: Santorum won big tonight, yes. But there’s a catch…

  • yes…Rick Santorum swept tonight’s nominating contests, winning Colorado and Minnesota’s caucuses in addition to Missouri’s primary. He’s now won more states than Mitt Romney.
  • however…No delegates were awarded tonight, so these victories–as well as all victories to this point–are significant primarily from the standpoint of public perception and media narratives. source

29 Jan 2012 11:46

tags

Politics: Rick Santourm leaves campaign trail to tend to sick daughter

  • “You think she’s fine, and then one cold and she’s this close to dying.” Days ahead of the important Florida primary, Rick Santorum found himself having to make an unexpected detour Saturday, as his 3-year-old daughter Bella, who suffers from a rare genetic condition called Trisomy 18, was admitted to the hospital. Bella has already beaten the odds in many ways — many children with the condition don’t survive their first week, let alone their first year. The presidential candidate, who is running behind Gingrich and Romney, is relying on surrogates to keep things going while he’s gone, but it’s not the first time Bella’s health has forced the cancellation of Santorum’s campaign events. A tough situation for Santorum to deal with, especially as the contests turn into real primaries with real stakes. (photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickrsource

19 Jan 2012 09:50

tags

Politics: Rick Santorum: Maybe possibly could be the sorta-winner in Iowa

  • yeah … An early count showed Mitt Romney leading the Iowa Caucus, but a mere eight votes ahead of Rick Santorum, who peaked just before the caucus.
  • … but … Now the vote has been certified, and it seems that Santorum has the lead in votes — Rick is now 34 votes ahead of Mitt in the state.
  • … um But don’t call it a victory just yet; irregularities in some precincts prevent Santorum from declaring victory; Romney’s camp calls it a virtual tie. source

10 Jan 2012 19:42

tags

Politics: Rick Santorum could get a Newt endorsement if Gingrich drops out

  • whoa! According to Rick Santorum-associated officials in South Carolina, if Newt Gingrich drops out of the race anytime soon, he would likely endorse the former Pennsylvania senator’s (and longtime fan’s) campaign.
  • however … Even though Newt is totally looking like a dog in New Hampshire, don’t look for him to drop out anytime soon — he’s polling relatively decently in the Palmetto State, though he polled better about a month ago. source

09 Jan 2012 12:36

tags

Politics: Rick Santorum and the culture wars: How he’s standing out

  • So why has he struck such a chord among GOP voters and progressives alike? Why have videos exposing his racial biases and anti-gay attitudes gone viral and inspired hashtags? It’s simple: Even in a recession, social issues like sex and race are extremely resonant. And Santorum is the only candidate talking about them.
  • Good Magazine Associate Editor Nona Willis Aronowitz • Opining on exactly why Rick Santorum made a comeback in an era where his brand of social conservatism was starting to look old-hat. Essentially, because he’s the only person seriously discussing these issues, he stands out. But it goes further, Aronowitz notes: “The Santorum hubbub is a reminder that the issues we hold dear — issues of sex and race and civil rights — are absolutely recession-proof.” (Related: This Patch video, in which a heckler asks Santorum if he would abort a gay baby. Ah, campaign trail politics. Thanks John Ness for that tip.) source

08 Jan 2012 11:44

tags

Politics: “No Child Left Behind” turns 10, education experts want to leave it behind

  • It is time to acknowledge this failure and adopt a more effective course for the federal role in education. Policymakers must abandon their faith-based embrace of test-and-punish strategies and, instead, pursue proven alternatives to guide and support the nation’s neediest schools and students.
  • A policy assessment written by Lisa Guisbond, Monty Neill and Bob Schaeffer • Suggesting that No Child Left Behind, the Bush-era education law passed under bipartisan circumstances, should go the way of the dodo. The policy, now seen as an example of ineffective government overreach by many, celebrates its 10th birthday today, and politicians who once supported the law — including Rick Santorum, who voted for it and tried to push an intelligent design amendment into the bill — no longer do. Guisbond, Neill and Schaeffer’s report, which suggests revisiting the law based on the lessons learned from the past decade, is available to read over heresource

13 Dec 2011 21:15

tags

Politics: Newt stumbles, Paul and Santorum gain

  • Newtiny on the bounty? This is the second poll this week indicating a slip in Newt Gingrich’s support. The winners are Ron Paul and Rick Santorum (and, to a lesser degree, Jon Huntsman), all of whom saw gains since the beginning of the month. Gingrich’s favorability dropped 19 points in the last week, and on the question of who has “stronger values,” Romney beats him by 21 points. Meanwhile, the oft-forgotten Gary Johnson–who, it’s worth saying, is a libertarian who holds many of the same positions as Paul–is still stuck at 1%. source
 

08 Dec 2011 19:29

tags

Politics: Donald Trump-moderated debate will be a lonely affair

  • 2 GOP candidates will attend the Donald Trump debate source
  • » It only takes two to tango: The Newsmax-hosted, Donald Trump-moderated Republican debate later this month will feature only Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, as Jon Huntsman, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann have all declined to attend. This is somewhat embarrassing for Trump and Gingrich, although Santorum could stand to benefit from going toe-to-toe with this month’s frontrunner. Question: Was Gary Johnson, who always complains about not being invited to these things, invited?

05 Dec 2011 15:09

tags

Politics: Trump-moderated debate gets first RSVP

  • YES Santorum will attend the Donald Trump debate source
  • » That makes it a Santorum-Gingrich affair. No one else has RSVP’d yet; Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman have both declined the invite, and Karl Rove, who has a bit of influence in Republican circles, has discouraged all the other candidates from attending. Gingrich said he’ll be going “just for the entertainment value,” which is, well, strange.

14 Oct 2011 11:49

tags

Politics: Why are some of the GOP candidates threatening to boycott Nevada?

  • what A number of GOP candidates — including Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich — have threatened to boycott the Nevada primary. Jon Huntsman went a step further, promising to boycott Tuesday’s Nevada-based debate.
  • why Nevada is attempting to gain influence on the primaries by pushing their primary up to mid-January, meaning New Hampshire would have to hold theirs in December to ensure that theirs is still the first one. In effect, it gives weaker candidates less time. source