Rick Santorum

I've got a daughter who's about the same age as Sandra Fluke, went to law school with her and worked wit her Georgetown's Law Students for Reproductive Rights group. So I want to ask a simple question of Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney, both of whom are also the fathers of daughers. It's a simple question, really:

How could you? more »

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Psst. Hey, Senator! Just wanted to say thanks for all the free publicity! It's getting even better now that your pal – what's her name, the Half-Governor? - is talking about me too. You know what they say: It's not bad press if they spell your name right!

But listen – and I really shouldn't do this – I'm not sure you realize where you're headed. Put it this way: When the lead singer from Megadeth says he'll vote for you, take it as a sign. I mean, c'mon man! They sang “Prince of Darkness”!

You already talk about me like you know me. Have we met? You do look familiar, but I meet so many guys in your line of work - lobbying, that is. Oh, right, you're a politician too. When it comes to politicians, let's just say we've always got a quorum down here! Talk about your “smoke-filled rooms” …

Oh, wait. Maybe you haven't figured out who I am. Please allow me to introduce myself - I'm a man of wealth and taste.

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Presidential candidate Rick Santorum has gained popularity by saying he supports efforts to revitalize American manufacturing. But he remains silent about House Republicans keeping the China Currency Bill from being brought to the floor for a vote. more »

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You'd think Social Security would top the list of subjects for a presidential debate in Florida. How many questions did Wolf Blitzer ask about it during Thursday night's Republican debate in Jacksonville?

Answer: None. The words "Social Security" never passed his lips.

It was almost as if there were a "gentlemen's agreement" among the five people on the stage. And we use that phrase advisedly, since Blitzer sealed the boy's club atmosphere by asking each of the candidates why his wife would make the best first lady.

The candidates did mention Social Security a couple of times, but only in passing and only in the most misleading ways possible. It's too bad there wasn't, oh, a journalist nearby -- one who was inclined to ask follow-up questions.

What was said that night? Rick Santorum and Ron Paul both attacked Newt Gingrich from the right on Social Security. Santorum suggested that the Speaker's proposals, which would cut benefits, were too expensive and would "create a brand new Social Security entitlement."

Not true.

Ron Paul said that Gingrich's claim to have helped cut the federal deficit was false -- which is true. But then he said that the reason it's untrue is because Gingrich "doesn't count the money he takes out of Social Security" -- which is false!

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The GOP presidential candidates continue to play their parts in an implausible story of a world that could never exist, acting out nonexistent conflicts while delivering dialog that insults the intelligence. That's not because they're stupid. It's because they think you are.

It's like watching a low budget science-fiction movie from the fifties: Dr. Strange vs. The Vulture in the Caverns of the Moon. It's badly executed, even by the low standards of its genre, complete with cheap sets, bad special effects and wooden acting.

They're counting on their audience to provide that state of mind which literature professors call "the willing suspension of disbelief."

Three of the candidates are selling an nearly identical story of hardy earth people who are only able to save their planet once they've been freed from taxes and regulations.The fourth, Ron Paul, is offering a different script, a 10,000 Years BC scenario of unparalleled economic savagery.

Sure, Dr. Paul seems like a likable guy. And it's great that he's saying things about war, terrorism, and human rights that nobody else will, including Barack Obama. But he wants to lead us into a blood-drenched, kill-or-be-killed world. (Remember when he was willing to let an injured man die because he hadn't paid his health insurance premium?)

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One after another, the Republican presidential candidates have come out with strong statements that appear to show support for making things in America and revitalizing American manufacturing. more »

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