Robert Shrum: “Republican voters are now the political equivalent of Mitt Romney’s famously abused dog Seamus. Mitt has put voters on the roof of his car, and he’s driving for the nomination whether they like it or not. More accurately, he’s sputtering toward the nomination as the roof-bound electorate periodically poops on his parade.”
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Santorum Faces Ballot Problems in Pennsylvania
Though he holds a double-digit lead, Rick Santorum’s disorganization may cost him a chance at delegates in his home state.
The Daily: “The problem for Santorum springs from the fact that potential delegates in Pennsylvania run on a primary ballot uncommitted to any presidential candidate — meaning voters won’t know who they’ll support at the convention this summer… Romney, Ron Paul and even Newt Gingrich got some of their supporters on the ballot as delegate candidates. But Santorum’s campaign officials, who have struggled with ballot organization issues across the country, privately concede that they just didn’t have the time, nor resources, to organize their own supporters to run as delegates when the paperwork was due earlier this year.”
The Case for Crazy
John Avlon: “A cleansing bout of craziness in 2012 could be just what the GOP needs. I’m talking about a nominee so far to the right that conservative populists get their fondest wish — and the Republican Party is forced to learn from the result. Namely, that there is such a thing as too extreme.”
“Giving conservative activists everything they want in a presidential nominee would ultimately be clarifying for the Republican Party… There’s nothing like losing 40 states to refocus the mind.”
The bin Laden Plot to Kill Obama
David Ignatius reports one of the documents taken from Osama bin Laden’s compound by U.S. forces the night he was killed instructed “special cells” in Afghanistan and Pakistan to attack the aircraft of President Obama and Gen. David Petraeus.
Said the al Qaeda leader: “The reason for concentrating on them is that Obama is the head of infidelity and killing him automatically will make Biden take over the presidency… Biden is totally unprepared for that post, which will lead the U.S. into a crisis. As for Petraeus, he is the man of the hour… and killing him would alter the war’s path.”
Romney’s Subterranean Mansion
The Wall Street Journal has interesting detail on Mitt Romney’s application to double the size of his beach house in La Jolla, CA: It will have an additional 3,600 square feet “of finished underground space, according to public records.”
“Tony Crisafi, one of the project’s architects, declined to comment on Mr. Romney’s motivations but says that these days, most of his clients want to be discreet about the scale of their home, and one way to do that is ‘by pushing things underground.'”
Fainting Spells Resurge at Obama Speeches
For the third time this month, someone fainted during one of President Obama’s speeches, the New York Times reports.
“Fainting spells have come over people during Mr. Obama’s speeches since at least 2008, when he was campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination” but he “appears to have gotten used to it.”
In New Hampshire last week, Obama said, “Folks do this all the time at my meetings.”
Wisconsin Lawmaker Facing Recall Quits Instead
Wisconsin state Sen. Pam Galloway (R), who faces a recall election this summer, plans to resign from the Senate shortly, leaving an even split between Republicans and Democrats, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports.
The recall election against Galloway would still move forward even though she would no longer occupy the seat.
Life Among the Cannibals
Coming this month: Life Among the Cannibals: A Political Career, a Tea Party Uprising, and the End of Governing As We Know It by former Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA).
Politico reports that Specter does Rick Santorum no favors in the memoir writing that Santorum was “vital” in his 2004 primary win against conservative Pat Toomey because he “tried to provide him with political advice ahead of a career-changing vote in 2009, and lobbied him to quell a conservative rebellion over judicial nominees.”
Arizona Bill Would Require Reason for Birth Control
Arizona Republicans are close to passing a bill which would force women trying to get reimbursed for birth control drugs through their employer-provided health plan “to prove that they are taking it for a medical reason such as acne, rather than to prevent pregnancy,” the AP reports.
No Chance Gingrich Will Drop Out
When Newt Gingrich was asked this morning what conditions could lead him to withdraw from the Republican presidential race, the Washington Post notes he said, “Probably none.”
Corbett Defends Ultrasound Bill
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (R) said at a press conference that a bill that would force women seeking an abortion to undergo fetal ultrasounds was not “obtrusive” because women could simply close their eyes during the procedure.
Said Corbett: “I’m not making anybody watch, OK. Because you just have to close your eyes. As long as it’s on the exterior and not the interior.”
Romney Ahead in Illinois
A We Ask America poll in Illinois finds Mitt Romney leading the GOP primary field with 37%, followed by Rick Santorum at 31%, Newt Gingrich at 14% and Ron Paul at 8%.
A Rasmussen survey shows Romney leading with 41%, followed by Santorum at 32%, Gingrich at 14% and Paul at 7%.
The Illinois primary is next Tuesday.
Colbert’s Super PAC Still Has Plenty of Cash
Ken Vogel notes fundraising slowed significantly last month for Stephen Colbert’s super PAC, but that it “spent only $17,000 in February, mostly on media consulting, leaving nearly $780,000 in the bank.”
“That’s plenty of cash for the faux pundit to use to make mischief through joke ads as the presidential campaign progresses.”
Obama Approval Jumps Higher
The latest Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor poll finds President Obama’s approval rating rose to 51%, up from only 44% in each of the previous polls taken in October and December.
“That’s Obama’s highest approval rating in the Heartland Monitor since the survey taken immediately after the killing of Osama bin Laden in May. Other than that, the new survey marks the first time that Obama’s approval rating in the poll has crossed the critical 50 percent threshold since September 2009.”
This survey completely contradicts a CBS/NYT poll earlier this week that found Obama’s approval sinking to a new low.
Hatch Fares Well in Utah Caucuses
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) was facing perhaps his “gravest political threat” in a 36 year political career “but spent more than a year fighting back, mobilizing supporters to attend the caucuses and by early and anecdotal reports, appears to have fared well,” the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Said Hatch: “I’ve been told that things went fairly well. Actually I’ve been told that things went really well, but who knows. I’m a tough old bird and nobody is going to push me around without a fight.”
GOP caucus-goers elected 4,000 state delegates, who will gather April 21 to vote on the party’s U.S. Senate nominee.
Why Do Territories Get a Say in the GOP Primary Process?
Byron York notes that in recent weeks it has been Mitt Romney’s wins “in the island territories — Marianas, Guam, Samoa, Virgin Islands — that gave Romney the edge in delegates. And on Sunday comes the primary in Puerto Rico. It’s possible that if Romney finally reaches the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch the Republican nomination, his delegate margin of victory will have come from the islands.”
“Which leads to the question: Why are places that are not states, whose residents cannot vote for president, and which have no electoral votes allowed to play a potentially critical role in selecting the party’s nominee?”
Dave Weigel notes a Republican’s vote in Samoa was actually worth 4,182 times more than a Republican’s vote in Florida.
Negative Campaigning on Facebook
Lauren Ashburn and Howard Kurtz have an interesting NewsHour segment about President Obama campaign’s use of social media to roll out its 17-minute “documentary” by an Oscar-winning director.
They also examine the proliferation of negative Facebook groups that belittle and mock the presidential candidates.
How the Primary Calendar Hurts Romney
Jay Cost: “Right now, we are in the tenth week of the GOP primary battle, and about half of the delegates have been allocated. But check out the lines in 2008 and 2012, at this point in those cycles roughly 80 percent of the delegates had been allocated!”
“What does this mean in terms of Romney’s political strength? Put simply: it blunts it. This slow allocation of delegates gives poorly funded candidates time to stake out ground in smaller states, pick up a surprising win or two, gain momentum, and challenge the frontrunner.”
