Who Have The Republican Candidates Insulted This Primary Season

Picking up on the previous post, Rick Santorum today claimed that single women are "breeding criminals." And this was the niche group that voted Republican in 2010.

So in the spirit of a blogger over at Democratic Underground, who have the Republicans insulted this primary season?

1. Women and especially working women and single mothers.

2. Gays and Lesbians

3. African Americans

4. Hispanics

5. Immigrants in general

6. Labor Unions

7. Teachers

8. Students--college and graduate students and all professors

9. Muslims

10.The Poor

11.Government workers--state and federal

12.The sick, the disabled and the uninsured

13. Occupy Wall Street

14. Veterans

15. Seniors

16. Specific people--JFK, Barack Obama as a "drug pusher" (Santorum) and a "pimp" (Pamela Geller), and a "foreigner". Just fill up this space with every epithet you remember.

I am sure I forgot a few. The only group which was praised were wealthy, white people. And, of course , President Ronald Reagan. Do I get a theme?

Even Barbara Bush opined at Southern Methodist University yesterday that this was the worse campaign in her lifetime.

So how can you be a major political party in the developed world and hate everyone?

Slouching Toward Super Tuesday

++Nate Silver says that Romney will win half the delegates today. All the candidates will win some primary. The question is whether Santorum can pull out Ohio since his lead has dwindled under the Romney media blitz.

++The Republican strategy for 2012 is becoming clearer. They are going to run as if President Obama never won the last election and that George W. Bush never existed. Take Breibart's last offerings to the world called "Vetting". It dregs up Obama attending a play for Saul Alinsky. The second piece is supposed to be photos of Obama with Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dorhn. The third will be video tapes from when Obama was at Harvard. And birtherism will make a comeback. And Willard will run for war with Iran, saying he would do--well, what President Obama is doing, but tougher. There was no economic collapse or Al Qaeda or the war in Iraq. It's morning in America--circa 1950s.

++El Problemo--The Los Angeles Times reports that President Obama would take 84% of the Hispanic vote against 14% of his Republican rival. This tracks with yesterday's Fox News poll. Today, 67% of Hispanics identify as Democrats, while only 20% with Republicans and even they are going for the nominee. Compare to 2004, 28% of Hispanics identified as Republicans and only 49% as Democrats. Since Republicans are hyping Marco Rubio, the Senator from Florida as the Vice President candidate, 25% of Hispanics would consider voting Republican if he were on the ticket. The problem is that would leave the Republicans with less Hispanic votes than the McCain-Palin ticket. And this is the fastest growing voter bloc in the United States.

++The other large voting bloc is the 51% of the electorate who happen to be women. Before the Rush Limbaugh kerfluffle and the contraceptive mandate issue, women preferred Obama by 55% over 37% for Romney. He should get a bounce to over 60%. In the last election, women voted overwhelmingly for him. Republicans noticed a sub-set of women--single women--which they successfully targeted in 2010, winning 50% of them. But the advice in 2010 was not, repeat not, get into social issues. Since then, Republicans at every level of government have waged the War against the Uteri. Alex Castellanos, a Republican strategist, warned that the GOP would be dead if it emphasized "sex". "The American people like sex," he proclaimed. As of this morning, Rush Limbaugh has lost 13 sponsors and his show has been tossed off several stations. What he did was light the match to the built-up frustrations of women over the past two years' of the reduction in reproductive rights. The eruption of a new wave of feminism isn't going to die down so quickly.

++As if on cue, the Laurens County South Carolina Republican Party made members sign a pledge that they have never had pre-marital sex and once you signed the pledge you agreed never to look at porn again. Officials said that having pre-marital sex was incapable with being a Republican. And this will go unnoticed, I am sure.

++There is much smoke going out about how the prolonged Republican primary process is simply a repeat of the Democrats in 2008. But not quite. In the last Democratic contest, you had two candidates with appeal to the general population running--that created the excitement and tension. As it is, Mitt Romney will be the weakest nominee of a major party in a generation, with an approval rating almost the same as George W. Bush, who, of course, doesn't exist. Once you are in the low 20s, it is close to impossible to bring yourself up. His only alternative--which we have seen during the primaries--is to bring his competitors' rating down through negative advertising. Since he has the team who brought you Willie Horton ads, expect that to be his M.O. for the general election.

The Price the GOP Is Paying For anti-Hispanic Language

Fox News and Latin Insights polled the Hispanic community about its attitudes toward this coming presidential election. Keep in mind that President Obama has averaged an approval rating among liberals of 85%, way higher than his average approval, which ranges from 45 to 50% at any given time. President Obama has a 73% approval rating among Latin voters, 58% of them approve of the job he is doing on the economy.

The best a Republican rival does against President Obama is a stunning 14%--this is way lower than even I have been writing.

The kicker for the GOP should be--if they are listening--that 40% of Hispanics who voted for John McCain will not vote for a Republican--ever again. From the fastest growing voting block in the country, this is devastating. With Mitt Romney still pushing his "self-deport" scheme and backed by Sheriff Arpaio I don't think this number is going to turn around anytime soon.

Waiting for Not-so Super Tuesday

Mitt Romney picked up a number of endorsements from elected Republicans heading into Tuesday. With Obama's approval rating at 50 and Romney's at 28, according to an NBC poll, voters are tiring of the Republicans because of the primary process. 4 in 10 Americans think less highly of the GOP because of the primaries, making it almost a 60% disapproval rate. This is particularly true among independent voters.

Mitt won the non-binding Washington caucus in an ugly fashion. Thousands of voters were turned away by officials. It is still unclear whether these voters would have tipped the scales for Ron Paul.

While media attention is being paid to the battle for Ohio, Romney will waltz away with Virginia of almost equal delegate strength because the ballot rules were too onerous for the other contestants and the Governor backs Romney.

Newt is banking on Georgia, his old home state, to revive his fortunes.

Meanwhile the PPP polls of swing states show that as of now President Obama basically polls either the same or better than in 2008. Obama has taken large double digit leads over all comers in Wisconsin and Ohio. He has even gained strength in Texas of all places compared to last election. But be warned that summer is always Obama's bad season and we should see some negative movement then.

Rush Limbaugh apologized sort of for his slut comment but he has still lost 7 major sponsors and there is an effort to get his show thrown off the Armed Forces Network.

While the Rush kerfluffle was going on, women--and,yes, men--peacefully protested Virginia's sonar law, which the Governor signed. A non-violent gathering of primarily women was broken up by heavily armed SWAT teams. Over 30 arrests were made and no one did anything.

Andrew Breibart's almost last scoop was the discovery that President Obama once attended a Play--yes, a Play--about Saul Alinsky and participated in a panel discussion afterwards. This is certainly cause for impeachment. The other great find of Breibart were videos of Obama at Harvard. I'm sure they were be suitably edited to make a scandal.

But I do want to sent my condolences to Breibart's father-in-law, Orson Bean. Orson Bean was known for having an Orgone Box and undergoing therapy created by Wilhelm Reich.

The Drunken Irishman Updates His Election Predictions

The Drunken Irishman writes The Path to 270 for the Democratic Underground and has issued his March edition, tracking the prospects of President Obama in the polls conducted in the Swing States. As I noted the last time about the Drunken Irishman, he awards states according to the polls and only assigns a tie when there really is a tie. In 2008, he predicted every state that went for Obama,with the exception of Indiana.

A month ago he had Obama beating Romney 299 to 224 electoral votes with 15 tied. Missouri is still tied this time around.

The difference this month is that both men had been tied in Missouri, Florida and New Hampshire. Now Obama leads in Florida and New Hampshire and is tied in Missouri. Obama has improved in Michigan and in North Carolina but slightly declined in Ohio.

Obama is now polling roughly where he was at the end of of the 2008 elections. As of this writing, Obama wins very state he won in 2008 without Indiana and Missouri. The final poll shows Obama at 347 electoral votes to Romney's 181 and 10 are undecided.

The interesting part of his analysis this month is his analysis of how difficult Romney's task is at getting to 270. Romney's problem is not George W. Bush's securing Ohio and Florida. Romney can not afford to lose Missouri, Virginia or North Carolina or a group of Colorado/ Nevada/New Mexico. That is really rough. Obama can lose Ohio, Florida and a couple of others and still get to 270.

Of course, the Drunken Irishman doesn't factor in voter suppression efforts, the whole Citizens United flood of Superpac money and other little tricks that can be played. But if the election were straight, Obama won win with nearly the same amount as last time.

The Week That Really Wasn't

++Today Willard is supposed to win the Washington State caucus because the Mormons there are to vote like robots and give him the edge.

++President Obama is to address AIPAC this weekend and meet with Bibi Netanhayu on Monday. President Obama gave an extensive and sophisticated explanation of his Iran policy in the Atlantic to Jeff Goldberg. As President Obama warns, "I don't bluff."

++Oil Drum newsletter this week showed from an oil industry perspective how the Keystone XL pipeline will cause gas prices in the Midwest to rise from 20-50 cents a gallon. Other reports coming out also show that it will not create jobs.

++Democratic governors pleaded with President Obama to lay off the social issues for is re-election. Actually looking at polls, all the wedge issues, except for gun control, have all gone to the Democratic side. Take our recent contraceptive flap.

++Bill O'Reilly, who has a troubled marital and sexual history, backed Rush Limbaugh on his attacks on Sandra Fluke. The 1%ers have to back one another.

++The Conference Board warns that businesses may soon face a "hiring panic" when the recovery picks up momentum. This coming week we expect a jobs number report, which should be decent. First time unemployment claims were down gain this past month.

++The polls show that the American people actually don't blame Obama as much for the gas hikes as they did Bush when they spiked before. Interesting--50cents to a gallon is attributed to oil speculators anticipating a disruption of oil during an Iran crisis.

++Congress is trying to manufacture another controversy by going after Energy Secretary Chu for once saying--not recently, mind you--that the United States should have gas prices equivalent to those in Europe. So the Republicans want him to resign. Actually Chu has been one of our best Energy Secretaries and advanced alternative energy projects in a way not seen before.

++Olympia Snowe's retirement and Bob Kerry's entry into the Nebraska Senatorial race have cast doubts on the GOP certainty to take over the Senate. Mitch McConnell seeing the disaster wrought by the Blunt Amendment vows not to have another vote this year on repealing any aspect of the Healthcare Bill. John Boehner however wants another shot at contraceptives.

++Wisconsin's Scott Walker now trails all three perspective Democratic challengers in his recall election. Maryland is going to have a referendum on same sex marriage after Governor O'Malley signed it into law. Proponents of same sex marriage are fighting in California the idea backed by Proposition 8 supporters that the 9th Circuit Court must decide the case again en blanc, which means with all justices deliberating. The argument against is that this continues to hold in legal limbo the same sex marriages which were already conducted and those being planned.

++This coming week is Not-so Super Tuesday. All eyes are on Ohio because if Santorum should win there, then the process will be drawn out. Newt is supposed to win Georgia. Romney wins Virginia because the others could not qualify for the ballot and Idaho should go Romney because of the Mormon vote. What the night will do --at least temporarily--is re-establish Newt Gingrich in the race. Newt has a new infusion od cash from the Adelsons. It would be interesting to see whether Newt would have more cash on hand than Romney who has tapped out the big donors and now is actually begging for donations. The appearance of the Donald in Michigan had more to do with fund-raising than a Get out the Vote Drive.

++Pink Panty Sheriff-- the man I call Chief Arapaho--disclosed the finding of his Citizens Posse that President Obama's birth certificate is a forgery. The reason--because it emits a white halo in the PDF file.

++An Alaskan man has filed suit challenging President Obama bid for re-election. His argument is that President Obama is not eligible because he is a mulatto.

++A Montana state legislator is challenging President Obama's bid for re-election on the grounds he usurped power. I guess the President is not a conservative Republican.

++Franklin Graham gave a faux apology for questioning President Obama's Christian faith but said he was against President Obama because he is pro-abortion. Or the President has to enforce the law making abortion legal. Actually Franklin hates President Obama because he was tossed as the chairman of the Pentagon's Prayer Day because of his anti-Moslem comments. Which Franklin has interpreted as the President being pro-Moslem, instead of prudently protecting American troops from crackpot clergy who are anti-Islam.

++It's good to know that Iran will know they will get bombed if Newt is president. I hear a lot of Republicans say this but would one of them please explain how they are going to successfully do it and how are they going to pay for it.

++President Obama will raise your taxes. Make sure you memorize this. After all he really raised taxes a lot his first three years.

++President Obama called for reform of corporate taxes. The strange thing is that the United States has one of the world's highest tax rates but one of the lowest "effective tax rates". Go figure.

Fly Transvaginal Airlines--It Gets You There on Time

Every sperm is sacred Department-- Yesterday the Wilmington, Delaware City Council passed by a 8 to 4 margin a "personhood" bill granting rights to eggs and Sperm. This is a huge breakthrough in the fight for men's rights. The bill was a protest from one of the women members about the current war against women's rights being waged by the GOP, and the religious zealots.

Darryl Issa said that no women were allowed to testify before his panel on the mandate for contraceptives because the panel was about religious freedom. Kudos to Rachel Maddow for pointing out that women might have something to say about religious freedom also.

Before the issue of Sandra Fluke, lost in the flap has been her remarks that women use oral contraceptives for other things than birth control. Touche.

By this morning Rush Limbaugh has lost six of his sponsors because the primary customers for their goods are women, something Limbaugh doesn't seem to care about since he is a 1%er.

Before the Sandra Fluke flap, the attack on the Girls Scouts escalated. The Washington Post reported that a small girl trying to sell her Girl Scout Cookies was berated by a woman saying that Girl Scouts encourage abortion and the little girl went him shaken by the vitriol. P.S., I did buy my Thin Mints and Short Breads. My gripe with the Girl Scouts is they have diversified their selection so much that I worry the old standards will be phased out.

For the on-going war against Planned Parenthood, the latest rightwing meme is that Panned Parenthood hands out sex drugs to young women. What are they talking about?

Now Sandra Fluke is not your candidate to be the Rosa Parks of the next generation of feminists--a 30-year old Georgetown Law student who only wanted to make a point about the cost of oral contraceptives to law students who are just getting by. Incredibly soft-spoken and articulate, she is not your poster child for militant political action. But the attacks on her have generated a firestorm that has even made Republican women pushing back against the misogynists.

For a full list of measures the GOP at the national and state level have taken against women, read Dana Milbank's column in today's Washington Post where he wonders whether Republicans even remember if women vote.

Someone who knows is President Obama who called Sandra Fluke to ask about her well-being and ,contrary to the conservatives, tell her her parents should be proud of her. In relaying this to Andrea Mitchell, Ms. Fluke started to break down. It is one thing for Limbaugh to go after Michelle Obama in his racist way. Unfortunately the First Lady is a public figure. But another to incessantly go after an unknown law student and geared up the hate machine after her.

This isn't something Republicans can laugh off. Joe Scarborough reports that his pro-life wife who never votes Democrats had women over and they started to wonder what has happened to the Republican Party. These brilliant minds thought they could frame the issue as a religious rights issue until they decided to go after contraceptives themselves. Republican women have been too tolerant of the attacks on Planned Parenthood, once a major organization of Republican participation. Now even the Red State feminists, as the Palin supporters call themselves, are furious.

And it is about time that women fight back against the nation-wide attack on reproductive rights. Hopefully, some men should get involved since we have been the main culprits in sponsoring crazy Personhood bills and almost sadistic restrictions on abortions involving medical procedures that are thoroughly unwarranted. Over the last three years, reproductive rights have been curtailed to a greater degree since Roe V.Wade was passed. One of the few people who has documented this is Rachel Maddow on her television show, the rest of the media never has caught up. Besides if you want to know what the reproductive organs of a woman looks like, Rachel Maddow has generously displayed graphics of them for the men to learn.

Now Republicans were slow off the mark criticizing the chairman of their party Rush Limbaugh. Mitt Romney the same day as Limbaugh savagely attacked Sandra Fluke said in Ohio that the mandate to cover contraceptives would be Obama's way to confiscate "your guns". How phallic can you get?! And he really said that. Considering that Bain Capital owns Rush Limbaugh's radio show, Willard said "I wouldn't have used those words". Santorum called Rush an entertainer and these were absurd notions. John Boehner, looking at the election going down the drain, did denounce Limbaugh's attack. However, Darryl Issa said that Democrats should apologize to people of faith. Sorry, Charlie, the issue is too far gone. Except for an evangelical radio announcer who followed up on Rush's line.

The Sandra Fluke episode hopefully will be a wake-up call to women about how far the Right will go in this country in attacking the rights of women. All of this has been done in state capitals far from the issues of the day--which supposedly were focused on the economy. Any one who has followed the House Republicans know that anti-abortion bills far exceed anything they suggest for the economy.

But observers have avoided the real crazy notion of the Blunt Amendment. The Blunt Amendment was so poorly written that it would have allowed employers to deprive employees of health coverage for anything the employer found objectionable. What is I am a Christian Scientist boss? I object to you and your love ones getting blood transfusions on religious grounds. What if I believe that humans should not have artificial body parts because this pollutes the body and therefore the soul? Then I would prohibit artificial hips and joints. The Blunt Amendment could be used to deprive people of far more than just payment for contraceptives.

We haven't seen politicians genuflect to Catholic Bishops for quite some time. Marco Rubio said on the Senate floor that he was co-sponsoring the bill because he heard a letter from the Bishops read in the church on Sunday. I received video e-mails of anti-Obama homilies from priests during this whole debate. It is incredible that in the 21st century anyone would listen to a patriarchy declaiming on women's health issues. The American Taliban indeed.

I guess if the Supreme Court decides to take a case challenging affirmative action one should expect that other hard fought rights will disappear also.

Meanwhile Maryland governor signed into law marriage equality. Previously Washington State did the same. It has gotten so bad for Republicans on these issues that Dick Cheney actually lobbied for passage of the same sex marriage law in Maryland. If even Dick is abandoning ship, watch out.