Rick Santorum

NYT: Santorum's 'Circuslike' Position on Terry Schiavo Right-to-Die Case 'Left Public Aghast'
By Clay Waters | March 19, 2012 | 9:41 PM EDT

The latest New York Times' "Long Run" profile on Saturday's front page featured Rick Santorum ("A Passionate Persona Forged in a Brutal Defeat"), accused by reporter Katharine Seelye of having "contributed to the circuslike atmosphere" in the case of Terry Schiavo, the brain-damaged Florida woman involved in a controversial "right-to-die" case: "The spectacle left much of the public aghast."

One reason why the public felt that way was the coverage of liberal outlets like the Times, slanted heavily toward the view of Terry's husband Michael, who fiercely advocated pulling the plug.

CBS's Rose to Santorum: Why Are You Focused on Porn, Obama as 'Appeaser'?
By Matthew Balan | March 19, 2012 | 6:04 PM EDT

On Monday's CBS This Morning, Charlie Rose accused GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum of focusing too much on foreign policy and social issues, instead of the economy: "You talk about President Obama being an appeaser. You talk about [Obama] being soft on pornography and those kinds of things, rather than the bread and butter economic issues that you say are essential to who will win."

Earlier in the interview, Rose hinted at the left-leaning talking point that the Republican Party was waging a "war on women." He asked the former Pennsylvania senator, "Do you believe that there are particular issues of concern to women more than other voters?" [audio clips available here; video below the jump]

Santorum To Scarborough: Yeah, You're Pigeonholing Me On Religious Freedom, Contraception!
By Mark Finkelstein | March 19, 2012 | 9:21 AM EDT

A rather testy exchange on today's Morning Joe, with co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski going at it with Rick Santorum.  A full five minutes of Santorum's segment were devoted to questioning him on his views on contraception and religious freedom.  

Toward the end, seemingly to Scarborough's surprise, Santorum said that "yeah, sure" he thought Scarborough, like the MSM at large, was attempting to pigeonhole him on the matter.  Video after the jump.

ABC's Kerley: 'Republicans Handed [Democrats] a Gift When They Started Talking About Contraception'
By Brad Wilmouth | March 19, 2012 | 2:14 AM EDT

On ABC's World News on Saturday, host David Muir played a clip of an ad from the far left group MoveOn.org attacking Republicans on the issues of abortion and contraception, and asked correspondent David Kerley for his take on the ad.

Without noting that President Obama raised the issue of contraception by requiring some religious institutions to pay for contraceptives for their employees, or that ABC's very own George Stephanopoulos had bizarrely raised the issue even earlier in a Republican presidential debate, persisting to get an answer from Mitt Romney, Kerley blamed Republicans for "talking about contraception" as he asserted that the GOP had handed Democrats a "gift."

After playing the ad, host Muir wondered:

CNN Hypes Santorum's 'War on Pornography,' Questions Why He's Making It an Issue
By Matt Hadro | March 16, 2012 | 6:11 PM EDT

In light of Rick Santorum's promise to "vigorously enforce" federal obscenity laws, CNN questioned whether any candidate should even be talking about pornography right now. Host Fredricka Whitfield expressed her disbelief that the subject was even in the news conversation, during Friday's 11 a.m. hour of Newsroom.

Santorum has not made the issue the centerpiece of his campaign, as GOP strategist Ana Navarro pointed out. It is, however, an important matter for social conservatives who make up a strong voting bloc for the candidate.

Note to Martin Bashir: There's a Difference Between Cuban-Americans and Puerto Ricans
By Ken Shepherd | March 16, 2012 | 4:44 PM EDT

I know Martin Bashir's from across the Pond, but surely he knows there's a difference between Cuban-Americans and Puerto Ricans, right?

During today's "Top Lines" montage feature on MSNBC's Martin Bashir program, producers threw together some comments that presidential contender and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) made recently about the matter of whether the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico should enter into the Union as a state. To illustrate their editorial comment on his views, they tossed in a clip of an outraged Desi Arnaz in his Ricky Ricardo persona from the 1950s sitcom, "I Love Lucy." Here's the relevant transcript [MP3 audio here; video follows page break]:

Professor to Soledad: GOP Uses English as a 'Language of Imperialism'
By Matt Hadro | March 16, 2012 | 1:49 PM EDT

Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney have a "disposition of anti-immigrant," sounded CNN guest and liberal Columbia University professor Marc Lamont Hill on Friday's Starting Point.

"[W]hen I hear Rick Santorum talking, when I hear Mitt Romney talk, I hear a disposition of anti-immigrant. I hear a language of English as the language of imperialism and global dominance," Lamont Hill said.

CNN Questions Santorum's Appeal to Women Voters Given His 'Ultra-Conservative' Positions
By Matt Hadro | March 14, 2012 | 7:14 PM EDT

CNN's Zoraida Sambolin questioned Rick Santorum's appeal with women voters nationwide as she targeted his "ultra-conservative" positions that "some women don't relate to," on Wednesday's Early Start.

Sambolin challenged Santorum's success among women voters in the deep south by noting that nationwide he lags behind President Obama in a recent poll of women voters.

S.E. Cupp Mindlessly Furthers Liberal Meme That Evangelicals 'Don't Even Like' Catholics
By Ken Shepherd | March 14, 2012 | 1:04 PM EDT

With conservative friends like these, who needs liberals?

Okay, maybe that's a bit harsh, but token conservative S.E. Cupp on today's Now with Alex Wagner blurted out on air, unprompted, the sort of ignorant, bigoted view of conservative evangelicals that you'd expect from a liberal panelist.

Maher: 'If Gingrich Was Any More of an A--hole Santorum Would Have to Pray for Strength Not to F--k Him'
By Noel Sheppard | March 14, 2012 | 8:38 AM EDT

You have to wonder whether HBO's Bill Maher is losing his mind, trying to draw attention to boost ratings, or really believes he can say anything he wants about conservatives and liberals will support him.

After ridiculing Alabama and Mississippi voters Tuesday as being "toothless," Maher took to Twitter with an even far more vile comment about Republican presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum (serious vulgarity warning):

MSNBC's O'Donnell Accepts Guest's Bizarre Claim of Racist 'Coded Message' from Santorum
By Brad Wilmouth | March 14, 2012 | 8:27 AM EDT

On Tuesday's The Last Word on MSNBC, liberals were once again hearing allegedly "coded" messages. During a discussion of Rick Santorum's GOP primary victories in Alabama and Mississippi, guest and talk radio host Mark Thompson absurdly seemed to suggest that Santorum's announcement speech that he gave in Pennsylvania back in June 2011 contained a "coded message" aimed at winning Alabama nine months later by appealing to racist sentiments.

After host Lawrence O'Donnell asked if he had seen "anything surprising" in Tuesday's election results, Thompson began his ridiculous analysis:

MSNBC Political Analyst: Alabama Women Voting for Santorum 'Really Hurts Me'
By Noel Sheppard | March 13, 2012 | 11:33 PM EDT

An MSNBC political analyst on Tuesday actually said that Alabama women voting for Rick Santorum in the Republican presidential primary that just concluded in that state "really hurts" her.

Talking to Lawrence O'Donnell on The Last Word, Karen Finney arrogantly said, "It’s a little painful because I’m wondering if those women really heard the full message" (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):