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| Supreme court debates 'Obamacare' and Republican campaign - live | Supreme court debates 'Obamacare' and Republican campaign - live |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| 10.45am: Rick Santorum is standing by his hurling of a curse word – oh my! – at a New York Times reporter, telling Fox & Friends this morning, "If you haven't cursed out a New York Times reporter during the course of a campaign, you're not really a real Republican." A new public litmus test! Romney? Gingrich? When will you curse out a Timesman in public? | |
| Santorum – like any good Catholic boy – is even turning his vulgarity into a fundraising opportunity, emailing his supporters this morning: | |
| Earlier today, while campaigning in Wisconsin, I criticized Romney and Obama for their outrageous healthcare legislation. Predictably, I was aggressively attacked by a New York Times reporter all too ready to defend the two of them, and all too ready to distort my words. Let me assure you, I didn't back down, and I didn't let him bully me. I think it is high time that conservatives find the courage to expose the liberal press for what they are, a defender and enabler of Romney's and Obama's liberal agendas. | |
| This will probably reap great rewards. | |
| 10.35am: Let's say there are two ways to evaluate the likelihood of the Supreme Court overturning, or at least mortally wounding, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: (1) Read every explainer – or really the entirety of every legal blog over the past two years – to arrive at a conclusion based on justices' previous rulings, overturn rates, or even (god forbid) the case's merits, or (2) notice that there are five conservatives on the court as opposed to four liberals and just assume they'll overturn it. The American public, according to The Hill's latest poll, seem to be thinking more along the lines of (2): | |
| Although voters want the court to strike the law, they don't necessarily trust the justices' motivations. Fifty-six percent of likely voters believe the justices are swayed by their own political beliefs, while just 27 percent believe they "make impartial decisions based on their reading of the Constitution." | |
| Skepticism about the justices relying on their political beliefs ran consistently among age, racial and philosophical categories, with a majority of whites (54 percent), blacks (59 percent), Republicans (56 percent), Democrats (59 percent), conservatives (54 percent), centrists (56 percent) and liberals (59 percent) expressing the same viewpoint. | |
| 10.17am: Not that he matters in any way whatsoever, but here is a new ad from Herman Cain in which a bunny is launched from a catapult and then shot in mid-air. | 10.17am: Not that he matters in any way whatsoever, but here is a new ad from Herman Cain in which a bunny is launched from a catapult and then shot in mid-air. |
| You'll recall that Herman Cain led a major party's race for its presidential nomination for several whole weeks last fall. | You'll recall that Herman Cain led a major party's race for its presidential nomination for several whole weeks last fall. |
| 10.13am: President Obama, as ABC's Jake Tapper reports, got himself into a bit of hot mic trouble near the end of his 90-minute meeting with Russian president Dmitri Medvedev this morning. Here's the eerie transcript, in which Obama pleads for "space" on missile defense until his would-be reelection is out of the way: | 10.13am: President Obama, as ABC's Jake Tapper reports, got himself into a bit of hot mic trouble near the end of his 90-minute meeting with Russian president Dmitri Medvedev this morning. Here's the eerie transcript, in which Obama pleads for "space" on missile defense until his would-be reelection is out of the way: |
| Obama: On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it's important for him to give me space. | Obama: On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it's important for him to give me space. |
| Medvedev: Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you… | Medvedev: Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you… |
| Obama: This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility. | Obama: This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility. |
| Medvedev: I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir. | Medvedev: I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir. |
| The White House has responded that with Russia having only recently resolved (in its own special way) its "election," and the United States still having eight more months until its election that's already been under way for a year, it's true that neither side expects to get much done in the near term. | The White House has responded that with Russia having only recently resolved (in its own special way) its "election," and the United States still having eight more months until its election that's already been under way for a year, it's true that neither side expects to get much done in the near term. |
| 10.00am: Good morning and welcome to your Monday politics liveblog. This is Jim Newell writing from Washington. While you can usually find me at Wonkette these days, I'll be substituting this week to bring you all the freshest political misery. | 10.00am: Good morning and welcome to your Monday politics liveblog. This is Jim Newell writing from Washington. While you can usually find me at Wonkette these days, I'll be substituting this week to bring you all the freshest political misery. |
| Most of today's focus will be on the Supreme Court health care reform hearing, as Ryan Devereaux writes in our briefing of the morning's events, but sadly the Supreme Court can't fit us all as spectators. So we'll have plenty of time to cover the other stuff – what mean things Rick Santorum said about Obama, or Mitt Romney said about Santorum, and so on, forever. | Most of today's focus will be on the Supreme Court health care reform hearing, as Ryan Devereaux writes in our briefing of the morning's events, but sadly the Supreme Court can't fit us all as spectators. So we'll have plenty of time to cover the other stuff – what mean things Rick Santorum said about Obama, or Mitt Romney said about Santorum, and so on, forever. |
| The main focus of political news comes away from the campaign trail today as 26 states challenge the constitutionality of the Obama administration's signature health care legislation in the Supreme Court. A new CBS News/New York Times poll finds more Americans continue to disapprove of the president's federal health care law than support it. According to the poll, 47% of Americans disapprove of the Affordable Care act while 36% approve, 16% don't have an opinion. The issue has been prominent on the campaign trail: last week the Obama administration decided to embrace the term "Obamacare", a phrase often used pejoratively by the president's challengers. | The main focus of political news comes away from the campaign trail today as 26 states challenge the constitutionality of the Obama administration's signature health care legislation in the Supreme Court. A new CBS News/New York Times poll finds more Americans continue to disapprove of the president's federal health care law than support it. According to the poll, 47% of Americans disapprove of the Affordable Care act while 36% approve, 16% don't have an opinion. The issue has been prominent on the campaign trail: last week the Obama administration decided to embrace the term "Obamacare", a phrase often used pejoratively by the president's challengers. |
| Rick Santorum took a swing at Mitt Romney on Sunday, calling him "the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama." Speaking in Wisconsin over the weekend, Santorum added that the former Massachusetts governor was "uniquely disqualified" to serve as the GOP's presidential candidate. "Pick any other Republican in the country. He is the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama," Santorum said. When pressed about his comments by a reporter, Santorum responded with obscenities. "Quit distorting my words. It's bullshit." Both the Obama and Romney camps have capitalized on Santorum's outburst to cast him as a panicky and unhinged candidate in the final days of a failing campaign. It's also earned him the nickname, "Tantorum". | Rick Santorum took a swing at Mitt Romney on Sunday, calling him "the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama." Speaking in Wisconsin over the weekend, Santorum added that the former Massachusetts governor was "uniquely disqualified" to serve as the GOP's presidential candidate. "Pick any other Republican in the country. He is the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama," Santorum said. When pressed about his comments by a reporter, Santorum responded with obscenities. "Quit distorting my words. It's bullshit." Both the Obama and Romney camps have capitalized on Santorum's outburst to cast him as a panicky and unhinged candidate in the final days of a failing campaign. It's also earned him the nickname, "Tantorum". |
| A senior White House adviser, David Plouffe, hit back at Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich for their "reprehensible" comments on the Trayvon Martin shooting. On Friday President Obama expressed his sympathy for the Martin family, saying: "If had a son, he would look like Trayvon." Gingrich said the comments were divisive, and Santorum said the president was "politicizing" the issue. Plouffe said the comments were "reprehensible" and appealing to voters' "worst instincts". | A senior White House adviser, David Plouffe, hit back at Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich for their "reprehensible" comments on the Trayvon Martin shooting. On Friday President Obama expressed his sympathy for the Martin family, saying: "If had a son, he would look like Trayvon." Gingrich said the comments were divisive, and Santorum said the president was "politicizing" the issue. Plouffe said the comments were "reprehensible" and appealing to voters' "worst instincts". |