The news that GOPers in Congress will soon move to try and make it so any employer (not just a religious organization) can deny women birth control coverage will likely not help how Republicans in Congress are faring. Just keep the newest push in mind when you read this poll: While positive ratings for Congress remain at an all-time low, more voters than ever see the Republican agenda in Congress as extreme. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 35% of Likely Voters...

Just declared: the Republican Party’s war against contraception.

File this in your Department of Sour Grapes file. Former Sen. Rick Santorum is suggesting that former Massaschusetts Gov. Mitt Romney may have rigged it so he won the CPAC straw poll vote: Rick Santorum suggested on Sunday that Mitt Romney’s campaign may have rigged a straw poll of conservative activists by paying the entrance fee for supporters. Romney beat Santorum by 7 points Saturday in a straw poll of almost 3,500 attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Santorum...

A new poll finds that Catholic voters support President Barack Obama’s new — and controversial — contraceptive policy compromise: Catholic voters largely approve of President Obama’s new policy on contraception, according to a poll released Saturday by groups that support the policy. Supporters say the poll shows that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and congressional Republicans, who oppose the new policy as an affront to religious freedom, are out of step with the...

Pavel Constantin, Romania If this report is accurate, it’ll mean a new low for the Syrian government, putting it more than ever guilty of war crimes: Syrian government forces are using detained civilians as human shields, placing them on tanks in the besieged city of Homs to prevent the opposition Free Syrian Army from fighting back, an opposition activist said. The latest tactic came as shelling rained on city’s Baba Amr neighborhood once again Sunday, residents say, marking at least...

Our political Quote of the Day comes from Time’s Adam Sorenson who notes that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s two clear-cut wins yesterday mean he has re-seized control of the political narrative. Sort of: Mitt Romney, the perpetually questioned front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, had a rough week. Three embarrassing losses to Rick Santorum in Tuesday’s non-binding contests led to questions about Romney’s conservative bona fides just in time for GOP activists,...

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, still painting Barack Obama as a mere “community organizer” and suggesting Obama is unworthy of Amnerican troops, delivered a speech that galvanized many at the 2012 CPAC convention. She pushed all the hot buttons she does so well: resentments, a warning to the GOP elites to listen to the Tea Party and give them more power within the party, layers of snark and sarcasm aimed at Obama and few (if any) specific policy suggestions . But it shows why Palin...

The conventional wisdom a)is like a yo yo on this Republican presidential nomination race, b)will continue to operate like yo yo c)is made trickier with the news that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has just won the Maine caucuses vote on a day when conservatives at CPAC in effect went along with his insistence that he was a “severely conservative” Governor and is a conservative now. The latest good news for Romney: Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney bounced back from...

After a terrible political week, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has gotten some good news in terms of imagery and the argument he’s making that he is conservative and was a “severely conservative” governor: he has won the highly touted Washington Times/CPAC straw poll, which many had expected former Senator Rick Santorum to win: Mitt Romney won The Washington Times/CPAC Presidential Straw Poll on Saturday, and also nipped Rick Santorum as the top choice of conservatives...

How is former Massachusetts Mitt Romney doing among some conservatives? To be sure, he seems to be winning some over, but not all. For instance, add conservative icon Richard Viguerie to those who are skeptical. Here’s his latest e-press release in full: Richard Viguerie Says Mitt Romney is a Severe Conservative Impersonator Manassas, VA — Richard A. Viguerie, the Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com, issued the following statement regarding Mitt Romney’s speech at the Conservative Political...

First polls showed former Godfather CEO Hernan Cain surging in the polls as conservative GOPers felt they found their viable alternative to former Massachusetts Mitt “I-was-severely-conservative” Romney. Then he fizzled. Then polls showed former House Speaker Newt Gingirch surging in the polls as conservative GOPers felt they found their viable anti-Romney. And now a PPP national poll find that it’s Senator Rick Santorum’s turn: Riding a wave of momentum from his trio of victories...

Did former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney just put his food in what seems to be his most accustomed spot again when trying to convince conservatives he’s one of them at the big conservative gathering in Washington, D.C.? It certainly seems so. Our political Quote of the Day typifies the raised eyebrows a particular quote of Romney’s has generated among many movement conservatives. It comes from Red State’s Eric Erickson: Mitt Romney got a warm reception at CPAC, standing ovations...

As the crisis — and brutality — continues to unfold in Syria, keep an eye on Iran, its role and its designs. Michael Youhana has a must read in the NYU Local. Here’s part of it: The Syrian regime’s appalling crackdown — which has left around 6000 dead — has been one of the most violent government responses to the Arab Spring’s wave of uprisings. On Friday, bad became worse when, according to conservative counts, 181 people were massacred in the Syrian city of Homs by Bashar...

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney delivered his long awaited address to CPAC today. Most commentaries noted the following: 1. He used the word “conservative” so many times you could swear he was trying to hypnotize the audience (and perhaps he was). 2. He used a teleprompter almost completely in the style of President Barack Obama. Which raises the obvious question now being asked: will Newt Gingrich, conservative writers, and talk show hosts make that a big topic now? Or is the teleprompter...

It’s High Noon for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney when he talks before the Conservative Political Action Conference: CPAC’s largely young attendees will have a chance to compare the currently sagging Romney with his other GOP Presidential wannabe rivals who have painted themselves as real versus pretend conservatives, including the on-the-ascent Senator Rick Santorum. Can Romney convince them he’s a conservative? To many conservatives, Romney may (today) talk but when he...

Our political Quote of the Day comes from former Godfather Pizza and fizzled Republican presidential front-runner candidate Herman Cain, who told had this to say to the CPAC: “We must outsmart the liberals,” Cain said. “We must outsmart the people who are trying to ruin this country.” But, he said, it wasn’t just the stupid people who were ruining the country: “Stupid and ignorant people are ruining America…” Mr. Cain: Photo via shutterstock.com

Nate Beeler, The Washington Examiner (NOTE: This column was written the morning before former Sen. Rick Santorum’s three big wins Tuesday. However, it’s more timely than ever as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney now tries to prove that he’s a genuine conservative to short-circuit Santorum’s quick rise as the anti-Romney). KANSAS CITY, Kansas — Barring some big political development that again upends the conventional wisdom, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney still...

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that GOPers are fleeing former House Speaker Newt Gingrich as the anti-Romney for the newest conservative hope: for Rick Santorum. It never pays to count Rick Santorum out. A Tribune-Review/WPXI-TV poll conducted Feb. 2-6 shows the former senator was gaining strength among Pennsylvania Republicans even before this week’s victories in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota that threaten to shake up the GOP presidential contest. The statewide poll of 500 Republicans...

Has the GOP base now turned on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney? A ROUNDUP is here.

Yes, Virgina, there have been and there are highly thoughtful conservatives and Republicans who can discuss an issue without lowering themselves to use demonizing exaggerated rhetoric that is sure to scare away a good chunk of the voters that the Republican Party must win if it wants to get the votes of more people than Rush Limbaugh and Fox News fans. And judging from some of his newest comments, up and coming conservative-favorite Republican aspirant former Senator Rick Santorum is not one of...

You might label the past few weeks “Return of the Culture Wars.” And, as ABC News notes, it’s bad news for the former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney: The resurgence of social and cultural issues in voters’ minds poses new challenges for GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney as he reels from surprising losses Tuesday to conservative favorite Rick Santorum. The economy remains the No. 1 issue of concern for a majority of Americans. But the recent hoopla surrounding the Obama...

Two facts about the new Gallup poll that reveals Congress’s current approval rating: #1. It is at 10% a new low. It’s so far down in the polls that it’s too low for sniffing dogs. #2. Neither party should be happy. The poll finds that many voters detest the job BOTH rpt B-O-T-H parties are doing. Details: PRINCETON, NJ — A record-low 10% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, down from 13% in January and the previous low of 11%, recorded in December 2011. Eighty-six...

I still can’t believe that there are people of either party or no party that could buy into or encourage bilge such as this by Sean Hannity. Even 20 years ago someone like this would be relegated the fringe hours of television.

Bill Schorr, Cagle Cartoons Who would ever have thought that by early 2012 with the economy still reeling and resentment and hatred towards President Barack Obama in the GOP at a fever pitch the Republican Party would be suffering a bigger enthusiasm gap than the Democrats. But a new poll finds just that — and it could be a problem for the GOP: The paltry turnout in the Republican Presidential contests over the last week reflects what we’ve seen in our recent national polling: Democrats...

Has the conventional wisdom been turned on its head again? Or is this yet one more little blip in the hugely funded and professionally organized former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s “inevitable” march to the 2012 Republican nomination? And was there a big message to President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party again: that once more social issues can fuel and excite and outrage GOPers issues stemming from the legal status of gay marriage coming the forefront during an election...