O:9:"MagpieRSS":22:{s:6:"parser";i:0;s:12:"current_item";a:0:{}s:5:"items";a:15:{i:0;a:15:{s:5:"title";s:75:"Friday Political Grab Bag: Economy Adds More Jobs Than Experts Forecast Etc";s:11:"description";s:243:"The economy created more jobs in Februrary than forecast... Journalists likened Mitt Romney to Bob Dole or George H.W. Bush... Republican Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts tried to use against challenger Elizabeth Warren her Hollywood support.";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:27:00 -0500";s:4:"link";s:144:"http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/03/09/148287081/friday-political-grab-bag-economy-adds-more-jobs-than-forecast-etc?ft=1&f=139482413";s:4:"guid";s:144:"http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/03/09/148287081/friday-political-grab-bag-economy-adds-more-jobs-than-forecast-etc?ft=1&f=139482413";s:5:"nprml";a:22:{s:5:"title";s:75:"Friday Political Grab Bag: Economy Adds More Jobs Than Experts Forecast Etc";s:9:"partnerid";s:9:"148287081";s:6:"teaser";s:243:"The economy created more jobs in Februrary than forecast... Journalists likened Mitt Romney to Bob Dole or George H.W. Bush... Republican Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts tried to use against challenger Elizabeth Warren her Hollywood support.";s:10:"miniteaser";s:76:"Some important or interesting political headlines for Friday, March 9, 2012.";s:4:"slug";s:17:"It's All Politics";s:9:"storydate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:27:00 -0500";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:27:00 -0500";s:16:"lastmodifieddate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:50:18 -0500";s:12:"organization";s:9:" ";s:17:"organization_name";s:21:"National Public Radio";s:20:"organization_website";s:19:"http://www.npr.org/";s:6:"parent";s:135:" ";s:12:"parent_title";s:182:"House & Senate RacesPresidential RaceElection 20122012EconomyIt's All PoliticsMitt RomneyLabor DepartmentPresident ObamaAround the NationPoliticsPoliticsU.S.Home Page Top StoriesNews";s:11:"parent_link";s:1915:"http://www.npr.org/series/139545299/house-senate-raceshttp://api.npr.org/query?id=139545299&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/presidential-racehttp://api.npr.org/query?id=139544303&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/http://api.npr.org/query?id=139482413&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=131551086http://api.npr.org/query?id=131551086&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=129866764http://api.npr.org/query?id=129866764&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=129828651&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=126945734http://api.npr.org/query?id=126945734&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=126278329http://api.npr.org/query?id=126278329&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=126026613http://api.npr.org/query?id=126026613&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/around-the-nation/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1091&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/politics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1014&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/politics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1014&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/us/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1003&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1002&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/news/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1001&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:6:"byline";s:9:" ";s:11:"byline_name";s:11:"Frank James";s:11:"byline_link";s:129:"http://www.npr.org/people/104199172/frank-jameshttp://api.npr.org/query?id=104199172&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:4:"text";s:9:" ";s:14:"text_paragraph";s:1376:"In another sign that the economic recovery is deepening, the U.S. economy added 227,000 jobs in February, according to the Labor Department, more than what many economists had expected. Meanwhile, the jobless rate of 8.3 percent remained unchanged from the prior month even as more workers entered the workforce. The news kept alive a trend helpful to President Obama re-election chances.Mitt Romney is either the new Bob Dole or the new George H.W. Bush, take your pick, according to a couple of journalistic examinations.Senate Republicans may have lost the battle Thursday but plan to continue the war for the Keystone XL pipeline.Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts is attempting to use Hollywood's considerable financial support for his Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren against her.Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the Ohio Democrat who was just defeated in a primary race Tuesday, didn't rule out running for Congress from a completely different state, like Washington State.South Carolina's state capital was roiled by unofficial reports that lieutenant governor, Ken Ard, a Republican, would resign, perhaps as soon as Friday, amid allegations of campaign-finance law violations.The widest gaps between the rich and poor were found in some of the reddest, most conservative states and counties, according to a Census Bureau study. [Copyright 2012 National Public Radio]";s:12:"textwithhtml";s:9:" ";s:22:"textwithhtml_paragraph";s:2557:"In another sign that the economic recovery is deepening, the U.S. economy added 227,000 jobs in February, according to the Labor Department, more than what many economists had expected. Meanwhile, the jobless rate of 8.3 percent remained unchanged from the prior month even as more workers entered the workforce. The news kept alive a trend helpful to President Obama re-election chances.Mitt Romney is either the new Bob Dole or the new George H.W. Bush, take your pick, according to a couple of journalistic examinations.Senate Republicans may have lost the battle Thursday but plan to continue the war for the Keystone XL pipeline.Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts is attempting to use Hollywood's considerable financial support for his Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren against her.Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the Ohio Democrat who was just defeated in a primary race Tuesday, didn't rule out running for Congress from a completely different state, like Washington State.South Carolina's state capital was roiled by unofficial reports that lieutenant governor, Ken Ard, a Republican, would resign, perhaps as soon as Friday, amid allegations of campaign-finance law violations.The widest gaps between the rich and poor were found in some of the reddest, most conservative states and counties, according to a Census Bureau study.
Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";s:8:"fulltext";s:3932:"

In another sign that the economic recovery is deepening, the U.S. economy added 227,000 jobs in February, according to the Labor Department, more than what many economists had expected. Meanwhile, the jobless rate of 8.3 percent remained unchanged from the prior month even as more workers entered the workforce. The news kept alive a trend helpful to President Obama re-election chances.

Mitt Romney is either the new Bob Dole or the new George H.W. Bush, take your pick, according to a couple of journalistic examinations.

Senate Republicans may have lost the battle Thursday but plan to continue the war for the Keystone XL pipeline.

Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts is attempting to use Hollywood's considerable financial support for his Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren against her.

 

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the Ohio Democrat who was just defeated in a primary race Tuesday, didn't rule out running for Congress from a completely different state, like Washington State.

South Carolina's state capital was roiled by unofficial reports that lieutenant governor, Ken Ard, a Republican, would resign, perhaps as soon as Friday, amid allegations of campaign-finance law violations.

The widest gaps between the rich and poor were found in some of the reddest, most conservative states and counties, according to a Census Bureau study.

Tags: Mitt Romney, Labor Department, President Obama

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";}s:12:"organization";s:16:" ";s:6:"parent";s:375:" ";s:6:"byline";s:25:" ";s:4:"text";s:70:" ";s:12:"textwithhtml";s:70:" ";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:532:"

The economy created more jobs in Februrary than forecast... Journalists likened Mitt Romney to Bob Dole or George H.W. Bush... Republican Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts tried to use against challenger Elizabeth Warren her Hollywood support.

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";}s:7:"summary";s:243:"The economy created more jobs in Februrary than forecast... Journalists likened Mitt Romney to Bob Dole or George H.W. Bush... Republican Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts tried to use against challenger Elizabeth Warren her Hollywood support.";s:12:"atom_content";s:532:"

The economy created more jobs in Februrary than forecast... Journalists likened Mitt Romney to Bob Dole or George H.W. Bush... Republican Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts tried to use against challenger Elizabeth Warren her Hollywood support.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1331303220;}i:1;a:21:{s:5:"title";s:57:"Next For GOP: A Brief Stop In Kansas And A Southern Swing";s:11:"description";s:99:"Kansas holds its GOP caucuses on Saturday. But not all the candidates are making appearances there.";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:38:00 -0500";s:4:"link";s:134:"http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/03/08/148255708/next-for-gop-a-brief-stop-in-kansas-and-a-southern-swing?ft=1&f=139482413";s:4:"guid";s:134:"http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/03/08/148255708/next-for-gop-a-brief-stop-in-kansas-and-a-southern-swing?ft=1&f=139482413";s:5:"nprml";a:40:{s:5:"title";s:57:"Next For GOP: A Brief Stop In Kansas And A Southern Swing";s:9:"partnerid";s:9:"148255708";s:6:"teaser";s:99:"Kansas holds its GOP caucuses on Saturday. But not all the candidates are making appearances there.";s:10:"miniteaser";s:94:"Not all the Republican candidates are campaigning in Kansas, which holds caucuses on Saturday.";s:4:"slug";s:17:"It's All Politics";s:9:"thumbnail";s:9:" ";s:16:"thumbnail_medium";s:77:"http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/03/08/140893373_sq.jpg?t=1331249613&s=13";s:15:"thumbnail_large";s:77:"http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/03/08/140893373_sq.jpg?t=1331249613&s=11";s:18:"thumbnail_provider";s:12:"Getty Images";s:9:"storydate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:38:00 -0500";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:38:00 -0500";s:16:"lastmodifieddate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:39:53 -0500";s:12:"organization";s:9:" ";s:17:"organization_name";s:21:"National Public Radio";s:20:"organization_website";s:19:"http://www.npr.org/";s:6:"parent";s:144:" ";s:12:"parent_title";s:176:"Presidential RacePresidential RaceElection 2012Rick Santorum2012RepublicansElectionsIt's All PoliticsNewt GingrichMitt RomneyKansasRon PaulPoliticsU.S.Home Page Top StoriesNews";s:11:"parent_link";s:2116:"http://www.npr.org/sections/presidential-racehttp://api.npr.org/query?id=139544303&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/presidential-racehttp://api.npr.org/query?id=139544303&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/http://api.npr.org/query?id=139482413&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=133109472http://api.npr.org/query?id=133109472&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=131551086http://api.npr.org/query?id=131551086&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=129865776http://api.npr.org/query?id=129865776&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=129862096http://api.npr.org/query?id=129862096&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=129828651&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=127967027http://api.npr.org/query?id=127967027&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=126945734http://api.npr.org/query?id=126945734&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=126924292http://api.npr.org/query?id=126924292&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=125956316http://api.npr.org/query?id=125956316&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/politics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1014&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/us/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1003&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1002&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/news/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1001&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:5:"audio";s:9:" ";s:11:"audio_title";s:38:"Listen to the Story on Morning Edition";s:14:"audio_duration";s:1:"0";s:17:"audio_description";s:4:"null";s:12:"audio_format";s:11:" ";s:16:"audio_format_mp3";s:70:"http://api.npr.org/m3u/1148278044-57fec6.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=139544303";s:15:"audio_format_wm";s:104:"http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/dmg_wmref_em.php?id=148278044&type=1&mtype=WM&orgId=1&topicId=139544303";s:24:"audio_format_mediastream";s:80:"rtmp://flash.npr.org/ondemand/mp3:anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2012/03/20120309_me_05.mp3";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:11:" ";s:6:"byline";s:9:" ";s:11:"byline_name";s:9:"NPR Staff";s:5:"image";s:9:" ";s:11:"image_title";s:122:"Rick Santorum poses with people at Harvest Graphics, a small business, during a campaign stop Wedneday in Lenexa, Kansas. ";s:13:"image_caption";s:122:"Rick Santorum poses with people at Harvest Graphics, a small business, during a campaign stop Wedneday in Lenexa, Kansas. ";s:14:"image_producer";s:13:"Julie Denesha";s:14:"image_provider";s:12:"Getty Images";s:17:"image_enlargement";s:11:" ";s:4:"text";s:9:" ";s:14:"text_paragraph";s:2462:"Up next in the Republican presidential race is Kansas, which holds its caucuses Saturday.Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas ? the 1996 GOP presidential nominee ? is urging the state's Republican electorate to back Mitt Romney.Dole, who had endorsed Romney months ago, called the former Massachusetts governor "a main street conservative" in a statement Thursday, released by the Romney campaign.But as Kansas Public Radio's Stephen Koranda reported on Morning Edition Friday, some political observers believe that the state has moved right in recent years ? and that shift probably won't help Romney."If [voters] do go with Mitt Romney, I think it'd be more for electability than for any particular policy issue," Bob Beatty, a professor of political science at Washburn University in Topeka, told Koranda.As Koranda reports, Romney doesn't have any scheduled stops in Kansas and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has cancelled his appearances there before the caucus to focus on the Southern states that hold contests next week. Only Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum are slated to visit before the vote.At a stop in Lenexa, Kansas on Thursday, Santorum pointed to his performances in nearby states: "The conservative heartland. We've been doing pretty well. Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa. You know, we're surrounding ya. Just make sure you keep that center of the country, bright red, strong conservative, right here in Kansas."While Kansas has 40 delegates to give, the candidates on Thursday seemed to be looking ahead to next Tuesday, when Alabama (50 delegates) and Mississippi (40 delegates) hold primaries. Romney and Gingrich had events in Mississippi, while Santorum was in Alabama.On Friday, Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul have events scheduled in Kansas; Romney is scheduled to campaign in Alabama.In addition to Kansas on Saturday, Republicans are caucusing in the U.S. territories of Guam, the Northern Marianas and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which will award 9 delegates each. The Romney campaign dispatched one of the candidate's sons, Matt Romney, to the Pacific islands of Guam and the Northern Marianas to campaign for his father on Friday and Saturday.Also Saturday, Wyoming's five-day long caucus concludes ? although it's just part of that state's complicated process to award its 29 total delegates. Romney won a non-binding straw poll in the state on Feb. 29. [Copyright 2012 National Public Radio]";s:12:"textwithhtml";s:9:" ";s:22:"textwithhtml_paragraph";s:2973:"Up next in the Republican presidential race is Kansas, which holds its caucuses Saturday.Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas ? the 1996 GOP presidential nominee ? is urging the state's Republican electorate to back Mitt Romney.Dole, who had endorsed Romney months ago, called the former Massachusetts governor "a main street conservative" in a statement Thursday, released by the Romney campaign.But as Kansas Public Radio's Stephen Koranda reported on Morning Edition Friday, some political observers believe that the state has moved right in recent years ? and that shift probably won't help Romney."If [voters] do go with Mitt Romney, I think it'd be more for electability than for any particular policy issue," Bob Beatty, a professor of political science at Washburn University in Topeka, told Koranda.As Koranda reports, Romney doesn't have any scheduled stops in Kansas and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has cancelled his appearances there before the caucus to focus on the Southern states that hold contests next week. Only Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum are slated to visit before the vote.At a stop in Lenexa, Kansas on Thursday, Santorum pointed to his performances in nearby states: "The conservative heartland. We've been doing pretty well. Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa. You know, we're surrounding ya. Just make sure you keep that center of the country, bright red, strong conservative, right here in Kansas."While Kansas has 40 delegates to give, the candidates on Thursday seemed to be looking ahead to next Tuesday, when Alabama (50 delegates) and Mississippi (40 delegates) hold primaries. Romney and Gingrich had events in Mississippi, while Santorum was in Alabama.On Friday, Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul have events scheduled in Kansas; Romney is scheduled to campaign in Alabama.In addition to Kansas on Saturday, Republicans are caucusing in the U.S. territories of Guam, the Northern Marianas and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which will award 9 delegates each. The Romney campaign dispatched one of the candidate's sons, Matt Romney, to the Pacific islands of Guam and the Northern Marianas to campaign for his father on Friday and Saturday.Also Saturday, Wyoming's five-day long caucus concludes ? although it's just part of that state's complicated process to award its 29 total delegates. Romney won a non-binding straw poll in the state on Feb. 29.
Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";s:8:"fulltext";s:7060:"

by NPR Staff

Rick Santorum poses with people at Harvest Graphics, a small business, during a campaign stop Wedneday in Lenexa, Kansas.
Julie Denesha/Getty Images

Rick Santorum poses with people at Harvest Graphics, a small business, during a campaign stop Wedneday in Lenexa, Kansas.

Up next in the Republican presidential race is Kansas, which holds its caucuses Saturday.

Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas ? the 1996 GOP presidential nominee ? is urging the state's Republican electorate to back Mitt Romney.

Dole, who had endorsed Romney months ago, called the former Massachusetts governor "a main street conservative" in a statement Thursday, released by the Romney campaign.

But as Kansas Public Radio's Stephen Koranda reported on Morning Edition Friday, some political observers believe that the state has moved right in recent years ? and that shift probably won't help Romney.

"If [voters] do go with Mitt Romney, I think it'd be more for electability than for any particular policy issue," Bob Beatty, a professor of political science at Washburn University in Topeka, told Koranda.

 

As Koranda reports, Romney doesn't have any scheduled stops in Kansas and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has cancelled his appearances there before the caucus to focus on the Southern states that hold contests next week. Only Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum are slated to visit before the vote.

At a stop in Lenexa, Kansas on Thursday, Santorum pointed to his performances in nearby states: "The conservative heartland. We've been doing pretty well. Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa. You know, we're surrounding ya. Just make sure you keep that center of the country, bright red, strong conservative, right here in Kansas."

While Kansas has 40 delegates to give, the candidates on Thursday seemed to be looking ahead to next Tuesday, when Alabama (50 delegates) and Mississippi (40 delegates) hold primaries. Romney and Gingrich had events in Mississippi, while Santorum was in Alabama.

On Friday, Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul have events scheduled in Kansas; Romney is scheduled to campaign in Alabama.

In addition to Kansas on Saturday, Republicans are caucusing in the U.S. territories of Guam, the Northern Marianas and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which will award 9 delegates each. The Romney campaign dispatched one of the candidate's sons, Matt Romney, to the Pacific islands of Guam and the Northern Marianas to campaign for his father on Friday and Saturday.

Also Saturday, Wyoming's five-day long caucus concludes ? although it's just part of that state's complicated process to award its 29 total delegates. Romney won a non-binding straw poll in the state on Feb. 29.

Tags: Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Kansas, Ron Paul

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
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Kansas holds its GOP caucuses on Saturday. But not all the candidates are making appearances there.

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";}s:7:"summary";s:99:"Kansas holds its GOP caucuses on Saturday. But not all the candidates are making appearances there.";s:12:"atom_content";s:388:"

Kansas holds its GOP caucuses on Saturday. But not all the candidates are making appearances there.

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";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1331300280;}i:2;a:17:{s:5:"title";s:45:"Kansas Is Up Next With GOP Nominating Contest";s:11:"description";s:332:"Kansas is the first state with a Republican presidential contest after this week's mixed results in Super Tuesday races. Mitt Romney is coming off a big win in the important swing state of Ohio. But Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are hoping they can pull off a victory in Saturday'ss caucuses to give their campaigns more momentum.";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0500";s:4:"link";s:102:"http://www.npr.org/2012/03/09/148278057/kansas-is-up-next-with-gop-nominating-contest?ft=1&f=139482413";s:4:"guid";s:102:"http://www.npr.org/2012/03/09/148278057/kansas-is-up-next-with-gop-nominating-contest?ft=1&f=139482413";s:5:"nprml";a:30:{s:5:"title";s:45:"Kansas Is Up Next With GOP Nominating Contest";s:9:"partnerid";s:9:"148278057";s:6:"teaser";s:332:"Kansas is the first state with a Republican presidential contest after this week's mixed results in Super Tuesday races. Mitt Romney is coming off a big win in the important swing state of Ohio. But Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are hoping they can pull off a victory in Saturday'ss caucuses to give their campaigns more momentum.";s:10:"miniteaser";s:98:"Of the four remaining contenders, only Rick Santorum and Ron Paul have visited the state recently.";s:4:"slug";s:13:"Election 2012";s:9:"storydate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0500";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0500";s:16:"lastmodifieddate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:03:42 -0500";s:4:"show";s:9:" ";s:12:"show_program";s:15:"Morning Edition";s:13:"show_showdate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0500";s:11:"show_segnum";s:1:"5";s:12:"organization";s:9:" ";s:17:"organization_name";s:19:"Kansas Public Radio";s:20:"organization_website";s:17:"http://kpr.ku.edu";s:6:"parent";s:45:" ";s:12:"parent_title";s:68:"Presidential RaceElection 2012Election 2012Around the NationPolitics";s:11:"parent_link";s:604:"http://www.npr.org/sections/presidential-racehttp://api.npr.org/query?id=139544303&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/http://api.npr.org/query?id=139482413&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/http://api.npr.org/query?id=139482413&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/around-the-nation/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1091&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/politics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1014&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:5:"audio";s:9:" ";s:14:"audio_duration";s:1:"0";s:17:"audio_description";s:4:"null";s:12:"audio_format";s:11:" ";s:16:"audio_format_mp3";s:70:"http://api.npr.org/m3u/1148278044-57fec6.m3u?orgId=4&topicId=139482413";s:15:"audio_format_wm";s:104:"http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/dmg_wmref_em.php?id=148278044&type=1&mtype=WM&orgId=4&topicId=139482413";s:24:"audio_format_mediastream";s:80:"rtmp://flash.npr.org/ondemand/mp3:anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2012/03/20120309_me_05.mp3";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:11:" ";s:6:"byline";s:9:" ";s:11:"byline_name";s:15:"Stephen Koranda";s:11:"byline_link";s:124:"http://www.kcur.org/people/stephen-korandahttp://api.npr.org/query?id=144984742&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:8:"fulltext";s:3303:"

Kansas Is Up Next With GOP Nominating Contest

March 9, 2012

 
text size A A A
March 9, 2012 from KPR

Kansas is the first state with a Republican presidential contest after this week's mixed results in Super Tuesday races. Mitt Romney is coming off a big win in the important swing state of Ohio. But Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are hoping they can pull off a victory in Saturday'ss caucuses to give their campaigns more momentum.

Copyright 2012 Kansas Public Radio. To see more, visit http://kpr.ku.edu.
";}s:4:"show";s:25:" ";s:12:"organization";s:16:" ";s:6:"parent";s:125:" ";s:5:"audio";s:61:" ";s:12:"audio_format";s:31:" ";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:31:" ";s:6:"byline";s:25:" ";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:835:"

Kansas is the first state with a Republican presidential contest after this week's mixed results in Super Tuesday races. Mitt Romney is coming off a big win in the important swing state of Ohio. But Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are hoping they can pull off a victory in Saturday'ss caucuses to give their campaigns more momentum.

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";}s:7:"summary";s:332:"Kansas is the first state with a Republican presidential contest after this week's mixed results in Super Tuesday races. Mitt Romney is coming off a big win in the important swing state of Ohio. But Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are hoping they can pull off a victory in Saturday'ss caucuses to give their campaigns more momentum.";s:12:"atom_content";s:835:"

Kansas is the first state with a Republican presidential contest after this week's mixed results in Super Tuesday races. Mitt Romney is coming off a big win in the important swing state of Ohio. But Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are hoping they can pull off a victory in Saturday'ss caucuses to give their campaigns more momentum.

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";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1331283600;}i:3;a:17:{s:5:"title";s:38:"Miss. Gov. Bryant Endorses Mitt Romney";s:11:"description";s:285:"Alabama and Mississippi are holding Republican primaries on Tuesday. The contests are vitally important for the candidacies of Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Mitt Romney arrived in Mississippi Thursday night for a rally, and he has a pair of events in Mississippi and Alabama Friday.";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0500";s:4:"link";s:93:"http://www.npr.org/2012/03/09/148278067/miss-gov-bryant-endorses-mitt-romney?ft=1&f=139482413";s:4:"guid";s:93:"http://www.npr.org/2012/03/09/148278067/miss-gov-bryant-endorses-mitt-romney?ft=1&f=139482413";s:5:"nprml";a:29:{s:5:"title";s:38:"Miss. Gov. Bryant Endorses Mitt Romney";s:9:"partnerid";s:9:"148278067";s:6:"teaser";s:285:"Alabama and Mississippi are holding Republican primaries on Tuesday. The contests are vitally important for the candidacies of Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Mitt Romney arrived in Mississippi Thursday night for a rally, and he has a pair of events in Mississippi and Alabama Friday.";s:10:"miniteaser";s:99:"Romney arrived in Mississippi Thursday, and has a pair of events in Mississippi and Alabama Friday.";s:4:"slug";s:13:"Election 2012";s:9:"storydate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0500";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0500";s:16:"lastmodifieddate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:03:42 -0500";s:4:"show";s:9:" ";s:12:"show_program";s:15:"Morning Edition";s:13:"show_showdate";s:31:"Fri, 09 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0500";s:11:"show_segnum";s:2:"15";s:12:"organization";s:9:" ";s:17:"organization_name";s:21:"National Public Radio";s:20:"organization_website";s:19:"http://www.npr.org/";s:6:"parent";s:45:" ";s:12:"parent_title";s:68:"Presidential RaceElection 2012Election 2012Around the NationPolitics";s:11:"parent_link";s:604:"http://www.npr.org/sections/presidential-racehttp://api.npr.org/query?id=139544303&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/http://api.npr.org/query?id=139482413&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/http://api.npr.org/query?id=139482413&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/around-the-nation/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1091&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/politics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1014&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:5:"audio";s:9:" ";s:14:"audio_duration";s:3:"236";s:12:"audio_format";s:11:" ";s:16:"audio_format_mp3";s:160:"http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2012/03/20120309_me_15.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=139482413http://api.npr.org/m3u/1148278424-19db03.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=139482413";s:15:"audio_format_wm";s:104:"http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/dmg_wmref_em.php?id=148278424&type=1&mtype=WM&orgId=1&topicId=139482413";s:24:"audio_format_mediastream";s:80:"rtmp://flash.npr.org/ondemand/mp3:anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2012/03/20120309_me_15.mp3";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:11:" ";s:6:"byline";s:9:" ";s:11:"byline_name";s:11:"Ari Shapiro";s:11:"byline_link";s:125:"http://www.npr.org/people/2101154/ari-shapirohttp://api.npr.org/query?id=2101154&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:8:"fulltext";s:3467:"

Miss. Gov. Bryant Endorses Mitt Romney

March 9, 2012

 
text size A A A
March 9, 2012

Alabama and Mississippi are holding Republican primaries on Tuesday. The contests are vitally important for the candidacies of Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Mitt Romney arrived in Mississippi Thursday night for a rally, and he has a pair of events in Mississippi and Alabama Friday.

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";}s:4:"show";s:25:" ";s:12:"organization";s:16:" ";s:6:"parent";s:125:" ";s:5:"audio";s:61:" ";s:12:"audio_format";s:42:" ";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:31:" ";s:6:"byline";s:25:" ";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:574:"

Alabama and Mississippi are holding Republican primaries on Tuesday. The contests are vitally important for the candidacies of Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Mitt Romney arrived in Mississippi Thursday night for a rally, and he has a pair of events in Mississippi and Alabama Friday.

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";}s:7:"summary";s:285:"Alabama and Mississippi are holding Republican primaries on Tuesday. The contests are vitally important for the candidacies of Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Mitt Romney arrived in Mississippi Thursday night for a rally, and he has a pair of events in Mississippi and Alabama Friday.";s:12:"atom_content";s:574:"

Alabama and Mississippi are holding Republican primaries on Tuesday. The contests are vitally important for the candidacies of Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Mitt Romney arrived in Mississippi Thursday night for a rally, and he has a pair of events in Mississippi and Alabama Friday.

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";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1331283600;}i:4;a:23:{s:5:"title";s:49:"Economic Conservatives Question Santorum's Record";s:11:"description";s:299:"Support for Rick Santorum's presidential campaign has been driven by his conservative stances on social issues. But when it comes to economic matters, his record is more mixed. Some conservatives say that on issues like government spending and trade he has sometimes betrayed free-market principles.";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:34:00 -0500";s:4:"link";s:105:"http://www.npr.org/2012/03/08/148240627/economic-conservatives-question-santorums-record?ft=1&f=139482413";s:4:"guid";s:105:"http://www.npr.org/2012/03/08/148240627/economic-conservatives-question-santorums-record?ft=1&f=139482413";s:5:"nprml";a:45:{s:5:"title";s:49:"Economic Conservatives Question Santorum's Record";s:9:"partnerid";s:9:"148240627";s:6:"teaser";s:299:"Support for Rick Santorum's presidential campaign has been driven by his conservative stances on social issues. 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He has taken unyielding stands against abortion and same-sex marriage.But on economic matters, his record is more mixed. And some conservatives say that on issues like government spending and trade, he has at times betrayed free-market principles.For example, when Congress voted to approve the North American Free Trade Agreement ? a cause dear to the hearts of conservatives ? Santorum, then a Pennsylvania representative, was among those voting against it.Salena Zito, a reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, says in doing so, Santorum was simply being realistic."I think in Pennsylvania, it would have been very difficult for him to go forward without taking a stand on NAFTA. It was very unpopular in this state," she says.A Son Of Western Pennsylvania During this campaign season, Santorum has built a reputation as a kind of fearless warrior of the right, willing to flout popular opinion to follow his conscience. But on economic matters, his record is more pragmatic.Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute says some of Santorum's positions should give fans of limited government pause."Some people say that the biggest role for conservatives should be to tell government to leave us alone," Tanner says. "Rick Santorum has never been a 'leave us alone' guy ? either on social or economic issues."On a number of occasions, Santorum showed a willingness to depart from conservative dogma when he needed to. In the Senate, he voted to impose a tariff on Chinese goods if China didn't stop manipulating its currency. He also voted to impose tariffs on imported steel.Former Pennsylvania Republican Chairman Alan Novak says that as a son of western Pennsylvania, Santorum had watched the steel industry wither."It shapes how Rick Santorum views the importance of manufacturing in a balanced economy," he says.Novak says that Pennsylvania, like a lot of Rust Belt states, had lost a huge number of industrial jobs, and voters expected Santorum to try to address the issue."I do remember when he and Sen. [Arlen] Specter were in the Senate together, they worked very closely together in identifying economic votes or business votes that they thought would benefit Pennsylvania," Novak says.Often that meant supporting earmarks in an effort to bring money into the state ? and especially into western Pennsylvania.During a debate in New Hampshire earlier this year, Santorum defended his record."I'm a conservative; I'm not a libertarian. I believe in some government," he said. "I do believe that as a senator from Pennsylvania, that I had a responsibility to go out there and represent the interests of my state, and that's what I did, to make sure that Pennsylvania was able in formulas and other things to get its fair share of money back."Picking Winners?Santorum has also attracted criticism during the current campaign for advocating tax cuts for manufacturers. Free-market conservatives say that amounts to the government picking winners and losers in the economy.Santorum insists he is reliably conservative on fiscal matters. He notes that he supported a balanced-budget amendment and the line-item veto, for instance. And his relationship with Pennsylvania's labor unions has been chilly at best.But Santorum's critics say his rhetoric is at odds with his record. And they have pummeled him in ads like one run by Restore Our Future, a political action committee that supports Mitt Romney."Santorum pushed for billions in wasteful pork, voting for the 'Bridge to Nowhere,' a teapot museum, even an indoor rain forest," the ad says.In the media, attacks like these have often been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Santorum's positions on social issues. But they may well have played a part in the steady erosion of his support in the days before Super Tuesday. [Copyright 2012 National Public Radio]";s:12:"textwithhtml";s:9:" ";s:22:"textwithhtml_paragraph";s:4241:"Support for Rick Santorum's presidential campaign has been driven by his conservative stances on social issues. He has taken unyielding stands against abortion and same-sex marriage.But on economic matters, his record is more mixed. And some conservatives say that on issues like government spending and trade, he has at times betrayed free-market principles.For example, when Congress voted to approve the North American Free Trade Agreement ? a cause dear to the hearts of conservatives ? Santorum, then a Pennsylvania representative, was among those voting against it.Salena Zito, a reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, says in doing so, Santorum was simply being realistic."I think in Pennsylvania, it would have been very difficult for him to go forward without taking a stand on NAFTA. It was very unpopular in this state," she says.A Son Of Western Pennsylvania During this campaign season, Santorum has built a reputation as a kind of fearless warrior of the right, willing to flout popular opinion to follow his conscience. But on economic matters, his record is more pragmatic.Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute says some of Santorum's positions should give fans of limited government pause."Some people say that the biggest role for conservatives should be to tell government to leave us alone," Tanner says. "Rick Santorum has never been a 'leave us alone' guy ? either on social or economic issues."On a number of occasions, Santorum showed a willingness to depart from conservative dogma when he needed to. In the Senate, he voted to impose a tariff on Chinese goods if China didn't stop manipulating its currency. He also voted to impose tariffs on imported steel.Former Pennsylvania Republican Chairman Alan Novak says that as a son of western Pennsylvania, Santorum had watched the steel industry wither."It shapes how Rick Santorum views the importance of manufacturing in a balanced economy," he says.Novak says that Pennsylvania, like a lot of Rust Belt states, had lost a huge number of industrial jobs, and voters expected Santorum to try to address the issue."I do remember when he and Sen. [Arlen] Specter were in the Senate together, they worked very closely together in identifying economic votes or business votes that they thought would benefit Pennsylvania," Novak says.Often that meant supporting earmarks in an effort to bring money into the state ? and especially into western Pennsylvania.During a debate in New Hampshire earlier this year, Santorum defended his record."I'm a conservative; I'm not a libertarian. I believe in some government," he said. "I do believe that as a senator from Pennsylvania, that I had a responsibility to go out there and represent the interests of my state, and that's what I did, to make sure that Pennsylvania was able in formulas and other things to get its fair share of money back."Picking Winners?Santorum has also attracted criticism during the current campaign for advocating tax cuts for manufacturers. Free-market conservatives say that amounts to the government picking winners and losers in the economy.Santorum insists he is reliably conservative on fiscal matters. He notes that he supported a balanced-budget amendment and the line-item veto, for instance. And his relationship with Pennsylvania's labor unions has been chilly at best.But Santorum's critics say his rhetoric is at odds with his record. And they have pummeled him in ads like one run by Restore Our Future, a political action committee that supports Mitt Romney."Santorum pushed for billions in wasteful pork, voting for the 'Bridge to Nowhere,' a teapot museum, even an indoor rain forest," the ad says.In the media, attacks like these have often been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Santorum's positions on social issues. But they may well have played a part in the steady erosion of his support in the days before Super Tuesday.
Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";s:8:"fulltext";s:8475:"

Economic Conservatives Question Santorum's Record

March 8, 2012

 
Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum addresses an election night party in Steubenville, Ohio, on Tuesday.
Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum addresses an election night party in Steubenville, Ohio, on Tuesday.

text size A A A
March 8, 2012

Support for Rick Santorum's presidential campaign has been driven by his conservative stances on social issues. He has taken unyielding stands against abortion and same-sex marriage.

But on economic matters, his record is more mixed. And some conservatives say that on issues like government spending and trade, he has at times betrayed free-market principles.

For example, when Congress voted to approve the North American Free Trade Agreement ? a cause dear to the hearts of conservatives ? Santorum, then a Pennsylvania representative, was among those voting against it.

Salena Zito, a reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, says in doing so, Santorum was simply being realistic.

"I think in Pennsylvania, it would have been very difficult for him to go forward without taking a stand on NAFTA. It was very unpopular in this state," she says.

A Son Of Western Pennsylvania

During this campaign season, Santorum has built a reputation as a kind of fearless warrior of the right, willing to flout popular opinion to follow his conscience. But on economic matters, his record is more pragmatic.

Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute says some of Santorum's positions should give fans of limited government pause.

"Some people say that the biggest role for conservatives should be to tell government to leave us alone," Tanner says. "Rick Santorum has never been a 'leave us alone' guy ? either on social or economic issues."

On a number of occasions, Santorum showed a willingness to depart from conservative dogma when he needed to. In the Senate, he voted to impose a tariff on Chinese goods if China didn't stop manipulating its currency. He also voted to impose tariffs on imported steel.

Former Pennsylvania Republican Chairman Alan Novak says that as a son of western Pennsylvania, Santorum had watched the steel industry wither.

"It shapes how Rick Santorum views the importance of manufacturing in a balanced economy," he says.

Novak says that Pennsylvania, like a lot of Rust Belt states, had lost a huge number of industrial jobs, and voters expected Santorum to try to address the issue.

"I do remember when he and Sen. [Arlen] Specter were in the Senate together, they worked very closely together in identifying economic votes or business votes that they thought would benefit Pennsylvania," Novak says.

Often that meant supporting earmarks in an effort to bring money into the state ? and especially into western Pennsylvania.

During a debate in New Hampshire earlier this year, Santorum defended his record.

"I'm a conservative; I'm not a libertarian. I believe in some government," he said. "I do believe that as a senator from Pennsylvania, that I had a responsibility to go out there and represent the interests of my state, and that's what I did, to make sure that Pennsylvania was able in formulas and other things to get its fair share of money back."

Picking Winners?

Santorum has also attracted criticism during the current campaign for advocating tax cuts for manufacturers. Free-market conservatives say that amounts to the government picking winners and losers in the economy.

Santorum insists he is reliably conservative on fiscal matters. He notes that he supported a balanced-budget amendment and the line-item veto, for instance. And his relationship with Pennsylvania's labor unions has been chilly at best.

But Santorum's critics say his rhetoric is at odds with his record. And they have pummeled him in ads like one run by Restore Our Future, a political action committee that supports Mitt Romney.

"Santorum pushed for billions in wasteful pork, voting for the 'Bridge to Nowhere,' a teapot museum, even an indoor rain forest," the ad says.

In the media, attacks like these have often been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Santorum's positions on social issues. But they may well have played a part in the steady erosion of his support in the days before Super Tuesday.

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";}s:9:"thumbnail";s:25:" ";s:4:"show";s:25:" ";s:12:"organization";s:16:" ";s:10:"transcript";s:7:" ";s:6:"parent";s:150:" ";s:5:"audio";s:61:" ";s:12:"audio_format";s:42:" ";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:31:" ";s:6:"byline";s:25:" ";s:5:"image";s:97:" ";s:17:"image_enlargement";s:9:" ";s:4:"text";s:205:" ";s:12:"textwithhtml";s:205:" ";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:588:"

Support for Rick Santorum's presidential campaign has been driven by his conservative stances on social issues. But when it comes to economic matters, his record is more mixed. Some conservatives say that on issues like government spending and trade he has sometimes betrayed free-market principles.

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";}s:7:"summary";s:299:"Support for Rick Santorum's presidential campaign has been driven by his conservative stances on social issues. But when it comes to economic matters, his record is more mixed. Some conservatives say that on issues like government spending and trade he has sometimes betrayed free-market principles.";s:12:"atom_content";s:588:"

Support for Rick Santorum's presidential campaign has been driven by his conservative stances on social issues. But when it comes to economic matters, his record is more mixed. Some conservatives say that on issues like government spending and trade he has sometimes betrayed free-market principles.

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";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1331246040;}i:5;a:17:{s:5:"title";s:27:"Preview Of Fall House Races";s:11:"description";s:156:"Political writer Shira Toeplitz of Roll Call talks with Melissa Block about how turnover in the House this year could change the shape of Congress.";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:00:00 -0500";s:4:"link";s:84:"http://www.npr.org/2012/03/08/148246574/preview-of-fall-house-races?ft=1&f=139482413";s:4:"guid";s:84:"http://www.npr.org/2012/03/08/148246574/preview-of-fall-house-races?ft=1&f=139482413";s:5:"nprml";a:28:{s:5:"title";s:27:"Preview Of Fall House Races";s:9:"partnerid";s:9:"148246574";s:6:"teaser";s:156:"Political writer Shira Toeplitz of Roll Call talks with Melissa Block about how turnover in the House this year could change the shape of Congress.";s:10:"miniteaser";s:109:"Political writer Shira Toeplitz of Roll Call talks with Melissa Block about this year's House races.";s:4:"slug";s:13:"Election 2012";s:9:"storydate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:00:00 -0500";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:00:00 -0500";s:16:"lastmodifieddate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:11:31 -0500";s:4:"show";s:9:" ";s:12:"show_program";s:21:"All Things Considered";s:13:"show_showdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:00:00 -0500";s:11:"show_segnum";s:2:"16";s:12:"organization";s:9:" ";s:17:"organization_name";s:21:"National Public Radio";s:20:"organization_website";s:19:"http://www.npr.org/";s:10:"transcript";s:9:" ";s:15:"transcript_link";s:87:"http://api.npr.org/transcript?id=148246574&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:6:"parent";s:36:" ";s:12:"parent_title";s:54:"House & Senate RacesElection 2012Election 2012Politics";s:11:"parent_link";s:490:"http://www.npr.org/series/139545299/house-senate-raceshttp://api.npr.org/query?id=139545299&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/http://api.npr.org/query?id=139482413&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/http://api.npr.org/query?id=139482413&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/politics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1014&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:5:"audio";s:9:" ";s:14:"audio_duration";s:3:"300";s:12:"audio_format";s:11:" ";s:16:"audio_format_mp3";s:162:"http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2012/03/20120308_atc_16.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=139482413http://api.npr.org/m3u/1148248571-3f9f9a.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=139482413";s:15:"audio_format_wm";s:104:"http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/dmg_wmref_em.php?id=148248571&type=1&mtype=WM&orgId=1&topicId=139482413";s:24:"audio_format_mediastream";s:82:"rtmp://flash.npr.org/ondemand/mp3:anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2012/03/20120308_atc_16.mp3";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:11:" ";s:8:"fulltext";s:2863:"

Preview Of Fall House Races

March 8, 2012

 
text size A A A
March 8, 2012

Political writer Shira Toeplitz of Roll Call talks with Melissa Block about how turnover in the House this year could change the shape of Congress.

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";}s:4:"show";s:25:" ";s:12:"organization";s:16:" ";s:10:"transcript";s:7:" ";s:6:"parent";s:100:" ";s:5:"audio";s:61:" ";s:12:"audio_format";s:42:" ";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:31:" ";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:445:"

Political writer Shira Toeplitz of Roll Call talks with Melissa Block about how turnover in the House this year could change the shape of Congress.

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";}s:7:"summary";s:156:"Political writer Shira Toeplitz of Roll Call talks with Melissa Block about how turnover in the House this year could change the shape of Congress.";s:12:"atom_content";s:445:"

Political writer Shira Toeplitz of Roll Call talks with Melissa Block about how turnover in the House this year could change the shape of Congress.

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";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1331236800;}i:6;a:18:{s:5:"title";s:47:"Romney SuperPAC Spends Millions On Negative Ads";s:11:"description";s:202:"The superPAC supporting Mitt Romney reported it bought $2.7 million in negative TV ads against Rick Santorum in Alabama, Mississippi, Illinois and Louisiana. All of those states have upcoming primaries.";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:00:00 -0500";s:4:"link";s:112:"http://www.npr.org/2012/03/08/148246578/romney-superpac-still-spending-millions-on-negative-ads?ft=1&f=139482413";s:4:"guid";s:112:"http://www.npr.org/2012/03/08/148246578/romney-superpac-still-spending-millions-on-negative-ads?ft=1&f=139482413";s:5:"nprml";a:30:{s:5:"title";s:47:"Romney SuperPAC Spends Millions On Negative Ads";s:9:"partnerid";s:9:"148246578";s:6:"teaser";s:202:"The superPAC supporting Mitt Romney reported it bought $2.7 million in negative TV ads against Rick Santorum in Alabama, Mississippi, Illinois and Louisiana. All of those states have upcoming primaries.";s:10:"miniteaser";s:76:"It bought $2.7 million in negative TV ads in states with upcoming primaries.";s:4:"slug";s:13:"Election 2012";s:9:"storydate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:00:00 -0500";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:00:00 -0500";s:16:"lastmodifieddate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:11:31 -0500";s:4:"show";s:9:" ";s:12:"show_program";s:21:"All Things Considered";s:13:"show_showdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:00:00 -0500";s:11:"show_segnum";s:2:"18";s:12:"organization";s:9:" ";s:17:"organization_name";s:21:"National Public Radio";s:20:"organization_website";s:19:"http://www.npr.org/";s:10:"transcript";s:9:" ";s:15:"transcript_link";s:87:"http://api.npr.org/transcript?id=148246578&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:6:"parent";s:27:" ";s:12:"parent_title";s:34:"Election 2012Election 2012Politics";s:11:"parent_link";s:354:"http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/http://api.npr.org/query?id=139482413&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/http://api.npr.org/query?id=139482413&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/politics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1014&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:5:"audio";s:9:" ";s:14:"audio_duration";s:3:"129";s:12:"audio_format";s:11:" ";s:16:"audio_format_mp3";s:162:"http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2012/03/20120308_atc_18.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=139482413http://api.npr.org/m3u/1148248575-d139dc.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=139482413";s:15:"audio_format_wm";s:104:"http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/dmg_wmref_em.php?id=148248575&type=1&mtype=WM&orgId=1&topicId=139482413";s:24:"audio_format_mediastream";s:82:"rtmp://flash.npr.org/ondemand/mp3:anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2012/03/20120308_atc_18.mp3";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:11:" ";s:6:"byline";s:9:" ";s:11:"byline_name";s:13:"Petery Overby";s:8:"fulltext";s:3344:"

Romney SuperPAC Spends Millions On Negative Ads

by Petery Overby

March 8, 2012

 
text size A A A
March 8, 2012

The superPAC supporting Mitt Romney reported it bought $2.7 million in negative TV ads against Rick Santorum in Alabama, Mississippi, Illinois and Louisiana. All of those states have upcoming primaries.

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";}s:4:"show";s:25:" ";s:12:"organization";s:16:" ";s:10:"transcript";s:7:" ";s:6:"parent";s:75:" ";s:5:"audio";s:61:" ";s:12:"audio_format";s:42:" ";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:31:" ";s:6:"byline";s:7:" ";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:491:"

The superPAC supporting Mitt Romney reported it bought $2.7 million in negative TV ads against Rick Santorum in Alabama, Mississippi, Illinois and Louisiana. All of those states have upcoming primaries.

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";}s:7:"summary";s:202:"The superPAC supporting Mitt Romney reported it bought $2.7 million in negative TV ads against Rick Santorum in Alabama, Mississippi, Illinois and Louisiana. All of those states have upcoming primaries.";s:12:"atom_content";s:491:"

The superPAC supporting Mitt Romney reported it bought $2.7 million in negative TV ads against Rick Santorum in Alabama, Mississippi, Illinois and Louisiana. All of those states have upcoming primaries.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1331236800;}i:7;a:16:{s:5:"title";s:69:"Obama Campaign Releases 1st-Term Movie Trailer As It Hopes For Sequel";s:11:"description";s:343:"The Obama campaign released the trailer for a 17-minute documentary called "The Road We've Traveled." It's obvious aim is to do something the Obama White House and campaign frequently do, that is, to remind voters of just how perilous a state the U.S. economy and financial markets were in when the president assumed office in January 2009.";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:07:00 -0500";s:4:"link";s:141:"http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/03/08/148228535/obama-campaign-releases-1st-term-trailer-as-it-hopes-for-sequel?ft=1&f=139482413";s:4:"guid";s:141:"http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/03/08/148228535/obama-campaign-releases-1st-term-trailer-as-it-hopes-for-sequel?ft=1&f=139482413";s:5:"nprml";a:27:{s:5:"title";s:69:"Obama Campaign Releases 1st-Term Movie Trailer As It Hopes For Sequel";s:9:"partnerid";s:9:"148228535";s:6:"teaser";s:343:"The Obama campaign released the trailer for a 17-minute documentary called "The Road We've Traveled." 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Call it "President Obama: The Movie."Actually, the campaign calls it "The Road We've Traveled" and it's obvious aim is to do something the Obama White House and campaign constantly do, that is, to remind voters of just how perilous a state the U.S. economy and financial markets were in when the president assumed office in January 2009.The movie is clearly an attempt to convince voters to see themselves and the nation as having been on a journey away from the precipice, to view the president as the trusty, surefooted guide, and to want to continue onward to the trip's completion. It's a variation on the ancient wisdom: "Don't change horses in midstream."The documentary, which will be released next week, was directed by Davis Guggenheim, the director-producer whose credits include the Academy Award-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" starring Al Gore. [Copyright 2012 National Public Radio]";s:12:"textwithhtml";s:9:" ";s:22:"textwithhtml_paragraph";s:1399:"President Obama's campaign on Thursday issued the trailer for a documentary about his time in the White House. Call it "President Obama: The Movie."Actually, the campaign calls it "The Road We've Traveled" and it's obvious aim is to do something the Obama White House and campaign constantly do, that is, to remind voters of just how perilous a state the U.S. economy and financial markets were in when the president assumed office in January 2009.The movie is clearly an attempt to convince voters to see themselves and the nation as having been on a journey away from the precipice, to view the president as the trusty, surefooted guide, and to want to continue onward to the trip's completion. It's a variation on the ancient wisdom: "Don't change horses in midstream."The documentary, which will be released next week, was directed by Davis Guggenheim, the director-producer whose credits include the Academy Award-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" starring Al Gore.
Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";s:8:"fulltext";s:3644:"

President Obama's campaign on Thursday issued the trailer for a documentary about his time in the White House. Call it "President Obama: The Movie."

Actually, the campaign calls it "The Road We've Traveled" and it's obvious aim is to do something the Obama White House and campaign constantly do, that is, to remind voters of just how perilous a state the U.S. economy and financial markets were in when the president assumed office in January 2009.

YouTube

The movie is clearly an attempt to convince voters to see themselves and the nation as having been on a journey away from the precipice, to view the president as the trusty, surefooted guide, and to want to continue onward to the trip's completion. It's a variation on the ancient wisdom: "Don't change horses in midstream."

The documentary, which will be released next week, was directed by Davis Guggenheim, the director-producer whose credits include the Academy Award-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" starring Al Gore.

Tags: Davis Guggenheim, "An Inconvenient Truth", Al Gore, President Obama

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
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The Obama campaign released the trailer for a 17-minute documentary called "The Road We've Traveled." It's obvious aim is to do something the Obama White House and campaign frequently do, that is, to remind voters of just how perilous a state the U.S. economy and financial markets were in when the president assumed office in January 2009.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

";}s:7:"summary";s:343:"The Obama campaign released the trailer for a 17-minute documentary called "The Road We've Traveled." It's obvious aim is to do something the Obama White House and campaign frequently do, that is, to remind voters of just how perilous a state the U.S. economy and financial markets were in when the president assumed office in January 2009.";s:12:"atom_content";s:632:"

The Obama campaign released the trailer for a 17-minute documentary called "The Road We've Traveled." It's obvious aim is to do something the Obama White House and campaign frequently do, that is, to remind voters of just how perilous a state the U.S. economy and financial markets were in when the president assumed office in January 2009.

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";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1331230020;}i:8;a:18:{s:5:"title";s:50:"Rep. Kaptur Faces Joe The Plumber In November Race";s:11:"description";s:273:"In Ohio, Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Toledo won the Democratic primary against Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland after the state's 9th Congressional District was redraw. Now she's turning her sights on Republican primary winner Samuel Wurzelbacher, who's known as Joe the Plumber.";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 02:48:00 -0500";s:4:"link";s:106:"http://www.npr.org/2012/03/08/148198720/rep-kaptur-faces-joe-the-plumber-in-november-race?ft=1&f=139482413";s:4:"guid";s:106:"http://www.npr.org/2012/03/08/148198720/rep-kaptur-faces-joe-the-plumber-in-november-race?ft=1&f=139482413";s:5:"nprml";a:30:{s:5:"title";s:50:"Rep. Kaptur Faces Joe The Plumber In November Race";s:9:"partnerid";s:9:"148198720";s:6:"teaser";s:273:"In Ohio, Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Toledo won the Democratic primary against Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland after the state's 9th Congressional District was redraw. Now she's turning her sights on Republican primary winner Samuel Wurzelbacher, who's known as Joe the Plumber.";s:10:"miniteaser";s:100:"Marcy Kaptur faces Samuel Wurzelbacher after beating Rep. Dennis Kucinich in the Democratic primary.";s:4:"slug";s:20:"House & Senate Races";s:9:"storydate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0500";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 02:48:00 -0500";s:16:"lastmodifieddate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 07:36:41 -0500";s:4:"show";s:9:" ";s:12:"show_program";s:15:"Morning Edition";s:13:"show_showdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0500";s:11:"show_segnum";s:2:"13";s:12:"organization";s:9:" ";s:17:"organization_name";s:7:"WKSU-FM";s:20:"organization_website";s:20:"http://www.wksu.org/";s:10:"transcript";s:9:" ";s:15:"transcript_link";s:87:"http://api.npr.org/transcript?id=148198720&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:6:"parent";s:45:" ";s:12:"parent_title";s:78:"House & Senate RacesHouse & Senate RacesElection 2012Around the NationPolitics";s:11:"parent_link";s:629:"http://www.npr.org/series/139545299/house-senate-raceshttp://api.npr.org/query?id=139545299&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/series/139545299/house-senate-raceshttp://api.npr.org/query?id=139545299&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/http://api.npr.org/query?id=139482413&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/around-the-nation/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1091&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/politics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1014&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:5:"audio";s:9:" ";s:14:"audio_duration";s:3:"167";s:12:"audio_format";s:11:" ";s:16:"audio_format_mp3";s:164:"http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2012/03/20120308_me_13.mp3?orgId=471&topicId=139545299http://api.npr.org/m3u/1148202674-b2c2a3.m3u?orgId=471&topicId=139545299";s:15:"audio_format_wm";s:106:"http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/dmg_wmref_em.php?id=148202674&type=1&mtype=WM&orgId=471&topicId=139545299";s:24:"audio_format_mediastream";s:80:"rtmp://flash.npr.org/ondemand/mp3:anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2012/03/20120308_me_13.mp3";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:11:" ";s:6:"byline";s:9:" ";s:11:"byline_name";s:16:"Kevin Niedermier";s:8:"fulltext";s:3508:"

Rep. Kaptur Faces Joe The Plumber In November Race

by Kevin Niedermier

March 8, 2012

 
text size A A A
March 8, 2012 from WKSU

In Ohio, Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Toledo won the Democratic primary against Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland after the state's 9th Congressional District was redraw. Now she's turning her sights on Republican primary winner Samuel Wurzelbacher, who's known as Joe the Plumber.

Copyright 2012 WKSU-FM. To see more, visit http://www.wksu.org/.
";}s:4:"show";s:25:" ";s:12:"organization";s:16:" ";s:10:"transcript";s:7:" ";s:6:"parent";s:125:" ";s:5:"audio";s:61:" ";s:12:"audio_format";s:42:" ";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:31:" ";s:6:"byline";s:7:" ";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:776:"

In Ohio, Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Toledo won the Democratic primary against Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland after the state's 9th Congressional District was redraw. Now she's turning her sights on Republican primary winner Samuel Wurzelbacher, who's known as Joe the Plumber.

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";}s:7:"summary";s:273:"In Ohio, Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Toledo won the Democratic primary against Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland after the state's 9th Congressional District was redraw. Now she's turning her sights on Republican primary winner Samuel Wurzelbacher, who's known as Joe the Plumber.";s:12:"atom_content";s:776:"

In Ohio, Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Toledo won the Democratic primary against Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland after the state's 9th Congressional District was redraw. Now she's turning her sights on Republican primary winner Samuel Wurzelbacher, who's known as Joe the Plumber.

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";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1331192880;}i:9;a:18:{s:5:"title";s:47:"Romney Aides Claim His Nomination Is Inevitable";s:11:"description";s:343:"Now that Super Tuesday is over, Mitt Romney's campaign is bracing for some tough states ahead. Kansas, Alabama and Mississippi are places where Romney may not do well. Until now, his aides focused mostly on Romney's electability against President Obama. Now they're making the case that nobody else can even get through the nominating process.";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 02:08:00 -0500";s:4:"link";s:104:"http://www.npr.org/2012/03/08/148197575/romney-aides-claim-his-nomination-is-inevitable?ft=1&f=139482413";s:4:"guid";s:104:"http://www.npr.org/2012/03/08/148197575/romney-aides-claim-his-nomination-is-inevitable?ft=1&f=139482413";s:5:"nprml";a:31:{s:5:"title";s:47:"Romney Aides Claim His Nomination Is Inevitable";s:9:"partnerid";s:9:"148197575";s:6:"teaser";s:343:"Now that Super Tuesday is over, Mitt Romney's campaign is bracing for some tough states ahead. Kansas, Alabama and Mississippi are places where Romney may not do well. Until now, his aides focused mostly on Romney's electability against President Obama. Now they're making the case that nobody else can even get through the nominating process.";s:10:"miniteaser";s:100:"Mitt Romney's staff says no other GOP presidential candidate can get through the nominating process.";s:4:"slug";s:13:"Election 2012";s:9:"storydate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0500";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 02:08:00 -0500";s:16:"lastmodifieddate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 07:36:41 -0500";s:4:"show";s:9:" ";s:12:"show_program";s:15:"Morning Edition";s:13:"show_showdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0500";s:11:"show_segnum";s:2:"16";s:12:"organization";s:9:" ";s:17:"organization_name";s:21:"National Public Radio";s:20:"organization_website";s:19:"http://www.npr.org/";s:10:"transcript";s:9:" ";s:15:"transcript_link";s:87:"http://api.npr.org/transcript?id=148197575&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:6:"parent";s:45:" ";s:12:"parent_title";s:68:"Presidential RaceElection 2012Election 2012Around the NationPolitics";s:11:"parent_link";s:604:"http://www.npr.org/sections/presidential-racehttp://api.npr.org/query?id=139544303&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/http://api.npr.org/query?id=139482413&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/http://api.npr.org/query?id=139482413&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/around-the-nation/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1091&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/politics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1014&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:5:"audio";s:9:" ";s:14:"audio_duration";s:3:"248";s:12:"audio_format";s:11:" ";s:16:"audio_format_mp3";s:160:"http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2012/03/20120308_me_16.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=139482413http://api.npr.org/m3u/1148202677-5dc1a3.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=139482413";s:15:"audio_format_wm";s:104:"http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/dmg_wmref_em.php?id=148202677&type=1&mtype=WM&orgId=1&topicId=139482413";s:24:"audio_format_mediastream";s:80:"rtmp://flash.npr.org/ondemand/mp3:anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2012/03/20120308_me_16.mp3";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:11:" ";s:6:"byline";s:9:" ";s:11:"byline_name";s:11:"Ari Shapiro";s:11:"byline_link";s:125:"http://www.npr.org/people/2101154/ari-shapirohttp://api.npr.org/query?id=2101154&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:8:"fulltext";s:3542:"

Romney Aides Claim His Nomination Is Inevitable

March 8, 2012

 
text size A A A
March 8, 2012

Now that Super Tuesday is over, Mitt Romney's campaign is bracing for some tough states ahead. Kansas, Alabama and Mississippi are places where Romney may not do well. Until now, his aides focused mostly on Romney's electability against President Obama. Now they're making the case that nobody else can even get through the nominating process.

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";}s:4:"show";s:25:" ";s:12:"organization";s:16:" ";s:10:"transcript";s:7:" ";s:6:"parent";s:125:" ";s:5:"audio";s:61:" ";s:12:"audio_format";s:42:" ";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:31:" ";s:6:"byline";s:25:" ";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:632:"

Now that Super Tuesday is over, Mitt Romney's campaign is bracing for some tough states ahead. Kansas, Alabama and Mississippi are places where Romney may not do well. Until now, his aides focused mostly on Romney's electability against President Obama. Now they're making the case that nobody else can even get through the nominating process.

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";}s:7:"summary";s:343:"Now that Super Tuesday is over, Mitt Romney's campaign is bracing for some tough states ahead. Kansas, Alabama and Mississippi are places where Romney may not do well. Until now, his aides focused mostly on Romney's electability against President Obama. Now they're making the case that nobody else can even get through the nominating process.";s:12:"atom_content";s:632:"

Now that Super Tuesday is over, Mitt Romney's campaign is bracing for some tough states ahead. Kansas, Alabama and Mississippi are places where Romney may not do well. Until now, his aides focused mostly on Romney's electability against President Obama. Now they're making the case that nobody else can even get through the nominating process.

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";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1331190480;}i:10;a:24:{s:5:"title";s:64:"A Bestselling Book Becomes An HBO Movie About A 'Dynamic Moment'";s:11:"description";s:165:"Commentator Eric Deggans says the HBO film Game Change, based on a much-discussed book about the 2008 campaign, may inform the way we see the 2012 election.";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:01:00 -0500";s:4:"link";s:137:"http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2012/03/08/148153657/on-hbo-a-bestselling-book-becomes-a-movie-about-a-dynamic-moment?ft=1&f=139482413";s:4:"guid";s:137:"http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2012/03/08/148153657/on-hbo-a-bestselling-book-becomes-a-movie-about-a-dynamic-moment?ft=1&f=139482413";s:5:"nprml";a:47:{s:5:"title";s:64:"A Bestselling Book Becomes An HBO Movie About A 'Dynamic Moment'";s:9:"partnerid";s:9:"148153657";s:6:"teaser";s:165:"Commentator Eric Deggans says the HBO film Game Change, based on a much-discussed book about the 2008 campaign, may inform the way we see the 2012 election.";s:10:"miniteaser";s:108:"Commentator Eric Deggans says the HBO film Game Change could inform our views of the 2012 election.";s:4:"slug";s:10:"Monkey See";s:9:"thumbnail";s:9:" ";s:16:"thumbnail_medium";s:78:"http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/03/07/gamechange_sq.jpg?t=1331147192&s=13";s:15:"thumbnail_large";s:78:"http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/03/07/gamechange_sq.jpg?t=1331147192&s=11";s:18:"thumbnail_provider";s:3:"HBO";s:9:"storydate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0500";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:01:00 -0500";s:16:"lastmodifieddate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:42:34 -0500";s:4:"show";s:9:" ";s:12:"show_program";s:15:"Morning Edition";s:13:"show_showdate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:00:00 -0500";s:11:"show_segnum";s:1:"4";s:12:"organization";s:9:" ";s:17:"organization_name";s:21:"National Public Radio";s:20:"organization_website";s:19:"http://www.npr.org/";s:10:"transcript";s:9:" ";s:15:"transcript_link";s:87:"http://api.npr.org/transcript?id=148153657&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:6:"parent";s:99:" ";s:12:"parent_title";s:123:"Election 2012Politics as Pop CultureTelevisionMonkey SeeTelevisionTelevisionCommentaryOpinionPop CulturePoliticsArts & Life";s:11:"parent_link";s:1336:"http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/http://api.npr.org/query?id=139482413&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=126689748http://api.npr.org/query?id=126689748&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=126677694http://api.npr.org/query?id=126677694&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/http://api.npr.org/query?id=93568166&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/television/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1138&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/television/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1138&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/commentary/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1060&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/opinion/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1057&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/pop-culture/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1048&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/politics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1014&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/arts/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1008&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:5:"audio";s:9:" ";s:14:"audio_duration";s:3:"238";s:12:"audio_format";s:11:" ";s:16:"audio_format_mp3";s:150:"http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2012/03/20120308_me_04.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1138http://api.npr.org/m3u/1148202474-f5d2b2.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=1138";s:15:"audio_format_wm";s:99:"http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/dmg_wmref_em.php?id=148202474&type=1&mtype=WM&orgId=1&topicId=1138";s:24:"audio_format_mediastream";s:80:"rtmp://flash.npr.org/ondemand/mp3:anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2012/03/20120308_me_04.mp3";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:11:" ";s:6:"byline";s:9:" ";s:11:"byline_name";s:12:"Eric Deggans";s:5:"image";s:9:" ";s:11:"image_title";s:87:"Ed Harris as John McCain and Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in the HBO film Game Change.";s:13:"image_caption";s:96:"Ed Harris as John McCain and Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in the HBO film Game Change.";s:14:"image_producer";s:17:"Phillip V. Caruso";s:14:"image_provider";s:3:"HBO";s:17:"image_enlargement";s:11:" ";s:11:"relatedlink";s:9:" ";s:19:"relatedlink_caption";s:49:" Is 'Game Change' Fair To Sarah Palin? You Betcha";s:16:"relatedlink_link";s:167:"http://www.npr.org/2012/03/08/148133941/is-game-change-fair-to-sarah-palin-you-betchahttp://api.npr.org/query?id=148133941&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:4:"text";s:9:" ";s:14:"text_paragraph";s:3104:"There were a lot of good stories from the 2008 presidential election, including Hillary Clinton's serious run for the Democratic nomination, not to mention the election of the first African-American president. The whole story was covered in the bestselling ? and controversial ? book by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, Game Change.On HBO on Saturday, the film Game Change focuses on the failed presidential candidacy of Sen. John McCain and especially on his best asset and most unpredictable weakness: his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. It's worth watching as a prequel to the election we're watching right now.As a political nerd, I loved seeing Game Change's details on how candidates are coached for debates and interviews.In one session on a campaign bus, campaign manager Steve Schmidt, played by Woody Harrelson, asks Palin a question about British support for the Iraq War. She responds by talking about the relationship with the queen and seems surprised when Schmidt tells her that the head of the British government isn't the queen, it's the prime minister.As Palin prepares for more interviews and a debate, it becomes clear to the campaign staff that she doesn't understand a lot of basic policy issues, even as crowds love her and respond to her charisma.A group of past and present Palin aides have already denounced the film. But the filmmakers say their script uses the book and their own interviews with more than two dozen Republicans who worked on the campaign. That's where they found the anecdote about the queen of England.And the film often humanizes Palin. She connects with crowds, especially families with special-needs children, and ends up handling the debate better than the campaign aides thought she would. Even when her emotional problems led McCain and Schmidt to have a doctor secretly observe her at a party, he came to a simple conclusion: For a woman who just had a baby, has a son in Iraq and a pregnant teenage daughter, she's doing pretty well.Julianne Moore is remarkable as Palin. She mimicks Palin's distinct speaking pattern, while avoiding a Tina Fey-style parody.Still, Palin fans won't enjoy scenes where she fumbles facts or presses McCain aides to lie about her background. And you could ask why HBO is rehashing a 4-year-old failure just as the GOP is trying to retake the White House.In the end, Palin's rise energized a deeply conservative wing of the Republican Party, which has kept this year's GOP primary in play. And the desire to bring Palin into the McCain campaign as a charismatic game-changer reflects an attitude that is present in this year's election, especially when you consider that Donald Trump was considered to be a real possibility for the Republican race."We live in the age of YouTube and the 24-hour news cycle," Schmidt tells McCain to convince him to bring Palin onboard. "We need to create a dynamic moment in this campaign or we're dead." Turns out, their dynamic moment wasn't enough to win the White House.Eric Deggans is the TV and media critic for the Tampa Bay Times. [Copyright 2012 National Public Radio]";s:12:"textwithhtml";s:9:" ";s:22:"textwithhtml_paragraph";s:3494:"There were a lot of good stories from the 2008 presidential election, including Hillary Clinton's serious run for the Democratic nomination, not to mention the election of the first African-American president. The whole story was covered in the bestselling ? and controversial ? book by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, Game Change.On HBO on Saturday, the film Game Change focuses on the failed presidential candidacy of Sen. John McCain and especially on his best asset and most unpredictable weakness: his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. It's worth watching as a prequel to the election we're watching right now.As a political nerd, I loved seeing Game Change's details on how candidates are coached for debates and interviews.In one session on a campaign bus, campaign manager Steve Schmidt, played by Woody Harrelson, asks Palin a question about British support for the Iraq War. She responds by talking about the relationship with the queen and seems surprised when Schmidt tells her that the head of the British government isn't the queen, it's the prime minister.As Palin prepares for more interviews and a debate, it becomes clear to the campaign staff that she doesn't understand a lot of basic policy issues, even as crowds love her and respond to her charisma.A group of past and present Palin aides have already denounced the film. But the filmmakers say their script uses the book and their own interviews with more than two dozen Republicans who worked on the campaign. That's where they found the anecdote about the queen of England.And the film often humanizes Palin. She connects with crowds, especially families with special-needs children, and ends up handling the debate better than the campaign aides thought she would. Even when her emotional problems led McCain and Schmidt to have a doctor secretly observe her at a party, he came to a simple conclusion: For a woman who just had a baby, has a son in Iraq and a pregnant teenage daughter, she's doing pretty well.Julianne Moore is remarkable as Palin. She mimicks Palin's distinct speaking pattern, while avoiding a Tina Fey-style parody.Still, Palin fans won't enjoy scenes where she fumbles facts or presses McCain aides to lie about her background. And you could ask why HBO is rehashing a 4-year-old failure just as the GOP is trying to retake the White House.In the end, Palin's rise energized a deeply conservative wing of the Republican Party, which has kept this year's GOP primary in play. And the desire to bring Palin into the McCain campaign as a charismatic game-changer reflects an attitude that is present in this year's election, especially when you consider that Donald Trump was considered to be a real possibility for the Republican race."We live in the age of YouTube and the 24-hour news cycle," Schmidt tells McCain to convince him to bring Palin onboard. "We need to create a dynamic moment in this campaign or we're dead." Turns out, their dynamic moment wasn't enough to win the White House.Eric Deggans is the TV and media critic for the Tampa Bay Times.
Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";s:8:"fulltext";s:8858:"

by Eric Deggans

Ed Harris as John McCain and Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in the HBO film Game Change.
Phillip V. Caruso/HBO

Ed Harris as John McCain and Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in the HBO film Game Change.

There were a lot of good stories from the 2008 presidential election, including Hillary Clinton's serious run for the Democratic nomination, not to mention the election of the first African-American president. The whole story was covered in the bestselling ? and controversial ? book by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, Game Change.

On HBO on Saturday, the film Game Change focuses on the failed presidential candidacy of Sen. John McCain and especially on his best asset and most unpredictable weakness: his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. It's worth watching as a prequel to the election we're watching right now.

As a political nerd, I loved seeing Game Change's details on how candidates are coached for debates and interviews.

In one session on a campaign bus, campaign manager Steve Schmidt, played by Woody Harrelson, asks Palin a question about British support for the Iraq War. She responds by talking about the relationship with the queen and seems surprised when Schmidt tells her that the head of the British government isn't the queen, it's the prime minister.

As Palin prepares for more interviews and a debate, it becomes clear to the campaign staff that she doesn't understand a lot of basic policy issues, even as crowds love her and respond to her charisma.

A group of past and present Palin aides have already denounced the film. But the filmmakers say their script uses the book and their own interviews with more than two dozen Republicans who worked on the campaign. That's where they found the anecdote about the queen of England.

And the film often humanizes Palin. She connects with crowds, especially families with special-needs children, and ends up handling the debate better than the campaign aides thought she would. Even when her emotional problems led McCain and Schmidt to have a doctor secretly observe her at a party, he came to a simple conclusion: For a woman who just had a baby, has a son in Iraq and a pregnant teenage daughter, she's doing pretty well.

Julianne Moore is remarkable as Palin. She mimicks Palin's distinct speaking pattern, while avoiding a Tina Fey-style parody.

Still, Palin fans won't enjoy scenes where she fumbles facts or presses McCain aides to lie about her background. And you could ask why HBO is rehashing a 4-year-old failure just as the GOP is trying to retake the White House.

In the end, Palin's rise energized a deeply conservative wing of the Republican Party, which has kept this year's GOP primary in play. And the desire to bring Palin into the McCain campaign as a charismatic game-changer reflects an attitude that is present in this year's election, especially when you consider that Donald Trump was considered to be a real possibility for the Republican race.

"We live in the age of YouTube and the 24-hour news cycle," Schmidt tells McCain to convince him to bring Palin onboard. "We need to create a dynamic moment in this campaign or we're dead." Turns out, their dynamic moment wasn't enough to win the White House.

Eric Deggans is the TV and media critic for the Tampa Bay Times.

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";}s:9:"thumbnail";s:25:" ";s:4:"show";s:25:" ";s:12:"organization";s:16:" ";s:10:"transcript";s:7:" ";s:6:"parent";s:275:" ";s:5:"audio";s:61:" ";s:12:"audio_format";s:42:" ";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:31:" ";s:6:"byline";s:7:" ";s:5:"image";s:97:" ";s:17:"image_enlargement";s:9:" ";s:11:"relatedlink";s:25:" ";s:4:"text";s:106:" ";s:12:"textwithhtml";s:106:" ";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:454:"

Commentator Eric Deggans says the HBO film Game Change, based on a much-discussed book about the 2008 campaign, may inform the way we see the 2012 election.

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";}s:7:"summary";s:165:"Commentator Eric Deggans says the HBO film Game Change, based on a much-discussed book about the 2008 campaign, may inform the way we see the 2012 election.";s:12:"atom_content";s:454:"

Commentator Eric Deggans says the HBO film Game Change, based on a much-discussed book about the 2008 campaign, may inform the way we see the 2012 election.

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";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1331182860;}i:11;a:27:{s:5:"title";s:48:"How Far Apart On Iran Are GOP Candidates, Obama?";s:11:"description";s:324:"In some respects, the Republican presidential candidates' proposals aren't that far off from what the Obama administration is already doing. 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Western governments suspect Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies. How to handle the possible threat from a nuclear-armed Iran is a major foreign policy concern of the U.S.";s:13:"image_caption";s:289:"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in April 2008. Western governments suspect Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies. How to handle the possible threat from a nuclear-armed Iran is a major foreign policy concern of the U.S.";s:14:"image_provider";s:2:"AP";s:17:"image_enlargement";s:11:" ";s:8:"listtext";s:9:" ";s:18:"listtext_paragraph";s:1233:"Israel doesn't need public lectures about how to weigh decisions of war and peace. It needs our support. ? Mitt RomneyWe now have an announcement that the administration has agreed to open talks with the Iranian government. That is in spite of U.N. resolutions that says they must stop the processing of their nuclear fuel in order to get those negotiations. Another appeasement, another delay, another opportunity for them to go forward while we talk. ? Rick SantorumI would provide all available intelligence to the Israeli government, ensure they have the equipment necessary, and reassure them that if an Israeli prime minister decides that he has to avoid the threat of a second Holocaust through pre-emptive measures, that I would require no advance notice. ? Newt Gingrich";s:4:"text";s:9:" ";s:14:"text_paragraph";s:4017:"Republican presidential candidates this week ? with the exception of Ron Paul ? appeared to be trying to outdo each other in saying how tough they would be in dealing with Iran. Speaking before a pro-Israel group, they said President Obama has been weak ? "feckless," in Mitt Romney's words.Obama, meanwhile, was not impressed. He said he'd heard a lot of "bluster" and "big talk" about Iran, "but when you actually ask them specifically what they would do, it turns out they repeat the things that we've been doing over the last three years."In some respects, the Republican candidates' proposals aren't that far off from what the Obama administration is already doing. They call for tough sanctions on Iran, for example, but it's hard to imagine any that are tougher than what the U.S. and its allies have in place now.Still, there are some differences between Obama's Iran policy and what his Republican critics advocate.Negotiations No. 1: How much emphasis to put on negotiations. The Republican candidates all say they'd give some time to diplomacy, but would do it under stricter conditions.Rick Santorum blasted Obama this week for being willing to join European countries in a new round of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program."We now have an announcement that the administration has agreed to open talks with the Iranian government," he said. "That is in spite of U.N. resolutions that say they must stop the processing of their nuclear fuel in order to get those negotiations. Another appeasement, another opportunity for them to go forward while we talk."In fact, the U.N. has called on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, though not as a precondition for negotiations. Santorum's position: no talks until Iran agrees to stop enriching uranium. This is apparently what Israel wants as well. The Obama administration and its European allies say that condition would doom any negotiation.Israeli PolicyThis point brings up difference No. 2 on Iran between Obama and his challengers: It's on how closely to align U.S. policy with Israeli views.The United States right now is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring an actual nuclear weapon. Israel, on the other hand, wants to prevent Iran from acquiring even the capability to develop a bomb. For that reason, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel "cannot wait much longer."The main Republican candidates, in contrast to Obama, seem more willing to defer to Israel's judgment."Israel doesn't need public lectures about how to weigh decisions of war and peace," Romney said. "It needs our support."Newt Gingrich went even further, saying he'd give the Israelis whatever intelligence and equipment they'd need to go to war against Iran and wouldn't even expect them to tell the United States when they were ready to move. He would give them this reassurance: "That if an Israeli prime minister decides that he has to avoid the threat of a second Holocaust through pre-emptive measures, that I would require no advance notice."There's no such green light from the Obama administration, though the president did say Israel has the right to defend itself.Military OptionsFinally, a third case, this one of a subtle difference between the Republican candidates and the Obama administration: It's over how to signal that military options remain on the table.Romney, writing in the Washington Post this week, said for example that to deal with Iran, he'd favor "restoring" the "regular presence" of U.S. aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean. Right now, the U.S. military requires at least one, and generally two, carriers in the Gulf and none in the Eastern Mediterranean.Moving more into the region would presumably send a message of military might to Iran, but it would mean fewer carriers deployed elsewhere in the world, and U.S. military officials says it's been many, many years since more than two aircraft carriers were assigned permanently to those waters. [Copyright 2012 National Public Radio]";s:12:"textwithhtml";s:9:" ";s:22:"textwithhtml_paragraph";s:4469:"Republican presidential candidates this week ? with the exception of Ron Paul ? appeared to be trying to outdo each other in saying how tough they would be in dealing with Iran. Speaking before a pro-Israel group, they said President Obama has been weak ? "feckless," in Mitt Romney's words.Obama, meanwhile, was not impressed. He said he'd heard a lot of "bluster" and "big talk" about Iran, "but when you actually ask them specifically what they would do, it turns out they repeat the things that we've been doing over the last three years."In some respects, the Republican candidates' proposals aren't that far off from what the Obama administration is already doing. They call for tough sanctions on Iran, for example, but it's hard to imagine any that are tougher than what the U.S. and its allies have in place now.Still, there are some differences between Obama's Iran policy and what his Republican critics advocate.Negotiations No. 1: How much emphasis to put on negotiations. The Republican candidates all say they'd give some time to diplomacy, but would do it under stricter conditions.Rick Santorum blasted Obama this week for being willing to join European countries in a new round of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program."We now have an announcement that the administration has agreed to open talks with the Iranian government," he said. "That is in spite of U.N. resolutions that say they must stop the processing of their nuclear fuel in order to get those negotiations. Another appeasement, another opportunity for them to go forward while we talk."In fact, the U.N. has called on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, though not as a precondition for negotiations. Santorum's position: no talks until Iran agrees to stop enriching uranium. This is apparently what Israel wants as well. The Obama administration and its European allies say that condition would doom any negotiation.Israeli PolicyThis point brings up difference No. 2 on Iran between Obama and his challengers: It's on how closely to align U.S. policy with Israeli views.The United States right now is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring an actual nuclear weapon. Israel, on the other hand, wants to prevent Iran from acquiring even the capability to develop a bomb. For that reason, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel "cannot wait much longer."The main Republican candidates, in contrast to Obama, seem more willing to defer to Israel's judgment."Israel doesn't need public lectures about how to weigh decisions of war and peace," Romney said. "It needs our support."Newt Gingrich went even further, saying he'd give the Israelis whatever intelligence and equipment they'd need to go to war against Iran and wouldn't even expect them to tell the United States when they were ready to move. He would give them this reassurance: "That if an Israeli prime minister decides that he has to avoid the threat of a second Holocaust through pre-emptive measures, that I would require no advance notice."There's no such green light from the Obama administration, though the president did say Israel has the right to defend itself.Military OptionsFinally, a third case, this one of a subtle difference between the Republican candidates and the Obama administration: It's over how to signal that military options remain on the table.Romney, writing in the Washington Post this week, said for example that to deal with Iran, he'd favor "restoring" the "regular presence" of U.S. aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean. Right now, the U.S. military requires at least one, and generally two, carriers in the Gulf and none in the Eastern Mediterranean.Moving more into the region would presumably send a message of military might to Iran, but it would mean fewer carriers deployed elsewhere in the world, and U.S. military officials says it's been many, many years since more than two aircraft carriers were assigned permanently to those waters.
Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";s:8:"fulltext";s:11134:"

How Far Apart On Iran Are GOP Candidates, Obama?

March 8, 2012

 
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in April 2008. Western governments suspect Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies. How to handle the possible threat from a nuclear-armed Iran is a major foreign policy concern of the U.S.
AP

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in April 2008. Western governments suspect Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies. How to handle the possible threat from a nuclear-armed Iran is a major foreign policy concern of the U.S.

text size A A A
March 8, 2012

Republican presidential candidates this week ? with the exception of Ron Paul ? appeared to be trying to outdo each other in saying how tough they would be in dealing with Iran. Speaking before a pro-Israel group, they said President Obama has been weak ? "feckless," in Mitt Romney's words.

Obama, meanwhile, was not impressed. He said he'd heard a lot of "bluster" and "big talk" about Iran, "but when you actually ask them specifically what they would do, it turns out they repeat the things that we've been doing over the last three years."

Additional Information:

GOP Candidates On Iran

Israel doesn't need public lectures about how to weigh decisions of war and peace. It needs our support. ? Mitt Romney

We now have an announcement that the administration has agreed to open talks with the Iranian government. That is in spite of U.N. resolutions that says they must stop the processing of their nuclear fuel in order to get those negotiations. Another appeasement, another delay, another opportunity for them to go forward while we talk. ? Rick Santorum

I would provide all available intelligence to the Israeli government, ensure they have the equipment necessary, and reassure them that if an Israeli prime minister decides that he has to avoid the threat of a second Holocaust through pre-emptive measures, that I would require no advance notice. ? Newt Gingrich

In some respects, the Republican candidates' proposals aren't that far off from what the Obama administration is already doing. They call for tough sanctions on Iran, for example, but it's hard to imagine any that are tougher than what the U.S. and its allies have in place now.

Still, there are some differences between Obama's Iran policy and what his Republican critics advocate.

Negotiations

No. 1: How much emphasis to put on negotiations. The Republican candidates all say they'd give some time to diplomacy, but would do it under stricter conditions.

Rick Santorum blasted Obama this week for being willing to join European countries in a new round of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.

"We now have an announcement that the administration has agreed to open talks with the Iranian government," he said. "That is in spite of U.N. resolutions that say they must stop the processing of their nuclear fuel in order to get those negotiations. Another appeasement, another opportunity for them to go forward while we talk."

In fact, the U.N. has called on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment, though not as a precondition for negotiations. Santorum's position: no talks until Iran agrees to stop enriching uranium. This is apparently what Israel wants as well. The Obama administration and its European allies say that condition would doom any negotiation.

Israeli Policy

This point brings up difference No. 2 on Iran between Obama and his challengers: It's on how closely to align U.S. policy with Israeli views.

The United States right now is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring an actual nuclear weapon. Israel, on the other hand, wants to prevent Iran from acquiring even the capability to develop a bomb. For that reason, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel "cannot wait much longer."

The main Republican candidates, in contrast to Obama, seem more willing to defer to Israel's judgment.

"Israel doesn't need public lectures about how to weigh decisions of war and peace," Romney said. "It needs our support."

Newt Gingrich went even further, saying he'd give the Israelis whatever intelligence and equipment they'd need to go to war against Iran and wouldn't even expect them to tell the United States when they were ready to move. He would give them this reassurance: "That if an Israeli prime minister decides that he has to avoid the threat of a second Holocaust through pre-emptive measures, that I would require no advance notice."

There's no such green light from the Obama administration, though the president did say Israel has the right to defend itself.

Military Options

Finally, a third case, this one of a subtle difference between the Republican candidates and the Obama administration: It's over how to signal that military options remain on the table.

Romney, writing in the Washington Post this week, said for example that to deal with Iran, he'd favor "restoring" the "regular presence" of U.S. aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean. Right now, the U.S. military requires at least one, and generally two, carriers in the Gulf and none in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Moving more into the region would presumably send a message of military might to Iran, but it would mean fewer carriers deployed elsewhere in the world, and U.S. military officials says it's been many, many years since more than two aircraft carriers were assigned permanently to those waters.

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";}s:9:"thumbnail";s:25:" ";s:4:"show";s:25:" ";s:12:"organization";s:16:" ";s:10:"transcript";s:7:" ";s:6:"parent";s:200:" ";s:5:"audio";s:61:" ";s:12:"audio_format";s:42:" ";s:17:"audio_permissions";s:31:" ";s:6:"byline";s:25:" ";s:9:"container";s:43:" ";s:17:"container_colspan";s:1:"1";s:24:"container_displayoptions";s:12:"Display Both";s:5:"image";s:97:" ";s:17:"image_enlargement";s:9:" ";s:8:"listtext";s:25:" ";s:4:"text";s:178:" ";s:12:"textwithhtml";s:178:" ";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:613:"

In some respects, the Republican presidential candidates' proposals aren't that far off from what the Obama administration is already doing. Still, there are some key differences: how much emphasis to place on talks; how closely to align U.S. views with Israel's; and how to signal that military options remain on the table.

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";}s:7:"summary";s:324:"In some respects, the Republican presidential candidates' proposals aren't that far off from what the Obama administration is already doing. Still, there are some key differences: how much emphasis to place on talks; how closely to align U.S. views with Israel's; and how to signal that military options remain on the table.";s:12:"atom_content";s:613:"

In some respects, the Republican presidential candidates' proposals aren't that far off from what the Obama administration is already doing. Still, there are some key differences: how much emphasis to place on talks; how closely to align U.S. views with Israel's; and how to signal that military options remain on the table.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1331182860;}i:12;a:18:{s:5:"title";s:61:"Gingrich Cancels Kansas Events, Focusing On Southern Strategy";s:11:"description";s:100:"The former House speaker will campaign in Alabama and Mississippi, which hold primaries on March 13.";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:24:00 -0500";s:4:"link";s:138:"http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/03/07/148171792/gingrich-cancels-kansas-events-focusing-on-southern-strategy?ft=1&f=139482413";s:4:"guid";s:138:"http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/03/07/148171792/gingrich-cancels-kansas-events-focusing-on-southern-strategy?ft=1&f=139482413";s:5:"nprml";a:31:{s:5:"title";s:61:"Gingrich Cancels Kansas Events, Focusing On Southern Strategy";s:9:"partnerid";s:9:"148171792";s:6:"teaser";s:100:"The former House speaker will campaign in Alabama and Mississippi, which hold primaries on March 13.";s:10:"miniteaser";s:68:"The former House speaker will instead visit Alabama and Mississippi.";s:4:"slug";s:17:"It's All Politics";s:9:"thumbnail";s:9:" ";s:16:"thumbnail_medium";s:78:"http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/03/07/gingrich07_sq.jpg?t=1331160172&s=13";s:15:"thumbnail_large";s:78:"http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/03/07/gingrich07_sq.jpg?t=1331160172&s=11";s:18:"thumbnail_provider";s:12:"Getty Images";s:9:"storydate";s:31:"Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:24:00 -0500";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:24:00 -0500";s:16:"lastmodifieddate";s:31:"Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:36:02 -0500";s:12:"organization";s:9:" ";s:17:"organization_name";s:21:"National Public Radio";s:20:"organization_website";s:19:"http://www.npr.org/";s:6:"parent";s:108:" ";s:12:"parent_title";s:143:"Newt GingrichPresidential RacePresidential RaceElection 20122012EventsCampaign tacticsRepublicansIt's All PoliticsIt's All PoliticsPoliticsNews";s:11:"parent_link";s:1596:"http://www.npr.org/series/139586873/newt-gingrichhttp://api.npr.org/query?id=139586873&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/presidential-racehttp://api.npr.org/query?id=139544303&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/presidential-racehttp://api.npr.org/query?id=139544303&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/http://api.npr.org/query?id=139482413&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=131551086http://api.npr.org/query?id=131551086&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=130296833http://api.npr.org/query?id=130296833&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=130248874http://api.npr.org/query?id=130248874&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=129865776http://api.npr.org/query?id=129865776&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=129862127http://api.npr.org/query?id=129862127&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=129828651&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/politics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1014&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/news/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1001&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:6:"byline";s:9:" ";s:11:"byline_name";s:12:"Arnie Seipel";s:5:"image";s:9:" ";s:11:"image_title";s:105:"Republican presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich on Tuesday in Duluth, Ga.";s:13:"image_caption";s:105:"Republican presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich on Tuesday in Duluth, Ga.";s:14:"image_producer";s:9:"Alex Wong";s:14:"image_provider";s:12:"Getty Images";s:17:"image_enlargement";s:11:" ";s:4:"text";s:9:" ";s:14:"text_paragraph";s:1830:"The Republican primary race continues to spread out across the country, forcing the campaigns to pick their battles.With three days until the Kansas caucuses and six days until primaries in Alabama and Mississippi, the Gingrich campaign has decided to focus its efforts and head south.Gingrich canceled a campaign swing through Kansas on Friday and Saturday. He had planned to visit the state Capitol and a Tea Party convention, among other events. The former House speaker was also to host a Big 12 basketball tournament watch party on Friday. (The Kansas Jayhawks and Kansas State Wildcats could face each other Friday evening.)Gingrich also had planned to visit two caucus sites on Saturday.Campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond told reporters in Montgomery, Ala., this morning, "A big win in Georgia kept us in the race. Big wins in Alabama and Mississippi will add even more fuel to the tank," according to CBS News.Following Tuesday's win in Georgia, the Gingrich campaign touted the "March Momentum" it hopes to pick up with more Southern contests on the horizon. If Gingrich doesn't win in Mississippi and Alabama next Tuesday, he'll have to bank on Louisiana's March 24 contest to regain any momentum in the South.The pro-Gingrich superPAC Winning Our Future has spent more than $1 million on TV ads in Mississippi and Alabama in recent weeks.Gingrich had been holding on with just a single win in South Carolina, until he scored a victory on Tuesday in Georgia's primary. Gingrich gained 55 delegates and is now running second in terms of committed delegates with 111.Rick Santorum is just behind Gingrich with 107 committed delegates. Santorum could move into second place with a good showing in Kansas on Saturday. Mitt Romney has the most committed delegates at this point, with 340. [Copyright 2012 National Public Radio]";s:12:"textwithhtml";s:9:" ";s:22:"textwithhtml_paragraph";s:2376:"The Republican primary race continues to spread out across the country, forcing the campaigns to pick their battles.With three days until the Kansas caucuses and six days until primaries in Alabama and Mississippi, the Gingrich campaign has decided to focus its efforts and head south.Gingrich canceled a campaign swing through Kansas on Friday and Saturday. He had planned to visit the state Capitol and a Tea Party convention, among other events. The former House speaker was also to host a Big 12 basketball tournament watch party on Friday. (The Kansas Jayhawks and Kansas State Wildcats could face each other Friday evening.)Gingrich also had planned to visit two caucus sites on Saturday.Campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond told reporters in Montgomery, Ala., this morning, "A big win in Georgia kept us in the race. Big wins in Alabama and Mississippi will add even more fuel to the tank," according to CBS News.Following Tuesday's win in Georgia, the Gingrich campaign touted the "March Momentum" it hopes to pick up with more Southern contests on the horizon. If Gingrich doesn't win in Mississippi and Alabama next Tuesday, he'll have to bank on Louisiana's March 24 contest to regain any momentum in the South.The pro-Gingrich superPAC Winning Our Future has spent more than $1 million on TV ads in Mississippi and Alabama in recent weeks.Gingrich had been holding on with just a single win in South Carolina, until he scored a victory on Tuesday in Georgia's primary. Gingrich gained 55 delegates and is now running second in terms of committed delegates with 111.Rick Santorum is just behind Gingrich with 107 committed delegates. Santorum could move into second place with a good showing in Kansas on Saturday. Mitt Romney has the most committed delegates at this point, with 340.
Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";s:8:"fulltext";s:4393:"

by Arnie Seipel

Republican presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich on Tuesday in Duluth, Ga.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Republican presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich on Tuesday in Duluth, Ga.

The Republican primary race continues to spread out across the country, forcing the campaigns to pick their battles.

With three days until the Kansas caucuses and six days until primaries in Alabama and Mississippi, the Gingrich campaign has decided to focus its efforts and head south.

Gingrich canceled a campaign swing through Kansas on Friday and Saturday. He had planned to visit the state Capitol and a Tea Party convention, among other events. The former House speaker was also to host a Big 12 basketball tournament watch party on Friday. (The Kansas Jayhawks and Kansas State Wildcats could face each other Friday evening.)

Gingrich also had planned to visit two caucus sites on Saturday.

Campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond told reporters in Montgomery, Ala., this morning, "A big win in Georgia kept us in the race. Big wins in Alabama and Mississippi will add even more fuel to the tank," according to CBS News.

 

Following Tuesday's win in Georgia, the Gingrich campaign touted the "March Momentum" it hopes to pick up with more Southern contests on the horizon. If Gingrich doesn't win in Mississippi and Alabama next Tuesday, he'll have to bank on Louisiana's March 24 contest to regain any momentum in the South.

The pro-Gingrich superPAC Winning Our Future has spent more than $1 million on TV ads in Mississippi and Alabama in recent weeks.

Gingrich had been holding on with just a single win in South Carolina, until he scored a victory on Tuesday in Georgia's primary. Gingrich gained 55 delegates and is now running second in terms of committed delegates with 111.

Rick Santorum is just behind Gingrich with 107 committed delegates. Santorum could move into second place with a good showing in Kansas on Saturday. Mitt Romney has the most committed delegates at this point, with 340.

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";}s:9:"thumbnail";s:25:" ";s:12:"organization";s:16:" ";s:6:"parent";s:300:" ";s:6:"byline";s:7:" ";s:5:"image";s:97:" ";s:17:"image_enlargement";s:9:" ";s:4:"text";s:88:" ";s:12:"textwithhtml";s:88:" ";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:389:"

The former House speaker will campaign in Alabama and Mississippi, which hold primaries on March 13.

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";}s:7:"summary";s:100:"The former House speaker will campaign in Alabama and Mississippi, which hold primaries on March 13.";s:12:"atom_content";s:389:"

The former House speaker will campaign in Alabama and Mississippi, which hold primaries on March 13.

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";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1331162640;}i:13;a:18:{s:5:"title";s:79:"Ron Paul's In-It-To-Win-It Strategy Is 'Not Far-Fetched,' Campaign Manager Says";s:11:"description";s:265:"Ron Paul's caucus strategy took a hit in North Dakota on Super Tuesday. He had staked time, hope and money there, but Rick Santorum pulled out a win. Still, Paul's campaign continues to insist he is in the GOP presidential race to win the nomination in Tampa.";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:05:00 -0500";s:4:"link";s:140:"http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/03/07/148177270/ron-paul-campaign-manager-in-it-to-win-it-tack-not-far-fetched?ft=1&f=139482413";s:4:"guid";s:140:"http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/03/07/148177270/ron-paul-campaign-manager-in-it-to-win-it-tack-not-far-fetched?ft=1&f=139482413";s:5:"nprml";a:32:{s:5:"title";s:79:"Ron Paul's In-It-To-Win-It Strategy Is 'Not Far-Fetched,' Campaign Manager Says";s:9:"partnerid";s:9:"148177270";s:6:"teaser";s:265:"Ron Paul's caucus strategy took a hit in North Dakota on Super Tuesday. He had staked time, hope and money there, but Rick Santorum pulled out a win. 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Ron Paul2012RepublicansIt's All PoliticsPoliticsPoliticsU.S.Home Page Top StoriesNews";s:11:"parent_link";s:1484:"http://www.npr.org/series/139588051/ron-paulhttp://api.npr.org/query?id=139588051&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/presidential-racehttp://api.npr.org/query?id=139544303&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/http://api.npr.org/query?id=139482413&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=137340046http://api.npr.org/query?id=137340046&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=131551086http://api.npr.org/query?id=131551086&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/templates/archives/archive.php?thingId=129865776http://api.npr.org/query?id=129865776&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=129828651&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/politics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1014&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/politics/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1014&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/us/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1003&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1002&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001http://www.npr.org/sections/news/http://api.npr.org/query?id=1001&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:6:"byline";s:9:" ";s:11:"byline_name";s:12:"Liz Halloran";s:11:"byline_link";s:130:"http://www.npr.org/people/101266638/liz-halloranhttp://api.npr.org/query?id=101266638&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:5:"image";s:9:" ";s:11:"image_title";s:156:"Texas Rep. Ron Paul (right) talks with the his presidential campaign manager, Jesse Benton, backstage at the Republican Party's Iowa straw poll last August.";s:13:"image_caption";s:156:"Texas Rep. Ron Paul (right) talks with the his presidential campaign manager, Jesse Benton, backstage at the Republican Party's Iowa straw poll last August.";s:14:"image_producer";s:16:"Charles Dharapak";s:14:"image_provider";s:2:"AP";s:17:"image_enlargement";s:11:" ";s:4:"text";s:9:" ";s:14:"text_paragraph";s:5407:"Texas Rep. Ron Paul hasn't won any of the 23 Republican presidential primaries or caucuses already in the 2012 history books.He's captured only 29 delegates, just 5 percent of those awarded in contests to date. (Front-runner Mitt Romney has 340 committed delegates, 58 percent of those officially allotted, according to NPR calculations.)And on Super Tuesday, Paul's caucus strategy took a hit in North Dakota, where he had staked time, hope and money, and where Rick Santorum pulled out a win.But while Romney, Santorum and Newt Gingrich ? or their surrogates, to be precise ? continued to bicker over who should drop out, when and why, Paul keeps insisting he's in the GOP presidential race to win the nomination in Tampa.Far-fetched? Jesse Benton, Paul's national campaign chairman, begs to differ. He spoke with us Wednesday, as Paul prepared to head to events in Kansas and Missouri, which hold their GOP presidential caucuses in coming weeks.Here's what Benton had to say about a range of issues, from campaign strategy to Iran and the political future of Paul's son, Sen. Rand Paul.On how the campaign's in-it-to-win-it posture seems highly improbable, given the post-Super Tuesday state of playIt's not far-fetched at all. Most of the delegate projection is simply that, speculation based on how people think delegates will be allotted based on performance in nonbinding straw polls. They're going to be elected through the state convention process. It's our strategy to attack those state conventions, move through that convention process and capture delegates that way. The reporting of delegate attainment is largely skewed by the media right now.On how the Paul campaign will adjust its strategy of trying to harvest delegates in caucus states now that the race is shifting to primaries with winner-take-all provisionsWe're going to have to attack these primary states in a strategic manner. We're going to be looking at Texas [May 29] and California [June 5] where we can pick up big delegates.On his former rival, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who vowed to make sure Texas is friendly territory for GingrichGov. Perry doesn't have very much political capital to spend, so we'll see how effective that is.On the point, beyond collecting money, of staying in long after the nomination race is decided. In 2008, Sen. John McCain reached the delegate threshold in March, but Paul stayed in until mid-June and transferred $4.7 million to the advocacy group Campaign for Liberty.The money that we're raising, we're spending very, very aggressively to win delegates. In 2008, the whole point was that we thought conservatives and constitutionalists deserved to have a constitutionalist to vote for even down the line. It was largely a party-building exercise. This time it's about real political victory. Dr. Paul is going to stay in this race either until he's the nominee or another candidate has 1,144 bound delegates. We see a brokered convention situation as very likely. There's a real possibility we can block any other candidate from winning 1,144 delegates.On why Paul has appeared to go easy on Romney during debates, while enthusiastically criticizing the other candidatesI wouldn't read into that. We've had five different commercials that criticized Romney, called him a flip-flopper and a hypocrite. We've sent out millions and millions of pieces of direct mail saying the same thing. Ron answers the questions he's asked in debates. He's been asked questions about Newt and Rick Santorum and Rick Perry primarily.That being said ...I think that there is a certain level of mutual respect between Gov. Romney and Ron Paul. I think that both of those two candidates, especially with each other, want to have a certain level of adult conversation about the issues that goes beyond the typical political attacks. Reading much more in that is just speculation.On how much of Paul's effort and fundraising this year are an attempt to create a scenario for his son, Sen. Rand Paul, to run for president in four yearsWe won't have money left over. What will be left is the organization, the movement, the lists, things like that. That will be left behind, and that's extremely valuable. Not a pot of money. Those assets are there to try to fight for liberty and Sen. Paul is one of the premier voices for liberty in this country. The assets that we have will always be available for him to use as he sees fit.On Paul's criticism of his fellow candidates' push for intervention in Iran to disrupt its nuclear programAmerica should not rush to war with Iran. We need to be vigilant. We need to take reasonable steps to deter them from getting a nuclear weapon.But this beating of the war drums is disastrous for the Republican Party. If the Republican Party wants to just anoint Barack Obama and hand him keys to a second term, then Republicans can just continue this warmongering.That's what's going to happen. The American people are very clear: They don't want us going carelessly into another war. Barack Obama is painting himself as a much more reasonable person, who is much more open to peace. We don't believe that. But on the naked politics of it, the appearance, Barack Obama is painting himself as the reasonable person that's much more in step with the American people on this. [Copyright 2012 National Public Radio]";s:12:"textwithhtml";s:9:" ";s:22:"textwithhtml_paragraph";s:5997:"Texas Rep. Ron Paul hasn't won any of the 23 Republican presidential primaries or caucuses already in the 2012 history books.He's captured only 29 delegates, just 5 percent of those awarded in contests to date. (Front-runner Mitt Romney has 340 committed delegates, 58 percent of those officially allotted, according to NPR calculations.)And on Super Tuesday, Paul's caucus strategy took a hit in North Dakota, where he had staked time, hope and money, and where Rick Santorum pulled out a win.But while Romney, Santorum and Newt Gingrich ? or their surrogates, to be precise ? continued to bicker over who should drop out, when and why, Paul keeps insisting he's in the GOP presidential race to win the nomination in Tampa.Far-fetched? Jesse Benton, Paul's national campaign chairman, begs to differ. He spoke with us Wednesday, as Paul prepared to head to events in Kansas and Missouri, which hold their GOP presidential caucuses in coming weeks.Here's what Benton had to say about a range of issues, from campaign strategy to Iran and the political future of Paul's son, Sen. Rand Paul.On how the campaign's in-it-to-win-it posture seems highly improbable, given the post-Super Tuesday state of playIt's not far-fetched at all. Most of the delegate projection is simply that, speculation based on how people think delegates will be allotted based on performance in nonbinding straw polls. They're going to be elected through the state convention process. It's our strategy to attack those state conventions, move through that convention process and capture delegates that way. The reporting of delegate attainment is largely skewed by the media right now.On how the Paul campaign will adjust its strategy of trying to harvest delegates in caucus states now that the race is shifting to primaries with winner-take-all provisionsWe're going to have to attack these primary states in a strategic manner. We're going to be looking at Texas [May 29] and California [June 5] where we can pick up big delegates.On his former rival, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who vowed to make sure Texas is friendly territory for GingrichGov. Perry doesn't have very much political capital to spend, so we'll see how effective that is.On the point, beyond collecting money, of staying in long after the nomination race is decided. In 2008, Sen. John McCain reached the delegate threshold in March, but Paul stayed in until mid-June and transferred $4.7 million to the advocacy group Campaign for Liberty.The money that we're raising, we're spending very, very aggressively to win delegates. In 2008, the whole point was that we thought conservatives and constitutionalists deserved to have a constitutionalist to vote for even down the line. It was largely a party-building exercise. This time it's about real political victory. Dr. Paul is going to stay in this race either until he's the nominee or another candidate has 1,144 bound delegates. We see a brokered convention situation as very likely. There's a real possibility we can block any other candidate from winning 1,144 delegates.On why Paul has appeared to go easy on Romney during debates, while enthusiastically criticizing the other candidates
I wouldn't read into that. We've had five different commercials that criticized Romney, called him a flip-flopper and a hypocrite. We've sent out millions and millions of pieces of direct mail saying the same thing. Ron answers the questions he's asked in debates. He's been asked questions about Newt and Rick Santorum and Rick Perry primarily.That being said ...I think that there is a certain level of mutual respect between Gov. Romney and Ron Paul. I think that both of those two candidates, especially with each other, want to have a certain level of adult conversation about the issues that goes beyond the typical political attacks. Reading much more in that is just speculation.On how much of Paul's effort and fundraising this year are an attempt to create a scenario for his son, Sen. Rand Paul, to run for president in four yearsWe won't have money left over. What will be left is the organization, the movement, the lists, things like that. That will be left behind, and that's extremely valuable. Not a pot of money. Those assets are there to try to fight for liberty and Sen. Paul is one of the premier voices for liberty in this country. The assets that we have will always be available for him to use as he sees fit.On Paul's criticism of his fellow candidates' push for intervention in Iran to disrupt its nuclear programAmerica should not rush to war with Iran. We need to be vigilant. We need to take reasonable steps to deter them from getting a nuclear weapon.But this beating of the war drums is disastrous for the Republican Party. If the Republican Party wants to just anoint Barack Obama and hand him keys to a second term, then Republicans can just continue this warmongering.That's what's going to happen. The American people are very clear: They don't want us going carelessly into another war. Barack Obama is painting himself as a much more reasonable person, who is much more open to peace. We don't believe that. But on the naked politics of it, the appearance, Barack Obama is painting himself as the reasonable person that's much more in step with the American people on this.
Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";s:8:"fulltext";s:8716:"
Texas Rep. Ron Paul (right) talks with the his presidential campaign manager, Jesse Benton, backstage at the Republican Party's Iowa straw poll last August.
Charles Dharapak/AP

Texas Rep. Ron Paul (right) talks with the his presidential campaign manager, Jesse Benton, backstage at the Republican Party's Iowa straw poll last August.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul hasn't won any of the 23 Republican presidential primaries or caucuses already in the 2012 history books.

He's captured only 29 delegates, just 5 percent of those awarded in contests to date. (Front-runner Mitt Romney has 340 committed delegates, 58 percent of those officially allotted, according to NPR calculations.)

And on Super Tuesday, Paul's caucus strategy took a hit in North Dakota, where he had staked time, hope and money, and where Rick Santorum pulled out a win.

But while Romney, Santorum and Newt Gingrich ? or their surrogates, to be precise ? continued to bicker over who should drop out, when and why, Paul keeps insisting he's in the GOP presidential race to win the nomination in Tampa.

Far-fetched? Jesse Benton, Paul's national campaign chairman, begs to differ. He spoke with us Wednesday, as Paul prepared to head to events in Kansas and Missouri, which hold their GOP presidential caucuses in coming weeks.

Here's what Benton had to say about a range of issues, from campaign strategy to Iran and the political future of Paul's son, Sen. Rand Paul.

 

On how the campaign's in-it-to-win-it posture seems highly improbable, given the post-Super Tuesday state of play

It's not far-fetched at all. Most of the delegate projection is simply that, speculation based on how people think delegates will be allotted based on performance in nonbinding straw polls. They're going to be elected through the state convention process. It's our strategy to attack those state conventions, move through that convention process and capture delegates that way. The reporting of delegate attainment is largely skewed by the media right now.

On how the Paul campaign will adjust its strategy of trying to harvest delegates in caucus states now that the race is shifting to primaries with winner-take-all provisions

We're going to have to attack these primary states in a strategic manner. We're going to be looking at Texas [May 29] and California [June 5] where we can pick up big delegates.

On his former rival, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who vowed to make sure Texas is friendly territory for Gingrich

Gov. Perry doesn't have very much political capital to spend, so we'll see how effective that is.

On the point, beyond collecting money, of staying in long after the nomination race is decided. In 2008, Sen. John McCain reached the delegate threshold in March, but Paul stayed in until mid-June and transferred $4.7 million to the advocacy group Campaign for Liberty.

The money that we're raising, we're spending very, very aggressively to win delegates. In 2008, the whole point was that we thought conservatives and constitutionalists deserved to have a constitutionalist to vote for even down the line. It was largely a party-building exercise. This time it's about real political victory. Dr. Paul is going to stay in this race either until he's the nominee or another candidate has 1,144 bound delegates. We see a brokered convention situation as very likely. There's a real possibility we can block any other candidate from winning 1,144 delegates.

On why Paul has appeared to go easy on Romney during debates, while enthusiastically criticizing the other candidates

I wouldn't read into that. We've had five different commercials that criticized Romney, called him a flip-flopper and a hypocrite. We've sent out millions and millions of pieces of direct mail saying the same thing. Ron answers the questions he's asked in debates. He's been asked questions about Newt and Rick Santorum and Rick Perry primarily.

That being said ...

I think that there is a certain level of mutual respect between Gov. Romney and Ron Paul. I think that both of those two candidates, especially with each other, want to have a certain level of adult conversation about the issues that goes beyond the typical political attacks. Reading much more in that is just speculation.

On how much of Paul's effort and fundraising this year are an attempt to create a scenario for his son, Sen. Rand Paul, to run for president in four years

We won't have money left over. What will be left is the organization, the movement, the lists, things like that. That will be left behind, and that's extremely valuable. Not a pot of money. Those assets are there to try to fight for liberty and Sen. Paul is one of the premier voices for liberty in this country. The assets that we have will always be available for him to use as he sees fit.

On Paul's criticism of his fellow candidates' push for intervention in Iran to disrupt its nuclear program

America should not rush to war with Iran. We need to be vigilant. We need to take reasonable steps to deter them from getting a nuclear weapon.

But this beating of the war drums is disastrous for the Republican Party. If the Republican Party wants to just anoint Barack Obama and hand him keys to a second term, then Republicans can just continue this warmongering.

That's what's going to happen. The American people are very clear: They don't want us going carelessly into another war. Barack Obama is painting himself as a much more reasonable person, who is much more open to peace. We don't believe that. But on the naked politics of it, the appearance, Barack Obama is painting himself as the reasonable person that's much more in step with the American people on this.

Tags: Rep. Ron Paul

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";}s:9:"thumbnail";s:25:" ";s:12:"organization";s:16:" ";s:6:"parent";s:300:" ";s:6:"byline";s:25:" ";s:5:"image";s:106:" ";s:17:"image_enlargement";s:9:" ";s:4:"text";s:223:" ";s:12:"textwithhtml";s:223:" ";s:7:"content";a:1:{s:7:"encoded";s:554:"

Ron Paul's caucus strategy took a hit in North Dakota on Super Tuesday. He had staked time, hope and money there, but Rick Santorum pulled out a win. Still, Paul's campaign continues to insist he is in the GOP presidential race to win the nomination in Tampa.

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";}s:7:"summary";s:265:"Ron Paul's caucus strategy took a hit in North Dakota on Super Tuesday. He had staked time, hope and money there, but Rick Santorum pulled out a win. Still, Paul's campaign continues to insist he is in the GOP presidential race to win the nomination in Tampa.";s:12:"atom_content";s:554:"

Ron Paul's caucus strategy took a hit in North Dakota on Super Tuesday. He had staked time, hope and money there, but Rick Santorum pulled out a win. Still, Paul's campaign continues to insist he is in the GOP presidential race to win the nomination in Tampa.

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";s:11:"byline_name";s:11:"Frank James";s:11:"byline_link";s:129:"http://www.npr.org/people/104199172/frank-jameshttp://api.npr.org/query?id=104199172&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:9:"container";s:9:" ";s:15:"container_title";s:19:"Related NPR Stories";s:5:"image";s:9:" ";s:11:"image_title";s:14:"David Axelrod.";s:13:"image_caption";s:14:"David Axelrod.";s:14:"image_producer";s:12:"Brian Kersey";s:14:"image_provider";s:2:"AP";s:17:"image_enlargement";s:11:" ";s:11:"relatedlink";s:9:" ";s:19:"relatedlink_caption";s:44:" Can Republicans Win Over Women In November?";s:16:"relatedlink_link";s:164:"http://www.npr.org/2012/03/07/148116969/can-republicans-win-over-women-in-novemberhttp://api.npr.org/query?id=148116969&apiKey=MDAyMTgwNzc5MDEyMjQ4ODE4MjMyYTExMA001";s:4:"text";s:9:" ";s:14:"text_paragraph";s:3232:"Note to Mitt Romney: the Rush Limbaugh controversy isn't going away; President Obama's campaign intends to make certain of that.David Axelrod, the president's political strategist, indicated to journalists Wednesday that Obama's campaign will use Romney's response to the Limbaugh's misogynistic comments about Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke to further define the Republican frontrunner as someone without the mettle to be president.You'll recall that when Romney was asked by reporters after a campaign event to react to the superstar conservative radio host's "slut" remark, he said "I wouldn't have used those words" and kept moving.Romney wasn't alone in not castigating Limbaugh for comments the radio host later apologized for. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich didn't come down hard on Limbaugh either.But the Obama campaign has for many months been readying itself to run against Romney so it's Romney's reaction to Limbaugh they're focused on.AXELROD: "The fact that their response was so timid, particularly Romney, were so timid in response, speaks to the dynamics of the Republican primary..."... And if you don't have the strength to stand up to the most strident voices in your party, how are you going to stand up to Ahmadinejad. How you going to stand to the challenges of the presidency."There are tests. Presidential campaigns are tests. You're tested every single day in different ways. The Limbaugh thing was a test of leadership. You have them all the time. Mitt Romney has failed those tests during the campaign."Axelrod also made it clear that the Obama campaign doesn't intend to stand by as Romney, if he indeed becomes the GOP nominee, shifts from primary to general-election mode.During the Republican primaries, Romney has taken more conservative positions than he once held on a range of issues including immigration, abortion and health-insurance reform, presumably to appeal to the Republican Party's base.Once they have their party's nomination in hand, presidential candidates tend to shift their position away from the edge to the political center to attract voters of the other party and independents.But Axelrod made it clear the Obama campaign will strive to make it as hard as it can for Romney to work his way back towards the political center:AXELROD: "When you hear the Romney people speak, one of them I saw quoted, said we're going to start all over again in the general election. They think they can wipe the slate clean. That their words don't mean anything. That the positions they've taken don't mean anything. That they can have a do-over."But I think the American people take his words seriously and his positions seriously. We take his words seriously and his positions seriously. And we're going to hold him to them."This is not a game. You're running for president of the U.S. when you stake out positions in the midst of a campaign, you're going to be held to those positions. and we're going to hold him to his positions. And if he's the nominee, we'll look forward to a debate. Because those positions, whether they were tactically arrived at for purposes of being the nominee, are the wrong position for the country." [Copyright 2012 National Public Radio]";s:12:"textwithhtml";s:9:" ";s:22:"textwithhtml_paragraph";s:3546:"Note to Mitt Romney: the Rush Limbaugh controversy isn't going away; President Obama's campaign intends to make certain of that.David Axelrod, the president's political strategist, indicated to journalists Wednesday that Obama's campaign will use Romney's response to the Limbaugh's misogynistic comments about Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke to further define the Republican frontrunner as someone without the mettle to be president.You'll recall that when Romney was asked by reporters after a campaign event to react to the superstar conservative radio host's "slut" remark, he said "I wouldn't have used those words" and kept moving.Romney wasn't alone in not castigating Limbaugh for comments the radio host later apologized for. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich didn't come down hard on Limbaugh either.But the Obama campaign has for many months been readying itself to run against Romney so it's Romney's reaction to Limbaugh they're focused on.
AXELROD: "The fact that their response was so timid, particularly Romney, were so timid in response, speaks to the dynamics of the Republican primary..."... And if you don't have the strength to stand up to the most strident voices in your party, how are you going to stand up to Ahmadinejad. How you going to stand to the challenges of the presidency."There are tests. Presidential campaigns are tests. You're tested every single day in different ways. The Limbaugh thing was a test of leadership. You have them all the time. Mitt Romney has failed those tests during the campaign."
Axelrod also made it clear that the Obama campaign doesn't intend to stand by as Romney, if he indeed becomes the GOP nominee, shifts from primary to general-election mode.During the Republican primaries, Romney has taken more conservative positions than he once held on a range of issues including immigration, abortion and health-insurance reform, presumably to appeal to the Republican Party's base.Once they have their party's nomination in hand, presidential candidates tend to shift their position away from the edge to the political center to attract voters of the other party and independents.But Axelrod made it clear the Obama campaign will strive to make it as hard as it can for Romney to work his way back towards the political center:
AXELROD: "When you hear the Romney people speak, one of them I saw quoted, said we're going to start all over again in the general election. They think they can wipe the slate clean. That their words don't mean anything. That the positions they've taken don't mean anything. That they can have a do-over."But I think the American people take his words seriously and his positions seriously. We take his words seriously and his positions seriously. And we're going to hold him to them."This is not a game. You're running for president of the U.S. when you stake out positions in the midst of a campaign, you're going to be held to those positions. and we're going to hold him to his positions. And if he's the nominee, we'll look forward to a debate. Because those positions, whether they were tactically arrived at for purposes of being the nominee, are the wrong position for the country."
Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
";s:8:"fulltext";s:6819:"

Note to Mitt Romney: the Rush Limbaugh controversy isn't going away; President Obama's campaign intends to make certain of that.

David Axelrod.
Brian Kersey/AP

David Axelrod.

David Axelrod, the president's political strategist, indicated to journalists Wednesday that Obama's campaign will use Romney's response to the Limbaugh's misogynistic comments about Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke to further define the Republican frontrunner as someone without the mettle to be president.

You'll recall that when Romney was asked by reporters after a campaign event to react to the superstar conservative radio host's "slut" remark, he said "I wouldn't have used those words" and kept moving.

Romney wasn't alone in not castigating Limbaugh for comments the radio host later apologized for. Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich didn't come down hard on Limbaugh either.

But the Obama campaign has for many months been readying itself to run against Romney so it's Romney's reaction to Limbaugh they're focused on.

 

AXELROD: "The fact that their response was so timid, particularly Romney, were so timid in response, speaks to the dynamics of the Republican primary...

"... And if you don't have the strength to stand up to the most strident voices in your party, how are you going to stand up to Ahmadinejad. How you going to stand to the challenges of the presidency.

"There are tests. Presidential campaigns are tests. You're tested every single day in different ways. The Limbaugh thing was a test of leadership. You have them all the time. Mitt Romney has failed those tests during the campaign."

Axelrod also made it clear that the Obama campaign doesn't intend to stand by as Romney, if he indeed becomes the GOP nominee, shifts from primary to general-election mode.

During the Republican primaries, Romney has taken more conservative positions than he once held on a range of issues including immigration, abortion and health-insurance reform, presumably to appeal to the Republican Party's base.

Once they have their party's nomination in hand, presidential candidates tend to shift their position away from the edge to the political center to attract voters of the other party and independents.

But Axelrod made it clear the Obama campaign will strive to make it as hard as it can for Romney to work his way back towards the political center:

AXELROD: "When you hear the Romney people speak, one of them I saw quoted, said we're going to start all over again in the general election. They think they can wipe the slate clean. That their words don't mean anything. That the positions they've taken don't mean anything. That they can have a do-over.

"But I think the American people take his words seriously and his positions seriously. We take his words seriously and his positions seriously. And we're going to hold him to them.

"This is not a game. You're running for president of the U.S. when you stake out positions in the midst of a campaign, you're going to be held to those positions. and we're going to hold him to his positions. And if he's the nominee, we'll look forward to a debate. Because those positions, whether they were tactically arrived at for purposes of being the nominee, are the wrong position for the country."

Additional Information:

Related NPR Stories

Tags: Sandra Fluke, Mitt Romney, President Obama, Rush Limbaugh

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
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David Axelrod, the president's political strategist, indicated to journalists Wednesday that Obama's campaign will use Romney's response to the Limbaugh's misogynistic comments about Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke to further define the Republican frontrunner as someone without the mettle to be president.

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";}s:7:"summary";s:325:"David Axelrod, the president's political strategist, indicated to journalists Wednesday that Obama's campaign will use Romney's response to the Limbaugh's misogynistic comments about Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke to further define the Republican frontrunner as someone without the mettle to be president.";s:12:"atom_content";s:830:"

David Axelrod, the president's political strategist, indicated to journalists Wednesday that Obama's campaign will use Romney's response to the Limbaugh's misogynistic comments about Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke to further define the Republican frontrunner as someone without the mettle to be president.

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