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    Lacey Halpern

    Washington

  • FL Attorney General Calls Health Care “One of the Biggest Cases of our Lifetime”

    Official Photo"It's truly one of the biggest cases of our lifetime." That is how Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) describes the lawsuit her state and 25 others filed that will be heard before the Supreme Court on Monday.

    The lawsuit was originally filed back in 2010 and has been ruled on by several lower courts. Bondi says that the case boils down to whether or not Congress has the power to force people to buy insurance.

    "If they can force us to do this, they could force us to do anything," Bondi told Fox News Saturday.

    "I can tell you that the Obama administration, they're going to try to focus on health care policy and that's not what it is about. This is about our rights of the United States Constitution," added Bondi.

    Bondi also says that she is surprised by the amount of time court has given them to make their case.

    "A modern day United States Supreme Court, they only give you an hour of oral argument. Here, we have been given six hours over three days." said Bondi.

    Bondi along with several other attorneys general will be in the Supreme Court to hear the arguments. A decision on the case is expected in late June.

     

    Filed In
    Supreme Court
    health care lawsuit
    Pam Bondi
  • Santorum: There will be no one Stronger on Judges than I am

    Former Senator Rick Santorum (R) says if he is elected, he will take judicial appointments very seriously and he'll "have a litmus test that they should follow the Constitution."

    "There will be no one stronger on judges than I am," said Santorum Sunday on Fox News. He touted his work in Congress to help push President George W. Bush's judicial appointments through as evidence.

    "We took the battle to the Democrats when they were going to shut them down and they had in the past. When I was in that leadership, I said, we're not going to do that anymore. We're going to have all night filibusters, we're going to try to break them (Democrats)," added Santorum.

    Many have criticized Santorum for his endorsement of then moderate Republican Senator Arlen Specter. But Santorum says that was a quid-quo-deal. Santorum said he agreed to endorse Specter in exchange for Specter voting in favor of President George W. Bush's conservative judicial nominees in 2004.

    Santorum's endorsement helped Specter beat out Pat Toomey, who was later elected in 2010.

    Santorum also took jabs at his rival, Mitt Romney over his past judicial appointments. (read more)

    Filed In
    2012 Election
    Rick Santorum
  • Gov. Brewer: I think I could join on Contraception Mandate Lawsuit

    Gov. Jan Brewer, R-Ariz., says she may be willing to add her state to the list of those suing the Obama administration over its contraceptive coverage mandate.

    "I actually haven't seen the lawsuit, but I think I could join in on a lawsuit," said Brewer during an interview with Fox News.

    Governor Brewer says she feels strongly about the issue because she believes in separation of church and state.

    The mandate stems from the federal health care overhaul. It originally required religious-affiliated institutions to offer free contraceptive coverage - President Obama tried to quell the backlash to the rule by instead offering to exempt those institutions, while still requiring insurance companies to provide the coverage directly.

    But as the lawsuits demonstrate, some institutions and states were not satisfied with the change.

    "It's just another point of Obama health care that is wrong, absolutely wrong," added Brewer.

    So far, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Carolina have filed suit in a Nebraska U.S. District Court.

     

    Filed In
    President Obama
    Jan Brewer
    contraceptive
  • Andrew Breitbart: CPAC an X-Factor in Election

    Influential conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart says this CPAC has the potential to play a big role in the 2012 presidential race. Breitbart called it an "X-factor in this election cycle."

    He says the crowds as CPAC are a smart group. In fact, he commends them for being "more informed than me on the politics." But, Breitbart doesn't feel as fondly about the candidates remaining in the GOP presidential race. He says "none of the candidates left excite him."

    Breitbart calls former House Speaker Newt Gingrich "damaged goods." And he says that people are misreading Gingrich's win in South Carolina as a nod from the Tea Party. Breitbart calls Gingrich a "proxy" who won the anti Mitt Romney vote.

    As for Rommney, Breitbart says he needs to use CPAC to "get in the trenches" and get in touch with the Tea Party voters who are responsible for change in the Republican party. Breitbart claims Romney is "managing his campaign from afar."

    Breitbart, also sees CPAC as a potential "game changer" for former Senator Rick Santorum. Breitbart says Santorum doesn't "recognize the media is everything" in this election. He says Santorum needs to use the media to emotionally connect with voters and continue the momentum he picked up in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota. (read more)

    Filed In
    CPAC
    2012
  • VIDEO BLOG: Rep. Steve King: I was 90-10 on Endorsing

    Iowa Congressman and Tea Party favorite Steve King says he was "more than 50-50" on endorsing a presidential candidate, but something held him back.

    "I was 90-10, but as the race unfolded, none of the candidates actually captured me in a way that I was eager to step up and defend just their positions," said King on Power Play Friday.

    Several GOP hopefuls actively sought King's endorsement in the lead-up to the Iowa Caucuses. But King, a Tea Party Caucus member says, "I didn't quite hear that presidential candidate that gave the shining "city on the hill" speech that described for us the next level of destiny for America."

    King says after the South Carolina Primary, he had conversations with South Carolina Congressman Tim Scott about the difficulty Scott also had making the decision not to endorse anyone.

    King added that each of the remaining candidates has a lot to offer.

    For more on Rep. King's reaction, check out the video below:

     

    Filed In
    2012
    Rep. Steve King
  • Gibbs Back on Obama’s Campaign Staff

    It's official. Former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is working for President Obama again, but not in the Oval Office. Gibbs has taken on the role of surrogate and consultant for the president's re-election campaign.

    A campaign official says that Gibbs has been helping out the campaign for months, and it's like he never left. Gibbs recently signed a formal contract.

    The former White House Press Secretary has been on conference calls discussing the campaign with campaign senior strategist David Axelrod, campaign manager Jim Messina and White House adviser David Plouffe.

    Gibbs left his role at the White House last year and was replaced by Jay Carney.

     

    Filed In
    2012 Election
    President Obama
    Robert Gibbs
  • SC Politics & the Weather

    Weather could factor into the South Carolina Primary. There are three key voting areas that are different in political make-up and geography: the upstate, the midlands and the coastal area.

    Depending on which part of the state voters are in, they are dealing with very different weather conditions. The Upstate and the midlands are dealing with rain, fog and thunderstorms. Meanwhile, along the coast there is sunshine and warmer temperatures.

    The big thing to watch for today will be voter turnout in those areas facing rough weather. For some people, that could keep them from the polls, which would be bad news for Newt Gingrich who is banking on votes from the more socially conservative upstate area.

    There is also rain across the middle of the state, which includes the state capital and a large military population.

    The sunshine along the coast could be good for Romney, who is banking on good turnout there. Storms are expected hit the coastal areas later in the afternoon, which could play into the number of voters that come out later in the day.

    Long story short, the timing of the rain and the intensity could swing today's vote one way or the other.

    Filed In
    newt gingrich
    Mitt Romney
    south carolina primary
  • VIDEO: Conservative Radio Host Backs Newt Gingrich

    He may not be considered the most socially conservative candidate in the Republican race for president, but Iowa conservative radio host Steve Deace says Newt Gingrich is the only candidate that can get things done.

    "For all his flaws, he understands historically what the left has used the judicial branch to do to this country," Deace told Fox News Saturday

    "The first thing I believe must be done is re-establish the rule of law in this country and we cannot have that without the constitutional separation of power that Newt Gingrich has talked about," Deace added.

    Deace said he had narrowed his options down to Gingrich and Texas Congressman Ron Paul, but he says Paul's foreign policy is "naïve at best and reckless at worst."

    When asked why he didn't choose someone more socially conservative, Deace replied that while those issues are important, "If we wait around for everybody to say how pro life they are and 40 years for the courts to overturn their own Roe versus Wade precedent we'll be waiting for abortion to end in this country until Jesus returns."

    "We have to confront an out of control judiciary branch once and for all," Deace said.

    Filed In
    newt gingrich
    2012
    iowa caucus
  • @Jon2012Girls: 2012 Politics in 140 Characters or Less

    Twitter

    Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman has refrained from attacking his opponents on the campaign trail. But his three eldest daughters haven't held back.

    Abby Livingston, along with her sisters Liddy and Mary Anne Huntsman are going to bat for their father using social media to pump up his campaign and zing his opponents.

    "We just believe in our dad so much that we are kind of sitting out there and trying to give people out there a voice of who my dad is and what he stands for," Liddy said Sunday on Fox News.

    During a debate on Oct. 11, @Jon2012Girls, as they are known on Twitter, wrote live-time reviews that some saw as tough on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's experience overseas

    "How does Romney know anything about China? He's only been there once and that was for the Olympics. Panda express doesn't count," tweeted the girls.

    Crediting Liddy with the sharp-witted Tweets, the daughters agreed they don't intend their observations to be mean-spirited.

    "A lot of it isn't 100 percent serious. We are having fun with it and so I hope the people out there aren't like ‘they are really trying to get after people or say negative things,'" said Abby. "We are trying to get people to laugh."

    The girls also say they get their sense of humor from their father. (read more)

    Filed In
    2012 Election
  • Fox First: Cain Reveals his “Economic Secret Kitchen Cabinet”

    Herman Cain has been talking about his 9-9-9 economic recovery plan for two weeks now, but he hasn't given up the names of anyone in what he jokingly calls his " Economic Secret Kitchen Cabinet." That is, until now.

    Cain told Fox News that economist and former assistant to the director of the Office of Tax Analysis for the U.S. Treasury Gary Robbins analyzed and scored his plan. Cain said the analysis shows that his plan will "initially create 6 million jobs and that it will bring the unemployment rate down initially to about half of what it is today."

    He added his plan would, "Throw out the current tax code, and impose a 9 percent business flat tax...a 9 percent personal income tax...and a 9 percent national sales tax."

    Cain plans to release the full analysis of his plan within the next couple of days. And he says he has more "up his sleeve" for tonight's Fox News/Google debate.

    You can catch the debate on Fox News Channel at 9pm ET Thursday night.

    Filed In
    2012 Election

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