A coordinated attack by Democrats on Mitt Romney’s plan to “get rid of” Planned Parenthood to help balance the federal budget is part of a larger campaign to ensure that Romney and other Republicans lose credibility with female voters.

The Romney campaign contends that the remark has been taken out of context. Yet even the debate over what Romney meant or didn’t mean underscores the political peril he faces as the GOP nomination fight rages on.

Facing continued conservative skepticism, Romney has been pushed further to the right to appeal to his party’s right flank.

In doing so, he risks alienating key constituencies — women and independents, among them — while drawing unwanted attention to his inconsistent positions on social issues.

Santorum: English needed for Puerto Rico statehood

Rick Santorum campaigns in San Juan, Puerto Rico
loading...

Rick Santorum says Puerto Rico should only gain statehood if the territory makes English its main language.

In an interview Wednesday with a San Juan newspaper, El Vocero, Santorum said English would have to be the “main language” if Puerto Rico were to become a state.

Puerto Rico is a U.S. commonwealth. Its residents have U.S. citizenship but can only vote for president in the primaries, nor do they have a voting representative in Congress. Puerto Ricans will hold a referendum Nov. 6 on the political status of the island. Statehood is one of three options.

A key sticking point is Puerto Rico’s official language, which is Spanish. Spain ruled the island until 1898, when the U.S. took over.

Santorum was in San Juan campaigning for Sunday’s GOP presidential primary.

Ariz. officials revisit Obama’s birth certificate

President Barack Obama (R) hosts British Prime Minister David Cameron (L) for a state dinner at the South Lawn of the White Hous
loading...

 

Arizona officials are jumping back into the debunked controversy over President Barack Obama’s birth certificate and his eligibility to hold office.

A legislative committee on Wednesday endorsed a proposal requiring presidential candidates to swear that they meet the qualifications to hold the nation’s highest office.

And the Arizona secretary of state is expected to call for candidates to complete a new form asking eligibility questions, including whether they are natural-born U.S. citizens.

The controversy over the validity of Obama’s birth certificate and eligibility — started by what critics call the “birther movement” — gained steam in Arizona last year when the Legislature passed a bill requiring presidential candidates to prove their citizenship before their names can appear on the state’s ballot.

The proposal was vetoed by Republican Gov. Jan Brewer.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

More From Beach Radio