Although there are no announced Republican candidates for President, the race for 2012 is already underway with a number of candidates testing the waters. RightWingWatch will begin bringing you weekly updates on new speeches, events, controversies, and activities of potential 2012 contenders.
Haley Barbour
2012: Claims that his lobbyist experience will help him as President (US News & World Report, 9/14).
Civil-rights: Odd history from Barbour on Ole Miss integration (McClatchy, 9/9)
Mitch Daniels
2012: Meets with GOP fundraisers and “well-connected Republican figures” (Politico, 9/14).
Newt Gingrich
Obama: Claims that Obama represents “Kenyan, anti-colonial” worldview citing a D’Souza article in Forbes which says Obama’s agenda is to fulfill the dreams of his father, whom D’Souza calls a “philandering, inebriated African socialist” (WhoRunsGov, 9/12).
2010: Predicts GOP majority in House and Senate, Reid loss (CNSNews, 9/13).
Government: Floats government shutdown if GOP wins majorities (GOP12, 9/12).
Abortion: Gingrich adviser blames legal abortion for unemployment (RightWingWatch, 9/13).
Education: Scheduled to appear on Rev. Al Sharpton’s new show on education issues (Hollywood Reporter, 9/13).
Mike Huckabee
2010: Fundraises for Rob Portman and Steve Chabot in Ohio (Business Courier, 9/13).
2012: Set to address the Michigan Chamber of Commerce on economy, education, and health care (WLNS, 9/14).
Sarah Palin
2010: Holds fundraiser for Rand Paul in Louisville on Thursday (Kentucky Enquirer, 9/13); records robocalls for two Mama Grizzlies: Christine O’Donnell in Delaware and Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire before primaries.
GOP: David Plouffe claims “Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck” lead the Republican Party. “All of these Republican candidates have to pledge allegiance to them, their intolerance and their backwards thinking” (New York Times, 9/13)
Right-wing: Says Statue of Liberty meant to be a “warning” to the US “not to go down the path of other countries that adopted socialist policies” (FireDogLake, 9/13).
Park51: Imam Rauf cites Palin for encouraging a “growing Islamophobia” (NY Daily News, 9/12).
George Pataki
New Hampshire: Tells Bedford audience that “government is intimately involved in creating the problems,” responsible for stoking the economic crisis (Union Leader, 9/13).
Health Care: Writes Op-Ed calling for repeal of Health Care Reform (USA Today, 9/13).
Tim Pawlenty
New Hampshire: Sends six staffers from leadership PAC to the Granite State (AP, 9/14)
Economy: Visits Shanghai World’s Fair, says of China: “They're not racing us to the bottom. They're racing us to the top” (Minnesota Post, 9/13).
Mitt Romney
2010: Fundraiser in the works for GA Senator Johnny Isakson (Atlanta Journal Constitution, 9/13).
Rick Santorum
2012: Calls for infusion of religion into politics, rejects JFK’s 1960 speech defending the separation of church and state (RightWingWatch, 9/13).
Obama: Claims the President is “condescending” to GOP leaders (GOP12, 9/13).
