Tag Archives: Republican Primary

Election, Politics

Chris Christie Endorses Donald Trump for President

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Former Republican presidential candidate and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie endorsed current front runner Donald Trump on Friday.

“I am proud to be here to endorse Donald Trump for president of the United States,” Christie said at a press conference. “The best person to beat Hillary Clinton on that stage last night is undoubtedly Donald Trump.”

[RELATED: GOP Debate: Without Rand Paul Present, Chris Christie’s Assad Comments Go Unchallenged]

Christie also referred to Trump’s rival, Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), as “desperate” following Thursday night’s presidential debate.

While CNN described Christie’s move as a “surprise endorsement,” PolitickerNJ reported on Monday that an anonymous source said that Christie “should endorse Trump now— as soon as this week— in order to make himself that first key establishment player to legitimize the tycoon and set himself up as a forward-thinking ally in the Trump camp.”

Jon Ward of Yahoo Politics wrote that he had asked Christie, 24 hours before Christie ended his campaign, why he refrained from going after Trump during a debate ahead of the New Hampshire Primary. While maintaining he could have effectively attacked Trump during that debate, Christie said, “I do so at a time and place of my choosing. There’s no need for me to do that now.”

“Listen, there were plenty of people shooting at Donald over the course of this time, and I wanted to focus on— when the campaign came into real focus— who I had to take on,” said Christie. “The guy I needed to take on in New Hampshire was Marco Rubio.”

[RELATED: Christie Condemns ‘Civil Liberties Extremists’, Argues To Maintain NSA Surveillance In NH Speech]

Christie had, however, criticized Trump in January, describing him as a “thirteen-year-old” for choosing to not attend a debate hosted by Fox News.

“What’s that tell you about what we can expect if things go sideways when you go into the Oval Office? What are you going to do? Go upstairs to the residence and say I’m not playing?” he said. “You know, Vladimir Putin isn’t being nice to me, I’m not going to return his call? The press isn’t being nice to me, I’m not going to hold any more press conferences?”

Last August, Christie told Fox News that “Donald’s a great guy and a good person. But I just don’t think that he’s suited to be president of the United States.”

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Election, Politics

Gov. Nikki Haley Endorses Marco Rubio for President Ahead of SC Primary

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South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley announced that she was endorsing Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for president on Wednesday, as voters prepare for the state’s primary on Saturday.

Haley made the announcement during an event in Chapin, South Carolina, where she said that if Rubio is elected, “everyday will be a great day in America.”

“When it was time to look at this presidential race, I thought from a different perspective,” Haley said, noting the challenges the state has faced in the last year.

Haley said she wanted to endorse a president who “would have the back of our military veterans and those in active duty,” and who is “all about term limits in D.C.”

“I wanted somebody humble enough that remembers that you work for all of the people,” Haley said. “I wanted somebody who reminded my parents that the best decision you can make is coming to America.”

Rubio came in fifth place in the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 9 with 10.6% of the vote, and third place in the Iowa Caucus on Feb. 1 with 23.1% of the vote.

While Haley did not announce who she was endorsing prior to Wednesday, she made it clear on Tuesday that she would not be endorsing business mogul Donald Trump, calling him “everything a governor doesn’t want in a president.”

Haley also said she wants someone “who is going to hold Republicans accountable,” and “who is going to make a difference, not just for our party but for every person they represent in the country.”

The State noted that Haley endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential race, and while he lost the South Carolina primary to Newt Gingrich, he went on to win the GOP nomination.

Rubio has also been endorsed by Republican politicians in South Carolina such as Sen. Tim Scott and Rep. Trey Gowdy.

For more election coverage, click here.

Follow Rachel Blevins on Facebook and Twitter.

Election, Featured, Politics

Fact Check: Christie Did Not Stop Obamacare in New Jersey

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WISCONSIN, November 11, 2015– During Tuesday night’s Republican undercard debate hosted by Fox Business News, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie tried to convince America that he stood up to the Obama agenda when he claimed that, as Governor, he “stopped Obamacare in New Jersey because we refused to participate in the federal exchange.” While some of that statement is partly true, Christie actually followed along with other liberal governors and took steps to save Obamacare.

According to the Tenth Amendment Center, a states’ rights organization dedicated to fighting federal overreach, there are four steps that states needed to take in order to stop Obamacare in their state.

The first step is refusing to set up a state exchange. In 2012, Christie vetoed a state health insurance exchange bill.

Under Obamacare, the federal government is relying heavily on states to use their own resources to support the law by setting up a state exchange. Why? Because the federal government simply couldn’t handle implementing the law on their own.

However, Christie stopped short of doing anything else to stop Obamacare. In fact, he propped it up.

The next thing states could have done to help kill Obamacare was to refuse to expand Medicaid under Obamacare. However, Governor Christie accepted Medicaid expansion in New Jersey.

In fact, the Wall Street Journal ran an article noting that Christie’s move to expand Medicaid under Obamacare had angered Republicans.

The third thing Christie could have done to stop Obamacare was to prohibit the State Insurance Commissioner from investigating and enforcing health insurance requirements. However, Christie did not do so.

Finally, Christie could have used legislation to block the IRS’s ObamaCare taxes by suspending the licenses of insurers that accept the subsidies. “Since no insurer would then accept one, not a single employer in the state could be hit with the employer-mandate penalties those subsidies trigger,” states the Tenth Amendment Center. However, Christie didn’t do so.

Judge Andrew Napolitano said that if a number of states were willing to follow the above 4 steps, then Obamacare would be gutted.

Taken together, had Christie performed these four steps, he could have actually stopped the implementation of Obamacare in New Jersey. However, he did the opposite, which actually saved Obamacare in New Jersey.

FOLLOW MICHAEL LOTFI ON Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

 

 

Election, Politics

Jeb Bush Campaign Orders Major Spending Cuts

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MIAMI, October 23, 2015– Only four short months ago, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in Miami. Today, the campaign is letting go of various senior advisers and campaign staff. At least 40 percent of the payroll will be cut, and the campaign is also slashing 45 percent of its budget.

One Bush adviser told Bloomberg Politics in an interview Friday morning that the team was “unapologetic” about the changes, saying the moves were from a “position of strength.”

“This is about winning the race,” the adviser said. “We’re doing it now and making the shifts with confidence. We expect to win.”

So far, the establishment pick has raised $24.8 million. Meanwhile, Super PACs supporting his candidacy have raised $108.5 million. However, a war-chest totaling more than $133 million has yet to save Bush’s candidacy.

Almost $25 million has already been spent in support of Bush’s candidacy, which is more than any other candidate. Speaking of money, the campaigns of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson have each raised more money than Bush. If it weren’t for wealthy Super PAC donors, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Sen. Ted Cruz and Ben Carson would have more cash on hand to support their candidacies that Bush would.

Carson, who now leads the Republican field in Iowa, seemed somewhat shocked by the news that Bush was being forced to make such drastic cuts.

“This is a little bit surprising, but you know a lot of his money, of course, was super-PAC money as opposed to campaign money,” Carson said in an interview that is scheduled to air on With All Due Respect today on Bloomberg TV. “That doesn’t give you as much flexibility, quite frankly.”

As Bush announced his candidacy in July, he did so as a front-runner receiving nearly 18 percent of the vote in polls. Since then, his lead has dropped by nearly 11 points as he currently only captures 7.2 percent of the vote. Businessman Donald Trump, Carson, Rubio and Cruz all currently enjoy more support in the polls than Bush.

Some have questioned if the recent cuts could signal the end of Bush’s candidacy.

For more election coverage, click here.

FOLLOW MICHAEL LOTFI ON Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

Election, Featured, Politics

Trump Threatens Pro-Paul, Cruz Conservative Group With Multi-million Dollar Lawsuit

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September 23, 2015– On Tuesday, the campaign of billionaire reality TV star Donald Trump sent a letter to the media detailing a multi-million dollar legal threat against Club For Growth, one of Washington’s most conservative political groups, for libel.

Last week, Club for Growth announced it was spending upwards of $1 million in Iowa on two attack ads that accuse Trump, the current GOP front-runner, of wanting to raise taxes, as well as referencing his past support of socialized healthcare, Hillary Clinton, and the use of eminent domain for corporations to steal private property from property owners.

Insisting he only supported a one-time tax increase on the super wealthy 15 years ago and does not hold that belief anymore, Trump repudiated the claims, and says they aren’t true.

“This is the very definition of libel,” said Trump.

However, less than one month ago, Trump suggested raising taxes.

In fact, Trump’s suggestion to raise taxes were the catalyst for praise from the far left, including progressive liberal U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Keynesian economist Paul Krugman.

“Simply stated, your Attack Ad is not only completely disingenuous, but replete with outright lies, false, defamatory attacks and destructive statements and downright fabrications which you fully know to be untrue, thereby exposing you and your so-called ‘club’ to liability for damages and other tortious harm,” Trump’s legal counsel Alan Garten wrote to Glub for Growth.

[RELATED: Post-Debate Poll Shows New GOP Frontrunner Has Emerged]

In response to Trump’s threatened lawsuit, Club for Growth issued a press release titled “Club for Growth Action Responds to Trump’s Whining.”

“Tough guy Donald Trump starts whining when his liberal record is revealed,” McIntosh said.

[pull_quote_center]Trump has advocated higher taxes numerous times over many years, just like he’s advocated for universal health care, the Wall Street bailout, and expanded government powers to take private property. Trump’s own statements prove that our ads are accurate. They will continue to run. We suggest that Donald grow up, stop whining, and try to defend his liberal record.[/pull_quote_center]

Club for Growth describes itself as the leading free-enterprise advocacy group in the nation according to its website. The group has spent millions supporting candidates like libertarian-leaning Congressmen Justin Amash (R-Mich.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), as well as United States Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who are both running for President alongside Trump.

In fact, Club for Growth just recently endorsed Paul’s proposed presidential tax plan. “Senator Rand Paul is not just a reliable vote in Congress for pro-growth policies; he is a true champion of economic freedom,” said Club for Growth in their 2016 presidential candidate profile of Paul.

[PETITION: A Joint Town Hall with Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders]

Trump’s threat has little chance of success for two reasons. First, because he went on record weeks ago and suggested raising taxes. Second, because libel cases are incredibly hard to win in the world of American politics. In fact, political entities (candidates or groups) have a legal right to lie in political ads. Therefore, even if Trump hadn’t suggested raising taxes only weeks ago, he’d still likely lose his case in court. Even if he won, Supreme Court precedent would make it virtually impossible for Trump to collect any damages.

FOLLOW MICHAEL LOTFI ON Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

Election, Politics

Ohio Sec. of State: Sore Loser Law Blocks Independent Run By Trump If GOP Bid Fails

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According to an interpretation of state law by Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, Ohio’s “sore loser” law prevents Donald Trump from filing as an independent candidate in the state’s 2016 general election for president if his Republican primary bid fails.

Earlier this month, a representative for Sec. of State Husted told USA Today that Husted claims that because Trump filed with the Federal Election Commission as a Republican and “voluntarily participated” in Fox News’ Republican presidential debate in Cleveland, he is recognized “as a Republican in the state of Ohio” for the remainder of the 2016 presidential race and can no longer obtain ballot access as an independent in the general election.

However, The Guardian notes that Republican Sec. Husted has already confirmed his support for Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich’s 2016 presidential bid, meaning he may have a vested interest in interpreting his state’s sore loser law as blocking an independent run by Trump.

Most U.S. states have some type of sore loser law that prevents candidates from running as an independent after losing a party primary, but loopholes in the multi-state nature of presidential primaries sometimes prevent those laws from affecting contests at the presidential level.

Ballot Access News’ Richard Winger, an expert on ballot access law, told CNN, “There’s precedents from just about every state that has a sore loser law that they don’t apply to [presidential] primaries. If I were Donald Trump and I knew I was going to be running outside the major presidential parties, I would not file for the Texas primary and South Dakota, and probably the Ohio one, although there’s a flaw in the Ohio law.”

According to Winger, the loophole in the Ohio sore loser law is that candidates who lose the primary under one party are blocked from petitioning for ballot access as an independent but might be allowed to file by obtaining another party’s nomination.

Last week, a Ben Swann Reality Check feature on CBS46 Atlanta, seen below, highlighted the fact that the Republican National Committee has the power to and has indicated that it might remove Donald Trump from future Republican presidential primary debates if he refuses to pledge not to run against the party’s eventual nominee as an independent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiH_NQ0PfRg

Trump has not yet taken a pledge against running as a third-party candidate but has expressed that he may make such a pledge in the future.

For more 2016 election coverage, click here.

Election, Politics

Fox News Announces Candidate Lineup for Aug. 6 GOP Presidential Debate

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Fox News has announced the candidates who qualified for its August 6 prime-time Republican presidential primary debate, which is set to kick off at 9 p.m. EST at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Anchors Chris Wallace, Bret Baier, and Megyn Kelly will moderate the televised event. Facebook and the Ohio Republican Party have been tapped as sponsors.

Candidates set to participate in the prime-time debate include billionaire Donald Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Dr. Ben Carson, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

Fox News chose to limit its prime-time debate to only 10 participants and selected qualified candidates based on a top 10 average of 5 recent polls by Bloomberg, CBS News, Fox News, Quinnipiac University, and Monmouth University.

However, in response to complaints that serious candidates with low poll numbers are being left out of the top-tier debate, the news network has invited those who did not qualify to appear in a 60-minute junior varsity debate, moderated by Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCallum, which will appear on Fox News at 5 p.m. on August 6, prior to the prime-time contest. Those who fell short of the top 10 include former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, former New York Gov. George Pataki, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. The network’s prime-time debate pre-show coverage will begin immediately after the junior varsity debate.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry responded optimistically to his failure to qualify for the prime-time contest and tweeted, “I look forward to being @FoxNews 5pm debate for what will be a serious exchange of ideas & positive solutions to get America back on track.”

However, according to CNN, Matt Beynon, a spokesperson for former Sen. Rick Santorum, called the candidate selection process “incredibly flawed” and said, “While FOX is taking a lot of heat, the [Republican National Committee] deserves as much blame for sanctioning this process. They should not be picking winners and losers. That’s the job of the voters, particularly those in Iowa and New Hampshire who have the role of voting first.”

Following Fox News’ announcement, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said, “Our field is the biggest and most diverse of any party in history and I am glad to see that every one of those extremely qualified candidates will have the opportunity to participate on Thursday evening. Republicans across the country will be able to choose which candidate has earned their support after hearing them talk through the issues.”

Ohio Gov. John Kasich almost fell short of being chosen for the prime-time debate, which is taking place in his home state. However, his 3% polling average, tying him with Chris Christie for last place among those participating, was just enough to qualify.

For more 2016 election coverage, click here.

Election, Politics

GOP Primary Sparks Billionaires’ Feud Between Donald Trump, Koch Brothers

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A Republican presidential primary season feud between billionaires has broken out as bombastic GOP candidate Donald Trump has found himself at odds with the ultra-wealthy philanthropist brothers Charles and David Koch.

The Koch brothers, whom Lawrence O’Donnell characterized as “at least 40 times richer than Donald Trump” in an above-embedded video posted last week to MSNBC’s YouTube channel, snubbed the real estate mogul and reality star by refusing to invite him to a presidential candidates’ retreat last weekend in Dana Point, CA with 450 top conservative political donors. According to CNN, candidates Carly Fiorina, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz attended the retreat.

On Sunday, Donald Trump took to Twitter to blast the GOP candidates who attended the summit and tweeted, “I wish good luck to all of the Republican candidates that traveled to California to beg for money etc. from the Koch Brothers. Puppets?”

The New York Times notes that a Koch-affiliated political data company also refused to work for Donald Trump’s campaign.

Representatives from the Koch brothers’ Freedom Partners Action Fund donor network have reportedly indicated that the top five candidates under consideration by the PAC are Ted Cruz, Scott Walker, Rand Paul, Jeb Bush, and Marco Rubio.

The libertarian-leaning Koch brothers have made issues like reforming the U.S. criminal justice system, stamping out corporate welfare, and relaxing immigration laws their 2016 political spending priorities and have recently teamed up with President Obama to push for reforms to federal sentencing guidelines for non-violent criminal convictions. George and David Koch found themselves with a more relaxed view on immigration policy than Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, as, according to Reason, the pro-union Sanders slammed the Koch brothers’ “open borders” immigration position, calling it “a right-wing proposal.”

[RELATED: Obama Praises Rand Paul, Koch Brothers in NAACP Criminal Justice Reform Speech]

On the other hand, Donald Trump has taken a hard-line stance on immigration, controversially saying during his presidential announcement speech, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

Charles Koch, who invoked American political icons like Martin Luther King, Jr., Frederick Douglass, and Susan B. Anthony in a speech before donors this weekend, told USA Today in April that his donors want a candidate with an inspiring message, “We’re telling [candidates] that if they want our support, one way to get it is articulating a good message to help Americans get a better understanding and a better appreciation of how certain policies will benefit them and will benefit all America.”

For more 2016 election coverage, click here.

Election, Politics

14 GOP Presidential Hopefuls to Face Off in Aug. 3 Forum on C-SPAN, Trump Not Attending

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The New Hampshire Union Leader has launched a C-SPAN-televised August 3 forum for 2016 Republican presidential candidates, and 14 candidates have confirmed their participation. The question-and-answer style event, which is not an official Republican National Committee-sanctioned presidential debate, will take place at the Dana Center at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. at 7 p.m. EST and is scheduled to run for two hours.

The Voters First Republican Presidential Forum was launched by the New Hampshire Union Leader in response to a rising chorus of complaints over Fox News’ decision to exclude candidates with low poll numbers from its August 6 prime time debate at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

“Fox has said it will serve as the first primary and ‘winnow’ the field on Aug. 6. We and our partners think the voters of our states should continue to play that role. Our forum will give voters a chance to see the larger field of candidates and will give the voters a chance to have their issues addressed,” said New Hampshire Union Leader publisher Joseph W. McQuaid.

[RELATED: Fox News Moves Second-Tier GOP Presidential Debate to More Visible Time Slot]

The New Hampshire forum is currently set to feature all of the currently-announced prominent Republican candidates save for two, Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee. Huckabee’s absence from the list of participating candidates was not explained by the Union Leader, so it could be possible that he will confirm his participation at a later time. Candidates set to participate include Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, Rick Perry, Scott Walker, Rand Paul, Bobby Jindal, John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Rick Santorum, and George Pataki.

According to the Union Leader, “Candidate Trump bowed out because, an aide said, he was upset with a Union Leader editorial this week that mocked him for saying that U.S. Sen. John McCain was not a war hero. McCain, shot down by the North Vietnamese, suffered years of torture after refusing to be released early because his father was an admiral.”

Last Tuesday, billionaire Donald Trump reportedly wrote a letter to McQuaid explaining his refusal to participate, which read, “…knowing you as I do, I feel it is unlikely I will be getting the endorsement from you and the Union Leader. I have made a great fortune based on instinct and that, unfortunately, is my view. Therefore, and for other reasons including the fact that I feel there are too many people onstage to have a proper forum, I will not be attending.”

The forum will be moderated by WGIR radio personality Jack Heath. According to the Union Leader, “The Voters First Forum is being co-sponsored by the New Hampshire Union Leader, the Charleston, S.C., Post and Courier, and the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gazette. Broadcast co-sponsors are iHeart radio, KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids; and WLTX-TV in Columbia, S.C. The forum will be broadcast nationally by C-SPAN. New England viewers will be able to watch on NECN. It will be broadcast locally by NH1/WBIN-TV in New Hampshire, as well as by the South Carolina and Iowa stations. It will also air live on NHPR.”

Event organizers are asking the public to submit suggestions of issues to discuss at the forum.

For more 2016 election coverage, click here.

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Drug War, Election, Featured

Christie Tells Colo. Pot Smokers to ‘Enjoy It’ Now As He Will Bust Them As President

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New Jersey Republican Governor and former federal prosecutor Chris Christie issued a dire warning to pot users in states that have legalized marijuana while promoting his 2016 presidential campaign at a town hall meeting at Salt Hill Pub in Newport, New Hampshire on Tuesday. “If you’re getting high in Colorado today, enjoy it. As of January 2017, I will enforce the federal laws,” said Christie.

Christie claimed that he believes that marijuana is a gateway drug that alters the brain and criticized the Obama administration for choosing not to enforce federal marijuana laws in states where it has been legalized. “That’s lawlessness,” he said, according to Bloomberg. “If you want to change the marijuana laws, go ahead and change the national marijuana laws.”

Reason notes that 2016 GOP presidential candidates Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Rick Perry, Jeb Bush, George Pataki, and Carly Fiorina have all stated that they support the right of states to craft their own policy on marijuana, citing the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Truth in Media’s Annabelle Bamforth reported back in April of this year that Christie had pledged, prior to launching his 2016 campaign, that, if he were to become president, he would enforce federal marijuana laws in states that have legalized it.

Reason’s Jacob Sullum, who called Christie’s pot re-criminalization plan “utterly fantastical,” pointed out some of the difficulties facing the New Jersey Governor if he were to become president and attempt to stamp out growing marijuana industries in pot-legal states. “Three of the four states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use, plus the District of Columbia, allow home cultivation as well as commercial production. A determined prohibitionist in the White House, aided by DEA agents and federal prosecutors, could make life difficult for state-licensed growers and retailers, albeit at the cost of antagonizing political leaders in the states with legal pot (a list that probably will have expanded by the time the next president takes office). Going after thousands of scattered home growers, each of whom is free to share his produce with friends and neighbors, would be considerably harder. The federal government simply does not have the resources for such an eradication campaign,” argued Sullum.

Christie, who currently sits at ninth in the polls among 2016 GOP presidential candidates according to a RealClearPolitics polling average cited by Bloomberg, is fighting to stay in the top 10 ahead of Fox News’ August 6 televised Republican presidential debate in which the top 10 out of 16 candidates according to national polls will be featured in a prime-time showdown at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Those candidates who fail to make the top 10 will be featured in a second-tier debate taking place earlier that day.

For more 2016 election coverage, click here.

Watch the Truth in Media Project’s Consider This video, embedded below, which examines some facts about non-violent inmates serving hard time under the federal War on Drugs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zTOFxdUsQw

Election, Politics

Santorum Backs Off Pledge to Crack Down on Internet Porn

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Socially-conservative Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, a former U.S. senator, is backing down from his 2012 position calling for a crackdown on internet pornography.

According to The Huffington Post, Santorum’s 2012 presidential campaign website featured a statement which read, “America is suffering a pandemic of harm from pornography. It contributes to misogyny and violence against women. It is a contributing factor to prostitution and sex trafficking.”

The statement added, “Current federal ‘obscenity’ laws prohibit distribution of hardcore (obscene) pornography on the Internet, on cable/satellite TV, on hotel/motel TV, in retail shops and through the mail or by common carrier.” Santorum’s statement pledged that he would revive unenforced obscenity laws to accomplish his political objective of stamping out pornographers.

Last week, Santorum told US News & World Report that he does not recall advancing that viewpoint. “I don’t even remember that position to be very honest with you. I wish I could say I was cognizant of everything that’s on my website.” He then clarified, “I’m not, candidly, familiar with the federal laws with respect to pornography… but all I would say is whatever the laws are, unlike this president I will enforce [them].”

The federal government stopped prosecuting pornographers decades ago, but National Center on Sexual Exploitation chief Patrick Trueman, a former Reagan administration prosecutor who participated in a federal crackdown on pornographers in the ’80s, is pushing 2016 GOP candidates to support a renewed war on porn.

“Santorum doesn’t seem to notice that as porn has become ever-more available via the Internet, the prevalence of rape has plunged. Since 1991, the national rate has fallen by 86 percent — compared to a decline in overall violent crime of 65 percent,” wrote Chicago Tribune’s Steve Chapman in response to the 2012 statement on Santorum’s website.

Reason notes that a 2006 research paper by Clemson University economist Todd Kendall found that reported rapes tended to decline in states with increased access to internet pornography.

For more 2016 election coverage, click here.