Tracking Footage: Senator Lugar Attends High-Dollar Fundraiser In Washington, DC

As Hoosiers are just beginning to recover from the devastating tornadoes, Senator Dick Lugar was in Washington, DC this morning to attend a high-dollar fundraiser. Our trackers caught him heading into Charlie Palmer’s Steakhouse on Capitol Hill. We asked him if it's appropriate to be attending a high-dollar fundraiser when so many Hoosiers have lost their homes. Watch the video to hear his answer.

TPM: Romney Backer Ted Nugent Has History Of Extreme, Violent Political Rhetoric

On March 2, 2012, Talking Points Memo reported:

Romney hasn’t shied away from controversial endorsements this cycle — he accepted Donald Trump’s seal of approval, who led a birther revival last year. One of his 2008 campaign officials, Joe Arpaio, become an embarrassment for Republican officials this week when he held a press conference outlining his own theory that Obama’s birth certificate is a fraud (he has not endorsed a candidate in 2012). But Nugent’s allusions to violence likely put him in a league of his own.

Romney’s Ties To Lobbyists Highlight His Record of Hypocrisy

Despite his desperate attempts to paint Sen. Rick Santorum as a creature of Washington and a professional influence peddler, Gov. Mitt Romney has bragged about his ability to milk funds out of the federal government, and boasts his own close ties to Washington’s most powerful lobbyists. “Mitt Romney has a bad habit of hypocritically attacking his opponents over issues that boomerang straight back at his campaign,” said American Bridge senior adviser Ty Matsdorf. “If he believes lobbyists are what’s wrong with Washington, why does he court them? If he thinks Fannie and Freddie are evil, why did he invest in them?” “This is further proof that Mitt Romney will say and do anything to get elected -- and then say something else an hour later,” Matsdorf added. See the research below.

ABC News: EXCLUSIVE: In ’02 Romney Touted D.C. Connections, Federal Funds

On March 2, 2012, ABC News reported:

In a long-forgotten tape from the 2002 Massachusetts governor’s race obtained by ABC News, Mitt Romney is seen touting his Washington connections and his ability to get millions of taxpayer dollars from the federal government.

Akron Beacon Journal: State Treasurer Announces He’s Running For U.S. Senate

On March 1, 2012, the Akron Beacon Journal reported:

During a nearly hourlong appearance, Mandel’s staff tried to obstruct the view of two people shooting video of the candidate’s public address, Cohen said. One camera belonged to American Bridge 21st Century, a self-proclaimed Democratic-leaning political action committee. The organization’s president, Rodell Mollineau, said his group tracks Mandel’s events and are regularly obstructed at public events. It was Cohen who noticed the Mandel staffers putting paper in front of the lenses. He said he asked them to stop, and they obliged. “It is Akron Press Club policy and tradition that anybody who wants to record audio or video is free to do so,” Cohen said afterward. “We’re the Press Club, after all. We’re all about free speech and free press. We would protect [Mandel’s] rights just as strenuously.”

Huffington Post: 'Virginia Is For Lugars' Website Unveiled Attacking Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar

On March 2, 2012, the Huffington Post reported:

Democrats are almost as entertained by Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar's residency questions as Lugar's Republican primary opponent, state Treasurer Richard Mourdock, and have whipped up a new website called Virginia Is for Lugars" mocking the fact that Lugar lives in the Washington, D.C., suburbs.

National Journal: After Attacking Gingrich As Lobbyist, Romney Endorsed By One

On February 29, 2012, National Journal reported:

What the campaign failed to mention is that after leaving the governor's mansion, Racicot worked as a registered lobbyist and later earned millions as the president of the American Insurance Association -- an even more explicit brand of "influence peddling" than the kind Romney attacked Newt Gingrich for earlier this year.

AP: Snowe's Retirement, Kerrey's Entrance Highlight New Optimism In Democrats' Bid To Hold Senate

On February 29, 2012, the Associated Press reported:

Rodell Mollineau, president of Democratic group American Bridge 21st Century and a former spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, echoed Garin's optimism. "If you look at the numbers, where we are, and the places for potential pickups and the strength of our incumbents, I think we're in a good place now," Mollineau said. "I think we've been in a good place; people are just starting to recognize it. This week put us in an even better place."

Josh Mandel's Series Of Unfortunate Events

Despite starting his Senate campaign just weeks after taking office as Ohio's Treasurer, Josh Mandel is making his campaign "official" at the Akron Press Club today - an event he initially refused to attend because he was "too busy." The story of his campaign to this point has been nothing but embarrassing; here is a look back at some of his greatest hits:

• Mandel "Aggressively Worked" Fundraising And Speaking Tours As State Treasurer While Office Schedule Was Neglected. [AP, 1/14/12]
• Mandel's First Senate Campaign Flight Occurred Less Than One Month After Taking Office As State Treasurer. [AP, 1/14/12]
• February 2012: Mandel Skipped 14th Consecutive Board Of Deposit Meeting, Still Failed To Attend A Single Meeting Since Taking Office. [Columbus Dispatch, 2/23/12]
• Mandel Disclosed His Personal Finances 177 Days Late. [Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11/4/11; Mandel Personal Financial Disclosure]
• Mandel Released Official Schedules, Did Not Include Out-Of-State Fundraising Trips. [Cleveland Plain Dealer, 1/20/12]
• Mandel Attack On Sherrod Brown Rated "Pants On Fire" By PolitiFact. [PolitiFact Ohio, 11/18/11]

[UPDATED] Which Is It, Mitt? Romney Website Promotes Two Contradictory Tax Policies.

We all expected Mitt Romney would flip-flop on many issues during the course of a long campaign in which he's desperate to appease the GOP base. We just thought he'd be better at covering his tracks. On one page of his website, Mitt Romney promotes an economic plan that stresses how important it is to maintain marginal tax rates at the current level. [Screenshot available here.] Yet just a few clicks away, the website promote a different tax plan that seeks to reduce marginal tax rates across the board. [Screenshot available here.] Which is it, Mitt? We knew that Mitt Romney doesn't agree with the Mitt Romney of 10 years ago, but apparently he can't even agree with the Mitt Romney of today.