The Hill: Hoekstra Campaign Pulls Website Tied To Controversial Super Bowl Commercial

On February 9, 2012, The Hill reported:

 Former Rep. Pete Hoekstra’s (R-Mich.) campaign removed a website tied to his controversial Super Bowl ad Thursday, although his spokesman insists the Senate hopeful stands by — and will continue to air — the accompanying television spot.

WISH-TV: Where Does Sen. Lugar Live?

On February 9, 2012, WISH-TV reported:

Indiana Senator Richard Lugar lives in Virginia.  It’s not a legal problem according to the Indiana Attorney General.  It may be a political problem, however, if Democrats and Tea Party supporters get their way.  They are all trying to make the case that Dick Lugar is disconnected from Indiana. A new web video from a Republican political action committee, American Bridge, points out that Dick Lugar is registered to vote at an Indianapolis home he sold 35 years ago.

Journal Sentinel: Thompson To Amend His Financial Disclosure Report

On February 9, 2012, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported:

Documents obtained by the Journal Sentinel from American Bridge 21st Century, a self-described progressive research and communications organization, and independently verified by the Journal Sentinel show that Thompson listed eight different companies or groups on his 2012 form but did not list them on his 2007 form even though his affiliation with the groups fell under the required reporting period.

Think Progress: Mitt Romney Is Financially Invested In The Birth Control He Seeks To Restrict

On February 8, 2012 Think Progress reported:

Now, an examination of Romney’s financial investments reveals that the very same GOP frontrunner who is now petitioning the White House to extend the regulation’s conscience clause and exclude more women from the benefits of birth control is himself invested in and profiting from pharmaceutical companies that produce the frequently prescribed and extremely common medication:

POLITICO: Romney As Cartoon Millionaire

On February 8, 2012, POLITICO reported:

Meet Mitt Romney, the parody. He’s really rich, worth between $150 million and “$200-odd million,” as he memorably put it. He thinks “corporations are people,” but doesn’t much worry about real people if they’re “very poor.” Homes? Three. Tax returns? None of your business. He invests in the same exotic places a James Bond villain might, the Cayman Islands and a Swiss bank account.

Scott “Bring Home The Pork” Brown Has Zero Earmark Credibility

This week, Senator Scott Brown has launched a number of attacks on Elizabeth Warren regarding earmarks. Overlooking the fact that Warren has never actually sponsored an earmark, Brown has - and bragged about it. “Listening to Scott Brown talk about earmarks is like listening to Gisele Bundchen talk about football,” said Matt Thornton, spokesman for American Bridge 21st Century. “The fact is, he has gladly and proudly asked for government pork, and his new-found hatred for earmarks is nothing more than an election year gimmick.”

As A State Representative, Scott Brown Boasted Of Pork Prowess

Brown: “I’m Going To Continue to Bring Home The Pork.” When discussing the upcoming 2009 legislative session, the Boston Globe reported that Brown vowed to continue to bring home the pork. “‘The first battle is to protect’ local aid payments to his communities, he said. ‘I’m going to continue to bring home the pork because it offsets what’s being cut. The second battle is to try to be part of the solution to the economic mess.’” [Boston Globe, 1/4/09]

Bloomberg: Private-Equity Lobbying Helped Protect Romney’s Tax Benefits

On February 7, 2012, Bloomberg  reported:

The largest U.S. private-equity funds and venture capital firms have relied on a five-year, multimillion-dollar lobbying campaign to protect the carried interest tax break that helped drive presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s 2010 effective tax rate below 14 percent.

NY Times: Romney’s Returns Revive Scrutiny Of Lawful Offshore Tax Shelters

On February 7, 2012, the New York Times reported:

Mitt Romney’s tax returns have drawn political scrutiny on multiple fronts, like his relatively low tax rates and the money parked in a Swiss bank account. But on Capitol Hill, his returns have caught the eyes of members of both parties for what appears to be his use of a type of complex shelter that has been debated for years in battles over evasion and fairness in the tax code.

TPM: GOP Senate Candidate’s Solar Company Took Stimulus Cash

On February 6, 2012, Talking Points Memo reported:

Former Rep. Mark Neumann (R-WI), who is running in a three-way primary for the state’s open Senate seat on a platform of cutting government, has in fact taken government spending from a particular Obama administration initiative: stimulus grants. What’s more, the money was for his solar energy company.

POLITICO: Mitt's Solyndra? He Handed Out Renewable Energy Subsidies, Too

On February 6, 2012, POLITICO reported:

Just under three weeks into his term as governor, Romney brought a $1.5 million check to Konarka, a well-connected solar startup in Lowell, Mass., itching to buy a new pilot production assembly line. Four other companies also scored renewable energy subsidy awards that same day, including Evergreen Solar, which won $2.5 million for a major expansion and to cover operating losses as it tried to become profitable. Also that day, Romney announced plans to take $15 million from Massachusetts' Renewable Energy Trust Fund — a pot of more than $150 million collected from electricity customers following passage of a 1998 energy deregulation law — and start up a new private venture capital outfit that would back green-minded state businesses with equity, loans and management advice.