Inside the Beltway

ELECTION DREAD

The arrival of Election Year 2012 has triggered a Pavlovian response of drooling and whining among journalists. Faced with another 10 months of shrill news coverage and campaign bombardment, voters are just whining. And maybe wincing, too. The Republican hopefuls, meanwhile, have girded their loins, bravely tweeted and forgotten all about Iowa. It’s on to New Hampshire for Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman Jr., while South Carolina beckons Rick Santorum and quite possibly, Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Prognosticators predict he’s not done yet.

Unpredictable drama continues. Mr. Huntsman continues on his “restoring trust” tour. Rep. Michele Bachmann has abandoned her quest to be “America’s Iron Lady” and retreated, while Mr. Santorum covets the titles “consistent conservative” and “momentum candidate” alone or in tandem. Mr. Perry, meanwhile, prefers to be known as the “fighting conservative,” and has kept up with his down-home style, with a potential campaign through the Palmetto State.

How down home? Mr. Perry’s campaign stops in the next 48 hours include appearances at the Gun Rack in Aiken, the Lizard Thicket in Lexington, Fat Jack’s Grillin’ and Chillin’ in Waterboro, Duke’s BBQ in Orangeburg and the Squat and Gobble in Bluffton.

OBAMA FUTURAMA

As the great GOP caucus squawk continues, the Republican National Committee predicts that Team Obama will attempt to ignore President Obama’s record and offer alternative justifications for his re-election. Meanwhile, the president will continue to offer “trademark empty rhetoric,” claim that things were worse than he thought and blame failures on somebody — or something — else. Like Europe.

“Each of these acts of political desperation translates simply to, ‘We failed,’” says the committee, which is still offering 18 free “Obama resolutions” e-cards for those who want to amuse fellow GOPers with helpful suggestions for the White Housenew year. See them at www.obamaresolutions.com.

91 PERCENTERS

A review of Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s new annual report by the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List finds that the organization topped $1 billion in total net assets. Almost half of its annual revenue -$487,400,000 — comes from taxpayers in the form of government grants, contracts and Medicaid reimbursements.

In 2010, abortion procedures made up 91 percent of Planned Parenthood services, while prenatal services and adoption referrals accounted for only 8.6 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively. Planned Parenthood reports to have served 3 million people and performed 329,445 abortions, according to the review.

“It is time for Planned Parenthood to end its reliance on taxpayer dollars. Despite an unprecedented effort by statewide and federal leaders to defund them, a wave of former employees willing to testify against them, and uniform agreement among Republican presidential candidates that they should be defunded, Planned Parenthood continues full-steam ahead,” observes Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List.

“They are unwilling to answer to the pro-life American majority that wants out of this business.”

THE ROMNEY EXPRESS

Can Mitt Romney take granite for granted? He drew 43 percent of the support among likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters, “easily outdistancing his nearest rivals,” says a Suffolk University survey of 250 Granite State voters conducted Sunday and Monday.

Rep. Ron Paul garnered 16 percent, Jon Huntsman Jr. (10 percent) and Newt Gingrich (9 percent). Meanwhile, Rick Santorum (5 percent) moved ahead of Michele Bachmann and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who had 2 percent each. Thirteen percent of the voters remain undecided.

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