Santorum Mocks Romney Ahead Of Debate [VIDEO]

Rick Santorum is mocking Mitt Romney as a “Johnny come lately to the conservative cause.”

Ahead of Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate in Arizona, Santorum told a tea party gathering in Tucson that Romney proposed a lower corporate tax rate only after Santorum had done so.

The crowd of 400 laughed and clapped when Santorum said America doesn’t need a leader who has been “a well-oiled weather vane.”

The former Pennsylvania senator urged Arizonans to support a courageous conservative rather than politicians who tell voters what they want to hear.

Santorum aimed his sharpest barbs at President Barack Obama. He said the president’s economic plan is  more food stamps and government dependence.”

Arizona’s presidential primary is Tuesday.

Santorum Surges, Obama Leads GOP – Poll

A new survey shows that a surging Rick Santorum is running even with Mitt Romney atop the Republican presidential field, but neither candidate is faring well against President Barack Obama.

The Associated Press-GfK poll shows Obama topping 50 percent support when matched against each of the four GOP candidates and holding a significant lead over each of them eight months before the election.

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• INTERACTIVE: AP-gfk Poll

Republicans are divided on whether they’d rather see Romney or Santorum capture the nomination, with Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul lagging behind. It’s a troubling sign for the better-funded Romney as the GOP race heads toward crucial votes in his home state of Michigan, in Arizona and in an array of states on Super Tuesday, March 6.

Arizona finally gets GOP candidates’ attention

Rick Santorum is looking for another upset while Mitt Romney is hoping to keep his leading rival at bay as they prepare for the 20th debate of the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Santorum arrived ahead of any of his rivals for pre-debate campaigning in Arizona, a state that has long been assumed safe for Romney.

Polls have long shown Romney with a solid lead in Arizona, where all 29 delegates at stake are reserved for the top vote-getter in the primary. None of the candidates has devoted much time to the state, and television ads have been scarce.

In Michigan, on the other hand, Romney, Santorum and their allies have poured money into television ads.

Both Arizona and Michigan hold primaries on Feb. 28.

Unions gearing up to spend big in 2012 election

Labor unions are gearing up to spend more than $400 million to help re-elect President Barack Obama and back other Democrats at the federal and state level in a fight for labor’s survival.

Union leaders say they have little choice as they try to beat back GOP efforts to curb collective bargaining rights or limit their ability to collect dues.

The nation’s largest public employee union has already spent $1 million on television ads aimed at weakening GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, the candidate they expect to win the nomination.

But union resources are being spread thin after they spent millions last year to fight anti-union measures in Ohio, Wisconsin and other states. They are also spearheading a recall of Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)