Barack Obama

Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan charged the Barack Obama administration with selectively adhering to the freedoms enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, respecting the rights of abortionists over religious institutions that object to treating "pregnancy as a disease."

In a commentary for The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops President Dolan said the Obama administration is only willing to defend churches' right to conscience as long as those sensibilities do not challenge the abortion and family planning industries.

"The Amish do not carry health insurance. The government respects their principles. Christian Scientists want to heal by prayer alone, and the new health care reform law respects that. Quakers and others object to killing even in wartime, and the government respects that principle for conscientious objectors. By its decision, the Obama administration has failed to show the same respect for the consciences of Catholics and others who object to treating pregnancy as a disease," he wrote. more >>

Florida political experts are warning that an aging Cuban community and the corresponding growth of pro-Democratic Latinos suggest that, without changes, Republican presidential candidates will have difficulty winning the state in future national elections.

And despite a new Quinnipiac poll showing Newt Gingrich surging in the Florida GOP primary, he might have a harder time winning Florida in a national election than Mitt Romney.

When it comes to analyzing the Latino vote, a recent poll conducted by Latino Decisions for ABC News/Univision underscores this dynamic. In current head-to-head matchups, Obama would win the Florida Latino vote, 50 to 40 percent, against Romney, or 52 to 38 percent against Gingrich. By comparison, President George W. Bush won 56 percent of the Florida Latino vote in 2004. more >>

Fairness was a central theme in President Barack Obama's State of the Union address to Congress Tuesday night.

"We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by," Obama said. "Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules."

Among Obama's proposals to achieve those goals is a tax rate on income over one million dollars that should not be allowed to go below 30 percent. The top tax rate for families making more than about $250,000 is currently 37 percent, but after taking into account deductions and credits, some of the wealthy can pay much lower than that. more >>

International Justice Mission, a human rights agency fighting for victims of slavery, has launched a petition encouraging Americans to sign their names in an effort to get President Barack Obama to help end modern-day slavery, which affects millions of men, women and children globally. 

The "Stand for Freedom" campaign has acquired 7,641of the 27,000 necessary signatures – with one name said to represent 1,000 people who need freedom. According to the petition, there are 27 million people worldwide who are enslaved today.

IJM outlines five points that will help the U.S. government become a leader in the fight for this basic human right. "Americans want to end slavery once and for all," the petition reads. "The U.S. government can play a powerful role in fighting this crime by supporting robust law enforcement and victim relief at home and abroad." more >>

The pro-life lobby is rallying supporters as the presidency heats up to vote their convictions in the November election and unseat Barack Obama.

National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) made no pretense of its 2012 priorities. The list released Monday stated its focus is on protecting the unborn from the moment they can feel pain and defeating President Obama.

NRLC President Carol Tobias said in a Monday statement, "It should not be a surprise to anyone that the top priority for National Right to Life's Political Action Committee this year is defeating Barack Obama and electing a pro-life president." more >>

A recent study conducted by Gallup suggests that, among the Republican presidential candidates, Mitt Romney would have the best chance to beat President Barack Obama in the November general election. Romney is followed closely by Ron Paul, then Rick Santorum. Newt Gingrich has, by far, the worst chance to beat Obama, the poll suggests.

Gallup calculates that Romney has the highest positive intensity score at negative one, which is similar to Obama's negative three. Ron Paul's score is about the same as Romney's and Obama's, when accounting for the plus or minus three percentage point margin of error, at negative four. Santorum had a negative seven.

Gingrich's positive intensity score was by far the worst at negative 20, suggesting that there are a large number of Americans who hold strongly unfavorable views of Gingrich. more >>