1) Carbonite deserves everyone’s business: “No one with daughters the age of Sandra Fluke, and I have two, could possibly abide the insult and abuse heaped upon this courageous and well-intentioned young lady. Mr. Limbaugh, with his highly personal attacks on Miss Fluke, overstepped any reasonable bounds of decency. Even though Mr. Limbaugh has now issued an apology, we have nonetheless decided to withdraw our advertising from his show. We hope that our action, along with the other advertisers who have already withdrawn their ads, will ultimately contribute to a more civilized public discourse.” – David Friend, CEO of Carbonite, in a statement last night

2) Newt To TPM: Never Mind Rush’s Apology, How About Barack Obama’s To Afghanistan? -  TPM caught up with Newt Gingrich after a speech at Bowling Green University in Ohio and asked about Rush Limbaugh’s apology to Sandra Fluke. “I’m not paying attention,” he responded. Asked whether he thought he felt Limbaugh misspoke, Gingrich turned the question on President Obama. “I’m not paying attention,” he repeated.”I’m paying attention to the president apologizing to people who killed Americans.”

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 3) Callista Gingrich: Perfect Republican Wife - But all may not be well with this cultivated persona, as this clip suggests. When asked by a reporter what he was giving up for Lent, the hefty Newt admitted sheepishly that he was giving up sweets. Perfunctorily, the reporter asked the same of Callista. Her response had just a tinge of bitterness to it: “My opinion“. Yikes. Anyone want to guess what precipitated that response? Whatever it was, it’s clear that for many in the GOP, that’s the definition of a perfect Republican wife.

4) O’Reilly Joins Limbaugh’s Misogynistic Crapfest - Bill O’Reilly is trying to one-up Rush Limbaugh. Not surprised. These guys are the worst of the worst. “So let me get this straight, Ms. Fluke, and I ask this with all due respect, I am: You want me to give you my hard earned money so you can have sex.” NO! She’s not asking for money so she can have sex. Her testimony was about ovarian cysts! The government isn’t paying for it. Health insurers are. Liars all of them. Watch-

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5) via thesoapboxschtick: and the “pro life” right wing is STILL against it…. Still talking about Obama’s communist takeover and death panels in Europe coming to America…  Report: 50,000 Americans With Pre-Existing Conditions Find Coverage As A Result Of Healthcare Reform - The PCIP is a temporary program intended to make health coverage available and more affordable for individuals who are uninsured — and were likely denied coverage based on their pre-existing conditions — and are ineligible to receive Medicare and Medicaid. Once the health reform law is fully implemented, in 2014, insurers will be prohibited from refusing coverage to any American with a pre-existing condition. Since its launch in November 2010, there has been an approximate 400 percent increase in PCIP enrollment — specifically amongst older uninsured Americans, who’s serious pre-existing conditions require more intensive and ongoing medical care — with the PCIP program attracting 8,000 new applications every month from August through November 2011.

6) Santorum Concedes Need For Obamacare, Says His Special Needs Child Took Up Much Of His Income - On Fox News Sunday this morning, Chris Wallace challenged Rick Santorum on why he’s given such a small percentage of his salary to charity (1.76 percent) compared to Mitt Romney (13.8 percent) and President Obama (14.2 percent). Santorum explained that he was unable to give because the costs of caring for his daughter Bella — who has a severe genetic disorder — were so high because they are not covered by his insurance: SANTORUM: [...] We have to have around-the-clock care for her, and our insurance company doesn’t cover it so I have to cover it.

7) Paul: Nothing Wrong With Obama’s Apology Over Koran-Burning Incident - On CNN’s State of the Union, Ron Paul said he doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with an apology that might calm things down. “I don’t think it wrong, but it’s pretty much irrelevant. But I think Republicans who are condemning it are a little bit over the top too.” The other Republican candidates attacked the President for his apology to Afghan President Hamid Karzai over the an incident in which U.S. service members burned Korans on a base in Afghanistan.

8) This Week in God - Evangelist Franklin Graham apologized Tuesday for comments he made about President Barack Obama’s faith. “I regret any comments I have ever made which may have cast any doubt on the personal faith of our president, Mr. Obama,” Graham said in a statement. “The president has said he is a Christian and I accept that (and have said so publicly on many occasions). “I apologize to him and to any I have offended for not better articulating my reason for not supporting him in this election — for his faith has nothing to do with my consideration of him as a candidate.” Graham, who announced his public support for Donald Trump during his birther endeavor last year, did not explain why he made his recent comments, or why it took him more than a week to issue an apology.

Republicans and their base

9) What They Should Have Done | John Cole – What they should have done is simple. They should have claimed victory when Obama made the modification to the mandate. When the initial mandate came out from HHS, there was a multi-day freakout, the Bishops and the prudes generated a lot of press, and Team Obama looked at things, calibrated the mandate so that so-called “religious freedom” was preserved, and the entire issue would have been taken off the table if the right had done the smart thing and just claimed victory. [...] But instead of seizing upon it, they instead shit the bed and decided to double down, and now we have near 70% of the country looking at the Republicans like they are some kind of freak show, with their leaders introducing the Blunt and Rubio amendments and their spiritual leaders calling all women who use contraceptives sluts and prostitutes and the base doubling down and following their lead. It’s bewildering to watch. [...] I’m not sure what is motivating this insanity. Part of it, of course, is the fact that they just hate you. Part of it is they are just opposed to anything liberals support. Part of it is that they are beholden to religious nuts. Part of it is an attempt to simply gut ACA. And I’m sure part of it is that they are so in their own bubble that they honestly don’t believe anything but their own bullshit. Regardless, it is crazy, and at the same time, I am cheering them on. It’s like watching a movie where the villain is mortally wounded and defeated, yet as they lie there in a pile of their own blood and bile, they still attempt to reach for the gun just out of their reach, giving the good guys one more reason to finish them off for good. Go for the gun. Make my fucking day.