Mandel pledged to serve no more than 12 years in the U.S. Senate if elected. When was asked why voters should trust him, Mandel said, “you have my word I will uphold it.” (via Plain Dealer)

Josh Mandel’s plan would limit House members to six two-year terms and senators to two six-year terms. Though, he said nothing would prevent politicians from moving from one chamber to the other after their 12 years end.

It’s unlikely the idea would get traction in Washington. Members of Congress have talked of self-imposed term limits, but proposals have gone nowhere.

(via Marietta Times)

A chart from the Tax Policy Center shows the distribution of federal income taxes paid by income level in 2011.

It contains a number of interesting factoids, including the following:

• 7,000 people made more than $1 million but paid no income tax.
• 22,000 people made between $500,000 and $1 million but paid no income tax.
• 81,000 people made between $200,000 and $500,000 but paid no income tax.
• 381,000 people made between $100,000 and $200,000 but paid no income tax.

So that’s 491,000 Americans who made more than $100,000 a year who paid no income tax.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/7000-millionaires-paid-no-income-tax-2012-9#ixzz26qmKB7WP

On Monday and Tuesday Mother Jones published exclusive video that captured Mitt Romney speaking to donors at a May 17 fundraiser, which was held at the home of private equity mogul Mark Leder. Responding to a question about the “Palestinian problem,” Romney said peace in the Middle East is not possible and a Palestinian state is not feasible, telling donors that Palestinians have “no interest whatsoever in establishing peace and that the pathway to peace is almost unthinkable to accomplish.” At another point, the GOP presidential nominee told attendees of this $50,000-a-plate dinner that 47 percent of Americans—those who back President Obama—are “victims” who are “dependent upon government” and “pay no income tax.” He noted: “my job is is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.” These comments set off a media firestorm and generated headlines around the world.

One-time presidential hopeful, Rick Santorum, tells the conservative Value Voters Summit that ‘we will never have the elite, smart people on our side.’

According to Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, the media elite actively work to paint a false portrait of conservatives in the minds of voters. Santorum sees this small group of “elite, smart” people as in some ways controlling the minds of many voters.

(via International Business Times)

Public Policy Polling has a new survey suggesting that six percent of Ohioans, and 15 percent of Ohio Republicans, think Mitt Romney “deserves more credit” for the killing of Osama bin Laden than Barack Obama. (via New York Times)

At a campaign event for Romney and Ryan in Cincinnati,  John Kasich talks about his wife and the wives of Romney and Ryan, and the reasons they couldn’t be at the event today:

“They’re at home doing the laundry” and “at home taking care of the kids.”

(via YouTube)

Steve King: It was a compliment to say immigrants are like dogs

People just can’t take a compliment these days. That’s what Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said last night in defense of his May comment that Americans should be sure to “get the pick of the litter” when selecting which immigrants should become citizens.

“This American vigor that we have that comes from legal immigrants who came to this country with a dream — we get the cream of the crop of every donor civilization on the planet — and people that can take a compliment and turn it into an insult are not going to be constructive working across the aisle. But that’s what that was, was a compliment,” King said in a radio debate with his campaign challenger Christie Vilsack. ”