President Barack Obama delivering his State of the Union address this evening. (Photo: Getty)

President Obama included his discussion of environmental issues and climate change after outlining initiatives to grow manufacturing jobs and before discussing plans to improve national infrastructure and help home owners. He closed this portion of his speech by describing all of these proposals as potentially spurring job growth.

"These initiatives in manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, and housing will help entrepreneurs and small business owners expand and create new jobs," President Obama said in the prepared version of his remarks.

Sandwiched in between his policies on manufacturing jobs, road and bridge construction and housing, President Obama expressed a need for the government to "do more to combat climate change." To bolster this argument, he cited several weather events, including Hurricane Sandy."

"Yes, it’s true that no single event makes a trend. But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and floods--all are now more frequent and intense," said the president. "We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science--and act before it’s too late."

President Obama went on to call for a "bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change" that would "make meaningful progress on this issue while driving strong economic growth." Specifically, he called for expanding solar and wind energy initiatives, fastracking oil and gas permits to take advantage of a "natural gas boom" that he said has "led to cleaner power and greater energy independence" and funding research and technology to help natural gas burn "even cleaner." He also proposed using oil and gas revenues from public lands to "fund an Energy Security Trust that will drive new research and technology to shift our cars and trucks off oil for good." He hinted this was also a good economic move by noting it was supported by "a non-partisan coalition of CEOs and retired generals and admirals."

The President also stuck with the strategy of casting his policies on more controversial issues in terms of potential economic benefit when he brought up immigration.

"Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants," President Obama said. "And right now, leaders from the business, labor, law enforcement, and faith communities all agree that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration reform."

On this front, President Obama said he would push for "strong border security" and for "establishing a responsible pathway to earned citizenship" including background checks, taxes and penalties, English language requirements and prioritization for those who have been attempting to come to the U.S. through legal channels. He closed his call for immigration reform by citing another potential economic benefit--an influx of "highly-skilled" workers.
 
"Real reform means fixing the legal immigration system to cut waiting periods, reduce bureaucracy, and attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create jobs and grow our economy," said President Obama.
 
President Obama closed his speech by bringing up another potentially controversial issue, gun control. Though he didn't turn to economic arguments to support his plans for increased regulation of firearms, he framed the issue as a question of securing the safety of the nation's children, and as a result, far more important to the future of the nation than any plan to improve America's financial situation.

"Of course, what I’ve said tonight matters little if we don’t come together to protect our most precious resource--our children," the president began. "It has been two months since Newtown. I know this is not the first time this country has debated how to reduce gun violence. But this time is different. Overwhelming majorities of Americans ... have come together around commonsense reform."

President Obama said these "commonsense" gun control reforms include background checks and banning high-capacity magazines.

"Each of these proposals deserves a vote in Congress. If you want to vote no, that’s your choice. But these proposals deserve a vote," President Obama said. "Because in the two months since Newtown, more than a thousand birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries have been stolen from our lives by a bullet from a gun."
 
Though President Obama took on climate change, immigration reform and gun control in his speech, there were two notable hot-button issues he didn't address; gay marriage and abortion. The president only briefly alluded to gay and lesbian issues once in his speech when he described efforts to take care of the country's armed forces and cited the plan announced yesterday to provide benefits to same-sex spouses of servicemembers as an example of his administration's commitment to the troops.

"We must to protect those who serve their country abroad, and we will maintain the best military in the world," said the president. "We will invest in new capabilities, even as we reduce waste and wartime spending. We will ensure equal treatment for all service members, and equal benefits for their families--gay and straight."

Reproductive rights and the abortion debate were not mentioned at all in the president's speech. However, issue featured prominently in Senator Marco Rubio's Republican response to the State of the Union, which began on a loud, pro-life note.

"The State of the Union address is always a reminder of how unique America is," Mr. Rubio said. "But America is exceptional, because we believe that every life, at every stage, is precious."

The protester perched in the tree on the National Mall. (Photo: Hunter Walker)

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- An anti-abortion protester caused quite the scene at President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony this morning after he climbed high up into a tree on the National Mall and shouted anti-abortion slogans and criticism of the Democratic Party throughout the proceedings. On stage near the president and other assembled dignitaries, the man's yelling could faintly be heard, but he clearly  made quite the impression among the crowd, which was otherwise overwhelmingly composed of the president's staunch supporters.

"He was anti-abortion and Democrats," said a woman named Susan who was seated below the activist's perch in the tree. "He was really obnoxious."

Susan's friend, Erin, said the man "yelled through the entire thing."

"He only stopped when Beyoncé was singing," she explained.

Members of the U.S. Capitol Police department roped off the tree and surrounded it with officers. A ladder was extended about halfway up the nearly hundred foot arbor in the hopes the man would come down of his own volition. We asked one of the officers whether he would be arrested and he referred us to the department's public information office.

The man appeared to be Rives Miller Grogan, an anti-abortion activist with a history of disrupting high-profile events. Mr. Grogan heckled the president with a photo of fetuses during an Ohio campaign rally in November. In October, he delayed a playoff game between the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants for three minutes after running onto the field at Cincinnati's Great American Ballpark with a sign proclaiming, "Abortion is Sin."

At the inauguration, he carried a double-sided placard. One side said "Defund Planned Parenthood," the other said, "Pray To End Abortion" and featured images of hands clasped in prayer and an American flag.

Update: (8:34 p.m.): A spokesman for the U.S. Capitol Police confirmed the climbing protester was indeed Mr. Grogan. The spokesman said Mr. Grogan did eventually climb down and was subsequently arrested.

Mitt Romney as seen in his ad endorsing Richard Mourdock. (Photo: YouTube)

Republican Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock sparked a firestorm after he discussed abortion in cases of rape in a debate last night and said, "I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.” Democrats quickly went on the attack against Mr. Mourdock, focusing on an ad Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney recorded for him that was released online Sunday. Though aides for Mr. Romney issued statements expressing disagreement with Mr. Mourdock's position on rape and abortion, the campaign is not asking for the ad to be pulled.

A spokeswoman for the Romney campaign told Politicker this morning that the campaign still supports Mr. Mourdock though the governor "disagrees" with his view about exceptional cases when abortion should be legal.

"Gov. Romney disagrees with Richard Mourdock, and Mr. Mourdock’s comments do not reflect Gov. Romney’s views. We disagree on the policy regarding exceptions for rape and incest but still support him," the spokeswoman said.

Despite the Romney campaign's efforts to distance themselves from Mr. Mourdock's remarks, Democrats have pounced on the ad in an effort to tie Mr. Romney to the controversial candidate. In a gaggle with reporters on board Air Force One this morning, Obama campaign deputy press secretary Jen Psaki said it is "perplexing" Mr. Romney hasn't demanded the ad be taken down.

"The president felt those comments were outrageous and demeaning to women," Ms. Psaki said of Mr. Mourdock's statements. "This is a reminder that a Republican Congress working with a Republican President, Mitt Romney, would feel that women should not be able to make choices about their own health care. And this is an issue where Mitt Romney is starring in an ad for this senator.  And it is perplexing that he wouldn’t demand to have that ad taken down."

This afternoon, the Democratic National Committee hosted a conference call featuring Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the DNC chair, who referenced the uproar over GOP Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin's comments on rape to argue Mr. Mourdock's remarks are "just the latest examples of Republicans' extreme attacks on women's health."

"Mitt Romney has made one TV ad for a Senate candidate in the general election and that ad was for Richard Mourdock," Ms. Schultz said. "There's definitely a pattern here, this is not the type of leadership American women are looking for."

So far, the pressure from Democrats haven't persuaded Mr. Romney to ask for the ad's removal. The Romney campaign told Politicker this morning they have not asked Mr. Mourdock's campaign to pull the ad.

Watch the controversial campaign commercial below.

Todd Akin (Photo: Facebook)

Embattled Congressman Todd Akin's campaign manager (and son) Perry Akin released a statement saying a new Rasmussen Reports poll showing that the elder Mr. Akin went from leading the Missouri Senate race to running 10 points behind his rival, incumbent Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill after his controversial comments on "legitimate rape" is actually bad news for Ms. McCaskill. The younger Mr. Akin's rationale for this interpretation of the poll numbers is that Ms. McCaskill should be beating Mr. Akin by a lot more than 48 percent to 38 percent in the aftermath of his rape-remark firestorm.

"The fact that Claire McCaskill is only polling at 48% after 72 hours of constant negative attacks on Todd Akin shows just how weak she is. If she can't break fifty percent after a week like this, Democrats should ask Claire to step down," the Akin campaign's statement said. 

Perry Akin also confidently declared that "Todd is in this race to win" and vowed "we will close this gap and win in November."

Interestingly, Ms. McCaskill also dismissed the Rasmussen poll.

"Rasmussen poll made me laugh out loud. If anyone believes that, I just turned 29. Sneaky stuff," she wrote on Twitter.

Prior to the rape flap, Mr. Akin had a slim 1 percent lead over Ms. McCaskill. A poll conducted by Public Policy Polling on Monday night, the first business day following Mr. Akin's widely discussed interview appearance, showed he still maintained his slight advantage in spite of the controversy. According to The Hill, Democrats are dubious of the Rasmussen poll because they believe "Rasmussen has a conservative bias and is in cahoots with GOP party leadership in trying to pressure Akin out of the race.

"

GOP leaders have publicly pushed for Mr. Akin to withdraw from the Missouri Senate race. Mr. Akin let the initial deadline for him to withdraw pass and has been defiantly fund-raising based on the fact that he's "still standing" amid the fallout from his remarks. However, there is still a possibility Mr. Akin could remove himself from the race and make way for another Republican candidate.

Todd Akin (Photo: Facebook)

For embattled Missouri congressman and Senate candidate Todd Akin, the reverse of the old rap song is apparently true and more problems = more money. According to Mr. Akin's website he has raised over $10,000 from supporters after declaring his intention to stay in the Senate race in the wake of a massive controversy over comments he made on "legitimate rape," pregnancy and abortion.

"Donations are pouring in. Thank you for standing up against the liberal elite," Mr. Akin wrote on Twitter last night.

A counted on Mr. Akin's website said, as of this writing, Mr. Akin had raised $10,638 since beginning a "still standing" campaign following his remarks. On Twitter last night, Mr. Akin said his goal was hitting "$10k to fight the liberal elite." He also posted a series of messages blaming the "liberal elite" for driving a "a lot of negativity" his way and for pushing around and otherwise intimidating those in the pro-life movement.

"I apologized but the liberal media is trying to make me drop out," he wrote.

Mr. Akin may have exceeded his initial $10,000 goal but he still has a long way to go to compete against his Democratic opponent, Senator Claire McCaskill. As an incumbent, even before this controversy, Ms. McCaskill already had far more money in her campaign war chest than Mr. Akin, who has lost the support of the Republican Party. According to the latest numbers, Ms. McCaskill has $3,465,846 at her disposal compared to Mr. Akin's $531,559.

Todd Akin (Photo: Facebook)

Embattled congressman Todd Akin won't be withdrawing from Missouri's Senate race despite calls from leaders within his party for him to step aside and make room for another candidate after his comments about "legitimate rape" and abortion caused a massive controversy. Mr. Akin made his intention to stick with his Senate bid clear on a pair of radio interviews this afternoon where he admitted that he "misspoke one word," but also accused his detractors of having "an overreaction."

Mr. Akin made his first radio appearance of the day on Mike Huckabee's radio show, the same venue where he went on the air yesterday and proclaimed his intention to stay in the Senate race. Since then, calls from inside the GOP mounted for Mr. Akin to end his bid and reports emerged that he would indeed withdraw. This afternoon, Mr. Akin assured Mr. Huckabee that's not his plan.

"I want to make things absolutely clear and that is, we are going to continue with this race for the U.S. Senate. We've given it a lot of thought," he said.

Mr. Akin acknowledged he has lost the support of the GOP, but he said he believes "defense of the unborn and deep respect for life" is missing from much of today's political discourse and he believes his supporters want him to continue taking up this cause.

"The party people said, 'When you win the primary, then we'll be with you.' Well they were with us, then I said one word and one sentence on one day and everything changed," said Mr. Akin. "But, you know, I tell you, I have been so encouraged by good friends who are closer than brothers and I realize now that there are a lot of other bravehearts that don't fit into the political parties exactly. And I believe the defense of the unborn and deep respect for life, which underlie all of America, those are important parts of who we are and the'yre not things to run away from."

Mr. Akin said the outcry against him "does seem like a bit of an overreaction" in light of the face he "hadn't done anything that was morally or ethically wrong" other than "to get a word in the wrong place." Though he described "the institutional side of the party" as "lined up" against him, Mr. Akin, who was leading in the polls against his incumbent Democratic opponent, Claire McCaskill, prior to the fiasco, said he has "grassroots" support he thinks he can still win.

"I do receive continuing calls from other congressmen and people who are very supportive of what we're trying to do," Mr. Akin said. "Is there a matter of some justice there? That I misspoke one word, in one sentence in one day and, all of a sudden, overnight everybody decides, well Akin can't possibly win. Well, you know, I don't agree with that. The America that I know, the people that I know in Missouri, when you make a mistake--nobody expects us to get every word perfectly."

A few minutes after wrapping up his interview with Mr. Huckabee, Mr. Akin made an appearance on Dana Loesch's radio show where he gave his take on how the controversy began. Mr. Akin blamed the situation on his "misplacing of the word legitimate" in the interview where he suggested women's bodies can avoid pregnancy in cases of "legitimate rape." Instead of saying rapists are "legitimate," Mr. Akin said he was trying to note some accusations of rapes are illegitimate.

"People had been hurt because they had assumed--that the 'legitimate' referred to rapists. There isn't any legitimate rapist, none whatsoever, they're horrible criminals," Mr. Akin explained. "There's nothing legitimate about the rapist, but, rather, I was putting that in the wrong place to point that there were people who make false claims."

Mr. Akin didn't explain how his placement of the word "legitimate" affected his claim that women's bodies have "ways" to avoid pregnancy after a sexual encounter. He also said a lack of media savvy contributed to his troubles.

"I wasn't really acclimated to the nature of the new media environment that we find ourselves in," said Mr. Akin.

Despite having told Mr. Huckabee how confident he was about his "grassroots" supporters making up for his loss of party backing, Mr. Akin conceded to Ms. Loesch that he's "a little short on money" and needs donors to "help us here."

"It seems that we have lost some Republican support here, in terms of many millions of dollars," he said.

Though he may have some newfound financial woes, Mr. Akin reiterated the fact he's not giving up on his Senate bid and thinks he has what it takes to win.

"We are not getting out of this race. I am in this race for the long haul and we're going to win it," he said to Ms. Loesch.

Kirsten Gillibrand (Photo: Wikimedia)

Though it has been less than two hours since Missouri Congressman Todd Akin took to the airwaves and vowed to keep his senate campaign going, he is now reportedly ending that bid following the flap over a statement he made that women can't get pregnant from "legitimate rape." However, the rumors of Mr. Akin's impending political demise didn't stop New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from sending her supporters and email asking them to donate to Mr. Akin's Democratic opponent, Claire McCaskill.

"In all my years of public service, I’ve heard a lot of shocking remarks on the campaign trail. But yesterday’s appalling comment by Tea Party senatorial candidate Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri took things to a whole new level," Ms. Gillibrand wrote. "This from someone who’s tied with Senator Claire McCaskill in the polls, from someone who could tip the balance of power in the Republicans’ favor. We can’t let Akin win. We need to help Claire, who’s been a strong progressive voice in the Senate on behalf of women’s rights. Give to Claire McCaskill’s campaign today and help make sure Akin and his abhorrent views don’t reach the Senate."

Ms. Gillibrand characterized Mr. Akin's remarks as indicative of the "unfounded, far-fetched theories" espoused by "ultraconservative Republicans."

"Akin’s comment is not just profoundly insensitive to all victims of rape, it shows an astounding ignorance about the workings of the human body. It’s hard to believe that he is actually a member of the House Science Committee! But we’ve come to see how some right-wing Republicans will invent all sorts of unfounded, far-fetched theories to support their ultraconservative ideological beliefs," she wrote.

Ms. Gillibrand is far from the only Democrat rushing to capitalize on Mr. Akin's remarks. Shortly after Ms. Gillibrand's missive reached Politicker's inbox, we received a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraising email written by Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, who encouraged people to give money to the DCCC in order to "send the message to Congressman Akin that this type of hostility towards women and victims of rape will not be tolerated."

Read Ms. Gillibrand's full email below.

"In all my years of public service, I’ve heard a lot of shocking remarks on the campaign trail. But yesterday’s appalling comment by Tea Party senatorial candidate Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri took things to a whole new level.

“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down,” he said, defending his absolute opposition to abortion, even in cases of rape.

This from someone who’s tied with Senator Claire McCaskill in the polls, from someone who could tip the balance of power in the Republicans’ favor.

We can’t let Akin win. We need to help Claire, who’s been a strong progressive voice in the Senate on behalf of women’s rights.

Give to Claire McCaskill’s campaign today and help make sure Akin and his abhorrent views don’t reach the Senate.

Click here to make your donation to Claire’s campaign right now. It’s the best way to express your outrage about Akin’s remark and ensure the Democrats keep our Senate majority.

Akin’s comment is not just profoundly insensitive to all victims of rape, it shows an astounding ignorance about the workings of the human body. It’s hard to believe that he is actually a member of the House Science Committee!

But we’ve come to see how some right-wing Republicans will invent all sorts of unfounded, far-fetched theories to support their ultraconservative ideological beliefs.

It’s up to us to make sure Claire has the resources she needs to beat Akin and help us protect the critical Democratic majority in the Senate.

Give to the McCaskill for Senate campaign as soon as you can and make your voice heard. Even just $5 will make a real difference in this extremely tight race.

I believe this could be a real turning point in the Missouri race and in our overall effort to keep control of the Senate. Let’s be sure to take advantage of this moment as best we can.

Thanks for your generous support,

Kirsten"

Rick Perry (Getty)

Texas governor and former presidential candidate Rick Perry sat down for a video interview with National Review Online last week and he discussed his reasons for opposing gay marriage. Mr. Perry addressed the topic when he was asked about voters who admired his economic policies, but wished he would "just back off on the social issues." He answered by explaining that he thinks, though society may be becoming gay friendly, God's stance on same-sex marriage is quite clear.

"The issue of traditional marriage is one that continues to bubble forward and I happen to believe that, if you're going to have a society that is successful economically or otherwise, you're going to have to have values that you attach that society to. For 2,000 years we have had marriage between a man and a woman," said Mr. Perry. "I suspect that issue's not going to go away, but just because you share a different view or you are flexible on the issue does not mean that God has changed his mind about it."

Mr. Perry acknowledged that his views on gay marriage and abortion might earn him some detractors, but he refuses to "back away" from his position on those issues.

"If you're going to base your public service upon your values, then you're going to get criticized by those who don't agree with those values. I don't back away from my positions on traditional marriage, on abortion," Mr. Perry said. "They're values that, from my perspective, they can't be equivocated. You're either for traditional marriage or you're not. You're either for protecting innocent life or you're not."

Watch a clip of Mr. Perry talking about gay marriage below.

George Pataki (Photo: Getty)

Former New York Governor George Paraki and New York Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox held a conference call with reporters this morning ahead of President Barack Obama's visit to University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering. Mr. Pataki claimed his emphasis on lower tax rates and de-regulation led to the creation of the school while President Obama's policies have failed at spurring private sector development.

Though Messrs. Pataki and Cox focused on criticizing the president's economic policies, they were also asked by Buzzfeed's Zeke Miller about the uproar over Vice President Joe Biden's comments in support of same sex marriage yesterday and the lingering questions about where President Obama stands on the issue.

"I think it's pretty simple, either you're for something, or you're against it and Vice President Biden has made it plain he's for it. President Obama, on the other hand, is looking to have both sides where he's appealing to those who are supportive of gay marriage, but is afraid to alienate those who don't."

Mr. Pataki, who briefly flirted with running for president this year, said the situation reminded him of the incident last March when President Obama was overheard on a microphone telling then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev he'd have "more flexibility" to deal with contentious foreign policy issues after the election.

"If you ask me, his position is a lot like what he said to former Russian President Medvedev at the open mic in Europe where he said, 'Just wait till after the election, I'll have a lot more flexibility then.' Well, I think the American peiople deserve to know today where President Obama stands today and where he will stand next year on this issue."

Mr. Pataki mixed up his Russian politics a bit. Back in March, Mr, Medvedev was Russia's president and Vladimir Putin was prime minister. Yesterday, Mr. Putin became president again and tapped Mr. Medvedev to be prime minister. It's easy to see how Mr. Pataki would be confused.

Though they were eager to hit President Obama on gay marriage, neither Mr. Cox or Mr. Pataki wanted to discuss the other social issue that has defined this race--abortion. Mr. Pataki has supported abortion rights, a stance which contributed to the dissolution of his 2008 presidential campaign. He changed the subject when The Politicker asked whether he thought the Republican Party's opposition to abortion could hurt their chances of taking back the White House and establishing a supermajority in Congress.

"The American people are focused on jobs and the economy," Mr. Pataki said. "Mitt Romney is focused on jobs, he's focused on an opportunity society of free people and free enterprise. That's what he stands for. He's going to be elected President of the United States."

That bill, called the Reproductive Health Act would, among other things, taking abortion out of the criminal code and put it in the health code.  The bill would also permit abortions after the 24th week of pregnancy if the mother's health is deemed to be at risk. Under current law, an abortion after 24th week is only legal if the life of the mother is at risk.

Asked if she would favor any restriction on the right to an abortion, Ms. Quinn said no--in fairly graphic terms.

"I don’t think there should be restrictions on abortion.  I think it is a personal decision. I think a woman has a right to chose and reproductive health care decisions are personal and they should not be limited by government or by the law. Look, reproductive health decisions are medical decisions and if I am making a decision about getting pregnant, terminating a pregnancy, about a lung condition I might have, a kidney condition I might have. "

Here she paused, asking the audience to "give me an organ," and then continued, "A liver condition I might have, I don’t want the City Council speaker, the mayor, the governor the president, the congress, I don’t want anybody involved in my uterus, my vagina, my liver, my kidney, my lung. None of it. It is mine and I am going to get the best medical people to advise me on it. Period.

This statement was met with cheers by the advocates present, and after she made the statement, Jamie McShane, her press secretary standing somewhat uncomfortably nearby, asked if there were any other questions.

"Any other body parts you want to talk about?" Ms. Quinn asked.

Afterwards, The Politicker followed up with Ms. Quinn's staff to ask if in fact she favored no restrictions on abortion, including late third trimester abortions, and they pointed us to the speaker's earlier statement and said that she believes abortion is best left to a woman and her doctor.