Free Republic

e are already at the point in this prematurely unfolding 2016 presidential campaign when a glance down the list of prospective candidates can cause most observers to wince. As that seductive and sultry crooner Peggy Lee once sang, “Is that all there is?” At the U.Va. Crystal Ball, we currently have 11 Republicans and nine Democrats as probable or possible presidential contenders. The Democrats have fewer and more tentative contenders because of the paralyzing gravitational pull of “Planet Hillary,” as the New York Times Magazine described the Clinton operation. The former secretary of state is a kind of massive Jupiter...

As a Conservative, I hold these truths to be self evident: (in no particular order) * Life begins at the moment of conception. Abortion, for any reason, real or imagined, is murder. * The Right to Bear Arms is an unalienable right that the government cannot infringe on in any way. Background checks, "assault weapon" bans, magazine capacity rules, and the like are completely unconstitutional. *Global warming is as much of a fraud as the "Next Ice Age" scare was in the 1970's. *Illegal aliens are criminals and should be treated as such. There should be no amnesty for illegal...

CLEVELAND, August 5, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In an unprecedented move on July 17th, the National Right to Life Committee (NRTL) chose to support Senator Rob Portman's newly expressed support of gay marriage and to withdraw support from one of the most effective prolife organizations in the country, Cleveland Right to Life (CRTL). In a letter dated July 17, 2013, the president of National Right to Life, Carol Tobias, informed CRTL President, Molly Smith, that because of their recent addition of support for traditional marriage and the family to its Mission Statement, AND because of CRTL criticism of Senator Portman, that...

"Superficial" "A source close to the Senate negotiations [says] that two senators who voted against the background check bill would vote for it after minor, superficial changes." - Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC, May 6, 2013ACTION: Senators who voted pro-gun last month are under intense pressure - by Senate Democrats and Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s hit ads - to switch their votes.  We need to keep applying the heat and let them know that gun owners are ready to help in any Senate campaign, no matter which state, to defeat ANY SENATOR who votes for gun control.LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FROM WASHINGTON, DC. It’s...

CINCINNATI — No one heckled Senator Rob Portman during his first appearance before thousands of Ohioans since becoming the most prominent elected Republican in the country to endorse same-sex marriage. “Wouldn’t you say,” he said, turning to his wife, Jane, after marching in an opening day parade for the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, “that most of the comments were thank yous and thumbs up and ‘You did the right thing’?” True, but for some of the Ohioans who acknowledged Mr. Portman, doubts flickered below the surface. “Senator!” said one spectator, Pete Kidnocker, reaching out to shake Mr. Portman’s hand. But...

In another case in the annals of conservative "adaptation" to yesterday's liberal innovation, Ohio Republican senator Rob Portman has just announced that he now supports faux marriage. The change was motivated, he said, by his son having come out to him and his wife as a homosexual. Well, it's a good thing his son didn't announce that he was involved in bestiality. Talk about a pandering parent. We can also talk here about letting your personal life influence your public policy. If I were a statesman and learned that a child of mine were hooked on cocaine or had joined...

In an opinion article in the Columbus Dispatch, Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman announced that he has changed his mind and now supports same-sex marriage. He wrote that on learning that one of his sons is gay he "wrestled with how to reconcile my Christian faith with my desire for Will to have the same opportunities to pursue happiness and fulfillment as his brother and sister." He is not the only prominent Republican to come to this view in this way. Former Vice President Dick Cheney is another. And at the Conservative Political Action Committee convention, a panel sponsored by...

(The Republican senator's embrace of marriage equality shows just how successful advocates have been in linking the personal with the political.) Rob Portman, Republican Senator from Ohio and a former frontrunner to be Mitt Romney's running mate, has declared that he now favors gay marriage. As Portman says in an op-ed for the Columbus Dispatch, his change of heart was personal: That isn't how I've always felt. As a congressman, and more recently as a senator, I opposed marriage for same-sex couples. Then something happened that led me to think through my position in a much deeper way. Two...

Sen. Rob Portman on Friday became the first Republican in the Senate to support gay marriage—and his switch set off harsh words from many conservatives. … Some conservatives charged that Portman’s reversal was timed with gay-marriage advocates to coincide with the Supreme Court hearings. “There is a concerted effort to pick off Republicans and make us appear divided,” Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage told NPR at CPAC. The group is trying to stop efforts to legalize gay marriage. … Meanwhile, former Sen. Rick Santorum told Newsmax that the GOP must remain firm on its support of traditional...

Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman, a longtime opponent of same-sex marriage, said on Friday he now believes gays have a right to marry after learning two years ago that his son is gay. Portman, who was on the short list to be 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s running mate, made the announcement in an opinion piece in an Ohio newspaper and gave interviews on his change of heart. “I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government...

Former APA Pres. Dr. Nicolas Cummings Discusses Gay Change, Epigenetics, Neutrinos, & Political Correctness. - RPVNetwork

Senator Rob Portman, the Ohio Republican, has switched his stand on same-sex marriage, saying he now supports it after his son told him he is gay. Mr. Portman, who had been considered one of the leading candidates to be Mitt Romney’s running mate in 2012, told Ohio newspapers that his son Will told him and his wife, Jane, in 2011 of his sexual orientation.

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman is greeted by his daughter Sally, left, and son Will after finishing the Paddlefest, an annual Cincinnati event, on Saturday, June 23, 2012. Republican Senator Rob Portman has announced his support for same-sex marriage, saying he reversed his position on the divisive social issue after his son came out as gay. “I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn't deny them the opportunity to get married,” Portman wrote in an op-ed published...

A respected Republican senator has announced he is reversing his stance against gay marriage after his 21-year-old son came out to him and his wife. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican considered as a running mate by the Romney campaign, said the discovery that his son Will, 21, was gay had given him a 'new perspective' and understanding of why equal opportunities matter. Will, a junior at Yale University, came out to his politician father and mother, Jane, two years ago, The Plain Dealer reports. Portman, who backed the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, says since his son's announcement he has...

Washington (CNN) -- You probably recognize Sen. Rob Portman from his tireless campaigning for Mitt Romney in 2012. He was even on the short list to be Romney's running mate. He's been a leading Republican voice on economic issues for four decades. Now, the prominent Ohio conservative will be known for something else: reversing his hardline position against gay marriage. He invited CNN to his Senate office to reveal the news. "I'm announcing today a change of heart on an issue that a lot of people feel strongly about that has to do with gay couples' opportunity to marry," Portman...

Portman: 'If We Don't Win Ohio, It's Tough To See Us Winning The Election Nationally' By NBC's Andrew Rafferty FAIRVIEW PARK, OH -- Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, the chairman of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's campaign in the Buckeye State, said Friday that it would be tough for Romney to win the election without carrying Ohio. "I'm feeling the pressure not just because I'm chairing the effort here in Ohio, but mostly because I feel the pressure for our country and what's going to happen over the next four years," Portman told NBC News on Friday while traveling between campaign...

Denver — The elements of Mitt Romney’s Rocky Mountain rout were hatched weeks ago in Vermont’s Green Mountains. In early September, Romney slowed down his campaign schedule and retreated with a small group of advisers to the home of Kerry Healey, his former lieutenant governor. Ohio senator Rob Portman, a trusted ally, joined Stuart Stevens, Eric Fehrnstrom, Bob White, and a handful of other Romney confidants. They spent days holding mock debates, and nights reviewing President Obama’s stylistic tics. When they needed a break, they roamed around Healey’s secluded estate, which is 100 miles south of Burlington, Vt. But mostly...

On the day that Jerusalem-born, Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman is due to deliver a "surprise" address to the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Charlotte, NC, delegates roundly booed party leaders who amended the Democrat platform to include support for Jerusalem as Israel's capital city. Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa failed--three times in a row--to earn the support of a two-thirds majority of delegates to amend the platform to include Jerusalem and a reference to "God," which had been omitted. In the end, he merely deemed that the convention had passed the motion--though it clearly had not--and adopted the amendments...

Charlotte (CNN) - Clint Eastwood meet Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Kerry Washington. The three actresses, firmly anchored in Hollywood's royalty, have been secretly scheduled to speak at the Democratic National Convention, according to a tentative schedule provided by a source to CNN. – Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker – Check out the CNN Electoral Map and Calculator and game out your own strategy for November. The schedule lists the three actresses as speaking on Thursday evening, the same night that President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will accept their party's respective nominations. Johansson, Portman and Washington are...

Natalie Portman to Campaign for Obama in Nevada 3:48 PM PDT 8/24/2012 by Tina Daunt The Oscar-winning actress will appear at a rally Saturday in Las Vegas. Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman will hit the campaign trail on President Barack Obama's behalf Saturday at a major event in Nevada, which has emerged as a crucial swing state.