Free Republic

Our most recent rating of Republican presidential contenders features a top tier of three notably different candidates: A Midwestern governor (Scott Walker) who is known best by the activists who will help decide the nomination; a leading national figure (Chris Christie) who has irked conservatives; and a firebrand senator (Rand Paul) with devoted supporters who would shake up the party’s platform and, perhaps, identity.Chart 1: Updated Crystal Ball Republican presidential rankings First Tier Candidate Key Advantages Key Disadvantages Since Last Update Scott WalkerGovernor, WI •Midwest GOP gov. in Obama state •Heroic conservative credentials •Shown political durability •Too bland? Next Pawlenty?...

Is there such thing as “class” in America? Not if you ask Rick Santorum. The once and possibly future GOP presidential candidate spoke to a Republican gathering in Lyon County, Iowa late last week and shared this piece of advice with his party: “Don’t use the term the other side uses.” That includes the “middle class.” Santorum proceeded to tear into President Obama for constantly invoking the term “middle class” in his speeches about the economy. “Since when in America do we have classes?” Santorum asked. “Since when in America are people stuck in areas or defined places called a...

Everybody wants to see justice done in the Trayvon Martin case, and almost everybody acts as if they already know what that is. Never mind the Rev. Al Sharpton, activist and crusading journalist all in one. Nor his MSNBC colleague Lawrence O'Donnell, who recently announced he'd decided to forgo wearing a hoodie on TV to look more like a prosecutor. Here's GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum on "Face the Nation," assessing shooter George Zimmerman's mental health. "Someone has a very sick mind who would pursue someone like this," Santorum said. "This is clearly a heinous act. You know, there are...

On “Face the Nation” Sunday on CBS, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum explained that his view of the Trayvon Martin shooting differed significantly from the one held by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Republican presidential contender Sen. Rick Santorum appeared on CBS' Face the Nation this morning and pronounced George Zimmerman guilty of murder in the first degree. Admitting that he was "not privy to what’s going on in someone’s mind," Santorum nevertheless said that Zimmerman, who shot and killed teenager Trayvon Martin while participating in a neighborhood watch last month, "has a very sick mind who would pursue someone like this." He added that Zimmerman's motive had been "malicious." The mental state of the alleged perpetrator, the motive, and the question of whether he pursued the alleged victim, are both critical in...

In a recent poll of Alaska voters, George Zimmerman -- who was recently acquitted in the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin -- got a surprising 2 percent support as a hypothetical Republican presidential candidate. The newest Alaska survey from Public Policy Polling shows Hillary Clinton's only chance of winning the state in 2016 would be in a matchup against Republican Sarah Palin, where Clinton would lead 49/40 percent. Clinton trails all other Republican candidates in the survey. Out in front, Chris Christie leads her by 8 points at 46/38, Jeb Bush leads at 49/42, Rand Paul is up...

Texas Senator Ted Cruz might only be in the first year of his first term in U.S. Senate, but he is already igniting the imaginations of Iowa Republicans who view him as strong presidential candidate in 2016 should he choose to run. Cruz was in Des Moines on Friday to address the Iowa Renewal Project, an annual weekend gathering of Iowa pastors and religious leaders. Cruz also attended a picnic fundraiser for the Republican Party of Iowa, and met with Republican activists and operatives during his first foray into Iowa. Cruz downplayed the significance of his trip to Iowa in...

Immigration Reform Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush …, a longtime advocate of comprehensive immigration reform, said in a statement that the Senate vote was a “strong step for meaningful immigration reform and encouraging legal immigration for those that want to contribute to a better America.” …New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has called for tighter border controls and a pathway to citizenship for legal immigrants. …Texas Gov. Rick Perry … has steadfastly opposed a border fence, saying it would take 10 to 15 years to build, cost $30 billion and wouldn’t work. …Gay Marriage In a speech in June, (Jeb) Bush...

I have to admit, I didn't see this one coming. Rick Santorum = Movie Mogul. That's right, former presidential candidate Rick Santorum just became the CEO of a movie company that specializes in Christian entertainment. Deadline reports:The most recent news item on Rick Santorum‘s website is the former U.S. senator’s enthusiastic endorsement of Mitt Romney for president of the United States. But the runner-up for the 2012 GOP nomination is back in the headlines: He’s the new CEO of EchoLight Studios, a faith-based production, distribution, marketing and financing company that has released eight straight-to-video films since its founding in 2011....

Yes, there is life after Fox News. Sarah Palin “parted ways” with the network in January. Dick Morris was gone the following month. Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum were suspended as contributors in March 2011 while they considered presidential runs. They haven’t come back. Being escorted — or, in some cases, shoved — off Fox News’s big stage has tested the ability of the four to find ways to stay relevant, whether through social media, books, radio shows, public appearances or other projects. In the time since these former high-profile paid commentators departed the most-watched news channel in the country...

Langston Bowens is a high school senior at Grosse Pointe South in Michigan, and helped arrange for Sen. Rick Santorum to speak at his school. But a funny thing happened after the speech was announced: School district officials changed their minds and cancelled the event. The story may have ended there, but Langston Bowens refused to be bullied by officials he felt objected to the speech based on their own, personal beliefs, so he took a stand. Col. Allen West sat down with Langston at the Reagan Center library in Santa Barbara to find out how he was able to...

Ever since Rick Santorum ended his presidential campaign a year ago this week, he has acted as if that defeat was just a brief setback in his running quest for the Republican nomination. Almost three years out from the 2016 Iowa caucuses, the former Pennsylvania senator is set to return Monday to the nation’s first voting state, where he won a come-from-behind battle against Mitt Romney by 34 votes in January 2012. Having witnessed the perils of underestimating him, Santorum’s potential rivals next time around aren’t likely to discount another strong challenge on his part, particularly in the Hawkeye State.

Since Monday, school district officials in Grosse Pointe, Michigan have canceled a decision to allow Rick Santorum to speak at Grosse Pointe South High School, then reversed that cancellation. There is a catch, though: students who want to see the former U.S. senator and presidential hopeful must first obtain permission from their parents. A local chapter of the group Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) had originally invited Santorum to speak at the high school on April 24, explains the Detroit Free Press. The group raised $18,000 for the speech — presumably to cover costs and pay any fees to Santorum....

Michigan high school cancels, then un-cancels controversial speech Listening to Rick Santorum is the kind of activity that requires parental permission. That's the conclusion a Michigan high school has come to, after a planned speech by the former presidential candidate inspired massive backlash. On Monday, Grosse Pointe High School decided to just cancel the event, but that generated outcry from the other side. So now the speech is back on, but students will need a signed permission slip to watch, the Detroit Free Press reports. Langston Bowens, the socially conservative senior who invited Santorum, has accused the school of...

Rick Santorum says it would be “suicidal” for the Republican Party to support same-sex marriage. In an interview with The Des Moines Register on Monday, Santorum said that Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) backing same-sex marriage is similar to the Republicans in the 1960s and 1970s who broke with the GOP and supported abortion. “I’m sure you could go back and read stories, oh, you know, ‘The Republican Party’s going to change. This is the future.’ Obviously, that didn’t happen,” Santorum told the Register. “I think you’re going to see the same stories written now, and it’s...

As conservatives continue to grapple with how they — and the Republican Party at large — should handle the issue of gay marriage, some prominent voices are coming out to either endorse or condemn pushes for the movement to embrace same-sex nuptials. Among those personalities is former presidential candidate Rick Santorum. In an interview with the Des Moines Register, the politician said that embracing gay marriage would be “suicidal” for the party. The former senator also noted that some Republicans, like Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, and Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, who have openly endorsed gay marriage are no...

Rick Santorum appears to be eyeing the White House again, with the former Pennsylvania senator telling Newsmax TV’s Steve Malzberg that he may run for president in 2016. “I’m certainly leaving the door open for that,” Santorum revealed on “The Steve Malzberg Show” Wednesday afternoon. … “The same advisors who botched these last two campaigns are now saying, ‘Well, you know, since we can’t win with moderate Republicans, we have to now try to be liberal Republicans to win instead of standing up for the values that made our country great,’” he said. …

Joshua Green shares an amazing story about the secret negotiations between Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich for a “unity ticket” during the Republican Presidential primary. In the end, Green reports, neither of the two Republican leaders could agree which of the two would be president. (T)he two candidates spoke face-to-face at an energy forum just before the primary. Gingrich made an elaborate historical argument that when the party hasn’t been able to agree on a nominee, it always settles on the senior figure. Santorum wasn’t persuaded, and urged Gingrich to do what was best for the conservative movement.

And there was Santorum during his CPAC appearance, still not bashful about defending the Judeo-Christian moralview that is still shared by an overwhelming majority of Republican primary voters across the country. more here...

March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. That's how the saying goes. And oh, how it rings true for my family. It is Lent, of course, a time for the faithful to pray, sacrifice and fast. And it is in our prayerful reflections and daily acts that we prepare ourselves for Easter and new life. March is also Trisomy Awareness Month. For my family, this has become a time to celebrate the life of our daughter Bella. Bella was born almost five years ago with trisomy 18, a severe genetic condition that I believe makes every...