Free Republic

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said Monday he’s not convinced the GOP cares about poor people as much as Democrats do. “People ask me, ‘Do Republicans care as much about the poor as Democrats do?’” Santorum said at a New York meeting of conservatives. “I’m not sure we do. I’m not sure we do. And the reason I’m not sure we do, is because I don’t hear us talking about them very often.” The remarks came during the Q-and-A portion of the event, where Santorum was promoting his new book, “Blue Collar Conservatives.” He was asked whether he supports the...

“There’s going to be a fight on the right to see who will be the Christian conservative choice of 2016,” says Jamie Johnson, a former Santorum campaign staffer. “I’ve never seen the stars aligned like this before in Iowa, with so many possibilities. I love Rick Santorum, and I wish him the best, but this is a new day.” It’s a day when GOP Sens. Ted Cruz (Tex.) and Rand Paul (Ky.) are rock stars and when former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee could jump in and steal a lot of the evangelical support. And that’s just the fight for the...

Sen. Rand Paul brought his national crusade against the war on drugs back to his home state, giving testimony before the Kentucky state senate in favor of an amendment to restore voting rights to felons after they get out of prison.The amendment, which state Republicans have forestalled for years, looks like it may finally pass. Today, only Kentucky and Virginia permanently strip felons' of their voting rights. Most states require a probationary period before felons can vote again, but states like Iowa and Florida have such punitive laws that they may as well be permanent. Only Maine and Vermont have no restrictions on felons voting, including when...

Of all the electoral maneuvers lately — Huckabee heading to Iowa, Santorum huddling with advisors, Allen West refusing to rule anything out, and even Joe Scarborough visiting New Hampshire — this is the most interesting. Is there room for Perry this time, though? Perry, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, will be in Des Moines and Davenport on Feb. 27 and Feb. 28. He will be sitting down with business leaders to discuss a wide range of issues, according to Bob Haus, an adviser in the state. He also will be taping an episode of “Iowa Press,” Iowa Public Television’s weekly...

During a debate on the Senate floor in 1996, at the time of President Clinton’s veto of a bill to ban partial-birth abortion, there was an incident reported in an article in the Washington Post: Not five feet away, Republican Senator, Rick Santorum turned to face the opposition and in a high, pleading voice cried out, “where do we draw the line? Some people have likened this procedure to an appendectomy. That’s not an appendix,” he shouted, pointing to a drawing of a fetus. “That is not a blob of tissue. It is a baby. It’s a baby.” And...

alk about campaign trail déjà vu. As hundreds of bundled-up supporters gathered around him on a freezing January day, Rick Santorum towered over a lectern and rallied his troops. Aides pecking at smartphones lined the perimeter of the hotel conference room. An army of young children scurried across the floor. Volunteers collected email addresses and phone numbers at a fold-up table near the door. The people, the “candidate” — even the weather — gave the event a presidential primary campaign feel. But this scene played out in the Capitol Hill Hyatt in Washington, not a Sheraton in West Des Moines...

IÂ’ve looked for a transcript but canÂ’t find one so IÂ’m forced to rely on HuffPoÂ’s account of what he said. On the one hand, theyÂ’re a lefty news site, doubtless eager to put his quotes in the worst possible light. On the other hand, their reporter is Jon Ward, who used to work for the Daily Caller and is respected in the field. On the other other hand, the rhetoric sounds kind of Huck-ish, doesnÂ’t it? With some pols, you can look at a quote thatÂ’s attributed to them and say, nah, no way. With Huck, you never know...

You are entering the vicinity of an area adjacent to a location. The kind of place where there might be a monster, or some kind of weird mirror. These are just examples; it could also be something much better. Prepare to enter: The Scary Door.* Some clips just speak for themselves. Other clips are hilarious and unself-aware parodies of themselves. And still other clips make you question who you are as a human being and your place on this earth. This clip is the second one. Lawrence O'Donnell has to try really, really hard to be any more of a...

Republicans “live in a bubble,” former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum told the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature Thursday, and are detached from the pop culture and concerns of the average Americans whose allegiance they need to prevail nationally. “We live in a bubble. We don’t realize what’s going on,” said the once and perhaps future presidential candidate who is now head of a movie studio based in Flower Mound that produces Christian entertainment. “How many of you watch prime time network television? I suspect none of you.” He told his audience, which will also be...

As the controversy over recent comments by Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson rages on, everyone from twitter users to national figures are adding their perspectives to the discussion. In the below clip. former GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum, appearing on On The Record, weighs in, saying that what Phil Robertson said was a “pretty accurate” job of quoting the Bible.

The Republican was once savaged for suggesting polygamy could become legal if the Supreme Court killed anti-sodomy laws. Now a judge has ruled against Utah’s anti-polygamy statute. A decade ago, Rick Santorum said polygamy, among other things, would be allowed if bans on sodomy were struck down by the Supreme Court. “Sometimes I hate it when what I predict comes true,” the once and likely future Republican presidential candidate tweeted Sunday after a federal judge decriminalized polygamy in Utah. Judge Clark Waddoups ruled late Friday that parts of the state’s law are unconstitutional, based on a Supreme Court ruling that...

Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin will be back in Iowa Saturday. The Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition says Palin will be a featured speaker at its annual family banquet being held on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Palin will join a speaking lineup that includes Senator Mike Lee of Utah. Palin’s last formal appearance in the state was at a 2011 rally in Indianola. Another high profile Republican will be in the state on Monday. Former presidential candidate and Iowa Caucus Winner Rick Santorum will be heading to Jordan Creek Mall to watch a movie. The former...

Was the end result of Ted Cruz’s effort to derail Obamacare in the recently concluded budget debate a good one? Rick Santorum doesn’t think so. “I would say that in the end, he did more harm,” Santorum said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” adding that while Cruz’s aim was worthy, his follow through wasn’t effective. Does it matter what Santorum, a failed 2012 White House contender, thinks of Cruz, a freshman Texas senator and rising conservative star? Yes. Because of Iowa. Cruz made his third swing through the first-in-the-nation caucus state over the weekend, building more bridges with conservative...

(CNSNews.com) – Conservative Rick Santorum, who served two terms as a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and was a Republican presidential candidate in 2012, criticized fellow conservative Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), saying his approach to defunding Obamacare “did more harm” than good, adding that Cruz did not have a plan...

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...

The debate over whether to bomb Syrian military facilities and weapons installations is creating some strange bedfellows. Among them: President Obama and Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. On Tuesday, the Republican Jewish Coalition, which counts Adelson as a donor and a board member, told its members to urge Congress to authorize a strike in Syria. A spokesman for Adelson, a top backer of pro-Israel causes, told Bloomberg News that the gambling mogul supported the coalition's position—and thus Obama's—on Syria. Obama and Adelson are far from ideological allies. Adelson reportedly spent upwards of $150 million, in disclosed and dark money,...

Republican Rick Santorum on Sunday blamed President Barack Obama's policies for creating the current terrorist threat that has closed more than 20 embassies around the world. "I think it's a huge deal, and I think it's really the consequence of the policies of this administration," Santorum said on NBC's "Meet the Press," pointing to last year's attack in Benghazi that killed four Americans. "We've seen really nothing other than cover-ups," said Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator and candidate for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. "What we've seen is an administration that has refused to confront radical Islam, that has embraced...

There is increasing evidence that faith and family based movies and TV is making an impact on the film industry.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, a conservative Republican who vied for the GOP nomination for president last year, said on Wednesday that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) will face negative “consequences” for being a part of the “Gang of Eight” pushing the 1,200-page senate immigration bill. Santorum’s comments about Rubio came the radio show hosted by Fox News's Andrea Tantaros. Tantaros asked Santorum if he thinks Rubio “maybe has ruined his chances to run for president with this immigration bill.” “Well, you know, my feeling on that is that we got a long way between now and 2016,” Santorum responded. “Yeah,...

Former Sen. Rick Santorum has a new gig as chief executive at a faith-based film company. According to Dallas-based EchoLight Studios, the former GOP presidential candidate will be the new CEO of “the first movie company to produce, finance, market and distribute faith-based, family films across all releasing platforms.” Mr. Santorum announced the venture on Fox News’ “The Huckabee Show” on Saturday. “This is the right place and right time, and I’ve jumped in with both feet,” he said. “I often say that culture is upstream from politics, and I know entertainment also can be strength and light for people...