[Mind-numbed Robot]

can senator from Pennsylvania, has written a new book called It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good. The book is worth taking seriously for several reasons, not least of which is that it is a serious book. The writing and thinking are consistently competent, often better than that. The lapses into right-wing talk-radioese ("liberals practically despise the common man") are rare. Santorum wrestles intelligently, often impressively, with the biggest of big ideas: freedom, virtue, civil society, the Founders' intentions.

I suppose it is the bane of the critic but this sounds awfully arrogant on Mr. Rauch's part. He assumes that he is superior to Santorum to the degree to be able to evaluate Rick's ability.

[Amalie]

"The bold new challenge to the Goldwater-Reagan tradition in American politics comes not from the Left, but from the Right."

I would say that this statement is both honest as well as some Democratic wishful thinking. As we see the DEMs come apart at the seams due to the hard Left taking over the party's reins, I think there is some hope the GOP will also fragment. After 2004, I figured no, that wouldn't happen. Now - with 50b personal bailouts without accountability, Supreme Court nominees who may not be diehard conservatives, and influx on the border issues - there may indeed be a groundswell of support for truly conservative candidates. It is also possible they will not be able to function effectively under the present Republican system. The work for such a change will only happen here - in the growing conservative media and through grassroots support. Any thoughts on this....

[Wonder Warthog]

Sounds like Santorum is morphing into Spector. What he appears to "forget" is that although the Founding Fathers advocated "civic virtue", that virtue was to flow from free individuals, and not from the government.

[Gipper08]

Santorum will be gone soon enough.Anyone who advocates raising the minimum wage is not conservative.

[StonyBurk]

Goldwater was a conservative Republican who made the fatal
error of marriage outside the tribe. His love for his wife
led him to allow her to keep worshipping her strange gods-
and as in the old old story the lust of his flesh led him
from God.He died as liberal as Teddy Kennedy.And as lost as
Hanoi Johh Freaking Kerry.

[hobbes1]

What is being missed here, Both by Santorum, making his argument, and in the review of said argument, is that Neither Adams, Nor Jefferson, Nor even Goldwater, had seen a society so decoupled from any Moral underpinnings.....

That said, If you put Santorum's argument in CONTEXT (context is our friend), the argument rightly, is that Government needs to move in a certain direction, as well as some of the societal institutions that have become decoupled from any realistic sense of restraint.

Liberal individualism, is fine for INDIVIDUALS, Civic Institutions are another matter entirely. The Nuclear Family is the basic unit of Society. The Individual is the basic concern of political Liberty. Individuals do not beget individuals.And Those that do, have a hard time passing on the norms of societal behavior to their offspring. The Family is the first place Children learn to understand the varying roles, and places in a a society.

[George W. Bush]

Santorum is rehashing communitarianism in coded gumballs. How long before he advocates mandatory volunteerism and a national service corps?

[trawler]

Rick Santorum, Big Government and Anti-Conservative Republicans
Address:http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1486874/posts