[NoPinkos]

I'm starting to think that a deadlocked convention turning to someone who isn't currently on the stage is the only hope for the party.

[Carry me back]

While I’m supporting Newt. If he can’t be the guy I would like to see it deadlocked in hopes of getting a more conservative candidate. This is even more reason for the Newt supporters to stay with Newt no matter what.

[DJ MacWoW]

We're also going to try to replace some of our older servers and failing equipment this year so we're going to add a little extra to our FReepathon goals. John is estimating ten to fifteen thousand to do this and I'd like to get it all in place and working before the election cycle is fully heated up, so we'll try to bring in a little more now if we can and the rest next quarter.
Jim Robinson

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[Yaelle]

Santorum is a fiscal conservative. He DOES have the power to fight the Dems. He WILL be a constitutional President. He is doing this to save the country for his kids, NOT because of his own grandiose ego. With a Republican congress he WILL get a lot done that will be fiscally sound. He’s not coming to the table to spend.

And he ISN’T a RINO like Mitt.

I think it is very prejudiced for voters to be against social conservatives for their beliefs, especially, like Sarah Palin and Rick Santorum, when they don’t campaign on their beliefs. They just hold them.

[Antoninus]

"NoPinkos" -- yeah, you're not a troll. (eye roll)

Can we please stop pretending Santorum isn't a fiscal conservative?

I trust Santorum to handle economic and regulatory issues MUCH more than I do Romney or Obama. He deserves--and will get--Tea Party support.

[Essie]

Me too, I beginning to think that a brokered convention is the only answer.

[Fiji Hill]

Those of you who are buying the argument that Rick Santorum is a latter-day George McGovern should check out his ratings from dozens of organizations across the political spectrum at Project Vote Smart. He tends to be rated high by conservative groups and low by liberal groups.

[Vigilanteman]

Can we stop pretending that Rick Santorum is a fiscal conservative?

Compared to whom?

ObaMao? He most definitely is.

Romney? Gingrich? At least equal.

Ron Paul? Not so much. But you have to cut Santorum a little slack considering his view of military strength isn't stuck in the last century like Ron Paul.

The electoral math, so far, still shows Santorum doing way better than Gingrich.

Seven reasons for Rick Santorum

1. Who has won the most states without the benefit of their own money, last election's organization or a billionaire casino sugar daddy?
   
2. Who is everybody's second choice when he isn't their first?
   
3. Who can get both the Romney people and the Gingrich people, who hate each other, to vote for him?
   
4. Who has the best record on immigration?
   
5. Who has the best plan for repealing ObamaCare? And is the only GOP candidate who didn't help write or approve legislation which helped spawn this fiasco?
   
6. Who has the best plan for expanding the American economy and strengthening American families?
   
7. Who is the closest thing we have to the "generic Republican" which polls show consistently beating Obama and is most likely to make the election about Obama's sorry record rather than about himself?

[SierraWasp]

I have a problem with perpetual, interminable, instant fault finders. We're running out of people who will run for high office as conservatives because as Jesus said to those about to stone a whore, "he who is without sin, let him cast the first stone!"

Constant castigation with no regard for circumstantial considerations such as poisoning of legislaton by liberals with extreme treachery over one or two terms in office can completely discolor a reps reputation in office.

Single issue, or narrow scope voters then email and blog all the negatives with complete impugnity with no recourse by the elected official. Nobody said it was going to be fair, but conservatives should be considerate, if not compassionate!!!

[dangus]

If a candidate uses as adjective to modify “conservative,” experience has shown time and time again that that candidate is no conservative at all. “Fiscal conservatives,” “compassionate conservatives,” whatever; they are all socialists at heart.

If a candidate is not deeply troubled by moral crises in America, and doesn’t understand that these moral crises jeopardize both our economic health and our freedom, he is either an unserious, unreflective candidate, or the enemy.

When a candidate starts campaigning to oppose behavior that is inherently private (skipping mass, masturbating, etc.), you can come talk to me about how that candidate’s “social conservatism” is at odds with traditional conservatism. But public behaviors like gay marriage, abortion, and trafficking pornography aren’t merely spiritual issues, they are public, legitimate issues. The only grey area I have seen emerge yet from “social conservatives” deal with people growing marijuana for their own, personal use. I would argue that a democracy does have an interest in preventing behavior that is both addictive and self-destructive, but I understand that there is a legitimate diversity of opinion on whether marijuana is addictive and self-destructive in a way that masturbation, for instance, is not.

[onyx]

I'm starting to think that a deadlocked convention turning to someone who isn't currently on the stage is the only hope for the party.

[katiedidit1]

Santorum is NO fiscal conservative! An antitax advocacy group zinged Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum’s tax plan, giving him a grade of “D+” grade and the dubious honor of proposing what “may be the worst idea of any of the Republican candidates.” http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/01/06/tax-foundation-rips-santorum-tax-plan/ Sntorum and earmarks Bridge to Nowhere project in Alaska; $522,000 for cranberry and blueberry disease and breeding in New Jersey, and $1 million for a Woodstock museum, honoring the 1969 music festival in upstate New York. Senators Propose Redundant Media Research Study (Washington, D.C.) - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today criticized Senators Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), and Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) for reintroducing the Children and Media Research Advancement Act (CAMRA), which will set up a $90 million program to research what countless other studies have already documented the effects of television viewing and other media on children. CAGW named Sen. Lieberman Porker of the Month when he introduced the same legislation in August, 2004. “This proposal is just one expensive rerun,” CAGW President Tom Schatz said. “For decades this issue has been studied to death, always yielding the same results. Calling for yet another taxpayer-funded study belittles the ability of parents to use common sense in deciding what shows are appropriate for their children.” 1. Santorum joined Sen Hillary Clinton, Sen Lieberman, Sam Brownback in introducing the CHILDREN AND MEDIA REASEARCH ADVANCEMENT ACT which allocated a 90 MILLION dollar program to research the effects that watching tv has on children. This was a call for ANOTHER taxpayer funded study that thinks the govt knows better than parents on what is appropriate for their children to view. http://www.cagw.org/newsroom/releases/2005/senators-propose-redundant.html 2. Santorum voted to raise the minimum wage and to have the govt be allowed to set wage regulations. 3. Santorum spent more than 1 billion on earmarks including..., Pennsylvania in 2005 received $483 million in earmarks for 872 projects, including $5.4 million for an igloo upgrade for an Army Depot and $5 million for a new visitor center at Gettysburg. Senator Santorum voted on raising the debt ceiling 6 times. Five of those times, he voted in favor of raising the debt ceiling and once he voted against it

[Marguerite]

Can we stop pretending that Rick Santorum embraces the tenets of conservatism: fiscal discipline , low taxes, small spending, small government and freedom for people in the pursuit of their individual happiness?

Pro-big government Santorum in 2005: “they have this idea that people should be left alone, be able to do whatever they want to do. Government should keep our taxes down and keep our regulation low and that we shouldn’t get involved in the bedroom, we shouldn’t get involved in cultural issues, you know, people should do whatever they want. Well, that is not how traditional conservatives view the world, and I think most conservatives understand that individuals can’t go it alone...”

[org.whodat]

Jason Piles seems to be a bit in over his head, why does he not call Mark Levin with that BS.

[Mad Dawgg]

Well he fits at least ONE of the criteria I have this round for voting for POTUS.

That criteria being his name isn't either "Mitt" or "Romney"... which all things considered, sadly, is looking like it may be the best I can hope for.

[dforest]

I want to thank you for sealing my support for Rick Santorum.

Good job, n00b.

[itsahoot]

Sure we can, as long as we stop calling any of the others Conservative.

[xzins]

Any article pointing out negatives of either Gingrich or Santorum is by definition a part of the Romney Slime Machine.

Santorum has a lifetime American Conservative Union (ACU) rating of 80+.

He did not get that being a fiscal liberal.

The only way people can injure either Gingrich or Santorum is by cherry-picking those issues when they voted contrary to the conservative dogma.

However, a lot of those supposed indiscretions are pulled out of omnibus type bills that include other items very important to the nation.

If you vote to fund troops, but someone has tacked onerous legislation onto that funding, and they also have the power to prevent troop funding from passing, then you sometimes decide to fund the troops and damn the other stuff you wouldn’t normally vote for.

That is one reason the problem with legislation is the who omnibus idea to begin with. All bills should be required by law to be single focused.

[hinckley buzzard]

Santorum's social conservatism is going to turn away s independent voters. For example, his strange rant against contraceptives is going to sound nutty and unserious to many on-the-fence voters in swing states. And national polls show that voters are now supportive of gay marriage, which Santorum vigoriously opposes

Well, I never heard his "strange rant against contraceptives" but this article overall validates what I have been trying to tell people these last many weeks. Santorum is a sitting duck for "religious fanatic" demogoguery, and can easily be backed into corners where he will have to say something outrageous for the record in order to appear not to betray his principles. He under-estimates his opposition and he is not the only one out there who can use reductio ad absurdum to snag an unsuspecting victim. Yeah I'd say he's toast, and have been.

[Gene Eric]

Santorum is a humorless Bush reincarnate who's found the magic talking points. And dagnammit, he's serious!!!

Newt/Sarah 2012