He hasn't lost any freedom whatsoever, nor have we. (Are you no longer able to say Strom Thurmond was right to be a segregationalist in 1948 if you want to?....Of course not. You haven't lost your freedom to say what you want to).
And Lott can go on saying the same thing if he wants to as well, but only with the risk of losing more power. Power, position and freedom are not the same things. You can lose the first two, but it doesn't mean you've lost the last.
Can't the same be said about Santorum?
Plus, I think you're seriously underestimating the power of PC. A private citizen can certainly suffer serious harm (like losing his job) for saying what ultrasensitive sorts deem to be racist. And the same situation is developing for what can be deemed to be homophobic.