Free Republic

On the 10th anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges (federally mandating “marriage equality”), it’s proper to ask whether same-sex marriage is a good idea. One reason to think that it’s not is the existence of an epistemic oddity, an oddity which strongly undermines any argument for same-sex marriage (hereafter “SSM”). The oddity in question is characterized by what may be called an "underdetermination asymmetry."Start with the following very simple observation.There are two ultimate positions in the SSM debate, and only two. On the one hand, there’s love or care as the basis of marriage, as in the view of SSM’s supporters....

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) criticized President-elect Trump for discord regarding the continuing resolution. “What does President Trump want Republicans to do: vote for the CR or shut down government? Absent direction, confusion reigns,” Romney wrote in a Wednesday post on the social platform X. House Republicans spent Tuesday debating last-minute changes to the stopgap bill with disagreements over disaster relief funding and aid for farmers prolonging a finalized text. However, once published, Elon Musk, set to co-lead the “Department of Government Efficiency,” encouraged legislators to vote against the bill.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said on Friday that Donald Trump had “brought these charges upon himself” after the former president was notified of his indictment in an investigation into his handling of classified materials. “Mr. Trump brought these charges upon himself by not only taking classified documents, but by refusing to simply return them when given numerous opportunities to do so,” Romney said in a statement. The former Republican presidential candidate acknowledged that Trump is “entitled to the presumption of innocence” and that the government is faced with “the burden of proving its charges beyond a reasonable doubt.” However, he...

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel downplayed former President Donald Trump's threat of skipping the GOP debates. McDaniel talked about the RNC's correspondence with the 2024 campaigns about the debate structure and defended her push to have candidates pledge to back the eventual nominee on Sunday. "That's his choice. And every candidate is going to make that calculation," McDaniel told Fox News Sunday. "What I think the American people want to see is these candidates; they want to see what they're articulating, and especially what is your plan to take us out of the misery of Joe Biden." The chairwoman...

Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney appears to back Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin in the West Virginia U.S. Senate race over someone from his own party. Following the news of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) filing paperwork to run for the U.S. Senate on Thursday ahead of an expected official announcement later in the day, Romney appears to support the Democrat over a Republican. When asked if he would support Justice in the U.S. Senate election as Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham (SC) and Shelley Moore Capito (WV) have implied they will, the Utah senator told CNN, “I won’t in any...

Should U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, seek re-election next year? The issue divides registered Utah voters, according to an O.H. Predictive Insights poll released earlier this week. While Utahns have a net positive approval rating of the former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee, that does not mean most want him to seek re-election. Romney has a 51% approval rating in the state, while 43% disapprove of him. Even so, just 38% of voters said Romney should run again, while 42% said no; 20% said they were unsure. Republicans generally oppose a second Romney term; 36% think he should...

Sen. Mitt Romney says President Donald Trump is "very likely" to become the 2024 Republican presidential nominee if he runs. "I don't delude myself into thinking I have a big swath of the Republican Party," Romney, a two-time Republican presidential contender and 2012 presidential nominee, said in an interview with Politico. "It's hard to imagine anything that would derail his support," Romney said of Trump. "So if he wants to become the nominee in '24, I think he's very likely to achieve that."

Mitt Romney and Josh Hawley, polar opposites in today’s GOP, agree on one thing: Donald Trump’s status as Republican kingmaker. After the former president’s endorsement of a former critic rocketed J.D. Vance to the GOP Senate nomination in Ohio, the two senators can’t help but see things the same way. Hawley (R-Mo.), who led Trump-backed election challenges in the Senate last year, observed that “he’s the leader of the party, that’s clear … If he decides to run, he will be the nominee.” And while Romney twice voted to convict Trump in impeachment trials, speaking out against him more than...

@DonaldJTrumpJr Ohio friends - Meet the real @JoshMandelOhio The Club for Chinese Growth backed establishment candidate in the #OHSen race. Video...

Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah tore into President Joe Biden's management of inflation on Wednesday, torching the administration's handling of the economy and inflation as Americans grapple with the worst price hikes in decades. "President Biden needs to ditch his woke advisers and surround himself with people who want to get the economy working again," Romney wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. He blamed the Biden administration for stoking inflation with a stimulus law that issued "stay-at-home" checks for Americans, and citing moves like oil and gas production limits and a pro-union stance. The White House declined to...

Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) introduced a bill to forgive student debt. The Earn to Learn Act establishes a matched savings program for “low-income” college students. “The funds can be used to pay for tuition, books, and other education-related expenses that might otherwise prevent them from attending,” according to the Arizona Republic.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) is receiving a profile in courage award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation for his “historic vote” to impeach then-President Trump during his first impeachment trial last year, the foundation announced on Friday. “Senator Romney‘s commitment to our Constitution makes him a worthy successor to the senators who inspired my father to write 'Profiles in Courage,'” former Ambassador Caroline Kennedy said in a statement. “He reminds us that our Democracy depends on the courage, conscience and character of our elected officials.” Romney was the sole Republican senator to vote to impeach Trump last February on...

A new survey has found that for the first time, a majority of Republicans support same-sex marriage. As part of its annual American Values Atlas, the Public Religion Research Institute released a report Thursday finding broad support for pro-LGBT policies in the United States spanning across partisan, ethnic and religious lines. The results of the survey match findings of other studies showing rising support for such policies. Overall, 67% of Americans support same-sex marriage. Support for allowing same-sex couples to marry is highest among Democrats (76%) and independents (72%). Notably, 51% of Republicans, who are seen as the party committed...

The city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, which is home to Harvard University, has officially recognized polyamory, making it the second city in the state to do so. Last week, the Cambridge City Council approved an ordinance amending the city’s existing statute so that domestic partnerships are not limited to only two people. The city of Sommerville, Massachusetts, the community just north of Cambridge, implemented a similar change last summer. A domestic partnership in the city that is home to Harvard University is now defined as “the entity formed by two or more persons” who are not related and "consider themselves to...

Sen. Mitt Romney was knocked unconscious when he fell in Boston over the weekend, leaving him with “a lot of stitches” and a black eye. “I took a fall. Knocked me unconscious. But I’m doing better,” Romney told reporters on Capitol Hill Monday night.

Senator Mitt Romney (R., Utah) on Thursday unveiled a proposal for a monthly child allowance, in which most parents of children younger than six would receive $350 and parents of kids ages six to 17 would receive $250. Romney’s Family Security Act is similar to a Democratic plan to increase the child tax credit from $2,600 to $3,600 as part of Biden’s coronavirus relief legislation. Democrats want to boost the tax credit, make it “fully refundable” so that lower-income parents qualify, and have the Internal Revenue Service disburse the payments in advance on a monthly basis, essentially creating a child...

Article Dig In Sen. Mitt Romney on Thursday proposed providing monthly payments to families with children to help them weather the COVID-19 pandemic. "This proposal offers a path toward greater security for America’s families by consolidating the many complicated programs to create a monthly cash benefit for them, without adding to the deficit,” Romney said in a press release. The Utah Republican said the proposal would streamline existing family policies to create one universal child benefit, titled the Family Security Act. Under the proposal, the existing child tax credit would be replaced with monthly payments of $350 for children ages...

They spend two hours discussing differences, but vow to keep discussion moving forward. After a longer-than-expected two-hour meeting Monday with President Joe Biden, Sen. Mitt Romney said the president “has genuine interest in working with” Republicans to close a gap on their competing proposals for a pandemic aid package. “It was not just a check-the-box meeting,” Romney said in a call with Utah reporters. “We had a full airing of our different points of view and a direction by the president to continue our discussions.” Biden is pushing for a $1.9 trillion package, while a group of 10 centrist Republicans...

“I think we should have nothing to do with Marjorie Taylor Greene, and think we should repudiate the things she said and move away from her,” Romney told reporters… Asked if he was surprised by McConnell’s comments, Romney said it was important for the Republican Party to “separate ourselves from the people in the wacky weeds.” “If we don’t, then our opposition tries to brand us with their image and with their point of view, which has been detrimental to any party that doesn’t do that,” Romney said.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, is grieving over, as CNN reporter Dana Bash put it, President Trump's "very firm grip on the Republican Party." Bash recently asked Romney whether he fears the party won't "be able to overcome Trumpism in the near future." Romney didn't object to Bash's negative characterization of Trumpism. He merely responded that he believes "Trump will continue to have a substantial influence on the party" and that those other than Trump who are rumored to be GOP presidential candidates in 2024 "are trying to appeal to kind of a populist approach."