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Rick Santorum's taken a large lead in Michigan's upcoming Republican primary. He's at 39% to 24% for Mitt Romney, 12% for Ron Paul, and 11% for Newt Gingrich. Santorum's rise is attributable to two major factors: his own personal popularity (a stellar 67/23 favorability) and GOP voters increasingly souring on Gingrich. Santorum's becoming something closer and closer to a consensus conservative candidate as Gingrich bleeds support. Santorum's winning an outright majority of the Tea Party vote with 53% to 22% for Romney and 10% for Gingrich. He comes close to one with Evangelicals as well at 48% to 20% for...

COMPLETE TITLE No Guts, No Glory DeMint: Why 'cooperate and compromise' when 'the other team ... are there to beat you' ### South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint is just saying “no” to compromise with liberals. “I can guarantee you the [Super Bowl] coaches are not telling their players to go out on the field and cooperate and compromise with the other team,” DeMint said at The Heritage Foundation’s Blogger’s Briefing Tuesday, during a discussion about his new book “Now or Never.” “There is a reason for that, the other team has an opposite goal, they are there to beat...

I’m rather tired of all the people who don’t like Romney trying to claim Rick Santorum is not a big government conservative, or not a pro-life statist. I would support him before I would support Romney too, but I have no intention of giving up ideological and intellectual consistency in the name of beating Mitt Romney. Rick Santorum is a pro-life statist. He is. You will have to deal with it. He is a big government conservative. Santorum is right on social issues, but has never let his love of social issues stand in the way of the creeping expansion...

Results from Democratic firm Public Policy Polling poll of likely GOP caucus goers: Newt Gingrich (22 percent), Ron Paul (21 percent), Mitt Romney (16 percent), Michele Bachmann (11 percent), Rick Perry (9 percent), Rick Santorum (8 percent), Jon Huntsman (5 percent), and Gary Johnson (1 percent). The poll’s margin of error is 4.2 percentage points. Down in the weeds, PPP notices a couple of factors that might be contributing to these numbers: He’s [Gingrich] also seen a significant decline in his favorability numbers. Last week he was at +31 (62/31) and he’s now dropped 19 points to +12 (52/40). The...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich‘s hobby, he says, is studying “dinosaurs and other fossils.” He openly mourned the death of Knut the polar bear.Gingrich believes it is a “false dichotomy” to group policies according to whether they deal with the country’s economic problems or protect the environment. Instead, he thinks government can incentivize the production of new energy technologies, which would consequently help the environment and the economy by making the country less dependent on foreign oil. And he is not short on ideas of how to do it. “One generation’s science fiction is the next generation’s practical reality,” wrote...

Gallup finds that 82 percent of Tea Party affiliated voters deem Newt Gingrich an acceptable Republican presidential nominee in 2012. They don't seem to realize that if he wins the nod their movement is doomed, regardless of how the general election goes. The Tea Party cannot support Gingrich without betraying its core principles. But the movement also cannot disclaim him once he is the Republican nominee. Tea Partiers with a better instinct for self-preservation would see that none of the Mitt Romney alternatives still running would be as corrosive to their cause as the former Speaker of the House. Why?...

Republican presidential candidate and Texas Rep. Ron Paul told reporters in a New Hampshire grocery store Thursday that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is being a “free ride” by sex-obsessed journalists. Paul explained that a pointed attack ad released by his campaign Wednesday was necessary because the media’s coverage of the GOP horse race “is way out of whack.” “I think that he’s getting a free ride,” Paul said, according to Boston NPR station WBUR. “And I’ve worked with him for a long time. And I think the points I made on the various issues, he’s a flip-flopper, so he...

A new study shows that a majority of Americans believe God is the guiding force that is leading America's economy and the government is too big. As a result, sociologists concluded these believers are upset about U.S. economic policy because they believe increased government regulation and interference in personal freedoms go against God's plans. According to the Baylor Religion survey data released Tuesday, a majority of Americans (73.1 percent) agreed or “strongly” agreed with the statement “God has a plan for me.” Of those who believe God has a plan, more than 96 percent said that government was doing too...

A group of Senators questioned the general attorney for the National Security Agency Tuesday about whether U.S. intelligence agencies are using cell phone geo location data to track U.S. citizens without their knowledge. According to The Wall Street Journal, the leader of the National Counterterrorism Center Matthew Olson told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that: "There are certain circumstances where that authority may exist."

And, no, the term “child dinner” does not mean that moppets are on the menu. They are handed one, though, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Education. Via Julie Gunlock at NRO’s The Corner blog, we learn that the Obama administration is expanding its child-dinner program from 13 states to all 50 (or, if Obama gets his way, all 57 … or is it 58?). Anyway, Gunlock has the details: ... This bit of government expansion, by the way, is courtesy of the lame-duck session of Congress. ... And what’s next for the (nearly literal) nanny state after this? AmeriCorps...

Want to know the real reason Washington and Beacon Hill are so afraid of the Tea Party movement? Follow the money. If you live in Salem, follow it to one of the 45 city employees earning $100,000 a year or more - up from 34 just two years ago. The median household income in Salem is less than $60,000. At the state level, follow it to the MBTA worker at “The Ride” - a door-to-door ride service with the noble goal of helping handicapped folks get around. But as the Boston Globe-Democrat reports, spending in just 10 years has gone...

Sen. John McCain on Monday rejected a "big government" takeover of the health care system, saying he wants to empower families to make more medical decisions. "I've made it very clear that what I want is for families to make decisions about their health care, not government, and that's the fundamental difference between myself and Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton," McCain told reporters in Miami, Florida, referring to the two remaining Democratic presidential candidates, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. "They want the government to make the decisions, I want the families to make decisions," he said. During a speech...

What approach do you favor to lower the deficit and balance the budget? Decrease Spending Increase Taxes Both

In the realm of conservative politics, we have two main factions: Christian conservatives and secular/libertarian conservatives. I generally find myself, no surprise, more in agreement with Christian conservatives than libertarians since I’m a baptised believer. However, there is now forming a divide among Christian conservatives, one that could be our undoing. Christian conservatives can now be described in one of two ways: big government Christians and small government Christians. It is truly a sad day in the history of our Republic when small or large government is even up for debate, whether between Christians or not. Unfortunately, big government Christians...

One of the common perceptions we have in our culture is that freedom and safety are compatible with another. We have in our nation a massive intrusion of government into our lives in the name of ’safety’. If you need an example, I suggest you peruse this column by Joseph Farah. The left has succeeded in convincing us that freedom and safety are equivalent. By doing so, this allows the left and the authoritarian right to introduce ever increasing amounts of government intrusion into our lives without opposition because they tell us it’s for our safety. Since we think safety...

Less than a decade ago, Mr. Bush fought that exact part of the Voting Rights Act, with his appointed secretary of state, Antonio O. Garza Jr., calling the provisions a burdensome and unnecessary federal intrusion into Texas' affairs. "The Bush administration has really done a flip-flop on this," said Edward Blum, a senior fellow at the Center for Equal Opportunity who has studied Texas voting and the Voting Rights Act. "This is not where he was, and this is not the kind of philosophy that then-Governor Bush had when it comes to getting Texas out from under the thumb of...

SACRAMENTO - Should it be illegal for parents to smoke in the car while their children are in the back seat? One day after the U.S. Surgeon General released the most damning study yet on secondhand smoke, a state Senate committee approved a bill Wednesday that would allow police to stop drivers guilty of puffing in the confines of their car when a child passenger is secured in a safety seat. If the measure becomes law, violators who smoke a "lighted pipe, cigar or cigarette containing tobacco or any other plant" would receive a warning on the first offense, and...

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had a dream of universal consumer-driven health care. Then he met Beacon Hill and its Democratic legislators. Their plan, introduced this week, is a Frankenstein's monster of tax penalties, expanded government-insurance programs and unfunded mandates. A presidential aspirant, which Mr. Romney certainly is, will decide what is the best he can do for his state. The rest of us, however, should not take this plan for a model. The fault of this bill is that it really isn't "consumer-driven" at all. The resource-wasting reliance on third-party payers and employers remains intact as existing government-insurance programs are...

For all Bush’s good qualities, the man can’t not spend money. This republican congress and president has spent an obscene amount of money. I find this behavior to be irresponsible during a time of war, to say the least. I know I’ve ranted about it before at length, but I’ll say it again: the federal government’s spending habits have far exceeded its constitutional mandate, and something has to be done.

Is the NEA Really an NUT? Is the NEA really an NUT? By asking, I’m not casting aspersions on the National Education Association’s sanity, just on its choice of name. The NEA’s British counterpart really is an NUT: It is the National Union of Teachers. British educators unapologetically acknowledge that their union is a union, while their American peers cling to a name that belies their organization’s agenda — literally. Consider the first 10 agenda items from the NEA’s recent national meeting (brought to my attention courtesy of blogger Captain’s Quarters): 1) [No description] — defeated 2) Participate in a...

November 16, 2004 - There have been many contests for the soul of America, some predating the founding of the country but forming the bedrock America was built upon. Fortunately for us, ours is a legacy of builders, not adventurers. The treasures of the Aztecs and the Incas were not to be found on the North American continent, which I believe was one of the greatest fortunes of history for what would become the United States. The English colonies by and large attracted people intent on building a life, not personal fortunes. Our heritage is that of Puritans and Catholics...

Unanswered questions of 2004 Posted: October 18, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 Creators Syndicate, Inc. That John Kerry won the debates, no matter how any of us score them, seems undeniable. Before the first debate in Miami, his campaign was dead in the water. Throughout August, he had been swift-boated by the Veterans for Truth with repeated attacks on his combat service, character and credibility. The GOP convention completed the demolition. By one poll in September, only 36 percent of the nation held a favorable view of Kerry, a seemingly impossible hurdle to surmount. The president led in every...

Friday, October 08, 2004 End of Another Progressive-Era Relic by William Anderson October 7, 2004 Most of our present governmental institutions (and many private ones) are a creation of that era which lasted from the late 19th into the first quarter of the 20th centuries. Progressivism could not have made the strides it did, however, had it not been for the advent of what we would call modern journalism. From the "muckrakers" of the turn of the century (who really were nothing more than socialists trashing capitalism and calling it reporting) to the vaunted 1925 "Canons of Journalism," the modern...

By Eric Peters Published 7/20/2004 12:05:29 AM Big brother will be watching you for sure by 2008 -- the year a proposed requirement that Event Data Recorders (EDRs) become mandatory standard equipment in all new cars and trucks will become law unless public outrage puts the kibosh on it somehow. EDRs are "black boxes" -- just like airplanes have. They can record a wide variety of things, including how fast you drive and whether you "buckle-up for safety." The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants EDRs to be installed in every new vehicle beginning with model year 2008, on...

Eliminate Primary Elections The best way to greatly reduce the influence of big money in American politics is to eliminate the primary elections. Choosing nominees in primary elections was invented as a reform to get away from those famous "smoke-filled backrooms." That was a reference to the old political machines, which were active in most large American cities. They often played a major role in choosing nominees. As often happens with reforms, the reform has produced a greater problem than the one it was intended to solve. It's true that money is the mother's milk of politics, but it is...

<p>DES MOINES, Iowa--Pollsters tell us the caucuses here tonight are a four-way race that anyone could win. But there is another battle going on in this state that divides Democrats along lines of occupation, class and policy priorities. Two wings of the union movement are fighting for the soul of the Democratic Party.</p>

WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to combat the growing problem of obesity, especially among children and teen-agers. Noting that obesity increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, the bill authorizes a $60 million pilot project to help communities develop programs to address the problem, in part by promoting good nutrition and physical fitness. The programs would also deal with eating disorders. More than 60 percent of U.S. adults and 13 percent of children are estimated to be overweight and about 300,000 deaths a year are associated with being overweight...

No Artificial Christmas for Virginias Apartment and Condo Residents 2 hours, 1 minute ago Add Local - WJLA to My Yahoo! () - Virginia apartment and condo dwellers who usually buy real Christmas trees wont have to travel to the nearest department store this year for an artificial version. Virginia has decided to lift its new ban on fresh-cut trees. So those who live in apartments or condos can decorate for the holidays after all. Fresh trees are still banned in places without sprinklers, like churches, hospitals and dorms. The states new fire code restricts the placement of natural-cut Christmas...

Beer kegs tapped New law aims to track buyers By Kimberly D. Morava SNS Staff Writer Kegs of cold beer are pictured at a local liquor store. Beginning Nov. 1, retailer sellers must abide by the state's new keg law, which requires them to keep records of beer keg purchasers for one year. The law is geared toward making purchasers responsible, and to cut down on underage drinking. (SNS Photos by Ed Blochowiak) Beer sold in metal barrels, or kegs, is the focus of a new Oklahoma keg registration law that becomes effective Nov. 1. House Bill 1014 is aimed...

Temp: 85 °FHi: 79 °FLo: 63 °F Advanced Search Home > News > Story NewsLocal News Past Week's NewsE ThePeopleSpecial Projects SportsBusiness NewsTechnologyWeatherObitsMarketplaceEmploymentCarsHomesApartmentsClassifiedsCity GuideCoupons PersonalsWeddings EntertainmentHighlightsMovies Nightlife & BandsFood & DrinkArts & CultureRecreationFun & GamesEvent Calendars Contact UsNewspaper InfoAdvertising InfoOnline InfoCity Cams Don't flinch at metro plan, says 'regional city' booster By Rick ArmonDemocrat and Chronicle CARLOS ORTIZ William Hudnut, former Indianapolis mayor, urged Rochester to see that central city, suburbs must work together. (April 17, 2002) &#8212 The Rochester community shouldn't fear having a discussion about consolidating its city and county governments, former Indianapolis Mayor William Hudnut said...