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Yesterday on CNN's State of the Union, Candy Crowley asked Ron Paul about the new focus in national politics on social issues and whether a national debate focusing on them would help Republicans in November. Paul called it a "losing position" but neglects to mention that he has campaigned on his opposition to abortion at least since the Ames straw poll, an omission caught by CNS News: CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO “Do you–are you uncomfortable–certainly Rick Santorum is the one who has been in the forefront of some of this talk on social issues, but there have been...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Santorum showed up yesterday on Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer. And, folks, it was like Bob Schieffer, who's, what, 90? Ninety-two? Bob Schieffer talking to Rick Santorum actually appeared as though Schieffer thought Santorum was from Mars. It was a space alien. What he thought, the things he had said, Schieffer could not believe that there was a human being alive on this planet who could think that way, who believed these things. He was shocked. He was stunned. And it goes to show the Republican establishment, clearly the Democrat Party establishment, do not have the...

And Baby Makes Seven Billion William McGurn has flagged a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) news item, "The State of World Population 2011." His comment: "Nothing brings out the inner Malthus like a newborn baby." [quote] At Columbia University's Earth Institute, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs tells CNN "the consequences for humanity could be grim." Earlier this year, a New York Times columnist declared "the earth is full," suggesting that a growing population means "we are eating into our future." And in West Virginia, the Charleston Gazette editorializes about a "human swarm" that is "overbreeding" in a way that "prosperous, well-educated families"...

Noman loves James Taranto's Best of the Web Today, and today proves no exception to the rule. Commencing with the defeat of President's Obama's American Jobs Act legislation in the Democratically-controlled Senate, he offers his analysis of hand-wringing on the Left. "Portnoy observes: "What I believe is happening is that the left is reading the handwriting on the wall and resigning itself to the harsh reality [that] the man they trusted to 'fundamentally transform America' is on the verge of being unelected." We'd go a step further. Not only does Obama's re-election look to be in serious jeopardy, but his...

CNN's Jack Cafferty has advice for the GOP: Park your morality at the door. On June 14, Mr. Cafferty expressed surprise that, in the previous night's presidential debate, "social issues—like abortion, gay marriage, 'don't ask, don't tell'—still manage to work their way into the conversation. And that may prove to be a problem for Republicans. . . . These are not the issues that middle America is worried about. They would like to be able to find a job." I submit that these so-called "social issues" mean more to "middle America" than Cafferty realizes. We call them "moral issues." To...

The politics of this were easy, the policy a bit more complicated. It wasn’t a simple choice of “cut ‘em off or don’t cut ‘em off.” Federal law provides that a state can’t be selective in allocating Medicaid funds to medical providers who serve Medicaid patients. By signing the bill, Daniels would be taking a risk that the feds will withdraw the state’s Medicaid funding entirely as a penalty. By not signing the bill, he’d be signaling to social conservatives who are already suspicious of him over the infamous “truce” comments that he won’t go to bat for them if...

The Indiana House of Representatives voted 66-32 on Wednesday to approve a controversial bill tightening the state's abortion restrictions and cutting off funding to Planned Parenthood, which now awaits the signature of Gov. Mitch Daniels (R), a potential presidential candidate who has yet to comment publicly on the politically sensitive legislation. Daniels has seven days to take action on the bill, and has three options once it arrives on his desk: 1) Sign the bill into law; 2) Veto the bill; 3) Do nothing, and allow the bill to become law after seven days without taking a stance. Daniels' decision...

Thune: No Truce on Abortion, Social Issues for Republicans Washington, DC -- In a new interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network on Wednesday, South Dakota Sen. John Thune, a potential 2012 GOP presidential candidate, says there should be no truce on social issues like abortion. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/02/17/thune-no-truce-on-abortion-social-issues-for-republicans/

Governor Mitch Daniels is a great wonk, a good governor, but it appears that he isn't much of a politician. Earth to Mitch: You don't start out a presidential campaign by alienating 1/3 of your base: The other day on Laura Ingraham's radio show, Daniels re-iterated his call for a "truce" on social issues while America gets its economic house in order. He now says he'd like to "mute" those issues for a little while.Listen here. (You have to go 4 minutes into the clip to hear this) The transcription is below: "If you don't accept that we face a...

Despite the triumphant ascendancy of conservatism in our times, many Republicans are impetuously 'punting on first down' in the battle for social conservatism.  Some prominent GOPers feel that not only is social conservatism not a priority, it is something that should be unconditionally and unilaterally surrendered to the left.  There are elected Republicans supporting the repeal of DADT, radical homosexual organizations sponsoring CPAC, and party leaders supporting a pro-abortion woman for chairman of the party.  Today, I came across a story of a local Republican leader advocating for gay civil unions in my home state of Maryland. The Republicans are...

Back in June, Indiana Gov. Mitch Dan iels, whom many think would be an attractive 2012 presidential candidate, was quoted by Andrew Ferguson in The Weekly Standard as saying the next president "would have to call a truce on the so-called social issues." That quickly attracted some harsh criticism from opponents of abortion and same-sex marriage. But Daniels has declined to back down, telling the Indianapolis Star the other day that such issues are secondary to the economy and foreign policy. I think both Daniels and his critics have missed the point. The fact is that there is an ongoing...

Bill Brady's Loss To Pat Quinn: Note To Fiscal Conservatives: Fiscal & Social Issues Are Related And Do Matter After State Sen. Bill Brady lost the Illinois gubernatorial race to Pat Quinn, it was no surprise to me. If the election was close enough, the Daley Democratic Machine would find some way to make sure Quinn had the votes to hand him the election. I am 56 years old and I lived in Chicago for the first 50 years of my life. I remember how the presidential election was stolen from Richard Nixon in 1960. As usual, late returns from...

Does anyone know if there are any social conservatives running in Massachusetts? All the talk this year is about financial issues, there is little discussion on the moral issues. The leadership of the Massachusetts Republican party has gone over to the dark side but I would like to know if there are any candidates who are socially conservative.

"It had been a pretty good run up to that point. The brains of white folks had been humming along cogently for near on 400 years on this continent, with little sign that any serious trouble was brewing. White people, after all, had managed to invent a spiffy new form of self-government so that all white men (and, eventually, women) could have a say in how white people were taxed and governed. White minds had also nearly universally occupied just about every branch of that government and, for more than two centuries, had kept sole possession of the leadership of...

With Sarah Palin and Jim DeMint leading the charge, Tea Party candidates have been defeating established Republicans across America, from Nevada to Florida and Delaware to Alaska. The most recent victory of Christine O'Donnell over Mike Castle for the Republican nomination for Senate has left many moderates asking themselves where they fit in a new GOP dominated by Tea Partiers. Some political pundits have called Tea Partiers names, attacked newly nominated Republicans, and even made claims about the nonsense of ideological purity. Politico reported that Scott Brown and other moderate Republicans were concerned that there "would be no room" for...

Congressman Paul Ryan Latest to Call For Truce on Pro-Life, Social Issues Washington, DC -- Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin became the latest potential presidential candidate and Republican with a national profile to call for a "truce" on social issues. He joins Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Mississippi Gov. Hailey Barbour, who called for Republicans to back down on pro-life issues. http://LifeNews.com/nat6697.html

The Delaware race is about more than Delaware.As a Catholic Christian, I try to inform my political participation in accordance with the truth revealed to all men and women through the exercise of reason. It is difficult in an age captive to what Pope Benedict XVI calls a "Dictatorship of Relativism". However, I MUST stay involved in politics. I have no choice. To not do so would be sinful for me. Why? Because I am convinced that it is a part of my call to live in what the Church calls "moral coherence" and change the culture. Not just to...

Haley Barbour Tells Pro-Life Republicans to Ditch Social Issues in 2010 Elections Washington, DC -- Haley Barbour is the latest potential Republican presidential candidate to suggest that social issues like abortion should be taken off the table while making the economy the main focus. Despite the fact that polls show Americans strongly oppose the pro-abortion health care law, Barbour says fiscal issues should take priority. http://LifeNews.com/nat6683.html

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Haley Barbour is the latest potential Republican presidential candidate to suggest that social issues like abortion should be taken off the table while making the economy the main focus. Despite the fact that polls show Americans strongly oppose the pro-abortion health care law, Barbour says fiscal issues should take priority. At a breakfast with reporters this morning sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, the Mississippi governor said those who focus on social issues like abortion are taking the GOP off message this election cycle. “Any issue that takes people’s eye off of unemployment, job creation, economic...

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has disappointed many social and cultural conservatives with his call for a "truce on the so-called [sic] social issues. We're going to just have to agree to get along for a little while," until the economic issues are resolved, Daniels told the Weekly Standard's Andrew Ferguson. But as the American Spectator's Joseph Lawler has observed, it's doubtful that Daniels' truce would change anything. After all, Lawler rightly asks: "What typical Republican policies would he [Daniels] have to suspend and they [social and cultural conservatives] have to sacrifice? It's not clear to me that it would be...