Free Republic

Rick Santorum, in an interview with CNN's John King a bit ago, was asked whether he thinks it's a good idea or a bad idea for the Pentagon to relax some of the rules about women taking frontline roles in combat, "perhaps opening the door to a broader role for, ultimately, women in combat." His answer was both praising of women serving the country, and as a part of the armed services, but he went on to explain why he would take issue with women on the front lines. "Look, I want to create every opportunity for women to be...

<p>Maine – Texas Congressman Ron Paul has taken a commanding lead over his GOP rivals in the Maine Caucus heading into its final day on Saturday, hoping to extinguish Rick Santorum’s modest campaign winning streak and launch a comeback of his own in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.</p>

Rick Santorum shows his true colors by tailoring his message to what his audience wants to hear.

WASHINGTON — On a trip to Ireland in 1998, Speaker Newt Gingrich researched his Irish roots, discussed the prospects for peace in Northern Ireland and entertained speculation about his presidential ambitions. He even donned work gloves and blue jeans to help build a home in Belfast for a good-will project. Two of the sponsors for part of the Ireland trip were frequent partners of Mr. Gingrich: Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae — the government-backed housing industry giants that Mr. Gingrich has denounced as he fights to stay in contention against Mitt Romney in the Republican primaries.

Rep. Buerkle (R-NY) questions Attorney General Eric Holder during the full committee hearing "Fast & Furious: Management Failures at the Department of Justice" on February 2, 2012.

It might be connected with the strange goings on around here : Our car stolen, with $4000 of damage; Our neighbour's healthy rabbit dying unexpectedly; Our neighbour's letterbox being destroyed; Curious spam emails about las vegas; The odd curious phone call; Faeces being smeared on our church Car windows smashed and things taken at church - they now have patrols as a result Breakin at church and organ damaged. Mysterious deaths of stars, such as Heath Ledger, Brittany and her husband, Michael Jackson, David Carradine, and others : http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/05/24/what-killed-brittanys- husband.html http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/31103217/ns/today-entertainment/t/david- carradine-found-dead-thailand-hotel/ Connect the dots if you dare, to see...

On Saturday night, at precisely 9:19 and 30 seconds, my iPhone, my iPad, my computer and, for all I know, my toaster were informed that Herman Cain had endorsed Newt Gingrich. The ping-ping of the devices suggested that something momentous had happened--alerts from both The Post and the New York Times--but in fact it was just additional evidence that the Republican Party has become a circus: One clown endorsed another. It’s hard to know who is the more ridiculous figure — the grandiloquent, bombastic and compulsively dishonest Gingrich, or the beguilingly ignorant Cain, a man who has never held elective...

Have at it y'all ! Hey Florida -- let's show the Nation and all the RINO slugs some TeaPower today ! This one oughta be good for a couple thousand ! ( oy, my poor ping page ! )

<p>Thank you, FR, for the truly marvelous entertainment (as I haven't been laid in so long I get no other entertainment other than watching people on here like a perv stalker) . While lurking tonight (the internet version of peeping in your windows) for the first time in ages, the amount of schadenfreude I'm experiencing is bordering on orgasmic (which is the closest I've gotten to the real thing in years).</p>

Why is Glenn Beck lying to destroy Newt?? Glenn has voiced support for Santorum while his actions are pushing Mitt. On his propaganda page the blaze in one day he had 14 hit pieces on Newt, 9 puff pieces on Mitt and 2 stories mentioning Santorum {one of those could be considered negative}. The amount of dishonesty in those articles and his radio show is mind boggling. Glenn is abusing the trust people have placed in him and trying to get the most liberal candidate the nomination. Newt was surging in Iowa so Glenn went scorched earth and by catching...

Editorial by John Ziegler Does Sarah Palin Want Obama Reelected? 1/28/2012 We certainly live in bizarre times and everyone knows that politics makes for strange bedfellows. But the fact that as of late I (the guy who spent over two years being probably her strongest defender) have been one of the very few on the right pointing out the absurdity and hypocrisy of recent Sarah Palin’s public statements, shows exactly how close we indeed may be to the apocalypse. Palin’s latest Facebook salvo is targeting the Republican “establishment cannibals” for using “Alinsky” tactics against Newt Gingrich in the run up...

Thank you to all you Newt zealots for breaking the link from Drudge. Your childish remarks had a negative effect on this great site, thank-you.

One thing was missed in Newt Gingrich's victory in the South Carolina primary: Conservatives embraced a pro-amnesty candidate without batting an eyelash. This should come as a wake-up call to those who've been pushing a hard-line anti-illegal immigrant position in the Republican Party. Granted, Gingrich didn't spend a lot of time discussing his position, which favors amnesty for those illegal immigrants who have been here for a long time, have deep family and community ties, and have paid taxes and avoided breaking other laws. But that's the point. He didn't have to spend a lot of time defending his position...

We will risk the fairly safe assumption, as this is being written, that Air Force One did not make an appearance at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport sometime Thursday.... You almost have to laugh at this latest chapter in the seemingly endless “birther” saga, because about the only alternatives at this point are tears and/or nausea. It was embarrassing enough when members of the Georgia legislature -- including, to Columbus’ acute humiliation, two members of the local delegation -- drafted a “Presidential Eligibility Assurance Act” in the last legislative session. Now Georgians get to enjoy the added spectacle of their secretary...

Newt up against the Prophet Obama would be a painful thing to watch. He might be deft with one-liners but it would be futile. There are .. uncommitted voters to be cultivated in 2012 — all would be unmoved by Newt’s juggling of conservative shibboleths.. Now Newt is hustling my fellow conservatives .. The last time around he successfully hustled conservatives in the House of Representatives and on the House impeachment committee.. He blew the impeachment and .. his role as Speaker. He now says Republicans in the House were exhausted with his great projects. Nonsense, they were exhausted with...

In the increasingly rough Republican campaign, no candidate has wrapped himself in the mantle of Ronald Reagan more often than Newt Gingrich. “I worked with President Reagan to change things in Washington,” “we helped defeat the Soviet empire,” and “I helped lead the effort to defeat Communism in the Congress” are typical claims by the former speaker of the House. The claims are misleading at best. In the Reagan years I was an assistant secretary of state — Mr. Gingrich voted with the president regularly, but equally often spewed insulting rhetoric at Reagan, his top aides, and his policies to...

In short, the markets think Obama is more likely to defeat Gingrich than Romney, so when the former speaker's fortunes elevate, so do the president's. Over the last week, Gingrich's likelihood of winning the nomination has climbed from about 5 percent to about 30 percent. Currently, Gingrich is about 39 percent likely to defeat Obama if he makes it to the general election, while Romney is about 44 percent likely to reach the White House if he's the nominee.

What are we to make of Newt’s win in South Carolina? Several things, I think... 1. Newt is a winner... 2. Newt is a fighter... 3. Newt can blow it... There, [in South Carolina], in one night, and within the span of only one hour, we saw the two sides of Newt: We saw the good Newt who can win this thing and, in so doing, “fundamentally transform American politics,” as he would say. But we also saw the bad Newt, the undisciplined and unfocused Newt: the Newt who too often tries to wing it and fails. I’m rooting for...

SummaryIn 2009, Congressman Gingrich supported a candidate for a special election for the 23rd district in New York that was pro-choice, pro gay marriage and supportive of numerous other items that most Republicans opposes. A more conservative candidate was available, but did not win a primary that consisted of a vote by 11 district members and not a public vote. Congressman Gingrich came out in suppport for Mrs Scozzafava as she was the selected candidate for the Republican party. He asserted that many of her principles were in line with the Republican party. He appeared on numerous radio shows to...

John Roco argues that a pattern of increasing power enabling access to a female 'of more desire to him' has defined Newt Gingrich for the election, debates, presidential race of 2012, as well as leaving a wife when she was 'baggage' of being ill, and seemingly not to serve his purposes. John Roco also argues of Newt Gingrich's attack ability at debates, whether South Carolina, Florida or future, actually becomes an extreme deficit of one who would want to be leader of our nation, needing to 'contain' outbursts and expressions of ego empowerment. Admiral Patrick Walsh is mentioned as one...

What is it about this primary season that causes Republicans to go around the bend? The current beneficiary of the “anyone but Romney” mania is Newt Gingrich, who may actually win the South Carolina primary tomorrow. I find that astonishing. Gingrich has been mostly out of the public view since he retired from Congress 13 years ago. The most surprising feature of this endlessly surprising political year is that, at age 68, Gingrich has made a comeback. It is hard to make clear-cut statements about the mercurial and often contradictory Gingrich, but one thing we can say with absolute certainty:...

Leftists, MittBots, PaulBots, RINOs, Karl Rove establishment types and trolls of many stripes and colors have one-by-one driven our leading grassroots conservative candidates out of the race. They worked for years on Palin, then Perry, then Cain, then Bachmann, now Newt. When ever a non-establishment, non-RINO conservative gets into the lead they open fire and 24/7 trash and torpedo until they drive them out. NO MORE!! If you want to troll and trash our conservative candidates, take your business elsewhere! PaulBots can take it to a liberaltaraian site. RomneyBots to FOX News. RINO trolls to the NY Times. Lib trolls...

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Newt Gingrich on Friday backed at least a portion of the Dream Act, saying that he would grant a path to citizenship to illegal immigrant youths who agree to sign up and serve in the U.S. military. That’s a much tighter standard than the full Dream Act, which President Obama wants. That legislation would allow legal status and an eventual path to citizenship for children and young adults who join the military, but would also apply to those who go to college — a much broader class of people. “I am opposed to anybody who came here...

The One Simple Reason Newt Gingrich Will Not Win The General Election: Women Posted by RealQuiet (Diary) December 7th Newt Gingrich has conducted a brilliant campaign strategy since he stumbled back in late spring regarding Paul Ryan’s Path to Prosperity Plan. He has been masterful in debates and shown an eagerness to take on and fight the media elite. He has owned up to his personal and political mistakes and stated candidly what his positions are, though many may disagree with them but still live with them. He hasn’t shown the brash ego and self-centeredness that reared its ugly head...

"Do you Newton Leroy Gingrich take __________________ to be your lawfully wedded wife.. . . until death do you part?" "I do."I guess he didn't really, but I will not condemn him for dropping two wives (adultery at one time was a secular unlawful action, as well as an offense against God and man). Now, we easily cast away our husbands/wives, as both church and government wink at the prospect. "Just ask for forgiveness, and its OK." Or, is it? Newt's own mother split from Newt's father "days after they married." This is what you call a bad start...

How will the details revealed by Marianne Gingrich regarding her former husband’s personal life – and Newt Gingrich’s defiant response – play out among the GOP presidential primary electorate? But it’s worth keeping in mind that even before Marianne Gingrich went public, Newt Gingrich was already facing tough odds when it comes to his support among women nationally — a factor that underscores the argument made by his GOP rivals against his electability in the fall. There typically tends to be a gender gap in presidential general elections, as women vote more Democratic than men. But a CNN/Time/Opinion Research survey...

Newt Gingrich apparently won Monday night’s debate on Fox News, but likely this is a case of a last-second touchdown when you are down by two touchdowns. Seth Leibsohn of National Review Online gave the night to Newt: “When he is right, he is great. The ongoing problem is when he is wrong. But tonight he was right — about a lot, and said it better than anyone.” Newt showed his Tea Party side: I think it’s very important for us to look at job creation. As a young member of Congress, I worked with President Ronald Reagan. We passed...

Jon Huntsman has halted his campaign for president, leaving Romney the only serious choice on foreign policy.

Many other forums/comment sections include a variety of rating systems (i.e. macrumors, reddit, yahoo...) I find some of these particularly helpful when navigating different posts. I often find myself scanning comments in an effort to gauge the overall sentiment of the freerepublic users on a particular story as I hold this forum in high esteem and value the opinions of those on this site. I also believe it would be nice to get feedback on our own posts, whether in the form of up-votes, thumbs, stars, etc. Anyone else out there want some sort of simple comment rating system?

Ron Paul Is More Conservative Than Rick Santorum. By Joe Deaux 01/11/12 - 04:02 PM EST NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- During a Republican presidential debate Saturday, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum had a spat about who was more conservative as each clawed for blocks of Republican voters needed to topple front-runner Mitt Romney. According to a study done back in 2004 though, Paul was the more conservative of the two by a fairly healthy margin. A list put together at voteview.com found that out of the 3,320 individuals (1 being the most liberal and 3,320...

The Fannie model worked for over 50 years. And the Freddie Model worked for decades.

"Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin suggested Wednesday that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney should release his tax returns, as well as records from his time at Bain Capital."

Voted NO on prohibiting product misuse lawsuits on gun manufacturers. A bill to prohibit civil liability actions from being brought or continued against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers of firearms or ammunition for damages, injunctive or other relief resulting from the misuse of their products by others. A YES vote would: •Prohibit individuals from filing a qualified civil liability action •Exempt lawsuits brought against individuals who knowingly transfer a firearm that will be used to commit a violent or drug-trafficking crime •Exempt lawsuits against actions that result in death, physical injury or property damage due solely to a product defect...

Open letter to O`newt Mr. Gingrich you had my vote . Right up to your jumping the shark moment.

I am convinced that there is no conservative that would have 80% support from FreeRepublic. Everyone is a RINO. I have been a member for about 8 years and despise the left as much as the next guy, but I am voting for Romney. It has taken me 4 years to digest the thought but like it or not, he has thrown his lot in with us and said that his values have changed - Polician speak, maybe/probably. The alternatives - Gingrich, Perry, and Santorum are a joke for national candidates. Indepedents will decide this election, not the RINO haters...

NEW YORK, New York, January 5, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – With the highest abortion rate in the nation, nearly double the 23% national average, New York continues to be a place that babies in the womb cannot love. New York City Department of Health released data that shows that 83,750 abortions were performed in New York City in 2010, which translated to 40% of all pregnancies, down from 41% in 2009. The Bronx saw a staggering 48% of pregnancies end in abortion. The city lost 38,574 African-Americans babies to abortion, a dumbfounding 60% of the city’s African-American pregnancies. New York has...

Trolling a bit admittedly, but it appears that even if Romney secures the nomination, he is destined to lose due to good, old-fashioned religious bigotry.

POLITICO's Ginger Gibson reports: Newt Gingrich still won't congratulate Mitt Romney for winning the Iowa caucuses. At a news conference in Concord, N.H., Gingrich was asked by CBS correspondent Dean Reynolds why he congratulated Rick Santorum but not Romney. Gingrich stared at the reporter and raised his eyebrows in silence, eventually drawing laughter from some of the reporters. "Because I know you would be a man of great professionalism, I know that's a rhetorical question. And a good one," Gingrich said. During his speech in Des Moines last night, Gingrich visibly seethed at mention of Romney, who along with his...

If you want another big-government politician who supports the status quo to run our country, you should vote for my uncle, Rick Santorum. America is based on a strong belief in individual liberty. My uncle’s interventionist policies, both domestic and foreign, stem from his irrational fear of freedom not working. Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/03/the-trouble-with-my-uncle-rick-santorum/#ixzz1iQWyj61b

As I’ve written about before, America’s election season degrades mainstream political discourse even beyond its usual lowly state. The worst attributes of our political culture — obsession with trivialities, the dominance of horserace “reporting,” and mindless partisan loyalties — become more pronounced than ever. Meanwhile, the actually consequential acts of the U.S. Government and the permanent power factions that control it — covert endless wars, consolidation of unchecked power, the rapid growth of the Surveillance State and the secrecy regime, massive inequalities in the legal system, continuous transfers of wealth from the disappearing middle class to large corporate conglomerates —...

American Right To Life calls it politics as usual when Ron Paul tried to mislead pro-life voters by signing a pledge that he actually rejects. Just in time for the 2012 Iowa caucuses Paul pledged that he will "endorse legislation to make clear that the 14th Amendment protections apply to unborn children." But then he contradicted his pledge by stating, "I can't agree that the Fourteenth Amendment has a role to play here." "Shockingly, Ron Paul agrees with the central finding of Roe v. Wade itself," says Darrell Birkey, director of research for American Right To Life, "that the constitutional...

My choice for President is Mitt Romney. I just shuddered at that statement. But there it is. There is the reality that 13 debates, months of bickering and intrigue, and countless discussions with conservative brethren have brought me. It is kind of a sad reality. Is this the best conservatives could do? So here has been my calculation for who I would support, from the beginning. First, the candidate must be electable and able to defeat Barack Obama, both electorally and intellectually. Second, they must broaden the base of the Republican Party, both on the conservative and moderate sides. Third,...

Rep. Ron Paul’s surge in Iowa has triggered a theoretical question for his rivals this week: given his foreign policy views, would they be willing to support him over President Obama if he were the nominee? Newt Gingrich said “no,” Mitt Romney said “yes.” But it is also a kind of an intriguing gut check question for conservatives on how they balance foreign and domestic policy. Having thought about it over the last few days and debated it on Twitter for a bit last night, I’ve determined that I’d very begrudgingly back Obama in such a matchup. Now, if we...

The biggest problem with Rep. Paul's (R-Texas) latest comments on immigration is that they are NOT just some ad hoc thoughts tossed off carelessly at some speaking event. These are engraved in a brand new book. Until the release of the book, Liberty Defined, Dr. Paul had a mixed record in Congress and the fact that he had taken the NumbersUSA "No Amnesty" pledge at the end of his Presidential campaign in 2008. That had earned him a C-minus on our 2012 Presidential Hopefuls Immigration Stances Report Card. Not impressive, but the third best (behind Rep. Bachman with a B-minus...

Most of Ron Paul’s Iowa campaign stops have been in the state’s largest population centers and college towns. Now, with a caucus victory within reach, the Texas congressman is taking his libertarian message to Iowa’s smaller cities. Paul visited Perry, Iowa over the noon hour on Thursday. The crowd of 100 was definitely more reserved than what Paul is used to. There was no standing ovation at the beginning or end of his speech. There were no whoops or cheers, but plenty of polite applause. “I like a lot of what he says, especially about the U.S. economy and balanced...

<p>In 1993, Mitt Romney was a successful businessman with an urge to enter public life and a plan to challenge Ted Kennedy for a Senate seat from Massachusetts.</p> <p>Romney was also a high-ranking official in the Mormon church -- in charge of all church affairs in the Boston area -- with a dilemma over abortion. Romney was personally pro-life, and the church was pro-life, but a majority of the Massachusetts electorate was decidedly pro-choice.</p>

A vote for Mitt Romney is a vote for GOP destruction and the rise of a third party. Who can unite conservatives? (Video commentary)

Time to close ranks behind Romney. He will beat Obama.

Paul builds campaign on doomsday scenariosBy Andy Sullivan | Reuters – Mon, Dec 26, 2011 WASHINGTON, Iowa (Reuters) - The man who might win the Republican Party's first presidential nominating contest fears that the United Nations may take control of the U.S. money supply. Campaigning for the January 3 Iowa caucuses, Ron Paul warns of eroding civil liberties, a Soviet Union-style economic collapse and violence in the streets. The Texas congressman, author of "End the Fed," also wants to eliminate the central banking system that underpins the world's largest economy. "Not only would we audit the Federal Reserve, we may...

Click link to watch the video of a FOX news debate featuring Ron Paul giving Rick Santorum a history lesson on Iran http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8u5hnMGOQ8