Free Republic

HARRISBURG -- Grand jurors here and in Pittsburgh cataloged what they described as a culture of corruption that allowed former state Rep. Michael Veon, current Rep. Sean Ramaley and 10 current and former Democratic staffers to divert millions of dollars in state resources, including more than $1 million in illegal pay bonuses. The jurors said Mr. Veon and the staff members conspired to arrange hefty year-end pay bonuses to House employees who worked on political campaigns over a three-year period, while Mr. Ramaley is accused of working full-time on his 2004 House campaign in Beaver County while drawing a taxpayer...

He told a pro-Israeli group the right things in a recent speech. But his acts tell another story. The day after securing the Democratic presidential nomination, Barack Obama addressed the preeminent pro-Israel group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). This mostly Jewish organization, which is largely liberal and Democratic, would seem to be the perfect pushover crowd to launch his fall campaign. By all accounts, he wowed the crowd with rhetorical flares, saying he "had grown up without a sense of roots" and consequently had always "understood the Zionist idea, that there is always a homeland at the center...

The rest of the Republican world has pretty much decided whether it prefers John McCain or Mitt Romney. Now, finally, I have too. Both candidates have major strengths and distinct weaknesses. Either would have my vote in November. But I believe Romney is the better choice. This view may seem odd in light of the following comment I made a few weeks ago: Every time it looks like McCain will break away from the pack, I panic in anticipation of four years of watching him stick it to conservatives on a more than occasional basis. When things seem to be...

Update: (Audio) Rick Santorum makes his own case against McCain I'm swiping the bullet points of this from Mark Levin: All I can say is that McCain is basically a Democrat on every issue except foreign policy and the war. I'll also add that he should have went through with his attempt to change parties. It is no secret that John McCain has alienated true Conservatives in this country. As Mark Levin reminds us... McCain-Feingold — the most brazen frontal assault on political speech since Buckley v. Valeo. McCain-Kennedy — the most far-reaching amnesty program in American history. McCain-Lieberman —...

Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007 'Islamo-Fascism' brings in Santorum Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, a Penn State alumnus, is scheduled to make a controversial appearance tonight on the University Park campus. Santorum Invited by prominent conservative writer and organizer David Horowitz, Santorum will speak in Osmond Laboratory as part of Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week. The Los Angeles-based Horowitz Freedom Center has assembled the theme week, which Horowitz said will reach 109 campuses nationwide. He said all are holding events to focus attention on fascism in the Muslim world, including the repression of women. He wants people to start discussing the debated term...

Regime Change, Peacefully We must continue to support the Iranian people. October 24, 2007 National Review Online Rick Santorum An effort is underway in Washington to cut the funding for the pro-democracy movement inside Iran authorized last Congress by the Iran Freedom Support Act (IFSA). IFSA authorizes the president to provide financial and political assistance to foreign and domestic individuals, organizations, and entities working for the purpose of supporting and promoting democracy for Iran. In order to receive financial backing, these individuals and groups must support four basic pillars of democracy — freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom...

Horowitz plans week-long war against rise of radical Islam By David M. Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, October 21, 2007 David Horowitz minces no words to evoke a stark image. Asked what threat radical Islamic terrorism poses to the United States, the conservative writer and activist sums up his view: "One dirty nuclear bomb can ruin your day."

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his rivals for the Republican nomination will face a tough crowd when they address the religious conservatives at the Values Voter Summit starting Friday. “I think what we can expect is a lot of folks talking about how dissatisfied they are with the choices they have,” former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) said. Giuliani’s positions on abortion and gay rights continue to dog him as he looks for support within the leadership of the religious conservative movement, and those leaders say they want to hear more from the former mayor this weekend than...

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum on his former colleagues' increasing lack of resolve on the war. HH: We begin first with one of our favorite Americans, Rick Santorum, long time Senator from Pennsylvania, now in a number of different roles. Senator Santorum, always a pleasure to talk to you, sir. RS: Great to be with you again, Hugh. How are you doing? HH: Good. I thought of you today because your colleagues in the Senate, your former colleagues, including Pete Domenici, Richard Lugar, George Voinovich and John Warner are going south on the war, and I know when you were...

WHEN THE BBC invited me onto one of its talk shows recently to talk about the day's hot topic -- legalizing adult incest -- I thought of Rick Santorum. Back in 2003, as the Supreme Court was preparing to rule in Lawrence v. Texas, a case challenging the constitutionality of laws criminalizing homosexual sodomy, then-Senator Santorum caught holy hell for warning out that if the law were struck down, there would be no avoiding the slippery slope. "If the Supreme Court says you have the right to consensual sex within your home," he told a reporter, "then you have the...

In September 1996, I stood on the floor of the United States Senate to respond to Sen. Barbara Boxer's comment that I was ignoring the "cries" of the women who came to Washington to lobby for the sustaining of President Clinton's veto of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. My response? We would be deafened by the cries of the babies that are not here today, because of this procedure. I then addressed the comments by another senator likening the partial-birth procedure to an appendectomy. I pointed to the diagram depicting this gruesome procedure, in which a 5-month-old fetus is...

Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum has joined Downtown law firm Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC in its Washington, D.C., office to provide business and strategic counseling services to the firm's clients. Mr. Santorum, a conservative Republican who lost his re-election bid Democrat Bob Casey in November, has been working as a professional speaker. He served 12 years as a senator and four years in the U.S. House of Representatives before that. Tim Ryan, chief executive officer at Eckert Seamans, said the firm is "extremely pleased" to add Mr. Santorum to its staff. "He is highly respected among business leaders...

Former Sen. Rick Santorum has drawn at least one conclusion about the Republican presidential primary field: Anybody but John McCain. The Pennsylvania Republican, who signed a contract Thursday as a Fox News contributor, said that he has spoken with every GOP candidate except the senator from Arizona but that it’s still too early for him to endorse. “The only one I wouldn’t support is McCain,” Santorum said during an interview in his office at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, where he is a senior fellow. “I don’t agree with him on hardly any issues,’’ Santorum said. “I...

Rick Santorum has gone from junior senator to senior fellow: As of today, the Pennsylvania Republican is an employee of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a Washington-based think tank. “I want to contribute to the world of ideas,” he says. After 16 years in Congress — four in the House, 12 in the Senate — Santorum lost his bid for reelection in November. Yet he hopes to remain in the public spotlight as director of the EPPC’s brand-new America’s Enemies program. “It’s a stark name,” says Santorum. “But we wanted to be candid about the fact that America really...

Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about why I voted against Dr. Gates and lay out in detail the concerns I have about the security posture of the United States today and how I do not believe that Dr. Gates is the appropriate choice to confront them. While I think he certainly has a lot of positive qualities, and in normal times I would certainly defer to the President's judgment on this, we are not in normal times. I believe we need a Secretary--and I think we need leaders in this country, particularly the Secretary--who has insight...

For most of the press and pundits and, certainly, the party establishments, last week's election was a numbers game. It wasn't so much about personalities and candidates and ideas as it was about how many seats it took for a change in power in the House and Senate. For many, lost in the power politics of Election Day was the fact that some very good men lost their jobs – and with those lost seats, the American people lost dedication, experience and principle. Anyone who knows me understands that I do not suffer fools nor have much patience with politicians....

First, let me thank you for your support and your faith throughout this campaign and beyond. I am so blessed to be surrounded by not only my loving family but so many wonderful supporters committed to the future of our state and our nation. Although the results were not what we wanted, we couldn't be prouder of our campaign and the job we've done for you and your families. You should be proud too for the hours you spent making calls, knocking on doors, talking to family, friends and neighbors and all the other time you spent thinking about and...

"On Thursday, June 28, 1787, Benjamin Franklin delivered a powerful speech to the Constitutional Convention, which was embroiled in a bitter debate over how each state was to be represented in the new government....Benjamin Franklin, being the President (Governor) of Pennsylvania, hosted the rest of the 55 delegates attending the Convention. Being the senior member of the convention at 81 years of age, he commanded the respect of all present, and, as recorded in James Madison's detailed records, he rose to speak in this moment of crisis: 'Mr. President: The small progress we have made after four or five weeks...

Encouraging News [Kathryn Jean Lopez] Even I, "raging Santorum enthusiast," wasn't too into that poll circulating earlier today that had Senator Santorum him down 4, for reasons I've mentioned. But maybe that "4" wasn't insane. I'm told by a good, albeit Republican, source that Gov. Rendell's latest internals have Santorum only 5 behind. I'm told he had Santorum at 9 on Friday and 17 three weeks ago. Contrary to conventional wisdom, this race is in play. The innane analysis is that turnout means everything. But it couldn't be more true in the Keystone state. Conservatives in Pennsylvania can make a...

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) - November 3, 2006 - Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Friday that the nation would "go back on defense" in the war on terror if Republicans like Sen. Rick Santorum are booted from office. Giuliani made his third visit to Pennsylvania to campaign for Santorum, who trails state Treasurer Bob Casey in public opinion polls. "After Sept. 11, there is no excuse for not adequately seeing the threat," Giuliani told a raucous crowd of about 400 people. "If Rick Santorum is not re-elected and his opponent is elected and people like his opponent are elected,...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information contact: November 1, 2006 Virginia Davis 215-528-9368 virginiad@ricksantorum.com VETERANS RALLY AGAINST CASEY, KERRY   Philadelphia - Veterans rallied at a press conference tonight demanding that Casey denounce John Kerry's insulting comments about our troops in Iraq. Earlier this week, Kerry suggested American troops wouldn't be "stuck in Iraq" if they had done their "homework" and made "an effort to be smart" in school. The press conference was held steps away from the location where Casey intended to hold a fundraiser with Kerry before Kerry cancelled in the wake of his disparaging comments. Senator...

President Bush received a rousing welcome today in Indiana where he spoke on behalf of Representative Mike Sodrel. Later, W traveled to South Carolina where he spoke to the men and women serving at Charleston Air Force Base. First Lady Laura Bush joined Representative Nancy Johnson at a campaign fundraiser in Farmington, Connecticut. Enjoy your Weekend on Sanity Island

Can somebody explain to me what is going on in Pennsylvania with Santorum? I'm in Missouri and I have to admit I really don't know much about the man but I do know he has a rating in the mid 90's from the American Conservative Union. Realclearpolitics.com has Santorum as being down 10.2% in the polls. Good Lord! How the heck are we suppose to get that sonofabitch Murtha out of the Pennsylvania 12th and get Diana Irey in if we can't even hold on to an incumbent Senate seat?

This summer I gave two speeches that defined the unique challenges that confront the United States as we conduct a new world war. I gave those speeches-one in Washington at the National Press Club, and one here in Pennsylvania at the Pennsylvania Press Club-because I believe that now more than ever we need to study the past, learn from events, and take proactive measures to protect our freedoms at home and provide a safer world in which to exercise those freedoms. I am here again today talking about this issue because Islamic Fascism continues to rear its ugly head. And...

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - Noted conservative commentator Sean Hannity will be in Lancaster Saturday to give U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum a boost less than two weeks before the election. Hannity and the two-term senator are scheduled to speak during the public rally starting at 7 p.m. in the Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Manheim Township. Directions here: http://www.farmandhomecenter.com/directions.php“We are thrilled to have him,” Santorum spokeswoman Virginia Davis said. “Sean Hannity and Sen. Santorum share a very strong commitment to the security of this country.” In his bid for a third term, Santorum faces Democratic state Treasurer Bob Casey...

Interviewer: Let me ask you to shift gears to the anti-terrorism initiatives. Last night in the debate, I think you said that you'd support warrant- less wiretapping. How does that square with your suspicion about this White House? Why would you be willing to let them do that without judicial oversight? And on the Military Commissions Act, would that have been something you would have supported? In general, your outlook on anti terrorism initiatives. Casey: Yeah, I think going backwards the, with regard to the detainees and interrogation, look, we've had people like John McCain, and you could give other...

Philadelphia, PA (LifeNews.com) -- Terri Schiavo's former husband Michael, the man who won court approval to subject her to a painful euthanasia death, has said he will not endorse either pro-life Sen. Rick Santorum or Democratic challenger Bob Casey in Pennsylvania's competitive Senate race.Schiavo made the announcement at a campaign stop for two pro-abortion Congressional candidates he said his political action committee has endorsed.He indicated he couldn't support either candidate because both supported legislation that allowed Terri's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, to have a federal court review their lawsuit seeking to prevent Michael from killing Terri.Santorum voted for the...

I have spent some of the past three weeks, and plan to spend most of the next two weeks, talking about Rick Santorum’s qualifications to serve a third term in the senate. I know that other Pennsylvanians will be doing the same. And I hope that conservatives throughout the country will consider earmarking some of their campaign contributions to this immensely important and pivotal race. The election or defeat of this powerful senator from Pennsylvania will have repercussions throughout America … and far into the future. Now that we are a mere two weeks away from a watershed election,...

For those who do not know the "older definition" of the term 'Chicken Hawk,' it was at one time the term for homosexuals who had a penchant for young, (underage) boys. I received a flyer in the mail today from an organization called Vote Kids (votekids.org) that attacks Rick Santorum as being anti children. On a cursory investigation of this organization, I found more questions than answers. The flyer is typical of many this season (frankly from both sides) full of misstatements and distortions. It accuses Santorum and Bush of being "Weapons of Mass Destruction" and harming children. I went...

While his famous conservative elders squabble on the front page of the New York Times, Chris Lilik just keeps his eye on the ball. Attention should be paid. Perhaps significantly in understanding the evolving state of generational politics with young conservatives, while Lilik loved Ronald Reagan he was only a year old when Reagan entered the White House. His conservative heroes, both at the national and state level, are very much alive and talking as a part of contemporary America.

go to lower right hand side, and click on Senator Santorum as the winner in the debate. As of this posting, Casey is leading 33-26%

Tuesday, October 17, 2006On To Philly And The Santorum Campaign Posted by Hugh Hewitt  | 7:55 AM It is Tuesday, so I must be on the way to Pennsylvania.Here's the podcast of last night's interview with Colorado's next governor Bob Beauprez.  If you know a voter in Colorado, send him or her the link to the podcast and urge them to listen to Congressman Beauprez talk about his state, the issues it faces, and his opponent, Plea Bargain Bill Ritter.Now I'm off to Philly, to a 6 PM broadcast and Townhall.com rally with Rick Santorum.  (Bob Casey is welcome to appear as well and have...

What issue unites pro-Israel Democrats like Sen. Frank Lautenberg and the National Jewish Democratic Council with Moveon.org, who has been badly embarrassed by the hateful, anti-Semitic postings of the kook fringe on its blog? It's discrediting Sen. Rick Santorum, a conservative Pennsylvania Republican currently locked in a bruising fight for re-election to a third term. In an op-ed in The Washington Times in August, Robert Goldberg detailed how hundreds of postings on Moveon.org's Web site rail against Jews, using terminology like "Jew" Lieberman, "Zionist Cyber Trolls," "Zionazis" and the like, who are said to be colluding with the Bush administration...

As we did in 2004, we've suspended ActionForum for the final push to the election to conserve technology bandwidth. ActionForum will be back after the election.

A Mighty Democrat Has Struck Out By Jeffrey Lord Published 9/15/2006 12:09:16 AM $168,591. By any standard that's a good sized campaign contribution. It may also be turning out to be one more hurdle in an increasing series of self-created stumbling blocks in Pennsylvania State Treasurer Robert Casey, Jr.'s campaign to oust Republican Senator Rick Santorum. Records on file with the Federal Election Commission reveal that MoveOn.org, the far-left interest group, has "bundled" $168,591 for Casey's Senate campaign. The problem? MoveOn is increasingly being accused of pushing an anti-Semitic agenda, as the folks over at Israpundit have documented in great...

I caught a little of U.S. Senate candidate Bob Casey's reasoning on the Iraq war during the Sept. 3 edition of NBC's ''Meet the Press.'' During the insightful debate, incumbent Sen. Rick Santorum framed Iraq as one front in the war against Islamic Fascism, something Bush-bashing editorial writers pooh-pooh as Republican election cycle gimmickry. In Casey's mind, arguing Terrorism vs. the rise of Islamic Fascism is a mere quibble over semantics. Casey says that we should be ''finding and killing Osama bin Laden'' now and debating later ''whether he's a dead terrorist or a dead fascist.'' Throughout the debate, Casey...

Closing in on his front-runner opponent in the polls, Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., came out swinging in the first and probably the only public debate with Pennsylvania State Treasurer Bob Casey. He may have delivered a knockout blow to Casey, who appeared confused and inarticulate during his encounter with the fast-talking Santorum during their weekend debate on NBC's "Meet the Press" with host Tim Russert. Writing at SantorumBlog, contributor Rich Talbert observed: "Casey was a dead stick when discussing Iraq ... was absolutely clueless about Social Security ... bombed with Catholics with the abortion pill ... dropped the ball on...

U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., on Monday drew parallels between World War II and the current war against "Islamic fascism," saying they both require fighting a common foe in multiple countries. "Were the Japanese imperialists with their mind-set and their ideology the same as the Nazis? Obviously not. Were they the same as the fascists in Italy? Obviously not. But they were still a common enemy," the Republican told about 250 people at a Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon. "We're at war with Islamic fascism," said Santorum, the No. 3 Senate Republican. "Afghanistan and Iraq and southern Lebanon and every country...

PITTSBURGH -- When Sen. Rick Santorum was first elected to Congress 16 years ago, he was among the firebrand conservatives who mapped out the Republican Revolution to slash government spending and end political careerism in Washington. Today, the Pennsylvanian is the third-ranking Republican in the Senate. But the Republican Revolution is over, and he faces one of the toughest re-election campaigns in the country. Typical of his campaigning these days was a stop earlier this month at the Pittsburgh Zoo, where he boasted to local reporters about how he'd fetched $500,000 from federal taxpayers to build one of the most...

Sen. Rick Santorum is the Democratic punching bag, a two-term conservative leader whom partisans can't knock around enough this election year. One exception: Gov. Rendell, the off-message maverick in an unusually disciplined Democratic Party. "Santorum delivers," Rendell told the Republican-leaning Weekly Standard magazine. Post a Comment As if contradicting Democratic Senate candidate Bob Casey Jr. once weren't enough, Rendell air-kissed Santorum again in an Inquirer interview last week. "How could I be tearing a new rear end for someone who worked effectively to get flood relief for Pennsylvania?" To be clear, Rendell said his "overwhelming preference" was Casey, one of...

  Dave Gaubatz A former U.S. federal agent and counter-terrorism specialist deployed to Iraq before the war says he waged a three-year, unsuccessful battle to get officials to search four sites where he believes the former Saddam regime buried weapons of mass destruction. Dave Gaubatz, an Arabic linguist who now serves as chief investigator with the Dallas County Medical Examiner, told his story to Ryan Mauro of WorldThreats.com. Gaubatz said the suspected sites have never been searched by the Iraq Survey Group, the fact-finding mission dispatched by the U.S.-led multinational force. Two sites are within the city limits of Nasariyah,...

Remember how the Democrats were oh so happy over the candidacy of Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996? Well, that was because Perot siphoned votes away from Repbublicans. Now that the Green Party has qualified for the statewide ballot in Pennsylvania, the Democrats and the DUmmies are absolutely OUTRAGED, mainly because they know the Greens will take votes from them as Ralph Nader did in 2000. You can watch just how upset the DUmmies are over the Green candidates in Pennsylvania in this THREAD titled, "It's official (TPM) GOP aided Green Party in PA. . ." So let us...

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Thanks to the generosity of GOP donors, a Green Party candidate is expected to make it onto the ballot in Pennsylvania's Senate race and siphon votes from Democratic front-runner Bob Casey in his bid to unseat Republican Sen. Rick Santorum. While Santorum said Monday that he would welcome another candidate on the ballot, Casey's campaign accused Republicans of "trying to steal the election." Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli, making his first bid for statewide elective office, acknowledged Monday that Republican contributors probably supplied most of the $100,000 that he said he spent gathering signatures to qualify for...

July 20, 2006, 3:14 p.m. The Great Test of This GenerationNaming and defeating the enemy, Islamic fascism. An NRO Primary Document Editor’s note: This is the text of a speech Sen. Rick Santorum (R., Pa.) delivered at the National Press Club Thursday. When I came to Washington in 1990 Karen and I were expecting our first child.  Like most Americans we were worried about a slowing economy, competition from Japan and the high deficit.  But we were also relieved by the end of the Cold War and talk of a peace dividend.  In the 1990s I felt my job representing...

Pa. races could set table for 2008 By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, July 9, 2006 Welcome to Pennsylvania, known as "The Cradle of America" because the Founders drafted and signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. Fast-forward 230 years and it is about to become another national cradle - a political one -- for the 2006 midterm elections.

Most Americans understand that we are not in full control of our borders; decades of amnesty policies and national neglect have left them porous and dangerously dilapidated. Congress has heard the public outcry and has spent considerable time debating the best way to fix our borders and reform our immigration laws. But neither the House nor the Senate bill quite works. While the House-passed bill understands the urgency of securing out borders, it’s impractical — both in enforcement practice and in practical politics. The Senate bill, meanwhile, does exactly the wrong thing — offers illegal immigrants amnesty, provides them Social...

U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) has denounced Wednesday a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would...

The reelection campaign of Republican Senator Rick Santorum has been a rocky road so far, and the latest Rasmussen Reports election poll of the Pennsylvania race for U.S. Senate offers only minor comfort at best. Now trailing Democrat Bob Casey by fifteen percentage points (52% to 37%), Santorum has gained a few points since last month.

The Quinnipiac University telephone poll conducted last June 13 disclosed that Bob Casey's lead over Sen. Rick Santorum since October was 52% to 34% (with sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points). Santorum's job approval rating has also dropped to 38%. Base on the poll results, Clay Richards (Quinnipiac poll assistant director) said, "Sen. Santorum appears to be his own worst enemy in his battle for re-election."

Sen. Rick Santorum's approval rating has skidded to a four-year low, the latest sign of distress for the outspoken conservative and ally of President Bush, according to a poll released Wednesday. The lead for Santorum's Democratic opponent, state Treasurer Bob Casey, has stretched to 18 percentage points since early May. Casey leads Santorum by 52 percent to 34 percent - the biggest margin since October, when the numbers were the same, according to the Quinnipiac University poll. Only 38 percent of respondents said they approved of the way Santorum, the third-ranking Republican in the Senate, is handling his job. Forty-five...