The Santorum surge, I think, is being fueled by a growing sense that our economic crisis is at its core a moral crisis. And there is a growing sense among Republicans and conservatives that we must recognize the cultural war being waged and engage it with clarity and aggressiveness that matches that of the left.

The official Republican response to the President’s State of the Union Address was fine—as far as it went. But Gov. Mitch Daniels missed a golden opportunity to put before the American people a better vision of family, faith, and freedom.

What do establishment Republicans and liberal Democrats have in common? They’ve long labored under a shared misconception: conservative candidates are unelectable.

…Bain was not a financial manipulator (like the ‘financial engineers” on Wall Street playing with derivatives and reinsurance); his compensation was market-determined; he put his own money at risk ; and his expertise is/was evident and manifested in both private and public circumstances. There are a lot of reasons not to vote for Romney.

While the GOP party lords believe Romney is the safe bet, many conservatives don’t see him as the winning bet. During the last two debates he’s stammered and fumbled on releasing his taxes and defending his record at Bain Capital. Romney is looking and sounding less and less presidential and electable.

Boy is it ever hot in South Carolina these days. Last night’s debate started with fireworks and the rockets’ red glare are guaranteed to continue through the weekend. This is the stuff of primary lore; one that will be remembered for decades. It’s just a bit sad, however, that it’s less a clash of titanic issues and more one of titanic (and flawed) egos.

Any candidate who believes he will get elected president of the USA by increasing the rancor about the rich as if they didn’t earn it honestly or by denigrating minorities is sadly mistaken.

The United States is at a fork in the road regarding which way we will go as a people. The 2012 election could be the most important in our lifetime, and conservative leaders have reached a consensus on how to channel the energy and concerns of the American people to realize historic change this year.

Individual freedom, respect for constitutional limitations on government and traditional values was the message. There was a sense of purpose. America as a “shining city on a hill,” quoted so often by Reagan, taken from the Puritan John Winthrop, captured the picture.

Eric Holder’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an all-out war on voter-ID laws and other measures to safeguard to the electoral process. Although Holder’s actions are purportedly to prevent African-Americans from being disenfranchised, the reality is that they serve the crass political purpose of ensuring that Holder’s boss gets reelected next year.