Free Republic

Say this for the guy: He knows what his audience wants to hear.I guess this is going to be his approach, whether or not it alienates righty votes he’ll need in the general election. Being “brash” and confrontational got him two terms as governor in a blue state. Why not let it all hang out and see if it can’t get him the White House too? Besides, with the rest of the field busy distancing themselves from Romney, there are a lot of forlorn, wealthy establishmentarians out there in need of a champion. Here he comes now: “Christie and Paul...

Our most recent rating of Republican presidential contenders features a top tier of three notably different candidates: A Midwestern governor (Scott Walker) who is known best by the activists who will help decide the nomination; a leading national figure (Chris Christie) who has irked conservatives; and a firebrand senator (Rand Paul) with devoted supporters who would shake up the party’s platform and, perhaps, identity.Chart 1: Updated Crystal Ball Republican presidential rankings First Tier Candidate Key Advantages Key Disadvantages Since Last Update Scott WalkerGovernor, WI •Midwest GOP gov. in Obama state •Heroic conservative credentials •Shown political durability •Too bland? Next Pawlenty?...

Immigration Reform Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush …, a longtime advocate of comprehensive immigration reform, said in a statement that the Senate vote was a “strong step for meaningful immigration reform and encouraging legal immigration for those that want to contribute to a better America.” …New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has called for tighter border controls and a pathway to citizenship for legal immigrants. …Texas Gov. Rick Perry … has steadfastly opposed a border fence, saying it would take 10 to 15 years to build, cost $30 billion and wouldn’t work. …Gay Marriage In a speech in June, (Jeb) Bush...

When Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker visited Iowa recently to speak at a well-attended Republican dinner, only one national political reporter (NBC's Alex Moe) showed up. That just proves you don't need national press attention to make a strong start in the 2016 Republican presidential race. There's a Walker boom, or at least a boomlet, going on in the nation's first voting state. When you hear speculation about the '16 GOP field -- Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Chris Christie, Bobby Jindal and others -- it's rare to hear Walker's name included in the group. But keep an eye on him; politically-savvy...

(Newser) – Probably a good sign that Republicans see the IRS controversy as very fertile ground politically: Bobby Jindal—who famously warned the GOP not to be the "stupid party" of unhinged attacks—is going after the scandal hard today, reports Politico. The potential 2016 challenger plans to tell Republicans in Virginia that those responsible for the "un-American" plan of singling out conservative groups for scrutiny should go to prison.   “You cannot take the freedom of law-abiding Americans, whether you disagree with them or not, and keep your own freedom," says the Louisiana governor's prepared remarks. "When you do that, you...

Shortly after Barack Obama won reelection in November, New Jersey governor Chris Christie pointed out that Republicans’ cloudy political prospects had a bright silver lining. “One of the reasons you have 30 Republican governors in America, and why we’re the only organization to add Republican strength,” Christie said, “is because people see us getting things done.” Christie’s stance countered most of the elite postelection commentary, which gleefully pronounced the Republican Party’s political irrelevance. But the governor was right. Since Obama first took office in 2008, Republicans have picked up a net nine governorships, bringing their total to 30 states,...

Louisiana’s highest court ruled Tuesday that Gov. Bobby Jindal’s hallmark school voucher plan violates the state’s constitution. The state Supreme Court found that the school voucher plan is illegal because it diverts tax dollars to private schools from Louisiana’s “minimum foundation program,” which was created under the state constitution to pay for public schools.

(Reuters) - Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, one of the nation's most prominent Republicans and a possible 2016 presidential candidate, has fallen out of favor with local voters, and his bold plan to scrap the state income tax is running into trouble. Jindal was re-elected to a second term with two-thirds of the vote in 2011. But his Louisiana approval rating was down to 38 percent in a recent poll, worse than Democratic President Barack Obama in one of the most conservative states. The poll suggested voters think he is spending more time traveling outside the state and burnishing his credentials...

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is at the center of the latest "birther" conspiracy. But he's not the first to face this line of questioning. A handful of politicians have been targeted in the last few years with the same accusation -- that they are not fit for the Presidency because they do not meet the constitutionally-mandated eligibility requirement of being a "natural-born" U.S. citizen. Confusion around who qualifies as a "natural born" citizen has contributed to the debate, as the Constitution does not explicitly define the phrase. Some incorrectly presume it only includes people born within the boundaries of the...

During this year’s March Madness across state legislatures, governors are competing for bold new ways to grow their job base. This week, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal detailed a jobs strategy that could take the Pelican State into the Final Four of tax competition. Jindal’s tax bracketology is simple and clear to all businesses — a flat, fair, and simpler tax code is the better choice for moving Louisiana forward in economic growth. Jindal’s plan is far-reaching and intrepid — no state income tax, no corporate income tax, and no corporate franchise tax. Zero. Zilch. Nada. In exchange, the state that...

Time to address conservatives from across the country at CPAC is a prime commodity, especially for politicians eyeing a 2016 run — and it’s not being distributed equally. According to an internal draft of the minute-by-minute schedule at CPAC, Rand Paul, Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal, and Scott Walker are each slated to give 13-minute remarks on the main stage. Marco Rubio and Paul Ryan, however, get eleven minutes to deliver their comments. Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum is scheduled for a mere seven minutes. The biggest winners in the time lottery are Sarah Palin (16 minutes) and Donald Trump (14...

Ed Henry @edhenryTV oh my -- Jindal said he doesn't think VP Biden recognized him: "He asked me to get him a slurpee" 1:45 AM - 10 Mar 13 Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal famously advised the GOP in January to “stop being the stupid party,” but tonight at the annual Gridiron Dinner in Washington, D.C., it was Jindal’s job to deliver the laughs on behalf of the Republicans. How’d he do? Ed Henry @edhenryTV Jindal killing it at #Gridiron -- says he's talking to Sen Elizabeth Warren "as one Indian politician to another" 1:44 AM - 10 Mar 13

Barack Obama apparently hoped that a private meeting with GOP governors would help push House Republicans to compromise on the sequester. The meeting backfired in that regard, at least partially. The private meeting so incensed Nikki Haley that she could barely contain herself afterward at the US Chamber of Commerce afterward, and while she expressed frustration with both sides, she delivered a withering shot at Obama for refusing to make even slight cuts in federal spending: “I could not be more frustrated than I am right now,” Haley told reporters after the meeting. She said that when she asked Obama...

Ever since Mitt Romney lost the presidential election, there's been a lot of talk about how the Republican Party needs to "rebrand" itself. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal wants, among other things, for the GOP to stop being "the stupid party." Rep. Paul Ryan has concluded that the watchword for the Republican Party needs to be "prudence." Sen. Marco Rubio is the front man for the most tangible aspect of the rebranding effort: getting on the right side of the immigration issue. In the process, he's become something of the de facto point person for the party. The latest entrant into...

<p>The actual title is "Are Republicans the 'Stupid Party'?" but was too inflammatory to leave it without the clarification.</p> <p>Bobby Jindal is warning that the Republicans must stop being the "stupid party".</p> <p>The Louisiana governor, a likely contender for his party's presidential nomination in 2016, said a number of Republicans had "damaged the brand" by making "offensive and bizarre" comments.</p>

I'm sure by now that most everyone has heard about Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and his remarks at the Republican National Committee's winter meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before I get to the bulk of my post, let me preface it by saying I am not endorsing or disregarding Governor Jindal's remarks. I do, however, believe they merit a discussion. To do anything less is to be naive about the condition of the Republican Party. Changes, you say? Yes, I said the changes the Republican Party needs to make. If we do not, we may as well resign our party...

Bobby Jindal, the conservative Catholic governor of Louisiana, attracted some attention last week for a Wall Street Journal op-ed in which he advocated making oral contraceptives available over the counter without a prescription. And for his pains, he received a slap on the wrist from his local archdiocese.Jindal made his case on libertarian and partisan grounds: People should have a right to buy products free from government restrictions, and letting them do so in this case (as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists now recommends) will take contraception out of the political arena (where the Democrats are using...

<p>New Jersey liberal Ronnie McMillian threatened Rep. Michele Bachmann and Governor Bobby Jindal.</p> <p>A New Jersey man who made threatening phone calls to public officials including Louisiana’s governor and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann was arrested today. Authorities charged 27-year-old Ronnie McMillian of Hawthorne, N.J., with two counts of transmitting threats to injure another through interstate commerce.</p>

Bobby Jindal wants you to be able to get your contraceptives over the counter, and that’s just the first step. “Democrats have wrongly accused Republicans of being against birth control and against allowing people to use it,” the Louisiana governor writes in the Wall Street Journal today. “That’s hogwash.”

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) called for the over-the-counter sale of birth control pills in a Wall Street Journal op-ed Friday, saying that the federal government had no business restricting access to the medication. “Democrats have wrongly accused Republicans of being against birth control and against allowing people to use it. That's hogwash. But Republicans do want to protect those who have religious beliefs that are opposed to contraception,” Jindal wrote. …