Free Republic

Mitt Romney knows how to raise money. He collected more than $1.1 billion in the 2012 campaign, relying on contacts he built during his time as Massachusetts governor, head of the Salt Lake City Olympics, years working in private equity, and as chairman of the Republican Governor's Association. And now, with Romney insisting that he will not run again in 2016, literally hundreds of millions of dollars-worth of Republican money is up for grabs -- and donors say that they are already being courted by several potential presidential candidates.

The Talk Shows February 23rd, 2014 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H.; Govs. Scott Walker, R-Wis., and Peter Shumlin, D-Vt.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): National Security Adviser Susan Rice.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Govs. Bobby Jindal, R-La., and Martin O'Malley, D-Md.THIS WEEK (ABC): Former President George W. Bush.STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): Govs. Rick Perry, R-Texas, Mike Pence, R-Ind., Dannel Malloy, D-Conn., Jay Nixon D-Mo.

So we have reached the aporia of the Right’s main argument against President Obama, wherein their arguments are deconstructing themselves via their own rhetoric undermining their claims. Republicans call the President a dictator and say his boot is on their necks, he is stomping on the Constitution, he is an “imperial” president. And yet all of them remain free to say these things in public, on TV. There isn’t even any backlash to speak of. Leading this charge is the still bitter Sarah Palin, whose behavior post 2008 loss makes John McCain’s look magnanimous and mature. Palin posited that after...

The Congressional Budget Office’s warning that the Affordable Care Act will cause employment to fall by the equivalent of 2.5 million full-time workers is just the latest of Obamacare’s negative surprises. Unfortunately, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s statement that “we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it” is proving to be depressingly accurate. The law’s defenders legitimately argue that it is not sufficient merely to criticize the Affordable Care Act; responsible action requires proposing an alternative. Fortunately, Republicans have a good one, and it’s been hiding in plain sight for the past...

The Congressional Budget Office’s warning that the Affordable Care Act will cause employment to fall by the equivalent of 2.5 million full-time workers is just the latest of Obamacare’s negative surprises. Unfortunately, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s statement that “we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it” is proving to be depressingly accurate. The law’s defenders legitimately argue that it is not sufficient merely to criticize the Affordable Care Act; responsible action requires proposing an alternative. Fortunately, Republicans have a good one, and it’s been hiding in plain sight for the past...

Even to this day,when they ask liberal commentator questions regarding the current "Ambassador-Gate",first thing they say,"Well When Bush Was President".Now keep in mind,according to liberals,Bush was a blockhead,dumbest President since Carter.So why is it OK with liberals/democrats for Obama to make the same embarrassing mistake?,So what they are assuming is that Obama is on the same intelligence level as George Bush?,It's actually very childish to keep referring to the previous boss."Well,the last manager stole cash from the register and called his employees racist names"So why can't I"?, Pretty much explains the vulgarity we have been hearing from liberals since Obama...

“I taught constitutional law for ten years. I take the Constitution very seriously. The biggest problems that were facing right now have to do with George Bush trying to bring more and more power into the executive branch and not go through Congress at all, and that’s what I intend to reverse when I’m President of the United States of America.” - Obama, 2008 What a difference six years makes. The above video, released tonight by The Heritage Foundation, shows two different faces of Barack Obama when it comes to executive branch. In 2008, then-candidate Obama said that America's "biggest...

As you may recall, we tend to reserve the "pure gold" descriptor for uniquely egregious instances of Obama hypocrisy. This one surely qualifies. American Commitment clips a stump speech snippet from 2008 presidential candidate Barack Obama, scrupulous defender of our constitutional structure, and righteous critic of executive power grabs. Behold:

Nope. Imo, he was treated worse. http://youtu.be/1WJ03isLxjk Hat tip: BlackFive Political rancor and hatred as old as politics. “All of the folks who are saying, ‘We don’t like Barack Obama,’ they can’t tell youany reason that they don’t…I absolutely believe it’s all about race, andfor the first time in my life I’ve been able to convince my children finally that racism is alive and well.” -State Senator, Louise Lucas There's nothing unique to any disrespect shown to the current president. Certainly it isn't the color of President Obama's skin that drives the political opposition to his presidency. Yet so many...

Last week, I was one of the many students who crowded the Alumni Memorial Building to hear the amazing Angela Davis speak. She spoke about our country's history of slavery and slavery's modern incarnation: our nation's prison industrial complex. "We should seriously question the fact that punishment can be profitable," Davis challenged. She was referring to the multi-billion dollar industry of privatized correctional facilities, one of our economy's fastest growing sectors. The thing about capitalism is that in the right conditions, a profit can be made from just about anything — including the suffering of other people. Why do we...

The wide variety of potential candidates for the Republican presidential nomination boils down to one question in many quarters — which one can beat Hillary Clinton? But to at least one powerful Republican consultant, Mary Matalin, the "Hillary" question is pointless. "Hillary Clinton’s lead is ephemeral," Matalin told Politico Magazine. "As soon as she gets in, if she gets in, she will be challenged and it will evaporate. Just the nature of the beast. I predict she doesn’t run." ---snip--- Political consultant and media strategist Mark McKinnon predicts a "Clash of the Titans" battle between Clinton and Bush for the...

And why is that? Because it's beginning to dawn on me that Jeb Bush is probably going to be the Republican Party's nominee for president in 2016. Consider: With the ongoing implosion of Chris Christie's political career, the GOP establishment has lost its best hope for a candidate who could stop a libertarian-populist insurgency during the primaries. Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Scott Walker — the list of viable fire-breathers is longer (and less dominated by incompetents, crazies, and one-note sideshow acts) than establishment types would like.

**SNIP** The Salt Lake Games were held less than five months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Bush prefaced his declaration with a few non-scripted patriotic words: "On behalf of a proud, determined and grateful nation, I declare open the games of Salt Lake City, celebrating the Winter Games." Said Bach: "All the other heads of state respected the charter and I'm absolutely sure the charter will be respected tonight." Putin stayed true to the text, saying in Russian: "I declare open the 22nd Olympic Winter Games in Sochi."

Former vice presidential candidate and Alaska Republican Gov. Sarah Palin would prove "formidable" in a 2016 run for president, Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol predicted Thursday. "She's a huge political talent. She has a real populist streak, and a real feel for, sort of, middle America in a way that very few politicians do," Kristol told MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "The truth is, she might be kind of formidable," he added.(VIDEO-AT-LINK) Her biggest obstacle, Kristol maintained, would be explaining why she stepped down as Alaska's governor before serving her entire term. Kristol advised the next Republican nominee to "spend some time...

Best listen to your mother, boy... It's time to give-up on the "nostolgia" of the Reagan era: "So our ideas need to be forward looking and relevant.  I felt like there was a lot of nostalgia and the  good old days in the [Republican] messaging.  I mean, it’s great, but it doesn’t draw people toward your cause"  "From the conservative side, it’s time for us to listen first,  to learn a little bit, to upgrade our message a little bit,  to not be nostalgic about the past because,  you know, things do ebb and flow..." "I don't think a...

Though former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) is often hailed by the Republican establishment as the best candidate to take on Hillary Clinton in a potential 2016 general election contest for president, Clinton clobbers Bush by 20 percentage points in a hypothetical matchup. According to a CNN/ORC poll released Monday, Clinton leads Bush 57% to 37%. Bush does worse against Clinton than do Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)...

I am weighed down by some thoughts I have been having lately. I think that since you are my family out there is Spectator-land, I will share them with you. (Although usually family are the last people who want to hear your thoughts. My sister is an exception, of course.) First, a few days ago, I had a brief talk with a thoughtful high school student in my beloved Greenville. The topic was whether or not Osama bin Laden had realized his objectives in the attack of 9/11. The woman had all kinds of brilliant insights, and herewith I add...

The president and his queen are the epitome of corruption and greed. They talk about “caring for the poor” while spending piles of other people’s money on their celebrity parties.Disgusting. If anyone still clings to some charitable notion that there is more to Michelle Obama than a celebrity wanna-be opportunist, let her 50thbirthday celebration be the proof that does away with any remaining delusions. The FLOTUS’ birthday bash invitees included such moneyed stars as Gladys Knight, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Michael Jordan, Stevie Wonder, Samuel L. Jackson, Ashley Judd, and, of course, power couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z (the latter...

Republicans rate Sarah Palin higher than every potential 2016 presidential contender, even though she is not even considered to be in the running, a new poll has found. A Public Policy Polling survey conducted Jan. 23-26 showed that the former governor of Alaska has a 70 percent favorability rating among GOP primary voters, topping six other potential candidates in the poll, even though her name was not on the list of 2016 GOP candidates to choose from. "The best-liked person we tested on this poll with Republican primary voters is actually Sarah Palin," the poll noted. In the survey of...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)Jeb Bush is considering a run for the White House — no matter what his mother thinks. With two recent national polls showing Jeb among the top potential 2016 Republican presidential contenders, a local Florida reporter asked the former Sunshine State governor Wednesday about a potential run. “I’m considering — I’m going to think about it later,” he said. “So I don’t wake up each day saying, ‘oh, what am I going to do today to make this decision. I’m deferring the decision to the right time, which is later this year.” The son and brother of former presidents continued...