Free Republic

Sarah Palin’s resignation and Mark Sanford’s downfall have renewed the media meme that the GOP is “leaderless,” therefore doomed. Google “Republican leaderless” and you get more than 38,000 results. The GOP has very real problems, but this one is mainly hype. In American politics, the -party that is out of power is naturally leaderless. The United States does not have a parliamentary system with one person heading the opposition. In our system of federalism, bicameralism, and separated powers, the party that does not hold the presidency has many voices. In search of drama, however, journalists depict this normal state of...

It cannot be overstated that Mark R. Levin is a genius. It is clearly undeniable. For those that listen to his daily radio program, it is crystal clear, and he is largely responsible for raising the IQ’s of his listeners. If we’re lucky, we have someone come along that defines conservatism, its principles, making the ideology easy to comprehend for all to read. Liberty & Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto is exactly just that kind of book. It has clearly defined conservatism for everyone that reads the book. Its content is far above the current standard of books in the market...

It has been amusing to watch the speculation of the Alaska Governor’s motivations and future aspirations after announcing her resignation last Friday. Senate bid? “No, Alaskans would never forgive her for leaving them” said the Sunday shows. Presidential bid? “Not possible now,” say the smartest strategists and campaigners. Host a talk show? Sell books? Go on the lecture circuit? All possible, though not all probable. But the one thing most of the pundits on both the left and the right in Washington D.C. have declared certain - Palin’s political career is D.O.A. Not so fast, my friends. Since we’re all...

Since Sarah Palin’s announcement on Friday, pundits from across the political spectrum have been in a frenzy, with pundits from across the political spectrum arguing over whether or not her career is over, speculating on her health and welfare, and pontificating on whether her decision is part of one grand political strategy which will either prove to be incredibly brilliant or completely foolish. I have been tempted but have avoided to write and comment on the reaction to Palin’s announcement. However, one article in particular struck me as particularly spot-on, a post by Jim Prevor over at the Weekly Standard....

Well, the presidential primary sweepstakes is heating up already. Many people have written Sarah Palin off. Heck, many thought she never had a chance anyway and they're gloating about it. And, unfortunately, "conservative" Governor Sanford blew his chances. Keep it zipped up fellas. And the media, as usual, is panting hard for the most liberal Republican they can find in the primary race. Namely, Governor Slick Willard Romney. Hey, Romney's ok. IF you're one of those liberal/moderate RINO types that loves big government forcing big government "solutions" for health care, etc, down your throat. AND if you can morally ignore...

In case you haven't been reading the conservative blogs over the weekend (and judging by our numbers here, you haven't) I've provided links to some of the best and/or most entertaining posts I've read from the past few days.

With the GOP still making noises about pushing for the nomination of yet another RINO, despite the disaster of 2008, conservatives often feel as if we are in political no-man's land--homeless pilgrims in a strange and barren land. What's a conservative to do in these unfortunate times when conservatism seems to be abandoned, even by the Party of Reagan?

Soon the Republican party will have no choice but to make Mitt Romney its leader. We've seen a suspiciously steady trickle of losers quietly exiting the ranks of 2012 hopefuls -- Bobby Jindal with his disastrous State of the Union rebuttal; John Ensign and Mark Sanford with their affairs; and most recently, Sarah Palin's bizarre resignation from the Alaska governorship. The only candidates left are Mike Huckabee, Tim Pawlenty and Romney. If history is any guide, we should expect some foul disclosure out of the Huckabee camp any day now. You just can't get away with saying something like this...

On April 15, thousands of people in 100's of cities and towns gathered to protest rising taxes, failed bailouts, 1st and 2nd Amendment clamp downs and, in general, failing policies of the current Congress and Administration. Yesterday, there was a repeat of the Tea Party grassroots movement. Although conservatives make up the majority of those gathering, there are people participating from all over the political spectrum. Is it time for the Tea Party Movement to have a leader? To have an organized structure and means of communication? To have a fund raising instrument? Or would that ruin its goals and...

Sarah Palin's resignation as Governor of Alaska is a brilliant liberating move for her career, and a potential turning point for the national conservative movement. The biggest problem with her responsibility as Governor of Alaska is that the state is so far away from the rest of America. No one hears of the good work she has been doing there, and the left is free to paint their own false caricature of her. ... I am hoping she spends two weeks of every month now touring the states doing fundraisers for a the sweeping Republican revival in 2010 that is...

Sarah Palin said on Friday that she will not run for a second term as governor of Alaska and will transfer her responsibilities to the state's lieutenant governor. Palin to Step Down2:03The Alaska governor makes the surprising announcement the she will not be seeking re-election and will leave office by the end of the month. Courtesy Fox News.Read MoreText: Palin's statement Washington Wire: Is Palin's Resignation a Shrewd Move or Political Suicide? Washington Wire: Lt. Gov. Parnell Says Palin 'Felt Frustrated' Political Wisdom: Could the Vanity Fair Hit on Sarah Palin Actually Help Her? Speakeasy: HarperCollins to Go Forward With Palin...

Link only, per FR copyright rules (Gannett publication)

Reminder: download "The Tea Party Anthem" to play at your 4th of July Tea Party. http://bit.ly/zMYfG Hear "The American TEa Party Anthem" here: http://bit.ly/6mfvC

Providing all of my research were the "family values" Republicans. Last week, second-term Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina disappeared for six days, leaving the state without a chief executive who could make decisions in an emergency. His Republican lieutenant governor didn't know where he was, and had not been given any authority to make decisions in his absence. The state police said they had not been informed. His wife told the Associated Press she didn't know where he was, wasn't worried about him, and thought he was "writing something and wanted some space to get away from the kids"...

The definition of conservatism used in academia too often reduces it to a blind and ignorant adherence to past principles and ideologies. The root of the word - conserve - is used in an attempt to characterize the conservative world view as a stubborn opposition to progress. This is inaccurate. http://conservativebrawler.blogspot.com/

It's confirmed that CA GOP Chairman Ron Nehring will receive a list of questions from me and provide answers I can publish on FreeRepublic. I've asked that he also come online and answer follow-up questions but that has not been confirmed. I plan to group the questions as much as possible by the classic three components of Conservatism. Based on some crucial questions raised, I plan three additional question categories for a total of six, not listed here in any priority: 1. Social/Moral Conservatism 2. Fiscal Conservatism 3. Sovereignty/Nationalism 4. Candidates, Primary & General Elections & Party Leadership 5. Constitutional...

With the New York Times calling for the resignation of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, it is imperative that we consider some deeper issues at play. Each political scandal is unique, and thus, they cannot all be treated as the same. It is time for cooler heads to prevail and to consider a more balanced approach to the Sanford situation than the knee-jerk reaction of the NYT.

Mark Sanford's summer adventure to Argentina -- no, he was not hiking the Appalachian Trail, as his aides incorrectly told reporters -- is now a full-fledged personal and family embarrassment, a story of infidelity followed by a public confession of the kind that has become all too familiar from political leaders. But Sanford's story is more than personal. For a Republican Party down on its luck, the governor's disappearance and subsequent rambling apology to his wife, his family, his close friends and all the people of South Carolina draw more unwelcome publicity to a party that needs but cannot seem...

A Gallup poll last week showed that far more Americans describe themselves as conservatives than as liberals. Yet Republicans have been clobbered by the Democrats in both the 2006 elections and the 2008 elections. In a country with more conservatives than liberals, it is puzzling — in fact, amazing — that we have the furthest left president of the United States in history, as well as the furthest left speaker of the House of Representatives. Republicans, especially, need to think about what this means. If you lose when the other guy has all the high cards, there is not much...

At the height of the Ownership Society, when George W. Bush was pushing private accounts for Social Security, Grover Norquist explained the political rationale in the Washington Monthly: "Owning $5,000 worth of stock makes you 18% more Republican." Last November the GOP learned that Norquist's math worked just as well in reverse. Americans watched the value of their 401(k)s drop by half, and between 2004 and 2008, the electorate became 9 percent more Democratic. Now chastened Republicans have scaled back their plans in order to make Americans a more modest offer. Mitt Romney and Sen. Lamar Alexander recently proposed turning...

Republican state party leaders are rebelling against new Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele for failing to dub President Obama and the Democrats as "socialists." And the rebels insist that the label matters. Even though Mr. Steele has called his Democratic adversaries "collectivists," at least 16 state leaders say the term lacks the pejorative punch needed to sway public opinion and want all 168 members of the Republican National Committee to debate and vote on it.It is the first time in memory that a sitting national leader of the Republican Party has faced a public challenge over his ideological...

"A new European Parliament group that is pro-free market and anti-EU integration unveiled its membership list on Monday (22 June), bringing together 55 MEPs from eight EU states. Calling itself the "European Conservatives and Reformists Group," the new faction lists "free enterprise," the "sovereign integrity of the nation state" and "probity in the EU institutions" among its principles. The British Conservative party dominates membership with 26 MEPs, followed by Poland's Law and Justice with 15 deputies and the Czech Republic's ODS party with nine members. The other five MEPs come from the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Hungary and Latvia." "The new...

Glenn Beck is an American hero. Considered a buffoon at best by his liberal detractors, Beck is in fact a showman par excellence who draws on the passions of a small and alienated minority to create a television program that has done more to keep Americans safe than 10,000 public-service announcements. And for that, he deserves a medal from the Department of Homeland Security. DHS, you might recall, issued a report in April on the threat posed by right-wing extremists, a report that many conservatives angrily denounced as a crude smear. Michael Savage, a radio host known for his scabrous...

In the Age of Obama, many conservatives are consoling themselves with this thought: Conservatism wins on the issues. Polls show majorities of Americans want less government and fewer and lower taxes; they want leaders who will stand up to our enemies; they are skeptical about the science of global warming; they want public policy to show respect for human life at all stages, and, yes, most Americans still believe marriage should remain between a man and a woman. A Gallup poll this week showed 40 percent of Americans interviewed describe their political views as conservative, while just 21 percent self...

Once again Newt Gingrich identifies practical, workable solutions to a crisis. To get the country’s economy back on track the former House Speaker and present general chairman of American Solutions for Winning the Future, suggests 12 sensible things America should do: Create a payroll tax credit to help workers and small businesses. Cut the 25 percent marginal tax rate to 15 percent. Reduce the business tax rate. Stabilize housing prices by providing tax credits so responsible home buyers can avoid foreclosures. Control federal spending and move to a balanced budget. End Medicare fraud by requiring states to adopt anti-theft and...

Expect to start hearing something like this very soon on the campaign trail: “I’m a conservative Republican — emphasis on the ‘conservative’!” While the label “Republican” is polling about as low as it’s ever polled, its part-time synonym — “conservative” — is the most popular ideological descriptor in politics. A Gallup poll this week found that the number of Americans defining themselves as conservative is at its highest point in 20 years, at 40 percent. That compared to 35 percent saying they are moderate and 21 percent saying they are liberal. The results track closely with another Gallup poll, from...

Lonewolf Diaries: Republicans Need to Grow a Sense of Humor Posted By Steven Crowder On June 16, 2009 @ 5:58 pm In Featured Story, Lone Wolf Diaries | 4 Comments Yes, you’ve read correctly. To all of you GOP types playing the “offended” card on a daily basis… Prepare to have your feelings hurt, because according to my carefully calculated research… Republicans need to shut up and laugh a little.Never has the GOP’s lack of funnybone been on sharper display than the last 5 months. For a party that claims to “shun political correctness,” we’ve certainly done a good...

According to Gallup, "conservatives" are the single largest ideological group.  The poll was based on how people described themselves, given the choices of very conservative, conservative, moderate, liberal, very liberal and no opinion. Forty percent of those polled described themselves as conservative or very conservative, almost twice as many as the 21% who described themselves as liberal or very liberal.  Self-described "moderates" were 35% of those polled.  (Four percent gave "no opinion" as an answer.)  That 40% "conservative" figure is even higher than it was when Republicans took over the House of Representatives in 1994, for the first time in...

As recently reported by the Associated Press, liberal blogger Geoffrey Dunn accused the Alaskan Governor of stealing the words from a 2005 Newt Gingrich speech in a recent introduction the Governor made in Alaska for talk show host Michael Reagan. Like a typical liberal, Dunn found a friendly venue at the Huffington Post to spew his slanderous statements, and then later edited his post to soften his accusation of Palin as a plagiarist to someone who failed to give complete and proper attribution. In retrospect, Dunn grudgingly reported later that Palin had given verbal accreditation to Newt Gingrich in her...

FR EXCLUSIVE: RON NEHRING, CALIF GOP CHAIRMAN TO FREEP YOUR QUESTIONS! -- ASK AWAY! I was invited to participate in a strategic GOP meeting on June 5, during which many topics including the Internet, voter registration and fundraising were discussed from a tech/strategy standpoint. Durind the event I had the chance to speak with Ron Nehring, California GOP Chairman. I mentioned to him that GOP leadership is perceived as RINOs (Republicans In Name Only) by much of the grassroots. When I noted that an enormous GOP opportunity exists among both Republicans and Democrats on the issue of our borders, fighting...

In a new Gallup Poll asking who is the national leader of the Republican party, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels didn’t even rate an asterisk. That’s unsurprising. The governor of the country’s 16th-most-populous state won’t normally garner much national attention, especially when he’s an unassuming, old-school budget cutter. It’s also a shame, because more than any other Republican officeholder, Daniels points the way ahead for his bedraggled party. He’s a Reaganite who is not trapped in 1980s nostalgia; he’s a fiscal conservative who believes not just in limiting government, but in reforming it to address people’s everyday concerns; he’s a politician...

In light of the present conditions plaguing our country and what seems to be the disintegration of the Republican Party, Conservatives have been on suicide alert - all the way from the top to the bottom. As well as being ostracized from their own party, Conservatives have been labeled and slandered by the Democratic Left and its powerful Mainstream Media allies. For their ideals of moral accountability and responsibility, Conservatives are also despised by the socially dependent masses. In the midst of the current crisis – or rather, crises - and lack of conservative leadership, Rush Limbaugh has been appointed...

The debate over the heart and soul of conservatism continues, and the latest skirmish is apparently between neoconservative David Frum and yours truly. Frum, it seems, was offended by my recent comments about conservatism on Bloggingheads, an online talk show where bloggers debate the issues of the day. My intent was to respond to an e-mailer, who had asked me my definition of what constitutes a conservative. Interestingly, I don't think I even mentioned Frum in this particular segment, though I have certainly mentioned him in the past. For those unfamiliar with Bloggingheads, it should be noted this is essentially...

We've been waiting and waiting, but the widely predicted European backlash—against capitalism, free markets, and the right—has never come. There are no demands for Marxist revolution, no calls for nationalization of industry, not even a European campaign for what the Obama administration calls "stimulus"—a policy more colloquially known as "massive government spending." On the contrary, in last weekend's European parliamentary elections, capitalism triumphed, at least in its mushy European form. Admittedly, these European polls are a peculiar species of election. Far fewer people vote in them than vote in national elections, and those who do vote are far vaguer about...

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will attend Monday night's Republican congressional fundraising dinner, according to GOP sources. Not only will she be there, Palin's husband, "First Dude" Todd Palin, will sit with National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn, R-Texas, and his wife at Cornyn's table, one of the sources said. Sarah Palin, the 2008 vice presidential nominee, will sit at the head table. She will be recognized but will not have a formal speaking role, the sources said. Palin's decision to attend brings to an end an embarrassing public back-and-forth between Republican congressional campaign committee leaders and Palin, whose attendance...

BRUSSELS - Europe was leaning to the right ahead of European Parliament elections Sunday, with voters in many countries favoring conservative parties against a backdrop of economic crisis. Opinion polling showed right-leaning governments with edges over their opposition in Germany, Italy and France. Conservative opposition parties were tied or ahead in Britain, Spain, and some smaller countries. The parliament has evolved over the past 50 years from a consultative legislature to one with the right to vote on or amend two-thirds of all EU laws. But for many voters and politicians, the Europe-wide elections were most important as a snapshot...

Can Mitch Daniels save the GOP? By: Byron York Chief Political Correspondent 06/05/09 12:05 AM EDT There's been a Mitch Daniels boomlet in Republican political circles lately. The governor of Indiana has been mentioned as a possible 2012 contender by a number of well-connected pundits, he's been featured on the cover of National Review, and GOP leaders selected him to give a recent Saturday radio address. It's a lot of good exposure if you're looking to raise your national profile. But why Daniels? And why now? "It shows you how slim the pickings are," Daniels told me Wednesday, after he...

We have an awesome guest, a guest who is affecting our culture in such a positive way. We need him to keep on being bold and we’re counting on Michael Reagan to help educate America. I want to welcome tonight our good Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell who I can’t see, but I know he’s here. (applause) My brother Chuck Heath is here, and my husband Alaska’s First Dude Todd Palin is here somewhere. (applause) So I have the honor of getting to speak with you for a bit here before I get to introduce to you Michael Reagan, and what...

Hearing denunciations of Islamic jihadism and its bombings by right-thinking pundits, it's curious that acts of extremist terrorism in America explode in places of worship, community celebration, and care for children. Dr. George Tiller, the Wichita physician who provided abortion services, was shot to death in the Lutheran church where he was serving as an usher while his wife was singing in the choir. A guy named Jim David Atkinson drove last July to a Unitarian church in Tennessee that sought to open a coffee shop for gays and lesbians. He shot to death a 61-year-old grandmother and retired schoolteacher,...

February 16, 1999Ms. Amy RidenourNational Center for Public Policy Research777 N. Capitol Street, NESuite 803Washington, D.C. 20002-4201Dear Ms. Ridenour:Late last year, I had the opportunity of speaking to the Conservative Leadership Conference on the state of the conservative movement. I've given similar talks in the past, and usually they have focused on the most recent election or our situation in Congress or something similar. This time, the thoughts I offered were very different, and frankly rather radical. The strong, positive response they brought forth -- which came as something of a surprise to me -- has led me to think...

The specters of both Ronald Reagan and William F. Buckley have been summoned over the past week to offer two examples for Republicans facing the distresses of minority status. In actuality, the models contradict, not compliment, one another. But there is a unifying lesson to be learned. In last week’s Weekly Standard, Naomi Emery presented Reagan the Republican who used his “unfailingly gracious tone” to bring the right, the middle, and remnants of the old left into what he saw as a must-be big tent Republican Party. In the June 1 Wall Street Journal, Richard Brookhiser reminded us of Buckley...

Stay warm with Steve Lonegan This is the most important priority in order for Christie to achieve his goals with the Republican base. Regardless of one’s views of Steve Lonegan politically and personally, he performed far better in last night’s vote than the Trenton GOP conventional wisdom pundits predicted six months ago. Considering where he started in this race, one must respect both Lonegan and his followers for achieving a vote total of 42 percent. Steve Lonegan and his followers will be a force to reckon with in New Jersey politics for the foreseeable future. No Republican can win statewide...

American Thinker's resident recovering liberal answers readers. Dear Robin: How can we trust that you are really who you say you are? How do we know you are not a liberal impersonating a conservative? Marty Hi Marty: Busted! My articles are actually ghostwritten by Bill Ayers. Don't sweat it, Mart-T, my conscientious editor at American Thinker, a Bay Area guy, has met and vetted me. So I'm for real. Anyway, dude, do you think I could make this stuff up? * * Dear Robin: What draws otherwise smart people to being a progressive liberal? How do they accept the generalized...

June 1 was the last edition. Another conservative news outlet bites the dust.

In times of perplexity evangelical Christians ask themselves, "What would Jesus do?" Conservatives trying to regroup in the age of Obama might ask themselves, "What would William F. Buckley Jr. do?" Buckley died in 2008 after almost 60 years as a public intellectual and celebrity. His quirky and hyperarticulate defense of his ideas, in books and columns and on television, gained him celebrity, and he used his stardom to propagate his ideas. He fought in great victories -- he helped create the climate of opinion in which Ronald Reagan was elected president -- and he saw great debacles, from the...

A conservative rap video which claims to reflect true conservative values is quickly becoming a cult success and going viral. "The Young Con Anthem," created by two Dartmouth students, has received more than 90,000 views and has made it to The Huffington Post, USA Today and a variety of blogs across the political spectrum.

Nineteen years on the U.S. Supreme Court and David Souter retires like Rodney Dangerfield: He gets no respect. When the liberal press does praise him, it’s for his logic. Really? Let’s parse the premier sample of his logic. He’s credited with the co-authorship of what has been termed the “Mystery of Life” passage in the 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey: “At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.” Justice Scalia has made wicked sport of this passage. “Ah, the...

I’ve become tired of words. I am tired of looking to time-tested argument and rhetorical archives of old leaders that encapsulated the ideals that American needs to find again. I am tired of fighting an honorable retreat. No matter how well crafted the argument or coherent the message, the Left does not move toward reality. They deny facts and brush off logic faster than the blink of an eye. Yet, they move forward with confidence, knowing that there is nothing to stop the advance of their vision. After all, this is a “new” America where anything goes. And the Left...

Though President Obama may have irked some Americans when he told the nation of Turkey this week that the United States is not a Christian nation, he might have helped believers in Muslim-dominated areas by saying so. Christians overseas, particularly in the Middle East, are often persecuted under the false pretense that the appearingly immoral and indulgent West is a reflection of Christendom. Now, should anti-Christian Muslims take to heart what Obama said recently, perhaps they’ll see the immoral and indulgent West as a reflection of secularism or even liberalism. “One of the great strengths of the United States is...