Free Republic

Sarah Palin's decision to resign as governor of Alaska was greeted with doubts, criticism and downright derision -- not just from Democrats or the media or bloggers, but from Republicans. Critical responses to her decision came from many Republican insiders -- not just people who have an axe to grind such as Mike Huckabee and Lisa Murkowski, but others such as Karl Rove. That followed criticism of Palin just before her announcement from Charles Krauthammer and Jonah Goldberg. When talking off the record, Republican insiders are even harsher toward Palin, as Marc Ambinder notes: With a few exceptions, almost every...

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin made her own declaration of independence yesterday by announcing that she's resigning as governor of Alaska. It was another gutsy and smart move on her part that has confounded the experts and has many writing her political obituary. I believe it's just wishful thinking on their part and these folks have no clue what just hit them. Since Sen. John McCain chose her to run as his vice-president she, her family, and her staff have been through the wringer as opponents have turned over every rock in hopes of taking her down. Every time she sneezed...

Harlan Muth isn’t organizing Sarah Palin’s presidential campaign, but pledges as soon as someone does, “I’ll be with ’em. In the meantime, the Marion maintenance contractor is turning heads with his “Sarah Palin 2012” poster prominently displayed on his van. “It’s getting a fantastic response,” Muth, 63, said. “So many people give me the thumbs up or honk when they see it. Some people get out of their cars and ask me where they can get a poster.” Muth, who spent 23 years in the Air Force before settling down in Marion, couldn’t find a Palin 2012 sign, so he...

Any politician willing to treat their job as a temporary one is a politician worth looking at. Like most everyone else, I sat back and scratched my head in consternation at the announcement that Sarah Palin was resigning as governor of Alaska. Its either a bold or stupid move, I thought. I placed it on the slow cook burner in my brain and let it soak in. At first glance, you say “Well thats a mistake! She shot herself in the foot!” Then I asked myself “What happens when you decide you dont want to run for re election?” Are...

“I am considering a run for Congress,” Ashland County District Attorney Sean Duffy said in an interview Wednesday. “On Wednesday, I’m going down to Wausau to talk about what the future holds.” The Republican Party of Marathon County on Wednesday announced an event next week at Wausau Homes featuring a “very special announcement regarding the 7th Congressional District,” expected to be Duffy’s formal announcement. Duffy is active with the Republican Party of Wisconsin, but he is perhaps best known as a former cast member on the MTV reality show “The Real World: Boston” in 1997. His conservative political views were...

(The murder of Don Bolles was to be a package deal including the murder of Al Lizanetz, Kemper Marley's public relations manager of 23 years. My interview of Lizanetz is available on audio tape. In this interview, Lizanetz states that land fraud king pin, Ned Warren was Kemper Marley's agent. Lizanetz tells how Marley recruited Eugene Pulliam to come to Arizona to start the Arizona Republic Newspaper. Pulliam formed the Phoenix Forty and the rest is history --- organized crime history. Lizanetz details how Marley's United Liquor General Manager, Gene Hensley (none other than Senator John McCain's father-in-law) went to...

I expected the sky to fall after my July article linking the activities of Charles Keating and General Singlaub. Nothing happened. The reaction to my September article exposing Terry Burke, former top DEA in Arizona as a possible key element in the illegal narcotics network in Arizona, however, was immediate and unmistakable. Within days of my FAXing this story I was served with a court summons, a nasty death threat was left on my answering machine and my offices were entered, my files, book cases and furniture dumped and overturned. Read the full article at - http://www.hiddenmysteries.org/conspiracy/reststory/kempermarly.html

Nobama is all over the news. There is no where to hide from his picture, his voice, his marxism. But who is speaking for us? Oh, sure, plenty of us here on FR, on BTR and on terrestrial talk radio. But of those running for office, who speaks for us? I can't say he speaks for you, but he definitely speaks for me, and to me. Lt. Col. Allen West is one of today’s most admired veterans, leaders and speakers. His speech is a direct reflection of his philosophy, leaving no one in question as to where he stands. Excerpts...

The chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party is vowing to let Gov. John Hoeven (R) know just how much his constituents want him in the Senate. But although GOP chairman Gary Emineth will have an uphill climb to convince Hoeven, serving his third term, to take on Sen. Byron Dorgan (D), who will seek his fourth term next year, the governor has made comments lately indicating he has not completely slammed the door on challenging the Democrat. Asked by The Associated Press whether he would enter the race, Hoeven said he concurred with Emineth's hope of recruiting candidates by...

First it was going to put the coal plants out of business. Killing jobs. Then it was going to stunt house sales. Now it seems the grand promise of all those "green jobs" from the cap and trade legislation just won't happen either.

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) -- the third-ranking member of the House -- is the latest Republican with (possible) national ambitions to head off to Iowa for a political event. Pence, who is due to make an as-yet unspecified appearance in Cedar Rapids on July 24th, isn't on the short list of 2012 GOP candidates, but MSNBC and other outlets have predicted he'll be in the mix. Nevada Sen. John Ensign was in northwest Iowa in early June - shortly before his career imploded -- followed by Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who was in Des Moines on Thursday.

Meghan McCain—whom some have called the new face of the GOP—likes to call herself a “progressive Republican.” Her Twitter page is full of updates about her devotion to gay marriage: “Marriage equality will not fall to the wayside! I have faith one day there will be equality for everyone living in this country!” That’s fine, I don’t care whether or not she supports “marriage equality.” But as someone her age, I know that gay marriage is one of the causes that young people must embrace in order to gain admission to the liberal in-crowd—and I suspect that’s why she’s doing...

The publication of a Vanity Fair profile of Sarah Palin appears to have opened old wounds in the McCain campaign. At issue is a question that was never resolved following McCain’s loss in November: Who in the McCain campaign was secretly trashing Sarah Palin to the press? (snip) .... What follows is the email exchange with Bill Kristol that Schmidt rooted out, where Scheunemann speculates that the source of the “Diva” leak was Nicolle Wallace’s husband. Read from the bottom up: ——- Original Message ——- From: Randy Scheunemann To: William Kristol Sent: Sat Oct 25 19:44:44 2008 Subject: Re: who...

Please FReep this poll!

Just thought I would share this! It is the month of August, a resort town sits next to the shores of a lake. It is raining and the little town looks totally deserted. Times are tough; everybody is in debt and everybody lives on credit.. Suddenly, a rich tourist comes to town. He enters the only hotel, lays a 100 dollar bill on the reception counter and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one. The hotel proprietor takes the 100 dollar bill and runs to pay his debt to the butcher. The Butcher takes the 100...

Predict the next national pol who will confess to cheating and win a prize

The House of Representatives passed the 1,200-plus page Waxman-Markey Cap-and-Trade tax bill by a narrow margin as the last piece of business on Friday before heading home for the Fourth of July recess. Once again House members had to vote on a bill they hadn’t read, since co-sponsor Henry Waxman (D-CA) added a 300-page amendment just after 3 o’clock Friday morning. Fearing the vote on the controversial American Clean Energy and Security Act – the largest tax increase in American history – would not go their way, Democrats called one lawmaker in from rehab to help out. According to The...

Dear Friends, I write to apologize and ask for your forgiveness. Well beyond the personal consequences within my own family, I know that at so many different levels my actions have upset, offended and disappointed friends and supporters and for this I am most sorry. As I mentioned in last week's press conference, I've always believed God's laws were there to protect us from ourselves, and what has transpired over this last week vividly illustrates the damage that comes personally, and to those you love and respect, in doing otherwise. So in the aftermath of this failure I want to...

The American Petroleum Institute has just released the results of its third annual “Energy IQ” survey, and it reflects that Americans’ knowledge about energy issues is lacking. The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, comes as President Obama and Congress are pursuing aggressive energy and climate policies that threaten the nation’s economy, and which will determine America’s economic competitiveness for years to come. Some high points from the survey: • When asked about the role fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal will play in meeting global energy demand, only 10 percent of respondents answered correctly that fossil fuels...

Excessive Government involvement is what's wrong with our current healthcare system. One prominent example: FDA regulation and Medicare/Medicaid policies are suppressing new drug and device options and increasing healthcare costs. The FDA's approval process for new technologies costs companies between 250 and 800 million dollars. It takes an average of 8.5 years to move through the FDA's clinical and approval phases and there is no guarantee of approval. Out of 5000 compounds discovered in the pre-clinical stage, only about 5 will make it through. The cost of approved and non-approved drugs and devices are passed on to the physician practice,...

I write to you today for two reasons, to introduce myself and to seek your support. My name is John Loughlin and I am a 3-term State Representative representing District 71 in the Rhode Island General Assembly, which comprises Little Compton, Tiverton, and Portsmouth. I consider myself a life-long Rhode Islander. I grew up in Portsmouth and Lincoln, and graduated from Lincoln Senior High School in 1977. I became an Eagle Scout in Troop 1, Pawtucket, one of my proudest achievements. I live in Tiverton, have been happily married to the former Susan Brush of Scituate for more than 21...

Please view the link below; enter a birth date and watch Anthem V1 & V2. http://cervezatecate.com/ Why in the HELL is the RNC not all over this demographic with commercials like this. Hispanics/Mexicans, whomever are ardent conservatives and the RNC has not reached them. These ads run during Friday Night Fights on ESPN. Large waves of southern immigration are changing our politics, and most Republicans believe the most effective way to reach them- which we know doesn't work- is to reward lawbreakers with citizenship and hope for the best. And please don't call us racists or we're gonna cry and...

We, the undersigned, respectfully demand that the Judiciary Committees of the United States House and Senate investigate the firing by President Obama of Inspector General Gerald Walpin. Sign Petition at: gopetition.com/online/28746.html

Sources close to Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R), who has formed a Senate exploratory committee, say he is on track to report raising close to $500,000 in the second quarter of the year. Grayson had only two months to fundraise this quarter after filing his exploratory committee in early May. Grayson, who has said he does not plan to challenge Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) and has said he will only run if the incumbent decides to step aside, has fundraisers scheduled for Monday in London, Ky., and Tuesday in Lexington. Grayson’s second-quarter haul is significant because it will...

The Cap and Trade passed Friday 219 to 212. Here are the House Republicans that made it possible... CA Bono MackDE CastleIL KirkNJ LanceNJ LoBiondoNY McHughWA ReichertNJ Smith (NJ) Thanks for helping to "skyrocket" our energy bills.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, whose signature manifesto swept Republicans to power in the mid-1990s, called Wednesday for conservatives to recruit Democrats who oppose tax increases and big government and form a coalition to do battle with President Obama's "fantasy wing of the American left." .................. "If you look at California on the recent vote against raising taxes or spending, when you get 64 percent of the state voting with you, it tells you that in the most Democratic districts of the state, there was a solid majority against raising taxes and spending," Mr. Gingrich told editors and reporters at...

Remember Jimmy Swaggart? He was the TV preacher who wept before America after a tryst with a prostitute. "I have sinned against you, my Lord,” choked Swaggart through tears. “I would ask that your precious blood would wash and cleanse every stain until it is in the seas of God's forgiveness." The fall of televangelism in many ways foreshadowed the decline of the so-called moral majority. The Right is now reaping what it sowed. By making social conservatism central to its platform, it left no room in the GOP for sinners. Now we have the Sanford affair. Many on the...

Former Republican state Rep. Mia Morris visited the General Assembly on Wednesday and said she is thinking of running for Congress against Democrat Larry Kissell in the 8th District in 2010 or 2012. And she's not Mia Morris anymore. Since narrowly losing to Democrat Margaret Dickson in the 2002 election, Morris has divorced and remarried. Now she's Mia White. She had a set of twins, a boy and a girl, now 4, and moved to Singapore. White said she's been a commentator and analyst of American politics for Singapore's equivalent of CNN, and she has kept up with the news...

I was lurking around the liberal blogs today just to see what the crazies are up to. Lo and behold, I see some entry http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/6/24/746365/-Hamas-and-Hezbollah-do-not-need-anyones-apologies and look at the poll!!! nearly half of the users will not condemn Hamas or Hezbollah! Jesus, I didn't think liberals were that crazy. I then preceded to read some of the posts, and saw that there were some reasonable people on Israel vs. Jihad, the two-state solution, but the vast majority of posts are pro=jihad and anti-Israel, and try to avoid condemning Hamas and Hezbollah! You'd think people who claim to be such lovers...

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey shows that 72 percent of those questioned recently say they favor increasing the federal government’s influence over the country’s health care system in an attempt to lower costs and provide health care coverage to more Americans. Other recent polls show six in ten think the government should provide health insurance or take responsibility for providing health care to all Americans. It defies understanding that so many Americans want even more government in their lives than they already have, and make no mistake — there is a lot of government in our lives. This is particularly...

The modern GOP was created in 1965 with a stroke of Lyndon Johnson's pen. If that is an exaggeration, it is not much of one. When Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, he made a prediction: In committing the unpardonable sin of guaranteeing the ballot to all citizens regardless of race, he said, he would cause his party to lose the South ``for a generation.'' And indeed Southern Democrats, who for a century had bombed schools, lynched innocents, perverted justice and terrorized millions in the name of intolerance, responded by leaving their ancestral party in droves. They formed the base...

A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll of 1,008 adults, conducted from Friday to Monday finds that President Barack Obama’s personal popularity is slipping, as Americans see real problems that have overshadowed Mr. Obama’s slick persona. The Wall Street Journal reports that Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted the survey with Republican Bill McInturff, commented that "the public is really moving from evaluating him as a charismatic and charming leader to his specific handling of the challenges facing the country," and that from now on Mr. Obama and his team "are going to have to navigate in pretty choppy...

I had been reading RonPaul.com and came across where it is stated that Ron Paul believes that abortion is a state's right. I will lay out some points as to why it shouldn't be a state right to decide. 1. The Declaration of Independence states that a person has the right to "LIFE, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness..." without life, no one can have liberty and they can't pursue happiness. No state should decide otherwise, effectively denying the reason for America's existence. 2. Any freedom given to a person is denied by abortion. Thus, abortion is indirectly outlawed by...

Politicians vis-a-vis Representatives Politicians only ask two questions when asked to take action. Politicians ask how will this action help me get elected or stay in office? or How will this hurt my getting elected or staying in office?

Investigate firing of Gerald Walpin Petition now has 326 Signatures Petition: We the undersigned respectfully demand that the Judiciary Committees of the United States Senate and House of Representatives formally investigate the firing of Inspector General Gerald Walpin by President Obama. SIGN the PETITION: http://gopetition.com/online/28746.html

The fundraiser set to be hosted Wednesday by elected officials and business leaders at the posh Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables sounds like countless other receptions benefiting Florida's political establishment. But the invitation topped with bold-faced names is for Marco Rubio, the upstart candidate for the U.S. Senate daring to challenge the popular Gov. Charlie Crist for the GOP nomination. Rubio has been mostly raising money over the Internet. Crist has been attending swanky events almost nightly this month. Their lopsided fundraising battle and poll ratings suggest Rubio's campaign will not end well, but the former Miami lawmaker posted a...

Former Michigan and Buffalo Bills tight end Jay Riemersma has designs on Congress. Riemersma has filed paperwork to run for U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra's (HUCK'-struhz) 2nd District seat in southwestern Michigan. Hoekstra, a Republican, has announced his candidacy for governor in 2010. Riemersma also is a Republican. He is listed as Regional Director of Development on the web site of the Family Research Council.

i think we could form a more perfect union if we could find peace in the nation and abroad.we should not be dictators.dictatorship ended in the early 1960's.some say cummnuism is where you share your countrys' wealth.i'm more in favor sharing wealth with the united and free world.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel acknowledged that $1.6 trillion "is a big number" that forced administration aides and congressional staff to rework the plan. "Everybody now is going to take these bills back and come in below $1 trillion," he said yesterday.

Here’s a sure sign that commercial real estate broker Chris Riggs is planning to challenge Rep. Ken Calvert in the Republican primary next year: Riggs in recent days has launched Twitter and Facebook sites, and he has also begun to hire consultants and campaign staff. “This race will be a litmus test to see if all the millions of ‘tea party’ attendees across America are really serious about electing officials that run on a limited government, tax lowering platform, as this will be a perfect opportunity to pick off a big tax-and-spend incumbent,” Riggs told the Orange County Register this...

PETITION Senate and House to Investigate the firing of Inspector General Gerald Walpin. Sign the Petition at:gopetition.com/online/28746.html Americorp Inspector General Gerald Walpin was fired by President Obama after Walpin, through an investigation by his office, alleged that Americorp funds had been wrongfully spent by a friend and supporter of the President. The firing of Inspector General Walpin appears to be a clear violation of the 2008 Inspectors General Reform Act which President Obama supported while he was a Senator. The Act requires the President to give 30 days notice and an explanation of cause prior to firing an Inspector General....

The fact is that we live in a time of fateful challenges. As a people and a nation we are under test. This challenge is, of course, Marxism-Leninism. There is no mystery in its strategies and tactics. It has always been concrete and spelled out in black and white. It has also been openly and actively tested in the economic, political, and ideological struggle for control around globe. Lenin, the founder of the first Communist state, put it simply: "First we will take Eastern Europe, then the masses of Asia. We will encircle the last bastion of capitalism, the United...

New Obama Song: I Am The One You've Been Waiting For http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3qxv5DXwaI

Kentucky Senate President David Williams says he’s not running for the U.S. Senate in 2010. Williams, a Republican, says he doesn’t have time to focus on a U.S. Senate bid. Instead, Williams says, he’s seeking another term in the state Senate and looking to retain the Republican lead in that chamber. U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning, also a Republican, currently holds the post and says he’s seeking another term. But Bunning has been viewed as one of the more vulnerable incumbents, and some party leaders have not exactly embraced his candidacy. Williams says he’s not endorsing another candidate in the GOP...

While searching an entirely different matter ... I happened on this. A little difficult to read and it is VWERY long (you've been warned), but I find it fascinating reading and I (at least) can glean some parallel and insight from this.

This summer will be very interesting. General Motors has a new president who says he doesn't know anything about making cars. Barack Obama wants the government to decide how much executives should be paid. The president's crazy-uncle pastor, Jeremiah Wright, is claiming the Jews are keeping him from meeting with the president. Mr. Obama is proposing cuts in Medicare reimbursement, a system that already doesn’t pay its fair share, and the Democrats are trying to nationalize healthcare. North Korea’s Dear Leader is working overtime to develop nuclear weapons and a rocket to deliver them. Iran’s election has created violence in...

There's a new leader at the top of the Minnesota Republican Party. State Republicans chose Tony Sutton, a Twin Cities businessman and active GOP party member as its leader at a gathering in Brooklyn Center Saturday. Sutton replaces Ron Carey, who is stepping down from the post. Sutton served on numerous campaigns and Republican committees on both state and national levels. He most recently served as secretary-treasurer of the Minnesota Republican Party. He is also the CEO of Minnesota-based Baja Sol Restaurant Group. Radio talk show host Dave Thompson and former state Sen. Carrie Ruud also sought the post. The...

There has been much chatter about who now speaks for the Republican Party and whether the GOP has a message or agenda to combat President Obama's popularity. Those questions are important to the party's future, but the most serious problem remains the deeper demographic and political forces at work in the country. For the past few months, political analysts and demographers have been poring over the results of the 2008 election and comparing them with presidential results from the last two decades. From whatever angle of their approach -- age, race, economic status, geography -- they have come to a...

The ultra-conservative wing of the GOP wants to make Florida’s Republican Senate primary a test case of its power. The race pits Gov. Charlie Crist, a moderate who had the audacity to endorse President Obama’s stimulus plan, against hard-core conservative Marco Rubio, a former speaker of the state House. Crist also just signed a new state budget raising the cigarette tax and various fees by $2 billion, an act that further fueled conservative anger. Even worse, the moderate governor has drawn strong support from current Republican senators. He has been endorsed by Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate,...