http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/gop/ en-us Mon, 6 Jul 2009 07:15:12 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2286338/posts 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... Governing http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2286338/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 07:15:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286330/posts What a shock that Maureen Dowd devoted her New York Times column Sunday to attack Sarah Palin. It did not so much criticize Alaska's governor for prematurely stepping down from her official duties as to finish off what sister snipers Katie Couric and Tina Fey began last fall. The assassination of Sarah Palin - by media. For those who didn't pay attention, Mrs. Palin's unexpected stratospheric rise as a national political figure threatened the media's preordained presidency of Barack Obama. In light of how the Obama machine took down Hillary Clinton, which unsettled many feminists who believed 2008 was their... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286330/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 06:46:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2286247/posts From CNN's State of the Union with John King, the topic turns to Rush Limbaugh...Clearly Rush is getting to Powell... hotairpundit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2286247/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 02:22:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2286244/posts 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... Kay Brooks' website http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2286244/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 02:20:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2285877/posts Just a few quick thoughts on the Palin announcement, from the hotel lobby computer while I am on vacation. It is amazing to see and to hear the commentary from all sides on her announcement. It appears that Sarah is a living, breathing litmus test. Peoples' responses run a continuum: "What's she doing still talking? I thought she was out of politics." "Good riddance. Even Alaska should have known better than to elect her." "I'm glad they finally saw through her with all those scandals." "I can't believe what they tried to do to her. Anyone would have quit with... grey_whiskers http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2285877/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 12:59:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2285814/posts 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... The Cedar Rapids Gazette http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2285814/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 09:38:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285810/posts Even for a nonconformist, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin defies political logic with her sudden, stunning announcement to leave office more than a year early. Supporters and critics alike say the former GOP vice presidential candidate’s resignation, announced Friday afternoon and effective July 26, is an inexplicable move for a high profile Republican widely seen as a contender for a White House run in 2012. A half-term governor campaigning for president? --snip-- Pam Pryor, a spokeswoman for Palin’s political action committee, said the group continues to accept donations on its Web site, which saw an uptick in contributions Friday afternoon.(continued at... The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader / The Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285810/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 09:08:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285585/posts Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's abrupt and unscripted holiday resignation is an odd way to launch a potential presidential bid and certainly no help for a party battered by scandal and fighting for relevancy. From a folksy figure who catapulted from obscure governor to conservative darling and vice presidential nominee, it's merely the latest move in a political drama that has left Republican elders scratching their heads. --snip-- "If this is her launching pad for 2012, it's a curious move," said John Weaver, a former senior strategist for McCain's presidential bids. "Policy is politics, and she has no real accomplishments as... The San Diego Union-Tribune / The Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285585/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 20:10:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285539/posts WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senator John McCain issued a statement of support for resigning Alaska Governor Sarah Palin on Saturday, saying she will play a leadership role in the Republican Party and in America. McCain made the comment a day after Palin stunned the political world by announcing she is stepping down. Palin was McCain's vice presidential running mate in last year's U.S. presidential campaign won by Democrat Barack Obama. "I have the greatest respect and affection for Sarah, Todd, and their family. I was deeply honored to have her as my running mate and believe she will continue to... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285539/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 17:58:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2285356/posts 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... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2285356/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 11:52:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285286/posts Sarah Palin’s jaw-dropping announcement that she is quitting her job as Alaska governor before finishing even her first term has divided Republican ranks and the wider political community in a very familiar fashion. Many establishment GOP operatives and political commentators of various stripes were withering, both about the decision and the way she announced it—in a jittery, hyperkinetic news conference that rambled between self-congratulation and bitter accusations at the foes she says are eager to destroy her. The performance, by these lights, adds credence to the claims of some associates that Palin—burned by the intense scrutiny on her and the... The Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285286/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 05:48:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285216/posts Atlanta - Concerned about taxes, bailouts, government "pork," and rising deficits, thousands of Americans will spill out in cities from Atlanta to San Francisco this weekend, as part of a "Tea Party" movement that began earlier this year in protest of the economic stimulus bill. The July 4 event will be the second major Taxed Enough Already (TEA) Party protest, following an April 15 event that drew as many as half a million people to over 800 separate protests across the country. This weekend's protests – sure to feature Colonial garb, witty signs ("Don't tax me, bro!"), and references to... The Christian Science Monitor http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285216/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 01:47:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285080/posts Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is stepping down, announcing suddenly today that will she pursue other means of having an impact in the public arena, fueling speculation about her intentions for another bid for national office. Palin will step down before her first term is finished, resigning as of July 26 -- while not offering a clear reason for her withdrawal. Having decided not to seek a second term, she said she did not want to remain as a "lame duck'' simply wasting taxpayer money with trade missions and the like. "I know when it's time to pass the ball,'' said... The Chicago Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285080/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 21:23:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285044/posts Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Friday that she would not seek a second term, setting up a potential run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285044/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 20:07:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285027/posts Rather than a blow to a career, Todd Purdum’s piece is a spectacular tribute to a force of nature built for another national race. The excuse for the Republican circular firing squad of the holiday weekend is that Weekly Standard editor and party brainiac Bill Kristol claims that pugnacious McCain campaign enforcer Steve Schmidt has been caught gossiping to Vanity Fair’s Todd Purdum about Sarah Palin’s rambling and incoherent vice presidential campaign last fall. Purdum, writing with a polite disdain, does flatter Palin as “the sexiest and riskiest brand in the Republican Party,” before he goes on to mention unnamed... The Daily Beast http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285027/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 19:40:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285018/posts Link only, per FR copyright rules (Gannett publication) The News Journal, Wilmington, Del. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285018/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 19:29:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2284942/posts Guys think Sarah Palin is hot. Chicks think she's hot, too. And she's not just hot, she has an appealing personality, and can make a good speech. I cried when she spoke at the Republican National Convention. Remember that? She's lives a conservative values lifestyle. But she was easily torn down by critics on both the right and left because she couldn't back up her physical appeal with experience, knowledge, and media saavy. If she looked like Helen Thomas no one would be talking about her for President. And there's nothing wrong with that. We need more young, hot Republicans.... Cinnamon Girl http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2284942/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 17:17:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284822/posts The sex scandals that have tarnished Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) and Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) don’t appear to have much in common. Yet there is one thread that binds them together: Both Ensign and Sanford were members of the famed Republican House class of 1994, as well as its latest casualties. As it turns out, the pressures and demands of political life have inflicted devastating damage not only on the Ensign and Sanford families, but on the families of many of the 71 other freshmen who formed the vanguard of the Republican Revolution. In the 14 years since that star-crossed... Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284822/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 14:03:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284647/posts Washington (AP) - The White House hit back Thursday at a key Republican senator who has accused Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's allies of withholding documents from her past. White House Counsel Greg Craig told Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, that board meeting minutes and other papers detailing the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund's activities while Sotomayor was an outside adviser aren't relevant to her nomination. Republicans have raised concerns about the judge's involvement in the group, arguing it has taken extreme positions. Sotomayor early last month gave the panel documents... cnsnews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284647/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 04:51:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284641/posts Sounds far-fetched and, to some, totally implausible. But the Republicans are losing potential candidates at a pace that is downright alarming if you believe in a healthy two-party system. The demise of John Ensign’s political career a few weeks ago and the surreal downfall of Mark Sanford last week is enough to send chills through the even the most optimistic Republican strategist. We know that of the 2008 crop, only Mitt Romney seems likely to stay on as a contender. The old stalwarts like Newt Gingrich may get a lot of press, but it is unlikely they can mount a... Macleans http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284641/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 04:30:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284621/posts Jim Geraghty has some interesting insights about why liberals hate Sarah Palin so much -- in a word (or so), it's because she invalidates the most cherished parts of their world view. I think Jim's right, but I think there's even more to it than that. Governor Palin has been attacked with the kind of ferocity that few people in the public eye have ever experienced -- except, perhaps, for Justice Thomas and (to a lesser extent) Joe the Plumber. Why does the left reserve their most vicious derision for these three, and those like them? As I wrote last... Townhall http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284621/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 03:52:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284584/posts David Frum has done conservatives a great favor, and we should be thankful. The favor is not that he has written another negative piece about Gov. Palin. No, that's nothing new for Frum, who has been bashing the governor since she stepped up onto the national stage. Frum's gift to conservatives is that in the article, he clearly demonstrates why Vichy Republicans cannot be trusted to act in the GOP's best interests. Referencing Todd Purdum's VF hit piece which has caused such a stir, Frum itemizes Purdum's anti-Palin talking points from the VF smear job, and then he makes this... RedState.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284584/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 02:50:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284457/posts COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) – Former South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson is calling on Gov. Mark Sanford to cut a check from his campaign war chest to help repair the "serious damage" he has done to Republican fundraising efforts in the state. Sanford, a prodigious fundraiser, is sitting on nearly $1.69 million in his gubernatorial election account, and he still has roughly $128,000 in his congressional account, according to his most recent campaign finance reports. New financial reports are due later this month. But now that Sanford's political career has collapsed, his money is in limbo. Under South Carolina... CNN - Political Ticker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284457/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 22:51:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284425/posts At virtually any given moment, the news-cycle-driven chattering classes of politics have in the background of their computer screens or the pockets of their briefcases a Big Thumbsucking Magazine Article on a political topic that they read during periods of calm. The Big Article du jour is Todd Purdum's massive profile of Sarah Palin in Vanity Fair.Most of the buzz about the piece deals with a variety of off-the-record snarks about Palin from McCain campaign staff. Indeed, conservative columnist Bill Kristol and McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt have engaged in a public exchange of insults over alleged leaks to Purdham.... The New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284425/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 21:28:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284329/posts To summarize baseball legend Reggie Jackson: nobody boos a nobody. That is definitely true in the case of Governor Sarah Palin. I don’t think I am going out on a limb here when I speculate that individuals who repeatedly attack her anonymously view her as a threat. And that includes members of the media hell-bent tearing down young Republican up-and-comers as well as some in Governor Palin’s own party — a party desperately in need of redefining — who are motivated, for whatever reason, to try and crush their rivals. The most recent and grossly unfair attack came from Vanity... Redstate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284329/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 19:32:30 GMT