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While Ron Paul is still in search of his first win of the 2012 Republican presidential campaign, one of his Iowa strategists, A.J. Spiker, was elected Chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. Spiker will fill out the remainder of Matt Strawn’s second term, which will end in January. Strawn resigned after being criticized for his handling of the Iowa Caucus results and the ensuing certification process. The selection of Spiker by the Republican State Central Committee (SCC) has raised questions from some Republican activists. Spiker is an unabashed supporter of Ron Paul and was on his payroll. Since being...

Political reporters make for lousy gravediggers. Find a primary, pick a day, and I can point you to a story pronouncing the campaign “over” or “almost over” or over, pending the judgment of a proverbial Fat Lady. Let’s make it easy and start last month. On Jan. 10, as Romney was winning New Hampshire, NPR quoted a Republican strategist who counted the margins and pronounced the race “over.” On Jan. 18, the Los AngelesTimes informed us that South Carolina’s primary “could essentially end” the Santorum and Gingrich campaigns. Two days later, NBC News told us that a Romney win in...

The FBI said it searched eight addresses in Minneapolis and Chicago as part of a terrorism investigation Friday. Warrants suggest agents were looking for connections between local anti-war activists and terrorist groups in Colombia and the Middle East. FBI spokesman Steve Warfield told The Associated Press agents served six warrants in Minneapolis and two in Chicago. "These were search warrants only," Warfield said. "We're not anticipating any arrests at this time. They're seeking evidence relating to activities concerning the material support of terrorism." The homes of longtime Minneapolis anti-war activists Mick Kelly, Jess Sundin and Meredith Aby were among those...

Could the GOP nomination battle end up in a brokered convention? That's the hot question on pundits' minds these days. The correct answer is that there's a chance a brokered convention could occur, but it is exceedingly slim. To understand why, we need a quick reminder on the Republican nomination system as it exists for 2012. Basically, the Republican National Committee looked enviously at the lengthy Democratic primary from 2008 -- which strengthened the Democrats by forcing candidates to conduct registration drives and set up infrastructure in all 50 states -- and decided that a longer primary system would benefit...

The 2012 Republican National Convention will take place in Tampa Bay, Florida. The logo selected by the Tampa Bay Host Committee caught flack after Republicans freaked out when some suggested — in all seriousness — that the logo's minaret "could be considered as Islamic 'Moorish Revival' architectural style." (The palm tree probably didn't help either.) So when it came time for the GOP to select its event logo, the Grand Old Party tread carefully. Now, the official minaret-free 2012 Convention logo. According to the Washington Post's piece on the logo, “The elephant—the proud and strong symbol of the Republican Party—with...

Does Freeper have an ongoing thread for the Republican convention in 2012? It will be in Tampa, Florida. I don't think its too early to plan for Freepers who may be going. The Dems already are planning to protest and encouraging their minions to get hotel rooms, etc. I'm in Jacksonville, Fl and plan on being there to support our conservatives. I used to live in St Petersburg/Tampa so I know the area.

California GOP rejects divisive open primary plan SACRAMENTO, Calif.—California Republicans on Sunday approved a compromise that leaves in place the current nominating system for GOP candidates in 2012 and will let party members use mail-in balloting to endorse candidates for office starting in 2014. The party was beset by infighting at its weekend spring convention in Sacramento over how to respond to Proposition 14, the voter-approved ballot measure that was intended to produce more moderate candidates for office from both political parties. Under that system, the top two candidates advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. The GOP...

State GOP convention: Blowup, outgoing chair accused of "thuggery" Republican State Sen. Sam Blaskeslee of San Luis Obispo, leading the charge against a conservative move to revise the party's endorsement of candidates, sharply criticized the outgoing GOP chair Saturday as a failed leader who has "resorted to thuggery." Blakeslee made the comment after walking out of a heated meeting of the state GOP Rules Committee at the start of a 3-day day statewide Republican Convention which brought 1,000 delegates to the Sacramento Hyatt. His comments come on the heels of efforts by outgoing GOP chair Ron Nehring, who has lead...

It has long been the objective of the Left to remove personal, Spiritual dedication from any dimension of everyday life. Most recently, the Tea Party has come under attack with charges of racism. The Tea Party would have a hard time laying claim to “guilt as charged” by the media, given the number of black activists within their ranks. However, this has not deterred the Left from furthering the attacks. The goal and objective for the Left is to keep the Tea Party so busy defending themselves against these baseless charges that they are hampered from achieving their goal of...

Delegates buck Perry on immigration law Fired-up Republican activists in no mood for compromises bucked Gov. Rick Perry on Saturday by pushing for a crackdown on illegal immigration similar to Arizona's new law. The proposal was one of several platform initiatives debated as delegates wrapped up the two-day convention. The platform is a nonbinding blueprint of the policies that GOP activists want elected officials to pursue. The immigration proposal, a hard-line approach that Perry has said isn't right for Texas, advocates for a state law that would bar illegal immigrants from "intentionally or knowingly" living in Texas. Similar to Arizona's...

Now that Salt Lake City has been snubbed for the GOP’s 2012 convention, it’s worth asking what this decision means about the Republican Party’s 2012 game plan. So if we look at the finalists between Salt Lake City, Phoenix and Tampa—it seems clear that the value of Florida as a swing state is a top consideration. Given the recent controversy over Arizona’s recent controversial immigration law that Phoenix just didn’t stand a chance. Which means Utah was most likely snubbed just because the state’s too reliably conservative. It’s an interesting question whether or not that impacts Romney’s OUT LOUD secret...

Delivering the opening prayer of the Beaver County Republican Convention recently, cattle rancher Gilbert Yardley prayed for Utah to elect "honest" people to Congress -- anybody to replace "the bunch we have in there now." Sen. Robert F. Bennett was in the room, hoping to persuade state delegates to nominate him at the May 8 GOP convention. A friend seated next to Bennett leaned in to whisper the obvious: "I don't think he's one of yours." It's no surprise that anger at Washington and Congress is coursing through Republican circles, much of it driven by "tea party" activists. What took...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt1fYSAChxs

A 23-year-old Michigan man has admitted to plotting to set off a homemade bomb in the tunnels near the Xcel Energy Center, hoping it would cause a power failure and prompt cancellation of the Republican National Convention.

NEW YORK -- Two Brooklyn men have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to bomb a subway station in midtown Manhattan, sources said early Saturday. At least one of the men may have an affiliation with a terrorist organization, according to two law enforcement sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The sources said the group in question was not believed to be al-Qaida.

The heightened security for the Republican convention resulted in four Pakistani students from St. John's University being detained in Times Square last night. The four, who were in a burgundy van, were taken into custody shortly after 5 p.m. outside the Marriott Marquis hotel on Broadway and West 45th Street after cops thought they were acting suspiciously. They were questioned for at least seven hours at the Midtown North precinct on West 54th Street while anxious relatives waited outside. Police sources said two of the students were on an FBI watch list.

Nielsen reports that the Republicans averaged 34.5 million viewers over three nights, making the event the most-watched convention since the company began keeping records. ...the Democrats averaged 30.2 million viewers over four nights. White viewers flocked to their TVs for McCain's speech (32.2 million versus 27 million for Obama). But among African Americans, the reverse was true. About 7.5 million African Americans watched Obama's speech last week, whereas 3.1 million tuned in for McCain's.

A protester holds a flower out to riot police outside the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota September 4, 2008. Police offered her a vase for her flower and then arrested her for possessing a Minnesota Yellow Gerbera Daisy, which is on the state endangered list. Illegal harvesting or sale of the flower carries a $30,000 fine and two years in prison. Semi-literate Code Pink Activist Janet Macaroni holds up a sign in support of "WAR" before collapsing from the weight of her handmade vinyl banner. Anti-war protester Jessica OrganicGrapeJuice is assisted by bicycle police after she puts...

Convention protesters cling to free speech rights, more than 300 arrested | IDS | Date: 9/4/2008 ST. PAUL, Minn. – Katelyn Peck, a 20-year-old junior from California State University, stood with about 25 other protesters in a sea of pink. Pink dresses and umbrellas, jeweled crowns, sequined cowboy hats and pink banners formed the group’s attire, while one woman in the lead blew a whistle and ordered the march forward as mobs of media and citizens traipsed around them. The peace group, CODEPINK, danced, sang and marched to declare their distaste for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the vice-presidential candidate...

Four members of CODEPINK arrested By Andy Birkey 9/3/08 8:24 PM Four members of the CODEPINK women’s peace movement were arrested Wednesday afternoon. The women, Desiree Fairooz, 52, of Arlington, Texas, Toby Blome, 53 of El Cerrito, Cali., Kit Siemen, 50, of Quilcene, Wash., and Nancy Mancias, 38, of San Francisco, were protesting Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin near the St. Paul Hotel when police pushed them to the sidewalk and into the fence surrounding the security perimeter.CODEPINK’s media contact Jean Steven’s sent this message along: In protest of the war and Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s pro-war and pro-drilling positions,...

Democrats have been told for generations that Republicans are cold-hearted, intolerant, bigoted, sexist neanderthals who must be destroyed at all costs. Then 2008 happened, and the most screwed up election year in decades fractured both Parties. Only in 2008 would we find Joe Lieberman, the 2000 Democrat Vice-Presidential candidate, at the Republican Convention praising Bill Clinton, and actually receive applause from hard-core conservative Republican delegates. Hillary voters were watching. And they liked what they saw. This is from The Hillary Clinton Forum thread from the convention last night. They loved Fred and were very impressed with McCain's bio. Lieberman was...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was not happy with Sen. Joe Lieberman’s speech before the Republican National Convention Tuesday night.

Here is video of the outstanding speech given tonight by Sen. Fred Thompson at the Republican National Convention. It was the best I have ever seen Fred, and the best speech given thus far at either convention. A true masterpiece! . . . . (see video at link)

Let's see if things start to get back to normal now. Not much of a scheduel at all at the GOP site. I am sure they are put things in line as fast as they can.

I think we need a break! So let's take a flashback to the outstanding speech by Ronald Reagan at the 1980 Republican National Convention. Reagan went on to defeat Pres. Jimmy Carter in the election that fall. One thing to keep in mind -- The way the media is going after Gov. Sarah Palin in such biased fashion reminds me of their hate for Ronald Reagan. Despite all their attempts to paint Reagan as too old, too lazy, an empty suit, "just an actor," a warmonger, etc., etc., he won! He won because he was right on the issues and...

Join us for our Day 1 Live Blog of the Republican National Convention. It will begin at 4:30 PM CDT. The session will be brief. There will be brief speeches by First Lady Laura Bush and Cindy McCain. Please share your impressions on the convention, or anything related to the campaign.

Here is video of the impromptu speech delegates demanded Ronald Reagan give at the 1976 GOP Convention. Reagan had lost a very tight race for the nomination with the more moderate President Gerald R. Ford. After Ford had given his acceptance speech, he graciously beckoned to the Reagans to come to the stage. The delegates began to chant, "Speech!." Reagan then gave a brief but compelling speech on the spur-of-the-moment. This video also gives some background leading up to the speech. . . . (see video at link)

Dear John Ziegler Mailing List Members: I am very excited to Annice a very special screening of my new film, "Blocking the Path to 9/11".. http://www.blockingthepath.com/ On the evening of September 11th, in the shadow of Disneyland, we will be screening the film in Anaheim at the CinemaFusion in the Garden Walk. Because of the date and location (I have been getting a lot of requests for an Orange County screening and this may end up being the only one we have there) I expected this event, much like the Premiere which many people were unfortunately shut out of, to...

As we prepare for the Republican National Convention week after next, remember that John McCain has spoken before at the GOP big meeting. Here is video of the speech John McCain gave four years ago at the Republican National Convention in New York City. "So it is, whether we wished it or not, that we have come to the test of our generation, to our rendezvous with destiny. Much is expected of us. We are engaged in a hard struggle against a cruel and determined adversary. Our enemies have made clear the danger they pose to our security and the...

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has been given an evening speaking slot at the Republican National Convention and will focus his remarks on wasteful government spending and earmarks, his office said Thursday. Coburn, who, like GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), is a vocal opponent of pork barrel spending, will address the convention on Tuesday night. Giving the Oklahoma senator a coveted evening slot will highlight McCain’s commitment to curbing wasteful spending and is seen as a nod to fiscal conservative voters fed up with the deficit spending that occurred during Republican control of Congress and continues under the Democratic...

Washington – With the recent publication of the GOP Convention lineup, the Club for Growth was disappointed to see the absence of the party’s most steadfast elected economic conservatives. With the Republican Party’s brand in shambles, it is important for the Party to showcase those leaders who are currently in office fighting to preserve the limited-government, free-market principles the GOP used to stand for. In the Senate, Tom Coburn and Jim DeMint have waged a two-man war on wasteful spending. In the House of Representatives, conservative leaders like Jeff Flake (AZ-06), John Shadegg (AZ-03), Jeb Hensarling (TX-05), Mike Pence (IN-06),...

A day after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told lawmakers to skip their national party conventions in the next two weeks if they do not pass a budget, the Republican National Convention announced that the GOP governor will have a prime speaking role on the first night of the St. Paul event. Schwarzenegger is slated to speak on Monday, Sept. 1 at the convention, the same night as President Bush, First Lady Laura Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Also scheduled that day is Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a Democrat turned independent who has endorsed McCain. After meeting with lawmakers Tuesday, the Republican...

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Yay! Dick Cheney is going to speak in prime time on the first night of the Republican National Convention, right before President Bush. Maybe the John McCain campaign isn’t determined to run from what it knows is right just because it’s unpopular. Maybe McCain has decided it’s better to show America the people who have been, in reality, keeping the country safe for the past seven-and-a-half years – rather than letting the nation continue to conceptualize the green-eyed, fang-toothed villains they seem to have in mind when they talk to pollsters. It’s not news that Bush is going to speak...

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Vice President Dick Cheney will not be skipping the Republican National Convention as was earlier reported this week, according to the Los Angeles Times. "The vice president looks forward to participating in the Republican National Convention and continuing to work for the election of Senator McCain and other Republican candidates in the coming months," Cheney spokeswoman Megan Mitchell told the Times on Thursday. Cheney will give an address on the convention's opening day, the same day President George W. Bush is also scheduled to speak. Early this week, the American Spectator said Cheney has not sought...

A federal judge in Minneapolis issued a decision today, upholding the terms of a demonstration permit issued by the St. Paul police department for an antiwar march at the Republican National Convention. U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen rejected virtually every argument made by attorneys for the protest group who had sought a march route that would have come close to encircling the Xcel Energy Center and would have continued later into the day so delegates would see the demonstrators when they arrived for an evening session on Sept. 1. Citing past court decisions, Ericksen adopted the view of the St....

To the Leaders of the Republican National Committee and the Members of the State Legislature in the state of_________________: We, the undersigned registered members of the Republican Party in the state of ____________________, hereby protest and reject the current and ongoing results of the 2008 Republican presidential primary selection process on the grounds that the incongruous methods, rules, and provisions set forth by the individual and various state Republican National Committee Leaders, and the members of the various State Legislatures, have failed to provide the members of the Republican Party across the nation with an effective primary election process, thwarted...

John McCain Wins GOP Nomination

Mitt Romney is down, but he might not be out. Romney suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination after a disappointing showing on Super Tuesday, and has endorsed John McCain for the GOP nod. But Romney’s son Josh says it’s “possible” his father might rejoin the race as a candidate for vice president or for president if McCain’s campaign stalls. Romney hasn’t commented publicly about a recent New York Times article that implied McCain had an improper relationship with a female lobbyist. McCain and the lobbyist have firmly denied the allegation, but subsequent reports have contradicted some of McCain’s...

2008 Republican National Convention Names Official Innovation Provider Friday, February 15, 2008 Google Inc., YouTube Combining Forces with GOP to Create Tech-Savvy Convention (SAINT PAUL, Minn.) - Embracing technology that will propel the 2008 Republican National Convention to the forefront of the digital age, the GOP today announced that Google Inc. will serve as the Republican National Convention's Official Innovation Provider. Convention President and Chief Executive Officer Maria Cino made the announcement in a unique video posted to the convention's new YouTubeTM channel (www.youtube.com/gopconvention2008). The video is also showcased on the convention's website (www.GOPConvention2008.com), and highlights Google's cutting-edge, computer-generated...

Folks, there still may be a slim chance to force a deadlocked convention. I'm no election math wizard, but I believe it's still mathematically possible for McCain to NOT receive the requisite number of delegates to win the nomination. But it would require a great turnout of passionate conservative voters in the remaining primary states to accomplish. The trick would be for all remaining primary conservative voters to vote for their favorite candidate as if he were still in the race. Fred's name is still on the ballot. So is Hunter's and Romney's. Shoot, vote for Huckabee, Paul or even...

Steven Stark lays out a scenario whereby all the other candidates, none of whom have wholehearted Republican support, cancel each other out, paving the way for Fred Thompson to receive the nomination at the convention. "When conventions deadlock, history teaches us that yesterday's disappointments become tomorrow's stars. If McCain can't stampede to the nomination and Super Tuesday doesn't produce another clear front-runner, we may not have heard the last of Fred..." I find the idea highly unlikely, though appealing...but stranger things have happened. Whoever would have thought the 2000 election wouldn't be decided for 36 days?

This is a weird article. I was never one who believed that politicians were - on the whole - smart enough to pull off something like this. I never thought the Democrats would pull Hillary in as the Party's savior in 2004. And I'm skeptical of what Steven Stark writes in the above-linked piece. What do you guys think? Is this author on to something, or is he certifiable? If McCain loses in Florida, the Republicans may well be headed to a deadlocked race and convention. And history teaches us that the likeliest candidate to emerge in that scenario is...

A group planning an anti-war rally and march during this summer's Republican National Convention has secured a permit for a demonstration at the state Capitol. Leaders of the so-named Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War .. expecting between 30,000 and 50,000 people at the Sept. 1 rally. .. on the opening day of the GOP nominating convention.

What happens to the delegates a candidate has collected in the various primaries and caucuses when they drop out before the convention ? I have been searching all over and cannot really find an explanation about this. Do the delegates get to choose who they want to vote for ? Does the resigning candidates endorsement of another candidate impact that decision ? Does they go to the 2nd place winner in the state etc ? I'm sure it varies by state etc. How does this work ?

Today, Iowa is the center of the political universe, but for only a day. Right here in Minnesota is where the next president will be chosen. I know the conventional wisdom: Candidates who hope to capture their party's nomination must make an early splash in Iowa or New Hampshire, or at least in Florida's primary on Jan. 29. As a result, it's thought, the GOP convention in the Twin Cities later this year will merely anoint a nominee chosen months earlier, in the sort of anticlimactic, scripted coronation we've seen for decades. This year, I predict, things will be different....

With former Senator Fred Thompson's entry into the presidential race, the Republicans now have at least three candidates who could have the money and votes to compete, if necessary, all the way to June 2008. And they might have to do so. Indeed, when the Republicans meet in Minneapolis-St. Paul in September 2008 to choose their nominee, they might be looking at a brokered convention. Of course, the party has had multiple strong candidates before--in 1980, for instance, and 1988 and even in 2000. But the old schedule of primaries and caucuses was designed to winnow down the field. By...

Pakistani convicted for plot to bomb New York subway05-25-2006, 00h32 NEW YORK (AFP) In this courtroom illustration, James Elshafay (C) and Shahawar Matin Siraj (R) appear August 2004 in Federal District Court in New York, before Magistrate Kiyo Matsumoto (R rear) during an arraignment on charges related to an alleged plot to bomb a New York City subway station. Standing at left are Assistant US attorneys John Nathanson (L) and Kelly Currie (2nd L). (AFP/Getty Images/File) A Pakistani man was convicted of planning to blow up a New York subway station ahead of the Republican National Convention held before the...

Sacramento, Calif. -- "I didn't go to the governor's dinner address last night," explained just-elected State GOP Vice Chairman for Southern California Jon Fleischman this afternoon, "I was afraid he was going to bring up his tax increases and I couldn't hold down my food." Fleischman's words actually summed up the attitude of many of the largely conservative attendees at the state Republican convention here toward Arnold Schwarzenegger less than a month after the former action movie star was sworn into a full-term as governor of California. The GOPers are increasingly coming out and saying that Schwarzenegger, who insists he...

Calling himself a proud Republican, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger defended his policies Friday in his first remarks to the Republican faithful since declaring his independence last month as a "post-partisan." Addressing the state Republican convention in Sacramento, Schwarzenegger gently broached the issue of his party allegiance. At last month's inauguration, he said that he's not beholden to any ideology and will freely choose policies from the left and the right. "I sometimes get asked about my Republican values," he said. "And I always say, without hesitation, I am a proud Republican." Given his eclectic positions, the governor's relationship with his party...