Free Republic

In the strange world of politics, where up is down and down is up, Republicans tout as a victory David Harmer's 10-point loss to Democrat John Garamendi in Tuesday's special congressional race. With an 18-point party registration advantage, off-the-charts name identification and double the cash of his opponent, Republicans say Garamendi should have won with a far bigger margin. "Harmer winning 43 percent of the vote in an overwhelmingly Democratic district in the Bay Area does not speak well for the Democrats," California GOP Chairman Ron Nehring said the morning after Tuesday's election. Yes, this is largely spin. Harmer outperformed...

Lessons from Virginia for the GOP By Ed Gillespie Thursday, November 5, 2009 After losing Virginia's governorship for the first time in eight years, some Democrats are trying to console themselves that Virginia is at its core a "red" state. This ignores not only that they won back-to-back governorships but also that Democrats defeated a sitting senator in 2006, took control of the state Senate in 2007 and won an open Republican Senate seat and three House seats in 2008 while carrying Virginia's electoral college votes for the first time since 1964. Some in the White House are trying to...

Vice President Joe Biden and the woman who ran against him last year did some long-distance sparing today. Biden, at a rally for New York congressional Democratic contender Bill Owens, took a verbal shot at former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who's a supporter of Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman in Tuesday's crazy special election for New York's 23rd district (where Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava has dropped out and endorsed the Democrat). Using energy as an issue with which to score some rhetorical points, Biden said that "the fact of the matter is, Sarah Palin thinks the answer to energy is...

Rush Limbaugh appeared on "Fox News Sunday" today, and said Sarah Palin is ready to be president. He also predicted a revolt against Democrats in 2010, and a loss for President Obama in 2012: (VIDEO AT LINK)

This is why Republicans lose elections: Crabill is trying to position herself as a conservative in the 99th House of Delegates district of Virginia, against a popular Democrat incumbant. But at the Northern Neck Republican website, the visitor is presented with Crabill at a Yacht & Country Club with elitist-looking old white women. At a formal tea party. Not the populist, conservative mass movement tea party rallies, but an elitist tea party of rich old white women.

Reminiscent of the authoritarian regime in George Orwell’s 1984, the Obama Administration introduced some “newspeak” terms into our political debate earlier this year. The “war on terror” became an “overseas contingency action” and “acts of terrorism” became “man caused disasters.” Seemingly innocuous changes in statements appeared to do no harm at the time. Now, however, when one looks at the execution of “overseas contingency actions,” the change in semantics reflects a change in urgency. We have seen Obama drag his feet in Afghanistan while our casualties mount. Rather than denounce “acts of terrorism,” we are striving to understand “entering a...

BOSTON (AP) ― The four Republicans who held the Statehouse Corner Office for 16 years have endorsed Charles Baker for governor next year. William Weld, Paul Cellucci, Jane Swift and Mitt Romney made the announcement Tuesday during a fundraiser for the Massachusetts Republican Party.

I am now very afraid of David Vitter. I am also very ashamed. I have publically wondered why the Democrats, the GOP, David Vitter and US Senate hopeful—Congressman Charlie Melancon had not given a statement concerning the very controversial and embarrassing Justice Bardwell incident. The Democrats and Melancon have since made comments denouncing the actions of the Louisiana Justice of the Peace. Today, for really the first time ever, I am serious beginning to question whether David Vitter is not a completely racially insensitive and not playing to the most ugly element of our state’s population for the purpose of...

One candidate in next year's gubernatorial race contributed thousands of dollars to Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer and John Kerry. Another wrote $21,000 in checks to Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore and the Democratic National Committee in 2000. A third was a registered Democrat in the early 1970s and has acknowledged supporting George McGovern as the party's presidential candidate in 1972. All three – Meg Whitman, Steve Poizner and Tom Campbell – are vying to become California's next governor, but not as Democrats. They constitute the entire GOP gubernatorial field, a fact that has some Republicans wondering where their candidates' loyalties...

Tonight, Dede Scozzafava, the Republican candidate for the November 3 special election in the 23rd congressional district, spoke to about 100 Republicans at the Lewis County GOP dinner at the Elks Lodge 1605. After a dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, Scozzafava fended off criticism that she wasn't as conservative as third-party candidate Doug Hoffman and urged her supporters to vote for her in order to keep her Democratic opponent Bill Owens from serving as a rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama's agenda in Washington. It was a fairly typical evening--until the speech ended and someone with...

California Republicans are seeing political gold in California's water problems, hoping to steal the issue from Democrats and win support from one of that party's key constituencies - Latinos. GOP leaders have put water atop their agenda for next year's statewide campaigns. They are expanding voter-registration efforts in the drought-stricken Central Valley, where unemployment is high and food banks are busy, and encouraging candidates to reach out to Latino voters hit hard by the recession. The strategy was distilled on a 5-foot-high banner at the Republican voter registration table in front of a Walmart store in Dinuba (Tulare County) in...

Dede Scozzafava, the GOP nominee in a key upcoming House special election, is running dangerously low on campaign cash, according to several GOP sources familiar with her spending and fundraising. While Scozzafava’s official fundraising numbers will not be known until next Thursday, the third-quarter Federal Election Commission reporting deadline, the GOP sources acknowledged to POLITICO that she’s unable to compete financially with her two opponents.She’s also being outspent in the sprawling district by Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman, the third-party candidate who has peeled off conservative support from the moderate state assemblywoman. Scozzafava has drawn fire from the right over...

Our Presidents and the Congress swear to defend it. Men and women have died to preserve it. Groups as diametrically opposed as the ACLU and NRA defend the rights enumerated in it. So why do average Americans seem so indifferent toward the Constitution? Make no mistake that there are those without who wish to destroy our Constitution and those within who profit from its demise. The only thing left to impede their success is an apathetic American public. Americans should demand that Congress make a simple resolution and reaffirm their commitment to our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and particularly...

TN/OK: Polls Close In Special Elections The polls have closed in Tennessee. The first results are in for early voting and absentee and can be found here. The polls have also closed in Oklahoma. The first results are also in for early voting and absentee and can be found here.

A new conservative talk radio show, The Conservative Underground Radio Show, can be listened to at Electric Talk Radio at http://curadio.reaganites.org There will be a new show every Saturday night at 10 PM. It currently has about 4,000 listeners per week and is based in Cleveland, Ohio.

And we thought McCain was bad.... Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, known through out the country for his no nonsense stance on illegal immigrants in his home county, has been reprimanded by the Obama Administration. Sheriff Arpaio (better know simply as Sheriff Joe) and his deputies were authorized by the federal government to detain, question and verify the status of suspected illegal immigrants in the area. After receiving a litany of complaints from liberals various individuals, the Obama Administration revoked his ability to make immigration arrests. Sheriff Joe responded by stating that he would continue to make arrests...

Minnesota Republicans were told Saturday that they are members of a brand-new party and that Rep. Marty Seifert is their early favorite to be the state's brand-new governor. Seifert, of Marshall, who came into the race as a front-runner and has one of the most active campaigns, won 37 percent of the first-choice votes in a non-binding straw poll. Rep. Tom Emmer of Delano came in second, former state auditor Pat Anderson third and Sen. David Hann of Eden Prairie a close fourth. The poll won't bind delegates in next year's endorsement fight, but it gave winners bragging rights and...

Hey Dave, got caught with your pants down? SHE who laughs last laughs best. Hey, you and Bob Barker can talk about your diffenent methods of staffing the staff.

After last weekend's California Republican Party convention, a spokeswoman for potential Senate candidate Carly Fiorina dissed the results of rival Chuck DeVore's self-commissioned straw poll, telling CNN's Peter Hamby: "Let me get this straight, you want me to comment on a Chuck DeVore straw poll that was conducted in the DeVore hospitality suite on Saturday night with a bunch of college Republicans and a lot of free beer flowing?" Beer and college students may go together like Republicans and no-tax pledges, but can candidates really capture conservative students' support with an abundance of ale? Not so easily, according to Michael...

Indian Wells, California Republicans begin the 2010 campaign season with something many considered unthinkable just a few months ago - hope that they can win a major statewide race. They realize the odds are still steep. Only 31 percent of California voters are registered Republicans and no Congressional or legislative district has a majority of GOP voters. And demographically, former state Republican leader and current political analyst Allan Hoffenblum said the GOP has become an "old white guy" party in a state that is rapidly diversifying.Yet coming out of their three-day state convention that ended today, party activists say they...

Main stream media, or state run media, which ever you prefer, all seem to be wondering who is the leader of this protest movement? Is it Rush, Hannity, Beck...possibly Newt Gingrich, or heaven forbid, Sarah Palin? They seem to be alluding to the fact that without a leader, one must question their legitimacy. Well, my question has always been, why do they need a leader when the message is loud and clear? I found a response for the pundits on the left, and guess what? It comes from the mouth of one of your own politicians. So the next time...

Indian Wells, CA -- Greetings from the California Republican Convention, where we've already made a tactical error: We forgot to eat before the speeches. Do you know what the sound of 900 Republicans chewing sounds like? For all intents and purposes, this weekend is the kickoff for the 2010 campaign season and all the major statewide candidates are here. (Save for US Senate hopeful Carly Fiorina, who is undergoing her final two weeks of radiation therapy to treat breast cancer.) The next 40 hours are all about kissing up to the hardcore activists here. But before the smooches were planted,...

The Republican polling firm Rasmussen Reports surveyed 500 "likely voters" in Iowa on September 22 and came up with bad numbers for Governor Chet Culver. Former Governor Terry Branstad leads Culver by 54 percent to 34 percent, and Bob Vander Plaats leads Culver by 43 percent to 39 percent. Culver's approval rating is 43 percent, with 53 percent of respondents disapproving of the job he is doing. Topline results and favorability ratings are here. Culver was viewed very or somewhat favorably by 43 percent of respondents and viewed very or somewhat unfavorably by 50 percent. Branstad's favorability was 64 percent,...

Ohio, a traditional bellwether state, will take center stage once again to gauge how the two major parties will fare in 2010, a year Republicans are hoping to make gains in statehouses and congressional seats across the country. Republicans are looking to defeat Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland with the help of former congressman and Fox News host John Kasich, and win an edge in congressional redistricting in the process. The Republicans are also playing defense in the state, however, hoping to hold onto the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. George Voinovich — a moderate Republican representing a state that...

I bought a bird feeder. I hung It on my back porch and filled It with seed. What a beauty of A bird feeder it was, as I filled it Lovingly with seed.. Within a Week we had hundreds of birds Taking advantage of the Continuous flow of free and Easily accessible food. But then the birds started Building nests in the boards Of the patio, above the table, And next to the barbecue. Then came the poop. It was Everywhere: on the patio tile, The chairs, the table .. Everywhere! Then some of the birds Turned mean. They would...

Mitt Romney has not announced whether or not he’ll make a second run for the White House, but his former aides are staying in campaign shape by managing key races across the nation that could benefit their old boss in future elections. In at least six crucial races around the country, veterans of the former Massachusetts governor’s presidential campaign are working to guide new candidates to victory. It may appear a simple case of political professionals moving to new clients, but Romney’s team has kept in close contact should a second presidential campaign come to fruition. That could pay off,...

Obama's recent AFLCIO speech was too good for conservative talk radio to pass up. As was his national address to public school students. You know that old saying.... If it seems to good to be true it is. It was all a big setup. Obama will use the negativity about his education speech to paint a fear mongering picture of anyone who opposes his Healthcare Plan. He set his position up, "purposefully"at the AFLCIO picnic yesterday by saying (loosely quoted) "The special interests are using fear to prevent reform from happening". He knew that nobody could pass up an opportunity...

The State is reporting that state Rep. Tim Scott, a Charleston Republican, has raised $150,000 for his run for Lieutenant Governor. Like gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley, Scott had a big fan in Gov. Mark Sanford. Unlike Haley, he should be able to weather the association with little fallout. This is shaping up to be a war between regions for the GOP primary, with Orangeburg, Florence, and Lexington offering up candidates. Which means, at least right now, we should expect lots of campaigning on the Grand Strand and in the Upstate. ------------------------ as reported in "The State" Scott opens bid for...

On Monday evening I had the double pleasure of attending my first Log Cabin Republicans meeting (and dispelling a world of biases!) and hearing Texas Gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina speak. One of the major topics that Mrs. Medina spoke on was her stance on personal property rights and gun rights, which drew a strong, supportive applause from the attendees. However, after asking her a question on the topic, and further discussing with Jerrod Atkinson, a big Ron Paul and Debra Medina supporter, afterwards, I am still not convinced that her position is the right one. First of all, it is...

Michelle Roberts, AP writer writes in her piece San Antonio, restaurants fight fat by cooperating that San Antonio health officials, along with the help of the of our beloved Major Julian Castro, and the San Antonio Restaurant Association have decided to change the way food is consumed in this city. They are targeting local eateries and encouraging (read: threatening) them to offer healthier meal options, lest the restaurant be faced with future regulations or fines for non-compliance. The argue that the city is "getting heavier" and this is a viable options to combat that. Lest we succumb to the ravages...

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin this week will begin accepting and rejecting the more than 1,070 invitations she has received for paid speeches and political appearances since she resigned from office, aides said. Twenty speakers’ bureaus made offers to represent her. She has signed with Washington Speakers Bureau, which represents everyone from George and Laura Bush to Bob Woodward and Katie Couric [ snort ] to Alan Greenspan, Colin Powell and Rudy Giuliani. More than 950 requests for speeches have poured in for Palin, and over 120 candidates for office have asked her to appear, including folks running for Senate,...

A Republican running for a Fresno-area Assembly seat next year is offering a Delta delicacy of sorts at an upcoming fundraiser. An invitation from Brandon Shoemaker, at right, for an Oct. 3 feed promises Delta smelt appetizers with a robust meal featuring barbecued beef.

A small but vocal group of local Republicans is accusing county party leaders of conspiring to rig Central Committee elections and abusing office powers. They allege the local party and state party’s chair of dodging campaign finance violation fines, using party resources for personal gain, ignoring party bylaws and State Election Code and harassing and intimidating other party members. (READ REST OF ARTICLE AT LINK ABOVE)

"A new analysis by Public Policy Polling (D) finds that Sarah Palin is especially popular with a key Republican demographic: The Birthers. Among those respondents in PPP's latest national poll who either said that President Obama was not born in the United States or were undecided, Palin had a 66% favorability rating." Eric Kleefeld/TPM The Republican Party bears a strong resemblance to the bar scene at Star Wars. Attend any GOP gathering and you will find a motley crew: Birthers, tea baggers, Palin sycophants, town hall meeting trolls, gun nuts, born-again clowns, and pro-life zealots. When pundits and political experts...

California Republican Party leaders, in a move that could reshape state primary-election politics, are preparing a move to bar decline-to-state voters - now 20 percent of the electorate - from casting a GOP ballot in statewide and legislative primaries. The proposed bylaw to the state Republican platform, which delegates will decide at the party convention next month in Indian Wells (Riverside County), has riled some business leaders and Republicans. They say it could be disastrous for the party's future and could relegate Republicans in the state to "permanent minority" status by keeping independent voters from supporting Republicans in primary elections....

We'll give the young Republican crowd some points for, uh, creativity -- but we just hope they get their fun in the right order when they hold that big Bay Area Young Republicans' "Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Fundraiser" this weekend. Say, whaaaa? No kidding. In a move that says that the Wild West is alive and well in California politics (or that maybe there's no adult advisor involved here), the San Francisco, San Mateo and Silicon Valley Young Republicans are planning an official smokin', drinkin', shoot-em-up fundraiser -- literally. It's even listed on the California Republican Party events website.

The Board of Governors of the Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) has decided to recognize one of its leading Members as the 2009 Republican Lawyer of the Year. The Republican Lawyer of the Year recognizes lawyers for outstanding professional accomplishments and years of dedicated service to the Republican Party and its ideals. James Bopp is one of the foremost lawyers in the field of Campaign Finance and Election Law and has been a leader in promoting the RNLA’s goal of ensuring elections are open, fair and honest.

MEDINA FOR TEXAS CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES BALLOT INITIATIVE DRIVE; "WE TEXANS MUST DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY FROM REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES" Austin, TX, July 2009 - The Medina For Texas campaign, in an effort to bring about a restoration of accountability in government and to create new tethers insuring our elected officials serve the people, has launched an effort to place unprecedented provisions on the Republican Party primary ballot in March 2010. The campaign plans to gather signatures in support of six ballot initiatives at Tea Parties being held around the state this July 4th weekend. "We Texans must demand accountability from Republican candidates. We...

HOUSTON - Gov. Rick Perry looks as if he stepped out of a Marlboro billboard: square-jawed, weathered face, a shock of black hair, steely eyes. He even says "howdy" when he enters the room. His public persona is so folksy that many opponents have underestimated his political skills. -snip- Mr. Perry's opponent is Kay Bailey Hutchison, the state's senior senator. On most issues, Ms. Hutchison is also a steady conservative hand, but her tone is more moderate, her positions on social issues are more nuanced, her votes on government spending are more pragmatic. -snip- "I do not want a governor...

When you're in the middle, they come at you from both sides. Ben Nelson probably is used to that by now. The health care reform TV ads directed at him in Nebraska by two progressive, or liberal, Democratic groups have attracted considerable national attention. Those groups want the Democratic senator to support legislation that includes a public option alternative to private health insurance. Nelson hasn't flatly ruled out any form of public option, but don't bet on him supporting a government alternative. The TV ad campaign in Nebraska stirred up considerable chatter on the Huffington Post, MSNBC, The Hill and...

Meg Whitman, an early front-runner in the race for the 2010 Republican nomination for California governor, told a lunchtime crowd Friday in Ventura that she can be the candidate to rescue the California Republican Party from irrelevance and the state itself from near bankruptcy. “In business terms, we would say the Republican Party is losing share at an alarming rate,” said Whitman, a veteran executive who was CEO of eBay for 10 years. Republicans make up just 31 percent of the state’s registered voters, trailing Democrats by 14 percentage points, she said. “We’re going to have to include groups that...

With more than 18 million people in Florida, the issue of affordable health care has been a priority of my administration as Governor. We have found that lack of affordable health insurance coverage and the rising cost of prescription medicine to be the most significant health care challenges facing Floridians. Without health insurance coverage, the cost of health care can be staggering. Some fall into bankruptcy due to their inability to pay. To address these problems, we have instituted two programs in Florida. Our Cover Florida Health Care program and the Florida Discount Drug Card were created by partnering with...

POLITICO's Arena contributors discuss the lessons learned from health care town halls. Timothy Stoltzfus Jost, professor, Washington and Lee University Law School "What we are learning from the health care town halls is just how weird and downright toxic the radical right has become in the United States. Their strategy seems to be simply to spread misinformation and to shout down rational debate. These are the birthers and tea-baggers, and they have little interest in the real problems facing our health care system — 50 million uninsured, uncontrolled costs and inadequate quality. The faux issues they are raising — a...

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Virginia gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell will deliver Saturday's weekly Republican radio address, the Republican National Committee confirmed Tuesday. The address — usually delivered by a Republican member of Congress or sitting governor — will cap off a week that has thrust the Virginia race in the national spotlight.

Stunning figures in a new Gallup Poll paint Nebraska as a competitive political battleground in which Democrats might even hold a tiny edge. Democratic State Chairman Vic Covalt of Lincoln hailed the numbers Tuesday and said they'll help him recruit a strong candidate to challenge Gov. Dave Heineman next year. Republican Chairman Mark Fahleson of Lincoln dismissed the results as "a post-election euphoric snapshot" that would not hold up today. The survey of 1,035 Nebraskans during the first six months of 2009 showed 43 percent favoring Democrats and 42 percent favoring Republicans. That prompted Gallup to move Nebraska from a...

Does anyone know if Ed Markey is planning on meeting with constituents or holding a town hall meeting during the Aug 09 recess?

Police were called on a group of retirees who refused to leave Sen. Dianne Feinstein's West Los Angeles office until she talked to them about health care reform. Los Angeles...

Rep. Lee Terry hardly had time to return to his Washington office after winning his sixth term in November before being confronted with challengers for 2010. With that election a year and a half out, the Nebraska Republican is already finding himself a target of Democrats hoping to gain control of his 2nd Congressional District seat. Democratic state Sen. Tom White of Omaha announced earlier this month that he is forming an exploratory committee to consider a run against Terry. Also this summer, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee aired a radio ad critical of Terry's vote against a $106 billion...

The most impressive and most promising Republican who spoke Monday night was John Guedry. He all but announced he was running against Rep. Dina Titus (D) and, even though a newcomer on the campaign stage, was savvy enough to downplay the biggest knock against him in his brief remarks; noting that while he's a banker, he's a community banker, not a Wall Street banker. GOP gubernatorial candidates Joe Heck and Mike Montandon also spoke. Montandon seems to have a slight edge right now among the party faithful, but Heck, a doctor by trade, rolled out a new campaign slogan: “I'm...

You’ve got to hand it to them. The Democrats and radical lefties know how to hit below the belt. For the umpteenth time in a long string of dismissed complaints, a leaked investigative memo details that soon to be ex-Governor Palin may have traded on her influence for personal gain. The report is so laughably shoddy and lacking in common sense. It lacks two important things: One, any mention of what Palin may have traded (in kind) for contributions to the defense fund. Instead, the report states that a normal individual wouldn't be able to raise money like that and...