Free Republic

I have been a minor participant at Free Republic, the Internet’s leading conservative forum, since September 2004. An online friend referred me to a discussion where members of Free Republic were talking about the 1952 and 1956 presidential elections, and using my maps from this page to make a point. I had to join FR to introduce myself to that group, and thank them for visiting. Because that was right after the “Rathergate” scandal, I thus became one of the “Pajamahadeen” that had just brought down the Sauronic eye of CBS. Being a “Freeper” has been an interesting and fun...

This is a surprising result from Public Policy Polling, the occasionally partisan group which nonetheless called the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races accurately. Mitt Romney’s favorable rating among Republican voters has fallen to 48 percent–a plurality, but a weak one. And the trend lines are even more interesting. Since April, when PPP started asking the question, Sarah Palin’s favorable number has moved from 76 percent to 75 percent; Mike Huckabee’s has moved from 67 percent to 65 percent. Romney, alone, has seen a statistically significant drop from 60 percent down to 48. The results are so strange that PPP’s...

Big caveat right off the bat: PPP is the same polling firm that predicted a Hoffman landslide in NY-23. But (a) they had Mitt’s favorables comparable with Huckabee’s earlier in the year, so it’s not like their data’s historically been screwy, and (b) this isn’t just a one-month snapshot but a trend dating back to July. What gives? On our monthly 2012 polls, which began in April, an average of 74% of Republicans have held a favorable opinion of Palin to 66% for Huckabee and 56% for Romney. The gap hasn’t always been that wide though. On the first three...

A formidable coalition of 150 Catholic, Orthodox and evangelical leaders are calling on Christians in a new manifesto to reject secular authority – and even engage in civil disobedience – if laws force them to accept abortion, same-sex marriage and other ideas that betray their religious beliefs. On Friday, these leaders released a 4,700-word document – called the "The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience." The document was signed by leaders ranging from evangelical leader Chuck Colson to two of the leading Catholic prelates in the U.S., Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C. and Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New...

More than 150 Christian leaders are issuing a “call of conscience” to America-- urging them reaffirm their opposition to abortion, stem cell research and same-sex marriage. “The Manhattan Declaration” stresses the need to protect religious freedom in in the U.S. It’s signed by seminary leaders, pastors, professors and the heads of ministries. The Christian leaders have come together across denominational lines to call on believers everywhere to radically commit to fight for the sanctity of life, marriage and religious liberty. “And in all three of these areas we see threats in the culture and in our politics.” Robert George, one...

More than 150 leaders across a spectrum of conservative Christianity on Friday released a 4,700-word document vowing civil disobedience if they are forced to take part in "anti-life acts" or bless gay marriages. Called the "Manhattan Declaration," the six-page, single-spaced document was drafted by Prison Fellowship founder Charles Colson, an evangelical, and Princeton University professor Robert P. George, a Roman Catholic, and included a bevy of Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox bishops, archbishops and cardinals as signatories along with dozens of clergy and laity. Archbishop of Washington Donald W. Wuerl is one of the signatories. "Throughout the centuries, Christianity has taught...

We, as Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical Christians, have gathered, beginning in New York on September 28, 2009, to make the following declaration, which we sign as individuals, not on behalf of our organizations, but speaking to and from our communities. We act together in obedience to the one true God, the triune God of holiness and love, who has laid total claim on our lives and by that claim calls us with believers in all ages and all nations to seek and defend the good of all who bear his image.... While the whole scope of Christian moral concern, including...

Seems like Obama's homies are not impressed: "In discussions with dozens of health-care leaders and economists, I find near unanimity of opinion that, whatever its shape, the final legislation that will emerge from Congress will markedly accelerate national health-care spending rather than restrain it. Likewise, nearly all agree that the legislation would do little or nothing to improve quality or change health-care's dysfunctional delivery system. The system we have now promotes fragmented care and makes it more difficult than it should be to assess outcomes and patient satisfaction. The true costs of health care are disguised, competition based on price...

When we heard the news that the city council in Salt Lake City just approved a "gay rights" ordinance (covering both "sexual orientation" and "gender identity"), we knew in our gut that Mitt Romney was behind it. Remember, he's running for President in 2012. He wouldn't want to appear a "bigot". Sure enough... A homosexual blog connected to an anti-Mormon documentary ("8: The Mormon Proposition") on the Proposition 8 defeat of "gay marriage" in California posted this: Sources close to those who called our cast and production team alerting us to the upcoming Mormon statement on discrimination say that Mormon...

(snip) Although some in the party believe that it should be tilting right in whom to support in future elections, he said, "I will be by and large supporting conservative Republicans" but would not rule out backing some moderates, referencing former President Reagan. "He was the one who coined the term 'the big tent.' He also said that you don't build something by subtraction. So we welcome people who agree with us on most issues. Some will be very conservative on some issues. Some will be less so on others. We welcome you into the party." (snip) "We have a...

So tell me, how do you write a “news” story about an organization paying for a speaker when you don’t even know if the organization is paying for the speaker? Ask “journalist” Jonathan Martin. He knows all about it. You see, Jonny wrote a piss poor story the other day about how the Iowa Family Policy Center will be paying a large speaker fee if Sarah Palin comes to Iowa to keynote the IFPC’s fall funderaiser. The only problem is that Jonny has no sources confirming that any exorbitant fee is being charged or paid. In fact, he had just...

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who's eyeing another White House bid in 2012 after an unsuccessful run in 2008, endorsed former Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell for governor on Wednesday. -snip- Romney was also asked whether he would make an endorsement in the House of Representative race in New York's 23rd district, where Republican nominee in New York's 23rd is Dede Scozzafava, a state assemblywoman, is facing a threat from the right. "I have chosen not to endorse the Republican candidate in New York's 23rd District, "Romney said, "and that should speak a certain amount of volume. I can't endorse...

Appearing on CNN last night, Mitt Romney conceded that the Massachusetts health care plan he signed into law did nothing to control costs. But, he now says, it was never intended to. "We were unable to deal with -- and didn't have any pretense we would somehow be able to change -- health care costs in Massachusetts," Romney said. "That's a whole different topic, which is how do we get the cost of health care down in America." The problem with Romney's account is that at the time he signed the bill, he was saying it would bring down health...

Three years ago, Massachusetts passed the most sweeping healthcare bill in the country, adopting a plan that closely resembles the proposals being considered by Congress. It is a plan that now offers powerful lessons for the whole nation. The state's system, like the proposals moving toward votes in the House and Senate, focused on three goals: making medical insurance almost universal, fostering competition through a regulated insurance exchange, and helping low-income workers pay for coverage. Today, Massachusetts leads the nation with 96% of its residents covered by insurance -- an even larger share than some of the plans before Congress...

Fox News host, garage band cover guitarist, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will be making a long-planned speech before the New York Conservative Party in Syracuse, New York on October 28, but has thus far declined to say whether he will formally endorse or financially support Conservative Party House candidate Doug Hoffman, who is running to fill former Rep. John McHugh's 23rd Congressional District seat. Most Republican Party leaders have thus far taken a pass in endorsing Hoffman, who has the support of the conservative Club for Growth, as well as the American Conservative Union. House minority leader John...

Massachusetts Cuts Back Immigrants’ Health Care By ABBY GOODNOUGH Published: August 31, 2009 BOSTON — State-subsidized health insurance for 31,000 legal immigrants here will no longer cover dental, hospice or skilled-nursing care under a scaled-back plan that Gov. Deval Patrick announced Monday. Mr. Patrick said his administration had struggled to find a solution “that preserves the promise of health care reform” after the state legislature cut most of the $130 million it had previously allotted immigrants, to help close a budget deficit. Although their health benefits will be sharply curtailed in some cases, Mr. Patrick portrayed the new program as...

(CNN) -- If Washington wants health care reform with bipartisan support, experts say consider what former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney accomplished as governor in Democratic Massachusetts. "You don't have to have a public option," Romney said. "You don't have to have the government getting into the insurance business to make it work." Three years after enacting its own version of reform, Massachusetts now has near-universal coverage. Taxpayer watchdogs say it's affordable. "There is this widespread assumption, that is treated as fact, that it's breaking the bank in Massachusetts ... it's not breaking the bank at all." said Michael Widmer...

Given the failure of similar programs in states, single-payer should not be thrown aside for this battle. For advocates of guaranteed truly universal healthcare the debate over Obama’s reform efforts have been rather disappointing. Despite the fact that a clear majority of Americans prefer joining the rest of the developed world and having a comprehensive government plan that cover everybody, President Obama and most of Congress, all of whom have received large sums of campaign donations from the drug and insurance industries, have made a government run plan that would not sell healthcare as a commodity to make profit, a...

A 10-member Massachusetts state healthcare advisory board unanimously recommended that the state begin rationing healthcare to keep the state’s marquee universal health care program afloat financially. The July 16 recommendations, the Boston Globe explained, would result in a situation where “patients could find it harder to get procedures they want but are of questionable benefit if doctors are operating within a budget. And they might find it more difficult to get care wherever they want, if primary doctors push to keep patients within their accountable care organization.” The Globe stressed that the recommendations would “dramatically change how doctors and hospitals...

Analysts say that if former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's health care program continues to show signs of wear, he'll have to find a way to distance himself from it to have a shot at the GOP nomination in 2012. A new Rasmussen Reports poll out Monday shows former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney tied in a hypothetical matchup against President Obama in 2012, a better showing than Romney's would-be top rival Sarah Palin. The poll, taken July 18-19, showed Romney and Obama tied at 45 percent each. It also had Obama beating Palin, the outgoing Alaska governor, 48 percent to 42...

Who knows how the Sarah Palin story will play out? It seems as if every political pundit in America has a take on PalinÂ’s resignation as AlaskaÂ’s governor. They can be mean-spirited (SheÂ’s hiding a scandal!), or cynical (Since she can rake in $60 grand and up for a simple speaking engagement, sheÂ’s taking the money and running like hell.) Some wonder whether this is her way of tuning up for a presidential run in 2012, or is the resignation a case of a hometown girl unable to stand the heat in her kitchen? We will get more information, but...

She pulls at the heartstrings of the Republican base, but in addition to all the peculiar problems of her own design, Sarah Palin has one obstacle she cannot overcome. Republicans like to choose the next in line—and she isn't. Sarah Palin is the bright red thread in the dull, grey fabric of the Republican Party. She is charismatic, quirky, melodramatic, and fervently anti-choice, anti-gay, and anti-Obama. But there's one thing she'll never be—the GOP nominee for President in 2012. Palin has the most intense grassroots base of any potential candidate, in the true-believing core of the party. And that's worth...

David Keene, the Chairman of the American Conservative Union trashed Sarah Palin publicly today on NewsMax. However, a quick search of Mr. Keene's recent political contribution history reveals the following: David Keene, Managing Associate of the Carmen Group Lobbying Firm, and Head of ACU, Alexandria, VA. Political contributions in 2008 election cycle: KEENE, DAVID, ALEXANDRIA,VA 22314 THE CARMEN GROUP/EXEC 5/1/07 $1,000 Specter, Arlen (R) KEENE, DAVID, ALEXANDRIA,VA 22314 THE CARMEN GROUP/EXEC 12/19/07 $800 Specter, Arlen (R) KEENE, DAVID, ALEXANDRIA,VA 22314 THE CARMEN GROUP/EXEC 12/19/07 $200 Specter, Arlen (R) What I want to know is, how does a guy like this...

Mitt Romney has some advice for President Obama: Don't get into the insurance business. The former Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor offered his insight on the president's health care reform plan in an exclusive interview with The Early Show Wednesday. As governor, Romney helped the state achieve a form of near-universal health care, though he emphasized that his plan did not involve the government becoming the source of insurance for state residents. "That's a mistake," Romney said, alluding to Mr. Obama's plan, who is trying to extend health benefits for more than 50 million uninsured Americans. A recent...

While the 44th al-POTUS has traveled to Saudi — “the place where Islam began … to seek seek his majesty’s counsel,” as Obama put it (insert air sickness bag here) — and has “Holy Koranned” his way through his Cairo dawa, it is my regrettable task to report that Beau Romney appears to have been been drinking out of same oasis. Lawrence Auster has the bad news: Asked by Dan Gilgoff of U.S. News & World Report if his repeated references to “jihad” in a speech at the Heritage Foundation this week characterized Islam in sinister terms, Mitt Romney surprised...

Fred Malek, a heavyweight Republican fundraiser and kingmaker, has singled out former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the GOP’s leading contender in the early stages of the 2012 Republican presidential derby. In a largely unnoticed post to his blog late last week, Malek, a wealthy businessman who served as national finance co-chair of John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, ranked Romney No. 1 on a list of influential Republicans “who might both lead our party back and who might be our nominee in 2012.” Malek, who did not return an email requesting comment from POLITICO, blogged that Romney has “the established...

Who's Mike Murphy? He's a Romney guy! He's hated Palin from Day One...when she was announced as McCain's VP nominee, he was the jerkwad on the air with Peggy Noonan when she made her infamous hot-mike disparaging remarks about Palin...and he himself was calling the Palin choice "gimmicky" and "cynical." They never gave Palin a chance. They had contempt for her and for the ordinary Americans she represents. Murphy is a Romney guy. Although he worked for McCain in 2000, he switched to help Romney for the 2008 race. He now works for Palin-deranged MSNBC as a token Republican.

MILWAUKEE - Outdoorsman, gun enthusiast and NRA member Ben Auer believes Wisconsin Attorney General JB Van Hollen just made it easier to carry a gun in public. “He looked at our right and he confirmed it,” Auer told TODAY’S TMJ4 reporter Tom Murray. Van Hollen told prosecutors in a memo that simply carrying a firearm should not result in a disorderly conduct charge. “A number of different district attorneys from around the state requested our opinion on this issue,” Van Hollen said. “When you have people who openly believed that carrying a firearm in and of itself was disorderly conduct,...

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Chief of Police Ed Flynn is hopefully going to be out of a job soon. This is a good thing. Take a deep breath and read this excerpt from a recent Associated Press release. MADISON (AP) — Milwaukee’s police chief said today he’ll go on telling his officers to take down anyone with a firearm despite Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen’s finding that people can carry guns openly if they do it peacefully. Please take the time to read the entire piece (JPFO copy) This is very important information for any gun owner. Chief Flynn then goes on...

Maryland now has two universal health care plans to cover more than 800,000 uninsured residents. Two high-ranking state lawmakers and the CEO of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield unveiled Wednesday morning a roughly $1.6 billion plan for extending health care benefits to all Marylanders who cannot afford to buy it, choose not to buy it or have lost coverage through their employer. If adopted, the plan would create a health insurance pool that includes members of the state’s high-risk health plan, individuals who are covered by commercial insurers and the rest of the state’s uninsured who are not eligible for Medicaid and...

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) backed the plan for GM and Chrysler put forth yesterday by President Obama, the candidate Romney may face in the 2012 presidential election. "I think a lot of people expected the president just to cave, write a check, and just hope for the better," Romney said Tuesday morning on CNN. "I think he's expressing some backbone on this." Romney grew up in Michigan, where his father was governor and, at one time, chairman of a now-defunct auto company. The former 2008 presidential candidate, though, was also sure to tout his own calls for bankruptcy...

Cesar, if Mitt Romney is the political answer for conservatives, the question must be, "How might the conservative movement commit intellectual suicide in the quickest manner possible?" His ideas about health care are virtually indistinguishable from those offered by President Obama, save for the fact that Romney is more disingenuous than Obama regarding the reforms he has in mind. Regarding the auto industry, he is indecipherable, having taken both pro-bailout and anti-bailout positions (the former as a candidate, the latter as an ex-candidate in the New York Times, and yes, it's just another of the usual set of politically opportunistic...

"The Pursuit of the Difficult" Thank you all very much. It’s good to see all of you, and to be among so many friends. Being at CPAC feels a bit like coming home. Your enthusiastic send off three years ago propelled my campaign to the top of the pack. That status turned out to be temporary, of course. And when the journey was over, both Ann and I were filled with gratitude for your friendship and loyalty. It warmed our hearts, and we thank you. A lot of you have been asking how Ann is doing. And I’m happy to...

A conservative organization is set to launch an all-out effort aimed at beating Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2010. The American Future Fund Political Action is planning a two-year long offensive against the Democratic leader, who is already a top target of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The organization, stocked with former Mitt Romney presidential campaign operatives, is set to launch its effort this week with a Web -centered fund-raising drive. Tim Albrecht, an organization spokesman, declined to say how much money the organization was planning to spend against Reid. In the 2008 election cycle, American Future Fund spent...

2012 Draft Sarah Committee has been formed to encourage Gov. Sarah Palin to run for U.S. President in 2012. The 2012 Draft Sarah Committee is registered with the Federal Elections Commission as a draft committee. The requirements on who can contribute are the same as for any federal elections. Statements of income, contributors and expenditures are filed with the FEC. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter at 2012 Draft Sarah Committee to keep informed.

Mitt Romney Takes on Detroit By Garance Franke-Ruta The race for 2012 is already on in the Republican Party, and today failed 2008 contender Mitt Romney appeared to take a stand sure to complicate any future presidential bid. In an op-ed bluntly titled, "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt," the former Massachusetts governor argued against the automobile salaries and pension systems that have for decades helped define the good life in industrial Michigan, where Romney won the GOP primary this winter and where his father was once governor.

Post that Mitt is a socialist, pack of lies, never pulled. The Michael Steele thread, pack of lies, pulled while I was posting this question? Would LOVE to know the difference. Whether you like Mitt or not, is it okay to perpetuate lies about him, or about anyone?

Video here. Classic line when she refers to the flag pin, an "accessory" Obama dislikes. Anyone who has pictures of Sarah Palin, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Laura Ingraham, and other both principled and attractive conservative women, please post them all here. Who can post the most? Let the contest begin.

Romney: Obama Would Kill Millions of Jobs Thursday, October 30, 2008 3:11 PM By: Ronald Kessler Article Font Size “It’s too late in the process to be unveiling new initiatives,” Romney says. “Instead, you focus on the consequences of an Obama presidency and the benefits of a McCain presidency. And frankly, in my lifetime, I don’t recall a more anti-job program than Barack Obama’s.” McCain’s program creates jobs, Romney says, while Obama’s shrinks them. “My own view is that’s the message in the last days. Boil it down in a way that people understand,” Romney says. “You don’t have to...

Mitt Romney agreed this afternoon with one-time rival John McCain that Colin Powell's endorsement of Democrat Barack Obama is outweighed by McCain having the support of four other former secretaries of state. But Romney wouldn't go as far as McCain and running mate Sarah Palin in suggesting that Obama is a socialist because of his tax cut proposals. The former Massachusetts governor, who is now one of McCain's chief surrogates, said on CNN, "You know, Colin Powell is entitled to his opinion and I'll go with the majority opinion of the other four." Asked if he believes Obama is a...

Romney also said if McCain is elected, he has absolutely no interest in a cabinet post. His father George, who lost the 1968 Republican nomination to Richard Nixon, ended up as Nixon's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. "I actually saw my dad serve as a cabinet secretary," Romney said. "One thing I know is, that's not a job I'd want. It's not a job I'd take." "My dad found that he was being ordered around by the White House and a bureaucracy inside his own department that was hard to move. It's not for me."

NO MITT FOR VP More than 20 leading social conservatives signed an open letter to Senator John McCain expressing their displeasure over the prospect of an “M&M” ticket being pushed by Karl Rove, Sean Hannity and others in the economic wing of the Republican Party. Among the signers are those, such as Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation, who once supported Mitt Romney and now publicly regret it. “If Governor Romney is on your ticket, many social conservative voters will consider their values repudiated by the Republican Party and will either stay away from the polls this November or...

Today Mitt was interviewed by Neil Cavuto. Cavuto tried and tried to get an answer out of Mitt about the VP slot but he wouldn't budge. Here is the interview for those who'd like to watch it. Neil: Is it true John McCain has already picked his running mate and will tell the world maybe before the weekend. Who knows? Maybe this guy already knows it. And the Democrats are so ticked off they're raising the music so you don't hear it. Maybe Mitt Romney is sitting on the biggest secret of his life.. or maybe not. If he's the...

The "pro-choice" candidate for senator, and later governor, of Massachusetts is now the "pro-life" candidate for president of the United States. His record as governor is controversial, however. Interviewed by Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" last Sunday, Romney claimed that he took a "pro-life" position on "every piece of legislation" that came before him. But that is untrue, at least by his present definition of what constitutes "life." The Facts Romney announced his conversion to "pro-life" views in an editorial in the Boston Globe on July 25, 2005, the day after vetoing a bill expanding access to the so-called...

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee thinks having former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the vice presidential nominee is a bad idea, but not because Romney is a Mormon. "I think a lot of people, not just social conservatives, but a lot of the Republicans I know are not necessarily comfortable with Romney," he told CBS. "But it has nothing to do with religion. It has everything to do with inconsistencies in positions he's held, and that's it." Huckabee, a former Baptist minister whose long-shot presidential campaign was kept alive mainly by support from Evangelicals, was commenting...

Mitt Romney made the rounds of the morning cable news shows today, declining again to address vice presidential speculation but aggressively pumping up the man who would pick him -- John McCain.

POLL QUESTION for my fellow FReepers: If John McCain picks Mitt Romney as his vice presidential nominee, will it make you more likely or less likely to vote for McCain? 1. More likely 2. Less likely 3. Neither more nor less likely (Elaborate) 4. Unsure

WASHINGTON - The music will be rising into a crescendo, the hall glowing with red, blue and white stars, confetti at the waiting, when Utah delegates take the microphone in the nomination of John McCain for the president and cast their ballots for Mitt Romney.

Scott Romney, the older brother of John McCain’s former GOP rival Mitt Romney, will become a co-chairman of the McCain campaign in Michigan, CBSNews.com confirms.