Free Republic

Mitt Romney's presidential campaign would like to be focusing its attacks on Democratic President Barack Obama around now. But after failing to seize control of the Republican nomination race on "Super Tuesday," Romney cannot shake off rival Rick Santorum, whom he criticized on Thursday as a political insider. Opening up a new front against Santorum, the Romney campaign accused him of being a lobbyist in his home state of Pennsylvania even before he went to Washington in 1991. Romney's campaign also attacked Santorum for holding regular meetings with lobbyists as a Senate leader, part of the Republican "K Street Project"...

Haley Barbour is all about Newt Gingrich Continue Reading "I'm crazy about Newt," Barbour told reporters after a breakfast at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce after he was asked about Gingrich's likely presidential announcement. "We've been friends for a very long time." Gingrich is considering a presidential run and has been the focus of intense speculation this week after it was reported that he planned to announce the formation of an exploratory committee on Thursday. His spokesman, Rick Tyler, issued a strong statement Tuesday night insisting Gingrich would not use his Thursday trip to Georgia to make a presidential announcement.....

President Barack Obama is one of America's best politicians ever, according to one of his potential rivals for re-election in 2012. "The president is one of the greatest politicians in the history of the United States," Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."Barbour's comments came during a discussion of Wisconsin's budget battle - a fight that's sparked widespread protests as Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has tried to curtail collective bargaining rights for public employees. Obama is "quiet [on the issue] because most Americans know this has to be done,"

So it may not actually have been cut yet, but Haley Barbour's rivals will struggle to beat his repurposing of this direct-to-camera endorsement from his 1982 Senate race: "I'd like to take a moment to talk with you about our country's future and a very special leader - Haley Barbour. The problems of the 1980's are rapidly changing and demanding new solutions and fresh vigorous ideas. I've learned first hand that Haley Barbour has the intelligence, courage and experience to make a great United States Senator. These are difficult times but slowly and surely we are making America prosperous again....

Mississippi Gov Haley Barbour will visit the Republican-heavy Upstate of South Carolina Wednesday for two private events with local GOP officials to discuss a potential presidential run, POLITICO has learned. Barbour will meet with Republicans first in Greenville and then in Spartanburg. The closed-door gatherings will include party leaders and current and former elected officials, according to a South Carolina source familiar with the events. Barbour's trip to the first-in-the-South Palmetto State illustrates his increasing seriousness about a presidential bid. His appearance in the two Upstate cities comes just a few weeks after he appeared in Columbia for the inauguration...

JACKSON -- The good news for Haley Barbour is that the left wing is after him. That means he’s being taken as a serious contender. The ruckus over Barbour’s latest interview is a typical example of taking individual words out of context. For instance, Barbour is being blasted for saying that something -- we don’t know what -- “wasn’t that bad.” The liberal bloggers argue that Barbour was saying the Citizens Council and the KKK “wasn’t that bad” but, in fact, Barbour said no such thing. Here’s is the exact text of the Weekly Standard article. “In interviews Barbour doesn’t...

“Hi, this is Sarah Palin. I’m calling to encourage you to send a message to Washington in this election. Steven Palazzo is a principled conservative like you and me. We can depend on him to support our values and stand up to the liberals in Washington. Let’s change things on Tuesday. Vote conservative Republican Steven Palazzo for Congress. Thank you.” – Governor Sarah Palin Steven had this to say: “I’m honored to be endorsed by Governor Sarah Palin. She is a great representative of the Tea Party’s ideals. As our momentum continues to build, we look forward to Election Day.”...

In a speech Tuesday night at a pro-life event in Houston, former presidential candidate Sarah Palin said abortion is an "essential" issues for the pro-life movement in the 2010 elections. Palin said it is important to take advantage of the opportunity the elections present to mitigate President Barack Obama's pro-abortion agenda. Palin said Obama has been responsible for "the biggest advance of the abortion industry in America" thanks to the ObamaCare bill that includes abortion funding, she said, according to CNN. She added Obama is "the most pro-abortion president to ever occupy the White House," "That's why it's essential that...

Video of Bennie Thompson's opponent ambushing him at town hall last week. David went looking for Goliath last week and found him.

President Obama repeatedly said yesterday during his press conference on the Gulf oil spill that he takes responsibility for the disaster. Nevertheless, Republicans are pounding the president for failing to step up as a leader during the crisis. Some are also questioning his decision to extend for six months a moratorium on new offshore drilling plans. Millions of gallons of oil have flowed into the Gulf of Mexico since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on April 20. Oil company BP, which was operating the rig, is responsible for the cost of the clean up and containment efforts under the...

Like Mike Huckabee did in the 2008 GOP Primary, a dark horse candidate from the South could rise up to win some big races in 2012. But who could that little known candidate be? I’ll offer some suggestions about who could be a household name in two years. In my last column “Why Republicans are in trouble in 2012” I described the woes of the Grand Old Party for 2012. A combination of weak candidates with surprisingly thin resumes and potential nominees with bad luck in their state’s history could hand what might be a winnable race against President Obama...

Ever since Rep. Travis Childers (D) won a stunning special election victory in the 1st district in May 2008, Republicans have been itching to win back this conservative district previously held for seven terms by now-Sen. Roger Wicker (R).

After watching the debate live and now having had a couple days to fully absorb what was all too obvious that night: McCain won--oh, my mistake--John. It's hard to not be partisan when saying who won--especially since each candidate did express their positions rather clearly, but I'll give it a shot. I try to imagine what it would have been like if I'd just woken up from a coma, or had never heard of either candidate before. What would I admire in each of them? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Are they smokers or non-smokers? The most important answers...

Every single pundit and political analyst in America today is spinning the result of yesterday’s debate towards his own personal ideological preference. Generally though, most do agree that John McCain did a lot better than Barack Obama, because he was able to continually (and effectively) get his main talking point through, “Mr. Obama doesn’t understand”, without appearing condescending or angry. McCain was able to constantly tell the audience that the problem with Obama was not his “bad faith” or lack of motivation, but simple naivete and inexperience. Barack Obama, on his part, was simply unable to get his talking point...

It looks like Obama has firmly declared he will be at the debate, while McCain has allowed a little wiggle room by "requesting" the debate be postponed -- and "challenging" Obama to agree. Regardless, this "staring contest" over whether or not to debate tomorrow night, could have real political ramifications. McCain's opening salvo was shrewd and bold, but Obama's comeback was good, too ("Part of the president's job is to deal with more than one thing at once.") Following are some thoughts on how McCain might respond to Obama's insistence on continuing with the debate: 1. McCain could still show...

The Republican race for Mississippi's third congressional district will go to a runoff. Charlie Ross won the most votes out of a field of seven candidates. Gregg Harper came in second place, with David Landrum trailing in third. Ross, a former state senator, was cheered by a crowd of supporters Tuesday night at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. The 52-year-old Brandon resident told WLBT Tuesday afternoon that he expected to be in a runoff. He said he was excited about leading the pack of qualified candidates. "It's like we're in the third quarter of a ball game,"...

The GOP contest for Rep. Chip Pickering’s (R-Miss.) seat looks to be a two-candidate race, according to a poll conducted for businessman David Landrum’s campaign in late January. Former state Sen. Charlie Ross leads Landrum 30 to 24 percent ahead of the March 11 primary, with no other candidate in the double digits. If no candidate reaches 50 percent in the primary, a runoff will be held April 1. A previous poll suggested that Ross, who ran for lieutenant governor last year and is the only well-known political figure in the race, held a large early lead. But Landrum has...

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Presidential candidate Fred Thompson will be a special guest at a tribute dinner for state Republican Party Chairman Jim Herring on Nov. 19 at the Jackson Hilton on County Line Road. Thompson will join Herring and other state GOP leaders at the event beginning with a 5:30 p.m. reception. The dinner is being hosted by the Mississippi Republican Elected Officials Association. When he considers the position of the Republican Party in Mississippi, Herring thinks the hard work in the past is paying huge dividends in the present. "The most satisfying part of it is seeing your organization grow and prosper,...

Several prominent Mississippi politicians, including a Democrat who served in President Clinton’s Cabinet, are endorsing Republican Haley Barbour for a second term as governor. ‘‘We’ve got to do what’s best for Mississippi, and in this case, it has to be the person over the party,’’ Mike Espy, who was Clinton’s first secretary of agriculture, said Wednesday. Espy stood by Barbour and the governor’s wife, Marsha, during a news conference at the state Capitol. About two dozen other politicians, ministers and businesspeople stood on the marble steps behind them.