http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/parties-gop/ en-us Tue, 5 Jan 2010 18:53:21 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2421545/posts Democrats and Republican are scared to death of Sarah Palin because they think she is "not one of us." That is to say, she is not one of the pampered, prep school, Ivy League elite who have dominated our politics for almost two centuries. Truman being a possible exception, she is the first real populist political figure since Andrew Jackson to arrive upon our political scene. She is a real person who has faced real personal and family problems similar to what so many common Americans face every day. She is a breath of fresh air in the still, smoke-filled... The San Bernadino Sun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2421545/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 18:53:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2421359/posts Russ Diamond, the force behind PaCleanSweep which shook the state legislature in 2006, has announced a run for lieutenant governor as a Republican. His platform calls for a convention to reform the state constitution, eliminating property taxes and protecting Pennsylvania from federal intrusion. Those against whom he will be running in the May 18 primary include: BillLawrenceOnline.Com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2421359/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 15:15:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2420990/posts I want to like Sarah Palin. But to borrow a title from Hitchcock, I feel like The Man Who Knew Too Much—about The Woman Who Knew Too Little. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t care that Palin is not a policy wonk. In some ways, that’s a plus. It is her strengths that concern me. For example, is Palin’s populism real or imagined? Or perhaps real but compromised? And, as the mother of a son on active duty, why is she so enthusiastic about unwinnable wars? Where is that famous common sense when it comes to minding our own business?... The American Conservative http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2420990/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jan 2010 00:45:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2419425/posts Five Mainstream Republican Resolutions for 2010 by John F. Di Leo Individuals like to make the most of New Year's Day, by taking the opportunity of a calendar-based fresh start, for one's career, one's household, one's personal relationships. We vow to lose weight, to write a book, to remodel the attic, to change jobs. Public companies do this as well. That's what annual reports and fourth quarter stockholder guidance reports are, at the core: evaluations of the past year, and promises to investors and potential investors (and the SEC, while they're at it) of what they intend to do in... Illinois Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2419425/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 13:06:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2419332/posts -The Race42012 staff was asked to take look ahead and share their predictions for the coming new year. Our readers are encouraged to post their own predictions in the comments. Adam Brickley Sarah Palin continues her recovery and cements herself as de-facto leader of the GOP after vigorously campaigning through 2010, after which she begins work on a second and more issue-oriented book. Mike Huckabee decides that he rather likes being a media figure and veers away from presidential politics – he pursues either a nightly show on Fox News or a daily radio program. Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty... Race42012 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2419332/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 04:17:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2419050/posts Picking the worst or most disappointing people of 2009 is the task that should require sincere thought, deep investigation, and fair judgment over myriad objective data. However, naming the Republican Party as the most disappointing ‘person’ in 2009 posed no reflective issues whatsoever and brings the most distaste as a third generation member of the party. Republicans continue to work toward no apparent goal except to disrupt, obstruct and demonize anything the new administration proposes. They embrace and employ Fox News to foment hatred and vitriol for issues that Republicans know are lies. When Sarah Palin lies, she lies as... The Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2419050/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 18:21:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2418450/posts Real Clear Politics’ Sean Trende and National Review’s Jim Geraghty have speculated whether Republicans could actually win the Jan. 19 special election to fill the seat of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass. The task would be daunting: Massachusetts hasn’t elected a Republican senator since 1972. Trende says that if the state’s large number of independents swing to the GOP like unattached voters did in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races in November, Scott Brown could come tantalizingly close. But voting tends to be more ideological in national races, and Brown isn’t well-known. Both Geraghty and Trende say they... IBD's Capital Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2418450/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:23:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2417952/posts Or come pretty darned close to doing so, at least, argues James Pethokoukis for Reuters. The problem facing Democrats is not just the normal midterm correction, although that’s part of it. It’s not just ObamaCare, although that’s a large part of it, too. There are a number of problems that Democrats simply have not done anything to address, and they’re rapidly running out of time to do so: The trend is not the Democrats’ friend. At least not in 2010. The party of the sitting president almost always suffers losses in midterm congressional elections. To that time-tested dynamic now add... Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2417952/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:52:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2417559/posts It is always difficult to distinguish "real leftism" from "fascist or faux leftism". This brings up the question of how do you define the former. Secondly, any definition must yield to history. What has been done in the name of the left to date? It should be judged by results. The left has accomplished many good things such as workers rights. But at the same time it denies rights. In ways, it fights for group rights over individual rights. This points out the clash between the two. Never easy to negotiate. A balance must be found. This clash has been... ISRAPUNDIT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2417559/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:10:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2416490/posts In GOP-rich Placer County, the Placer County Republican Central Committee chairman views himself as a brand manager of sorts. "We need to protect our brand," said Tom Hudson. "We need to stand for something." Hudson, 42, takes pride in unmasking and ousting people he says are liberals posing as Republicans. With the elected committee's backing, Hudson has drafted candidates to run against sitting GOP officeholders he views as not conservative enough, orchestrated a controversial endorsement during the primary for the 4th Congressional District seat, and played a role in the decision by two Placer County officeholders to drop their Republican... Sacramento Bee http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2416490/posts#comment Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:25:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2415073/posts "The only cure for the presidential virus," Congressman Morris Udall once observed, "is embalming fluid." And, it's increasingly clear, Sarah Palin has got the bug. In her memoir, Going Rogue, the former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican candidate for vice president sees the hand of providence everywhere. "As every Iditarod musher knows," Palin tells us, "if you're not the lead dog, the view never changes." She's ready, it seems, to head to the Midwest to prepare for the election of 2012. Palin is a compelling political - and pop culture - phenomenon. She knows how to present herself, on... The Jerusalem Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2415073/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 21:15:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2414156/posts I’ve argued before, and I will continue to argue, that there is nothing terribly unique about Sarah Palin as a politician other than the way in which her opponents and the media play right into her hands by treating her as if she is somehow uniquely important and/or devious. Today, Dave Weigel documents another set of examples of this, demonstrating the ways in which the media’s (and, for that matter, Palin’s opponents’) insistence on paying attention to her Facebook and Twitter ramblings, making them into major stories, even if with the intention of disproving those ramblings. The entire post is... The League of Ordinary Gentlemen http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2414156/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:57:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2413898/posts Allahpundit: Via Weasel Zippers. The money line: “Are you going to keep building your party with Dixiecrats, ex-Democrats, who think the Democratic party is too mainstream?” Savor that last word, as it suggests that a party pushing a signature bill that’s now -20 in net approval in some polls is the one that speaks for the great “mainstream.” The idea of a liberal silent majority goes hand in hand with the idea of the GOP as a radical collective, which is where the confederacy meme comes in here. Nothing new for “Hardball”: Kathleen Parker pushed that smear herself back in... Bully Pulpit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2413898/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:30:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2413586/posts Time magazine may think U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is 2009’s “Person of the Year,” but Time is wrong: 2009 was dominated by Barack Obama, even though it wasn’t a great year for him. Obama’s human frailties surfaced. Words, not deeds, are his forte. Critics and fans tended to agree that, so far, his presidency is one of great intentions (if not great expectations). He’s good at saying what he’d like to do, but has difficulty doing (or being able to do) very much. Cheerleaders confuse rhetoric with results. Obama is the most accessible president in recent times. He’s... The Frum Forum http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2413586/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 07:27:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2413039/posts Amid the furor over how Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Ben Nelson, D-Neb., would vote on the health bill, there was little talk regarding Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter. Since switching from Republican to Democrat in April, Specter has been a reliable vote for his new party’s health plans. His main objections to the final Senate health bill were its lack of a public option and its restrictions on abortion funding. Now maybe he would have voted yes even if he were still a Republican. But party-switchers tend to shift their voting patterns significantly. After all of the left-liberal gnashing of... IBD's Capital Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2413039/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:32:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2412629/posts 14-TERM CONGRESSMAN ENDS SPECULATION OVER RETIREMENT Congressman John Spratt has ended months of speculation over whether he will resign or run to retain his seat next year. On Monday, the 14-term Democrat officially filed for re-election with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The FEC filing showed Spratt, 67, with nearly $600,000 cash-on-hand. He is currently South Carolina’s longest-serving Congressman. A number of media outlets had been probing Spratt’s intentions of late, which likely pressured him into making a decisive move before he lost the support of his 5th district base. “Washington is sort of like an echo chamber,” Spratt told... The Palmetto Scoop http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2412629/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:42:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2412559/posts How To Lose A House Seat Winning Back The House Means Finding The Right Candidates To Run. Not Living In A State Is Bad, Being Tied To George Soros Is Worse Weekend Special-December 18, 2009 Main Article Follows Below The Blog Of Michael P. Borgia One of the most important lessons Republicans should have learned from the disaster of the New York 23 special election in November is that in order to win, you have to have the right candidate. A man or woman who is in tune with the district or state he represents. Someone who shares its values... The Daily Borg http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2412559/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:18:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2411925/posts Senior White House adviser David Axelrod on Sunday brushed aside expert predictions that Democrats will suffer steep losses in next year’s midterm congressional elections. “I think we're gonna have a good result next – next November,” Axelrod told David Gregory, host of NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Though Axelrod quickly added “I'm not gonna predict where we are,” he roundly dismissed suggestions that Democrats will pay the price at the ballot box for their efforts to push through health care reform legislation, and suggested that President Obama’s sub-50-percent approval rating in most polls is unrelated to his heavy investment in the... The Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2411925/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:32:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2409227/posts The latest running debate between Al Gore and Sarah Palin reveals once more the absurdity behind today's Republican Party, which looms increasingly as a far right pressure group rather than a viable political entity. The Republicans indicated the direction where they were heading when Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele dared to speak of right wing talk show host Rush Limbaugh as an "entertainer," which was construed to mean that he was undermining his stature as a serious political analyst. A furious Limbaugh demanded an apology. The blustery talk show host had declared himself to be the titular head of... Political Cortex http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2409227/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:51:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2408861/posts South Florida attorney Scott Rothstein may have ran a $1.2 billion ponzi scheme and is, in general terms, a giant @$$hat with the gaudiest taste known to man, but if he had it his way no one in the lower 48 would have ever heard of a certain pitbull in lipstick. Bob Norman up at New Times Broward-Palm Beach is reporting that Rothstein funded the fledgling efforts to put Gov. Charlie Crist in the McCain campaign's VP slot. The Ponzi schemer was the fourth ranked fundraiser for the GOP candidate in the entire nation, and used that influence (he apparently... The Miami New Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2408861/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:03:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2408807/posts U.S. President Barack Obama has scaled back the scope of the Afghan war, now about to enter its ninth year, to a limited military objective: deny al-Qaida a safe haven. And since we are now told there are fewer than 100 al-Qaida terrorists in Afghanistan — the rest are in Pakistan's tribal areas — a three-way deal between the Karzai government, powerful warlords and Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar would seem to be the better part of valor. After Iraq, we cannot afford another trillion-dollar war. It took the United States 233 years (1776-2009) to amass a national debt of... The New Atlanticist http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2408807/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:06:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2407959/posts It is certainly not breaking news that Sarah Palin is the darling of the most extreme fringe of the Republican Party, but here's yet another data point on it: she's by far the most popular potential 2012 candidate with voters who disapprove of Barack Obama and already want to impeach him. 86% of voters who fit that description have a favorable opinion of Palin to 62% for Mike Huckabee and 49% for Mitt Romney. That's a much wider popularity gap than exists among all Republicans, 73% of whom view Palin favorably to 57% for Huckabee and 51% for Romney. By... Public Policy Polling http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2407959/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:50:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2404957/posts Dear Chairman Steele, I am curious as to how you intend to protect the primary process in 2012. We are faced with a situation where Obama will likely face no opposition thus freeing Democrats and independents with Democratic leanings to bring planned chaos to our primaries in states that fail to close them to registered voters of the appropriate party. Have you considered a caucus option? Or perhaps putting pressure on open primary states by virtue of giving their primaries less weight? These are just ideas. But clearly we have to do something. These people are well schooled in Alinsky... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2404957/posts#comment Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:21:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2403936/posts The Hill reports on the $787 billion stimulus stimulus package passed by Barry and Congress was most effective in ensuring job security. Unfortunately for the rest of America, the stimulus bill served none other than Clinton and Obama's campaign pollsters and fellow campaign staffers. "Federal records show that $5.97 million from the $787 billion stimulus helped preserve three jobs at Burson-Marsteller, the global public-relations and communications firm headed by Penn." "Burson-Marsteller won the contract to work on a public-relations campaign to advertise the national switch from analog to digital television. Nearly $2.8 million of the contract was issued to Penn’s... The Tusk http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2403936/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 19:48:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2403350/posts Are Americans who want to throw rotten tomatoes at Sarah Palin slowly becoming the minority, while the number of people who want to throw them at President Obama is noticeably increasing? A Top of the Ticket blog post today notes two recent surveys that show the former Alaska governor creeping up behind Obama in the polls. The president’s new Gallup Poll shows a new low for his job approval ratings -- 47% (down from 53% last month). The new CNN/Opinion Research Poll, on the other hand, says Palin is now at 46% favorable. She is so close she could reach... The Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2403350/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 01:38:42 GMT