http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/rino/ en-us Sun, 5 Jul 2009 10:15:12 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285825/posts Opponents -- and even some former allies -- were quick to criticize Sarah Palin's announcement Friday that she will step down as governor of Alaska. The suddenness of the decision have some thinking that she's tired of political life; that she'll hit the lecture circuit to rebuild her financial fortunes; even that she'll become a "conservative Oprah" Palin, though, posted to her Facebook page yesterday that she has a "higher calling": "I am now looking ahead and how we can advance this country together with our values . . . how sad that Washington and the media never understand; it's... NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285825/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 10:15:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286340/posts Sen. John McCain touched on a variety of topics with The Daily Courier while visiting Prescott July 4, from single-payer health care to a revived push for a national scenic area designation in the Sedona area. . . . . . Other topics with McCain included: . . . . . * Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. McCain said he hasn't decided how he will vote on Sotomayor, especially since he still needs to talk to fellow Sen. Jon Kyl about her. Kyl serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Daily Courier, Prescott, Ariz. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286340/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 07:29:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286336/posts Oh, Myth Romney, how do I loathe you! Let me count the ways. (in no particular order) 10. TAXES: As the Governor of Massachusetts, you raised "fees" (taxes) by nearly $730 million. In fact, at a 2008 presidential debate, you said that it's appropriate for governments to charge fees and provide services. And, in 2007, at a campaign event in Iowa, you called flat taxes "unfair." (OnTheIssues.org/NewsMax) 9. HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA: In 1994, you favored allowing unabashed homosexuals to openly serve in the U.S. armed forces. You also favored allowing homosexuals to participate in the Boy Scouts, and you were endorsed... FR http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286336/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 07:00:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286323/posts Soon the Republican party will have no choice but to make Mitt Romney its leader. We've seen a suspiciously steady trickle of losers quietly exiting the ranks of 2012 hopefuls -- Bobby Jindal with his disastrous State of the Union rebuttal; John Ensign and Mark Sanford with their affairs; and most recently, Sarah Palin's bizarre resignation from the Alaska governorship. The only candidates left are Mike Huckabee, Tim Pawlenty and Romney. If history is any guide, we should expect some foul disclosure out of the Huckabee camp any day now. You just can't get away with saying something like this... NBC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286323/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 05:48:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286304/posts Grand Strand marketers turn eyes toward Europe. BY MIKE CHERNEY MYRTLE BEACH — When it comes to attracting foreign visitors to the Grand Strand, some local tourism leaders are looking to Congress for help. The Travel Promotion Act of 2009, which has been introduced in the House and Senate, would create a nonprofit corporation to advertise the U.S. as a travel destination in foreign countries. The campaign would be funded by industry contributions and a $10 fee on foreign travelers who do not have to pay for a visa. The travel industry, including the U.S. Travel Association and the American... McClatchy / The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, SC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286304/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 04:48:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285998/posts Mike Huckabee, himself once an object of significant media attention, has always chafed a bit at Sarah Palin's rise. And in two different bytes on "Fox News Sunday" today he didn't mince words about her decision to resign. "In a primary this is going to be an issue she'll have to face. Will she be able to withstand the pressure?" he asked. And, referring to the ethics inquiries Palin faces, Huckabee said of his own time as a GOP governor in an overwhelmingly Democratic state:"If that had been the case for me, I would've quit in my first month. If... Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285998/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 17:31:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285976/posts Colin Powell, one of the nation's most prominent African-Americans, is going after people who attacked Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor because of her stand in favor of affirmative action. Powell, who's from the same Bronx neighborhood in New York as Sotomayor, said she should face "a spirited set of hearings" in the Senate. But he said the federal appeals court judge, who would be the first Hispanic justice, shouldn't be condemned for ruling against white firefighters who contended they suffered reverse discrimination. "What we can't continue to have is to have somebody like a Judge Sotomayor ... called a racist,... fox news http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285976/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 16:39:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285938/posts Snip"And I (Powell) never would have believed that we would have budgets that are running into the multi-trillions of dollars, and we are amassing a huge, huge national debt that, if we don’t pay for in our lifetime, our kids and grandkids and great grandchildren will have to pay for it.”WASHINGTON — Colin Powell worries that President Barack Obama is trying to tackle too many big issues at one time and he offers this advice: Take a hard look at costs and consider the additional red tape that will be created. “The right answer is, ‘Give me a government that... The New Haven Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285938/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 15:04:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285800/posts Washington -- President Barack Obama's landmark bill on energy and global warming squeaked through the House this week only after the White House made dozens of concessions to coal, manufacturing and other interests. As the battle moves to the Senate, Obama faces demands for more concessions, including to open the coastline to offshore oil and gas drilling. The Senate will take up issues that were glossed over or omitted from the House bill. Among them is giving the government sweeping new powers to overcome local objections and approve thousands of miles of new transmission lines to carry electricity to coastal... The Baltimore Sun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285800/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 07:33:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285721/posts WASHINGTON (AP) - Colin Powell worries that President Barack Obama is trying to tackle too many big issues at one time. In an interview to be aired Sunday on CNN, the former secretary of state says he's worried about the huge national debt that's piling-up. Powell says that while the needs of the people must be met, the size of the government, and the tax burden, need to be kept as small as possible. He says the president has to start taking a "very, very hard look" at the cost of all he wants to do and at whether the... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285721/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 02:03:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285614/posts If Sarah Palin thinks quitting the Alaskan statehouse is going to help a 2012 presidential campaign which some pundits speculate she's mulling, she's mistaken, according to longtime Republican strategist Ed Rollins... CBS News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285614/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 21:03:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285540/posts WASHINGTON (AP) — In dueling holiday addresses, President Barack Obama appealed for public support of his domestic programs and Sen. John McCain said Americans should side with Iranian election protesters. The 2008 rivals for the White House both cited the spirit of the nation's founders in their Fourth of July radio and Internet broadcasts on Saturday. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285540/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 18:04:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285368/posts Many FReepers are skeptical of Romney's conservative credentials. They don't like his past positions on abortion, healthcare, and gay marriage. They feel his rightward shift on social issues to be less than sincere. Many conservatives are angered by the Left's attempts to character assassinate Palin thru silly ethics complaints. They have made Palin's administration and family into side shows. The ethics complaints have driven her to be $500,000 in debt. This situation might provide an opening for Romney to gain Palin's support. Romney could step in to pay off Palin's legal debt. He then could make a speech about how... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285368/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 12:09:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285340/posts While watching Sarah Palin's resignation speech, I thought, "Who is this amazing woman? What planet did she come from? Will there ever be anyone like her?" Once again, I was blown away by her power, grace, character and courage. The world is mourning the loss of a one of a kind pop icon. I mourn the loss of a one of a kind conservative leader martyred for the cause of conservatism. Though impossible for the pop icon, I pray Palin will be resurrected for 2012. The martyr of Palin has angered, energized, and elevated my commitment to fight for the... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285340/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 11:07:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285286/posts Sarah Palin’s jaw-dropping announcement that she is quitting her job as Alaska governor before finishing even her first term has divided Republican ranks and the wider political community in a very familiar fashion. Many establishment GOP operatives and political commentators of various stripes were withering, both about the decision and the way she announced it—in a jittery, hyperkinetic news conference that rambled between self-congratulation and bitter accusations at the foes she says are eager to destroy her. The performance, by these lights, adds credence to the claims of some associates that Palin—burned by the intense scrutiny on her and the... The Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285286/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 05:48:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285160/posts Friday, July 3, 2009 Sarah Palin Crosses the Rubicon By Videmus Omnia In 49 BC, Julius Caesar led his army across the Rubicon River. As he did so, he reportedly muttered the phrase "Alea iacta est" - "the die is cast". It was the point of no return. Sarah Palin has crossed the Rubicon today. It's a gamble of incredible proportions. None of us saw it coming, and we're the most dedicated political junkies you will find anywhere. It took our breath away. I wish I had the eloquence of RAM, but for now it's fallen to me. All of... Conservatives4Palin.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285160/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 00:00:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285110/posts Video at link above... MSDNC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285110/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 22:28:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285125/posts Just spoke to a consultant plugged in with a non-McCain Republican presidential candidate from 2008. His first words: “Steve Schmidt wins.” “I don’t think she’s toast (for future office). But this makes it more difficult. I’m trying to think of a candidate who launched a serious national bid after one term or less*… I guess the last one would be Romney, and he had done one full term.” On the theory that the scrutiny of her children was the straw that broke the camel's back, the consultant said, “From the interaction I’ve had with her, that would make some sense.”... NRO http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285125/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 23:15:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285090/posts Most Republicans have just finished what might be called the spring of their discontent. Not much went right in the first half of the year; not much to cheer about. But not Mitt Romney. For this unsuccessful 2008 Republican presidential contender, it is hard to imagine how events could be moving more decisively in his favor in 2009. One can almost hear him wondering: Why didn't things break this way last year? Let us count the ways that the world has conspired to help Mr. Romney. At a time when the Republican Party is straining to find new leaders, other... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285090/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 21:50:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285075/posts Sanford has committed sepuku on live TV. Ensign has discovered what goes on in Vegas does not always stay in Vegas. Palin is retiring from politics. Haley Barbour is a former lobbyist who runs the poorest state in the Union. Huckabee is a 5th stringer. John Thune is running for Vice President and we have no idea whether General Petraeus is a conservative or not. It looks like the only guy who can stop the Mitt Machine is Daniels. If you don't like Daniels, then Romney is the nominee by default in 2012. Me http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285075/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 21:12:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284938/posts Colin Powell, one of President Obama's most prominent Republican supporters, expressed concern Friday that the president's ambitious blitz of costly initiatives may be enlarging the size of government and the federal debt too much. "I'm concerned at the number of programs that are being presented, the bills associated with these programs and the additional government that will be needed to execute them," Mr. Powell said in an excerpt of an interview with CNN's John King, released by the network Friday morning. Mr. Powell, a retired U.S. army general who rose to political prominence after a long and accomplished military career,... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284938/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 17:10:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284904/posts Dear Governor Palin, You’re blowing it. We haven’t met, but you might remember I was one of the first columnists to tout you for John McCain’s running mate. I cheered you mightily when Senator McCain selected you, and I still believe that you were the smartest choice he could have made given the obstacles before him. I’m also assuming you want to run for president some day. There’s a reason why the Left and much of the media establishment hated you from day one. Some hated you out of the fear that you might stop Barack Obama’s unfolding coronation. Others... National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284904/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 16:10:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284926/posts Pair Try to Force Naming of More Commissioners. BY DAN EGGEN Seven years after their landmark campaign finance legislation became law, Sens. John McCain and Russell Feingold are reuniting under the banner of spending reform at a time when restrictions have come under fire both in the courts and at the embattled Federal Election Commission. McCain (R-Ariz.) and Feingold (D-Wis.) announced this week that they were blocking the appointment of Democratic union lawyer John Sullivan to the FEC until President Obama agrees to fill two other open panel seats. The two senators, who co-sponsored legislation in 2002 that banned "soft... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284926/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 16:47:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284627/posts HOST: Health care. MCCAIN: Needs reform. HOST: That’s two words. [weird laugh] Iraq. MCCAIN: Success. HOST: Arizona. MCCAIN: The best. HOST: US-Mexico Border. McCain: Cartels. HOST: GOP. MCCAIN: Transition. HOST: Sheriff Joe Arpaio:MCCAIN: Umm… KTVK 3TV Phoenix, Ariz. via YouTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284627/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 04:05:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284388/posts Another day, another leak from the wreckage of the McCain campaign. First Todd Purdum publishes a harsh piece in Vanity Fair on the Palin nomination, filled with harsh quotations from anonymous senior campaign sources. Politico follows with an even more revealing exchange of charges and counter-charges. Now at NRO, Mark Hemingway reproduces a series of leaked internal emails. The issue in all cases: Who was revealing to the world these damaging insider descriptions of Gov. Palin? I'm as fascinated as the next person by the insider details. But let's pause for a sobriety check. The 2008 campaign is over. The... New Majority http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284388/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 20:25:38 GMT