Free Republic

Washington, D.C. — Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank on Thursday refused to comment on the rumor that South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham is gay. During an appearance on C-SPAN's American Journal, a caller named Frank from Largo, Florida told Frank that he was concerned that closeted lawmakers could be blackmailed during critical budget talks.

Ann Liston and Eric Adelstein are hardened Chicago Democratic consultants. Their behind-the-scenes role helping the Wisconsin Democratic Party collect more than 1 million signatures to recall Gov. Scott Walker has put them in a campaign unlike any they've ever seen. The two 40-somethings said Facebook's power to reach voters, combined with a recentU.S. Supreme Court ruling that unfettered limits on corporate and union political spending, has rewritten their industry's game plan. "It's horrible for democracy but great for business," Adelstein said Tuesday, referring to the Citizens United U.S. Supreme Court decision. Voters in Wisconsin, South Carolina and Florida have been...

While speaking to potential voters in South Carolina, former Speaker Newt Gingrich said that he could not support a Muslim candidate for public office who doesn’t disavow Sharia (Islamic Law). Was Gingrich being intolerant by making it clear that Sharia law is not welcome in the GOP tent? Was he revealing a bigoted side that would make him unfit to be president? Not according to political commentator David Rubin, the former Mayor of Shiloh in Israel. Mayor Rubin has rushed to Gingrich’s defense, declaring that “Sharia is by definition intolerant and anti-American”. Rubin goes on to say that “Islamic Law...

A seasoned SLED approved Concealed Weapons Permit Instructor has been arrested on perjury charges after an undercover SLED agent reportedly discovered his classes did not meet state requirements. Additionally, all students who previously applied for and received a CWP but have not completed an eight hour class under Wykel are also subject to perjury charges.

Romney's loss in South Carolina, while not surprising, was devastating to the Romney campaign whether they want to admit it or not. That’s according to conservative bestselling author Gregg Jackson, who covered Mitt Romney on the radio on Boston powerhouse WRKO during Romney's administration and introduced Romney at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2007. Jackson, who authored the national best-seller, "Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies" and co-wrote the recently released "We Won't Get Fooled Again, Where the Christian Right Went Wrong and How to Make America Right Again" with Iowa-based nationally syndicated radio host, Steve Deace, explains that the...

South Carolina represents the heart of the conservative movement because its Republican voters are fierce fiscal and social conservatives, which means they fervently support the Tea Party and evangelicals. These voters are now popularly referred to as “Teavangelicals” and, predictably, dominated the Palmetto State’s primary. According to exit polling from Saturday’s first-in-the-South primary, 64 percent of those who voted in the GOP primary in South Carolina supported the Tea Party and another 27 percent were neutral. Only 8 percent opposed. In addition, 65 percent of primary voters were “Born-Again or Evangelical Christian.” What happened in South Carolina is important for...

"You are a den of vipers and thieves. I have determined to rout you out, and by the Eternal, (bringing his fist down on the table) I will rout you out!" -- President Andrew Jackson in a February, 1834 meeting with Philadelphia financiers about his opposition to the creation of a central bank. The 68-year-old former speaker of the House, twice left as presidential road kill this cycle, won the South Carolina Republican primary in more commanding fashion than either of the two prior GOP nominees. He doesn't look, talk or act like any major party nominee since the dawn...

George Washington, the father of our country was considered a dangerous extremist and a harbinger of malicious attitudes that challenged the status quo and American power brokers beholden to the British government. Other founding fathers of our nation were also placed in that same angry boiling pot of dangerous anarchy. So you have to pardon those supporters of Newt Gingrich for not being intimidated by the naysayers who had anointed Mitt Romney by liberal political pundits and party leaders their status quo choice. Many in the GOP power circles had already prepared Romney a seat at the general election debate...

In a break with the Republican establishment, South Carolina Republicans supported Newt Gingrich rather than Mitt Romney with their primary votes. There is the scent of revaluation, if not revolution in the air. Gingrich regaled ebullient supporters with an articulation of the broad principles distinguishing the two Parties (i.e., the America of the founding fathers v. Saul Alinsky's America), and a sharp denunciation of the President's leadership including his recent decision to block the development of the Keystone pipeline (and blame it on Republicans), a Canadian-American project that the US needs to undertake. Newt commented upon the President's Keystone blunder...

Governor Mitt Romney, moderate from Massachusetts, father of Romney Care, wealthy, Mormon, and blue blood took a pretty good stomping in South Carolina. Why? Well, one reason appears to be he would not reveal his tax returns. By his own admission Mr. Wealth admitted that he was paying about 15% as his federal income tax rates! What's that mean? It means he is so wealthy he lives off his long term investments. Now this is the politician who creates a state health care program in Massachusetts, and wants the tax payers of the state to pay for it. Romney's plan...

One week ago, Newt Gingrich was on the ropes in South Carolina, under near-universal assault on the right from his attacks on Mitt Romney’s record at Bain Capital. Everyone from Rush Limbaugh to the Club for Growth and the Wall Street Journal had all declared their disgust. The conservative backlash had given Romney a double-digit lead in the polls. At a candidate forum hosted by Mike Huckabee, Gingrich was booed by the crowd when he tried to defend his Bain attacks. Fast forward one week, and Gingrich is the winner of the South Carolina primary. Not only did Gingrich win,...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina's attorney general has notified the U.S. Justice Department of potential voter fraud. Attorney General Alan Wilson sent details of an analysis by the Department of Motor Vehicles to U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles. In a letter dated Thursday, Wilson says the analysis found 953 ballots cast by voters listed as dead. In 71 percent of those cases, ballots were cast between two months and 76 months after the people died. That means they "voted" up to 6 1/3 years after their death. The letter doesn't say in which elections the ballots were cast. The analysis...

While Gingrich's come-from-behind victory in Saturday's South Carolina primary has put a halt to discussions of Mitt Romney as the inevitable GOP nominee, the former Massachusetts governor remains the heavy favorite for the next primary contest in Florida and the Republican nomination. For the former House speaker to fully claw his way back into contention, he'll have to put together a remarkable week in the lead-up to the Jan. 31 Sunshine state primary. Luckily for Gingrich, he already has a template: his successful effort in South Carolina. The former Speaker's upset win in the Palmetto state — he was trailing...

Courtesy of one friend, an old pro, three perhaps overlooked points in the sea of analysis of South Carolina and beyond: “I notice that everyone’s citing all kinds of reasons for S.C.: Romney overconfident, Perry's endorsement, Romney doesn't connect, Barnes’s argument that Romney needs a ‘big idea.’ Lost in all this it seems is one name: Sarah Palin. First time she has expressed herself in the race and her candidate wins by 12. If she really comes out for Newt, look out. “Second thought: Paul has potential to give Romney lots of trouble in caucus states. “Final point: Some argue...

Anti-media and anti-welfare themes won South Carolina.Newt Gingrich has had the wildest ride in a primary season since Bill Clinton weathered womanizing charges in 1992. Based on his strong performances in the numerous Republican debates, the former House speaker soared to a double-digit polling lead in Iowa in the fall of 2011. But a $4 million onslaught of negative ads by Mitt Romney’s allies sunk Gingrich in Iowa. After his disappointing fifth place finish in the New Hampshire primary, even conservatives began to write him off. National Review endorsed anybody but him, and Rush Limbaugh criticized his “desperate attacks” on...

What are we to make of Newt’s win in South Carolina? Several things, I think... 1. Newt is a winner... 2. Newt is a fighter... 3. Newt can blow it... There, [in South Carolina], in one night, and within the span of only one hour, we saw the two sides of Newt: We saw the good Newt who can win this thing and, in so doing, “fundamentally transform American politics,” as he would say. But we also saw the bad Newt, the undisciplined and unfocused Newt: the Newt who too often tries to wing it and fails. I’m rooting for...

On this Sunday's Morning's Fox and Friends, Ann Coulter continues her Kamakazi mission for Mitt Romney. She continues burning her bridges to the possibility of eventually supporting Newt Gingrich for President. When a smart person does not acknowledge Gingrich's shining victory in South Carolina and criticizes the people of South Carolina by saying they were becoming like Democrats again, Ann is acting like a doctrinaire Liberal who does not acknowledge the success of their political opponents. Ann is risking her credibility and seems prepared to go down with Mitt Romney.

Is the date Jan. 21 about to be a lot brighter for Newt Gingrich? As South Carolina votes Saturday, Mitt Romney’s campaign sent a press release wishing Gingrich a “happy anniversary” for the House decision to reprimand him, which happened on Jan. 21, 1997. Headlined “Happy 15th Anniversary, Mr. Speaker,” the release said, “Fifteen years ago today, Newt Gingrich became the first House speaker in American history to be reprimanded by his colleagues.” Gingrich was investigated for tax irregularities and for campaign finance disclosure violations in the late 1990s. The matter, conducted when Republicans controlled the House, was settled when...

To say Newt Gingrich capped an extraordinary comeback with a South Carolina victory doesn't quite capture what happened. It was more like vindication. The former House speaker came from behind to overtake Mitt Romney on Saturday in a state that for decades has chosen the eventual Republican nominee. On the way there, Gingrich triumphed over months of campaign turmoil and at least two political near-death experiences as well as millions of dollars of attack advertisements and potentially damning personal allegations. He did it by finding his voice and rallying conservatives with a populist defiance. "The American people feel that they...

South Carolinians are voting today in the GOP primary, which some pundits see as the candidates' last stand for getting the GOP nomination to run in the general election. On weekends on All Things Considered today, host Guy Raz talked with Danielle Vinson, the chair of the political science department at Furman University in Greenville, S.C., about what is often considered "dirty" South Carolina primary politics. "If you don't come of out here with a first or second place, it's hard to keep going," she says. "So by the time they get here everybody takes off the gloves." One of...

Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary, 40 percent to 28 percent, over Mitt Romney. He also won every Congressional district and, in doing so, won all of South Carolina’s 25 delegates. Now the battle heads to Florida, which holds its primary on Jan. 31. Here are five things to look for as the race heads to Florida. 1. Momentum versus organization Newt Gingrich will come into Florida with momentum, gained from winning South Carolina’s primary, which every Republican presidential nominee has won since 1980. But Romney has a head start in Florida. He has hundreds of thousands of absentee...

The bombshell accusation from former Speaker Newt Gingrich’s second wife that he had requested an “open marriage” did not cost him the female vote in South Carolina, polls show. According to exit polling conducted by Edison Research, Gingrich won a plurality of the female vote with 36 percent of South Carolina’s voting Republican women checking his box Saturday. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won 30 percent, Texas Rep. Ron Paul won 13 percent, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum garnered 19 percent and Texas Gov. Rick Perry (who dropped out of the race this week) was still the choice of 1...

BBC North America editor Mark Mardell, in South Carolina, says a Gingrich win is important, because all along the story of this race has been the search by Conservatives for an alternative to Mitt Romney. It is just possible they have settled on Mr Gingrich, and at the very least such a result will puncture the sense that eventually Mr Romney will triumph, our correspondent adds. Shortly after the vote, Mr Gingrich wrote on Twitter: "Thank you South Carolina! Help me deliver the knockout punch in Florida," referring to the next nominating contest on 31 January.

The internal breakdown Shows Newt Winning Across The Board. Can Gingrich repeat his win in Florida which is a more diverse and moderate state, has less Evangelicals, a large Hispanic base, and is a closed primary?

Authorities say a customer at a South Carolina Waffle shop pulled a gun and shot one of two men trying to rob the restaurant. Authorities said the customer had a concealed weapon permit and tried to hold the two men at gunpoint until officers arrived, but that one suspect began to point his gun at the customer, who then fired shots. The second robber fled and is being sought by authorities.

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum were shoved and a baby stroller was left knocked over after a group of “Occupy” protesters disrupted his election-night gathering and threw glitter on him Saturday night. The ruckus occurred after Santorum made remarks to supporters following his third-place finish in the South Carolina primary Saturday night. One female protester threw glitter on him before quickly being escorted away. The protesters yelled phrases suggesting they disagree with Santorum’s stance on gay issues. They chanted “bigot!” as they were escorted out of the auditorium at the College of Charleston along with...

Schmidt: "Not only are we not moving toward a coalescing of support with the establishment of Newt Gingrich, we're probably moving toward a declaration of war on Newt Gingrich by the Republican establishment. And if Newt Gingrich is able to win the Florida primary, you will see a panic and a meltdown of the Republican establishment that is beyond my ability to articulate in the English language. People will go crazy," And you will have this five week period until the Super Tuesday states that will be just as unpredictable, tumultuous as any period in modern American politics. It will...

It was an exceptional evening for Newt Gingrich in South Carolina as he soared to a landslide victory over rival Mitt Romney Saturday night in the Palmetto State as supporters at his victory party welcomed him by chanting, “Newt can’t quit! Newt can’t quit!” “The biggest thing that I take from South Carolina is that it is very humbling and so sobering to have so many people who so deeply want their country to get back on the right track,“ Gingrich said. “It’s not that I am a good debater; it’s that I articulate the deepest felt values of the...

Many GOP voters -- including some well-meaning Freepers -- keep attempting to lecture voters that Mitt Romney's Mormonism "doesn't matter." Well, tell that to three of every five South Carolina primary voters who, according to CNN exit polls, said a candidate's religion mattered either "a great deal" or "somewhat." Click EXIT POLLS: South Carolina for polling data. Only 40 percent of South Carolina GOP voters said that the "Religious Beliefs of Candidates Matter... Not Much/Not at All" Two-fifths of the "Not Much/Not at All" Crowd voted pro-Romney -- compared to... ...less than one-third of them voting for Gingrich... ...less than...

Congratulations, Newt!! The Gingrich Revolution begins here and begins now!! Thank you very much, South Carolina!! Thank you very much, Rick Perry!! And now it's on to Florida!! Free Republic is all in for Newt and the rebellion is on!! I'm understanding from his debates and his website that Newt wants to totally dismantle the Marxist/socialist welfare state, fire the czars, repeal ObamaCare, repeal Dodd-Frank, repeal Sarbanes Oxley, privatize social security and medicare, return all federal socialist welfare programs to the states and the people to be controlled locally or shuttered, audit and neuter the Fed, fire Bernanke, fire the...

After Newt Gingrich was declared the winner of the South Carolina primary Saturday night, Karl Rove suggested that the candidate has CNN’s John King to thank for his victory in the Palmetto State. “Taking on the media is always good in a Republican primary,” Rove said on Fox News. “John King couldn’t have set up the question in a more positive way for Gingrich to just nail it and haul it right out of the park.”

Newt Gingrich Wins South Carolina Primary By Uniting Reagan Republicans By Van Hipp January 21, 2012 Newt Gingrich’s South Carolina State co-chairman John Napier knew the “Gingrich surge” was real last Sunday afternoon. Napier, a former U.S. Congressman and retired Federal Judge, pulled into the parking lot of the Land’s End Restaurant in Georgetown, S.C. for a Gingrich event expected to draw 25-30 people. Instead, over 350 people showed up before others had to be turned away. Napier said, “There were people there we hadn’t seen since Reagan ran.” Napier should now. He was swept into Congress from a rural...

Rick Santorum said he would be pleased with a third-place finish in South Carolina Saturday but vowed to stay in the presidential race through the Florida primary no matter what. He also blasted his "desperate" rival Mitt Romney for perpetrating "cheap stuff" as Mr. Romney's position as front runner here melted away the past week... "We finally were given the victory in Iowa," Mr. Santorum said. "If we had had it two weeks ago, it might be a very different situation. It might have been a very different race." Mr. Santorum also said he was disappointed in Mr. Romney after...

Newt Gingrich Wins South Carolina Primary By Mark Z. Barabak January 21 Newt Gingrich surged to victory Saturday in the South Carolina primary, riding a pair of strong debate performances to overtake Mitt Romney and stop his seemingly relentless march to the GOP nomination. (snip) Former Massachusetts Gov. Romney appeared headed for second place, with former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas trailing well behind. With a tight smile, Romney addressed supporters in Columbia about an hour after the polls closed and immediately displayed a more pugnacious style. Without mentioning his rival by name, Romney...

PercentDelegates* Gingrich 194,459 votes 40.6% 15 Romney 128,066 votes 26.8% 0 Santorum 83,408 votes 17.4% 0 Paul 64,348 votes 13.4% 0 Cain 4,832 votes 1.0% 0 Other 3,464 votes 0.7%0 * South Carolina lost half of its 50 delegates as a result of breaking Republican party rules and moving its primary forward to Jan. 21. The party will award the remaining 25 delegates based on the results of individual congressional districts as well as the overall tally.

Update: Chris Cillizza of WaPo tweets that “Close Jeb Bush ally tells me that no Romney endorsement is in the works.” Jeb’s camp being coy, or is he getting cold feet about throwing in with Romney after tonight’s drubbing?

Newt Gingrich now has that intangible that unfortunately our Republicans have been missing, except for Sarah Palin. It is called swagger. I am talking about the Contract with America creating, welfare reforming, budget balancing, race card killing, CNN bashing, Obama debate challenging swagger. More than confidence, it's pure belief and trust in his own ability to carry out the conservative cause while winning hearts and minds. Public arena winning, back room brawling, media manhandling, Newt is a seasoned, battle tested statesman who has finally found his rhythm. It is very contagious to witness a confident conservative who can articulate our...

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV)-- Mitt Romney took the stage in front of hundreds of supporters and thanked them for their help in taking second place in South Carolina. "Thank you so very much," he said to the crowd. "You should hear it when we win!" He went on to thank South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and his campaign staff and told the people of South Carolina that he owed them "so much." But in the end, it was another candidate who walked away with the primary win. "I want to congratulate speaker Gingrich for a hard fought race," said Romney. "Tomorrow...

His campaign recently removed a web ad on their YouTube account with the tagline: "On Saturday South Carolina Picks a President." The ad included words of praise for him from South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Arizona Sen. John McCain, the party’s 2008 nominee. The screen shot from the web ad is pictured here...

January 21, 2012 Lessons From the South Carolina Exit Polls By MICHAEL D. SHEAR 6:27 p.m. | Updated Here’s what we’re learning about the South Carolina primary electorate as the exit poll figures trickle in. This post will be updated as we dig deeper into the numbers. Job Growth vs. Government Spending In a state with a strong Tea Party presence, voters in South Carolina are divided over job growth versus government spending, according to early exit poll results. All of the Republican candidates for president have argued for both deficit cutting and job programs. But a tilt in favor...

Newt TKO's Romney by 10!

With Rick Santorum’s performance tonight there will likely be pressure from the GOP establishment on the former Senator from Pennsylvania to drop out of the GOP presidential primary race. So far Santorum mirrors the 2008 Huckabee campaign, obviously because of the win over Romney in Iowa, but also the bare-bones structure of his campaign and lack of fundraising ability.

Romney aides tell Fox News they expect a second place finish based on exit polls.

LIVE5NEWS.COM POLL Who are you voting for in today's South Carolina Primary? Thank you for participating in our poll. Here are the results so far: Newt Gingrich 34% Ron Paul 34% Mitt Romney 17% Rick Santorum 15%

Newt Gingrich’s standing ovation Thursday night, when he attacked CNN moderator John King for asking about allegations that Gingrich wanted an “open marriage” with his second wife, told us little about South Carolina but much about human nature. The query, for which King has been exhaustively critiqued, was both necessary and inevitable. Forget the elephant in the living room; it was the herd in the powder room. SNIP In a nutshell: The more you pick on a person for human failings with which all can identify, the more likely you will create sympathy rather than antipathy, especially if that individual...

Given the abundance of options at the network, it's saying something to name Martin Bashir as the most noisome of MSNBC hosts. But so he is, in my book. Witness the low stunt Bashir pulled to open his show today, on the afternoon of the South Carolina primary. Bashir superimposed photos of the Republican candidates in front of a Confederate flag image. Lest their be any doubt as to the message Bashir meant to send, the screen graphic read "Rebel Yell." Oh those racist Republicans. View the video here.

Yeehawww!!!!! A big ol' Rebel Yell for the Palmetto State!

FOX News calls it for NEWT!! WOO HOO!!

Special Guests: S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: As we noted, we are only about 8 hours and 50 minutes away from the polls opening in South Carolina. And there is only a tiny, tiny, tiny gap between the two front-runners, and the other two candidates could pull off a big surprise tomorrow. That's why this race is so gripping. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley endorsed Governor Romney and has been hitting the campaign trail for him. Right now, in the latest poll, though, Governor Romney is number two. And she joins us. Governor Haley, welcome....

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- South Carolina Republicans went to the polls Saturday, poised to shake up the presidential campaign and deny Mitt Romney the easy victory he'd hoped might cap a march to the party's presidential nomination. Even before the South Carolina polls closed at 7 p.m. EST, it was clear that Palmetto State Republicans were refusing to go along with what days earlier appeared to be a Romney sweep to victory in their state. A new American Research Group poll released Saturday showed Gingrich with 40 percent of the vote, while former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney trailed at 26 percent....