Free Republic

ROBSTOWN, Tex. — Leon Little’s farm here near Corpus Christi would not be seized for Texas’s proposed $184-billion-plus superhighway project for 5 or 10 years, if ever. But Mr. Little was alarmed enough to show up Wednesday night with hundreds of his South Texas coastal neighbors to do what the Texas Department of Transportation has been urging: “Go ahead, don’t hold back.� Don’t worry. Texans have gotten the message, swamping hearings and town meetings across the state to grill and often excoriate agency officials about a colossal traffic makeover known as the Trans-Texas Corridor, a public-private partnership unrivaled in the...

If these were your choices for the Presidential nomination and his running mate, who would you pick? A) McCain/Huckabee B) McCain/Guliani C) Romney/Tancredo D) Romney/F. Thompson

When Tom Tancredo dropped out of the race and endorsed Mitt Romney, two of the key members of his Iowa team didn't follow suit. Bill Salier, who had been Tancredo's Iowa State Chairman, and Angie Anderson, who had served Tancredo as Iowa State Executive Director, both signed on with Team Fred and immediately began campaigning for Sen. Thompson. Salier and Anderson may have the highest profiles of the former Tancredo supporters who are now working for Fred Thompson, but they aren't the only ones. Many others have followed the pair over to Fred's campaign from the Tancredo effort, from campaign...

Duncan Hunter for president! Regular readers of my column know that I have enthusiastically supported Tom Tancredo for president. In fact, two years ago, I personally asked Tancredo to run for president because I feared there would be no Republican candidate offering real solutions to America’s crisis with illegal immigration and border security.

Conservative radio host and political pundit, Jed Babbin, did a great job of smacking the Associated Press around in an editorial in Human Events, today. Calling the AP "one of the most politically activist media outlets" out there and pointing out that the wire service is often "caught Hillary-handed," Babbin does a great job of handing the AP its hat. And Babbin warns that every candidate "who exudes a whiff of conservatism" will see the APs guns leveled upon them. To prove his case, Babbin uses the example of how the AP is doing it's level best to destroy the...

DES MOINES, Iowa – For three decades, the Republican presidential nominating contest has served to unify the national party’s coalition of social, economic and foreign policy conservatives in advance of a general election fight with Democrats. This year, it is ripping that coalition apart. Is the GOP grounded in the social issues embodied by Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee or the foreign policy experience of former POW John McCain? Do Republicans see their futures in a former CEO such as Mitt Romney, who promises to tackle Washington incompetence, or in a leader such as Rudy Giuliani, who talks tough on terrorism...

I'll admit it. I underestimated Tom Tancredo. I underestimated the impact he could make as a presidential candidate, particularly as a candidate who was polling, as many of us had predicted, around 2 percent. And yet, I had no idea he could take one issue and, with it, help make the Republican presidential race - and the country itself - an uglier, nastier and more mean-spirited place to be. He didn't do it by himself, of course. He wasn't even the lead player. You have to give that role to Lou Dobbs and the huge audience on his team. Still,...

Mike Huckabee is still supporting illegal immigration: So what happened to Tom Tancredo’s Iowa supporters after his ‘big announcement’ earlier this week? We know that the former-candidate threw his support behind Mitt Romney, but on Friday Tancredo’s Iowa state chairman Bill Salier announced that he was supporting Fred Thompson. And while riding through Muscatine on the Huckabus this week, Mike Huckabee was confronted by a very well informed former Tancredo staffer who argued with the Iowa frontrunner over the issue of immigration. Deb Miller described herself as “looking” for a candidate after her old boss dropped out of the race,...

Tom Tancredo may have gotten behind Mitt Romney yesterday, but the Tanc's top guy on the ground in Iowa will help out Fred. A retired Marine and active farmer, Bill Salier had served as Tancredo's Iowa state chair. He's a true believing social conservative who ran an uphill race in the '02 GOP Senate primrary that raised some eyebrows. In short: he's the sort of worker bee a campaign likes to have on its side. If Salier puts his shoulder to the wheel for Fred, he could be a major asset. M.E. Sprengelmeyer of the Rocky did a great profile...

Dear Tancredo Supporters:

Today, I present my handy guide to choosing a presidential candidate. I call it the Asteroid Test. Imagine this scenario: A mile-wide asteroid is hurtling toward Earth. Scientists say a collision is imminent and that it will obliterate life on the planet. Now ask yourself this: What would each presidential candidate do? (Disregard my own candidacy, which is strictly a Flip Side phenomenon.) Here's how I see some of our presidential hopefuls reacting when I run through the asteroid exercise: • Joe Biden: He would speak at great length on how to solve the crisis. His plan might not work,...

DENVER (AP) — Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo, whose forceful opposition to illegal immigration vaulted him to national prominence, plans to announce he is abandoning his long-shot bid for the presidency, a person close to Tancredo said Wednesday. The five-term Colorado congressman planned to make the announcement at a news conference in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday, the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak for Tancredo or his campaign. Tancredo's campaign would only say he planned a "major announcement" Thursday. Tancredo has consistently polled at the back of the nine-person GOP field. He...

Tom Tancredo’s presidential campaign is planning a “major announcement” tomorrow in Des Moines. PJM’s Richard Miniter thinks the Colorado congressman will likely drop out of the race and endorse Fred Thompson. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Tancredo presidential campaign is planning a “major announcement” at 2 PM tomorrow in Des Moines. The flash media advisory is here. “Major announcement” is code phrase used by the campaigns and understood by the press to mean “dropping out of the race.” (Some candidates have been known to abuse this unwritten understanding to win some attention for what turns out to be some boring policy speech. It...

The scuttle is: Rep. Tom Tancredo will drop out of the presidential race tomorrow and endorse either Mitt Romney or Fred Thompson.... neither of those candidates know who, just yet. But the scuttle is probably wrong. Tancredo has been critical of all his opponents, and, given his issue's saliency, he does not need to endorse. His party sounds like him, now, on immigration.

So I have taken my time in deciding which candidate I will endorse for President of the United States, but with the Iowa Caucuses coming up, it is indeed time for me to put up or shut up. Before I get to the candidate of my choice, it behooves me to discuss briefly a few of the other contenders. There's a lot more below. A whole lot more. Read on . . . First, there is Rudy Giuliani. His attractions are many. He is very smart, very serious and a significantly more disciplined as a candidate for President than he...

Virginia's Democratic primary voters will find six names on their ballots, including U.S. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Barack Obama of Illinois, and Joe Biden of Delaware. The other Democratic contenders in Virginia will include Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, and Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich. The six Republicans who will appear on the February 12th GOP ballot include Arizona Senator John McCain, Former Senator Fred Thompson of Tennessee, Former Governors Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Texas Congressman Ron Paul. U.S....

Though I have formally endorsed no candidate, I made no secret of the fact that my favorites are Tancredo and Rep. Duncan Hunter – both, admittedly, long shots to get the Republican nomination. Bu I feel compelled to offer some more encouragement to Tancredo for his decision to boycott the recent Spanish-language debate. And he was the only candidate to do so. Tancredo got it right. "If they can't understand the English language, then, of course, they shouldn't be citizens," Tancredo explained. "They shouldn't be voting. And we shouldn't be pandering to them." That's what I like about Tancredo. Simple....

Click on thread link & let him know, if you so desire... oreilly@foxnews.com

Republican Presidential Candidate Debate #12 – Johnston, Iowa 12/12/07 - Official Discussion Thread Live at 2PM EST on Iowa Public Television, CNN, C-SPAN3, Fox News Channel, C-SPAN Radio, and Fox News Radio Candidates participating: Rudy Giuliani Mike Huckabee Duncan Hunter Alan Keyes John McCain Ron Paul Mitt Romney Tom Tancredo Fred Thompson Live streaming at desmoinesregister.com

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - It's crunch time in the presidential race. Nine Republican and six Democratic candidates will meet this week in their final debates before the lead off Iowa caucuses, and lively exchanges are expected. The back-to-back debates -- Republicans on Wednesday, Democrats on Thursday -- come as both races in Iowa are toss-ups with just three weeks left before the voting begins. On the GOP side, Mike Huckabee, has vaulted to the front, overtaking longtime leader Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor. Among Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton is locked in a three way race in Iowa with...

Editor’s Note: By participating in the historic Spanish-language debate on Univision, Republican candidates finally realized that they need Latino votes. But is it “too little, too late?" NAM editor Elena Shore monitors Spanish language media. The first Spanish-language Republican presidential candidate debate couldn’t have come at a better time for the GOP. Latino support for the Republican Party has dropped substantially when the Latino vote is more important than ever. The candidates’ jostling over who is tougher on immigration has alienated Latinos even further. Seven of the eight Republican presidential candidates showed up at the University of Miami Sunday with...

There is, in fact, a dime's worth of difference between the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. Why, on immigration, the difference can get into real money. The Democratic candidates were sitting around a big table in a radio studio the other day participating in an altogether civil and restrained debate on National Public Radio. There were no rallying supporters in the room to rile partisan passions and agitate competitive energy. The long-form format by which only three topics were discussed, those being Iran, China and immigration, served thoughtfulness over rancor. The moderator asked the hopefuls if they believed they should...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- As dark-horse candidates often leave footprints on the political trail, three Republicans vying for the presidential nomination may have an impact on the health care debate. For instance, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who went from obese to svelte, is a passionate advocate of primary prevention these days. (In single digits in polls for most of the year for the nomination, he's surged into a dead heat in the past week with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the Iowa caucuses). In this article in the Campaign '08 series, we'll highlight Huckabee's views on health care...

So, too, has a striking increase in the number of Californians who blame illegal immigration for the state's problems. "There is more unity among Republicans in this state on illegal immigration than on anything else, including taxes," said Tom Hudson, chairman of the Republican Party in Placer County, near Sacramento, one of the most conservative counties in the state. Among the GOP candidates, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has seized the issue with vigor, and U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado has made border security the centerpiece of his long-shot campaign, even airing a campaign commercial comparing illegal immigration with...

TeamTancredo.org has released a new video...CONSEQUENCES

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Presidential hopeful John Edwards inadvertently made the late night comedy shows this year when his campaign spending reports included two $400 haircuts. Now Mrs. Edwards has joined other candidates helping a Concord hair stylist who wants to turn the controversy into help for a good cause. David Holden owns Hair Biz on Main Street, a couple of doors away from an Edwards campaign office. After the Democratic former senator's haircut made news last spring, Holden challenged presidential hopefuls to come in for $400 haircuts of their own, promising to donate all of the proceeds to autism...

Who do you want to be the Republican Presidential nominee? Rudy Giuliani Mike Huckabee Duncan Hunter John McCain Ron Paul Mitt Romney Tom Tancredo Fred Thompson

CNN is defending its job in vetting questions for last night's debate, reports Politico's Kenneth Vogel: The retired general who quizzed Republican presidential candidates about gays and lesbians in the military was not the only person linked to a Democratic presidential candidate who got to ask a question at Wednesday’s CNN/YouTube debate. CNN also aired questions from supporters of Democratic candidates John Edwards and Barack Obama. And that’s fine by the network, which is standing by its question selection process and lashing out at critics who say the debate demonstrated CNN’s liberal bias. “We’re focused on the questions, not the...

Republican Presidential Candidate Debate #10 – St. Petersburg, Florida 11/28/07 - Official Discussion Thread CNN will hold this debate, hosted by Anderson Cooper, with submitted questions in video form via YouTube. 8pm ET/5pm PT Hosted by Anderson Cooper Candidates participating: Rudy Giuliani Mike Huckabee Duncan Hunter John McCain Ron Paul Mitt Romney Tom Tancredo Fred Thompson

WASHINGTON - He's a good 'ol awshucks guy, a conservative southern politician known for his folksy charm and quick wit on the Republican campaign trail. ~snip But former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, written off for months as an underfunded underdog with little chance of winning the presidential nomination, is attracting more than laughs these days. ~snip Huckabee, 52, has become the darling of conservative Christians in Iowa with a sudden surge in popularity that threatens to upend the first state caucuses for the 2008 presidential race on Jan. 3. ~snip "These are folks who walk around feed lots enough to...

TOM TANCREDO: Illegal immigrants. MITT ROMNEY: It's becoming too cold for flip-flops. MIKE HUCKABEE: Splenda. RON PAUL: The Internet. HILLARY CLINTON: A successful question-planting season. JOHN EDWARDS: No after-school detention for being tardy. FRED THOMPSON: The writers' strike. Maybe now somebody will have time to give him something interesting to say. JOE BIDEN: No time limit on Thanksgiving Day toast. JOHN MCCAIN: Not being tied up this holiday. BARACK OBAMA: The Obama girl. CHRIS DODD: A foxy wife. RUDY GIULIANI: November isn’t Gay Pride Month. DENNIS KUCINICH: Wife’s tongue stud.

Describing the United States as "the last best hope" for carrying on the ideals of western civilization, Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo called last night for an end to the nation's "bilingualization" and "Balkanization."... Tancredo's comments didn't go unchallenged...."I speak the same language as the people that flew into the towers; I speak the same language as all the Iraqis we are killing; I speak many languages, and I'm proud of it," said Siham Elhamoumi, 22, who recently graduated from St. Michael's College in Vermont..."Am I the enemy?" Elhamoumi then pulled her shawl over her head, so it covered her...

The GOP has divided like some amoeba on a glass slide under a microscope. There are the Globalists that continue to warn the various GOP candidates and politicians that they will damage their political careers if they take the side of those wanting to seal the border and strictly enforce existing immigration laws. They blame the discontent by GOP voters on the Iraq War, run-away federal spending and scandalous behavior by elected GOP politicians. They delight in pointing to the downfall of those who have taken strong enforcement first stances. J.D. Hayworth lost his congressional seat in Arizona after taking...

In politics, the surest path to irrelevance and powerlessness is to be taken for granted by one party and written off by another. That's the road Latinos are on, thanks to major blunders by the Republicans campaigning for president. In June, all but California's Duncan Hunter blew off an invitation to address the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. In September, a debate on Spanish-language television had to be postponed after all but Arizona Sen. John McCain refused to commit. After taking criticism for the snub, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney have committed to taking part...

In the most florid criticism I can recall a network "correspondent" leveling at a major party presidential candidate, MSNBC's David Shuster has branded Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) a border-control "fanatic." The editorializing came in the course of Shuster's report during today's 5 PM ET "Hardball," which included an update on the GOP primary. DAVID SHUSTER: No television commerical in Iowa is generating as much heat as the one just unveiled by Republican Tom Tancredo, a border-control fanatic. View video here.

The Iowa Republican Party and Fox News Channel announced today plans for a Dec. 4 debate of the GOP presidential campaigns in Des Moines. The Tuesday evening event is scheduled for Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines and comes as the race to the Jan. 3 caucuses enters its final month. It was unclear who would attend, although only those candidates who had support of at least 5 percent of those surveyed in recent national polls or The Des Moines Register’s Iowa Poll are invited, Iowa GOP officials said. That would include former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former New York Mayor...

Since Fred Thompson officially entered the presidential playoffs, I have been fascinated by some of the criticisms of him by the media, and even by some Conservatives. You know the main card played against Thompson has been the lazy card. Lazy? No, Thompson is laid back; he is not a rah-rah kind of person. Frankly, I enjoy that about him. I have worked with many rah-rah types and many laid-back types as well. Give me the steady, calm, laid back person any day. Another criticism of Thompson has been that he has offered no specifics on any of his ideas....

Rep. Tancredo to Retire From House at End of Next Term Monday , October 29, 2007 AP DENVER — Rep. Tom Tancredo plans to leave the U.S. House of Representatives at the end of 2008, whether his longshot presidential bid is successful or not, the Rocky Mountain News reported. "It's the fact that I really believe I have done all I can do in the House, especially about the issue about which I care greatly (immigration)," Tancredo, 61, told the newspaper Sunday night.

"I was conservative yesterday, I'm a conservative today, and I will be a conservative tomorrow," declared Fred Thompson to the Conservative Party of New York, billing himself as the "consistent conservative" in the GOP race -- in contrast to ex-mayor Rudy Giuliani. In his defense, Rudy cites George Will as calling his eight years in office in the Big Apple the most conservative city government in 50 years. And, truth be told, Thompson was reliably conservative in his Senate years. But so, too, has John McCain been, and Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo. Hunter, however, splits with Thompson...

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) lashed out at Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) on the Senate floor Wednesday, a day after the GOP lawmaker had asked federal authorities to arrest some participants in a staff briefing on immigration. Tancredo, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination on a platform of a tough immigration policy, suspected that some people present at the briefing were in the country illegally. Durbin is sponsoring the DREAM Act, legislation that would allow “certain long-term undocumented immigrant children to go to college or join the military if they meet stringent requirements.” The staff meeting featured individuals who...

WASHINGTON, D.C. ) – Representative Tom Tancredo (R-Littleton) today released a statement regarding an event Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) reportedly plans to hold in conjunction with discussion of the DREAM ACT – an event that will be attended by several illegal aliens. “I call on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency to detain any illegal aliens at this press conference. Just because these illegal aliens are being used for political gain doesn’t mean they get immunity from the law.” “If we can’t enforce our laws inside the building where American laws are made, where can we enforce them?” Tancredo alerted...

Hunter and Tancredo Make the Presidential Race a Choiceless ChoiceTwo presidential candidates know what to do before you ask them. None of them are to be found on the democratic side of the table. So if you didn’t know it already I just saved you a lot of time, but I also question your smarts. In fact, it is now safe to say that without exception all the current crop of democratic candidates are actually either socialists or communists. What’s the matter? You didn’t see that either? That simple sentence about democrats being socialists or communists is enough to make...

The Boston Globe’s lead: "The eight Republican candidates for president held a fiery debate last night filled with charges and confrontations about who is a true conservative and "real Republican" as they defended their stands on issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and taxes." The Los Angeles Times headlines the Thompson-Giuliani skirmishes. And it adds, "With groans and cheers, more than 3,000 spectators in the convention hall punctuated the scrappy back-and-forth among the candidates." The New York Times: “The debate stood out for the intensity and personal nature of the exchanges, as Republicans tried to distinguish themselves — a tactic...

<p>WASHINGTON — One of the most contested states in presidential politics is center stage Sunday night as FOX News airs a Republican candidates primary debate in Orlando, Fla., that is sure to be used by the 2008 contenders as a chance to cater to the party's conservative base.</p>

Republican Presidential Candidate Debate #8 – Dearborn, Michigan 10/09/07 - Official Discussion Thread CNBC/MSNBC/The Wall Street Journal are jointly sponsoring the first Republican Presidential debate of the 2008 campaign focusing on economic issues. It will be held on October 9 in Dearborn, Michigan at the University of Michigan-Dearborn at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center. Broadcast is live on CNBC at 4 PM ET (1 PM PT) and re-broadcast on MSNBC at 9 PM ET (6 PM PT). CNBC's Maria Bartiromo and MSNBC's Chris Matthews will host the debate. Live streaming on CNBC.com Candidates participating: Sam Brownback Rudy Giuliani...

Third-quarter fundraising for the 2008 presidential candidates has wrapped up, and as money provides a good gauge for the continued viability of a candidate, some candidates need to consider hanging it up. Frankly, Congressman Duncan Hunter (R., Calif.) and Senators Joe Biden (D. Del.), Sam Brownback (R., Kan.), Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.), John McCain (R., Ariz.) and Tom Tancredo (R., Colo.) need to get back to work... Sen. McCain, meanwhile, continues to disappoint. He raised $5 million this quarter and still carries about $2 million in debt. His campaign has mulled over accepting public financing. He received a dead-cat bounce...

Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo has pulled out of Saturday's Republican presidential forums in Casper and Riverton. His campaign confirmed the cancellation late Wednesday night in a telephone message, said Cat Urbigkit, a state Republican Central Committee member from Pinedale. “It's quite disappointing,” Urbigkit said Thursday. “But we are still pretty excited about the candidates who are going to be here.” Actor and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson confirmed Thursday that he will attend the forum at Casper College, which may be his first public appearance with other GOP candidates. Thompson will not attend a second forum at Central Wyoming College...

CHEYENNE -- Getting the national media spotlight to shine on Wyoming politics is a little like getting sunlight to the floor of the rainforest. But the state GOP has chopped away some of the old growth lately by joining a handful of states jockeying for early presidential caucuses and primaries. Wyoming's early county conventions has also attracted an unprecedented four presidential candidates to forums this weekend in Casper and Riverton, including former Tennessee senator and "Law and Order" TV star Fred Thompson. The early conventions were the brainchild of Tom Sansonetti, the longtime GOP activist, former Justice Department official and...

Republican Presidential Candidate Debate #7 – Baltimore, Maryland 09/27/07 - Official Discussion Thread All-American Presidential Forum on PBS Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland September 27, 2007, 9:00 pm-10:30 pm ET (check your local PBS listings) Moderated by Tavis Smiley. Candidates participating: Sam Brownback Mike Huckabee Duncan Hunter Alan Keyes Ron Paul Tom Tancredo Journalists involved... Ray Suarez is a Washington-based Senior Correspondent who joined The NewsHour in October 1999. Suarez has thirty years of varied experience in the news business. Cynthia Tucker is the editorial page editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist whose work appears in...

Over the past four months, Rasmussen Reports polling has consistently shown Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani holding the top two slots in the race for the Republican Presidential Nomination. During that time, the weekly poll results have shown Thompson’s support ranging from a low of 20% to a high of 28%. Giuliani’s range has been similar, from 19% to 27%. Although Thompson and Giuliani are the frontrunners, both men still have plenty of detractors who say they can’t possibly win the nomination. For the week ending September 23, it’s Thompson 26% and Giuliani 22%. Occupying a precarious niche somewhere between...