Free Republic

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...

In a recent article published by The Daily Beast, its Washington bureau chief, Howard Kurtz, reasoned that if “moderate” Mitt Romney wins the Republican nomination for President, he’ll need to choose a running mate with the conservative bona fides to balance the ticket. While the notion that Mitt Romney is "on the verge of sewing up the Republican nomination" is still just a neo-con fantasy (especially in light of Ron Paul’s surging poll numbers and his respectable showing in Iowa and New Hampshire), pundits and soi disant opinion makers have suggested that the former Governor of Massachusetts choose a VP...

Newt Gingrich got the endorsement of Sarah Palin's husband, Todd, which is not nearly as valuable. If you’re a Republican who wants to be President, you’d rather have a Bush bless your candidacy than a Palin. Which is why Mitt Romney’s strategists and party pros shrug off Newt Gingrich’s endorsement by Sarah Palin’s husband Todd — and look at their shoes when asked whether former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will endorse Romney. “That would be nice,” a prominent Romney counselor squirmed when asked the question directly. But Jeb’s endorsement of a fellow retired governor is a question of when, not...

It’s no secret that Republican candidate Ron Paul is a favorite among liberal talk show hosts, but tonight Bill Maher vigorously defended the libertarian’s foreign policy positions and admitted they were more aligned with his own rather than President Obama. Maher fought with not just the panelists, but his own audience on this issue, dismissing most of them as “brainwashed liberals” unwilling to give Paul credit for taking a more progressive position on foreign issues than the president. Maher admitted that Paul is the only Republican candidate who can get him to “rise out of my chair and applaud.” And...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: I did not have cable TV on last night. I didn't. I was reading. I watched a couple of movies, but I did not have the TV on last night. (laughing) I take it back. One clarification. I did turn on Fox at about 7:55pm 'cause I wanted to hear O'Reilly read the e-mail. That's my favorite part of his show. And O'Reilly wasn't on. They were doing coverage from New Hampshire, and they were proclaiming Romney the victor. It was over. So Romney had his seven electoral votes. Okay, the only thing that interests me now...

If Rick Perry was a legitimate conservative (which I always warned he was not) he would have dropped out of the campaign today and endorsed Rick Santorum, Ron Paul or Newt Gingrich. Yet "Pay-for-Play" Perry stays in, and heads for South Carolina. So what's the deal? The big winner of Perry staying in, by far, is Mitt Romney. The big loser is the conservative movement and the candidates who appeal to that movement. Keeping in mind my long-held view that Perry is not conservative, just a "pay-for-play" guy, what is in it for Perry? 1. Perhaps Romney offered Perry a...

Mitt Romney's top ten is made up of Goldman Sachs, followed by Credit Suisse (Switzerland), Morgan Stanley, Barclays (UK), Bank of America and JP Morgan. In contrast Romney's co-frontrunner in Iowa, Ron Paul, has a top three donor list made up of the US Army, US Navy and US Airforce.

On Wednesday morning’s Red Eye, host Greg Gutfeld asked The Daily Caller‘s Tucker Carlson about Ron Paul’s surge in Iowa. “What happens if Paul wins Iowa? I wrote panic!” “Maybe Republicans (should) ask themselves why does this 70-ish weird guy have all of this support?” Carlson questioned. “What is he saying that’s resonating? And how do we address those concerns? Maybe people do care about the fed – soft money maybe they are not happy with Afghanistan. I mean, think it through a little bit!” Later, during the show’s regular Halftime Report segment, Andy Levy theorized that people liked Paul...

In 1992 Ron Pauls newsletter said this: ======================== Paul, writing in his independent political newsletter in 1992, reported about unspecified surveys of blacks."Opinion polls consistently show that only about 5 percent of blacks have sensible political opinions, i.e. support the free market, individual liberty and the end of welfare and affirmative action,"Paul wrote. Paul continued that politically sensible blacks are outnumbered "as decent people." Citing reports that 85 percent of all black men in the District of Columbia are arrested, Paul wrote: "Given the inefficiencies of what D.C. laughingly calls the `criminal justice system,' I think we can safely assume...

At this point, Rush Limbaugh‘s offensive against Rep. Ron Paul has become something of a regular feature on his program. So it’s not entirely surprising that Limbaugh’s anti-Paulism has seeped into his commercials, too– or at least in parody. This week, Limbaugh debuted a “pro” Rep. Paul ad that featured the “candidate” arguing “the greatest danger is not from Iran, it’s from us overreacting.” Surely this will go over well with Paul fans. “Ron Paul has recorded a commercial for us,” Limbaugh joked, before a commercial played featuring a fairly good (albeit a little caricatured) voice of Ron Paul arguing,...

Yes, he’s still governor. He’s “retired” only for benefits purposes, which means he can start collecting his pension while he’s still collecting a salary. It’s perfectly legal. Just … unhelpful. Perry makes a $150,000 annual gross salary as Texas govenor. Now, thanks to his early retirement, Perry, 61, gets a monthly retirement annuity of $7,698 before taxes, or $6,588 net. That raises his gross annual salary to more than $240,000… [T]he disclosure is sure to spark criticism of Perry, who has called for sweeping changes to Social Security for average workers and has railed against special “perks” that members of...

Political blogger Andrew Sullivan has made an endorsement among this year’s ever-thinning field crop of GOP presidential contenders, and it’s none other than Ron Paul. On his Daily Beast blog “The Dish,” Sullivan writes that, initially, he had his eye on Jon Huntsman, praising for the former governor of Utah’s tax reform proposals and his experience with foreign relations (particularly where China is concerned, as well as his level-headed approach and — as Sullivan puts it — his “conservative position” when it comes to global warming. However, Sullivan has been less than enthused with what he describes as Huntsman’s “mediocre...

One of the odd things I hear about from time to time from many of my libertarian colleagues and friends is their perception that Texas Republican Ron Paul is a rare model of purity in a political pigsty. I have many issues of agreement with Paul, particularly on health policy, and I've defended him publicly in the past on many of his calls for government reform. But this perception of Paul as a principled crusader who serves only the Constitution is at odds with his wholehearted embrace of typical pork-barrel politics - a difference which is all the more stark...

In the array of governors who turned to national politics — a collection that includes four of the last six presidents and a horde of contestants who didn’t make it — Rick Perry looks a lot more like Sarah Palin than like George W. Bush. And not just in his politics. Mr. Bush went from announcement to primary to the presidency without John McCain or Steve Forbes or the hanging chads in Florida turning him into a running punch line. Republicans made their examination and picked their guy. Mr. Perry got into this with all of the attributes Republicans were...

Ron Paul spoke tonight at Keene State College, and as is being reported nationally, was “mic checked” by Occupy Keeneat the end of his speech. The occupiers said: “We are the 99%! We will be heard! There are criminals on Wall Street who walk free, there are protesters in jail…There’s something wrong with this system. We are the 99%! We will be heard!” He handled it graciously by smiling throughout and then by asking them if they feel better. He was also sure to point out his agreement with the Occupy Wall St. movement, saying, “I’m very much involved with...

Covering Rick Perry's devastating inability to recall which third agency of government he'd eliminate, Guy hits it on head in observing that it's so damaging because it crystallizes every negative meme about the Perry candidacy. But even aside from style and/or political appearance points, the gaffe is profoundly worrisome on substance. Having done live TV, I can sympathize with a glitch. But the kind of stumble Perry made last night seems symptomatic of a candidate who is trying to memorize points for debate prep, rather than an off-moment for someone trying to expound on well-integrated personal knowledge or a deeply-held...

Most of us, if we read the LDN, are acquainted with a talented writer, Kathleen Parker, who writes for the Washington Post. She often has an article in the Lufkin Dai|y’s Opinion pages. Oh, she is good, even when making light of God in a whimsical way. ln her article, “The tease says she’s not running” (LDN - 10-10-2011), Kathleen gleefully slams Sarah Palin’s closeness to God by referencing that Palin “finally proves that there is a God.” Miss Parker, quoting Sarah Palin, “she and her husband Todd, devote ourselves to God, family and country, her decision,” she said, “maintains...

Last night’s CNN Republican presidential debate generated some new heat, but very little light on the issues conservatives and Tea Partiers really care about – the one exception being, and perhaps the most interesting exchange of the evening, was the discussion of the Occupy Wall Street protests between Congressman Ron Paul and businessman and former Federal Reserve Board Member Herman Cain. CNN’s liberal commentator Anderson Cooper posed to Herman Cain a question he received from Twitter, "How do you explain the Occupy Wall Street movement happening across the country? And how does it relate with your message?" Cain reiterated a...

Texas Governor and Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry suggested last week during a debate that opponent Mitt Romney (former Massachusetts governor who ran for president in 2008 before dropping out) was uncaring for questioning his stance on allowing the children of undocumented workers to pay in-state tuition to attend colleges and universities in the Lone Star State. Perry basically said those against such a proposition had no heart. There were echoes of boos and other disapproving outbursts from the largely white, conservative audience to the governor's statement. Romney responded by claiming that being against Perry's stance meant one had a...

<p>MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry said on Saturday he would get the U.S. military involved in Mexico's war with drug cartels, in comments likely to upset the Mexican government.</p> <p>The remarks appear to be a new misstatement on foreign policy by Perry, the Texas governor who is struggling to hold on to the mantle of frontrunner for the Republican nomination.</p>

Here is one more thing Rick Perry and some Democrats have in common: staunchly supporting AT&T's proposed merger with T-Mobile. Yet another thing they have in common? Receiving generous contributions from AT&T in recent years. On Thursday, North Carolina Congressman Heath Shuler joined 15 other House Democrats to write a pro-AT&T T-Mobile merger letter to President Obama. The letter rehashed AT&T's PR spin about how the deal would create jobs and bring more high-speed wireless coverage to America. Save the Internet pointed out that these Democratic politicians have collectively received $570,000 in campaign contributions from AT&T. "Either these members of...

Two weeks ago, it was Perry 44, Obama 41. Today, this. What happened? Oh … right. Although… Perry trails Obama by 15 percentage points among women and barely leads among men. Perry trails among voters under 40, runs even among 40-somethings and leads among those 50 and older. It’s worth remembering that most voters over 40 voted against Obama in 2008. Perry currently attracts just 71% of the Republican vote, while the president wins 85% of Democrats. Among voters not affiliated with either party, the race is a toss-up. His numbers among Republicans will soar if he’s the nominee, as...

Pearland Councilwoman Felicia Harris announced Thursday that she has filed to run for the Republican nomination in the 14th Congressional District, which will be vacated by Rep. Ron Paul as he focuses his efforts on running for president in 2012. “For the past three years, we have seen Barack Obama and his liberal supporters enforce their social justice agenda on our nation,” Harris said. “Under their leadership our economy has suffered, our freedoms have been threatened and more Americans than ever are dependent on the government. I am running for Congress to stop this assault on our fundamental principles and...

Des Moines-With her youthful wardrobe — platform sandals, polka-dotted toenails and skinny, low-cut jeans — Sarah Palin does not look like the buttoned-up, middle-aged Republican presidential contenders who've been traipsing around New Hampshire and Iowa for weeks. But here she is, just like them, sweeping into both states this weekend to give speeches on her way to, well, what? If she is to run for president, she said last month, she will have to decide by the end of September. Many Republicans with ample presidential campaign experience say her window is closing fast. Polls suggest that her indecisiveness may have...

As he enters the Republican presidential race, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is striking some red-meat notes on the subject of immigration. Border security, he says, is a federal responsibility -- and immigration reform will have to wait until the border is secured. Invoking his beloved 10th Amendment, he proposes that in the meantime states should have some latitude to set their own course on the subject. As for Texas, he suggests, unauthorized immigration will not be treated lightly; earlier this year he called for a state law to abolish sanctuary cities, although the bill never made it to his desk....

Link only due to copyright issues: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2011-08-15-perry-tea-party_n.htm?csp=34news

Per Ben Smith at Politico: @benpolitico Ben Smith Perry said just now, per WHO Radio’s ag reporter, that he supports a “safety net” of subsidies or tax breaks...for corn farmers. 38 minutes ago via UberSocial for BlackBerry

<p>As I have been saying, Perry is not a fit conservative candidate.</p>

As America bids farewell to the space shuttle era on Thursday, likely presidential candidate Rick Perry appears none too pleased with the Obama administration, accusing the president of “leaving American astronauts with no alternative but to hitchhike into space.” In a sharply worded statement issued by the governor of Texas -- the state is home to the Johnson Space Center -- Perry charges that the Obama Administration “continues to lead federal agencies and programs astray, this time forcing NASA away from its original purpose of space exploration, and ignoring its groundbreaking past and enormous future potential.”

Lurking behind the anticipation over Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s entrance into the Republican primary is a critical question: Can he take social conservatives away from their current favorite, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.)? Perry, to the surprise of many GOP operatives, seems to be aiming to be the darling of the social conservatives rather than to emphasize his impressive fiscal record. In other words, he’s aiming for Bachmann’s base. But it remains to be seen if that is wise. I met with a prominent social conservative leader with a vast grass-roots network. The leader acknowledged that there is a real danger...

After serving a total of 12 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas) has announced that he will not be seeking another term in the House so that he can concentrate fully on his bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. USA Today reports: "Paul, 75, told a local paper in his congressional district that he didn't want to be distracted by running two campaigns at once. The libertarian-thinking candidate, who has a devoted following among supporters of his small government views, is running in his third White House campaign." In an interview with local...

A poll unveiled this week from American Research Group shows that three Republican presidential candidates -- U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska -- are gaining serious momentum in Iowa, site of the first presidential caucus. Bachmann, who declared her candidacy in June and has been surging in polls at both the national and state levels, topped the poll with 21 percent. Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts placed second with 18 percent. Paul, who was the Libertarian candidate in 1988 and ran for the Republican nomination in...

As he weighs whether to jump into the 2012 Republican presidential race, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has been dialing GOP establishment bigwigs across the country. In phone calls that sometimes stretch more than a half hour, Perry asks the same questions: Is the door open for a new candidate? And how wide is it open? Perry is finding that a vast reservoir of the Republican Party establishment — broadly defined to include elected officials, donors, strategists and activists whose support fuels presidential campaigns — is so far untapped, according to interviews conducted Monday and Tuesday with 19 major donors, strategists...

Will the Lone Star state turn blue in 2012? It isn’t likely — unless Gov. Rick Perry jumps in the ring and clinches the Republican nomination, a new poll from the Public Policy Polling group found. In the poll’s match-ups, President Barack Obama loses Texas to every notable Republican except Perry and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. If the ballot came down to Perry and Obama, 47 percent of poll respondents said they would vote for Obama. Forty-five percent said they would cast a ballot for Perry. The most elected Republican in the poll? Mitt Romney. The poll found that...

Austin, Texas, 30 October 2009 — At the invitation of Texas State Governor Rick Perry, Mawlana Hazar Imam traveled to Austin yesterday to sign an Agreement of Cooperation between the State of Texas and the Ismaili Imamat. During the visit, Hazar Imam and Governor Perry also held talks at the State Capitol on a range of issues of mutual interest Describing the importance of the agreement, Governor Perry explained that “traditional Western education speaks little of the influence of Muslim scientists, scholars, throughout history, and for that matter the cultural treasures that stand today in testament to their wisdom.”

At a congressional hearing on Muslim radicalization in U.S. prisons, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said that investigators needed to analyze Christian militants in America because they too might try to “bring down the country.” In an exchange with witness Patrick Dunleavy, the former deputy inspector of the criminal intelligence unit, New York Department of Correctional Services, Rep. Jackson Lee mentioned the case of a man who blew up an abortion clinic and proposed that this perhaps was an attempt to undermine U.S. law that allows a woman to procure an abortion. Rep. Lee then said, “As we look to...

The Club for Growth has endorsed former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz (R), becoming the second national conservative organization this week to back him in the crowded GOP primary for retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's (R) seat. "Ted Cruz will fight for economic liberty and will be a stalwart defender of the U.S. Constitution," Club for Growth President Chris Chocola said in a Thursday statement. "He will be an ally for other pro-growth Senators and Texans will be proud to have him representing them in Congress. Club Members will do everything they can to see that Ted Cruz is elected...

AUSTIN (AP) -- Gov. Rick Perry ordered Friday that schoolgirls in Texas must be vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, making Texas the first state to require the shots. The girls will have to get Merck & Co.'s new vaccine against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, that are responsible for most cases of cervical cancer. Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass laws in state legislatures across the country mandating it Gardasil vaccine for girls as young as 11 or 12. It doubled its lobbying budget in Texas and has funneled money through Women in...

Once again, Gov. Rick Perry’s former liaison to the Legislature is working for the Spanish company that won the rights to develop the $7 billion Trans-Texas Corridor. Lobbyist Dan Shelley worked for the firm as a consultant just before he went to the governor’s office, a connection first revealed in 2004. State officials denied any connection between that circumstance and the decision, three months later, to award Cintra the huge highway contract. Now, Mr. Shelley has left the governor’s office, and he and his daughter have large contracts to lobby for the road builder. This week, Mr. Shelley had planned...

After a speech in Washington, DC, top republican lawmakers took notice of the presidential nature of Texas' governor. So will he make a run next year? Conservative blogger Bryan Preston weighs in with his thoughts. Read more: http://www.ktrh.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=426116&article=8601958#ixzz1MvcqSMm8

just askin...

Go ahead. Act surprised: It’s official: Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, will seek the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, he announced Friday on Good Morning America. “At this moment I am officially announcing that I am a candidate for president in the Republican primary,” Paul said. “Time has come around to the point where the people are agreeing with much of what I’ve been saying for 30 years, so I think the time is right.” Paul, a mouthpiece for all things small-government, has made the presidential leap of faith twice before: In 1988, as the Libertarian Party nominee, and in 2008, as...

I am getting a little sick hearing the flat out lies we are told about Republicans and protecting our US borders. Every nation has the right, and the obligation, to protect its borders. One argument we hear often is that we need the workers. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics this month says that we have 8.9% unemployment. “The number of unemployed persons (13.7 million) and the unemployment rate (8.9 percent) changed little in February. “ 8.9% is only the number of those who the tax payers are supporting through unemployment benefits. It does not count those who are...

I am getting a little sick hearing the flat out lies we are told about Republicans and protecting our US borders. Every nation has the right, and the obligation, to protect its borders. One argument we hear often is that we need the workers. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics this month says that we have 8.9% unemployment. “The number of unemployed persons (13.7 million) and the unemployment rate (8.9 percent) changed little in February. “ 8.9% is only the number of those who the tax payers are supporting through unemployment benefits. It does not count those who are...

n 2009 the Republicans tried to ensure the integrity of the ballet box, but true to form, the anti-integrity Democrats in the Texas House did what they do best when they are losing – They stalled the debate to ensure the bill would not pass and they could still cheat at the ballot box. May 24th 2009, The Houston Chronicle had a story titled “Voter ID Bill Puts House At Impasse.” The Democrats, being true to their personal anti-integrity beliefs, used scare tactics like saying that this “legislation will deny ballots to many minorities and elderly voters.” We all know...

Rove represents the worst of the elitist GOP establishment. Via NY Mag…One week before the 2010 midterm elections, Rove took aim at Sarah Palin, questioning the wisdom of her appearance on a reality show, Sarah Palin’s Alaska, if she really wanted to be taken seriously as a presidential candidate. Palin lacked the “gravitas” to be president, went a subhead in the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph. Rove later tried wriggling out of his comments, as well as observations he made in a German magazine that tea-partiers weren’t “sophisticated,” being unfamiliar, as Rove was, with intellectuals like the economist Friedrich August von Hayek....

The last election the Republicans won and they won big. I hope the newly elected understand that while yes the American People by and large are Conservatives, the election was not just the people saying we love you; the election was a cry for help. We want our nation back and the only way this will happen is for the Republicans to stay as mad, focused and we the people. The last time we gave Republicans control they killed themselves, Our Republican part and this nation is destroyed by getting power and then failing to use it to save our...

Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul is declining to offer his assessment of Sarah Palin’s libertarian appeal, or her chances of winning his endorsement in 2012. Paul, a politician not known to mince words, is withholding judgment on a potential Palin presidential campaign, according to Jeff Deist, Paul’s chief of staff. “[Congressman Paul] doesn’t comment on Palin, especially as she is not a candidate at this point,” Deist said. Palin has been subject to significant criticism from establishment Republican figures, as well as potential rivals for the Republican nomination in 2012. Barbara Bush said in November that she hopes Palin “stays...

God bless Texas and the wonderful people who make her great John, Sandy, Danley and Haley Cornyn

Sarah Palin wasted little time firing back at Barbara Bush, who used an interview with Larry King early this week to express her hope that Palin will stay in Alaska. "I think the majority of Americans don't want to put up with the blue bloods," Palin said on Laura Ingraham's radio show on Wednesday. "And I say it with all due respect because I love the Bushes. The blue bloods who want to pick and choose their winners instead of allowing competition to pick and choose the winners." While it's true that Barbara Bush remains a well-liked figure, particularly within...