Free Republic

Real Clear Politics Average as of 6/18/2015 12.7 Bush 11.7 Walker 10.7 Rubio 9.7 Carson 8.7 Huckabee 8.0 Paul 6.5 Cruz 4.5 Christie 3.5 Perry 3.2 Trump

Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, the funding arm of the political network backed by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, wants a lot more hard information from the crowded field of presidential contenders before deciding what to do with its considerable resources. The group is pressing every 2016 candidate to detail on the record their plans for economic growth, deficit reduction, entitlement reform, criminal justice and even foreign policy. The tax-exempt entity, a key node in a constellation of conservative entities that aims to spend $889 million before the next White House election, distributed a detailed survey Thursday to...

Donald Trump, the bombastic builder of Trump towers and Trump gambling casinos, is moving from his reality TV show to the theater of presidential elections. If he survives the first three months of mass media drubbing him and his notorious affliction of ‘leaving no impulsive opinion behind,’ he’s going to be trouble for the other fifteen or so Republican presidential candidates. Already the commentators have derided his massive egotitis – he said “I” 195 times in his announcement speech, not counting the 28 times he said “my” or “mine” or the 22 mentions of “me.” But Trump revels in self-promotion...

Ted Cruz said Saturday that the Confederate flag flying in front of their statehouse is “a question for South Carolina” to decide. He is not alone. Marco Rubio said the same: “This is an issue that they should debate and work through and not have a bunch of outsiders going in and telling them what to do.” Scott Walker and Carly Fiorina also feel it is an issue for South Carolina alone to decide. Funny. I seem to recall South Carolina trying to decide that issue in 1861, when on April 12 they opened fire on Fort Sumter, inaugurating the...

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - While Scott Walker's fellow Republicans were grousing about his budget plan and part of his proposal to overhaul higher education, the governor was more than 1,000 miles away, gripping the wheel of the Mt. Washington cruise boat on New Hampshire's Lake Winnipesaukee. And when lawmakers met Monday night to reach a final deal on other elements of that budget, the likely presidential candidate was in Canada on his fourth international trip in less than five months. Absentee governors are part of the political landscape when a presidential campaign begins and some want to run. There's no...

Raleigh looked like Iowa-lite over the weekend, with presidential candidates popping up everywhere. They gave speeches, worked the hallways, and posed for selfies at the three-day state GOP convention held at the Raleigh Convention Center. They met with potential donors and activists, attended fundraisers, and made pilgrimages to Jones Street. They hated Barack and Hillary, loved Reagan and Israel. And left the impression that Obamacare was only slightly better than radical Islamic terrorism. This is the result of the legislature moving up North Carolina’s presidential primaries from its traditional date in May to probably the first Tuesday in March –...

* Iowa Senator Joni Ernst and co. are taking off from a Harley-Davidson dealership this morning in Des Moines for a 39 mile ride to Boone * Ride honoring the nation's veterans attracted only one candidate for the White House: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker * Perry will also ride with a group of veterans to Ernst's first annual 'Roast and Ride' but he's starting in Perry, Iowa * Will keep the spotlight on Perry, who is making the journey with Taya Kyle, wife of 'American Sniper,' and Marcus Luttrell, the 'Lone Survivor' * A half a dozen current and presumed...

Popular Sen. Elizabeth Warren, still being urged to run for president, is calling Republican White House hopefuls Sen. Ted Cruz and front-runner Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker "scary," two potential presidents that could undo a decade of Democratic policies. "Just the thought of a possible President Ted Cruz or President Scott Walker is scary," she warned in an email to supporters. "But here's something even scarier: A President Ted Cruz or President Scott Walker with a Republican-controlled Senate – confirming extremist judges, repealing health care and financial reform, and rigging the system even further for the rich and the powerful," she...

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Rand Paul would notch a big victory in Washington just after midnight Monday if he follows through on his promise to block the renewal of the anti-terrorism law used to justify domestic spying programs. But back in Iowa, where Paul has tried to use the issue in recent days to revive his struggling presidential campaign, many Republican voters have responded with unease. Even some who stood in line to see Paul as he traveled the state last week said that they simply could not agree with his argument that the National Security Agency’s bulk data collection was...

Former U.S. senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole believes a governor, not a senator, will win the 2016 Republican nomination for president. “I think it’s going to be a governor,” Dole said Thursday after a commemorative event at Forbes Field. “I don’t know which one.” Two former governors have announced they will seek the Republican nomination: Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, and George Pataki, former governor of New York. Several other current and former governors are considering a presidential run, including Jeb Bush, of Florida; Rick Perry, of Texas; Scott Walker, of Wisconsin; Chris Christie, of New Jersey;...

Here’s how you profile Ann Coulter by the numbers. Job well done, Daily Beast! Lloyd Grove’s new piece has it all — multiple Ted Kennedy cracks, a sexy description of what she’s wearing, provocative but not too serious conversation about immigration, and finally an Adolf Hitler kicker. Here are the highlights! Ann Coulter arrives. The Daily Beast swoons: “She wears tight, seemingly painted-on jeans, a hint of midriff showing beneath her blouse; at 53, she still rocks that “Vixen of the Right” thing that once prompted Playboy to ask her to take it all off. In a rare display of...

Many Americans are taking on more liberal views but Ted Cruz is sticking with his social conservatism. But will his grassroots bible belt base be enough to get him elected in 2016? The 2016 presidential primary season is shaping up to be very interesting. And although some Democrats such as Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have already announced their candidacies, all eyes have undoubtedly been on the GOP field, which seems to be growing every day. The GOP has been struggling in recent years, with Americans becoming increasingly more liberal, especially when it comes to social issues like the war...

Link only due to copyright issues: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-05-24/koch-brothers-plan-to-fund-several-gop-2016-presidential-hopefuls?cmpid=yhoo

Mike Huckabee is not a serious Presidential contender, but he is bait for some of the Religious Right, and some “compassionate conservatives” who just can’t stomach hardball politics. Recently, Huckabee attacked Senator Ted Cruz comparing his zeal to that of General Custer at the Little Big Horn. Governor Huckabee said that Cruz was rash and inexperienced, and did not have a long term strategy like other Republican leaders. What a joke! I agree that Bush – Romney – Boehner – McConnell have a long term strategy. But that strategy includes amnesty for illegals and only minor tinkering with Obama Care....

WASHINGTON — They use words like “historic” and “charismatic,” phrases like “great potential” and “million-dollar smile.” They notice audience members moved to tears by an American-dream-come-true success story. When they look at the cold, hard political math, they get uneasy. An incipient sense of anxiety is tugging at some Democrats — a feeling tersely captured in four words from a blog post written recently by a seasoned party strategist in Florida: “Marco Rubio scares me.”

At a craft brewery in Hampton, New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton called out her Republican presidential opponents for sacrificing American jobs to appease the billionaire Koch Brothers and talk radio Tea Party extremists. In particular, Clinton criticized Republicans who want to dismantle the Export-Import Bank, which supplies loans and provides insurance to facilitate the sale of U.S. exports to international buyers. A number of Republican presidential contenders have gone on record in favor of killing the Export-Import Bank, a move that could potentially eliminate a significant number of American jobs in the process. Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Texas Senator Ted...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)Presumed 2016 Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker has faced serious backlash over his “flip-flop” on immigration reform and one prominent conservative journalist has gone so far as to refer to the Wisconsin governor’s spin on the issues as “Clinton-esque.” The Daily Caller’s Matt Lewis wrote on Wednesday: “This is really a remarkable example of political spin. According to Walker’s definition, you can change your mind as many times as you want — on as many hot-button issues as possible — so long as your past public support didn’t involve casting a vote. It’s a pretty convenient argument for a Midwestern...

Latin Post presents "Turnout," a series featuring leading Latino politicians, government leaders and advocacy groups discussing and debating the most important issues facing the Latino voting bloc. Listen to the Unedited "Turnout" Interview with People for the American Way's Coordinator for Political Campaigns Carlos Sanchez:(AUDIO-AND-VIDEO-AT-LINK)More than two-thirds of the U.S. Latino electorate live in six states -- Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, New York and Texas -- but one progressive advocacy organization has been working on having anti-Latino and anti-immigrant representatives accountable and heard for Latinos across the country, especially for the presidential election season. With people entering their names for...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)The road to the White House goes through downtown Oklahoma City this week as hopefuls in the crowded Republican field audition on a stage ideally suited for their messages about military power, religious liberty and energy independence. Eleven Republicans with presidential aspirations — including some who have not officially declared their candidacy — will speak at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, which begins at the Cox Convention Center on Thursday and ends Saturday with the release of a straw poll. “This is a huge event for Oklahoma City,” said Gov. Mary Fallin, who will address the conference and introduce some...

Longtime Republican volunteer Pam Johnson has a conundrum: She’s an avid supporter of Gov. Scott Walker, but she would rather not see him living in the White House. “I hope he doesn’t run” for president, the La Crosse woman said Saturday as she staffed the souvenir/information booth of the Republican Party of Wisconsin at the La Crosse Center. “He’s doing a good job for Wisconsin, and I know he can do more for Wisconsin, and I know he can do good for the nation,” Johnson said. “But I’m not ready to give him up.” Walker, who hugs Johnson whenever he...