Free Republic

Mitt Romney had a horrible, horrible night. Early yesterday, Mitt Romney’s campaign called Missouri a “beauty contest” and said to focus on Colorado. We did. Wow. I’ve said since Sunday that yesterday would be the first day of voting that Mitt Romney’s “poor” comment to Soledad O’Brien would have an impact. It typically takes a week for comments like that to be digested by voters. Six days after Romney opened his mouth, Rick Santorum swept the night. From Missouri to Minnesota to Colorado the Republican electorate sent a very clear signal — they want conviction over electability. They do not...

South Carolina Saturday, January 21, 2012 Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has won the South Carolina primary. In remarks at his SC headquarters, Gingrich said "thanks to everyone in South Carolina who were with us to change Washington." He also stated that it was "very humbling and very sobering to see so many people who want to get their country back on the right track." Updated: Saturday at 10:07pm (ET)

...According to today’s Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Costa told House Republican lawmakers that officials examined cases over a three-month period and found thousands of Medicaid cases that should have been closed under existing state laws. He contended that previous administrators failed to consistently monitor eligibility and enforce regulations. It is believed that the Dept. of Public Welfare can save over a hundred million by cleaning up Medicaid rolls when it is all said and done. It’s both refreshing and good news for Pennsylvania taxpayers that the folks in Gov. Corbett’s administration are rolling up their sleeves, cracking open the books, and cleaning...

Forget the eye-rolling. Let’s look at the numbers. Herman Cain is ahead of Romney in virtually all of the polls conducted in the past two weeks. In both Iowa and nation-wide Cain leads Romney by 30% to 22%,according to Public Policy Polling, a respected pollster. Meanwhile the latest NBC-Marist poll puts Cain ahead of Romney in South Carolina by 30%-26%, and shows Cain and Romney neck-and-neck in Florida. Cain leads in Ohio by 15%, and in Hawaii by 12%. Only in New Hampshire does Romney stubbornly hold a solid double-digit lead (15%).

...What made the Fairness Doctrine so abhorrent was that it granted the FCC to determine what broadcasts were “fair and balanced” and mandate broadcasters give equal weight to opposing points of view. While it was deemed unconstitutional in 1987 and subsequently unenforced, some Democrats have brought up the idea of once again implementing the Fairness Doctrine in the past couple of years. On the elimination of the Fairness Doctrine, Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) stated: “The federal government should not be in the business of regulating speech. By permanently eliminating the so-called Fairness Doctrine, we’ll ensure that markets, not the government,...

Florida has decided to finally protect the 2nd Amendment at the state level and eliminate onerous restrictions that many municipalities and communities have enacted against gun rights.

Organized labor and the professional left didn't do a very good job of controlling expectations leading into last night's recall elections in Wisconsin. The conventional wisdom held that Democrats would pick off at least three of the six Republican incumbents eligible for recall, enough to flip control of the upper chamber. This would deal a severe blow to Gov. Scott Walker and the labor reform movement across the country. That didn't happen. Republicans successfully defended four seats, including all three toss-ups. In the end, Democrats were only able to recall Sen. Dan Kapanke, who represented a very blue district, and...

Michigan is currently in a lonely group of two states (with Vermont) that dole out unlimited lifetime welfare. That means welfare recipients can receive welfare their whole life and never go off these payments. Thankfully, this will no longer be the case. The Legislature passed a bill that would limit the ability to receive state welfare to 48-months. Governor Rick Snyder (R) has said he supports this legislation and will sign it as soon as it hits his desk. The bill is expected to save taxpayers $77 million. Michigan has long been one of the biggest welfare states in the...

For women that are struggling to get pregnant, the choice to undergo therapy or treatment is an agonizing process. There are no words to describe the pain and emotional anguish that these women are forced to face. And no matter what choice is decided, the decision to make any choice at all is a silent battle. According to Sky News, an IVF lottery by a U.K charity called To Hatch is offering a lottery for anyone that wishes to be a prospective parent. Sky News reported: The Gambling Commission has granted a licence to charity To Hatch, tickets for the...

Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich) announced yesterday that House Republicans will not be extending a harmful tax on jobs, known as the FUTA surtax: “The time was October 1976. KC and the Sunshine Band encouraged Americans to 'Shake Your Booty' and the Bee Gees proclaimed that 'You Should Be Dancing.' And Congress created a supposedly 'temporary' Federal unemployment tax on jobs, sometimes called the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) 'surtax.' Today, after 35 years and eight separate extensions of this provision, the surtax will expire as House Republicans, led by Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) have refused to...

Reports are surfacing today that suggest Democrats are conceding their demand for tax hikes is a non sequitor in the debt limit negotations. After the President's laughable attempt yesterday to blame the government's spending problem on tax treatment of corporate jets (policy he has previously supported) it is clear any discussion involving taxes represents a non-serious approach to the debt limit debate. The Hill reports today that in an effort to save face on the negotiations, Democrats are hoping to net Republican support for defense spending cuts. As we pointed out in the fall, conservatives should have no problem supporting...

Rep. Jim Jordan, Chairman of the House Republican Committee, is calling for a three-pronged approach for confronting the government's overspending problem ahead of the debt limit debate. Recognizing that Washington's spending addiction is both a short and long-term problem, Chairman Jordan is circulating a letter amongst his colleagues requesting three proposals form the basis for Republican bargaining on the debt ceiling. They are: "Cut" - cut the deficit in half next year"Cap" - establish statutory spending caps that bring federal spending from 25 percent of GDP today to 18 percent"Balance" - institute a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution with...

CHICAGO (Reuters) – The sign at the entrance to President Barack Obama's new 2012 campaign headquarters says: "Respect. Empower. Include. Win." A swarm of reporters got a sneak peak at the Obama's headquarters on Thursday at a downtown Chicago office building. The 50,000 square-foot space occupying a full floor of the building, is mostly open except for rows of tables sparsely populated by roughly 50 staffers and volunteers. The number of campaign operatives will be increased during Obama's re-election bid and Campaign Manager Jim Messina and other operatives said the space's organization reflects Obama's grassroots campaign style, which is open...

...The tax reform package, which will pave the way for the forthcoming budget, builds off Gov. Snyder’s tax reform proposal. The reforms eliminate the Michigan Business Tax and replace it with a 6 percent flat corporate rate, while eliminating credits and deductions. Eighteen members of the Michigan House have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, promising their constituents to “oppose and vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.” Since the reform package amounts to a $712 million net tax cut, it is consistent with the Pledge... Read more: http://www.atr.org/michigan-house-passes-tax-cut-reform-a6106#ixzz1Kwth7nqv

Bashar Assad has launched all-out war on his people. Tanks firing artillery, APCs, infantry units, commandoes and snipers were deployed for the first time at daybreak Monday, April 25 in cities across Syria for the most brutal assault on any Arab anti-government protest in the four-month uprising. In the first few hours, hundreds are estimated to have been massacred (over and above the 350 shot dead in the last three days) and thousands injured. Denied medical attention, they are left in the streets to die. The military offensive to break the back of the uprising is led by his younger...

The Oklahoma Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would repeal a 2004 law requiring cities with more than 35,000 people to grant collective bargaining rights to non-uniformed city employees. The bill, HB 1593, passed 29-19 in the Senate after already passing the House and now heads to Republican Governor Mary Fallin’s desk where she is expected to sign the bill into law. The bill only applies to non-uniformed personnel in 12 Oklahoma municipalities. The law would not apply to teachers, police and firefighters. Four of those cities - Muskogee, Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa - had collective bargaining agreements in...

Results from Wisconsin counties show a conservative state Supreme Court justice has won re-election in a race seen as a referendum on Republican Gov. Scott Walker's divisive union rights law. County tallies show Justice David Prosser defeated JoAnne Kloppenburg by 7,316 votes. State election officials must review those numbers before declaring an official winner. They say they won't start that process until Kloppenburg has a chance to request a recount. She has until Wednesday. Kloppenburg, a little-known state attorney, got a boost after supporters worked to turn anger over the union law against Prosser. The race was too close to...

Dems too crazy to winBy Cheri Jacobus - 04/07/11 06:29 PM ET Fiscal sanity versus the ruination of America. That seems to be where the budget debate lies. The Republican budget proposal to eliminate some $6 trillion in federal spending over the next decade and eliminate the deficit in 30 years is shocking — but only in the sense that the situation has become so out of hand, so insanely ridiculous, it will take at least that much and that long to right the wrongs of Washington. The insanity of fiscal policy that promotes an unsustainable chasm between spending and...

Though you won't hear about this one in the New York Times, Governor Palin scored another win yesterday. More than 18 months after her resignation as Governor of the State, she continues to fight legal battles that began following her 2008 run with John McCain to lead our nation. This win comes from the Alaska Supreme Court, which issued a ruling yesterday clearing her and then Alaska Attorney General, Talis Colberg. In November 2008, following her return from the Vice Presidential trail, Governor Palin came under unprecedented legal attack. Among those legal challenges was a law suit filed by Ben...

On Wednesday evening, Wisconsin state senators finally voted to end collective bargaining for government employees, bringing to a close three weeks of protests and public controversy. Upon hearing the news, leftist demonstrators outside the state capitol went berserk, forcing the Republican senators to leave the capitol. The vote sidestepped Senate Democrats’ much-reported stalling tactic of fleeing the state to prevent a quorum. Instead of waiting until their absent colleagues deigned to do their jobs, last night the Republicans removed fiscal provisions within the bill, enabling passage without a 20 member quorum. The final vote was 18 Republicans in favor, 1...

Knights of Columbus to reassemble the creche in front of the borough building as part of a larger holiday display as soon as Tuesday ---snip--- Members of council after the meeting said they expected the nativity to be back in its place in front of the borough building as soon as Tuesday morning. It will join the Christmas tree, wreaths and other holiday decorations already on the lawn. After the vote, Milioto applauded the residents of Canonsburg for their tenacity and cooperation through the process. "Tonight was a display of peaceful government working together," he said, acknowledging that all of...

"I'd rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president," President Obama told Diane Sawyer of ABC News in January 2010. Liar. President Obama has a pattern when it comes to his political rhetoric. If he talks about foreign policy, he tells the truth; if he talks about domestic policy, he lies. That's because President Obama feels that while the rest of the world deserves honesty, the American people can be manipulated for their own good.Normally, President Obama has utilized this dichotomy of dissemblance to press for socialism, both foreign and domestic

When transporting drugs in your vehicle, remember to always signal. Otherwise you might end up like 18-year-old Art Taylor who, upon being pulled over for not signaling, freaked out and swallowed a bag of cocaine. His mugshot says it all...(more at link)

If the polls are any indicator, these elections portend a revolution: one that could resemble the Reagan Revolution in raw political force, thanks to the tea party movement. As the congressional campaign season hits its homestretch, it is readily apparent that there will be more at stake in these mid-term elections than at any time since 1994. They present us not simply with the choice of Republican candidates versus Democrats, but of candidates fighting for small government versus those that support the swollen beast liberalism has created. In truth, the views of Sarah Palin are pitted against those of House...

Texas Rangers Notch First World Series Win October 30, 2010 8:55 PM ARLINGTON (AP) – Mitch Moreland hit a three-run homer in the second inning, Josh Hamilton added a solo shot in the fifth and the Texas Rangers beat the San Francisco Giants 4-2 on Saturday night to close to 2-1 in the World Series. With former President George W. Bush watching from a front-row seat, winner Colby Lewis allowed two runs and five hits in 7 2-3 innings. Neftali Feliz pitched the ninth for the save, completing a five-hitter. Down 4-0, San Francisco came back on solo home runs...

I just finished a review of the CA House races, reading all the polls, forecasts, and projections. It looks like there are 12 races that are mostly off the radar and mostly un-polled where a Republican has a chance to pickup democrat seats. In CA-1 Loren Hanks(R) has an opponent who has voted with Pelosi 98.5% of the time. Hanks is a solid conservative and needs support. http://www.hanksforcongress.com In CA-11 David Harmer has a slight lead in recent polls of Jerry McNerney. He is well funded but could still use help. http://www.harmerforcongress.com There is no reason that there should be...

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Kyle Busch made NASCAR history Saturday night with an unprecedented sweep of three national races in one week, completing the trifecta with a victory in the Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Opponents of immigration enforcement are calling the temporary injunction against parts of Arizona's anti-illegal-immigration law a death blow to state enforcement. The Mexican American Legal Defense Fund called it a “warning to other states” that want to enact similar legislation. As the author of the new law, SB 1070, I can honestly say that July 29, when the pared-down law went into effect, was a victory. Many key provisions are still in effect. Local police have more power to enforce immigration laws. Sanctuary cities are outlawed. Illegal day laborers are likely to be arrested and the employers' trucks that pick

Chris Matthews, during his syndicated The Chris Matthews Show over the weekend, warned viewers that a big win for Republicans in the upcoming midterms could lead to a bunch of "oddballs" coming to Washington. Matthews, citing a New York magazine article by Jennifer Senior, alerted his audience that if the Tea Party is successful in November it could be reminiscent of the Republican class of 1994 when a bunch of "nutty standouts" arrived. Matthews then went on to list two groups of Republicans who were elected in 1994 and placed them in two groups: "the black helicopter crowd

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been hammered for months from the left and right, with prognosticators in both parties predicting that Nevada voters will send him packing come November. But Reid, his reelection team and some Senate Democratic insiders are eyeing a bank shot to victory — one that involves enough voters picking third-party candidates or even “none of the above” to let Reid win reelection with less than 50 percent of the vote. Reid trails former Nevada Republican Party Chairwoman Sue Lowden by 8 percentage points in a head-to-head matchup, according to a poll released Sunday by the...

INDIANAPOLIS – So Butler went nearly 11 second-half minutes without a basket and won. The Bulldogs shot 30.4 percent from the field and beat Michigan State 52-50 anyway. They dished just five assists and got outrebounded and the Bulldogs – the Butler Bulldogs! – are going to play for the national title on Monday. And you want to discount their chances now? Butler in the finale is improbable. The last school from a smaller conference without a major football program to play for the title was Indiana State in 1979. The Sycamores had Larry Bird though. Butler, on the other...

My fellow disappointed conservatives, former conservatives, and disgusted conservatives, it is time for all good Republicans to come to the defense of David Frum and to endorse his critique of radical right-wing talk-show rhetoric. If you've left the party in disgust, call up your friends who are still members and get them to do it for you. I am not writing this because David Frum is my friend, although he is. I am writing this because I have just come back from London, where I got a close-up look at the state of the British Conservative Party, once the intellectual...

Work at FIRE long enough, and sooner or later you're bound to think you've seen it all when it comes to censorship on campus. After nearly four years here, I certainly thought I could no longer be shocked by the suppression of student speech. But a story from East Texas this week has floored me. Here's what happened: On February 25, Texas A&M-Commerce's student newspaper The East Texan featured a front-page story reporting that two members of the school's football team had been arrested on drug charges. But many of The East Texan's readers never got to read that story...

When you're an MSMer, you're an MSMer all the way--even when faced with facts that might make you like, well, ridiculous . . . Mike Allen, appearing on Morning Joe, has declared the NY-23rd race a "real toss-up" despite a new poll from a respected organization showing Doug Hoffman with a 17-point lead. The claim by Allen, Politico's chief political correspondent, was so absurd that, on the spot, host Joe Scarborough offered 3:1 odds to Allen and anyone else wanting to place a few kopeks on Dem Bill Owens.

Third parties don't work, the Republicans are as bad as the Democrats, most of the existing politicians are universally corrupt. How and who is anyone going to plan, organize, determine new candidates and accomplish taking back our government from all of the corrupt bunch in Washington, D.C. I do not see leadership, organization or any serious effort to keep all of us going in a direction that will get us the candidates and the votes to win...any thoughts out there guys and gals?

At a word from President Barack M.Fing Obama, slain U.S. President John F. Kennedy emerged alive at dawn today from his tomb at Arlington National Cemetery. The assassinated former President, who appeared alongside the Dear Leader at a press conference in Washington, D.C. late this morning, quipped that he was "rested and ready, but not necessarily tanned" after nearly 46 years in the grave. The Dear Leader modestly declined to comment on Kennedy's miraculous resurrection. However, he did announce that the former president's younger brother, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-MA), had also been resurrected by his command after more than...

Washington (NNN) - Reliable sources indicate that U.S. President Barack Obama, fresh off of the stunning choice to award him the Nobel Peace Prize, is due for yet another major honor. Inside sources, who declined to be named, merely referred to it as a "major award", although one source -- decidedly off-record -- provided the No News Network with the following glimpse of what the trophy will look like.

Detriot Lions Beat The Washington Deadskins 19-14 end losing skid at 19

Sarah Palin said it: The Obama administration's health care plan could create "death panels" that could kill Americans. And people listened and acted, from the U.S. Senate to President Barack Obama. So if you think the former Alaskan governor is irrelevant or doesn't know what she is talking about (and clearly on the death panel comment she didn't), it doesn't really matter. This week, the Senate Finance Committee said it would not include advance care planning consultations in its health care bill. The panel clearly was scared off by Palin's contention and all the white-hot attention it had received, including...

Stewart Cink, on winning the British Open said, "The only thing the Prevent Defense prevents is wins" In sports, in politics, in life!!

If you've ever seen Chip Foose at work, it's hard not to admire the guy. He's got more natural talent in his pinky finger than most of us car guys can dream of, and each of the vehicles he builds ends up being a work of art. He recently got his hands on a brand new 2010 Ford Mustang GT, which was Foosified on an episode of Spike TV's MuscleCar. The best part? You can enter to win the car on PowerBlockTV.com. This customized pony car features an Edelbrock supercharger system, Roush body kit, Magnaflow exhaust, Foose wheels and Pirelli...

It is time, people. We have not done enough. We must protest, speak harshly, and speak with the truth, about liberals, and speak the truth that is conservatism. we must become more active. go door-to-door, speak to your co-workers, write letters and call the politicians. Support the conservatives in the senate and hous now, put pressure on them to stand for their values. Compromise is an evil that has entered into American politics. Now, compromise is now just another word for backing down from your own values. Little by little, but it is still happening. Write books, get on the...

Precincts Reporting: 99.35% (4103 of 4130) Independence DEAN BARKLEY 434765 15.17 Republican NORM COLEMAN 1205623 42.08 Democratic-Farmer-Labor AL FRANKEN 1200024 41.88

This is insane, by quoting the MSM (MSNBC, FOX, NBC, CNN, etc) and their lies, over and over again on FR, we are adding fuel to the losing fire they want for us. At least wait until the polls actually close, for heaven's sake! Whose side are you all on? WAIT!!!!!! I suggest that posting should not be done unless it is from the Secretary of State from any one state, the later, the better.

(IsraelNN.com) Blacks in Chicago will riot if their hometown pride Barack Hussein Obama doesn't become the first U.S. President of color, police there are convinced. The Chicago Police Department has significantly beefed up patrols throughout the city to be prepared, in case.

Traveling recently through North Virginia, it was clear that the area is no where near as pro-Obama as the media would have you believe. It reminded me of the CNN reporter in North Carolina who just days before had said on air that while the polls gave Obama an edge in that state, John McCain seemed to have a clear advantage on the ground. 80% OF THOSE ASKED TO BE POLLED REFUSE TO RESPOND EXIT POLLS WILL HAVE THIS EFFECT ON AN EVEN WORSE LEVEL IN THE END WE’LL WIN – EVERYTHING LOOKS THAT WAY ON THE GROUND

The conventional wisdom, which I share, is that Barack Obama will win this election, perhaps by a healthy margin. But Democrats are nervous wrecks; they're having nightmares that defeat will be snatched from the jaws of victory. To add to their misery (and guard against complacency), here's how that horror film could play out: In the end, the problem was the LIVs. That's short for "low-information voters," the three fifths of the electorate that show up once every four years to vote for president but mostly hate politics. These are the 75 million folks who didn't vote in the primaries....

On a brief jump flight from Philadelphia to Scranton, McCain adviser Charlie Black and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback came back to talk up the campaign's conviction that the glass if half full. "Four years ago at this point, George W. Bush was down five points in Iowa," Brownback said. "Today John McCain is down one point in Iowa." He was citing an unreleased internal McCain campaign poll of the state, which was completed last Thursday, said Black. (The campaign stopped doing its own polling after Thursday, he added, because television time through the election all had to be purchased by...

The Atlantic http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/36382 How McCain Can Win -- The Arguments Here is the argument that some McCain campaign advisers are making right now to donors and others who ask for a single, plausible scenario by which Sen. John McCain wins the election. It rests on certain assumptions about the electorate that seem almost provably false at this point, but not provably false enough so as to render them completely bizarre. The goal here is to give people a sense of what the candidate is being told by his advisers, nothing more. Think of what's below as a set of Republican...