Free Republic

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Although they were reluctant to say it out loud, many Republicans were relieved Monday that President Bush didn't attend the Republican National Convention. They didn't like to talk about it on the record, in part because they didn't want to admit an unintended political benefit in Hurricane Gustav, which led both Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney to cancel their scheduled speeches Monday to the convention. They also didn't want to admit publicly that a president from their own party is a drag on their prospects. Yet inside and outside the convention hall, they mostly agreed...

Pro-choice GOP women praise pro-life PalinRalph Z. Hallow Sunday, August 31, 2008 MINNEAPOLIS | Pro-choice Republican women, including one of their movement's best-known leaders, have embraced the strongly pro-life Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as Sen. John McCain's choice for running mate. Somewhat surprisingly, Mrs. Palin has elicited enthusiasm not only from pro-choice Republican groups, but from many rank-and-file pro-choice Republican women. Ann Stone, who founded Republicans for Choice in 1989 and has led it ever since, told The Washington Times that in picking Mrs. Palin, Mr. McCain did what he needed to do to make the Republican National Convention a...

In the first nights of the convention we beheld the spectacle of deceptive speeches by such leftists as Michelle Obama, Mark Warner, Bill and Hill and others who made big speeches about how America will be Utopia on earth when they control the congress the senate and the white house and that everything wrong with America is the fault of George W Bush and the republican party. When Clinton ran things things were smooth, then the minute Bush took office everything went to hell. We at MainestateGop were also nearly sucked into the brouhaha of bashing Bush and praising Democrat...

 True Republicans drawn to Obama Former congressman Leach's endorsement of the Democratic candidate in line with the GOP's original values John Nichols  —  8/27/2008 6:51 am   http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/convention/302243 RIPON -- When former Iowa Congressman Jim Leach -- a Republican stalwart with close ties to the Bush family -- endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for president at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, he made a point of noting that he was not switching parties. "As a Republican, I stand before you with deep respect for the history and traditions of my political party. But it is clear to all Americans...

DENVER -- On a night when the wife of the presumptive Democratic nominee for president would take the stage at the Democratic National Convention following an address by the party's most revered elder statesman, it would be hard to imagine how a former congressman from eastern Iowa would even get notice, let alone high marks as one of the most important speeches of the night. Unless, of course, the former congressman was a Republican. So there was Jim Leach, former diplomat, friend of the Bush family and longtime Republican congressman from Iowa City, enjoying the enthusiastic response of thousands of...

When it comes to John McCain’s running mate, several political observers are saying U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham shouldn’t be counted out. “I don’t think (his selection is) out of the realm of possibility,” said state Republican Party chairman Katon Dawson. He added that “it’s very exciting and a compliment to Lindsey Graham to be on the short list for vice president.”

At a town-hall event in New Mexico today, John McCain was asked about veterans' care, but the questioner added a provocative point at the end of her question. Take a look: (YouTube link) For those of you who can't watch clips online, a woman in the audience told the presumptive Republican nominee, "Senator McCain I truly hope you get the opportunity to chase Bin Laden right to the gates of hell and push him in as you stated on your forum. I do have a question though. Disabled veterans, especially in this state, have horrible conditions... I think it is...

So many e-mailers this morning are predicting that the McCain trial balloon is really about Giuliani. I'm not there, but here's one: I don't think it's being floated for Liebermann or Ridge. I think he's considering Giuliani. - Might put NY in enough play to make Obama spend a lot of money there. - Has name recognition and gets plenty of respect on law enforcement/national security - Might be more palatable to pro-lifers if he were to make clear that it's McCain's pro-life administration The McCain campaign has already hired a Giuliani staffer as the unnamed veep's communications director... 08/19...

Are evangelicals swerving to the left in American politics? Throughout the primary season, the mainstream media loudly trumpeted the idea that younger evangelicals' attention to the environment and "social justice" issues signals a departure from traditional concerns such as abortion and marriage. Rumblings of this shift within the conservative coalition heightens interest in a remarkable event Saturday: The Rev. Rick Warren, one of America's most influential evangelicals, is set to question presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama during their back-to-back appearances at his 22,000-member Saddleback Church in Orange County, Calif. Warren, whose 2002 bestseller The Purpose Driven Life...

LAKE FOREST, Calif. — When John McCain and Barack Obama appear on the same stage today, they will vividly demonstrate the reach that has made the Rev. Rick Warren among the most significant evangelists of his generation. He's a megastar who leads the nation's fourth-largest church and reaches thousands of ministers through the Internet and crusades against poverty and AIDS. That globe-trotting work and his successful book — "The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?" — puts him at the vanguard of a movement that inspires young, socially conscious Christians. But his willingness to soft-pedal political issues...

Mr Obama is making a big pitch to Republicans. He has spoken glowingly of Ronald Reagan, is friendly to religious voters and has invested heavily in advertising and staffing not just in the swing states of the Midwest but also in such Republican strongholds as Texas. Yet there are a number of myths about "Obamacans" (as Mr Obama calls them) or "Obamacons" (as pundits do). Their numbers are overestimated and their import is misunderstood. It is neither on foreign policy nor on economics but on religious values that Mr Obama has made his big pitch to party-switchers. There has been...

Republicans Grow More Hopeful About McCain By Jim Malone Washington 15 August 2008 Republicans who support Senator John McCain for president are growing increasingly confident that their candidate is gaining momentum in his race for the White House with the presumptive Democratic nominee, Senator Barack Obama. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington. 2008 was supposed to be a Democratic year. Opinion polls have shown growing voter concerns about the U.S. economy, general unhappiness with President Bush and a desire for change. Despite those Democratic advantages, surveys also show the presidential race between Senators Obama and McCain to be...

Commenting on John McCain's remark that Tom Ridge's pro-choice position would not rule him out as a vice presidential running mate, conservative leader and strongly pro-lifer Phyllis Schlafly got straight to the point by bluntly telling Newsmax, "I think [McCain] would be making a mistake." In a Newsmax report, McCain was quoted by The Weekly Standard as saying, “I think that the pro-life position is one of the important aspects or fundamentals of the Republican Party. And also I feel that — and I’m not trying to equivocate here — that Americans want us to work together. You know, Tom...

The McCain Round Up I want to TRY to post a McCain Round-up once a day or very other day. This one is a lot longer than some of the future ones will be, I promise. Polls are useless at this point in the campaign for projecting a winner in November. They are however useful in showing the general standing that candidates have with the electorate and in displaying trends of changing perceptions and preferences. One trend is clear; most true independents, after shaking off the groggy feeling of Obamania, are lining up with McCain. Event after event, issue after...

Andrew Romano takes apart the supposed “Obamacan” movement of Republicans who support Barack Obama for President. As Romano notes in Newsweek, the appearance of Lincoln Chaffee — who is no longer a Republican anyway — and a couple of previously-committed endorsers yesterday doesn’t exactly make a movement. In checking the polls, the actual motion comes from the other direction: But are there enough rank-and-file Republicans whispering their support at Obama rallies to actually make a difference on Election Day? As I discovered from examination the last 18 months of head-to-head general election polls, the answer is an emphatic “no.” In...

A trio of Republicans have defected from their party's likely presidential nominee and kicked off an effort to garner support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. The group, called Republicans for Obama, is led by two moderate Republicans -- James Leach, a former U.S. representative from Iowa, and Lincoln Chafee, a former U.S. senator from Rhode Island -- along with Rita Hauser, a prominent fund-raiser for President George W. Bush. Their reasons for crossing party lines are diverse, ranging from the war in Iraq to overspending in Washington, and signal unhappiness not just with the candidacy of Republican Sen. John...

Barack Obama likes to talk about "Obamacans" -- Republicans who he says approach him at political events and quietly pledge their support for his presidential candidacy. On Tuesday, he snagged two more Republicans, but these were high-profile politicians willing to speak out on his behalf. The first was former U.S. Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa, who endorsed him during a conference call with reporters. Leach said he was concerned about the "current philosophy of government" and worried that John McCain would be "more of the same."

Last week, I wrote on efforts by House GOP members to draw attention to the fact that Nancy Pelosi sent House members home for the summer without a vote on domestic oil drilling. The American people want it, and the GOP House members are fighting for it. I also wrote on how big the energy issue is. It could be THE issue of the upcoming elections... an issue upon which Republicans could run AND win. However, this is a new week, and whenever too much time passes, there is bound to be a new effort by the GOP to stall...

Those of us who got our hopes up that $4 gas would finally galvanize the country to break the strangle-hold the extremists in the environmental movement have on our lives and on our future – and impel the Congress to do something sensible for a change – are going to have to grit our teeth and fight even harder. Not only have these five Republican Senators joined with Democrat environmentalists to scuttle all attempts for citizens of the U.S.A. to begin to achieve some semblance of energy independence, but they may have robbed John McCain of the hottest issue to...

Indeed it will, unless you believe the power of The One is such that he can lay low even the mightiest of nations. Then again, “fine� is a subjective term. If, as Condi surely does, you think the west’s six-year tap dance over Iran’s nuclear program is a “fine� way of addressing the problem, replete as it is with ineffectual UN sanctions and time aplenty for Tehran to work out the kinks on mastering enrichment, then yeah — by that standard, President O will be just fine. “I don’t need another job in government with anybody,” she said. “Look, I’m...

The government class — liberals and self-styled conservatives alike — seems incapable of grasping that Americans can solve the problems of the day simply by acting in their own interests. Thus does government always feel the urge to "do something" even when the public manifestly has "done something." When it comes to cutting fuel consumption in times of high prices, soaring demand and increasingly unreliable supply, you might say that train already has left the station. The numbers are staggering. Through May, Americans drove 50 billion fewer miles in 2008 than in the corresponding period in 2007, says the Federal...

Here is video of one of the truly great conservative voices today summing up in just under three minutes why is it essential for John McCain to be elected President. The video shows Columnist Charles Krauthammer speaking at the Munk Debates in Canada this past May 26. He perfectly lays out the truth of what has been at stake for the United States in Iraq, and why the Democrats would lead America to a "catastrophic defeat" if they take the White House. What he said about Iraq two months ago has been verified since then -- that America is on...

ELKO - The Nevada sky was clear and blue for the first time in weeks Saturday over the Nisbet Cabin in Lamoille, but the festivities on the ground were decidedly red as the Elko County Republican Central Committee held its annual steak fry with Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, on hand to stump for presidential candidate John McCain. “I've known John McCain for over 20 years,” said Hatch, the senior senator from Utah now in his 32nd year in the Senate. “We all know his story, his service to his country, the price he paid. I've seen him stand up to...

If you are not yet alarmed and outraged by radical Republican John McCain’s “bipartisan” campaign finance “reform” package, which is in no way bipartisan, Monday’s revelation from the American Conservative Union Foundation (ACU) should put an end to your complacency. In its latest report, “Who’s Buying Campaign Finance Reform?” (1) the ACU unveils the secret that some conservatives have suspected all along: The campaign finance reform ‘movement’ has, contrary to its anti-big money agenda, raised and spent more than $73 million since 1996; has, contrary to its bipartisan claims, been funded by “wealthy Democratic Party soft-money donors, ultra-liberal foundations and...

Chuck Lasker, a political blogger and Internet consultant in Indiana, hosted a gathering last week of 20 people he calls "whispering Republicans" - party members like him who support Senator Barack Obama, a Democrat, for president. Over iced tea and brownies, the renegades took turns explaining why they liked Mr. Obama and recalling the strange stares from other Republicans. In recent weeks, Obama aides have met with Republican leaders in crucial states to strategize about wooing undecided voters. ... Mr. Obama is hardly a perfect candidate for Republicans. ... And the idea of a Barack Obama-Nancy Pelosi-Harry Reid triumvirate, should...

The dangers inherent in the foreign policy advocated by the neo-conservatives are well known. While many Americans have become increasingly aware of those dangers, far less attention has been focused on the dangers of neo-conservative economic policies. This issue is of critical importance right now, because many are mistakenly pointing their fingers at the free market as the culprit behind our current economic plight. There are only a few in elected office who have any real loyalty to free markets and limited government. The agenda of neo-conservatives in the economy calls for a very active central government. Indeed, while there...

I'm optimistic that in this election we are choosing between two good and uniquely qualified individuals seeking the job with a least a more inherent civility, let alone grasp of history, than we've experienced in the last eight years. This can only be a good thing. I like John McCain. I wouldn't walk across the street to shake George Bush's hand, but I'd walk a country mile, barefoot, to shake McCain's.

Political reporters have long been obsessed with conflict between presidential candidates and their running mates, at least since the days of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. That's probably one reason why McCain's joke in Detroit last week that Mitt Romney was "doing a better job for me than he did for himself" sparked a wave of news stories speculating that McCain was seriously considering, for the vice-presidential slot, his bitter rival turned loyal surrogate. But while choosing Romney to be his running mate would make Washington journalists happy, it would be nothing short of political suicide for McCain.

WASHINGTON, July 22 (UPI) -- Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate have freed GOP members to go against the traditional party platform if it will help them get re-elected, aides say. The Politico reported Tuesday that the GOP leadership set their members free amid fears they could lose five or more seats to Democrats in November. Republican leaders have told senators in tough re-election bids to side with Democrats on anything but energy and national security issues, a leadership aide told Politico.

<p>How big of a Democratic gain will occur in the Senate come November? We know that this is the right question to ask in a year of a spirited Democratic primary, much enthusiasm in the party of Jackson and lopsided Senate terrain. Twenty-three Republican-held Senate seats are up for grabs, of which five are incumbent retirements, compared to just 12 Democratic seats and no Democratic retirements. Enthusiasm plus tilted terrain equals big problems for Republicans.</p>

SURFSIDE - Democrat Joe Lieberman, campaigning among Jewish voters in South Florida for fellow senator John McCain, said today he won't be the Republican presidential candidate's running mate. "I had the opportunity to run in 2000," said Lieberman, a self-described "independent Democrat" from Connecticut. Lieberman, who was Al Gore's Democratic vice presidential running mate, said he's looking forward to staying a U.S. senator and working with McCain in the White House to build a coalition of Democrats, Republican and independents.

US SENATE. The latest independent polls for US Senate races. ALASKA (Research 2000): Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) - 47%, US Senator Ted Stevens (R) - 45%. CONGRESS. The new independent polls for the US House contests. ALASKA CD-1 (Research 2000): Former State House Minority Leader Ethan Berkowitz (D) - 51%, Congressman Don Young (R) - 40%..

It was not so long ago that the idea that Senator John McCain would even entertain tapping Mitt Romney, his bitterest primary rival, as his running mate would have seemed preposterous, rating at least 7.0 on the strange-bedfellows scale. The McCain-Romney feud was the juiciest of the Republican primary season, featuring two men who generally just did not seem to like each other. Mr. Romney said Mr. McCain would set a “liberal Democrat course as president.” He said that one of Mr. McCain’s proudest accomplishments, his campaign finance bill, took “a whack at the First Amendment,” and told voters grappling...

A John McCain supporter recently challenged my criticism of the candidate's position on amnesty and posed the following question, in part: " Are we going to insist on a strict application of the law? Are we going to increase government spending and expand police powers to root out people who have done what immigrants have done for generations? Wouldn't we be better to set a timeline and give permanent resident status to those who have become Americans while focusing on those who come here for less admirable reasons?" My response was as follows: This time, we had damn well better...

While some might be undecided on who to vote for this coming Election Day, for others it’s a no-brainer. Although the news media would like us to believe otherwise, there is still an enormous political gap between the Left and the Right.

Sen. John McCain continues to oppose a tax increase as part of a comprehensive remaking of the nation’s Social Security program, despite comments by a top adviser that left the door open to such a tax hike. In an interview with Bloomberg News, top McCain adviser Carly Fiorina raised the possibility of supporting higher Social Security taxes, if a bipartisan coalition is “creative enough” to only impact wealthier Americans in the comprehensive solution it develops. Fiorina’s remarks echoed comments made by McCain, R-Ariz., before he became a presidential candidate. In February 2005, McCain said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that...

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he'd say yes if Barack Obama is elected president and offers him a position in his administration. "I'm always ready to help in any way I can the United States," Schwarzenegger said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." "Because as you know, I've committed myself to be a public servant, because this country has given me everything. And so this is my time now." Schwarzenegger has endorsed fellow Republican John McCain for president, but he said he'd "take [Obama's] call now and I'd take his call when he's president, anytime. Remember, no matter who is president,...

Good news today from Virginia on offshore drilling. HB6006, a bill that would allow vital oil and natural gas exploration off the Virginia coastline, passed the House of Delegates by 56 to 39. The bill would also use the revenue from the offshore drilling to help pay for Virginia's transportation needs. With Congress refusing to take action to drill here and drill now, it's nice to see the states take some initiative. Delegate Chris Saxman, the bill's author, said this in a press release: “Though federal officials will ultimately decide whether to lift the ban on offshore drilling, it is...

Discuss Issues discussion groups are... Arab American Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders Education Energy Faith and Values Health Care Jewish Community Jobs and Economy Legal Reform Mormons Native Americans Nominations Safety and Security Small Business Owners Social Security Tax Reform Veterans and Military Families Young Professionals

Please pardon this "original material" vanity posting, however all the talk this Saturday morning (and previously) of re-imposing a nationwide 55 MPH speed limit has motivied me to take up the keyboard to make an important point that seems to be being missed in this debate. That point is that imposing such a limit inherently places a value on peoples' time. Let's do the math. Since both sides have been claiming that this speed limit will result in fuel savings of 2% from traveling at 70 MPH, then let's do the math using those numbers. We'll also use a vehicle...

There's a ridiculous myth that RINOs in DC have been spinning about illegal immigration and it goes something like this: Hispanics vote almost entirely based on the illegal immigration issue and if Republicans deliver an amnesty, Hispanics will be so grateful that the percentage of them voting Republican will go from roughly 30% up to 50+%. So, even if we allow 12-20 million mostly uneducated, mostly Hispanic illegal aliens from socialist countries to become Americans and that leads to another 30-40 million (or more) of their relatives becoming U.S. citizens through chain migration, it'll still be a net gain for...

McCain slammed economic adviser Phil Gramm for his “mental recession” and “nation of whiners” comment. He said he didn’t agree with him and even proposed a position in a McCain administration -- ambassador to Belarus, “though I’m not sure the citizens of Minsk would welcome that,” McCain said. “I don’t agree with Sen. Gramm,” McCain said at a news conference this afternoon. “I believe that the person here in Michigan who just lost their job, isn’t suffering from a ‘mental recession.’ The mother here who is trying to get enough money to feed her children, isn’t ‘whining.’” “Phil Gramm doesn’t...

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans have dropped the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from their energy policy discussions, focusing instead on persuading Democrats to lift a moratorium on offshore drilling. It's a move that has angered the longtime standard-bearer for drilling in ANWR, U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, who has vowed to put the issue back in front of his colleagues in the Senate. "It's not off my table," Stevens said. "Unless you include Alaska in an energy solution, it's a non-solution." The decision to drop the ANWR proposal comes as both the House and the Senate are considering legislation intended to...

The percentage of voters who give Congress good or excellent ratings has fallen to single digits for the first time in Rasmussen Reports tracking history. This month, just 9% say Congress is doing a good or excellent job. Most voters (52%) say Congress is doing a poor job, which ties the record high in that dubious category. Last month, 11% of voters gave the legislature good or excellent ratings. Congress has not received higher than a 15% approval rating since the beginning of 2008. The percentage of Democrats who give Congress positive ratings fell from 17% last month to 13%...

Former South Bay lawmaker considers run at governorship SACRAMENTO - Former South Bay Republican congressman Tom Campbell - a fiscal conservative, social moderate and respected academic who twice before unsuccessfully sought statewide office, is eyeing a possible run in 2010 to replace Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Campbell, 55, filed papers last week to form an "exploratory committee" for governor, which allows him to begin raising money for a potential bid. He joins two other GOP moderates from Silicon Valley - state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former eBay chief Meg Whitman - among Republicans who have expressed interest in running. On...

Why has Republicanism failed? Republicanism has failed and will fail because of single of idea which America under President Bush has become fixated upon. The new idea and hegemony of Bush and America is the realization of freedom. It has been American’s claim to an absolute idea predicated on the absolute strength of such an idea in the world for other regimes to become and emulate. Is not” You are either with us or against us” a favorite slogan of this moment in history?

WASHINGTON — If Andrew Jackson created the notion of a president’s “Kitchen Cabinet,” Sen. John McCain is reinventing it months before his possible election to the White House. And Sen. Lindsey Graham seems to be McCain’s one-man Kitchen Cabinet. Graham’s visibility as the Arizona senator’s closest political confidant has risen in recent weeks as the two men crisscross the country and travel abroad on McCain’s presidential quest.

A year ago, Steve Howe stood in front of the Johnson County Courthouse to announce his campaign for district attorney. Behind him were about 15 supporters from a broad spectrum of the Republican Party, including his two campaign managers: Charlotte O’Hara, a conservative from Olathe, and Greg Musil of Overland Park, from the party’s moderate wing. In April, they rallied behind him again. It was a stunning show of Kansas GOP unity after many years of divisive intraparty politics. But don’t think the rift between conservative and moderate Republicans has closed. The wound may have scabbed over some, but it...

The King of Amnesty is dead. On tuesday, Team America candidate Jason Chaffetz defeated La Raza Republican Chris Cannon by over twenty points! Team America raised over $25,000 for Jason who used the money to make it clear to the voters of Utah that he stood for securing the borders and enforcing our laws, while Cannon stood for amnesty. Chris Cannon has long been one of our top targets. He’s sponsored over half a dozen amnesty bills, and has won awards from MALDEF and La Raza for his pro-amnestyrecord. We supported his challengers in 2004 and 2006, but they...