Free Republic

The Texas GOP is accusing Barack Obama of leaving his own family out to dry after reports surfaced that his half-brother George is living in a run-down hut in Kenya. The Daily Telegraph and other publications have recently drawn attention to the unusual report in the Italian edition of Vanity Fair, which tracked down George Hussein Onyango in the outskirts of Nairobi. He apparently spoke to the magazine for the first time, telling them he lives on less than a dollar a month, and that “no one knows who I am.” The Republican Party of Texas released a Web video...

In attempts to hopelessly salvage the non-existent momentum from his failed Health Care Press Conference, Cornyn challenger Rick Noriega wrote into the Dallas Morning News in a humorous OP-ED piece. Noriega blasts Cornyn for voting "against expanding health insurance coverage for Texas kids." He later goes on to admit that Texas needs "real health care security for their families, lowered costs for employers, and more transparency and accountability than our current system provides. "I find this hysterical on multiple levels: 1) Cornyn worked to lower the cost of insurance coverage for employers, so essentially Noriega praises Cornyn's work. 2) The...

...and becomes the laughing stock of Texas politics. He has nary a dime in the bank and now we find out he needs an entire tech support team to run a simple webcast. Dallas Morning News has the story. But the beginning is the best part: There he was, trying to attract Texans' attention by holding a Webcast town hall meeting to answer voter questions about his U.S. Senate race. Two minutes later, Democrat Rick Noriega's show turned to static. Lots of static. Then the camera tilted upside down. Then more static. The screen went to black. A few voters'...

It appears that Camp Noriega held a fundraiser in London at the "Texas Embassy" in support of his campaign last week. The "Embassy" is a Tex-Mex restaurant in Trafalgar Square. The fundraiser brought in a ::brace yourselves everyone, this one's a killer:: monumental "$400.00! Woo hoo!!! They sure gave him a Texas sized welcome. There was about 12 people attending the fundraiser...all of which were Americans living in London. 3 were Texan. Here is some commentary from Camp Cornyn on the fundraiser: "As he was hauling in $400, Rick Noriega told his London supporters that Texas is "not quite meeting...

So in addition to the Demos attempting to cram down our throats an unqualified and inexperienced candidate for President...we've got to deal with the Wesley Clark backing Noriega. In a letter distributed to Noriega-ites, Clark talks about Senator Jim Webb's victory in Virginia against a Republican incumbent with a large war chest in the bank...expecting us to believe that Noriega can take Cornyn based on what exactly? Hope? Wishful thinking? Clark mentions how he is friends with Noriega: "I know Rick personally, and I know he'll be a great Senator for Texas." Well that's great Wes! But Texas needs more...

How the hell should any of us know...? Actually, I know. He's the laughable candidate slated to take on Republican powerhouse Tom Craddick. Bill Dingus' history pretty much goes like this...he went to college, got a graduate degree, had a family, and a job, was a city councilman for 3 terms and decided he wants to take on the Speaker of the House Tom Craddick...HA! But it's going to be okay because, as his campaign slogan reads he's "One of the good guys"... Call me crazy but with his last Cash On Hand report sent to the Texas Ethics Commission...

In a sad attempt to get the party to rally behind Rick Noriega, the Texas Democratic Party made him the keynote speaker at their Convention this past week. Noriega who is "challenging" incumbent John Cornyn in November put on his best "please elect me, sympathy tie" and went before the flock of Texas Demos to rally support. Noriega must appear so desperate because he currently is 10 points behind Senator Cornyn in the polls and significantly behind Cornyn in fundraising...I'd be sad too (mas triste). This is sad attempt on behalf of the Texas Democratic Party...couldn't they have picked someone...

My desktop background at work features a beautiful night shot of the Texas Capitol. I chose it because it's something non-partisan that conveys my interests. I try to keep my political side out of the office as it isn't really work appropriate. The other day I was approached by a girl I work with who commented on my photo. She is an adamant Hillary supporter and life-long democrat. She looked at me and said "Your hispanic and Republican? Are you sure your not just a closet democrat?" My response was: "I've been a Republican for 22 years and nine-months. Are...

John McCain releases his first ad for the general election. In it, he discusses his families military service, his military service, his stay in a POW camps, and his hatred for war... Clint Eastwood fires back at Spike Lee over racial comments Lee stated about the number of black soldiers at Iwo Jima. Word to the wise...you don't mess with Dirty Harry...no good will come of it. Baby survives an abortion. Apparently, this is quite common for early tri-mester pregnancies...the babies are so small doctors often fail to locate them and remove them. Lovely. Clinton and Obambi meet up for...

Our friendly neighborhood liberals over at BurntOrangeReport feel compelled to praise State Rep. Juan Garcia in HD 32, claiming he’s one of the “strongest voices” in our Texas legislature today. Fascinating. A strong voice he may be---but the real question is: Is anyone listening? In 2007 out of the 15 pieces of legislation that Garcia managed to scramble together two of them managed to make it by their respective committee’s and onto the legislative floor. Although Garcia’s website boasts his agenda as being increasing: public resources, public safety, & public education, his record doesn’t show him being successful. Sure it’s...

Is Rasmussen becoming the most incapable pollster next to American Research? Maybe. Just this morning, Rasmussen released a poll showing Texas GOP Senator John Cornyn ahead of his Democrat challenger by only 3 points. Possible? Sure. Likely? Not. Rasmussen made a similar mistake just last month in the Louisiana Senate race between incumbent Mary Landrieu and GOP State Treasurer John Kennedy. On April 14, Southern Media and Opinion Research correctly found Landrieu leading Kennedy by 12 points. That same morning Rasmussen and friends reported that Landrieu had a lead of 55 to 39. But on April 20, the Times Picayune...

Born December 9, 1962 in Madigan Army Medical Center – Fort Lewis, Washington State Following his service in the Army, Pete’s father earned a PhD in paper chemistry and began a career with Champion International. After various moves, the Olson family settled in Seabrook, Texas in 1972. Pete attended public school and graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1981. He played varsity basketball his Freshman year and later graduated from Rice University in 1985 with a BA in computer science and enrolled in the University of Texas School of Law in Austin. On the day he completed the Texas...

Congressman Tancredo (R-Colorado) joined Congressman Ortiz in Brownsville on Tuesday for a joint committee meeting regarding the proposed fence building to attempt to curb illegal immigration (amongst other things) in the area. Not surprisingly, Tancredo was met with a rather cold reception with his known favoritism towards building the fence. “It really isn’t a border to most of us who live down here” said Betty Perez local activist. No need to guess which side she’s advocating. Now, on the not so stereo-typical side, you’ve got me to give you some insight into uber minority: the endangered Republican Female Mexican American...

Dermatologist Shelley Sekula Gibbs and former U.S. Senate staffer Pete Olson indicated on Wednesday they will campaign based on their contrasting service and backgrounds after emerging from a congressional contest whose 10 conservative candidates agreed on virtually every policy issue. The pair advanced to an April 8 runoff that will produce the Republican nominee to challenge Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Stafford, in the 22nd Congressional District.

One meme that has emerged in recent days is the idea that Hillary Clinton’s remaining in the race, and especially her negative attacks on Barack Obama, will seriously damage the Democratic Party and make Obama damaged goods in the fall. John Aravosis is one of the more passionate advocates of this position. Well, come Wednesday, if Hillary doesn’t win 65% of the delegates in Ohio and Texas, and still insists on staying in the race and ripping our party in two, it will be time to start treating candidate Clinton with the same golden rule she is using for candidate...

Texan and super-conservative Bob Perry formally endorsed Brian Klock for the Texas Congressional seat in CD-22. A Republican candidate for the District 22 congressional seat will be getting a lot of attention today with a very unique campaign ad. klockforcongress.orgIt's yet to be seen just whether it's negative or in his favor. Now in the private sector, Brian Klock remains a commander in the US Navy Reserve. He's an underdog candidate trying to gain new ground. Later Monday, his campaign will unveil a billboard (pictured above) on the Southwest Freeway near Fountainview. It shows crosshairs trained on downtown Houston, it...

Please Join Us for the Todd Hunter Campaign Kickoff Wednesday, February 20 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. USS Lexington in Corpus Christi with special guests: Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams and hundreds of Coastal Bend residents who want to see real change for common-sense, conservative government

Ron Paul is fighting for his political life down in Texas-14. Having failed to gain any traction in his Presidential bid except among a lose cadre of fringe anti-war allegedly libertarian voters, he has had to suspend his campaign two days after appearing at CPAC. Ron Paul is racing back to his district to battle back against Chris Peden, the Mayor Pro Temp of Friendswood, Texas. You know, having spent the past year bashing Jews, Republicans, the military, and the United States, it's great to see Ron Paul forced to flee the field. I think Chris Peden might could use...

Via the folks at the Trinity Foundation/Wittenburg Door, there is a report that GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee reached out to televangelist Kenneth Copeland for some fundraising help. Copeland is one of several televangelists under investigation by U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and a proponent of the so-called "prosperity gospel." Trinity cites a blog post by former George H.W. Bush staffer Doug Wead to the effect that Huckabee called Copeland during a ministers' conference last week that Copeland was hosting. Wead reports: "Copeland, carefully observing all the laws governing non profits, as a private citizen, re-convened a private meeting, turned...

AUSTIN — The ability of the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee to raise national party money for the general election campaign in Texas may be hindered if Hillary Rodham Clinton is the party's presidential nominee, one-time senatorial candidate Mikal Watts said Tuesday. "If Hillary is the nominee, that will have an effect on whether the national Democrats will play in Texas," Watts said. "The prevailing thought is the Republicans don't have anybody who will motivate their base to get out. There are some who think Hillary will do that," he said. Watts said he has seen Texas polling that shows "right-wing...

Each of the leading Republican candidates has an "impossibility" factor to being nominated. Mike Huckabee will run into the problem of carrying big states and less conservative parts of the nation both in the nomination and, importantly in the eyes of the delegates in Minnesota, in the general election. Rudy Giuliani has much personal baggage and a socially liberal record which will make it hard for him to win over social conservatives in significant numbers. Mitt Romney, despite all the money and packaging, simply has failed to capture the hearts of many Republicans. John McCain, the most electable Republican, is...

Longtime Bexar County Commissioner Lyle Larson announced Wednesday that he is seeking the Republican nomination for the 23rd Congressional District in Texas. Flanked by supporters and family members, Larson made the announcement on the steps on the Bexar County Courthouse. Larson, who has served as county commissioner and city councilman for 15 years, said he made the decision after speaking with residents in the district the past six months. So far, Larson's only opponent in the March Primary is Quico Canseco, a banker and attorney from San Antonio. The office is currently held by Democrat Ciro Rodriguez.

Breaking with tradition for presidential candidates, Mike Huckabee is continuing to accept paid speaking engagements in the thick of his insurgent presidential campaign, although churches get a break from his usual fee of up to $25,000. It's not surprising that Huckabee, as a former Arkansas governor who has wowed audiences in debates, would charge for speeches. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, one of Huckabee's rivals for the nomination, made a fortune doing just that. But Giuliani and other major candidates have put their paid speaking careers completely on hold to focus on the flurry of early nominating contests. Huckabee,...

As I noted here, Fred Thompson’s supporters and campaign are missing golden opportunity after golden opportunity while they focus on tearing down other candidates instead of building Fred up. Fred continues to put forth a very conservative agenda and no one is hearing about it because Fredheads aren’t telling them. I’ll try to help them again, gratis. Take, for instance, Fred’s skepticism of the latest National Intelligence Estimate, the one that contradicts the idea that Iran is working on nuclear weapons. Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson said Tuesday he’s skeptical of a new report that Iran halted its nuclear weapons...

Like noxious bugs swarming over a crumbling tenement, followers of Ron Paul have invaded the blogosphere. Their target is anyone who dares to criticize their hero. Bloggers have dealt with them in various ways. Some have tried banning them outright. Others allow readers to engage them in back-and-forth debates that can easily take a thread to several hundred responses. I used to find the Paulites annoying, but recently I had a revelation: Far from being scorned, Paul’s rabid fans should be welcomed and encouraged. We should do everything we can to make certain they keep pushing their man, sending him...

Perhaps of some relevance to the passionate comment thread here on whether Ron Paul's rise says something about whether Democrat or Republican, right or left, is where libertarians ought to turn for viable political allies, John Nichols of The Nation says this about Paul today: When is the Washington press corps going to start treating Ron Paul as seriously as it does Fred Thompson? The likely answer is "not soon." And that's the most frustrating thing about the way in which the GOP race is being covered by major media. After all, Ron Paul has more to say -- and...

The meeting of Ron Paul activists was well under way when organizer Steven Talcott Smith offered the kind of basic advice you probably wouldn't hear at a gathering of any other Republican presidential candidate's supporters. "By the way," Smith told the Internet-driven "meet-up" of about 40 people at a library west of Boynton Beach, "by the end of this year everybody in this room should plan to be a Republican." Florida's Jan. 29 Republican primary is, not surprisingly, limited to registered GOP voters. But a Republican pedigree or a familiarity with the elections process cannot be taken for granted with...

One issue voters. Confused, emotional one issue voters. And they come from all stripes of politics. Let's have a look. The Neo nazi groups/conspiracy theorists - Ron says he will end aid to Israel. They've latched on to that one. Most of them don't want the government to function, good or bad because it keeps them in check. Not quite anarchists, but close. The Leftie Anti war crowd, not really pacifists, but bohemian cowards promoting anarchy. Paul says he'll end the war and be nice to everyone no matter how they've tried to kill us. The Conservative who really would...

Rep. Ron Paul, the maverick Texas Republican who is running as an anti-war libertarian in the Republican primary, has come charging out of nowhere to become the leading fundraiser in the brief history of the Internet. Yesterday, his campaign reported a one-day take around $3.8 million, with an average donation of $98. In one respect, Paul deserves his success. He is a far more articulate and coherent critic of administration policy in Iraq than any candidate on the Democratic side, speaking as he does the frank and plain language of the isolationist. “The fundamental question remains,” he said in 2004,...

Proving again his ability to raise significant cash online, Ron Paul has raised nearly $2 million since midnight via his website. In what is being called a "money bomb," Paul's fervent backers spread the word that today they'd blast their candidate with Internet contributions, setting up a website, "This November 5th," to push the plan. An aide said they had nothing to do with the effort. "Supporters have spontaneously organized what I can only refer to as a one-day attack of donations," said Paul spokeswoman Kate Rick. "We started at midnight with $2.77 million raised for the quarter, and have,...

In the race for the GOP nomination in the 23rd Congressional District, retired businessman Jim McGrody dropped out a second time. The decision leaves San Antonio lawyer Francisco "Quico" Canseco as the only Republican candidate. Bexar County Commissioner Lyle Larsen is considering the race. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-San Antonio, is unopposed in the Democratic primary. Canseco said that now that he is the only Republican in the race, he can concentrate on Rodriguez. But he also loaned his campaign $350,000, triggering what is known as the "millionaire's amendment," which allows contributors to triple their donations, from $2,300 to $6,900 each,...

Cancel the 2008 election. Fred Thompson will be our next president. OK, perhaps such announcements are premature. But based on campaign contributions from Johnson County residents, Republican candidate Thompson leads the pack by a wide margin. Johnson County voters donated $37,200 to Thompson’s campaign through Sept. 30, based on Federal Election Commission numbers recently released. Of that total, $34,600 came from Cleburne voters. See below for a breakdown of Johnson County residents’ donation amounts. “Thompson’s down to earth, has a lot of common sense, and there’s no phoniness about him,” said Cleburne resident David Murdoch, who gave money to the...

Just so ya know, credit for finding the Alex Jones payment from Ron Paul, if youÂ’re here from Hot Air or CaptainÂ’s Quarters, goes to one of my anti-Paul/anti-troofer friends at digg, COINTELPROAgent (a facetious name to bait the troofers, if thatÂ’s not obvious). YouÂ’d be surprised how much information you can find out (i.e. FEC violations, among other things) just by reading the nonsense the Paultards spew over there. IÂ’m on a mission to clean up the internets, if you havenÂ’t noticed. IÂ’m reeeeally sick of the RP spammers. If Ron Paul is going to get a spot at...

Republican Presidential candidate Congressman Ron Paul is making a name for himself by emerging as an antiwar republican in the 2008 race for the White House. While those of us who oppose the mindless war in Iraq welcome all voices of opposition, there are some troubling questions arising about Mr. Paul. Paul has been consistent in his opposition to the war, but he hasn’t been very vocal or visible about that opposition. Most Americans knew nothing about Mr. Paul before this election season or had no idea that such an animal as an antiwar republican even existed. Where was he...

AUSTIN -- Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson has toured a Dell computer factory near Austin as part of a campaign swing through Texas. Thompson sat down and spoke one-on-one with KVUE's Elise Hu. He says he wants to hear from companies like Dell to get their views on fair tax policies and global competition. Thompson downplays the idea that he's at a disadvantage in Texas because he got such a late start on his campaign. He says there's plenty of time to get his message out.

It’s Wednesday and I’m posting, so those are two big fat hints right there. Of course: it’s the Prince of Darkness himself, Bob Novak. How could that be, when Novak has been pimping Fred Thompson for weeks? Well, acquaint yourself with Novak’s weird sense of humor. Loathe as I am to link to the Washington Times, it’s in their “Fishwrap” (snicker) blog that he is quoted as follows: When asked to rate the current field of Republican presidential candidates, Novak didn’t have any kind words for the current top-tier field of Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney and John McCain....

FredHeads: As you may know, the Texas Straw Poll will be held in Fort Worth on Saturday, September 1. Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain WILL NOT be actively participating. It's also expected that our man Fred will not be actively participating. Given these facts, this poll is WIDE OPEN, folks. It's anybody's ball game. I've been told that FRED WILL BE ON THE BALLOT, and I'm working on getting official confirmation on that. If Fred's on the ballot, we have a golden opportunity to generate a very nice showing for our man right here in Texas. The state...

Francisco "Quico" Canseco isn't wasting time in his bid for the GOP nomination next year in Congressional District 23. Looking to challenge U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, the San Antonio Republican announced his candidacy Monday. But his campaign — with a full-time campaign manager in place — has had radio ads running since last week. advertisement "I need to bolster my name identification. I need to plant my flag," said Canseco, an attorney who moved here from Laredo in January 2006. "It's not too early for me." In 2004, he lost the Republican primary in neighboring Congressional District 28 to James...

A new poll released by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee says only 41 percent of Texans have a favorable opinion of Sen. John Cornyn — and another 40 percent doesn’t know who he is. Which makes the state’s junior senator a vulnerable target when he runs for re-election in 2008, they said. The poll, conducted by Hamilton Beattie & Staff for the DSCC also found that if the vote were held today, Cornyn would pull 47 percent of the vote and his unnamed Democratic challenger would pull 38 percent. Cornyn’s job security is hit by the fact that he took...

In Bexar County Commissioner Lyle Larson, Republicans could have a formidable challenger to Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D) next year in Texas’ 23rd district.

A runoff between Republican U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla and his Democratic challenger will be held Dec. 12, Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday. Bonilla finished with 49 percent of the vote in the Nov. 7 special election. He will face former U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, who got about 20 percent of the vote. Early voting will begin Dec. 4. Eight candidates participated in the special election that was called after the U.S. Supreme Court found a portion of the congressional district boundaries unconstitutional.

Accordint to Capitol Inside, Texas Comptroller John Sharp’s name is being bantied about as a possible contender against Senator John Cornyn in 2008.

Warning for GOP in Harris County Election results show Dems could prevail here as soon as 2008 Harris County Democratic and Republican officials have looked at Tuesday's local election results and they agree: The GOP-dominated county government could be recaptured by Democrats as soon as 2008. "Believe me, it's being discussed," said Republican Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt, a conservative leader. "It's an amazing wake-up call," said Republican County Commissioner Steve Radack. In an election when many ethnic minority voters didn't vote, Republican judicial candidates on the bottom half of the Harris County ballot won by an average of...

Although Mayor Bill White says it's an unnecessary expense, state law requires that the city conduct a special election to fill the seat of Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, who must resign for her brief stint in Congress. The special city election can be no earlier than May, meaning whoever wins will have to run again next November to keep the job. "It's sort of a shame that we have to pay a lot of money to hold a special election," White said. "But that's the state law as it exists." Sekula-Gibbs was elected Tuesday to serve out the term of former House...

AUSTIN - Can the four major candidates for Texas governor debate each other for an hour on live television without being seen or heard? Probably not, but Belo Corp., sponsor of the only such gubernatorial showdown this fall, will test that possibility Friday night, both with its restrictive distribution rules and the time slot. Originating in Dallas, the debate will be carried live on the company's WFAA flagship; Belo affiliates in Houston (KHOU-Channel 11), San Antonio and Austin; Belo's Texas Cable News (TXCN) and will be streamed live on their Web sites. TV stations in smaller towns outside Belo markets...

AUSTIN — Two gubernatorial candidates received rare embraces from leaders of an organization that prides itself on its fierce nonpartisanship and rigid rules for politicians. Democrat Chris Bell got a warm embrace Saturday morning after pledging support for education and healthcare spending, training for livable wage jobs and comprehensive immigration reform all of which make up the "working families agenda" for the Texas Industrial Areas Foundation. Texas comptroller and independent gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn got a big hug on Friday from the Rev. John Bowie of True Light Baptist Church in Houston after Strayhorn offered passionate support for most...

SUGAR LAND — Mayor David Wallace will not run as a write-in Republican candidate for the congressional seat vacated by Tom DeLay. Wallace announced his decision about the Congressional District 22 race today at a news conference at Sugar Land City Hall. The decision comes after Republican party leaders from Fort Bend, Harris, Galveston and Brazoria counties selected Houston City Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs as the party's choice to run in the November election as a write-in candidate. No Republican will appear on the ballot because DeLay stepped down after winning the nomination in March. A court ruled the party could...

Sugar Land's Republican mayor on Friday became the first person to file as a write-in candidate on the ballot for former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who resigned from Congress in June amid allegations of money laundering. DeLay tried to render himself ineligible for the race by moving to Virginia so that another Republican could replace him on the ballot for the suburban Houston seat. But a federal appeals court ruled last week that DeLay, who won the March Republican primary election, is still eligible and must remain on the Nov. 7 ballot, leaving state Republicans to organize behind a...

Write-in candidate names are not on the ballot by design. To cast a vote for one on the electronic eSlate machines, which don't have a keyboard, you'll have to use the "select" dial to choose "write-in." Even then, the names won't automatically pop up, said Scott Haywood, a spokesman for the Secretary of State's Office. In each booth there will be a printed list of candidates who have been certified for the Congressional District 22 race. Using the dial and a picture of a keyboard on the screen, the voter will click the letters of the name they want. Potential...

Houston City Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs is in and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels is out of the Republican intraparty battle to succeed departing U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay. Because DeLay, R-Sugar Land, won the GOP nomination for a 12th term in the March primary and then announced he would step down, the nominee on the November general election ballot will be selected by party leaders in the four counties that are part of the 22nd Congressional District. Sekula-Gibbs, serving her last two years on council under city term limits, announced at an event in Webster today that she will seek the...