Free Republic

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Before President Obama unveiled a manufacturing initiative here Wednesday, he delivered his customary shout-out to local officials, including the Republican governor sitting in the front row, and thanked Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan "for the great work she's doing." But Hagan wasn't there to hear his kudos, which Obama noted and which was already well-known by her Republican opponents. The senator, who is facing a tough battle for reelection, had been taking heat for days over whether she would attend, highlighting a quandary vulnerable Democrats will face until election day: how to welcome Air Force One to their...

It's no coincidence that we've been seeing stories all week that one former IDF general after another is suddenly claiming that we can give up the Jordan Valley. Former US ambassador to Israel and 'peace process' babysitter Martin Indyk is orchestrating an organized campaign using former IDF generals to pressure Prime Minister Netanyahu to give the Jordan Valley to the 'Palestinians.' A report in Maariv Thursday said the the State Department had drafted many military officials who have worked with IDF officers, at various levels, in an orchestrated campaign to pressure the Israelis that there is no danger in surrendering...

President Obama endured a terrible 2013, raising GOP hopes of a Senate takeover in next year’s midterm elections that would turn him into an early lame duck. The GOP needs to win six seats in the upper chamber to take a 51-49 edge, something clearly obtainable with Democrats defending difficult seats in South Dakota, Montana, West Virginia, Arkansas, Alaska, Louisiana and North Carolina. With the Senate and House in GOP hands, Obama would have little if any hope of moving his legislative agenda, and would be left to play defense against a GOP Congress in his final two years in...

**SNIP** Levine's Obamacare campaign was launched on Thursday, Dec. 12, the healthcare promotion's title is, "Tell a Friend - Get Covered." This campaign will feature messages from celebrities, web videos and images and a launching of a new website plus an upcoming eight-hour event that will be streamed live in January. Other celebrities who will join Levine in the Obacare campaign include "The Nanny" actress Fran Drescher, singer Tatyana Ali and funny man Kal Penn, who used to worked in the White House Office of Public Engagement. The organized coverage of the "Tell a Friend" campaign is headed by Covered...

The Obama administration on Tuesday moved to issue new rules that would curtail political activity by tax-exempt nonprofit groups, with potentially significant ramifications for one of the fastest-growing sources of campaign spending. The proposed rules, announced by the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service, would expand and clarify how the I.R.S. defines political activity and then establish clearer limits for how much activity nonprofits can engage in. Such a change — long urged by government watchdog groups — would be the first wholesale shift in a generation in the regulations governing political activity. The move to curtail nonprofits follows...

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — Many Republicans, with eyes trained on the presidential election in 2016, have sorted through the wreckage of the 2012 elections to figure out how and why the GOP suffered such heavy losses, including the White House. But at the Republican Governors Association conference in Arizona on Wednesday, one theory dominated at an early panel discussion: That the X-factor Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney lacked might have been a more compassionate tone. "People have to know that you care about them," said Ohio Gov. John Kasich, one of the governors believed to be weighing a presidential bid in...

**SNIP** Last Friday, the Federal Election Commission wrote him saying his campaign may have failed to file a report for the third quarter of the year. The letter to him was addressed to a Chicago post office box. Jackson’s campaign last filed a report to the FEC in December, saying it had $105,703 in cash, records show. Jackson had resigned from Congress the previous month, but that did not end the campaign’s reporting obligation.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former President Bill Clinton will campaign this month for his longtime friend, Terry McAuliffe, who is running for governor of Virginia. McAuliffe's campaign on Sunday said Clinton will join the Democratic gubernatorial candidate on October 27 for a three-day tour around Virginia. .. ... McAuliffe, a former Democratic National Committee chairman, is a close ally of the Clintons and was the co-chairman of Bill Clinton's 1996 presidential re-election campaign and Hillary Clinton's failed 2008 presidential campaign.

President Barack Obama’s former senior White House adviser and campaign manager David Plouffe accused House Republicans of “committing economic treason” during the partial government shutdown on Thursday. In a snarky tweet about Republicans’ attempts to negotiate an end to the government shutdown, Plouffe dredged up the “birther” issue in order to discredit the GOP: David Plouffe @davidplouffe Maybe throw in a Special Counsel to investigate the President's birthplace and the House GOP will stop committing economic treason. 8:56 AM - 10 Oct 2013

The defeat of Eliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner in the primaries Sept. 10 should make Hillary Clinton very nervous. Clinton, of course, wants to be president, although she hasn’t officially announced it yet. Spitzer and Weiner were running for public office again despite very public sex scandals. We all know about Bill Clinton’s sexploits. But do we know everything about Hillary’s?

An effort to draft former New Jersey Superior Court Judge Andrew Napolitano for a 2016 presidential run is picking up steam, Sunshine State News first reported. The Virginia-based Committee to Draft Judge Andrew Napolitano for President announced last week that it had gathered almost 100,000 signatures and 36,000 likes on Facebook urging the libertarian to run as a Republican. The effort is being led by Larry Hunter, a former Reagan White House staffer who worked with Jack Kemp and helped craft the "Contract With America," State News reported. "The heads of both parties are busy right now lining up establishment...

Thousands of spectators decked out with Dominican flags and blowing whistles lined Sixth Ave. for the boisterous annual celebration. Almost every candidate for New York citywide offices showed up to court the large Dominican vote.

THE second week of the federal campaign is under way, with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd facing accusations that he cheated in last night's debate by referring to notes. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott goes into the second week of the campaign in a promising position, with most commentators declaring him the stronger performer in the debate and the latest Newspoll, published in The Australian today, showing he has narrowed Mr Rudd's lead as preferred Prime Minister from 14 points to nine points.

As rumors brew further regarding Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) 2016 presidential ambitions, the bold champion of constitutional conservatism is off to Iowa today (Saturday) to meet with/speak to a conservative group in the influential primary state. The event will be in conjunction with the Family Leadership Summit, and held at Iowa State University (Ames) this afternoon.  Cruz made an appearance in New Hampshire -the first voting primary state, vital for any 2016 hopeful- just last month, where he headlined a NH state Republican Party fundraiser, and has already popped up in early-voting South Carolina, where the good Senator spoke at the...

REPORTER: "Would anything stop you (from running)?" WEINER: "(laughs at question) I just have a feelling I  -like- stepped into a Monty Python bit!" "Anything else I can do for ITV- can I do the weather, or something?" REPORTER: If you can do the weather  -you can do the weather here in New York. WEINER: "...No, no, I'll do yours: Where's this from, England?  OK, it's going to be raining, cloudy, and grey, so do what you can, guys... keep a -what is it?- keep a stiff upper lip!" _______________________________________________________ Video at Reaganite Republican

Michelle Obama is adding another fun element to her healthy kids campaign that seeks to tackle the issue of childhood obesity. Like her husband, the first lady has turned to hip-hop to demonstrate a point. She is distributing a hip-hop album complete with 10 music videos and 19 tracks to support her “Let’s Move!” nutrition program. Obama is partnering with Hip-Hop Public Health and Partnership for a Healthier America to release then Songs for a Healthier America album on September 30th.

<p>SPARTANBURG, S.C. - State Sen. Lee Bright has brought his campaign website online as he considers a Republican primary challenge against U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham next year.</p>

Pressed about President Obama’s campaign promises that Osama bin Laden’s death signaled the end of al-Qaeda, in contrast with the threats from al-Qaeda against embassies across the globe this week, Jay Carney assured reporters that al-Qaeda’s “core” has been “decimated,” but admitted that the terrorist group and its affilliates still present a serious threat. “I think it’s indisputable that the elimination of Osama bin Laden was a major accomplishment in the effort against al-Qaeda,” Carney said at the White House press briefing this afternoon. “But nobody should be under any illusion that that threat still exists [sic].”

Let's help these two misunderstood candidates with some new campaign slogans. I'll start it off: Prostitute Free since 2008: ELIOT SPITZER He has earned your trust! Not just a politician - CARLOS DANGER He has the whole Package.

CHICAGO (AP) — It will make you stronger. It will give you peace of mind and make you feel like a winner. Health insurance is what the whole country has been talking about, so don’t be left out. Sound like a sales pitch? Get ready for a lot more. As President Barack Obama’s health care law moves from theory to reality in the coming months, its success may hinge on whether the best minds in advertising can reach one of the hardest-to-find parts of the population: people without health coverage. The campaign won’t come cheap: The total amount to be...