Free Republic

NOTE: I missed writing Wednesday night because I was under the weather. Way, way under it. Because of modern pharmaceuticals I'm much better now and it's back to the normal cycle. To the Hillary Clinton campaign's great credit, they have gone a long way toward not just making it illogical for any Democrat to mount a campaign against her, but political treason. We saw this same model in the 2000 cycle. How many times were we told, "If Hillary runs, she'll be President"? A funny thing happened on the way to the West Front of the Capitol. We've gone through...

As Hillary Clinton's poll numbers fall -- most strikingly among Democrats -- one has to wonder where the serious Democratic challengers are. Because the truth is, anyone telling you that Lincoln Chafee, Bernie Sanders or Martin O'Malley is real "competition" for Hillary is trying to sell you something. And that something is the idea that Clinton's campaign is not a fait accompli. To buy this, you must ignore the recent news that a Democratic National Committee finance chairman violated his own party rules requiring neutrality in presidential primaries to fundraise for Hillary. Also ignore that at the DNC's winter...

I keep thinking we're done with George Pataki -- but like an order of bad clams, he keeps coming back up on me. The three-term Republican governor of a famously blue state seems like a serious 2016 presidential contender on paper -- until you read the fine print. Pataki had a promising start. He beat Democratic icon Mario Cuomo in 1994. He cut income taxes 25 percent and trimmed other taxes as well. In his first two years in office, spending went down 2.5 percent. If you had stopped the Pataki show there, he'd be the next Reagan. Similarly,...

WHAT THIS country needs, says Bernie Sanders, is less deodorant. The 73-year-old senator from Vermont, now running for the Democratic presidential nomination, told CNBC's John Harwood in an interview on Tuesday that because American consumers can choose from so many brands of personal-care products, kids are going to bed with empty bellies. "You don't necessarily need a choice of 23 underarm spray deodorants or of 18 different pairs of sneakers when children are hungry in this country," Sanders lamented. He didn't explain exactly howthe profusion of toiletries and athletic footwear leads to childhood hunger, but for the only self-described socialist...

The Republican combat veteran of Iraq and district attorney running in the June 2 special election for Mississippi-1 leads Democrat Walter Hunter Zinn Jr., 54 percent to 37 percent, according to a May 28 Townhall/Gravis poll of 509 likely voters. Trent Kelly, a colonel in the Mississippi National Guard, is the choice for 77 percent of Tea Party voters and 69 percent of voters opposed to abortion rights, said Doug Kaplan, the managing partner of Gravis Insights, the Florida-based polling company that conducted the poll. The poll carries a 4 percent margin. Among voters, living in households with at least...

It is well documented how the media tend to be more critical of conservative candidates than their liberal counterparts. But at least if you know this, you can be prepared to counter the snark with reason and find alternative ways to disseminate your message. If, however, this latest example of media bias is indicative of what we can expect until 2016, we’re in for a long cycle. If you haven’t heard, the former chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard has thrown her hat in the ring to compete for the 2016 Republican nomination for President. Whether or not she’s your pick,...

Imagine it's 2007 and a prominent journalist is interviewing then-Sen. Barack Obama. "Senator, people are really interested in you and your identity. I just wanted to ask you as a historical matter, when you filled out your application to Columbia, to Harvard Law School, did you list yourself as an African-American?" Imagine he pressed further. Do you have a favorite traditional black food? Who's your favorite African-American performer? It's a safe bet that journalist would be lucky to have a job today as a greeter at Wal-Mart. Mark Halperin isn't in danger of losing his job -- nor should...

WASHINGTON - The pack of little-known Republican presidential candidates grew larger this week, raising this unasked question: Do any of them believe they have a serious chance of winning the nomination and the presidency in a political process that usually rewards high-profile figures who are widely known among the broad base of their party? There are exceptions to this rule, but more often than not, people with White House ambitions who have beaten the competition and won the highest office in the land had been working toward it for a long time. Consider Ronald Reagan who devoted years to the...

In a year and a half, Americans will elect a new president. What issues will be foremost in their minds? Allow me to set the table for you: The U.S. economic recovery is anemic at best, with long-term joblessness still a major problem confronting millions of Americans. Income inequality has widened, and poverty has increased. In the past six years, scandal has shaken the VA, the IRS, ATF, the Justice Department and most recently the DEA, which is why it's not surprising that Americans name "government" the most important problem facing the country today, according to Gallup. Overseas, the Islamic...

WASHINGTON - Nearly four months into the two-year presidential election cycle, Hillary Clinton is running into deep trouble on several major political fronts. As the clear front-runner for her party's nomination, she is hampered by President Obama's unpopularity and a sour mood among a large majority of Americans about the direction of the country. Getting elected president is hard enough, but following an inept administration, in which she was a central figure with her own set of scandals, is a high hurdle indeed. Clinton's role in the administration, and questions about what if anything she accomplished in that job, are...

Time.com's Zeke Miller tweeted yesterday that a "reporter" asked recently declared presidential candidate Marco Rubio of Florida the following question: "Is 43 old enough to be president?" Meanwhile, two weeks ago, a column at Time.com claimed that Hillary Clinton is "biologically primed to be a leader." Seriously. Since he either can't or won't tell us who asked the question, we're unable to determine if the "reporter" to whom Miller referred was asking the question because he or she doesn't know the Constitution or was trying to bait Rubio into giving an answer implicitly or explicitly criticizing other candidates. It would...

All in all, a pretty fun week for conservatives. Marco Rubio made a classy and inspiring entrance into a Republican field that is already impressive and energizing, and sure to become even more so. Meanwhile, the most powerful woman in American history dropped in with a campaign debut that ranged from underwhelming to comically inept. Or so it appears to those of us who have no intention of voting for her. Make no mistake, I have enjoyed the absurdity of the incognito Chipotle moment, the inexplicable road trip in the stupidly labeled “Scooby” van, the easy-to-mock fawning of the reporters...

Hillary is "the one." She is our gift from God. Mana from Heaven. The gift that keeps on giving. Conservatives should get down on their knees and thank God for Hillary. Okay, enough thanking and praying. Now let's destroy her. I speak at business conferences all over the world about my expertise- branding. The GOP has the greatest branding opportunity in modern history. Hillary is easier to brand than even Mitt Romney was for Democrats. Destroy Hillary now and it leaves Democrats between a rock and a hard place. Here's how to brand Hillary. This will be fun. It's like...

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard by now that Hillary Clinton is running for president. Actually, even if you live under a rock you’ve probably heard that, or at least the collective squeal from the media before they slipped, satisfied, into their refractory period. On Sunday, the former first lady released a Benetton ad, er, I mean a campaign video announcing she hopes to be the “champion” of “everyday Americans.” Who qualifies as an “everyday American” remains to be seen – the the video offers images of representatives of every “group” in the progressive coalition. But someone who...

You can guarantee it. When Hillary Clinton becomes the Democratic nominee next year, she and her team will frame the election as “historically significant”. In doing so, they will ignite a great social movement to elect the first Madame President. In the last twelve months, Secretary Clinton’s public speeches and commentary have discernibly shifted in focus and content, to female empowerment, pay equity and her “grandmother glow”. Never far away with a ready and helping hand, the media are showing their intent to advance the Clinton 2016 narrative. Just last month, following the conclusion of her prepared remarks at her...

A new CBS poll on Hillary Clinton this week suggests that the former first lady, New York senator and secretary of state faces a steeper road to the White House than her supporters might think. Only 26 percent in the poll of the adult population had a favorable view of Clinton, while 37 percent had an unfavorable opinion, and an astonishing 36 percent said they hadn't heard enough to form an opinion or were undecided. Because the poll sampled all adults, not just registered voters, the poll's political significance is limited. Much of the general public pays little attention to...

When Ted Cruz officially stepped into the 2016 presidential ring this week the boo-birds attacked immediately. But it wasn't just the liberals of the mainstream media who threw bottles and chairs at the conservative Texan. It was Cruz's fellow Republicans. Is he qualified after only three years in the Senate? Where was he born again? Isn't he too aggressively Christian? Isn't he too conservative to win the general election? Shouldn't we nominate someone more moderate, someone who isn't hated by the MSM and wouldn't scare independents? Unfortunately, we're already heard lots of negative chatter - from Republicans - about...

It's mid-March; Daylight Saving Time has just forced us to spring forward in time; spring break is either recently over or about to happen and it's time to look forward. It's the calm before the storm of the 2016 presidential primaries. For the next month or two, news organizations and pundits will pontificate about possibilities and potentials. But, once the race begins, with numerous candidates entering, it will be like a fox hunt -- they will be off and running, and the news organizations will be trailing after them like bloodhounds. For those wishing to keep score, here's my prediction...

Hillary Clinton is not a pleasant human being, by all available evidence. She does not convince; she browbeats. She does not discuss; she lectures. Her laugh issues mechanically from her mouth, resonating with a close-but-not-quite verisimilitude that occupies the space known as the uncanny valley. If anyone were to kidnap Hillary Clinton and replace her with a robot of Hillary Clinton, it would take a short circuit for America to realize it. Her campaign slogan should be: "Remarkably Lifelike!" All of which makes her undeclared candidacy so much more awkward than that of others. Nobody quite knows why Hillary is...

When I wrote my recent Townhall column, “Hillary Will Be President Of Nothing,” I expected that the response from the foam-lipped Left would be irrational, unhinged hate. And I looked forward to it since, like all good conservatives, I feed off of impotent leftist rage. But little did I know that my column would itself be the recipient of one of those legendary “trigger warnings” that liberal feminist believe strong, independent, capable womyn need to avoid the emotional catastrophe of being offended. Nor did I expect that I would also have to apologize to a hideous demigod of unrepentant evil....