Free Republic

Right blasts RNC 'autopsy' as power grab By: Jonathan Martin and Maggie Haberman March 18, 2013 12:21 PM EDT The GOP’s prescription to cure the ills that helped bring on yet another disastrous presidential cycle would revamp its presidential nominating rules in ways to benefit well-funded candidates and hamper insurgents - a move that quickly heated up the already smoldering feud between the Republican establishment and the tea party-inspired base. Tucked in near the end of the 97-page report, formally known as The Growth and Opportunity Project, are less than four pages that amount to a political bombshell: the five-member...

Despite the slow pace of introducing new or modernized weapons and equipment into the table of organization and equipment (TOE) in Russia’s Armed Forces, there are signs that progress is more sporadic and prioritizes one strategic direction. The South Military District (SMD) is receiving new combat hardware and weapons systems at a much faster rate than other military districts. In some areas of the TOE, the share of modern equipment has now surpassed more than 70 percent (Interfax, May 4). Russian T-90 tank (Source: freerepublic.com) According to the press service of the SMD, the district will receive over 40 new...

Police and organizers shut down proceedings at one of Missouri's largest caucuses today, as Ron Paul supporters feuded with local GOP leaders. "It's like the Hatfields and the McCoys around here," St. Charles County's former GOP chairman told ABC News, after police arrived on-scene with a helicopter and removed Paul backers. In St. Charles, an exurb of St. Louis and one of the state's largest GOP counties, Paul supporters sought to elect their own chairman and adopt their own rules when proceedings opened - both of which are part of standard caucus rules and procedure. But as they argued with...

After months of preparation, education, and activism by conservatives, all over Missouri, caucus day arrived, and in St. Charles County it came and went without awarding delegates. The Francis Howell North High School bleachers were packed and there was a standing room only crowd after the caucus was called to order, an hour and a half late. Clearly crowds exceeded expectation as checking in the overflow crowd took much longer than expected. Most in the crowd waited longer to be checked into the caucus than the caucus lasted. The beginning of the caucus started with the reading of the pre-approved...

Cassville, Mo., is a little town on the edge of the Ozark Mountains. During the Civil War, the Confederate state legislature convened here. Tuesday, the Republican presidential caucus was the big draw. Most of the rest of the state will hold its caucuses Saturday morning. Confusion On Caucus Night The first caucus was a messy process. More than 250 people showed up, most planning to vote directly for the candidates. But that was not to be. David Cole, the chairman of the Missouri Republican Party, told caucusgoers that they would be voting on delegates to attend district and state conventions....

Hawaii's relatively few number of delegates, 20, still matter very much even this late in the Primary and Caucus cycle. Leading candidates are ramping up their presence here ahead of Tuesday night's Caucus. Most of the leading candidates have a son or daughter here in the islands hoping to help secure delegates for the party nomination. "Hawaii gets to have a say in who they want to be the nominee to go up against Obama. So I'm encouraged on Tuesday. Every vote matters," said Rick Santorum's daughter, Elizabeth....

That is what's on the calendar for today. Gingrich way back.

After winning three of ten Super Tuesday states, but narrowly losing to Mitt Romney in Ohio, Rick Santorum will try to generate some new momentum on Saturday in Kansas with GOP Presidential caucuses in that state. 40 delegates are at stake in the Sunflower State - 12 delegates are handed out 'winner take all' in the four congressional districts in Kansas; three to the winner in each district. 28 delegates are divided up proportionally based on the statewide results; 20% of the vote is the threshold to qualify for that batch of delegates. Santorum has done well in states near...

Santorum Strong in Kansas Rick Santorum looks set for a comfortable lead in the state of Kansas, which holds its caucuses Saturday with 40 delegates up for grabs. "We chased all the candidates out of Kansas!" Santorum said Friday. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have skipped the state to focus on Alabama and Mississippi, with their primaries on Tuesday. Santorum is expected to win the state even though Bob Dole, the former GOP presidential candidate from Kansas, endorsed Romney earlier this week.

Rick needs momentum heading into Super Tuesday.

EAST MACHIAS, Maine -- Ron Paul has gained 83 votes on Mitt Romney following a Republican presidential caucus in eastern Maine, where voting last week had been postponed due to bad weather. Romney still holds a 156-vote lead over Paul in statewide totals. Paul received 163 votes in Saturday's Washington County caucus, where Republicans from more than two dozen towns gathered to cast their votes. Romney received 80 votes. Rick Santorum got 57 votes and Newt Gingrich received four votes.

The Maine Republican Party is being urged to reconsider its announcement that presidential candidate Mitt Romney won a preference poll of state caucus-goers, the Bangor Daily News reports. The Maine GOP said on Saturday that Romney had defeated Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, 39 percent to 36 percent, or less than 200 votes, in the state’s weeklong caucuses. To be counted, party officials said the meetings had to be concluded by Feb. 11. According to the newspaper, some communities that followed caucus procedure were still not counted in the final tabulation. In addition, one county was forced to postpone its caucus...

Nevada state GOP chair Amy Tarkanian boasted this week that her state will turn Republican in the next presidential election. Not likely if her state GOP runs that show like it ran the Nevada caucuses, which were an embarrassing display of bad planning and execution on multiple levels. Aside from the scheduling, the choice of caucus locations, and the decision to shut out thousands of workers on the Las Vegas strip which we’ve detailed here, let’s now clue you all in on the litany of other problems: 1. The GOP couldn’t deliver results in a timely manner.An all-night count —...

Las Vegas -- Today's Republican caucuses in Nevada differ from primary elections by requiring voters to devote a block of time to make their preferences known in a process that takes more time than just filling out a ballot. There are also some unusual rules set this year by the GOP officials in the state, including:Timing: Republican Party officials in each county decide when to hold caucus meetings. In Clark County, home to Las Vegas and 70 percent of state residents, the meetings are at 9 a.m. today - a time that is inconvenient for the city's taxi drivers, waitresses...

Occupy Iowa and Healthcare NOT Warfare had been attempting to organize a protest vote for a slate of uncommitted, progressive delegates in Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses. With most eyes on the super-tight Republican contest, it’s hard to find any complete results for the Democratic caucuses. In fact, we may never know what happened in some of those Iowa meetings. However, turning to Twitter, it is possible to see some scattered reports of uncommitted delegates being elected at the county-level.Iowa City’s precinct 15 appears to have elected 3 Obama county delegates and a single uncommitted delegate. Iowa City’s precinct 17 elected...

It's not too early to project one set of winners from today's Iowa caucuses: the strategists and advertising whizzes of the political industrial complex who are taking advantage of a Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance to collect and spend unlimited donations from wealthy individuals and special interests to become a force in the presidential race. In Iowa, the candidate who appeared to receive the biggest boost from an ostensibly independent political action committee was Mitt Romney. A group called Restore Our Future reportedly spent nearly $3 million on broadcast advertising aimed at lifting Romney's stature in Iowa - and,...

On Saturday, during in an appearance on WSUM 91.7, the University of Wisconsin’s student radio station located in Madison, Darcy Richardson encouraged his supporters in neighboring Iowa to come out and caucus for the Occupy Iowa and Healthcare NOT Warfare efforts to elect a slate of progressive, uncommitted delegates in this Tuesday’s caucuses. “I’ve been encouraging my supporters in Iowa to join with the Occupy Iowa and Healthcare Not Warfare organizations in sending the strongest possible message to the Obama administration,” Richardson told the listening audience. Supporting an uncommitted slate in Iowa gives progressives the best chance to make their...

NBC's Andrea Mitchell on New Year's Day made it clear to Nightly News viewers that her Obama-loving network will continue using the race card to assist the current White House resident's reelection. In a brief segment about the upcoming Iowa caucuses, Mitchell said "the rap" on the Hawkeye state is that "it doesn't represent the rest of the country - too white, too evangelical, too rural" Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2012/01/02/andrea-mitchell-iowa-too-white-too-evangelical-too-rural#ixzz1iMDxZzyc

The most highly anticipated poll of likely Republican Iowa caucus goers is out and the most important number in it is 41. The final Des Moines Register poll before Tuesday's caucuses shows moderate Mitt Romney still unable to break out of the mid-20's after 5 years of campaigning. It also shows libertarian-leaning Ron Paul is at 22% which most believe is the best he'll ever do in any state by far. And the conservative field of Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum are at a combined 45%. Why is it appropriate to combine their level of support...

Link only per FR rules.

Reporting from Atlantic, Iowa— Adding an unpredictable element to the presidential contest in Iowa, some disaffected Democratic voters are planning to switch sides and cast Republican ballots in Tuesday's caucuses. Caucus rules limit participation to registered party members. But anyone who shows up at a Republican caucus — including Democrats, independents and libertarians — can join the GOP or switch their party affiliation on the spot. Rep. Ron Paul, in a tight race for first place in Iowa with Mitt Romney, is perhaps the most likely to benefit from Democratic crossovers. His campaign is distributing information sheets advising Iowans that...

Gingrich's rebellion against Bush's 1990 betrayal of Reaganomics was his finest hour. That leadership is what led to the House Republican takeover in 1994. If conservatives and supply-siders do not rally around Gingrich now, and allow the Bush crowd to win with Romney, Reaganism will have been routed out of the Republican Party. Undoubtedly, John Sununu will pick Romney's budget director (remember his pick of Supreme Court Justice David Souter over the conservative alternative that would have given conservatives a firm majority on the Court). The first thing Romney will do if elected is exactly the reprise of the 1990...

Iowa’s Republican Party will count this year’s caucus results at a secret location in response to security concerns, according to multiple reports. The Occupy Caucus movement, organized by Occupy Wall Street protesters in the Hawkeye State, is gaining steam and could potentially disrupt the caucus votes taking place next week. “The Iowa GOP is taking additional safeguards to ensure the caucus results are tabulated and reported to the public in an accurate and timely manner,” Iowa Republican Party Chairman Matt Strawn told CNN. Occupy Iowa protesters met Wednesday to plan a week of protests timed to hit the Iowa caucus....

Two weeks from tonight, the Iowa caucuses will be over. Today, Newt began to fight back, to answer the negative ads, and outright lies. These next two weeks can be the two weeks that change the world. If everyone doubles down on giving – www.newt.org/donate - doubles down on making Iowa calls from the national phone banks – www.action.newt.org - and doubles down on praying and having faith - Newt can do this. Newt can win Iowa. We need to help him starting this moment right now! AMERICA'S FIRST CHRISTMAS... In December 1776, the future of America hung on the...

Tonight's GOP presidential debate in Sioux City, Iowa is technically the 13th time most of the candidates will appear on stage to discuss the issues and defend their records. But this final debate before the first in the nation caucuses is not only the last; it's the one that probably matters most. The latest poll of likely Iowa Caucus participants shows that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is holding a tiny lead over his nearest competitor, but he's been at or near that position throughout the seemingly endless string of debates while the anti-Romney crowd has migrated to a different...

GOP presidential contender Rick Perry is gaining ground in Iowa. A new American Research Group poll shows the Texas governor with 13% support from likely caucus goers. That's up 8 points from the same survey last month while current front runner Newt Gingrich has dropped 5 points (27% to 22%) and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has dropped 3 (20% to 17%). Congressman Ron Paul has gained a point since November (16% then 17% now), but the majority of the Gingrich/Romney losses are definitely Perry gains.

The Newt Gingrich campaign has opened its national phone banks for supporters nationwide to make calls to Iowa voters prior to the upcoming caucuses. You just have to join the Newt 2012 campaign, and then are provided access to the call center, with the name and number of a potential Iowa voter. A easy-to-read script is provided. This is a great way for Freepers nationwide to participate in the Iowa campaign, even if they are out of state. Please help Newt's Iowa campaign go National!!

The low-life anarchist morons are now threatening to disrupt the 2012 Republican Iowa Caucuses for President in January. Links provided below. Tell me this is not starting to spin out of control? They would be pretty foolish to actually do such a thing in Middle America.

WATERLOO, Iowa --- Texas Gov. Rick Perry will be making his first appearance in the Cedar Valley Sunday at the Black Hawk County Republicans' Lincoln Day dinner. Both Mac McDonald, the county GOP chairman, and Mark Miner, a Perry spokesman, confirmed his appearance today. This will also Perry's first visit after the Iowa Straw Poll in Ames on Saturday. Perry has not officially announced his intentions to run, but he's widely rumored to be considering a bid. Perry will be speaking at a fundraiser in South Carolina, the first Southern primary, according to the Associated Press. Black Hawk County officials...

Even as some Iowa Republicans criticize an upcoming mission to recruit in-your-face New Jerseyan Chris Christie for the presidency, one organizer defended it as a way to send a strong endorsement of no-nonsense conservative leadership. “If we only accomplish one thing, and that is to encourage Chris Christie to maintain his leadership style and to encourage other Republicans to have the same leadership style, we’ll feel very good about the trip,” said Iowa hog and ethanol baron Bruce Rastetter, a prolific contributor to GOP campaigns. Rastetter and a team of six other Iowa businessmen will fly by private jet Tuesday...

Former Russian Interpol head says terror threat in country worse than in Israel; 4 top transportation officials fired over airport bombing. The level of terror threats in Russia is higher than that in Israel," former head of Russian Interpol Vladimir Ovchinsky stated during an interview with Novye Ivestia newspaper Wednesday. "Our war is more intensive than the one between the Israelis and the Palestinians," he added, saying pessimistically that "The war in the Caucuses may last a hundred years." There has been no claim of responsibility for the bombing that occurred at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, killing 35 people and wounding...

"Come on, Sarah." Once more, Sarah Palin came to Iowa. Once more, it was for a book signing. This time it was at the WalMart in Spirit Lake. Again, no questions allowed by media (local or national) and no opportunities for possible 2012 caucus-goers to get close and ask what's on their minds. Supporters -- like those standing in line today in Spirit Lake -- don't mind that. In fact, the people we saw were delighted to meet the former governor of Alaska. Palin, in an apparent great mood, joked with people in line, shook hands and even autographed one...

California voters approve open primaries measure

I'm wondering if there is any advantage to going to the county caucuses. I've never gone to one before and don't want to waste my time if there is nothing good that can come of it. However, I don't want to miss an opportunity or close any doors that can't be re-opened. Any advise on what goes on at a county caucus meeting and what advantages there might be for those who attend?

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pledged radical measures to end a surge of militant violence in the North Caucasus, but said a new war is not expected in the region. "No new war is in the air in the North Caucasus, but the situation is difficult... illegally armed groups are still active there. We will wage a ruthless fight against them until they are totally destroyed," Putin said in his annual question-and-answer session broadcast live on television and radio on Thursday. Skirmishes between troops and separatists, and attacks on police and other officials have been reported daily in the mainly...

The liberal wing of the House Democratic caucus is launching a counter-offensive to efforts by the White House and Senate Democrats to back away from a health care reform bill that includes a strong public option. Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., who heads the 84-member House Progressive Caucus, said she sent a letter to Heath and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius telling her that her faction will not support a bill that does not include a "robust" government-run plan. If most of the Progressives stick with Woolsey on the threat, the House would be unable to pass a final health care...

March 4, 2008 MEMORANDUM TO: Interested Parties FROM: Lyn Utrecht Campaign Counsel RE: Caucus Irregularities The campaign legal hotline has been flooded with calls containing specific accusations of irregularities and voter intimidation against the Obama campaign. This activity is undemocratic, probably illegal, and reflects a wanton disregard for the caucus process.

The Russian bear is awake from its hibernation. Russia's response to the conflift between Georgia and South Ossetia was typically Russian - "disproportionate" - in the words of the Bush administration. The conflict, killing thousands and dsplacing tens of thousands in just a weekend's short time, has serious implications for the United States, its newer friends among the former Soviet republics and older friends around the world: Sure the Georgians got themselves into this conflict by launching a bid to recapture South Ossetia. But it wasn’t unprovoked — the Russians have been building up the government and armed forces of...

MEGVREKISI, Georgia, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Georgia pounded the capital of its breakaway South Ossetia province with heavy weapons on Thursday after a ceasefire broke down within hours and separatists said they were under siege. "Georgian troops are storming Tskhinvali (the capital). They are bombing the city," South Ossetia's separatist leader, Eduard Kokoity, told Russian news agencies. A Reuters reporter saw intense fire from heavy weapons at different locations skirting Tskhinvali. The reporter heard heavy fighting coming from the direction of the city. The night sky was lit up blue and red by explosions and Georgian forces appeared to be...

Some 50 delegates were reportedly poised to unite behind Barack Obama if he had won by even 1 point in Texas. He lost the popular vote by 100,000 ballots, and now we learn that 100,000 Republicans voted for Hillary Clinton, probably not because of some change in party allegiance but because they thought she would be the easier candidate to beat. This kind of strategic voting often backfires (think Ralph Nader). The Texas crossovers are winners. By helping to prolong the Democratic race, they can claim credit for weakening the eventual nominee, whoever it turns out to be. Obama has...

The Democratic Party is choking. Facing nothing but open field ahead, the team can’t get the ball in the end zone. The incumbent Republican president’s unpopularity is historically high. The country is opposed to the Iraq war and worried about the recession. Gas prices are heading toward $4 a gallon. John McCain, the Republican nominee, is the oldest presidential nominee in history. But the Democrats can’t score. They’re not even on the field yet. They’re still stuck in the locker room of the primaries, bickering. The veteran offensive line, the Clintonistas, won’t block for the young players at the skill...

Read all about it at the link, details to follow....

Many commentators have called for an elimination of caucuses. I beg to differ and in fact argue that we should give primaries the axe. The arguments for primaries can be best summarized as follows: Caucus rules are hard to understand. Caucuses disenfranchise voters. Caucuses may not necessarily be representative of the people of the state. Are Primaries Necessary to Democracy? Many advocates of primaries will point to the system as far more democratic than the "antiquated" caucuses with their idiosyncratic rules. Primaries allow a large pool of voters to go out and cast votes for the candidate of their choice....

Two House caucuses, two members under indictment -- and both give two very different responses. John Boehner, the House Minority Leader, publicly demanded Rick Renzi's resignation from the House after his indictment on 35 charges of fraud, extortion, and other sundry corruption: House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) is urging indicted Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) to resign. “I have made it clear that I will hold our members to the highest standards of ethical conduct,” Boehner said in a statement Friday. “The charges contained in this indictment are completely unacceptable for a member of Congress, and I strongly urge Rep....

Caucuses are about to start in Colorado. Our precinct caucus in in our home. We are trying to fit more than 50 Republicans in our home. This is four times the previous largest turnout for this precinct!

Louisiana was thought to be a battle between Fred Thompson and Mitt Romney. Romney has the support of two congressmen and announced teams in every district. It is winner take all by congressional district and majority receives at-large delegates. It's the only Southern caucus, so conservative conservatives will probablt(sic) turn out. This is Romney's to lose... Another gold medal... albeit in the state equivalent of Olympic curling, but still...

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won the Nevada caucuses Saturday, powering past Barack Obama in a hard-fought race marred by last-minute charges of dirty politics. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney easily won the Republican contest. The victory marked a second-straight campaign triumph for the former first lady, who gained an upset victory over Obama in last week's New Hampshire primary. Early returns showed the former first lady gaining roughly half the vote in a three-way Democratic race, with Obama at about 45 percent and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards placing a distant third.

Republican Mitt Romney won Nevada's caucuses Saturday while John McCain and Mike Huckabee dueled in the South Carolina primary, a campaign doubleheader likely to winnow the crowded field of presidential rivals. Democrats shared the stage in Nevada, where Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama vied for a caucus victory and the campaign momentum that goes with it. Romney's western victory marked two straight successes, coming after a win in the Michigan primary earlier in the week that revived his campaign. Alone among the Republican contenders, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas aired television ads in Nevada, and the libertarian-leaning Texan looked...

ust minutes ago, District Court Judge James Mahan rejected the lawsuit that contested the nine at-large Strip caucus sites. He cited case law that “recognizes the parties have the right to determine how to apportion delegates.” Attorney Mark Ferrario for the state teachers’ union and five party activists who brought the lawsuit said he didn’t know whether they would appeal, but “probably not.”

A moment of reflection with da SlickMeister in Vegas.