Free Republic

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.

WASHINGTON -- The Republican presidential race is so unsettled that some party officials are openly talking of a scenario that seemed almost unthinkable until now: the first contested GOP convention in 60 years. Even if Republicans choose a nominee before they convene in Minneapolis-St. Paul on Sept. 1, there's a good possibility he will emerge weeks or even months after the Democratic nominee is chosen, giving Democrats an advantage in fundraising, organizing and campaigning. Congressional Republicans particularly wanted an early nominee to draw voters' attention from President Bush, whose low approval ratings could hurt the entire party in the fall....

Former President Bill Clinton got positively riled -- as in steely-eyed -- today when pressed by a local TV reporter on the issue of lawsuits filed by Sen. Hillary Clinton's Nevada supporters to challenge the Jan. 19 Democratic "at large'' caucus locations that will serve workers on the Las Vegas strip. Many of those workers are members of the 60,000-strong Culinary Workers Union -- which has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama. Clinton was in Oakland to talk up the home mortgage crisis on behalf of his wife's presidential campaign. ... But it got fiery indeed when San Francisco's ABC 7 News...

Barack Obama is the tipping-point man, the meme of the moment, the miracle cure for that chronic American malady: feelin' bad about things. Obama may be "all that," as they say, but let's be clear: Americans are in thrall not with Obama, but with the idea of Obama. His supporters have endowed him with near-mystical powers, not unlike the old Hollywood stereotype of the wise and mystical black person who materializes as a deus ex machina to save the white protagonist. Think Bagger Vance. As one who swooned early over Obama -- the handsome bi-man of unity -- and wrote...

Record turnout expected as interest builds. Colorado is bracing for possible record turnouts in the Feb. 5 presidential caucuses, as state voters get swept up in the country's election fever. Republican Mort Marks, 83, plans to hold a caucus at his house. He said he has received calls from a lot of people he hasn't heard from before, and he has noticed larger turnout at recent Republican events. "There is a hell of a lot more interest than I've seen in many, many years," said Marks, who hasn't decided which GOP candidate he will support... GOP and Democratic Party officials...

*** It looks like Iowans pegged Sen. Hillary "I've worked 35 years for women and children" Clinton as a phony baloney Ossining *** So Clinton thinks that Iowa was a great night for Democrats. If Clinton really thinks this, then she was inhaling, even if her husband wasn't. Belleville *** Clinton took the long-overdue, well-deserved slap in the face that she has had coming to her. The secret is out, and Clinton has been exposed for what she really is. Jackson Heights *** Watch how soon the Clinton cabal's filthy McNasties get working on Obama and Edwards. The politics of...

Sorry, Rudy: If an immigration reform bill allows illegal aliens to stay in the country and become citizens, it's amnesty, even if they have to pay a financial penalty. Fred Thompson spells it out in last night's WMUR-Facebook-ABC debate: (Here's a transcript of the ABC Democrat debate. Here's a transcript of the ABC Republican debate.) Earlier today on NBC's Today Show, Thompson responded to yet another stupid "when ya gonna drop out" question by refocusing on his key issues -- addressing the threat of terrorism and the looming entitlement crisis. When reporter Lester Holt pressed, Thompson took a shot at...

Welcome to the Wyoming Republican Party Calendar. This page is maintained to the best of our ability, however the WYGOP does not guarantee the information contained herein has not changed. Please use the contact information on events to verify times, dates and places. Event: Weston County Convention Day: Saturday, January 05, 2008 Time: 8:30 AM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Event: Albany County Convention Day: Saturday, January 05, 2008 Time: 8:00 AM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Event: Goshen County Convention Day: Saturday, January 05, 2008 Time: 9:00 AM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Event: Crook County Convention Day: Saturday, January 05, 2008 Time: 2:00 PM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Event: Campbell County Convention Day:...

CHEYENNE - Wyoming Republicans gather today at county conventions to help select their party's presidential nominee. Will anybody care? While Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee generated lots of attention from victories at Thursday's Iowa caucuses, the same is not likely to happen for the winner in Wyoming. Wyoming has barely cracked the consciousness of national news reporters and pundits who have talked ceaselessly about Iowa and already are focused on Tuesday's New Hampshire primary. Mitt Romney, who finished second in Iowa as a Republican, briefly mentioned Wyoming on cable TV Friday morning. Some national newspapers, including the Washington...