Free Republic

Donald Trump's opponents are increasingly targeting him in a slew of TV attack ads that throw shade on his business ventures and conservative credentials and draw attention to some of his un-presidential qualities on the campaign trail - like his use of the f-bomb. In large part, that is unsurprising. Mr. Trump is the front-runner heading into the South Carolina primary on Feb. 20 and the ads are ratcheting up the pressure - aimed at dislodging the billionaire real estate tycoon from the top of voter survey polls. Another wealthy Republican candidate faced a similar barrage of TV attacks four...

Steve Forbes ran for president twice -- in 1996 and 2000 -- spending a reported $69 million of his own money in failed bids to win the Republican nomination. His campaigns mostly focused on establishing a flat income tax and other similar economic reforms. The multi-millionaire chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media isn't running for president this time around, but he does have a new book out this week (Reviving America), promoting three big reforms he believes America should adopt: repeal and replace Obamacare with something akin to a free-market health-care system; scrapping the Federal income tax code in favor...

Tonight, on his nationally syndicated radio program, Mark Levin went through the "controversy" surrounding the Cruz campaign and a tweet about CNN.  Donald Trump is calling for Iowa to vote again because of Fraud.  It makes it look as if Trump is defending Carson.In addition to going through the absurdity of Trump's current attacks, Levin reminded his listeners of how Trump took a "baseball bat to Carson" back in November. Listen:LISTENLevin reminded the audience that Trump likened Carson to a "child molester" among many other things.  Trump questioned Carson's faith.  It was all in all very nasty. As for the CNN report...

One of the most dangerous effects of Donald Trump's presidential campaign is the venomous anger his demagoguery has cultivated among his more engaged supporters, to be spewed at anyone who dares to express concern about any of their idol's (yes, idol's) soft spots. Just click on any article, on any website, critical of anything about Trump, and navigate to the readers' comments. First, notice the unusually large number of them. Then observe the tone: rarely logical, thoughtful, or truly argumentative, the Trump defenders (granting honorable exceptions) simply attack -- personally, irrelevantly, uncivilly -- any writer or fellow commenter, no matter...

In the beginning there was a combative media. Dating back to Colonial America, as Eric Burns has chronicled in his book, "Infamous Scribblers," politicians and journalists have mostly had a love (for Democrats)-hate (for Republicans) relationship. It is television and the advent of the celebrity culture -- from "TMZ" to "Entertainment Tonight," to now even broadcast news -- that has taken the process to new depths. The first televised presidential debate in 1960 between Sen. John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon began the shift from substance to the superficial. As numerous journalism students have been taught, people...

"We leave here with 19 million dollars," Cruz Communications Director, Rick Tyler, told reporters Monday evening. "That is more money that Bush, Rubio, Kasich and Christie combined." "People cannot leave Iowa with no money in the bank. Lots of candidates have done it, tried it, even when they've won and they have not gone on to win the nomination." Tyler continued to stress the importance of money going forward in the election. *SNIP*

... It should be noted that Wallace did exactly what the Republican establishment wanted during his interview with Cruz...

I'm seeing a lot of questions about how Rubio got 23% of the vote in Iowa. The answer is surprisingly simple, although it is likely to inflame Trump supporters. Trump has extremely high unfavorable ratings - possibly the highest of any presidential candidate since the metric began being measured. There are countless conservatives who simply *will not vote for him under any circumstances*. (Disclaimer: I am in this camp.) Meanwhile, Trump supporters have been doing their best to discredit Cruz. Along with the establishment - who hates Cruz - it's a veritable piling-on. What the Trump supporters don't realize is...

On Monday, Senator Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) performed the singular feat of simultaneously proving that a Republican can win Iowa without backing the ethanol boondoggle, and toppled The God Who Does Not Bleed, Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Senator Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) finished stronger than expected, beating poll estimates by six percentage points; Trump finished more than four percent below expectations, while Cruz finished nearly four percent above expectations.

Disgusting. The Cruz camp is slandering Donald Trump tonight at the GOP caucuses. The Cruz precinct captain Tim Osborne smeared Trump tonight in Des Moines saying Trump was for abortion and amnesty just six months ago. Six months ago Donald Trump was already running for president. And he’s reading his talking points. It looks like the Cruz folks will stop at nothing. Sad.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- Donald Trump's supporters showed up at the Sheraton Monday night fully expecting their man to win the Iowa caucuses. And why shouldn't they? Trump had held a lead of varying sizes in 13 of the last 13 polls listed in the RealClearPolitics average of Iowa polls. How could that not win? "Beats the hell out of me," said Michelle Tepley, a Trump fan from Waukee. "It doesn't make any sense." "Sad," said Kimberly Hawn of West Des Moines. "I don't know, I don't know," said Steve Brewer of Norwalk. Months ago, before Trump took the...

[snip] ".........Trump Nation is tired of failed transactions leaving only humiliation, disrespect, hardship, and despair. Trump Nation wants a transaction president. Donald Trump knows transactions. Donald Trump advertises that he's not only a high stakes negotiator. Trump will save the nation in the grandest transaction yet. It is that simple. Just like Trump Airlines. Recall Trump's promises in 1988 -- a lot more than a simple transaction in keeping the aging Eastern Airlines shuttle fleet flying. Trump promised luxury, convenience, style, personal touches, affinity to grandeur, and profitability. Except for convenience, Trump delivered nothing else for which customers were willing...

“Vote for anyone but Cruz,” declared the much-vaunted Iowa establishment governor, Terry Branstad. Between Trump, the establishment, and Fox News, they threw everything they had at him in the months preceding the 2016 Iowa Caucus. We heard it all: birtherism, ethanol, Goldman Sachs loans, the Palin endorsement, Cruz supposedly losing every debate, the Santorum/Huckabee sniping, the entire establishment ganging up to defeat him. Then we were told that even if Cruz wins Iowa, a victory would only occur in the event of low turnout. After all, the newbies will all be for Trump. Well, Cruz won with a record turnout,...