Free Republic

Donald Trump’s distinctive rhetorical style — think of a drunk with a bullhorn reading aloud James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake under water — poses an almost insuperable challenge to people whose painful duty is to try to extract clarity from his effusions. For example, last week, during a long stream of semi-consciousness in Fort Worth, this man who as president would nominate members of the federal judiciary vowed to “open up” libel laws to make it easier to sue — to intimidate and punish — people who write “negative” things. Well. Trump, the thin-skinned tough guy, resembles a campus crybaby who...

As the end of the year approaches, Donald Trump is solidly ensconced at the top of the Republican polls nationally. The man just behind him? Senator Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) , an establishment bugaboo. The establishment’s favorite candidate, Senator Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) , is currently running far behind in national polling, a distant third in Iowa, and in a deadlock with Cruz and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for second in New Hampshire. Panic time. So, here’s the establishment roundup for Christmas week. If You Support Donald Trump, You Want to Lose. Earlier this week, Bret Stephens of The...

Levin might cry and whine about Trump's tactics but here's the thing, there are no rules in politics. The only rule is winning. Trump is making that clear this cycle by breaking all the rules and winning so far. If Cruz can't beat Trump, he doesn't deserve to be the nominee. Hillary and the democrats would use the same "tactics" and more to pulverize him. This is what primaries are about. They are tests for the strongest nominee. They make the eventual nominee stronger. Cry baby whining about Trump does not make Cruz stronger. It's what losers do when they...

There is an expression: “I will leave you naked before your enemies”… A proactive assertion essentially stating: if you chose to engage in war with me – not only do I promise your defeat against my interests, but I will lay you open to exposure from all adversaries – who will then take advantage of your new vulnerability. Presidential Candidate Donald Trump is doing a remarkable job filling the role behind this proclamation. In a seismic political shift Trump has gone far beyond drawing a line in the sand. He has openly dug a trench on his pre-selected battle space...

By now almost everyone has acknowledged that Donald Trump has ripped the masks from most of the modern professional punditry who espoused to be conservatives yet showed their hidden ideological colors as elite globalists. Most notably this was evidenced in June as millions of Fox News viewers saw FOX’s entire line-up of professional pundits proclaim borders shouldn’t matter; border walls won’t work; illegal alien amnesty was the only viable solution to decades of unenforced immigration law; and, heck, this was only in week #1 of Donald Trump’s campaign Since June ’15, on almost every issue those same pundits have now...

By now almost everyone has acknowledged that Donald Trump has ripped the masks from most of the modern professional punditry who espoused to be conservatives yet showed their hidden ideological colors as elite globalists. Most notably this was evidenced in June as millions of Fox News viewers saw FOX's entire line-up of professional pundits proclaim borders shouldn’t matter; border walls won’t work; illegal alien amnesty was the only viable solution to decades of unenforced immigration law; and, heck, this was only in week #1 of Donald Trump's campaign. Since June '15, on almost every issue those same pundits have now...

Last night, National Review published articles from twenty conservative intellectuals “Against Trump.” This afternoon, publisher Jack Fowler sent this letter to friends of the magazine: Dear Friend, Today is a big day for National Review. Our editors have made a very forceful defense of conservatism, of principle, and against the politics of attitude, in our editorial, Against Trump. We have received angry calls, and cancel ­my­ subscription demands. One in particular broke my heart. Well, let’s hope time heals. None of this was unexpected. But: We have also received very strong expressions of support from many NR friends. People who...

Mark Levin opened his radio show with the disclosure a political campaign was attempt to intimidate him by disclosing his fiancee's son works in Ted Cruz's DC office. He said he is going to find out and identify who it is. He doesn't believe it is the Trump group.

So... I heard straight from the great one's mouth. Mark Levin's fiancee's son works for Ted Cruz.

This 2016 election will be a changing of the guard.  Not only will a host of GOPe and RAT policitians be sent packing, plenty of GOPe commentators will be forced to close their laptops and go home.   From the start of Trump's campaign launch, George Will has been one of his loudest critics.   And that's perfectly fine.   It's a free country. But why should someone like Will be put on a pedestal?   How is his analysis any sharper than that of the many anonymous experts who contribute fine commentary on FR?

George Will says Donald Trump bringing out Sarah Palin to endorse him is not "turning a fresh face to a promising future. We Should All Believe In Recycling, But There Are Limits" HUGH HEWITT, HOST: I’m joined by nationally syndicated Fox News contributor and author of A Nice Little Place on the South Side, George Will. George Will, welcome back to the Hugh Hewitt Show, great to have you. GEORGE WILL: Glad to be with you. HH: What did you make of that? GW: Well, I don’t think it’s the Republican Party turning a fresh face to a promising future....

What boxer Sonny Liston's manager said of him (Sonny had his good points, the trouble was his bad points) is true of Marco Rubio. His strengths include intelligence, articulateness and, usually, cheerfulness. His misjudgments involve, in ascending order of importance, the Senate immigration bill of 2013, sugar, Libya and S-590. Together these reveal a recurring penchant for ill-considered undertakings. Rubio's retreat, under withering political heat, from the immigration bill was undignified but not reprehensible. The bill had 1,197 pages because the 906-page Affordable Care Act had not slaked the congressional appetite for "comprehensive" solutions to complex problems. The immigration bill...

By now almost everyone has acknowledged that Donald Trump has ripped the masks from most of the modern professional punditry who espoused to be conservatives yet showed their hidden ideological colors as elite globalists.Most notably this was evidenced in June as millions of Fox News viewers saw FOX’s entire line-up of professional pundits proclaim borders shouldn’t matter; border walls won’t work; illegal alien amnesty was the only viable solution to decades of unenforced immigration law; and, heck, this was only in week #1 of Donald Trump’s campaign. Since June ’15, on almost every issue those same pundits have now openly...

Mild-mannered WaPo pundit George Will is panicking at the prospect of President Donald Trump. Mr. Will tells us that Trump will destroy conservatism -- which doesn't seem likely, because about a third of Americans strongly and consistently lean right. George Will also calls Trump "insecure," "needy" and does "compulsive boasting." George Will has discovered “insecure boasting” after two terms of Obama, the most insecure, self-promoting, pro-jihad, anti-American president in history. Every time Obama attacks this country he is also boasting about his own superior wisdom and morality. Obama is a true narcissist, Trump is a humorous boaster -- it's part...

If Trump wins the nomination, prepare for the end of the conservative party (According to the bastion of Conservatism, George Will) If you look beyond Donald Trump’s comprehensive unpleasantness — is there a disagreeable human trait he does not have? — you might see this: He is a fundamentally sad figure. His compulsive boasting is evidence of insecurity. His unassuageable neediness suggests an aching hunger for others’ approval to ratify his self-admiration. His incessant announcements of his self-esteem indicate that he is not self-persuaded. Now, panting with a puppy’s insatiable eagerness to be petted, Trump has reveled in the approval...

If you look beyond Donald Trump’s comprehensive unpleasantness -- is there a disagreeable human trait he does not have? -- you might see this: He is a fundamentally sad figure. His compulsive boasting is evidence of insecurity. His unassuageable neediness suggests an aching hunger for others’ approval to ratify his self-admiration. His incessant announcements of his self-esteem indicate that he is not self-persuaded. Now, panting with a puppy's insatiable eagerness to be petted, Trump has reveled in the approval of Vladimir Putin, murderer and war criminal. Putin slyly stirred America's politics by saying Trump is "very ... talented," adding that...

From the Hill: The conservative columnist says preventing Trump from winning the nomination should be an even higher priority than denying the Democratic Party a third term in the White House. http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/gop-primaries/264175-george-will-trump-nomination-would-destroy-gop

George Will is warning that if the GOP nominates Donald Trump for president, it would be the "end" of the conservative party. “Conservatives’ highest priority now must be to prevent Trump from winning the Republican nomination in this, the GOP’s third epochal intraparty struggle in 104 years,” he writes in a new Washington Post column Thursday.

We’ll tell YOU which black lives matter. And odds are better than a million to one that those that matter will only be those that advance the progressive narrative in some unconstructive way. Furthermore, let’s just stipulate to this upfront: none of them will be either conservative or Republican.Case in point: Clarence Thomas. George Will’s column is an elaboration on Justice Thomas’ position that the judicial branch should move to limit the legislative branch’s practice of delegating its power to the executive branch. If you’ve been paying attention over the past 40 years or so you’ve noticed how this shift...

Give thanks this day for some indirect blessings of liberty, including the behavior-beyond-satire of what are generously called institutions of higher education. People who are imprecisely called educators have taught, by their negative examples, what intelligence is not. Melissa Click is the University of Missouri academic who shouted “I need some muscle over here” to prevent a photojournalist from informing the public about a public demonstration intended to influence the public. Click’s academic credentials include a University of Massachusetts doctoral dissertation titled “It’s ‘a good thing’: The Commodification of Femininity, Affluence, and Whiteness in the Martha Stewart Phenomenon.” Her curriculum...