Free Republic

In which we learn that old memes do not learn new tricks as Politico explains the biggest factors facing Hillary Clinton in her presidential campaign.Remember how important it was for Democratic senatorial candidates in the 2014 midterms to "distance themselves" from the massively unpopular policies of the massively unpopular incumbent president? Remember how well that worked out for Senators Bruce Braley, Alison Lundergan Grimes, and Michelle Nunn? Well, thanks to Tiger Beat On The Potomac this morning, we see that someone's rolled back the stone on that particular meme. The two factors that might be most vital to Hillary Clinton's...

Ted Cruz thinks Americans should arm themselves against "tyranny," and Lindsey Graham thinks that's crazy. As incredible as it sounds, there’s an argument going on right now between two Republican senators (and, potentially, two Republican candidates for the presidency) over whether the American citizenry should be ready to fight a war against the federal government. The two senators in question are Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, and they can’t seem to agree whether the Second Amendment serves as bulwark against government “tyranny.” It all started with a fundraising email Cruz sent making the case that “The 2nd Amendment to the...

If Jeb Bush doesn’t win any of the first four GOP contests — Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada — does that eliminate him from the Republican race? Or does he have the staying power to survive those losses? If Texas Sen. Ted Cruz finishes first in the Iowa caucuses, does that all but eliminate hopefuls such as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Ben Carson from the race? If Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul finishes fourth in Iowa (which would be worse than his father’s third-place showing in the caucuses...

Ted Cruz is raising money for his presidential campaign at a significantly faster rate than Mitt Romney did four years ago, eclipsing the early total raised by the former Massachusetts governor who went on to win the Republican nomination in 2012. The conservative Texas senator, who is seeking to unite the Republicans’ tea party wing behind his White House run, raised $4.3 million during the final days of March – his first full week after declaring as a candidate for president. Cruz proved particularly popular with small donors, raising more in his first week from contributors giving $200 or less...

The $4 million that Sen. Ted Cruz collected in the first eight days of his presidential bid came from 46,871 donors in all 50 states, according to his campaign’s first Federal Election Commission filing. More than a third of that — about $1.5 million — came from donors who gave at least $2,700, the maximum allowed per election per person. Of that, more than $400,000 came from 38 couples who gave $2,700 each for the primary, and another $2,700 each for the general election, for a total of $10,800. General election funds can’t be touched unless Cruz wins the nomination....

And if there is one candidate who is the anti-Hillary, it is Marco Rubio. Let me list the reasons. Youth This is the most obvious contrast — one that Rubio is pushing to the hilt. Rubio is young. Clinton is not. At CPAC, when asked to say the first word that came to mind when he thought of Clinton, he said, "Yesterday." Historic-ness You can already hear the left-wing inevitability noise machine: Oh, how historic it would be to elect the first female president! But of course, there is also something historic about Rubio's candidacy: he would be the first...

The GOP pretty much has to take at least six swing states to take out Hillary in 2016. The first path to victory is Iowa,Colorado,Florida,North Carolina,Ohio,and Missouri.That should bring us to 268(ish).But if we have a latino on the ticket,that should give us New Mexico. But for now, Can We Call Iowa and Colorado for Ted Cruz?

Sen. Ted Cruz’s, R-Texas, state director has left his post to run a political action committee that supports Cruz, “Make DC Listen.” John Drogin embraced one of Cruz’s signature stump speech lines, “Make DC listen,” in naming the PAC, which will support Cruz’s presidential campaign as well as other conservative non-presidential candidates. Drogin was Cruz’s campaign manager in 2012 when the little-known Cruz won a come-from-behind race to beat then-Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst for the Senate. Drogin was earlier a press aide to Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. “Americans are worried about the federal government’s crippling effect on jobs and opportunity,”...

Link only due to copyright issues: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-04-16/marco-rubio-tries-to-find-the-middle-ground-on-same-sex-marriage

Ted Cruz hauled in more than $4 million during his first nine days as a formal presidential candidate—with help from a handful of Rick Perry's top donors. Five members of Perry's leadership PAC advisory board contributed to Cruz's presidential campaign in late March, a National Journal review of Federal Election Commission records found. San Antonio auto dealer Red McCombs, Austin oil executive Ben "Bud" Brigham, Houston chemical company executive Steven P. Mach, retired Houston technology executive Holloway Frost, and Houston Republican Kathaleen Wall each wrote four-figure checks to Cruz's campaign in late March. Those five donors were also among the...

Nearly 100 staff of Republican opposition research group America Rising are digging up dirt on Hillary Clinton. The group has 20 full-time and more than 50 part-time trackers across the country, mostly in early primary states and big money hubs such as Boston, New York and San Francisco, to document Clinton's every move. At the Arlington, Va., headquarters, more than 20 researchers are mining the paper trail she has left behind her during decades in public life, trying to find facts and factoids which can be turned into deadly ammo against the Democratic frontrunner. A dedicated war room synthesizes all...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)SEN. CLAIRE McCASKILL (D-MO): Frankly, Darrell Issa is so over the top. He is like the lead drum major of the Hillary haters. And they're a legion out there. But let's get to the policies. And that's what the American people are going to do, Chris. They're going to look at these people, and they're going to decide who has the stable of a resume that is incredibly varied and strong? Who is confident? Who has gravitas on the world stage, and who cares about them in terms of the policies? This parade of characters they have, none of them...

A group of conservative activists will meet privately next month in suburban Washington to hear from potential Republican presidential candidates and determine who among them to support, a Republican involved in the effort said on Monday. Many conservatives want one of their own as the 2016 Republican presidential nominee and would prefer to avoid establishment candidates such as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who is expected to seek the nomination. The session at a hotel in Tyson's Corner, which is in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, will take place on May 15 and 16, according to the source, who spoke...

In the last week or so we are beginning to see the outlines of the 2016 Presidential campaign. Ted Cruz is showing Jeb Bush that he can raise a lot of money by coming up with $31 million in a short period of time. According to the “National Review”, Long Island billionaire Robert Mercer will control one of the four Super PACs donating money to Cruz. Mercer’s hedge fund has been accused of underestimating what it owes the IRS by $6 billion. And Cruz has called for the abolish of the IRS. So Mr. Mercer’s support of Cruz is just...

In every election we get the “Which candidate would you rather have a beer with?” question. It’s a shorthand for testing how genuine, fun and likable a candidate may be. With the exception of Richard Nixon in 1968, the nicer guy actually does finish first in most elections. Politics after all is the marriage of personality and policy, so it’s worth looking at candidates from a non-ideological point of view, which by the way is how a lot of casual voters who turn out only in presidential races make up their minds. We will start with an easy one. David...

On March 23rd, Ted Cruz became the first to throw in his name to run for the Republican presidential nomination. On Tuesday, March 31st, enthusiasts from all over the state came to the Grand Opening of his presidential headquarters in Houston, Texas. It was a ‘joyous’ occasion. Americans are hungry for a ‘change’ from doom and gloom to a new dawn. His presidential campaign logo signifies this very premise, "Reigniting the Promise of America." Cruz is a dynamic courageous conservative that will energize the many angry, restless and hurting Americans into a positive force against progressivism. The response to his...

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas got the ball rolling: On March 23, he announced he was running for president and became the first Republican to enter the 2016 presidential race. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky quickly followed suit and became the second Republican to officially declare his candidacy. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida officially joined the race Monday. They could all face New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the Republican primary. Though the governor of the Garden State hasn’t officially declared, Christie has formed a political action committee to explore a run is in New Hampshire for a week...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK) HOUSTON (KTRK) -- In the center of Ted Cruz's national campaign headquarters in a southwest Houston high-rise is a group of staffers you may not know -- but who may know a lot about you. They are the data and analytics team, led by researcher Chris Wilson. "There is nothing we're doing that is magical or is in a black box," explained Wilson, whose company, WPA Opinion Research, also worked for Texas Governor Greg Abbott's successful campaign in 2014. "The difference between what we're doing and what other people are doing is the commitment to it. I think what...

“I was dreamin’ when I wrote this Forgive me if it goes astray… But when I woke up this morning Could’ve sworn it was Judgment Day. The sky was all purple, There were people runnin’ everywhere Tryin’ to run from the destruction You know I didn’t even care ‘Cuz they say 2000 zero zero party over, oops, out of time!” So begins the classic Prince song “1999.” Although it’s Monday morning as I’m writing this, yesterday was Judgment Day for conservatives throughout America. Hillary Rodham Clinton – former First Lady, former distinguished Senator from the great state of New...

No matter how much their adversaries have tried to pin them as the "party of no," the GOP is far and away the most dynamic of the two major American political parties today. As evidence of this, just look at how the 2016 primary campaigns are shaping up on either side of the ideological divide. Conservative voters will get to choose from the youngest and most philosophically diverse group of GOP candidates I’ve seen in my lifetime, while the left will get to choose—wait, there is no choice. Yes, that’s right: Unless something drastically changes, the very same liberals who...