Free Republic

Monday, May 02, 2016 Taxpayer-funded financial aid for immigrant college tuition heads to IL House SPRINGFIELD - Two Republican state senators - Christine Radogno and Chris Nybo - crossed the aisle last week to support the Democrats' effort to provide taxpayer-funded financial assistance for undocumented immigrant students. The measure would add Illinois to the five states that grant immigrant students financial aid for college education regardless of their legal status. Already, Illinois is one of 18 states that allows any status immigrants to qualify for lower in-state tuition and set up private college funds. SB 2196 easily passed the Illinois...

When it was announced that Harriet Tubman would displace President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, there were two sets of dramatically different reactions among Republicans on social media. One group passed around links to a National Review piece celebrating the decision to “tell the story of a deeply-religious, gun-toting Republican who fought for freedom in defiance of the laws of a government that refused to recognize her rights.”

Cruz surrogate Glenn Beck is once again encouraging Americans to join him in a fast in the run-up to a crucial primary vote and to spread the word with the hashtag #Tuesdayfast. In a Sunday night Facebook post, Beck wrote: "I would like to ask that you, your family and friends join me for a day of prayers, fasting and humility. To beg the Lord to not remove His hand from us. To turn to Him and ask that He will heal our land. Beginning Monday night and running for 24 hours ending on Tuesday will you pray and if...

I am certain you’ve never heard of me, unless you are a friend or relative, because I am just a beginner at politics. Yet somehow, in this most contentious political year for Republicans, I am going to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland as a delegate. Here’s how it happened. Wyoming, the least populated state, sends 29 delegates to the Republican National Convention, but that number varies every four years, depending on how well the Republican Party is represented in the state (i.e. legislative seats held, governorship held, party membership per capita). The same system exists at the state level....

Sunday, on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” host Chuck Todd got very frustrated with Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) ’s (R-TX) refusal to say if he would support rival candidate Donald Trump if he is the GOP nominee.

Upset that Donald Trump received just a handful of statewide delegates during an electronic vote, his Arizona campaign manager is threatening to sue the Arizona Republican Party. "This stinks to high heaven!" Jeff DeWit shouted at reporters, decrying the results of the at-large delegates. He suggested the website Arizona Republicans used to choose delegates for this summer's national GOP convention, NeverHillary.SimplyVoting.com, was rigged. He offered proof in terms of a screen shot that suggests statewide delegates clicked on a slate supporting Trump. "People clicked the trump button more than any other and we got hosed," he said. Former governor Jan Brewer, a national...

Ted Cruz continues to astound. Every time it appears he can’t get more awful, he finds a new avenue, like a ground mole sniffing out a beetle. Right now, he’s in Indiana, trying to save his presidential career by ranting about transgender people and bathrooms.

Boy, the leaks just keep on coming. Seems that Rocky Top kicked over a rock and all sorts of noxious secrets are now slithering out from underneath. The Rocky Top Tipsters (www.rtptipline.com) have given us so much inside information, we are having to line up the stories like planes at the Atlanta airport. Here’s the latest: Unable to refute the facts of their conflicts and insider dealing, the state party staff and some officials have resorted to ad hominem attacks and threats. Their only defense has been to fall back on a narrow and dubious interpretation of the party by-laws....

Real estate mogul Donald Trump has run an outsider's juggernaut campaign, the likes of which nobody has seen in modern politics. Democrats publicly say they are thrilled to face him in the general election. But, privately, they fret that the master marketer and media maestro is so unpredictable and so original and so fearless that they just might regret getting the match-up they had hoped for.

Friday, April 29, 2016: Live stream of Donald Trump’s keynote speech at the California Republican Party Convention’s Kickoff Lunch Banquet in San Francisco, CA. Mr. Trump is scheduled to speak at 12:00 PM PDT. No rallies today just the keynote speech @ 4pm EDT.

Donald Trump may be the only Republican presidential candidate who can realistically hit the magic 1,237 number for the majority of delegates, but according to a senior Republican National Committee official that does not mean he will become the GOP presidential nominee. "Even if Trump reaches the magic number of 1,237 the media and RNC are touting, that does not mean Trump is automatically the nominee," Haugland said. "The votes earned during the primary process are only estimates and are not legal convention votes. The only official votes to nominate a candidate are those that are cast from the convention...

The city of Cleveland, Ohio has bought insurance in anticipation of large scale rioting at this summer’s Republican National Convention, Shane Ferro reports at the Huffington Post. He also begins to lay out a media narrative that Republicans may to blame for some potential violence.

Not sure who is more delusional now. Cruz or Kasich.

While Donald Trump has claimed his former pro-abortion views are a thing of the past, some pro-lifers question his convictions on abortion, or even his knowledge of the topic, following a series of ill-advised remarks from the current GOP presidential frontrunner. Students for Life is seeking to assist Trump in coming to a better understanding of the pro-life position by inviting him to a “remedial training” course called ‘Being Pro-Life 101.’ On Monday, the pro-life group tweeted a call for Trump to receive education on abortion issues. Donald Trump could use some pro-life training: https://t.co/VuYqalvdNU We’re here to help if...

I see in a few counts that there are "Superdelegates" assigned to Cruz this evening. Where did I miss this ? Does the Republican party have superdelegates now ? Am I missing something ?

Cameron Lancaster Senate Republicans blocked a slate of President Obama's lower court nominees Tuesday. Democratic Sens. Mazie Hirono (Hawaii),Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and Ben Cardin (Md.) asked for consent four times to bring up a total of 11 judicial nominations Tuesday, arguing that the pace of confirmation votes has created a backlog. "The judicial confirmation process has been at a crawl for years. Now it has come to a functional standstill," said Schumer, who is expected to be the next Senate Democratic leader. The Senate's top Republicans teamed up to block the Democratic efforts. Majority LeaderMitch McConnell objected to requests...

Donna from Staten Island, a caller on Tuesday's Sean Hannity Show, has provided Hannity.com with a pair of photos--one of the Democratic ballot and one of the GOP ballot--that perfectly illustrate the bizarre way the Pennsylvania GOP elects its delegates to the Republican National Convention. The photos were taken by Donna's sister, who is voting in Pennsylvania's 15th district. Take a look at the side-by-side comparison of the two ballots. On the left, you'll see the Democratic ballot. On the right, the GOP. Notice a difference?

For the past month, a media narrative has taken hold that something must be done to reform, simplify, streamline, and democratize the delegate selection system of the Republican presidential nomination process. Is our GOP presidential primary system rigged, meaning it is corrupt because it favors the establishment? Is it convoluted, arbitrary, arcane...and too often "voteless"? Is it wrong to allow "Trojan horse" delegates to change their vote on the second ballot of the national convention? Why do we have a separate election for delegates after we vote for candidates? The system is not rigged, convoluted, arbitrary, arcane, or voteless. It...

This is the single most delusional thing you will ever see. Doesn't matter if you're for Trump or Cruz. Atleast you're not for Kasich.

Political consultant/wife of state GOP political director working to defeat incumbent conservative GOP legislators while working out of office in GOP HQs. Posed as an official representative of the Tennessee Republican Party to reporter covering the delegate controversy. RTP has learned that party officials Brent Leatherwood and Walker Ferrell were repeatedly warned about the appearance and ethics of contracting with Ferrell’s wife. That arrangement on its face was highly questionable, but exploded into the public view when it was learned she was also under contract to defeat several Republican officeholders. This unethical “backdoor” attempt to circumvent party by-laws was exposed...