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After Carly Fiorina's standout performance in the Aug. 6 Republican pre-debate, we were eager to see her polling numbers. Sure, she spoke in the so-called "kiddie table" debate -- really more of a 5 o'clock forum featuring the bottom seven Republican presidential candidates before the main stage of the top 10 -- and sure, her competition was six men who were pretty, well, lackluster that day. But the media, including us here at The Fix, made note of how well-spoken, versed poised she appeared. The former Hewlett-Packard CEO was one of the night's unequivocal winners -- of either debate. The...

I will tell you that a very senior talk radio executive, somebody with responsibility for a large number of talk radio stations, expressed to me just this week his concern that talk radio as we know it could be largely gone in five years….” So spoke Randall Bloomquist, “a long-time radio executive and president of Talk Frontier Media ” as identified here in a Daily Beast article from back in 2011 - almost, yes, five years ago. (And Bloomquist wasn't alone in expressing the "talk radio is dying" sentiment, either.) As of this moment, with only another six months to...

Former George H. W. Bush consultant Rick Wilson lashed out at Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow tonight on CNN accusing Breitbart.com of being the “Pravda” for Donald Trump. Despite Rick Wilson’s insults Alex Marlow probably delivered the sharpest blows. Breitbart reported: The two men, before addressing each other, established a stark contrast with the other’s view. Wilson defended Bush on several questions and, unprompted, said: “I don’t work for Jeb Bush, and I’m not here to advocate specifically for him.” All the while, he threw a few bombs at Trump. “Every one of these pressers this guy does is a dumpster...

August 14, 2015 Republican 2016 presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke to supporters at a rally at Winnacunnet High School in Hampton, New Hampshire.

Many people who have not followed the construct of the RNC/GOP plan as it originated (November/December 2013 – through the construction in May/June 2014 and end result in April ’15) are fundamentally misunderstanding the origin of the GOPe Roadmap to elect Jeb Bush.... The road map was originally contingent upon Graham, Fiorina, Perry, Rubio, Christie, Huckabee, Gilmore, Pataki and Kasich staying in the race through at least March 2nd 2016. Hence Super-PACs were established to keep them funded through the point of their usefulness. Obviously things so far have not gone quite as planned/preferred. Specific issues messing up the plan:...

From Katie Glueck writing at Politico: Six in 10 Republican insiders in the early states say Donald Trump can’t win Iowa or New Hampshire. That’s the assessment of this week’s POLITICO Caucus, our weekly bipartisan survey of the top operatives, strategists and activists in Iowa and New Hampshire. Their conclusion comes on the heels of the latest national poll, from CNN/ORC, that reports the controversial real estate mogul is leading the GOP presidential field even after crudely attacking Fox News host Megyn Kelly last week following the first GOP debate, which she co-moderated.

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Donald Trump Adviser Roger Stone Interview FULL after Being FIRED by Trump Campaign

He says that it is dangerous to dismiss a candidate with this type of drawing power. FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Monday warned that the Republican presidential candidates who are slamming Donald Trump do so at their political peril. Cruz’s remarks, which came during an interview with POLITICO as he swings through the South on a bus tour, are among the most detailed comments to date regarding his reluctance to criticize the real estate mogul, who is currently leading the polls in the GOP primary. “I would … note that an awful lot of Republicans, including other...

I know what you’re thinking because I’m thinking it too: Sign. Me. Up. In fairness to him, grassroots conservatives aren’t his target audience any more than they are Jeb Bush’s. If you’re a moderate who’s looking for someone with executive experience who’s not Jeb, maybe this plays: In an interview with National Journal, Kasich pledged another atypical tactic: He’s not going to attack any of his opponents—Hillary Clinton included—and will instead focus on offering solutions to the nation’s pressing problems. He lived up to that commitment in his town hall meetings this week, not mentioning Clinton’s name at all and...

In a post debate interview with Sean Hannity, Ohio governor John Kasich called a past immigration vote of his "amnesty." Watch here: "You had a great answer I thought on immigration," Hannity said. "We all have -- we all agree we got to build the fence. That's why Donald Trump is popular. You just dealt with it straight-up. I like that. What is the answer to the 11 million people, though?" "Well, we've got to find out who they are. Look, the most important thing, Sean, is once we fix the border and build the fence and put all the...

This week, Donald J. Trump said that listening to Carly Fiorina, the only woman competing for the Republican presidential nomination, gave him “a massive headache.” It was music to Mrs. Fiorina’s ears. For months, the former Hewlett-Packard executive has tried to gain traction by pointedly attacking Hillary Rodham Clinton. But Mrs. Fiorina’s candidacy did not start to sizzle until her performance at last week’s second-tier Republican debate, where viewers realized that as the sole woman in a 17-candidate primary field, she was singularly qualified to stand up to Mr. Trump. It is not a role Mrs. Fiorina necessarily wants to...

Sens. Orrin Hatch and Dean Heller are endorsing the presidential campaign of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported Wednesday. Hatch, a veteran Republican from Utah, is chairman of the influential Finance Committee. Heller, originally appointed to the Senate by Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, won a close race in 2012 despite President Obama's easy top-of-the-ticket victory over Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. "Our nation is at a crossroads. It is in dire need of a proven leader. That leader is Jeb Bush," Heller said in a prepared statement.

... The Republican primary is a race against the GOP elite who have enjoyed Viva la Vida for far too long. This is not the time to ask the candidates to swear allegiance to Karl Rove and Reince Priebus. Conservatives tend to have short memories. They forgive too easily, and sometimes that gets in the way of their better sense. The GOP demands a promise from Trump that he will not run as an independent, when instead they should make the party a place where he and millions of other conservatives want to hang their hat. Conservatives forget who the...

“I used to rule the world. Seas would rise when I gave the word. Now in the morning I sleep alone, sweep the streets I used to own.” –Viva la Vida by Coldplay The Republican primary is a race against the GOP elite who have enjoyed Viva la Vida for far too long. This is not the time to ask the candidates to swear allegiance to Karl Rove and Reince Priebus. Conservatives forget who the real enemy of a 2016 Republican victory is: the GOP elite. Their goal: to preserve their Viva la Vida. They are betting you will help...

8/11/15 John Nolte During an interview with CNN Tuesday morning, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump stated that he was open to the idea of continuing to fund Planned Parenthood with federal tax dollars. “The problem that I have with Planned Parenthood is the abortion situation. It is like an abortion factory, frankly,” Trump said. “And you can’t have it. And you just shouldn’t be funding it. That should not be funded by the government, and I feel strongly about that.” ... But certainly the abortion aspect of it should not be funded by government, absolutely.”

The first two barely won the presidency—why should the GOP gamble with another? If Republicans nominate a third Bush to face a second Clinton, they will suffer their third consecutive loss in the battle for the White House. Each of those losses will have been rooted in one undeniable fact: a milquetoast, Washington establishment-backed nominee is unelectable. Grassroots conservatives, rank-and-file Republicans and Tea Party supporters have figured this out. Since the Washington establishment blessed Jeb Bush with the title of front-runner last December, he has steadily lost support. I know this base. I have worked with them for over three...

When Jeb Bush is “on” — as he was at Liberty University, his kickoff speech and at the RedState Gathering on Saturday — he stands head and shoulders above the field. His command of policy, record of accomplishment in a purple state, inclusive message and refusal to pander make other contenders seem small and shallow. Bush’s biggest problem, however, is that he is not always “on.” Bush’s debate performance was solid on substance but lacked Sen. Marco Rubio’s eloquence and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s pugnaciousness. He made no errors and ably defended himself on immigration reform and Common Core...

Jeb Bush’s most famous, or infamous, remark of the campaign season was that a Republican candidate must be willing to “lose the primary” in order to win the general election. For the most part, Bush has campaigned like he meant what he said: He’s defended his positions on immigration reform and Common Core, though they’re unpopular with much of the Republican base, and he angered conservatives on Capitol Hill by pushing for a confirmation vote on Attorney General Loretta Lynch, which some were trying to hold up at the time. But in the week leading up to the first Republican...

GOPe 2016 Road Map To Victory – Tree House Challenge… In December of 2013 we found clues to the GOPe roadmap and began watching carefully. In a very general sense the broad construct begins around a very specific premise: The GOPe knew they would need to devise a strategy to elect Jeb Bush with around 15 – 25% of the primary vote, depending on the state – through the first nine calendar primary races. [Dixie states at the low end, and New England states at higher thresholds.] [snip] This approach makes winning a matter of math, not ideology. The...