Free Republic

Most Americans cannot fathom how fundamentally earth-shattering the Donald Trump administrative architecture is to the professional political class. “It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old institution and merely lukewarm defenders in those who gain by the new ones” ~ Niccolò Machiavelli

(CNN)A former George W. Bush administration official who once encouraged recalcitrant Republicans to serve in the incoming Trump administration is now issuing a warning against getting on board, cautioning that those Republicans "would probably have to make excuses for things that are inexcusable and defend people who are indefensible." Eliot Cohen, who served as a State Department counselor from 2007 to 2009, wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post published Tuesday explaining why he had changed his mind after engaging with the Trump transition team. Earlier Tuesday, he had tweeted: "After exchange w Trump transition team, changed my recommendation: stay...

Former President George W. Bush reflected on the presidential election Tuesday and cautioned against anger influencing political policy, CNN reported. Speaking in Dallas, Bush acknowledged that economic anxiety and voters who were "sick and tired of the status quo" pushed President-elect Donald Trump to victory — though Bush did not mention Trump by name. "I understand anger, and some people may have been angry when I was president," Bush said. "But anger shouldn't drive policy. What needs to drive policy is what's best for the people who are angry."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is keeping his spot as the Senate’s top Republican. […] McConnell was nominated and seconded by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Sen.-elect Todd Young (R-Ind.). …

Republican Congressional leaders and members of the House Freedom Caucus are trying to distort Donald Trump’s “America First” mandate on trade and immigration to comply with the globalist agenda demanded by the party’s major donors, according to GOP staffers who are familiar with the discussions that occur in the closed-door meetings.

The elevation of the former Breitbart CEO to the Trump administration is cause for concern. Let’s start with some sense: Steve Bannon is not Josef Goebbels. That is how Bannon was described recently by French cable news network La Chaîne Info (The Info Channel), and American media have taken up the comparison, particularly in light of Bannon’s appointment as the president-elect’s “chief strategist and senior counselor.” The Huffington Post wailed representatively: “A White Nationalist Is the New White House Chief Strategist.” About Bannon’s personal attitudes, this is hyperbole. Julia Jones, Bannon’s screenwriting partner in Hollywood for nearly two decades, told...

WASHINGTON — House Republicans renominated Speaker Paul D. Ryan as their leader on Tuesday, quieting rumors of an initial revolt in the party in the wake of feuding between Mr. Ryan and President-elect Donald J. Trump while Democrats grappled with their own potential insurrection. To retain the speaker’s job, Mr. Ryan, of Wisconsin, will still have to clear a vote by the full House when the new Congress assembles in January — when he must win at least 218 votes. With the results of a few contests outstanding, Republicans will hold at least 239 seats, leaving a relatively healthy margin...

Savage said he wanted to make it clear he was not turning on Trump. “I’m not attacking Trump at all,” he told WND. “I am advising Trump to beware. Because, if he loses his base on the first day, what’s going to happen in the first month? “This is a criticism of the establishment that is so all-powerful that they’ve already entangled him,” Savage explained.

As one of his biggest supporters during the presidential election campaign, Michael Savage vowed to hold Donald Trump’s feet to the fire should he win, ensuring that the real-estate billionaire fulfills his promise to reform Washington. Less than a week after Trump’s victory, the nationally syndicated talk-radio host is keeping his word, criticizing the appointment of Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus as White House chief of staff. “We’ve gone from RINOs to Rinso in one election,” Savage told WND, dubbing Priebus with the name of the iconic laundry soap. Read more at http://mobile.wnd.com/2016/11/savage-warns-trump-on-priebus-looks-like-jeb-bush-won/#i5RqlWPcEPJbgmcR.99

Paul Ryan spoke out against Republican nominee Donald Trump ALL YEAR. Ryan announced in October he was pulling his endorsement of Donald Trump. He held a separate press conference to tell reporters he would not campaign with Donald Trump. Paul Ryan cannot be trusted. He is loyal to the elites and not the people. Paul Ryan is pro-amnesty, big government, pro-TPP and anti-American worker. Donald Trump won an historic election on Tuesday winning 306 electoral votes. But Republican lawmakers do not respect their base. They are voting this coming week to reinstate Paul Ryan as speaker. But Republican Rep. Tim...

I wish I thought our fashionably liberal ruling classes, throughout what remains of the free world, would learn from the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. But they won't. They are incapable of learning anything, ever. After years of taunting. spiting. ignoring and scorning the rest of us and our opinions, they have now created a monster, President Trump is entirely their fault. But they blame others. I have politely warned the liberal elite for years they were taking this risk. I have many times said and written to such people: "Please listen to me now....

(CNN)House Speaker Paul Ryan said Sunday despite Donald Trump's campaign rhetoric, lawmakers are not prepared to form a deportation force to round-up and deport undocumented immigrants. "We are not planning on erecting a deportation force. Donald Trump's not planning on that," Ryan told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union." "I think we should put people's minds at ease: That is not what our focus is. That is not what we're focused on. We're focused on securing the border. We think that's first and foremost, before we get into any other immigration issue, we've got to know who's coming...

Donald John Trump is our 45th president elect because of the large number of first time-- or first time in a long time--voters who came out to support him. Many of these supporters hate politics as usual and are fed up with the smug arrogance of the political class in Washington, DC. Conservatives – myself included – hate Paul Ryan. His treachery revolts us; but we will just have to realize that throwing Ryan out would be a terrible first signal to Trump’s base, a base that is sick of the same old same old in Washington. Ryan is safe...

“Many of our fellow citizens feel alienated and have lost faith in our core institutions. They don’t feel heard, and they don’t feel represented by those in office. But Donald Trump heard a voice out in this country that no one else heard.” House Speaker Paul Ryan spoke those words Wednesday, a day after Trump’s momentous upset victory in the presidential election. But the speaker is wrong to suggest Trump heard a voice no one else did, contends Paul Nehlen, the man who challenged Ryan in his GOP congressional primary this year. “We’ve all been screaming it,” Nehlen told WND...

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., recommended on Friday that President-elect Trump nominate fellow former GOP presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat. . . . Trump has said he may consider nominating Cruz's Tea Party ally, Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who said he was not interested in the position. Goldberg said the same may be the case for Cruz, adding, "I don't think Cruz" wants the lifetime post.

Kirk and Ayotte! Progress! Goes to show that despite the Establishment rhetoric, moderates are more easily taken out by democrats!

Rather than support Donald Trump in the 2016 election, George W. Bush reportedly left the Select-a-president space blank and voted instead for down-ballot Republicans. And he apparently had company as John McCain, Mitt Romney and W's father, George H.W. also refused to vote for Donald Trump. But it’s not as though conservatives should be surprised. Because the US counter-attack after 9/11 was mandatory, during 8 years in the Oval Office, George W. managed only 2 estimable acts…those being the nomination of John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. And one of these decisions had to be forced upon...

REMEMBER WHEN A KENYAN POKED FUN AT A LION WITH A GOLDEN MANE IN 2011?...(5:33 mins) WATCH VIDEO (5:33 mins)

Loser: Mitt Romney, maybe the biggest next to Hillary. Had a temper tantrum about Trump, who then proceeded to carry Mitt’s real home state, Michigan, something Romney could never come close to doing in 2012. Who’s yo’ daddy, Willard? . . . Losers: Libertarian ticket of Gary Johnson and Bill Weld. Started the campaign as “respected” former GOP governors, ended as wasted, beclowned cheerleaders for the most corrupt major-party presidential candidate in U.S. history.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich slammed Republicans who refused to back Donald Trump during the general election as "whiny, sniveling negative cowards" Wednesday night, less than 24 hours after Trump was elected president. "[A] Donald Trump [administration is] going to be among the most extraordinary, creative, inventive, exciting periods in all of American political history," Gingrich told Fox News' Sean Hannity on "Hannity". "Let [the 'Never Trump' movement] drift off into the ashbin of history while we go ahead and work with Donald Trump and with the House and Senate Republicans to create a dramatically new future."