Free Republic

By the somewhat tamer standards of the Midwest, Scott Walker’s speech to the Iowa Freedom Summit last Saturday was a smorgasbord of red meat. In just 20 minutes, the Wisconsin governor shed the persona that brought him to the stage—the stern but affable accountant—and re-emerged as a conservative warrior who defeated the unions, defunded the abortionists, and beat back the liberals to win three statewide elections for governor. His message, in short, was that he was effective, unwavering, and uncompromising. There was no need for outreach or a “big tent.” With the right conservative message, Republicans could win elections—and win...

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, whose speech to activists in Iowa last weekend drew strong reviews, has taken the first formal step toward a presidential candidacy in 2016, establishing a committee that will help spread his message and underwrite his activities as he seeks to build his political and fundraising networks in the months ahead. Walker filed papers to set up the committee, called "Our American Revival," and a new Web site for the organization was scheduled to go live later Tuesday. The steps come after a busy weekend of pre-presidential events that included his address at the Iowa Freedom Summit,...

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker announced Tuesday that he formed a political organization to help boost a potential 2016 presidential run, the first concrete step toward a possible campaign that comes as others are also ramping up efforts to seek the GOP nomination.

"....Walker, who is deep into preparations for an all-but-certain bid for the Oval Office, called for a “transfer of power” from Washington, D.C. to the states. He called the city “68 square miles surrounded by reality,” with six of the 10 richest counties in America, according to the median income. “We need to transfer power, power from our nation’s capital here in Washington back to the cities and states in this country, where the people, where the hardworking people in this country can actually hold their government accountable,” he said...."

In the poll, released on Saturday night, [Sott] Walker was the first choice of 15 percent of respondents in the poll, up from 4 percent when the poll was conducted in October. Walker bested Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who was at 14 percent. Mitt Romney was in third at 13 percent; the poll was taken from Monday to Thursday, before he announced his withdrawal from the race. Ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was in fourth with ten percent of voters' support. ...Jeb Bush, who is viewed as the GOP's establishment choice, was only preferred by eight percent of voters. The results...

A year out from the Iowa caucuses, potential presidential candidate and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has taken the lead among Republicans, an Iowa Poll published Saturday indicates. With 15 percent support, Walker leads a number of other potential candidates for the Republican ticket, including Rand Paul, Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee and Jeb Bush, the Des Moines Register reported. Walker is the No. 2 candidate among potential caucus attendees who support an establishment candidate as well as those who prefer one who is anti-establishment, the Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics Iowa poll indicated. Following close behind, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky...

It came as no surprise to me that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker dazzled the audience at the recent Iowa Freedom Summit. I have long touted the potential strength of Walker as a presidential candidate. He has an impressive record of actual governing accomplishments and has advanced conservative ideas in the face of fierce opposition from unions and liberal activists nationwide. He’s also demonstrated clear political skill in winning three elections in four years in a blue state. At a time of division among Republicans, it’s hard to think of another candidate who can excite conservatives as much as Walker without...

Republican Mitt Romney is to give an update to his supporters on Friday on whether he should run for president a third time in 2016 amid signs he has yet to convince some financial backers as to why he should take the plunge again. A former staffer, who asked to remain unidentified, said a conference call with Romney was expected to be held at mid-morning on Friday, and that he might give a signal as to which way he was leaning. Romney for the past three weeks has been seeking traction for another presidential run after he was defeated by...

It wasn't long ago that Sen. Jeff Sessions was waging a lonely battle against comprehensive immigration reform. ABC News called the Alabama Republican a "lone wolf" in his dogged quest to kill the Senate's immigration reform bill, which passed the upper chamber in June 2013 on a 68-32 bipartisan vote. At one point, Sessions introduced an amendment to slash the number of immigrants allowed to enter the country legally—not even Texas firebrand Ted Cruz voted for it. (SNIP) Not long before his nomination, Sessions had prosecuted three civil rights activists, a group known as the Marion Three that included a...

The people who run the Republican party want two things heading into the 2016 election. They want the new, unified Republican Congress to “show the party can govern,” avoiding the shutdowns and debt default threats and vote-counting calamities on the House floor, while perhaps even working with the president to pass a significant achievement like corporate tax reform. (SNIP) If King were from Kansas, his nuttery could be avoidable and isolated. He would be a Tim Huelskamp, a highway tourist trap that’s not worth the lost driving time. (SNIP) And before the State of the Union, he introduced the word...

Former CBS reporter and Daily Signal senior independent contributor Sharyl Attkisson will testify at this weekÂ’s confirmation hearings for Loretta Lynch, who was nominated by President Obama to replace Eric Holder as U.S. Attorney General. Attkisson, who was invited to speak on a panel of witnesses by the Senate Judiciary Committee led by Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, will address issues concerning freedom of the press.She tells The Daily Signal: The Senate Judiciary Committee is concerned about a number of free press issues, as are many journalists. They want to touch on some of those issues at the hearing for the attorney...

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has hired a Democratic staffer in Iowa, as he considers a potential 2016 presidential bid. O'Malley's political action committee hired Jake Oeth as a consultant, beginning in mid-December, the PAC confirmed Tuesday. Oeth was the political director for Bruce Braley's Senate campaign last year. Politico first reported his hiring. O'Malley's PAC also said it has brought on Brad Elkins, who will be based in Washington, D.C. Both have Iowa experience. Elkins was sent by the O'Malley camp to Iowa last year to work for Jack Hatch's unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign. O'Malley, who left office after last...

The U.S.-Mexico border may someday see a high-profile crosser – Pope Francis. The intrepid pontiff raised the possibility that among his future trips could be entering the U.S. border from Mexico. The pope, who made the comment while flying back recently from the Philippines, said he would do it to show solidarity with immigrants, according to the Latin Post. "To enter the U.S. from the Mexico border would be a beautiful sign of brotherhood and help for immigrants," the pope said, according to the Post and other outlets. There are some logistical factors, however, that the pope indicated he would have...

The usually grim-faced media mogul practically swooned in his seat. Moments after Jeb Bush delivered what many in the audience described as an unremarkable talk at a conference in Washington, Rupert Murdoch turned to his seatmate, Valerie Jarrett, the White House adviser, to gush over its content and tone. Mr. Murdoch was pleased that Mr. Bush, the former governor of Florida, had listed the economic benefits of overhauling the nation’s immigration system, confiding in Ms. Jarrett that Mr. Bush, a likely Republican presidential candidate, had said all the right things on the fraught issue, according to three people with firsthand...

By now I’m sure most of you have read or heard of Byron York’s hit piece on Governor Palin’s speech in Des Moines this Saturday. (I won’t link to it because it’s gotten enough traffic as is.) I’ve learned one way you can tell if a journalist is being fair in an article is by whom they quote. Byron York quotes one Iowan by the name of Sam Clovis, who trashes Palin’s speech along with other nameless "activists".You may think, "Wow, by listening to the words of these so-called activists and the journalists who picked up their thoughts, everyone there...

Link only due to copyright issues: http://www.gq.com/news-politics/201502/ted-cruz-scott-walker-2016

<p>DES MOINES — Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) collapsed at an event Monday in the Des Moines suburbs and is currently receiving medical attention, according to an aide.</p> <p>“Gov. Branstad fell ill at an event today at DuPont Pioneer,” said Jimmy Centers, a Branstad adviser. “An ambulance was called and he was transported to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. The governor was conscious and alert during the transport to the hospital. The governor had been suffering from the effects of a cold for a couple of days.”</p>

The best thing about Iowa's self-promoted position as the opening act of the primary season is: It's only four letters long. Thank God the center of the political universe isn't located in a place called Chickasawhatchee, Georgia. I didn't go to the big rollout in Des Moines over the weekend, even though I knew I would pine for that unique feeling of the wind, having started on the eastern slopes of the Rockies, raced across the flat, Central Plains with nothing in its way until it slammed into my butt on Grand Avenue. Next January in Des Moines will be...

It doesn’t happen often in politics, but every once in a while, someone pulls back the green curtain on a time-honored exercise in democracy and reveals an uncomfortable truth. Such was the case in Des Moines on Saturday when the circus came to town in the form of a dozen potential Republican White House hopefuls and the masses of journalists already following their every move.

Governor Christie moved one step closer to running for president Friday, launching a political action committee with his supporters. The new political action committee, Leadership Matters for America, will give Christie the ability to raise money and assemble a staff for a potential run for president. Christie’s establishment of the committee came just as he was flying to Iowa to woo conservative voters in the first-in-the-nation presidential caucus state. The Wall Street Journal first reported early this morning that Christie’s team filed paperwork to establish the committee with the Federal Election Commission on Friday. The documents have not yet been...