Free Republic

Ex-White House counsel Greg Craig thought it was a good idea to transfer Elián Gonzalez from the arms of his loving family in Miami into the arms of Fidel Castro. Transfer Elián from Florida to Cuba. Bad idea. Attorney General Janet Reno thought she might have to prove her toughness by transferring dozens of women and children from a Waco cult headquarters to eternity. Really bad idea. But Eric Holder’s plan to transfer Khalid Sheikh Mohammed from Guantánamo Bay to Manhattan for a civilian trial is surely liberals’ worst idea. KSM and his cohorts had agreed to plead guilty before...

Last month, the Statistical Assessment Service (STATS), a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization affiliated with George Mason University, released "Science Suppressed: How America became obsessed with BPA," a report which accuses the media "of ignoring the extensive research of respected scientists and major health agencies in the United States and around the world, which found BPA was not only safe but played an important role in ensuring food safety."   It also confirms what countless previous studies have said; BPA is safe. If you're unfamiliar with Bisphenol A (BPA), it is a chemical used to make lightweight, versatile, durable, high-performance plastics.  It's...

President Obama's recent trip to Russia contrasts sharply with Ronald Reagan's 1988 visit to Moscow. President Reagan reached out to the Russian people, too. He gave the first nationally televised speech ever delivered-uncensored-to the peoples of Russia. Reagan made a point of speaking of religious freedom and invoking God's blessing on the Russian people. Like Obama, Reagan also spoke to elite students. But unlike Obama, Reagan made a point of telling students at Moscow State University in the most civil terms why despotism was wrong. The Information Age then in its dawn was physically based, he told the sons and...

Politics: The former Stuart Smalley becomes the 60th Democrat in the U.S. Senate, thanks to the community organizers at Acorn and the little-known Secretary of State Project. Is the system being rigged? Incumbent Republican Norm Coleman conceded defeat in the mother of all recounts in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race after the state's Supreme Court unanimously rejected his lawsuit. Arguably, his seat may have been lost the day in 2006 when Democrat Mark Ritchie defeated two-term incumbent Republican Mary Kiffmeyer to become Minnesota secretary of state. It was Ritchie who orchestrated the recount that gave Democratic challenger Franken a lead some...

Politics: The former Stuart Smalley becomes the 60th Democrat in the U.S. Senate, thanks to the community organizers at Acorn and the little-known Secretary of State Project. Is the system being rigged?Politics: The former Stuart Smalley becomes the 60th Democrat in the U.S. Senate, thanks to the community organizers at Acorn and the little-known Secretary of State Project. Is the system being rigged? Incumbent Republican Norm Coleman conceded defeat in the mother of all recounts in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race after the state's Supreme Court unanimously rejected his lawsuit. Arguably, his seat may have been lost the day in 2006...

The Washington Post last year admitted that it had “leaned” toward Barack Obama in the presidential race. That’s ridiculous. The Leaning Tower of Pisa leans, but it still stands. The Post and the rest of the liberal media fell over flat for him. ... President Obama’s Mideast trip has been hailed as a “new beginning.” Indeed it is. Obama very pointedly did not visit Jerusalem on this his first trip to the region. Liberal Democrat Harry Truman dared to recognize Israel in 1948 — minutes after the struggling Jewish state was born — and minutes before Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and...

It's getting to be that time again: The 2010 elections are right around the corner, and they're going to get pretty interesting in some of the most heavily contested states and congressional districts next year. In Ohio, Republican John Kasich, a former longtime congressman and also commentator for FOX News Channel, plans to file papers today for a bid for governor, according to a well-placed source. Republicans wanted Kasich to run in 2006, he demurred, but has been planting the seeds for 2010 since them - in March 2008, he suggested that Ohio's income tax should be "phased out.'' He...

Last week, many Americans celebrated Holy Week and Passover. Both of these traditions remind us that we must continue to stand for religious freedom for all. I agree with Britain’s Anglican Bishop of Rochester, the Rt. Rev. Michael Nazir-Ali. He says that we Christians should treat our Muslim neighbors with love and with respect. We believe, even if they do not, that we are all created in the image and likeness of God. We believe that they share with us the civil rights that are enjoyed by all Americans. But we also believe, with George Washington, that each one here...

While North Korea's missile test shows just how menacing the world can be, Barack Obama has unveiled a radical foreign policy. This policy leaves American troops carrying all the risks in overseas combat, while lowering our defenses at the same time that dangerous regimes are developing their means of mass destruction. It also subjects American companies to foreign socialistic control, as European leaders speak about a new, secular global order no longer led by the United States. President Obama is sacrificing our sovereignty and safety in an increasingly perilous world that rejects American values. North Korea showed the world exactly...

The politics of division is at play within the conservative movement. Some predominately economic conservatives are at odds with some predominately social conservatives. This internecine spat is the result of conservatives forgetting they share a common opponent. What these conservatives should firmly fix on is that they share a basic philosophy regarding the relationship of the individual to the state. Many believe the individual possesses various rights that define what it means to be an individual at a fundamental level. More than that, all conservatives believe the source of these rights is not government. Most conservatives believe that these inalienable...

I just spoke with Ken Blackwell, a senior fellow at the American Civil Rights Union and a former Ohio Secretary of State, about Michael Steele's comments to GQ. According to Blackwell: "Chairman Steele, as the leader of America's Pro-Life conservative party, needs to re-read the Bible, the U.S. Constitution, and the 2008 GOP Platform. He then needs to get to work -- or get out of the way."

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele says he has reached out to Rush Limbaugh to tell him he meant no offense when he referred to the popular conservative radio host as an “entertainer” whose show can be “incendiary.” “My intent was not to go after Rush – I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh,” Steele said in a telephone interview. “I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. … There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership.” The dust-up comes at a time when top Democrats are trying to make Limbaugh the face of the...

One of the most contentious social and political debates of our time pits the opposing goals of equality of opportunity versus equality of outcome. Some would claim the point was settled before the Founding of the American republic in that the Declaration of Independence recognized as an unalienable right the "pursuit" of happiness rather than happiness itself. Others argue that various social and political disadvantages through history create the need for more balanced outcomes as recompense for past wrongs. This discussion is no more heated than in the world of education. The question of opportunity versus outcome is vexing and...

After a month in complete control of the federal government, Democrats in Congress and the White House have quickly dispensed with any notion that we have entered into a new post-partisan era of governance. Their campaign claims of wanting to govern inclusively were greeted with optimism by the more gullible among us. However, their recent actions leave no doubt as to their true intentions. They will push through whatever they want whenever they want. The minority party need not participate. Their first order of business was the wasteful $787 billion economic stimulus bill, rushed through Congress with no Republican votes...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Some Republican National Committee members in Washington for winter meetings say any vestige of former President George Bush must go, including the RNC chief. With six candidates competing to run the Grand Old Party, some RNC members said they are determined to remove Mike Duncan, the current RNC chairman seeking re-election, because he is seen as a candidate who would maintain the status quo, The Washington Post (NYSE:WPO) reported Wednesday. The winter meetings run through Saturday. Duncan "has never criticized Bush when the president was wrong," said Shawn Steel, a member from California. "He's the...

Now that the Inauguration has ended, it’s time to govern. President Barack Obama has been chosen by the American people to lead. The Republican Party must work to find common ground with the new President, and to support him whenever possible. But Republicans cannot sacrifice principles to do so. If the President wants bipartisan support for his policies, he must find solutions that do not involve asking opposition leaders to violate their core beliefs. The most powerful nation in the world swore in its 44th president in a peaceful transfer of awesome power. America continues to show the world how...

Nobody in the race for chairman of the Republican National Committee has attracted as many high-profile conservative movement supporters as has former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell. And it's true that conservatives have a host of good reasons to be high on Blackwell. But while Blackwell clearly would re-energize the movement, he is not rightly seen as appealing only to conservatives. This is a man with a history of winning elections and a comprehensive plan for helping his party win plenty more of them, at all levels of government. First, to be clear: The list of conservatives who have...

Possible problems with President-elect Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan must be thoroughly vetted. While only a few details are known, one overlooked issue is that it could create a major electoral advantage for Democrats at taxpayer expense. That would be unacceptable for what is being touted as a nonpartisan measure, and gives Republicans yet another reason to oppose it if not restructured. President-elect Obama is constantly emphasizing the need for Congress to pass his stimulus plan. The details are vague. All that is certain at this point is that it is approximately one trillion dollars and Mr. Obama says it...

The Next Right has been dedicated to promoting discussion on the future of the Republican Party. RebuildTheParty.com has done a great job in formulating a set of plans that the GOP can move forward with. The debates over messaging, policy, technology, campaign strategy, the role of the RNC, and the role of the chairman have been healthy. But the discussion over the chairman's race needs to be set in the proper context. Some of the candidates have been discussing "decentralization plans" and the "importance of state and local parties." But the fact is that the 168 members of the RNC...

The Republicans are behind in money, technology, and in reaching out to minorities. But ultimately the GOP doesn’t face a crisis on any of these points. The GOP crisis is one far more fundamental. It’s a crisis of trust. The proud Republican is a dying breed, limited to Lincoln Day Dinner attendees. Most meetings of grassroots Republicans where politics are discussed begin with the understanding that the party is messed up, dysfunctional, and broken. The only disagreements are how bad, why it happened, and how to fix it. The idea of the GOP reaching out, adding to its membership, seems...

<p>WASHINGTON (CNN) – The campaign to determine who will lead the Republican party into the era of Obama took a series of unexpected turns Wednesday, beginning with the removal of non-party members from a highly-anticipated “special meeting” of the Republican National Committee.</p>

Ken Blackwell announced Tuesday that the College Republican Leadership endorsed him in his bid for RNC chair. The CRNC is an important organization for college-age Republicans; Lee Atwater, Karl Rove, Morton Blackwell, and Grover Norquist were all former leaders of it. The group’s national leaders, Charlie Smith, Blake Harris, Dan Carlson, Esther Clark and all state leaders sent an e-mail to the Republican national Committee in which they announced their support for Blackwell. In this e-mail they state: “After two difficult election cycles our party is at a crossroads. We have obligations to our ideals and our constituents to evaluate...

Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, an accomplished speaker, and former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, not well known for dazzling performances, each repeatedly drew sustained applause and appreciative laughter during Monday´s debate among the six candidates for the Republican National Committee chairman post. "Ken Blackwell talked about a revolution today, and we're going to see some of that happening because we've lost our way as a party," said North Dakota GOP Chairman Gary Emineth. michael connor/the washington times Six candidates vying to be the new chairman of the Republican National Committee greet each other before taking part...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Despite differences in age, background and region, all six candidates vying to be the next chairman of the Republican National Committee agreed on almost everything at today's candidate forum here. They want lower taxes and less government. They want the party to do a better job of reaching out to minorities. They argue the GOP should pay more attention to the grassroots. They believe it needs to catch up to the Democrats when it comes to technology. They're waiting for Obama to overreach. And they responded -- every single one of them -- that Ronald Reagan is...

(CNSNews.com) - Former Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, who is running for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, told CNSNews.com in an interview that he hopes to revitalize the grassroots of the party in all 50 states. A longtime conservative activist, Blackwell served as mayor of Cincinnati as well as Ohio state treasurer and secretary of state of Ohio. He was the first African American to win statewide executive office in Ohio, and, in 2006, was the first African American to be a major party-candidate for governor in that state. He is currently a senior fellow at the...

Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell has won the backing of some of America's best-known conservatives in his bid to become Republican National Committee chairman, just days before he and the other hopefuls are scheduled to begin a week of joint appearances to Republican Party audiences. The soft-spoken politician has received public endorsements from across the spectrum of conservatives - social, movement and economic, but some in the party, people who back him and people who don't, fear he may lack the charisma needed to represent the party on television. Blackwell supporters include limited-government champions such as American Conservative...

Two dozen conservative luminaries will announce today their support for former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell for Republican Nation Committee chairman. The group, which mixes leading economic conservatives, including Steve Forbes and Pat Toomey, and leading social conservatives, including James Dobson and Tony Perkins, had agreed to endorse and campaign together for a candidate based on a questionnaire assembled by veteran GOP activist Morton Blackwell (no relation).

Following an election that has left Republicans with no clear vision about how to regain power, the normally low-profile race to head the GOP's national committee has turned into a six-man showdown that has opened rifts along racial, regional and ideological lines. As Republicans debate their future, the contest for chairman of the Republican National Committee has become a proxy for the major questions at the center of the party's challenges: how to attract young and minority voters, win outside the South and counter an increasingly powerful Democratic majority. After Chip Saltsman, a candidate for chairman, sent party members a...

Former Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell's bid for Republican National Committee chairman was endorsed this morning by longtime conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly, according to a press release from the Eagle Forum, which she heads. "Ken Blackwell is a solid social and fiscal conservative who is dedicated to the principles that brought the Republican Party to power in 1980 and can do so again," Schlafly says in the press release. "He has 13 successful campaigns under his belt. He has run for office himself and knows how to win." Blackwell, a former Cincinnati mayor, is among six Republicans vying...

Dear Fellow RNC Members, I know you are being flooded with information about the upcoming Chairman’s race, so I’m keeping this letter short. The decision that you and I will make in January will have major implications for the future of our party and our country. All of the candidates who are running are good people and in a normal election cycle would be fine choices. But in this critical climate, we must seek out the candidate with unique abilities and exceptional experience. We must ask ourselves crucial questions: Who can best communicate the effectiveness of our Republican policies? Who...

Although President George W. Bush succeeded with some of his policies, the bailout of the Detroit Three is possibly his most significant mistake. The recent damage he’s done to the Republican brand will take leadership with a command focus to repair. The president’s mistake could repeat the hardship Americans experienced the last time we went down this path early in the last century. . . . . . The Republican Party was once the champion of limited government and economic freedom. President Bush’s recent actions have thoroughly distorted that image. It will take strong leadership for the GOP to reclaim...

The 2010 midterm elections and the resulting battles over redistricting will shape the future of both political parties. A case challenging the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) is being offered to the Supreme Court, highlighting these political stakes. And President-elect Barack Obama's Justice Department is about to take center stage in this fight. The Constitution requires legislative districts be redrawn after each decennial national census. The 2010 midterm elections will determine the makeup of all 50 state legislatures. With few exceptions, these legislatures will then draw new lines of all congressional districts, as well as many state legislative...

For most of the past decade and a half, the Ohio Republican Party's leadership was divided into two camps. There were the tax-and-spend Republicans who built solid GOP majorities throughout the state only to fritter them away through scandal, sclerosis, and a lack of economic solutions. And then there was Ken Blackwell, the government-cutting conservative thorn in the state party establishment's side. There was no love lost between the dominant faction and the odd man out. Blackwell was a persistent critic of Republicans in the mold of George Voinovich and Bob Taft, whom he accused of "campaigning like Ronald Reagan...

The Chip Saltsman/RNC Chair mini-scandal may prove to be more important than I initially thought. As is often the case in these matters, the specific incident is less important than the responses. Recently, it has appeared that (partly as a result of Katon Dawson and Chip Saltsman coming under fire over racial issues) former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackell (disclosure: I am supporting Blackwell), had emerged from the pack to become a front-runner for RNC Chair. ... Still, though, the smart money was on current RNC Chair Mike Duncan to retain his position. But in the wake of the...

A battle for the soul of the Republican Party has spilled over into the contest for national committee chairman, as conservative members are prodding candidates to shift their way. Now that the presidential campaign is over and the congressional leadership elections are settled, conservative activists are turning to the race for chairman as their next chance to shape the party. Already, one candidate has come under fire for his association with a centrist organization, while a group of prominent RNC members is set to put others through an exhaustive test of their personal conservatism. "It's important that the chairman be...

Members of the Republican National Committee will be voting for a new Chairman at the end of January. Vote on your preferred candidate and, if you'd like, submit a comment below. Your comment will be automatically emailed to your state RNC representatives to let them know who you'd like to lead the party!

Texas Republican Party Chairman Tina Benkiser has teamed up with Ohio´s Ken Blackwell in the contest to lead the Republican National Committee over the next two years. The Washington Times has learned Mrs. Benkiser has decided to forgo a run for RNC national chairman and instead to run for co-chairman, a traditionally less powerful position that historically, with one exception, has been held by a woman. “If I ran for chairman, I decided after looking over the field, it might contribute to dividing the conservative vote and allowing a moderate to win,” she told The Times in a phone interview...

December 16, 2008, 0:00 a.m. Telling NominationBig plans for the American justice system. By Ken Blackwell President-Elect Barack Obama’s nomination of Eric Holder to be attorney general surprised many. There are reasons that Holder ought not to be confirmed, but regardless of that, his nomination tells us quite a bit about Obama and the Supreme Court he will likely give this country. Most of the president-elect’s Cabinet appointments have been praised, from Timothy Geithner as treasury secretary to Bill Richardson as commerce secretary. Others have been seen as reasonable but with reservations — such as Hillary Clinton as secretary...

The Reagan Coalition has been key to Republican victories for a generation. And although the issue of judges and the Supreme Court has been thought of as an issue for social conservatives, recent developments should now make it a top priority for the other major GOP constituencies. If effectively communicated, this issue may help fuel a Republican resurgence. Ever since 1980, politicos speak of the three-legged stool of the Reagan Coalition: social conservatives, economic conservatives and national security conservatives. This coalition has been the key to Republican victories for more than a quarter-century. When the coalition is mobilized by an...

Blackwell enters GOP chairman race By Reid Wilson Posted: 12/05/08 04:58 PM [ET] The race for Republican National Committee chairman got more crowded Friday as a prominent conservative made a splashy entrance. Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, who has strong ties to the party’s conservative wing, is the latest candidate to declare for the position, doing so Friday in an email to RNC members. Touting himself as a strong fundraiser with electoral experience and a vision for the future of the party (as well as a part-owner of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team), Blackwell promised to pull no...

GOP Strength Rests in Its Core Beliefs by Ken Blackwell "It's that time again. Throngs of delirious Democrats are invading the streets and suites of Washington to celebrate their victories in November. "Across town, members of that other party gather in hushed bands, mourning their loss of power, employment and staff. The more prolific have taken the op-ed pages of every newspaper as their pillories, to flog themselves for their defeat. "As a member of that other party, enough is enough. It is time to look forward, not back." I wrote those words for a column in February 1993. Back...

In the aftermath of the 2008 election, the Republican Party has begun going through the litany of reasons that they lost. While the GOP must do many things better, the one thing that it must do if it wants to win back power is to put forward powerful ideas that persuade today's voters. President-elect Barack Obama won a decisive victory over Sen. John McCain. Despite Mr. McCain's extraordinary record and his centrist credentials, Mr. Obama's twin themes of change and hope caught fire with American voters, and will now take him to the White House. Recriminations are naturally flying around...

Full Interview Video - 8:08 Minutes Invoking William Ayers and Rev. Jeremiah Wright on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay declared that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) is a radical and a Marxist. Matthews asked DeLay if he was comfortable with the McCain campaign using phrases like, socialist, communist, anti-American. DeLay said “absolutely". Referring to his recent interview with Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Matthews said, “We had someone on this show the other day who said Obama should be checked out for being anti-American. Where would you put him, do you think he’s anti-American?” DeLay said,...

An ACORN Falls from the Tree A congressional outrage. By Ken Blackwell As negotiations over Congress’s emergency rescue bill continued over the weekend, repeated rumors leaked out that the Democrats were trying to funnel money to a hyper-partisan organization involved in criminal voter fraud. I’m speaking of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now — known by its acronym, ACORN. Although ACORN was cut from the final legislation, it’s important to understand this organization and its long history with, of all people, Barack Obama. And it’s important to see how partisan this emergency legislation has become. As the weekend...

"Discredited Republican voter-suppression guru Ken Blackwell is attacking Barack Obama with naked lies about his supposed connection to ACORN... Ken Blackwell is best known today for disenfranchising Democratic voters in his dual role as Ohio Secretary of State and chair of George Bush’s Ohio campaign in 2004. To see him shed crocodile tears for the integrity of the vote while making accusations about Barack and ACORN with absolutely no basis in fact is disturbing. Blackwell’s attacks against ACORN and community organizers continue a vile Republican pattern of mockery and viciousness against this noble profession..." From the top of the webpage:...

On July 16 Senator McCain will address the NAACP at its national convention in Cincinnati, Ohio. It will give him a historic opportunity to lay out his vision for individual empowerment, and offer concrete solutions for solving the challenges facing many African-Americans today. For all the talk of post-racial politics, the Obama camp tries to make his campaign all about race when he speaks to African-American audiences. When campaigning for Rep. Harold Ford of Tennessee for a U.S. Senate seat in 2006, Senator Obama off-handedly told an audience of African-Americans at a rally that they needed to vote for Mr....

At this week’s G8 Summit, the cost of gasoline is one of the main topics of discussion. With the price of crude oil hovering around $136 a barrel, the industrialized world is looking for answers. But none seem to exist right now. Some blame the skyrocketing costs on increased demand. However, the International Energy Agency does not expect the demand for diesel and heating oil to grow by much — only 0.9 % in 2008. Others are blaming low oil reserves. OPEC says otherwise. In fact, it increased its production. Its secretary general, Abdullah al-Badri, told Reuters on Tuesday, “The...

Not since Walt Frazier have New Yorkers seen such exquisite basketball skills. Now Barack Obama has taken center court and his basketball skills are legendary in the recreation centers of Chicago. The buzz is that his head fake is deceptive and his jump shot deadly. He is apparently attempting to transfer his head-fake skills to the American political arena — fake right, go left. The American electorate should not fall for it. Three revelations over the past month have started to reveal a very different portrait of the junior senator than what Mr. Obama and his promoters have been painting...

Touchy, touchy, Chris! Palpably stung by Ken Blackwell's observation that Republicans had lost their way by running like Reagan but governing like Carter, Chris Matthews -- former speechwriter to the president from Plains -- cracked back by playing the Abramoff card and claiming Republicans are more corrupt than Dems. Blackwell, the very impressive former Secretary of State of Ohio and past candidate for Buckeye state governor, was Matthews' guest on this evening's MSNBC election coverage. Blackwell was discussing what it would take for Republicans to win in 2008. KEN BLACKWELL: My view is this, Chris, that we got off track....

The debate over individual gun rights just has become a front line issue in the 2008 presidential campaign. The United States Supreme Court decision to hear arguments on District of Columbia v. Heller, the D.C. gun ban case, guarantees it. In the District of Columbia, it is a crime to have a handgun. It also is a crime to have shotguns or rifles unless they are unloaded and disabled. Ordinary people cannot have a gun, even in their own homes. Earlier this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia struck down the law as unconstitutional. The...