Free Republic

In a campaign that has been chiefly shaped by debates, Newt Gingrich demonstrated Saturday night why he tops the polls — and why he won’t easily be dethroned. Facing tough questions from his Republican rivals and debate moderators in Des Moines, Gingrich parried blow after blow without losing his cool or showing the much-discussed undisciplined side of his personality. It was the former House speaker’s first debate as the undisputed frontrunner and not only did he stand up to the fresh scrutiny, he reminded Republican primary voters of his command of the issues, his intellectual dexterity and his self-assured, forceful...

by Sheri UrbanReal FeministPolitico sicks no less than FOUR reporters onto vague nearly 20 year old allegations to smear new GOP Frontrunner Herman Cain.So desperate are the powers that be to bring down this uber-successful black businessman, that they are doing a Clarence Thomas on him, complete with sketchy allegations such as: a woman “accused him of innuendo or personal questions of a sexually suggestive nature” and conversations that were regarded as “improper in a professional relationship.” Can you possibly be any more vague? A few weeks ago a group of “feminists” commemorated the 20th anniversary of dopey fraudster...

Sarah Palin has played the sexism card, accusing critics of chauvinism against a strong woman. She has played the class card, dismissing the Bush family as “blue bloods,” and complaining that she is the target of snobbery by people who dislike her simply because she is “not so hoity-toity.” Most famously, she has played the victim card—never more vividly than when she invoked the loaded phrase “blood libel” against liberals and media commentators in the wake of the Gabrielle Giffords shooting.

In the span of a single news cycle, Republicans got a jarring reminder of two forces that could prevent them from retaking the presidency in next year. At sunrise in the East on Wednesday, Sarah Palin demonstrated that she has little interest — or capacity — in moving beyond her brand of grievance-based politics. And at sundown in the West, Barack Obama reminded even his critics of his ability to rally disparate Americans around a message of reconciliation. Palin was defiant, making the case in a taped speech she posted online why the nation’s heated political debate should continue unabated...