Free Republic

Tim Pawlenty implied Tuesday that there are some less-than-serious presidential hopefuls eyeing the race, with a quip that seemed to lump Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann and Donald Trump together with wrestling icon Hulk Hogan. "You're going to have, you know, Mitt Romney who will start out as the front-runner with the most name-ID and money..." Pawlenty told CNN’s Piers Morgan in handicapping the race. "And on the other end of the continuum, you'll have perhaps Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Donald Trump, or I don't know, maybe Hulk Hogan will get in the race too. Who knows? But I think in...

Well it would seem that Republicans in Congress blinked agreeing to a last minute deal where they compromised everything and Democrats gave nothing. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is doing a victory lap, and President Obama was thankful that funding Planned Parenthood was avoided. "We protected the investments we need to win the future. At the same time, we also made sure at the end of the day this was a debate about spending cuts — not social issues like women’s health and the protection of our air and water. These are important issues that deserve discussion, just not during...

Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, who has revealed plans to run as Vice President with Ron Paul in 2012, is making his presence felt with news-making interviews and explosive statements on 9/11 attacks, President Barack Obama and President-hopeful Michele Bachmann. The former governor-turned-conspiracy theorist, who is currently promoting his book '63 Documents the Government Doesn't Want You to Read', said that he would run for Vice President if Ron Paul ran as an Independent. On ABC's Good Morning America with George Stephanopoulos, Ventura made light the idea of Michele Bachmann, often identified as the "un-Palin", running for President. "You've got...

Former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, in an upcoming appearance on “Piers Morgan Tonight,” says former Alaska governor Sarah Palin will win the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. “She’s the type of person that certainly will be controlled by the status quo and the power structure. So she’d make a perfect candidate for them, she’ll do what she’s told,” Mr. Ventura says. The former Minnesota governor noted Ms. Palin’s reality show and her current contributions on Fox News, saying the Republican Party is “grooming” her. The former Alaska governor has yet to announce a presidential campaign. Ms. Palin has noted in the...

Speaking to a group involving policy talk on Latin America, Hillary Clinton said it’s about time the United States has a female president. Although she may be talking in the general sense, one can’t help but speculate whether she is talking about Governor Sarah Palin or Representative Michele Bachmann. Both women seem to have interests in 2012. When it came to Palin, Hillary never uttered a bad word about her, nor vice-versa. Via Politico: “I must say, I’m far enough away from my own career in electoral politics that I will not take too much heat for suggesting that these...

Ken Martin has been on the job as the DFL Party chair for less than two weeks. One change from his predecessor, Brian Melendez, has been immediate. Melendez handled the position as a volunteer, turning over many duties to staff. Martin will be doing this as a full-time job. And, given the outcome of the November elections and the shaky status of DFL finances, full time will be required. Few could be in a position to better understand the party's needs than Martin. He was executive director of WIN Minnesota, the progressive independent-expenditure organization that raised substantial amounts of money...

The Daily Beast columnist Meghan McCain was on 'The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell' (Wed., 8PM on MSNBC), where she and the host responded to GOP Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's response to the State of the Union address. MSNBC did not air the response, but CNN did, which McCain thinks they "should be ashamed of." Lawrence called Bachmann's statements the "second response to the State of the Union Address," because the designated Republican response had already been given. He agreed with McCain "about how there were these different people who are just using their platforms to their own personal advantage, rather...

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) is delivering the official rebuttal to President Obama's State of the Union next week. But, thanks to technology and the tea party movement, it won't be the only Republican response. In concert with Tea Party Express, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is delivering her own post-speech message. Ryan's response will air on national television after Obama's speech; Bachmann's will be streamed on the Tea Party Express Web site. The news was announced in a fund-raising email. Bachmann founded a Tea Party Caucus in Congress, and Tea Party Express named her a "hero" in the 2010 election. Founded...

Tim Pawlenty takes aim at critics of Sarah Palin in his new book, which is set to released Tuesday and a copy of which was obtained by the Fix. And in doing so, the former Minnesota governor seems to be saying something about his own blue-collar appeal as he weighs a run -- perhaps against the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential nominee -- for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. The book, called "Courage to Stand," represents the latest in a series of steps Pawlenty has taken to emerge on the national stage in advance of his near-certain presidential...

Will someone please slip a giant condom over NFL Commissionr Roger Goodell?

Delegates at today's Republican Party State Central Committee approved a 2-year party ban on 18 high profile Republicans who supported Independence Party candidate Tom Horner. The list includes former GOP governors Al Quie and Arne Carlson and former US Senator Dave Durenberger. On a 59 to 55 vote, the motion would forbid them from being Republican delegates or attending the Republican National Convention in 2012. Supporters of the motion say it would hold people accountable for calling themselves Republicans yet supporting a rival candidate. Delegate Jim Newberger of Becker says Democrat Mark Dayton may not be leading the recount if...

A caller to the Chris Baker show on 100.3 FM KTLK in Minneapolis, reported that he was the first voter on site at a Precinct in Golden Valley, MN (suburb immediately to the West of Minneapolis, and home to the broadcast studios of TV station KARE-11). Minnesota's voting system utilizes pieces of paper where the voter completes an arrow next to the name of their selected candidates with a black marker. The paper is fed through a scanner. So, the FIRST voter at this polling place reported that "the scanner was broken" and the election officials were collecting the ballots...

A new KSTP/SurveyUSA poll shows Republican Tom Emmer and DFLer Mark Dayton in a dead heat in the race for governor. Released Thursday, the poll results show Dayton with a razor-thin, one-point lead of 39 to 38 percent. Independence Party candidate Tom Horner sits at 13 percent. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus four percent. It includes two percent more Republicans than Democrats, which is consistent with national polling. The poll shows Emmer has expanded his lead among men by two points, while Dayton's lead among women has fallen 14 points since earlier this month. Emmer leads...

Jim Oberstar and Chip Cravaack didn’t just face each other this morning at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Auditorium, they faced angry mobs of their opponent’s supporters. Just seconds into the first comments by DFLer Oberstar, Cravaack supporters began to shout the long-term incumbent down with calls of "liar" and "Obama Junior." By the time challenger Cravaack’s turn came, Oberstar supporters responded in kind. Moderators asked for civility and respect, but the cat calls and jeering from a nearly-full auditorium continued through most of the 90-minute forum, often drowning-out candidates' answers over a faulty sound system that lacked volume. Oberstar...

Folks, this is good news. Minnesota's 1st Congressional District (southern Minnesota) should have GOP representation - and Randy Demmer is the right guy for the job! Current Dem Congressman Tim Walz is one of these guys who votes like a Pelosi clone in DC but acts like a moderate Dem when he's back in his district. In short, let's send his ass back home to Mankato where he can resume boring the students at the high school he used to teach at. Do you want to find out more about Randy Demmer? You do? Good. I have a website for...

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) announced today that Randy Demmer (MN-01) has reached 'Young Gun' status, the premiere level of its three-tiered Young Guns program. Founded in the 2007-2008 election cycle by Reps. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Paul Ryan (R-WI), the Young Guns program is a member-driven organization dedicated to electing open-seat and challenger candidates nationwide. “I am honored to receive this recognition as an acknowledgement of the support that we have received from voters across Southern Minnesota,” Demmer said. “Throughout my campaign I have heard nothing but frustration with Tim Walz. His active support for...

So what is it that’s motivating moms to “stampede” like “pink elephants” toward the Nov. 2 elections, as Washington Post Writers Group columnist Kathleen Parker wrote in the July 18 News Tribune (“Palin’s on her way to conquer, one woman at a time”)? It’s all about the message. The reason Sarah Palin resonates with moms across the U.S. is that deep in our hearts we believe in what she’s saying. Just visit the YouTube site bit.ly/akOoko, and you will see moms holding signs saying, “I love Sarah Palin because she loves my country,” “No government health care,” “Moms opposed to...

MINNEAPOLIS -- State Rep. Tom Emmer has coasted to victory in Minnesota's Republican primary for governor. --snip-- Emmer faced his stiffest GOP opposition in April, winning his party's endorsement over a fellow House member a day after receiving Sarah Palin's endorsement.

Money is surging through the election battle between U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann and her Democratic challenger, Tarryl Clark, who reported totals on Wednesday that eclipse previous state fundraising records for a U.S. House race. Clark, a state senator, said she had raised a whopping $910,000 since April in her effort to unseat Bachmann, the Stillwater Republican who has become a conservative favorite nationally. Bachmann countered Clark's news with an even bigger bombshell: She had piled up $1.7 million in the same three-month period. The tallies set a new high-water mark for Minnesota U.S. House races and offer further proof that...

All three leading Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidates for governor hold firm leads over Republican endorsee Tom Emmer, a new statewide poll shows. The poll also showed Gov. Tim Pawlenty's popularity has sunk to a new low. In addition, it suggested Minnesotans are gloomy about the state of their state. A lopsided majority thinks the North Star state is headed in the wrong direction. Decision Resources Ltd., of Minneapolis, conducted the survey of 800 Minnesota adults May 28-June 2. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Among the three main DFL gubernatorial candidates, former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton has...