Free Republic

When The Post's front page declares: "Republicans are on the verge of ceasing to function as a national party," it's time to ask: How did this come to pass? You can choose from a litany of insurrections, government shutdowns and other self-inflicted wounds. But this year's carnival-like GOP presidential primary makes one event, in retrospect, stand out as a crucial turning point on the road to upheaval: the 2008 embrace of then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be a heartbeat from the presidency. Palin's blatant lack of competence and preparedness needs no belaboring. What's critical is that substantive, serious Republican leaders...

Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin shared the stage at yesterday’s anti-Iran nuclear rally in Washington, D.C., but apparently the one-time allies no longer see eye to eye. During his post-mortem radio broadcast about the event, Beck had this to say about Palin’s speech: “I’m going to say it. I don’t care what Sarah Palin says any more. Sarah Palin has become a clown. I’m embarrassed that I was once for Sarah Palin. Honestly, I’m embarrassed… I don’t know who she is any more, I don’t know what she stands for. I saw a clip of her talking to Donald Trump....

Lost in the fun and frivolity of Tuesday’s ESPN hatchet job on the Patriots was this companion piece in Sports Illustrated, which I never got to. Of course nothing pleases the national pundits and fan bases in other markets like accusing Patriots fans of being crazy, paranoid, conspiracy-theorist nutjobs, and you know how much I hate incurring their scorn. So I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that two of the leading sports media outlets simultaneously came out with almost identical articles dredging up the same tired, unsubstantiated rumors about an eight-year-old Spygate story and both conveniently posted them at the...

On her fledgling, and embarrassingly low-tech, network, Sarah Palin interviewed Donald Trump, and managed a feat no journalist has yet. She made it boring.As in-focus civilians flowed up the Trump Tower taking selfies in the background, an inexplicably out-of-focus Donald Trump sought to explain his rising poll numbers on Sarah Palin’s janky new program on an unknown right-wing news network. “We’re bringing back—I use the term again, (as) it hasn’t been used in a long time—the silent majority,” he told Palin at the tail-end of her 10 p.m. newscast, On Point with Sarah Palin, on Friday night. Of course, Donald...

Governor Palin "accepted" an apology from RedState’s Erick Erickson: Erick Erickson,Today a friend forwarded your apology for mocking my family – again – and in answer to your point, yes, I do remember people taking repeated potshots at my family, friends, and supporters (many of whom politely pointed out to you and your staffers that the sleazy photoshopped picture you ran of me was indeed fake, but were dismissed and mocked repeatedly for doing so.) Also, in your summary of our interactions, you forgot to mention things like your public comparison of me to L. Ron Hubbard (and not in...

...before we get off the topic of Fox News and the fact that they are “oh-so-shocked” at the supposed sexism of Donald Trump…here’s a little perspective. Back in 2010, Chris Wallace joked about having my Mom (Sarah Palin) sit on his lap during an interview. In 2011, Roger Ailes said, “I hired Sarah Palin because she was hot and got ratings.” Fox and Erickson need to get off their high horse on how outraged they are NOW about sexism and decency.

Let me begin by clearly stating my biases — I like the Palins. They are dear family friends. My wife, Nancy, worked with Sarah on her most recent book, she worked with Bristol on her book, she edits Bristol’s blog on Patheos, and I represented Bristol in a lawsuit — when a man sued her after he profanely accosted her at a bar. (He lost.) In the years since my wife first flew to Wasilla to meet the Palins and work with Bristol, I’ve seen just a fraction of the non-stop hatred and vitriol directed at the family. Much of...

[...] Bristol Palin announced via her blog that she is pregnant. The 24-year old already has a son after choosing life in 2008 and becoming a teen mother. Now, she’s expecting again and once again she is unmarried. And? [...] Let’s call it what it really is. This is just another case of the haters waiting for someone they already hate to have a problem so they can go after them full throttle. They’re loaded for (mama grizzly) bear. [...] Others are upset about how Palin’s pregnancy could affect a potential run for office by her mother. Really? We’ve elected...

Bristol Palin is pregnant and this is news. The 24-year-old daughter of former vice presidential candidate and “SNL” punching bag Sarah Palin has spent the last seven years since her mom’s failed bid for the White House making abstinence (and holiness in general) her personal and very profitable cause celeb. In 2008, 17-year-old Palin’s unplanned teen pregnancy threatened to derail her mom’s White House hopes. But her potentially embarrassing narrative quickly turned to one of resilience and the reality shows followed. Palin appeared on season 11 of “Dancing with the Stars” and in her own Lifetime docu-series, “Bristol Palin: Life’s...

Bristol Palin just threw cold water on what's supposed to be a joyous occasion ... being pregnant. Palin's in the early stages of her second out of wedlock pregnancy, and this time she's full on grumpy, saying she knows it will be "a huge disappointment to my family, to my close friends, and to many of you." Bristol says she's "trying to keep [my] chin up on this one." Sarah Palin's daughter was engaged to U.S. Marine veteran Dakota Meyer, but they broke things off last month. Bristol didn't say if Dakota's the dad. Bristol was full of piss and...

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin praised Jeb Bush on Monday, highlighting his remarks on raising children with special needs. The comments from Palin, who remains a favorite with some grassroots conservatives, come a day after Bush’s official entry to the presidential race. “It was encouraging today to hear Governor Jeb Bush speak directly to an issue that touches so many lives in these challenging times, both culturally and fiscally – raising a child with special needs,” Palin wrote on her Facebook page. “I'm glad Jeb's life was touched by God's purpose-filled children, and hope he continues with a positive message...

Michael Savage, the tough-talking conservative radio show host to millions of Americans had some remarks on a few of the current candidates running for the GOP nomination.  After assessing the names he ran through, he said the following on Governor Palin (who is not a current candidate): I hate to say this, but I’m beginning to think that only Sarah Palin could save America. I would love to see her go up against Hillary Clinton. You think she wouldn’t stand a chance? As far as I know, Sarah Palin’s husband didn’t make hundreds of millions of dollars while Sarah Palin...

Sarah Palin is lashing out at the media for how it has covered the sexual abuse revelations about "19 Kids And Counting" star Josh Duggar while giving "Girls" star Lena Dunham a free pass. Writing on her Facebook page, Palin compared the media storm over Duggar, whose parents confirmed on Fox News this week that he had “improperly touched" some of his sisters when he was a teenager, to that of Dunham, who wrote in her book "Not That Kind of Girl" that, as a 7-year-old child, she gave candy to her 1-year-old sister in exchange for kisses and a...

WASHINGTON — Sarah Palin has disappeared from the 2016 presidential campaign. She continues to tease about running, just as she has almost since the day she was defeated as the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee. But since she spoke at two early presidential showcases this winter, including one where her rambling monologue was blasted by conservative activists and analysts, she’s essentially been missing in action. Since late February, she’s stayed away from the eight other forums, events held almost weekly. And she’s not on the roster for the next meeting, Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s candidate summit Tuesday in Orlando. Organizers of these events...

I feel like I need to address the elephant-in-the-room on this blog, since you guys have been with me through thick and thin. When I first got engaged, you were the first ones I wanted to tell. I guess you have seen by now that the wedding — that was supposed to happen last weekend — was called off. I’m sure you’ve seen this has been all over the media, but this is a painful time for family and friends and I would just really appreciate your prayers. I know God’s plan is greater than anything else, and Tripp and...

Bristol Palin and fiancé Dakota Meyer are calling off their wedding, which was set to take place this weekend. Former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin announced the cancellation of her daughter’s nuptials in a Monday Facebook post, writing the couple has “informed loved ones that unfortunately the announced celebration planned for May 23 will not be held.” Palin wrote that, although it won’t be a walk down the aisle, a shindig of some sort will still go on: “Many friends and family still look forward to getting together that day in Kentucky anyway — and the Palins and Meyers...

If I were to mirror the example of the delusional right-wing folks who have spent seven years creating apocalyptic fantasies about how Barack Obama is a communistic, Muslim Antichrist, I could probably manufacture some scary characterizations of the first announced candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, Ted Cruz — but I won’t. Instead, I want to compare him favorably to his ideological soul mate, Sarah Palin, which may be even more scary.. Both the Texas senator and the former Alaska governor oppose abortion and same-sex marriage. They both want a smaller federal government and a more confrontational foreign policy....

Sarah Palin is an outspoken proponent of gun owners’ rights, but are her gun-friendly grandchildren at risk? After Bristol Palin’s fiancé, Dakota Meyer, and her baby daddy, Levi Johnston, both came under fire for posting photos of children with guns, RadarOnline.com spoke with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. A spokesperson warned the families that this is a “teachable moment” and they have a responsibility not to promote an “attitude of recklessness.”(Five-photo-slide-show)

Twitter users are writing #TedCruzCampaignSlogans to "help" the first major candidate with his campaign -- Hey even though it's from a leftwing site. It rocks.

The Sarah Palin who returned to the GOP stage Thursday had no props, few Palinisms, and just a ghost of her former folksy twang. So what if there were still falsehoods? Palin 2016! Failed reality television star and mistress of liberal America Sarah Palin is strutting out onstage at CPAC, clad in a white blazer and black skirt. She places her water bottle on the floor next to the podium and opens a binder. A typical Palin speech usually involves props: Dr. Seuss books or Big Gulp sodas. This year, she has none. A typical Palin speech is usually an...