Free Republic

Freshman Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) gave a speech to close this year's Conservative Political Action Conference that earned a more enthusiastic reaction from conservative activists than those given by most rumored 2012 presidential hopefuls over the past three days. The first-term congressman brought the audience to its feet several times late Saturday, repudiating President Obama's social and economic policies and promising "a new dawn in America." West took the coveted speaking slot that was rejected by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who declined to attend CPAC for the fourth straight year. West, who represents a district that voted for President...

See Eight Clips of Obama Promising Televised Healthcare Negotiations. Video at link:

National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) said Friday that Senate Republicans face a "very promising" landscape in 2010, despite several open seats where Democrats have good chances. "There are some incumbent seats that we must defend and open seats that we must hold, like in Ohio, Missouri and Florida," Cornyn said in a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference. "But we may also have opportunities in some unexpected places: New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Arkansas, Colorado, Nevada and California." The three open seats, vacated by retiring Sens. George Voinovich (R-Ohio), Kit Bond (R-Mo.) and Mel Martinez...

LANCASTER, Pa. - Tristan Egolf, a political activist and author whose first novel at age 27 won him comparisons to William Faulkner and John Steinbeck, has died. He was 33. Egolf died May 7 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a Lancaster apartment, said G. Gary Kirchner, Lancaster County coroner. Egolf had shown signs of depression over the past 18 months, said Michael Hoober, a family therapist in Lancaster and friend of Egolf. "He pushed the envelope wherever he went," Hoober said. "His creativity was always right in front of him, but somewhere in there it started to fall apart."...

<p>It's probably time for the cynics to acknowledge that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's early political successes haven't come simply because of his immense celebrity. The Republican governor has earned his political wings through hard work and a political pragmatism that has allowed him to reach out to Democratic leaders when it helps his cause.</p>