Free Republic

Political experts all agreed over the summer that Newt Gingrich’s candidacy was done. But Gingrich never got the message. In a volatile election cycle, Gingrich has battled his way back into contention, rising to third place in several national and state polls on the force of his ideas and breadth of knowledge of how Washington does and does not work. After nationally televised debates and local town halls, Gingrich has made voters want to give him a second look, especially after he speaks emphatically about American Exceptionalism and about bureaucrats and unelected judges who threaten to undermine it. His fundraising,...

Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain seem to have an outspoken ally-friendship in the media lately. Both Gingrich and Cain have been quoted saying positive comments about each other on the trail, which is a rarity in political campaigning. “We’re friends; let’s just lay it on the line. I like Herman. I’m proud of Herman’s career. I’m proud of the positive attitude he brings to life,” Gingrich told a local radio station WBS in Atlanta today. But how exactly did the friendship between Gingrich and Cain develop? It goes back about 16 years. On Monday, Cain called into a local Iowa...

Don't tell Newt Gingrich, but he's not running against a general election campaign against President Obama just yet. The former speaker of the House campaigns for president with the air of someone with a real shot at the Republican nomination, steadfastly declining to take shots at his GOP rivals on the stump, lobbing criticism at the White House and describing for audiences what his first presidential press conference would be like. Until recently, it all would have been written off in political circles as the work of the overly active imagination of a famously self-confident politician. But lately, Gingrich has...

Georgia businessman Herman Cain, who continues to battle past allegations of sexual harassment, draws the most support nationally for the Republican nomination. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely GOP Primary voters shows Cain with 26% of the vote over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s 23%. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich draws 14% support, with no other GOP contender reaching double-digits. Thirteen percent (13%) of GOP voters are undecided at this time. As for the rest of the field, Texas Governor Rick Perry picks up eight percent (8%) support, Texas Congressman Ron Paul gets seven percent (7%), both...

Don’t tell Newt Gingrich, but he’s not running against a general-election campaign against President Obama just yet. The former House speaker campaigns for president with the air of someone with a real shot at the Republican nomination, steadfastly declining to take shots at his GOP rivals on the stump, lobbing criticism at the White House, and describing for audiences what his first presidential press conference would be like. Until recently, it all would have been written off in political circles as the work of an overly active imagination of a famously self-confident politician. But lately, Gingrich has reason to have...

It's pretty clear that this Herman Cain harassment story does not have any legs. Of the truly damaging kind, anyway. (Unless, of course, this new employee can provide any actual details.) Here's what appears to be getting lost in that story. Herman Cain's continuing ignorance on foreign policy. Sure the initial ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan remark made for good late night fodder. But Cain's remarks regarding foreign policy in the last 24 hours should be sounding alarm bells. And they aren't. Imagine for a moment (as Joe Scarborough did this morning) that Sarah Palin had said in an interview that she was worried...

Actor Alec Baldwin has launched a war of tweets with Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos Baldwin's bombastic twitter attacks on Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos has given the Republicans a perfect foil to use to solicit campaign funds--a liberal Hollywood elite actor who wants to raise taxes. "Don't think we haven't thought of that," a Senate GOP source said when asked if Baldwin will be the focus of a fund-raising effort. Even Democrats were scratching their heads over why Baldwin took a one-day story and kept it going. "What Alec Baldwin is doing is making Dean Skelos a man of...