Free Republic

There are people who believe Elvis is alive and there are those who insist that the phases of the moon effect human conduct; then there are those who believe kowtowing to Hispanics will bring Republicans victory in 2016. The fact that many people believe these things doesn’t make them true. While the first two are harmless fairytales believed by supermarket tabloid readers, the third is a dangerous lie believed by far too many decision makers in the Republican leadership. Like the first two, the supposed connection between capturing the Hispanic vote and insuring victory for Republicans cannot be defeated with...

For a two-term governor of a political hotbed who’s openly mulling over a presidential bid, Jeb Bush is unusually reliant on his own counsel. But to the extent Bush has a kitchen cabinet, two figures have seats at the head of the table: Sally Bradshaw, Bush’s no-nonsense, ex-chief of staff, and Mike Murphy, the Republican consultant and “Meet the Press” mainstay who’s taken up residence in Hollywood. -snip- Jeb Bush has always been part of Murphy’s Holy Trinity of clients; the others are Mitt Romney, whose 2002 gubernatorial run Murphy advised, and Sen. John McCain.

I haven't posted this in a while. I've added "2016" to the senators that are up for reelection in the cycle following this one. Take a look at their horrible conservative ratings and you'll get a clue as to why the Establishment is working so hard to defeat any conservative primary challengers this year.

We need more conservative leaders and fewer Establishment types who oppose conservatives. The latter, including but not limited to Boehner, must go.This Bill Whittle video provides a brief history of two former conservative leaders who got to the roots of problems, led and were not hesitant to attack those who deserved attack. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgA5GtiKtU0] Video linkGood conservative leaders are difficult to find and hard to elect, at least until a crisis has already bloomed, become terrifying and far more deadly and otherwise onerous to deal with than earlier. Winston Churchill finally became Prime Minister after Chamberlain's peace in our time appeasement had failed miserably and Germany had greatly advanced her war-making...

Jahan Wilcox is the rapid response director at the RNC. He’s charged with responding quickly to attack Democrats and rebut Democrat attacks on the GOP. Last night, Jahan Wilcox responded quickly to Thom Tillis’s victory in North Carolina by declaring that next would be to defeat Matt Bevin, the Republican candidate in Kentucky, who Wilcox called a “fraud.”

The Republican Party has a big financial advantage heading into the 2014 election, thanks in large part to the growing presence of conservative outside groups. But just looking at raw dollars spent by these groups misses a key point: A huge chunk of that money is being used to tear down fellow Republicans. According to a great new study from the Center for Public Integrity's Dave Levinthal, conservative super PACs and other outside groups this year have spent nearly three times as much money directly attacking fellow Republicans ($9.7 million) as directly attacking Democrats ($3.7 million).

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Republican National Committee wants to take more control over how the party picks a White House nominee. The RNC was to meet Wednesday in Memphis, Tennessee, to choose members who will effectively set the calendar for 2016's long list of potential presidential contenders. If the party's chairman, Reince Priebus gets his way, the GOP will pick its nominee more quickly than during past contests and have fewer debates in which candidates could criticize each other. The RNC also was expected to put penalties in place for candidates who don't follow the committee's plans. RNC officials described...

North Carolina Republicans sorted through their choices to challenge Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan on Tuesday, and Speaker John Boehner sought re-nomination to Congress from Ohio, first in a springtime spate of primaries pitting the GOP establishment against tea party challengers. Indiana also picked candidates for the November elections, when control of Congress will be at stake for the final two years of the President Barack Obama’s tenure in the White House. Several Republican House incumbents drew strong primary challenges, including Reps. Walter Jones of North Carolina, David Joyce of Ohio and Susan Brooks of Indiana. …

German lawmakers fumed on Friday over “vicious” criticism by senior US senators of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s stance on Ukraine ahead of talks she will hold with US President Barack Obama. John McCain, a former Republican candidate for the White House, on Thursday accused Merkel of standing in the way of firmer measures against Russia over its actions in Ukraine due to Berlin’s lucrative business ties with Moscow. “I would tell her that I am not surprised but embarrassed at their failure of leadership. They’re the leaders, they’re being governed by the industrial complex from Germany,” McCain said. Republican Senator Jeff...

The discussion of the Redskins nickname isn't going away. Senator John McCain was asked about it on Friday and said he would "probably change" the mascot. McCain appeared on the Dan Patrick Show Friday morning and was asked whether he would change the name. McCain said if he were Redskins owner Dan Snyder he'd want to start a dialogue with Native American leaders and find out how they feel. "If they think it's that offensive and terrible, I would certainly -- probably -- I'm not the owner and he has the rights of an owner. But frankly I would probably...

It's no secret that establishment Republicans are out to get Rand Paul, but the "darkest secret" on Wall Street, reports Politico, is that they'll happily vote Hillary in 2016 to do it. The Monday piece reveals that Wall Street Republicans won't think twice about voting for Hillary Clinton in a world where Jeb Bush and Chris Christie aren't running for president and Rand Paul holds the GOP nomination. "The bulk of the big money guys are either Big Boy [Christie] or Jeb," said a top GOP donor. "Rand Paul still is a grass-roots phenom and a boardroom horror show." The...

Frustrated with President Barack Obama’s reaction to Russian action in Ukraine, a group of Republican senators said Wednesday they will introduce legislation outlining a more muscular response. “What we’ve seen from the administration is a lot of rhetoric,” Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, said on the Senate floor Wednesday morning. The White House has been dealing “with the situation after something bad has already occurred,” he said. Earlier this week, violence flared up in another area of Ukraine that hugs the Russian border, as the new government in Kiev criticized local police...

Republicans like former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee the most and consider him the best qualified potential GOP presidential candidate among the major contenders. But, as with the rest, they aren't psyched for him to run, according to a new Economist/YouGov.com survey. Some 72 percent of Republicans like Huckabee, a Fox host and conservative populist. That beats Sen. Rand Paul, at 66 percent, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 62 percent, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 60 percent. And 51 percent of Republicans also view him as qualified to be president, more than the rest again. But as previous...

Mississippi state senator Chris McDaniel endorsed a new pledge from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) Monday, vowing to oppose amnesty for illegal aliens as well as increases to legal immigration. The move could raise the importance of immigration in the bitter race between McDaniel and incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran, who has a mixed record on the issue from the standpoint of anti-amnesty groups. Cochran's lifetime voting grade from NumbersUSA, an anti-amnesty group closely associated with FAIR, is C+, lower than all but a handful of Senate Republicans.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is launching ads this week in North Carolina and Georgia in a crunch-time effort to help establishment-backed Republicans in crowded Senate primaries. It is also pumping money into commercials praising GOP hopefuls in Michigan, Montana and Alaska. The powerful business organization’s ad buy is a clear attempt to tip the balance in Republican contests and help the GOP nominate viable general election candidates. In 2010 and 2012, tea party and far-right conservatives cost the GOP seats in Nevada, Delaware, Colorado, Indiana and Missouri and shots at Senate control, a fate Republicans are determined to avoid...

The biggest parlor game on Wall Street and in corporate boardrooms these days is guessing whether former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will run for president and save the GOP’s old establishment base from its rising populist wing. The second most popular game is guessing what happens if Jeb says no. Two dozen interviews about the 2016 race with unaligned GOP donors, financial executives and their Washington lobbyists turned up a consistent — and unusual — consolation candidate if Bush demurs, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie doesn't recover politically and no other establishment favorite gets nominated: Hillary Clinton. Most donors and...

In a stunning slap in the face of Florida homeowners, RINO Budget leader Joe Negron (R-Stuart) let die in the Florida Senate this week a well written, Sober Homes Regulations Bill sponsored by Sen. Jeff Clemens (D-Lake Worth). Negron used his power as head of the State Senate Appropriations Committee to ignore much needed legislation in Florida, as the sunshine state is fast becoming the nation’s go-to rehab locale! According to a Palm Beach Post (PBPOST) article written by reporter Christine Stapleton, Clemons said Negron warned him twice on April 23, that he, Negron, would NOT call up Senate Bill...

ORANGE BEACH, Alabama – Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin offered plenty of red-meat attacks on President Barack Obama during an appearance at the Baldwin County Republican Party’s annual fundraising dinner Friday, but she did not spare her own party. Palin, who rocketed to political stardom after presidential candidate John McCain tapped her as his running mate in 2008, expressed nearly as much exasperation with the GOP establishment as she did with Democrats. She referenced her own upbringing in an Alaskan hunting family in declaring that she would fight politicians that conservatives deride as “Republicans in Name Only” during intra-party squabbles....

Several potential Republican contenders for president will court gun-rights supporters at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention Friday. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum are set to speak at the convention’s leadership forum, a kind of political pep rally and strategy meeting the NRA considers one of its premier events of the year. …

Okay, it has been suggested that it's time for a poll. Who is your pick, at this point in 2014, to run for the presidency and vice-presidency? What combinations would you like to see, and why? Who is the real thing and who are the RINOs and CINOs? How can conservatives win? What is Plan A, Plan B and Plan C? What are you willing to do if the "right" candidates are nominated? Any ideas for fundraising? What can the grassroots and Tea Party do so we don't get steamrolled again? Who will you not support under any circumstances?