Free Republic

WASHINGTON — Republican Mitt Romney is blistering President Barack Obama for a squandered inaugural year filled with policy failures and broken promises. He blames Obama for failing the American people, and said that's why Democrats will lose their majority come this fall. Romney spoke to a Washington gathering of conservatives, a critical constituency in the Republican primary fight in two years. The former Massachusetts governor hasn't decided whether to run for president again.

Deval Patrick is a disaster. A perfect prototype of the same disaster going on in Washington. Why, his good friend Barack Obama even lifted the same campaign slogans and promises. And the land of the gullible bought the idea that one party rule would lead to bipartisanship, better government, and lowed deficits and taxes. Surprise!

Is Mitt Romney getting all the pieces together for another run at the White House? What seems to many as a forgone conclusion may soon become a reality, with the announcement of Matt Rhoades as executive director for Romney's Free and Strong America PAC. According to an article in Politico, Rhoades, who has served on other presidential campaigns and at the Republican National Committee was communications director for Romney's 2008 run. With the upcoming release and tour for Romney's new book No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, Romney's 2012 intentions may be one of the worst kept secrets in...

In his new book, Mitt makes himself over as a muscular defender of America. Few things are more predictable than a GOP presidential candidate posturing as a he-man protector of America, and depicting his Democratic counterpart as an effete, appeasing girlie-man on the dangerous world stage. Mitt Romney — who himself has no personal military or foreign-policy experience of any kind — may not seem well-suited to the Republican role, but hey, if draft-dodgers like George W. Bush and Dick Cheney could use the formula against a genuine war hero, anything is possible. Romney, presumably warming up for 2012, flexes...

In light of a recent poll that shows former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney leading the pack of possible 2012 GOP presidential contenders, 10 serious questions were presented that Romney must answer satisfactorily in order to gain the support of conservatives. To answer these questions Romney supporters provided various explanations concerning the candidate's stance on key issues impacting conservative support, among these being gun rights, property rights, and healthcare. Conservatives are individualistic voters who think independently. Unanimous agreement on the issues is an unrealistic expectation. However, in general conservatives can unite around several core principles:

President Obama has in vited Republicans to sit down and talk through health care at a big "bipartisan summit" on Feb. 25. Some think it's a little late for such a conversation. After all, the Democrats have built their health-care palace from the ground up, using only Democratic labor and input; they just can't get it to pass inspection. So general contractor Obama invites Republicans to debate the blueprints, and just the blueprints. Oh, and he wants to debate them, not change them. "The president doesn't think we should start over," White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer explained.

With the latest Gallup Poll showing that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is leading the pack of potential GOP Presidential nominees, serious questions need to be asked of the candidate. Although Sarah Palin comes in 2nd in the polls and is actually in a statistical tie with Romney, Palin is the one who has been scrutinized to the point of navel-gazing. Romney, on the other hand, has so far received a pass from the media. If Republican voters are going to turn to a moderate governor of a very liberal state to be its standard bearer even after the policies...

He's more fiscal, less social. And he's got millions. But will GOP voters give a Mitt? Scott Brown's unexpected victory in last month's special US Senate election captured the attention of the country — and particularly of core Republican voters, who huddled eagerly before their TV screens to watch their hero du jour give his acceptance speech. But even in the midst of his moment in the sun, Brown made sure to thank the other handsome, well-coifed man on the stage, Mitt Romney — who, as it happens, would very much like the votes of that national Republican audience in...

Washington » The snows that obliterated Washington last week interfered with many scheduled meetings, but they did not prevent the delivery of one important political message: Take Sarah Palin seriously. Her lengthy Saturday night keynote address to the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville and her debut on the Sunday morning talk show circuit with Fox News' Chris Wallace showed off a public figure at the top of her game -- a politician who knows who she is and how to sell herself. This was not the first time that Palin has impressed me. I gave her high marks for...

If there was ever any doubt that Sarah Palin is a fool, she has removed it. Once the governor of Alaska and a vice presidential candidate, Palin has left the confines of public office for the more sympathetic offices of Fox News. She has also been acting as something of a de facto leader of the Tea Party movement. Unfortunately, her new roles have not lent her the gravitas she was lacking as a politician. ... Palin has consistently shown herself to be thoughtless, uninformed, impulsive and opportunistic. If these are the qualities people look for in a leader, then...

SACRAMENTO — Democrats can only hope that last week's dust-up between Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner is a sign of things to come in the Republican gubernatorial primary. The accusations and counterattacks — all starting with Poizner, the state's insurance commissioner, charging that Whitman, the billionaire former CEO of eBay, had tried to intimidate him into leaving the campaign — appeared to set a course for a brutal and nasty slugfest that could last all the way to the June 8 primary. A damaging exchange over the next four months — if both Republicans are still around — is precisely...

Here is a video report assessing who might run in 2012 for the GOP Nomination for President. The report has analyst Teddy Davis saying Mitt Romney is "the big gun" because he has money and name recognition, and the GOP has a history of choosing "second-time candidates." Romney has been campaigning for other Republicans around the country and built a lot of good will. Davis says "Romney is considered the front-runner. Sarah Palin is the big question mark, as to whether she will run or not. The downside for Palin that Davis pointed out is that "3 out of 5...

Bob McDonnell, an anti Palin Republican is giving the rebut to the State of the Union tonight. McDonnell, Christie and Scott Brown all avoided her like a disease in their respective elections. She has signed a tv deal with FOX. And shes goes on the Oprah show with a 60s hairstyle. And she is going to campaign for McCain. I don't see where she has any plans to come to swing states yet. What is going on here ? What is the plan ? Where does Sarah stand in all of this ? Why is the GOP leadership trying to...

GOP 12 notes that Sarah Palin responded last night to the question of whether it's "Mitt Romney's turn to be the next Republican nominee for President." "Well, I don't think it's anybody's turn ever. We've got to really, really work hard to build up that trust in the people for the people to elect you in a primary and general," she said, going on to call Romney "a great guy."

The past week has been marked by the meteoric rise of Sen. elect Scott Brown, who just a few short weeks ago - as a friend recently put it to me - was the “third most famous person in his family.” How swiftly fortunes can change. Today, Brown is the undisputed darling of the Republican Party. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, Brown’s innate appeal is hard to deny. Perhaps it’s easiest to say that, at least from appearances, he has all the characteristics that made Sarah Palin a star in the GOP and none of her...

Various representatives of the Barack Obama administration were out on the Sunday talk shows in the U.S. today, trying to spin the election of Senator Scott Brown (R -MA) [and how often do you see that abbreviation?] as being an endorsement of the Obama agenda, particularly with regard to health care. I witnessed the White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, on "Fox News Sunday," trying to do this very thing. Gibbs was making the very same kinds of arguments to host Chris Wallace as Howard Dean tried making a few days ago to MSNBC's Chris Matthews. Wallace was a lot...

As The Wall Street Journal points out in an opinion this morning, this is a good day not only for Scott Brown, the new senator from Massachusetts, but for Mitt Romney as well. Glenn Beck doesn’t trust Brown, he says. But with Brown toting friends like the popular former governor of Massachusetts, William Weld, John McCain and Romney around on his bus, it might not be such a good day for Glenn Beck. The WSJ’s Kim Strassel pointed out that Romney’s closest aides flooded to Mr. Brown, bringing with them the savvy of his national operation. “From a perch atop...

Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts has most Republicans hopeful about midterm elections. It has Mitt Romney hopeful about 2012. In many ways, the former Bay State governor never ended his 2008 presidential campaign. From a perch atop his Free and Strong America PAC, Mr. Romney has been raising money, nurturing his team, keeping himself in the national spotlight. With the Massachusetts Senate race, he sensed an unexpected opportunity to step to the front of the GOP presidential ranks. He played it nicely. Aware that many voters have mixed views of his governorship, Mr. Romney stayed in the shadows, leaving other...

Now that he has slayed the Massachusetts blue dragon, now EVEEEEEERYBODY -- of the Republican persuasion -- is jumping on the Scott Brown bandwagon. We know that Tom Campbell has had other things on his mind recently, like deciding which major office to run for. But the GOP Senate candidate didn't send out a note urging his supporters vote for to until noon Tuesday -- about oh, five hours before the polls closed. Fellow GOP Senate candidate Carly Fiorina didn't formally send out any such notes, but campaign insiders say she spoke about it "repeatedly" to donors, supporters. She followed...

Does that sound like a good ticket or what? I say HECK YES! Lock and load! Let's go!