Free Republic

The headline on Democratic strategist Paul Begala’s recent Newsweek essay dodged subtlety: “The Stupid Party.” “Republicans used to admire intelligence. But now they’re dumbing themselves down,” was the subhead. Democrats couldn’t agree more. And quietly, many Republicans share the sentiment. They just can’t seem to stop themselves. [Snip] Scientific skepticism, the engine that propels intellectual inquiry, has morphed into skepticism of science fueled by religious certitude. In this strange world, it is heresy to express concern about, for example, climate change — or even to suggest that human behavior may be a contributing factor. Jon Huntsman committed blasphemy when he...

Such rabble, all those grassroots conservatives that have infested the Republican Party. It's all that Sarah Palin's fault. She's so... common... so dumb. Well, we can't say "dumb," so let's say not very smart, not like Bill Buckley. All those flyover country conservatives aren't very smart, either. Paul Begala says so, and Paul shows up at the right parties, so... Read Kathleen Parker's latest in the Washington Post: "The Palinization of the GOP." Parker used to write for National Review. Then she graduated to the Washington Post. Going there, Parker's worldview gloriously expanded. Parker's opinions are just so sophisticated now,...

Mike Huckabee’s supporters might not rush to the side of Sarah Palin, despite the conventional wisdom that she’ll be the key beneficiary of his decision not to run for president next year. Both the former governor of Arkansas and former governor of Alaska are populist Republicans with strong evangelical credentials. Yet there are some significant differences between the two that suggest Huckabee supporters might not flock to Palin en masse. Style Palin’s and Huckabee’s rhetorical styles couldn’t be more different. Palin mocks her Democratic opponents; Huckabee tends to engage them and look for common ground. When first lady Michelle Obama...

Prominent New Hampshire Republican Judd Gregg says that Sarah Palin just might have a clearer path to the Republican presidential nomination next year than commonly understood – an event he warns would lead to President Obama's clear reelection. Gregg, the former senator and governor of the Granite State, says the muddled GOP presidential field means it's more likely than ever there won't be a clear consensus candidate before the party's nominating convention in August of 2012. If that happens, says Gregg, Palin and her army of supporters might have the upper hand when it comes to settling on a presidential...

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown said he has no plans to run for president next year, but will support Mitt Romney if the former Republican Massachusetts governor jumps in the race.

David Keene, the longtime chairman of the American Conservative Union, stepped down on Wednesday as the leader of the organization, one day ahead of the first of its annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Keene had chaired the organization since 1984 and will still preside over the annual conservative gathering. His impending exit had been anticipated, but not the timing. Al Cardenas was selected to succeed Keene. Cardenas was born in Cuba in 1948, and has been a player in conservative politics since the Reagan presidency. “I look forward to taking advantage of the new energies we see today in...