Free Republic

Dear Mr. Steele, It is with regret that I must decline to offer any financial support to the RNC at this time. Although I still consider myself a Republican I cannot support what I believe to be misguided leadership and a total disconnect with the core constituency. Most “career” Republicans would rather support the monster that is the Republican machine than serve their citizenry with honor, sacrifice and duty. Virtues this great constitutional republic so desperately need. America is truly at a crossroad as you have pointed out however, I believe that my targeted financial support of conservative, servant-minded candidates...

Besides breaking longstanding Congressional decorum, Congressman Joe Wilson is to be applauded for having the testicular fortitude to say what were we all thinking throughout the entirity of the president's speech last night. The video below is not presented so much to show you the spectacle, but because I think the "But how did you know!?" look on Pelosi's face is friggin' hillarious.In any case, Congressman Wilson has apologized for his remarks and has been roundly condemned by both Democrats and Republicans. But, not I. For while the networks and her Speakership will remain determined to focus on the act...

Go to this site and contribute -- when other congress members see Joe benefiting from listening to the people, maybe they will join the fight! https://www.completecampaigns.com/public.asp?name=Wilson&page=2

The State is reporting that state Rep. Tim Scott, a Charleston Republican, has raised $150,000 for his run for Lieutenant Governor. Like gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley, Scott had a big fan in Gov. Mark Sanford. Unlike Haley, he should be able to weather the association with little fallout. This is shaping up to be a war between regions for the GOP primary, with Orangeburg, Florence, and Lexington offering up candidates. Which means, at least right now, we should expect lots of campaigning on the Grand Strand and in the Upstate. ------------------------ as reported in "The State" Scott opens bid for...

The increasingly nasty fight between South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer escalated further this week with charges from a legislative ally of Bauer that Sanford and his supporters are spreading malicious rumors that Bauer — a Republican like Sanford — is gay. GOP state Sen. Jake Knotts made the charge in a letter to state legislators Wednesday that was obtained by POLITICO. In an interview in June with The State newspaper, Bauer voluntarily brought up the subject of his sexual orientation. Asked if he was gay, he responded: “One word, two letters. No.” But the rumor...

headed to Davol Square on Tuesday to hear state Rep. Elizabeth M. “Betsy” Dennigan, D-East Providence, announce that she will be challenging U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin in a Democratic primary next year. And as I was picking my way through the crowd, past the banners, balloons and a three-piece band, I bumped into a congressional candidate shaking hands. Only it wasn’t Dennigan. Or even a Democrat. It was state Rep. John J. Loughlin II, R-Tiverton, the House minority whip who plans to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy next year. Was he there to launch a Republicans-for-Betsy organization?...

Dear Friends, I write to apologize and ask for your forgiveness. Well beyond the personal consequences within my own family, I know that at so many different levels my actions have upset, offended and disappointed friends and supporters and for this I am most sorry. As I mentioned in last week's press conference, I've always believed God's laws were there to protect us from ourselves, and what has transpired over this last week vividly illustrates the damage that comes personally, and to those you love and respect, in doing otherwise. So in the aftermath of this failure I want to...

Remember Jimmy Swaggart? He was the TV preacher who wept before America after a tryst with a prostitute. "I have sinned against you, my Lord,” choked Swaggart through tears. “I would ask that your precious blood would wash and cleanse every stain until it is in the seas of God's forgiveness." The fall of televangelism in many ways foreshadowed the decline of the so-called moral majority. The Right is now reaping what it sowed. By making social conservatism central to its platform, it left no room in the GOP for sinners. Now we have the Sanford affair. Many on the...

Dear Secretary Duncan, By order of the South Carolina Supreme Court, I am submitting the attached application for South Carolina's portion of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund. In doing so, however, I'd offer a few observations. First, it's important to state one last time for the record what a monumentally terrible idea I believe the entire so-called stimulus act is, and why in particular utilizing this money as our General Assembly has done is ultimately going to cause more harm than good.

South Carolina — An openly lesbian politician who came close to unseating incumbent South Carolina Representative Henry Brown in November has outed three Republican lawmakers. Linda Ketner's narrow loss to Brown heartened South Carolina gay politicos who never expected such a tight race. A longtime businesswoman and community activist, Kerner's clear leadership attracted strong support from a community mostly cool to gay rights. In 2006, a large majority (78%) of South Carolina voters approved a gay marriage ban in their state constitution. Speaking to Howie Klein at Fire Dog Lake, a progressive political blog, Ketner outed three prominent South Carolina...

7th Circuit Solicitor Trey Gowdy says he is “seriously considering” running for U.S. Congress in 2010. The top prosecutor for Spartanburg and Cherokee Counties would run against Republican Bob Inglis in the 4th Congressional District. Gowdy says he has already discussed the matter with his family and will make a formal decision by June 1st. “I am concerned about the direction in which this country and the Republican party are headed,“ said Gowdy. “The fundamental core principals of the Republican party need to be identified and expressed in a positive and enthusiastic way, instead of continuing to be the faint...

State Rep. Nikki Haley is adding her name to the list of Republicans hoping to become governor of South Carolina in 2010. Haley, a staunch anti-tax advocate, confirmed Thursday that she will mount a run for the seat currently held by Republican Mark Sanford, who is prevented by term limits from running for a third term. “For more than five years I’ve sat in the statehouse and watched - sometimes in disbelief - as our state government has spent with abandon and in the process wasted taxpayer dollar after taxpayer dollar,” Haley said in a release. “I know what good...

Republican fundraiser Fred Malek invited Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, both potential GOP presidential candidates in 2012, to break bread together at his McLean, Va., home Friday night. Sanford’s office confirmed he’ll be there. Palin is staying back in Alaska due to serious ice-jam flooding and instead sending her husband, Todd. He’ll also take her place at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Palin’s office said Thursday. . . . . . The idea of the dinner at his Crest Lane home is to help party donors shopping for a 2012 candidate. . . . ....

This is a portion of a letter sent to his constituents: "Given the South Carolina Senate's plans to debate the state budget this week, I thought it important to write and ask that you urge your state Senator to vote for responsible spending that funds core government services and pays down debt. Now is the time to make your voice heard for a few reasons. One, when you're in a financial hole, it's time to stop digging - and if the all of the stimulus money is simply spent on growing government, it guarantees South Carolina will be in a...

The challenges to conservative dogma have sparked the candidacies of at least four primary opponents. One of them is businessman Andrew Smart, owner of the popular Greenville-based Duke’s Sandwich Shop chain, who has the ability to self-finance a race. Another announced candidate is Christina Jeffrey, a college professor who made headlines in 1995 when Newt Gingrich hired her as the House historian — and fired her days later over past controversial comments. She later ran for Gingrich’s old House seat in Georgia, losing badly in the primary to now-Sen. Johnny Isakson. Two other little-known candidates — Jim Lee and Rex...

Republican Carroll Campbell III has begun raising money and testing the waters for a 2010 GOP primary bid to replace U.S. Rep. Henry Brown. Campbell told The Associated Press Tuesday that he was talking to donors and not ready to formally announce his plans. Campbell said he’s going to see how that goes before deciding on a bid to unseat Brown from his 1st District seat. He is the son of the late Gov. Carroll Campbell, who is credited with much of the growth of South Carolina’s Republican Party. He held the 4th District U.S. House seat for four terms...

Gov. Sanford is interviewed about his position on refusing the big government-spending plan to bailout states and why the so-called “stimulus plan is bad for the country. “I think that the great temptation of today’s politics is that you‘ve got to do something. In many cases doing something can make it a bigger problem.” (With the President’s latest troubles of trying to make his Presidency look transparent, check out the link to see how your state is performing.)

Please visit this site and tell McConnell to appoint Jim DeMint to the Senate Finance Committee. We need to bring the GOP back to its roots of lower taxes, less government, and more freedom!

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Officials say South Carolina GOP chairman Katon Dawson has been courting support among the Republican National Committee's members, who are looking for new leadership. The South Carolina auto parts salesman has a knack for raising Republican Party money. But Dawson is not alone in his bid for the RNC post. Republican leaders in different states say a growing number of hopefuls have been making calls and sending out feelers to be the leader to replace current chairman Mike Duncan. Republicans will make a decision in January. Next weekend, Dawson plans to bring RNC members from around...

Energy, high gas prices and the future of fuel highlighted the first debate between Republican Rep. Bob Inglis and his primary challenger, Charles Jeter, Wednesday night at the University of South Carolina Upstate. Trade policy and China's role in world economic and environmental affairs were underlying themes. About 50 people - including staffers and campaign volunteers, event organizers, family members and several media outlets - attended the debate, sponsored by the Spartanburg Young Republicans. WORD radio personality Bob McLain moderated.

John McCain is neither the inevitable Republican Nominee nor as electable as current polling data suggests for three reasons 1) the mainstream media will turn their backs on McCain as soon as he is the nominee, 2) so-called independents and moderates will not show up as strongly for McCain in the general election as in the primary, 3) McCain cannot unify the party because many important conservatives will not rally around him, and 4) McCain-Feingold will literally seal his fate because conservatives will not outlay cash in the general election for McCain. The mainstream media will turn against Senator McCain...

Fred Thompson's political career might very well be over tomorrow. If so, take this post as a postmortem of his candidacy. It is obvious that Senator Thompson has squandered a great deal of good will during the interminable run up to the announcement of his candidacy and his less than stellar performance in the period September through mid-December. The easy analysis is that Thompson was lazy but I don't think it was laziness. I think it was a misguided attempt to run an issues oriented campaign. Thompson's Socratic style of addressing those early crowds was a good way to discuss...

As has been reported elsewhere today, Fred Thompson's mother is gravely ill right now. Our prayers ought to be with Sen. Thompson, his mother, his wife, and their family. This must be a very difficult time for them. All of this political stuff is of only secondary importance right now. That said, here is what I would do, politically, if I were Thompson: I would just lay low. Just wait. See what happens in Louisiana's caucuses tomorrow. See what happens in Florida next week. See who drops out of the race at some point. And then consider reviving my campaign,...

McCain has become the closest thing here to the establishment candidate in a race that lacks a consensus pick. Photo: AP COLUMBIA, S.C. —The national media thinks John McCain is under siege again, and his campaign is only too happy to help reporters file their stories.At a rally Thursday, outside McCain’s headquarters just down the street from the state capitol here, the candidate and a key local supporter, Sen. Lindsey Graham, are explaining that sorcerers of the dark political arts are at work.“There’s a lot being said out there on phone calls, in the mail, that’s a bunch of garbage —...

Oh boy one has to believe that Huckabee will be getting some blow-back from this. These push polls have even brought out the South Carolina Attorney General to make this statement: “Last evening the Associated Press reported that that an out-of-state special interest group, Common Sense Issues, had launched a massive push polling effort disparaging John McCain and other candidates for president. In their push poll, Common Sense Issues makes several misleading claims regarding John McCain’s record.“Allow me to set the record straight. In the U.S. Senate, John McCain has been an unwavering voice for the rights of the unborn....

As we move on to South Carolina team Thompson is doing something a little different and fun. They are putting up a fun set of videos from their tour down there. They are getting video snapshots of folks who have flipped to Fred from other Candidates. Here is Riley, who flipped from Romney to Fred. Karen flips from Romney to Fred: Ann flips from Huckabee to Thompson: Jason goes from Romney to Fred: Well you get the idea. There is plenty more here. Meanwhile Fred layed the smackdown on the field on Fox News last night. So much so that...

Welcome to our Phone for Fred online phone bank! Person to person contact is the most effective way to make a difference in an election. We created the Phone for Fred program for all of you Friends of Fred who want to volunteer and do more for Fred! We need your help in the early primary states. Our Phone for Fred online phone bank makes it easy for you to make a difference! Fred only needs a small commitment of time and you will soon see that your phone calls and person to person contact will help Fred win!

Senator, I realize that John McCain is a friend and that you do not do your friends dirty. Unfortunately, Senator McCain is already doing himself dirty on the immigration issue. His backpedaling, blatant Janus-like turns on the border fence, open disdain for those of us who appreciate the rule of law, and shameless demagoguing on this issue is souring people on him more and more every day. These are voters you not only need on your side, but should very much want. These are not, as some would have us believe, a howling mob of racists or bunch of cruel-hearted...

Our campaign has had a fantastic month! From dominant debate performances to standing room only crowds, Fred is really hitting his stride just in time for the most important contest of the race so far. As much emphasis as is placed on Iowa and New Hampshire, South Carolina is the real bellwether in the GOP nominating process. On Saturday, voters in the Palmetto State will go to the polls and make a statement about the direction of our Party and our nation. As Fred pointed out in last Thursday's debate in Myrtle Beach, we are in a battle for the...

Sorry, Rudy: In an interview to air this Sunday, state Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long tells WNBC's Gabe Pressman the party is likely to give an early nod to Fred Thompson if he manages to "break through" in South Carolina. "As a Conservative, as the chairman of the New York state Conservative Party, my favorite candidate, naturally, is Fred Thompson," Long said. "He did very well this week in the debate. Certainly, I think in South Carolina. If he does well there, if he breaks through in South Carolina, he changes the face of this Republican race again. He becomes...

Fred Thompson has raised over $200,000 online since his boffo debate performance last night, says spokesman Todd Harris. For a candidate who is putting everything on South Carolina, the showing could not have come in a better place (Myrtle Beach) or on a better network (Fox) or at a more critical time (just over a week before the South Carolina primary). The debate got front-page previews in both the Charleston and Myrtle Beach papers yesterday, and many conservatives were already likely tuning in to their favorite station. The South Carolina papers had similarly prominent coverage of the debate this morning....

The long awaited endorsement from BackSpin is out: Fred Dalton Thompson. Every primary and caucus voter should watch Fred's message to Iowa voters: Rudy, Romney, and Huckabee all have their weaknesses, and their strengths, but the most important quality in a candidate is going to be the ability to communicate conservative principles. We as Republicans have to stop trying to win elections 'on the cheap.' For too many years, we have taken the lazy road to campaigning. We try to sell voters on tax cuts, because that's an easy sell, and then we try to offer all the candy that...

At 9:00 pm ET Fox News will broadcast the Republican Presidential debate from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. As usual, I’ll be liveblogging it on the Fred File. Hope to see you then.

I haven't been a blogger since last spring. But I am still active in several conservative forums and I am bringing you some information that I think only grassroots groups, bloggers, and talk radio can do anything about. Regardless of your political affiliation, or your choice of candidate, it should be somewhat chilling to realize how much the media is manipulating campaign information and access. I don't write this to whine "it's not fair!", but to make you aware that there is a real problem. I've tried to handle this through official channels (ie: the SC GOP, Fox News, and...

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - When former House Speaker Newt Gingrich decided in late September he would not run for president this year, Bob Walker went looking for another Republican he could support. He found Fred Thompson. "I'm interested in somebody who is seriously considering the issues not just as a political gimmick, but has real, long-term ideas in mind for fixing some very large problems we face immediately and down the road," Walker says. "I came to the conclusion that Fred Thompson was the guy in the race who had that kind of serious attitude," says Walker, a Lititz resident...

Apparently, small government Republicans [Huckabee’s] aides are wary of New Hampshire. “It’s all no tax, no government there,” said Bob Wickers, a top strategist. “It’s not ideal.” But they believe that the message of economic anxiety that he preaches will help in Michigan’s primary on Jan. 15 and in states in the South, which have high poverty rates in addition to strong groups of social conservatives.” Mike Huckabee is skipping New Hampshire because it’s too fiscally conservative. Instructive, yes? Huckabee’s brand of identity politics is as dangerous as anyone else’s - after nearly eight years of a fiscally liberal Republican...

It looks like the Politico website has another fascinating scoop full of un-substantiated and un-named sources. That is that John McCain's campaign is literally hanging by a thread. He is low on money and fallen to a fourth place tie with Ron Paul in Iowa. Sources (unnamed) say that a McCain shellacking in Iowa will likely drop him out of the running in New Hampshire where is organization is running on fumes. In Iowa McCain has gone from 13% and high hopes of pulling a surprise to falling to 10% and a tie with a surging Ron Paul. UPDATE: ARG...

Fewer active voters than in the 2006 general election will be casting ballots during the January presidential primary season in Orangeburg, Bamberg and Calhoun counties, according to statistics from the State Election Commission. Commission spokesman Chris Whitmire said the decline likely is because of inactive voters not responding to cards mailed out to maintain state registration records. The cards were sent out to voters who did not cast ballots in the last two general elections to confirm those individuals are still living at their respective addresses. People who did not return the confirmation cards will be able to vote but...

As Rush points out at the top of the excerpt, he does not endorse candidates in primaries. But that does not stop him from taking note of a fact that many Reagan Republicans are seeing Fred Thompson as the only true conservative in the field of Republican candidates. (VIDEO) With 13.5 million weekly listeners (some have suggested the number is closer to 20 million), Rush’s comments will not go unnoticed. Question is, is it enough to keep Fred in the race through?

Almost as I'd thought. The endorsement of Rep. King has begun having an impact in the Iowa poll numbers and the Thompson campaign is on the move according to this latest Strategic Vision poll. - Huckabee -31% - Romney - 25% - Thompson - 16% The anomaly in this poll right now is Huckabee (another post on that later) who when this poll was taken was at 31%. I have not heard the entire show, however the internet is abuzz with Rush's cremation of Huckabee (and for good reason...again more on that later). Huckabee's numbers are going to plummet down...

Stick a fork in him: With fewer than 20 days until the Iowa caucuses, three men in the Republican Party stand to get their tickets punched out of the Hawkeye State. While everything is still in flux, those likely winners will be Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson. Notably missing out on Iowa’s political rocket fuel is national frontrunner Rudy Giuliani. While most political insiders and pundits have known for months that Giuliani had no plans to compete in Iowa, the general American electorate probably does not. Known to not pay attention to the early political pontificating, the average...

Join us December 13th for a Phone for Fred Party! We get thousands of emails every week from regular folks asking how they can get involved and make a big difference even though they don't live in the early states. Next Thursday, December 13th, we are having a nationwide phone bank for Fred. Hosting a phone bank on the 13th is the best way to make a real difference in the final month going into the Iowa Caucus. Take a group picture of everyone at your party, and if your party makes the most calls we'll make it the feature...

Days left until the Jan. 19 S.C. Republican presidential primary: 46 Days left until the Jan. 26 S.C. Democratic presidential primary: 53 Days left to register to vote: 17 CAMPAIGN TRAIL When and where presidential candidates are appearing in South Carolina 12:15 p.m. today: Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson will have a meet-and-greet at Wade’s Southern Cooking at 100 N. Pine St. in Spartanburg. 2 p.m.: Thompson will visit Blue Ridge Shooting Sport Store at 3559 Ballenger Road in Greer. 6 p.m.: Thompson will visit Market Square Deli at 2029 Wade Hampton Blvd. in Greenville. 8:45 a.m. Wednesday: Thompson will...

Roger L. Simon, last seen cavorting with Pajama clad babes on the floor of the BlogWorld convention like a latter day Hugh Hefner, sat down with Fred Thompson to discuss the Global War on Terror. Bob Owens, proprietor of the excellent Confederate Yankee blog, joined Roger in conducting the interview. I linked to this yesterday in my Republican race Q&A, but the interview itself merits a little post of its own. In no particular order, a few observations: 1) The long form interview allowed Fred to express his knowledge and thoughts on the war on terror. He was impressive. Believe...

One of the big stories in the Republican presidential race last week was a series of controversial survey calls in Iowa and New Hampshire that asked respondents some pointed questions about Mitt Romney. Specifically, voters in the first two Republican contests received calls with negative messages about the former governor’s religion, his Vietnam-era military deferments, his sons’ lack of military service, and the notion that Mormons believe the Book of Mormon is superior to the Bible. The question, of course, was who was responsible for the calls. For one thing, they may have been illegal — as the Union Leader...

Welcome to our Phone for Fred online phone bank! Person to person contact is the most effective way to make a difference in an election. We created the Phone for Fred program for all of you Friends of Fred who want to volunteer and do more for Fred! We need your help in the early primary states. Our Phone for Fred online phone bank makes it easy for you to make a difference! Fred only needs a small commitment of time and you will soon see that your phone calls and person to person contact will help Fred win! Pick...

From the desk of Todd Harris, communications director to Fred Thompson: "There is no room for this kind of smut in a Republican primary election. While there are certainly issues our campaigns disagree on, we are united by far more than that which divides us. One of our candidates is going to emerge from this process as the standard bearer for all Republicans, and we will need a united party to win next year. This kind of robo-dial bigotry which tears down Republicans today will only serve to prop up Democrats tomorrow. It has to end and end now."

MC LEAN, Va., Nov. 14 /Standard Newswire/ -- Today the Fred Thompson campaign announced its Students For Fred National and State Leadership Teams. These student volunteers will be actively leading the Fred Thompson grassroots efforts on college campuses across the nation. Matthew Farrar will serve as the Florida Chairman as well as a National Co-Chair of Students for Fred Thompson. A senior political science major at Florida State University, Farrar has previously served on the 2006 Charlie Crist Gubernatorial campaigns and has worked on numerous state races throughout Florida. "Sen. Fred Thompson has made it clear that he is the...

McLean, VA - On the heels of strong grassroots showings in Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Ft. Mill, Spartanburg and Greenville, Fred Thompson is officially announcing his statewide Campaign Chair, several regional leaders and 27 county chairs and co-chairs in 19 counties across the state. Congressman Gresham Barrett (SC-03) has been named Statewide Campaign Chair and will help lead Thompson's effort in South Carolina along with Thompson's Steering Committee, chaired by Major General James E. Livingston, USMC (Retired), and Regional Chairs. "Senator Thompson is a consistent conservative leader with a solid record in supporting life, fighting illegal immigration and defending the Second...

As I have said in months past, the reports of the death of social conservatism within the Republican Party are greatly exaggerated. There isn't a candidate in the Republican Primaries that doesn't dream of the opportunity to get key endorsements from the social Right. Rudy Guiliani would even like to get a few more than just Pat Robertson-after all, Robertson has been discredited within the conservative movement for a very long time. On the other hand, the idea that pro-family social conservatives are in total control of the GOP is something that both the press and the Democrats have attempted...