Free Republic

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Just back from his part-time home in Mexico, former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura dangled the idea Friday that he could run for the U.S. presidency in 2016. Ventura eagerly volunteered the possibility while at Minnesota's Capitol -- and pushed back against skepticism that he would re-enter the political fray after being out of office since 2003. It's hardly the first time the publicity savvy Ventura has broached the idea he would run for the White House or Senate, only to pass on a campaign. He said the next race is "an opportune time" for an independent...

As some Newtown families, props being used by the very gun grabbers who have set up the kinds of gun-free shooting galleries in which their children were slain, held hands and prayed for more than 60 votes (having been flown in at taxpayer expense to lobby our representatives to take away our natural rights), it occurred to me that, with 16 Republicans voting that a debate on amending an unalienable right is perfectly in keeping with the Constitution, the Republican party then and there died. Went t*ts up. Ceased to be. If John McCain and Lindsay Graham and Lamar Alexander...

I had fallen out with Senator Pat Toomey in the last year when I realized his plan to balance the budget in ten years was no plan at all. I consider a balanced budget to the be the top issue and that when a politician says they have a plan to do something in ten years, they are not serious. Ted Kennedy and George W. Bush promised 100 percent proficiency in math and reading by 2014 when No Child Left Behind was made into law a decade or so ago. Now, Senator Toomey has stepped into the waters of tearing...

Having grown up in a family where the term “progressive” was not used by Republicans as a pejorative to describe their political opponents, Theodore Roosevelt IV tells Newsmax TV that he does not necessarily see today’s GOP spinning off a third party any time soon. “Our family’s been sort of kind of like a third party for a long time,” Roosevelt acknowledged in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. “Goes back to 1912. We’ve been waiting a long time. I’m not sure I see a third party emerging in the near future.” Roosevelt, the great grandson of President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt,...

Charlie Blackmore Jr., a 32-year-old Marine Corps veteran, was driving home from work at 4:00am Tuesday when he saw a man violently kicking a large object on the ground. He parked his car to see what was going on and upon drawing closer to the scene, Blackmore realized that the "object" was a young woman. When the man refused to stop beating his visibly injured victim, Blackmore pulled out his Springfield XDM 9mm. -----------------------cut---------------------------- Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. praised Blackmore Wednesday in a statement to the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel: "I want to get to a day when...

Italy's stunned political parties looked for a way forward after an election that gave none of them a parliamentary majority, posing the threat of prolonged instability and European financial crisis. "The winner is: Ingovernability," ran the headline on Tuesday in Rome newspaper Il Messaggero, reflecting the deadlock the country will have to confront in the next few weeks as sworn enemies are forced to work together to form a government. The results, notably by the dramatic surge of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement of comic Beppe Grillo, left the centre-left bloc with a majority in the lower house but without the...

The games the politicians play are a pathetic joke. Debt continues to pile on top of debt with "crisis" deadline after "crisis" deadline upon us. We end up with "imperfect deals" that do nothing to balance the books, just continue the slow and painful descent into eventual financial collapse. These sick austerity policies that include tax increases and spending cuts at the same time are already ruining Europe and now the United States is going down the same road. Obama and the RINO's use emotional issues to drive wedges that scoop us masses of people to support them. The RINO's...

I heard something the other day that needs correction. Rush Limbaugh talked about the "Obama tax increases" and if he was talking about Obamacare tax hikes he's right on the money because Barack Obama owns them. The GOP didn't support it. But I got the impression El Rushbo was talking about the deal agreed to at the beginning of this year that restored 2 percent to the Social Security tax and raised taxes on "the rich." John Boehner is co-owner of those tax increases with Barack Obama. And just like the Obamacare taxes, they are economically destructive. It looks like...

Conservative radio host Michael Savage spoke out against Republicans and Democrats alike on Sunday for pulling a "charade" on the American people, and called for a third political party. "We need a Nationalist party in the United States of America," Savage said on WABC's "Aaron Klein Investigative Radio," according to WND. The third-most widely heard talk show host, behind only Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity in ratings, explained a new, third "Nationalist" party could focus on "borders, language and culture." "There is no Republican Party," Savage told talk show host Aaron Klein. "It's an appendage of the Democrat machine, as...

The word is out from Moodys Investor Service. The United States cannot keep its credit rating unless more is done beyond the "imperfect deal" agreed to by the political leaders of both parties in Washington. Reflecting on what was done it is impossible not to conclude that the deal was the beginning of what will be a series of European-style austerity measures coming out of Washington as demanded by the creditors holding onto this nations multi-trillion dollar debt. We have made it into the same spot that Spain, Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdon, France and Greece are. The Age of...

"Thank You America" was the theme of a commercial I saw on the Rose Bowl Game telecast yesterday. The bailed out AIG was singing the praises of our tax dollars being pumped into their company from a nation that is now trillions of dollars more in debt than it was before bailouts like theirs were pushed through Congress. The pushing through Congress of band aids like the bailouts and now the new legislation called the "Taxpayer Relief Act" will not stop the trillions of dollars in debt from continuing to expand until new band aids will be needed. Who is...

The other ObamaCare middle class tax hike arrives in 2014By: John Hayward 12/12/2012 09:14 AM If you think it’s been horrifying to watch ObamaCare pop open like a jack-in-the-box filled with tax increases over the last couple of weeks, just wait until the huge new taxes on health insurance companies hit in 2014. A study commissioned by America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) lays out the details: The [Affordable Care Act] imposes a new sales tax on health insurance that starts at $8 billion in 2014, increases to $14.3 billion in 2018, and will continue to increase each year. The Joint...

House Republican leaders used a secret criteria list to decide which conservatives to purge from powerful House committees, Breitbart News has learned. As this time, it appears they will keep the criteria list hidden from the public, too. Spokespeople for members of House GOP leadership have refused to discuss details about the list on the record with press. Because GOP Leadership won't discuss the list, it’s unclear what specific criteria the list contained and how much of a role it played in the conservative purge. It’s also unclear which member of House Republican leadership initiated this process. In remarks to...

So, should conservatives remain in the GOP where they are, as a rule, ignored? Why should they? The argument has been made that the formation of a third political party, particularly one that draws from the GOP, would ensure that the Liberal Left will become more entrenched in government, and neither the GOP nor this third party will stand a chance of winning the White House for the foreseeable future. Counter to this argument, conservatives say that it matters not when the GOP is but a shadow of the Democrat Party. Central to resistance for a Romney nomination was the...

The talk has already started about a possible 2016 presidential bid by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, but before that happens friends say he’ll be busy rebuilding his personal wealth and restoring his family’s relationship with the Republican Party. If he decides to seek the GOP nomination, it could put a damper on any plans by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to run in four years, according to The New York Times. … After this year’s loss to President Barack Obama, Republicans are looking for a candidate who can appeal to a different voter demographic that’s no longer dominated by white...

On Christmas Eve of last year, I wrote an article expressing my disgust and frustration with the Republican Party. Now, almost a year later, the GOP has once again proven that it has become a completely ineffective vehicle with which to advance the conservative agenda. The election is over, and now is the time to start the process of choosing a suitable replacement. This is not a step I take lightly. For more than 30 years I have been a loyal Republican, serving in positions within the party as well as being a vocal supporter of GOP candidates and the...

It’s been less than 24 hours since the polls closed and already the first shots in an emerging civil war within the conservative movement are being fired. Right-leaning pundits have been taking turns beating up on Mitt Romney and blaming him for the loss last night. Donald Trump just tweeted, “Congrats to @KarlRove on blowing $400 million this cycle. Every race @CrossroadsGPS ran ads in, the Republicans lost. What a waste of money.” And GOP leaders are already taking to the barricades on either side of the divide, which basically comes down to this question: Were Romney and the GOP...

Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is calling for the creation of a third political party — saying it is clear to him that neither major political party is willing to address the nation’s economic problems. “We need a third party to save this country,” Cain told American Family Radio host Bryan Fischer. “This country is in trouble and it is clear that neither party — is going to fix the problems we face.” Cain agreed with Fischer’s assessment that conservatives are growing tired of being ignored by Republican party leadership — and that many believe the GOP no longer...

Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson said Monday he thinks President Barack Obama will defeat Mitt Romney to win a second term. “I think Obama’s going to win, that’s what I think,” Johnson told POLITICO in an interview. “[My vote is] really spread out, meaning I don’t think there’s any state that I’m going to do better than another.” Johnson, who’s on the ballot in 48 states and the District of Columbia, hovers in single digits in the polls. The former two-term New Mexico governor declined to single out any state where he expected to do particularly well but said...

Alternative candidates can’t solve America’s illsIt feels good to take a stand on principle. Knowing you’ve done the right thing for the right reason brings a feeling of satisfaction; third-party advocates thrive on this emotional response. The problem is, voting for an alternative candidate is rarely the right thing to do. Supporters believe the Libertarian Party’s Gary Johnson would, if elected, be better equipped to restrain Washington spending. The front page of Mr. Johnson’s own website acknowledges that’s not something that will happen. He only seeks enough votes to make a protest statement. “Five percent of the vote ends the...

Sen. Jon Tester, a liberal Democrat, is attempting to hold off Republican challenger Rep. Denny Rehberg in a tight Montana Senate race. Rehberg is a Power Line Pick Six candidate. For Republicans to gain control of the Senate, they almost certainly need to win this race. Tester has been highly unconvincing in his belated attempts to convince Montana voters that he’s not in the pocket of the Obama administration on all the big issues. In a two way race with Rehberg, Tester would likely be toast. However, there’s a third candidate in Montana — Dan Cox of the Libertarian Party....

Camille Paglia, who voted for Obama in '08, delivers a fine rant about why she's not voting for him this time. She's interviewed on video here, by Glenn Reynolds. Most of the interview is about art in America and her new book "Glittering Images" (which I just bought, in Kindle). But in the end, she's asked why she's not voting for Obama — she's voting for Jill Stein — and out flow the words, which I started transcribing without knowing how long she'd go on. I kept transcribing, because it was all such great material, so here it is (with...

Larry King, the celebrated talk show host accustomed to A-list interview guests, has agreed to moderate a debate featuring a squad of minor-party presidential candidates.

Tuesday morning, in an op-ed in the Des Moines Register, businessman and former presidential candidate Ross Perot declared his unequivocal support for Republican candidate Mitt Romney. "President Obama promised a great deal. He has had his chance," Perot wrote. "The results are visible for all to see. It is time for a new beginning. It is time for Mitt Romney." Complaining of Obama's policy writ large, Perot echoed the GOP challenger's campaign slogan, writing that America "can't afford four more years in which debt mushrooms out of control, our government grows and our military is weakened." Going on to praise...

Billionaire businessman and one-time presidential candidate H. Ross Perot on Tuesday endorsed GOP candidate Mitt Romney. Perot, whose 1992 independent bid for the presidency captured close to 19 percent of the vote, praised Romney in an op-ed in the Des Moines Register, saying the GOP nominee would restrain the growth of government and “keep it from acting as a brake on economic growth.” The national debt has been a signature issue for the 82-year old Perot and his endorsement comes after an interview earlier this month where he declined to back a presidential candidate, accusing both candidates of doing little...

Democratic hopes of maintaining a razor-thin Senate majority may hinge on an unexpected outside force: Libertarians. In the battlegrounds of Montana, Arizona and Missouri, polls show the Libertarian nominee poised to siphon a fraction of the vote — a small fraction, but potentially enough to tip the outcome in a cliffhanger. And with the battle for the Senate shaping up to be a coin-flip proposition, no factor — not even fringe candidates with little more than a Libertarian label to propel their campaigns — is too insignificant to dismiss. Given the small-government mantra of Libertarian voters, Democratic officials see the...

Dan from Squirrel Hill's Blog Camille Paglia explains why she will be voting for Jill Stein, Green Party candidate, for president In a recent interview with salon.com, Camille Paglia explained why she will be voting for Jill Stein, Green Party candidate, for president. Paglia said:The biggest issue for me is the Obama administration’s continuation of endless war, war, war. I denounced the Iraq incursion before it even happened.In Obama’s defense, he did end the Iraq War. But he did do that Libya thing, which I oppose, just as I opposed it when Reagan did it.I have been revolted by the silence...

Texas Republican congressman Ron Paul pointedly refused to endorse his party's presidential contender, Mitt Romney, arguing that neither he nor President Barack Obama would make necessary cuts to public spending that would avert a fiscal catastrophe. "No," the iconoclastic Libertarian bluntly told CNBC’s "Futures Now," when asked about whether he was prepared to endorse Romney. He accused both the former Massachusetts governor and the president of being captive to similar interests.

Dear liberty voter, It’s the day after Election Day. Mitt Romney lost. The media praise band is playing “O Hail, King Obama.” The gloating anchors and pundits relay the news with giddiness: “Conservatism lost. The tea party died. Liberalism has triumphed – permanently.” Welcome to a world where taking the life of the unborn is celebrated, traditional family values trounced and socialized health care and phones for everybody are the rallying cries. Sky high taxes, another 6 trillion in spending and an ever weakening military are the future. Bailouts, insults to business owners, an EPA out of control and $6...

http://www.goodeforpresident2012.com/the-issues.html Folks, Obama and Romney are eating off the same menu (although Romney changes his diet from election to election). Virgil Goode is the only acceptable candidate running, IMHO.

On September 4, 2012, Mitt Romney may have lost Virginia and the Presidential election. But Republicans could still win easily. This election will turn on two questions Bill Clinton is pounding on: Who caused the disastrous economic collapse in 2007 and 2008? Will putting a Republican back in the White House give us another economic crash? Republican strategists and consultants have been running away from these questions. Bill Clinton passionately blamed Republicans at the Democrat National Convention. Republicans are aiming for “just enough to squeak by.” But “good enough” is almost never good enough. Now on September 4, Virgil Goode...

"Around the country, the Republican Party is mounting legal challenges to keep third-party candidates off the ballot in November. Writer Karl Dickey reports in the Examiner that “in recent weeks, with the full support and legal assistance of the Republican Party, [Gary] Johnson's ballot status has been challenged in Michigan, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, Iowa and now Ohio." Gary Johnson (pictured) is the former governor of New Mexico and the Libertarian Party’s candidate for president of the United States. As of this writing, Johnson is on the ballot in 43 states."

On Thursday, 2008 Libertarian vice-presidential nominee Wayne Allyn Root announced that he was resigning from his positions within the Libertarian Party and joining the Republican Party. In the public letter he wrote, Root explains that his decision is much like those of previous Libertarian Party candidates, including David Koch (VP, 1980) and Ron Paul (President, 1988); both of whom left the LP to become influential Republicans.

Wayne Allyn Root, 2008 Libertarian Party’s Vice Presidential nominee and political commentator, resigned this morning from the Libertarian National Committee (LNC) to, according to his resignation letter, “elect good people and change the direction of this country outside of a third party.” In the letter to the LNC, which is available at Independent Political Report, Root explains that his decision much is not unlike those of previous Libertarian Party presidential candidates, including Ron Paul and David Koch; both of whom left the LP to become prominent Republicans. When I asked if he was now backing Mitt Romney, Root responded, “I...

The Nader Effect In Play After Virginia's Decision By Scott Bomboy A decision in Virginia to allow Virgil Goode on the presidential ballot could shake up the national election. And Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has now come into the spoiler picture. For the past few weeks, Goode, the Constitutional party presidential candidate, and Johnson have been afterthoughts in the national presidential campaign involving President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. But Goode won the right on Tuesday to appear on the Virginia ballot, in a move that could hurt Romney’s chances of taking the key swing state in November. And now...

*snip* Speculation about Paul’s intentions will intensify even more because Paul will appear on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno on Tuesday night to make an announcement, presumably about whether he will make a third-party run or support Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson. Evan Cutler of Alaskans for Ron Paul told those on the conference call that he spoke at length with Paul and his wife last Friday. Cutler said Paul told him he has not completely ruled out a third-party run. Cutler said Paul did express concerns about ballot access and the money that would be required for...

Speculation is mounting that Texas Rep. Ron Paul will mount a third party bid for the presidency as pressure from his supporters builds ahead of his appearance Tuesday night on NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno. According to a report, Paul’s supporters were deeply upset by how the libertarian Texas Representative was treated at the Republican National Convention last week. 300 of them joined in a conference call on Sunday night planning to urge Paul to launch a last-minute independent bid for the White House. In order for Paul to appear on the ballot in all 50 states, he would...

AP photoVirginia’s Board of Elections will allow Virgil Goode to appear as a presidential candidate on state ballots in November, despite Republican efforts to block his candidacy, the Washington Post reports.Goode is the Constitution Party’s presidential nominee. He represented Virginia’s 5th Congressional District from 1997 to 2009. He was initially elected as a Democrat before becoming an independent and then a Republican. Goode lost his seat to Democrat Tom Perriello in 2008.<snip> Goode’s presidential candidacy has the potential to impact the outcome in Virginia, a swing state where Republican candidate Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama are locked in a...

Former congressman Virgil Goode Jr. has qualified for the presidential ballot in Virginia, the State Board of Elections ruled Tuesday, adding a potential obstacle to Republican Mitt Romney’s hopes of winning the pivotal state. The state Republican party has already challenged the eligibility of Goode, who is the Constitution Party’s nominee, and could still get him knocked off the ballot.

TAMPA, August 29, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – Sarah Palin has said a third party may emerge if the Republican Party’s leaders abandon conservative principles. Asked if the GOP’s increasing fractiousness may lead to a new party taking its place, Palin replied, “If history is an indication it is a possibility – if the Republicans don’t remember what the planks in the platform represent.” “Look what happened in the mid-1800’s. The Whig Party went away and the Republican Party surfaced, because the electorate got sick and tired of the party fighting for power and not doing the will of the people,” Palin...

FREDERICKSBURG — Racing against a Friday deadline to collect enough signatures to make the Virginia ballot, Constitution Party presidential candidate Virgil Goode says Mitt Romney is “leading Republicans over a cliff.” Constitution Party presidential candidate and Virginia native Virgil Goode could spoil Mitt Romney’s party in the Old Dominion. Goode, a former six-term GOP congressman from Southside Richmond, told Virginia Watchdog in an exclusive interview he is “cautiously optimistic” about qualifying for the November ballot. The state requires 10,000 signatures from registered voters. Goode says his campaign has submitted nearly 20,000 signatures while going for more to ensure he has...

Former Virginia Congressman Virgil Goode has turned in 20,500 signatures in his quest to make the presidential ballot in his home state, an effort that could potentially derail Republican Mitt Romney's presidential aspirations in a critical battleground state. At least 10,000 valid signatures are due Friday at noon to the State Board of Elections to make the ballot. Election officials will next send the petitions to local registrars to verify the signatures. Goode said he is optimistic he'll qualify, but just this week, the Constitution Party was forced to back out of the presidential race in Pennsylvania after the Republican...

If it weren’t so tragic and there weren’t so much at stake, the tiptoe strategy of the Romney Tepid Team would actually be funny to watch. Here you have a group of archetypal RINOs who were clever and tough enough to figure out how to destroy the relatively weak Republican primary field while Romney patiently waited his turn — next in line behind John McMush — to be anointed by the Republican establishment. Since the Republican debates ended, however, Romney has been so weak-kneed that he’s barely been able to keep pace with a president whom everyone but the most...

Sarah Palin was on Fox News earlier today talking to Uma Pemmaraju about the up coming Republican Nation Convention. She also fielded a few viewer questions ranging from how one should vote if they don’t like either candidate, to whether she’d ever run for Governor of Alaska again. She also noted, when asked, that if the GOP doesn’t get it’s act together, and start following the platform set out by it’s members, the party may very well go the way of the Whigs. (VIDEO AT LINK) When a lady asks what to do if you can’t get behind either candidate,...

She talks about where she'll be next week, Mitt Romney vs Barack Obama, and the possibility of a third party.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Green Party has succeeded in getting its national ticket on the Pennsylvania ballot. State elections officials on Thursday approved the substitution of Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala as the party's presidential and vice presidential candidates. Stein is a Harvard-educated physician who ran against Mitt Romney for Massachusetts governor in 2002 and Honkala is a longtime citizen activist in Philadelphia. Officials approved the party's nomination petitions earlier this month, but paperwork confirming that Stein and Honkala are the candidates was not finalized until Thursday.

In some conservative quarters, the question is still being asked, “What is our alternative to Mitt Romney?” Some people are suggesting voting for the Libertarian Candidate or even the guy from the Constitution Party who may only end up on the ballot in one or two states. There is an alternative to Mitt Romney, if you are looking for one. Who is it? It is Barack Obama. No, that is not a joke. Absent some almost unprecedented or at least unpredictable event, next January in Washington, it is either going to be Barack Obama or Mitt Romney standing on the...

Former Virginia congressman Virgil Goode says voters should turn to a third party if they want real change in the nation. By Trevor Brown tbrown@wyomingnews.com CHEYENNE -- Voters need to look to a third party if they want to see real change for the country, Constitution Party presidential candidate Virgil Goode says. A former congressman from Virginia, Goode stopped here Wednesday during a campaign swing through Wyoming. “If America wants a true grassroots president who will answer the telephone from somebody sitting in this audience … as quick as they would take a call from somebody like Warren Buffett or...

Constitution Party presidential candidate Virgil Goode said Tuesday he does not know why the Virginia State Board of Elections is asking for a probe into matters pertaining to his campaign. State officials are keeping quiet on the investigation request. The elections board on Monday voted unanimously to ask Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to probe “suspected petition fraud” on forms that the Constitution Party submitted in efforts to get Goode’s name on the ballot for the Nov. 6 presidential election. In a phone interview, Goode said nobody from either the elections board or the attorney general’s office has contacted him,...

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) — Monday the State Board of Elections voted unanimously for the Attorney General’s office to investigate forms submitted by Virgil Goode in his attempt to appear on the ballot as a presidential candidate. A spokesperson for the board confirmed the request and that the Attorney General’s involvement. Goode is a former congressman running for president under the “Constitution Party.” He will appear on the ballot in many other states, but he has yet to qualify for his home state of Virginia. Virgil Goode represented Virginia’s 5th congressional district until he was defeated by Democrat Tom Perriello in...