Free Republic

I woke up this morning to a ton of e-mail from aggrieved southerners, almost outnumbering the ton of spam for generic Viagra, which I've forwarded to the RNC. Anyway, southern voters resented my (and John O'Sullivan's) assertion that they hadn't voted for Mitt because he was a Mormon. Au contraire, they said they hadn't voted for Mitt because he's a north-eastern liberal. Whatever. I rather enjoyed this Georgia gal's take: I was one of your "No Mormon, no way, no how" Southerners until someone at a dinner party asked me if I'd support Orrin Hatch for President. And you know...

Oh, stop whining. So what if the likely GOP nominee believes in restraints on free speech, higher taxation, bigger government, open borders, and 100-year U.S. armies of occupation everywhere from Albania to Zimbabwe? Romney believes in those things too — at least, he does when he's in a room full of people that want him to. You already have a genuinely conservative candidate on offer. He's just not slick enough for you. What, he has positions you don't agree with? More than the other guys? Actually, I have heard very little complaining about Paul's positions. What I have mostly heard...

Governor Mitt Romney, under pressure to name more women to the bench, yesterday nominated three current or former prosecutors and a top official from the Menino administration in what aides boasted is the largest number of female candidates ever brought forward at once. Kathe M. Tuttman of Andover and Merita A. Hopkins of Boston were nominated as associate justices of the Superior Court; Tracy L. Lyons of Marblehead as associate justice of the Brighton division of the Boston Municipal Court; and Therese M. Wright of West Barnstable as associate justice of the Edgartown District Court. Until yesterday, just 13 of...

Mitt Romney's victory in Michigan was a defeat for authenticity in politics. The former Massachusetts governor pandered to voters, distorted his opponents' record and continued to show why he's the most malleable _ and least credible _ major presidential candidate. And it worked. The man who spoke hard truths to Michigan lost. Of all the reasons John McCain deserved a better result Tuesday night, his gamble on the economy stands out. The Arizona senator had the temerity to tell voters that a candidate who says traditional auto manufacturing jobs "are coming back is either naive or is not talking straight...

Romney lacks the faculty for determining when it is acceptable-- indeed, advantageous--to tell potential supporters things they might not want to hear. So far, the former Massachusetts governor has stood out by his eagerness to say yes to every notable Republican constituency group. For anti-taxers, he brags of being first to sign a no-tax pledge. For social conservatives, he unapologetically touts his flip-flop to an anti-abortion stance. For national security hawks, he pledges not just to preserve the detention facility at Guantanamo but in fact to double its size. Though each stance may be politically sensible on its own, Romney's...

In recent days, at least two evangelical pastors who are personally supporting Mike Huckabee received anonymous mailings warning that their churches risk sanction by the Internal Revenue Service if they become too involved in politics. The pastors said that the letters, one of which is notable for exaggerated punctuation and a spelling mistake, appeared aimed at preventing church leaders from encouraging congregants to turn out on caucus night. "The intention is to try to get us to back down," said Kevin Hollinger, the pastor of Algona's First Baptist Church and a letter recipient. Like dozens of other evangelical leaders in...

Anti-tax advocates are scrutinizing Mitt Romney’s (R) record as governor of Massachusetts and focusing on the fact that he increased fees in the state by $500 million and proposed nearly $400 million in business tax increases. This could erode whatever advantage on tax policy he hopes to have over 2008 presidential rivals such as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani (R). The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, published a fiscal-policy report card for 2006 that gave Romney a C grade, ranking him behind 11 other governors, including Democratic White House hopeful Bill Richardson,...

People chuckled when presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a Mormon raised in Michigan and elected in Massachusetts, bungled the names of Cuban-American politicians during a recent speech in Miami. But when he mistakenly associated Fidel Castro's trademark speech-ending slogan -- Patria o muerte, venceremos! -- with a free Cuba, listeners didn't laugh. They winced. Castro has closed his speeches with the phrase -- in English, ''Fatherland or death, we shall overcome'' -- for decades. ''Clearly, that's something he was ill-advised on or didn't do his homework on,'' said Hialeah City Council President Esteban Bovo. ``When you get cute with slogans, you...

Add immigration to the long list of hesitations conservatives ought to have about Mitt Romney. What he thinks ought to be done about the millions of illegal immigrants already in the country depends on whether you asked him POC (pre-official candidacy) or AOC (after-official candidacy). Back in 1994, when the U.S. Senate, not the Oval Office, was in Romney’s sights, he said in those now infamous (on YouTube anyway) debates with Sen. Edward Kennedy: “I do not believe that we should deny all services to people who come here from across the border.” And more recently, but still POC, Romney...

[clip] But it was also hard to see how a man with deeply held convictions on abortion rights -- either for or against -- could take a position so calibrated and inconclusive. Listening to Romney that day was like watching a chameleon in the fleeting moment that its color changes to suit its environment. Indeed, several months later, after vetoing a bill to expand access to emergency contraception, Romney wrote in the Boston Globe about how his views on the subject had "evolved and deepened." Evolved, indeed. During his Massachusetts races, Romney paraded his conviction that "abortion should be safe...

August 31, 2005 - Nelson Leads Harris 57 - 33 % In Florida Senate Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; President Bush Approval Falls To New Low In State Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson has widened his lead over U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris, the leading Republican challenger in the 2006 Florida U.S. Senate race, to 57 - 33 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. This compares to a 50 - 38 percent Nelson lead in a June 29 poll by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN uh-pe-ack) University. Democrats back Sen. Nelson 87 - 9 percent, while Republicans back Rep....

WASHINGTON - Maria Cantwell (Democrat) 7/17/2005 Dino Rossi (R-WA) Rules Out U.S. Senate Bid As State G.O.P. Seeks Consensus Candidate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1444984/posts Safeco CEO Mike McGavick mentioned as the new 'favored' candidate 7/19/2005 Mike McGavick Stepping Down As C.E.O. Of Safeco http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1446444/posts McGavick is running, with Diane Tibelius the only remaining 'big' name still considering the race. Maryland - Paul Sarbanes (Democrat) - RETIRING - OPEN SEAT 7/19/2005 MD Senate 2006: Cardin 45% Steele 40% (Steele 47% Mfume 40%) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1446182/posts Lt. Gov. Michael Steele competitive in this Rasmussen poll Ohio - Mike DeWine (Republican of Sorts) 7/25/2005 Rep. Tim Ryan...

Failure to provide property tax relief is shaping up as a potentially damaging issue for Gov. Ed Rendell, whose Republican challengers have gained some ground on the Democratic incumbent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Former Lt Gov. Bill Scranton has narrowed the gap from 15 points April 21 to 10 points today. Pennsylvania voters give Gov. Ed Rendell a 47 - 39 percent approval rating, his lowest since a 46 - 33 percent approval in an April 22, 2004, Quinnipiac University poll. The Governor deserves to be reelected, voters say 46 - 41 percent, down from 48...

TALLAHASSEE -- Attorney General Charlie Crist has obliterated the record for fund-raising in Florida, hauling in $3.8 million in just six weeks in a strong start to replace term-limited Gov. Jeb Bush next year. His primary Republican opponent, Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher, announced last week he had raised a bit more than $3 million in 43 days. Both amounts appear to be more than the previous record of $3 million raised by Bush in a 90-day period for his 1998 campaign for governor. Last Thursday was the deadline for campaigns to tally their contributions and expenditures for state and...

Below are the poll results based on telephone interviews with 1200 registered voters in Florida, aged 18+, and conducted June 9 - 13, 2005. The margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. 11. Do you approve or disapprove of Lt. Governor Toni Jennings' job performance? Approve 50% Disapprove 22% Undecided 28% 12. Do you approve or disapprove of Attorney General Charlie Crist's job performance? Approve 55% Disapprove 36% Undecided 9% 13. Do you approve or disapprove of Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher's job performance? Approve 55% Disapprove 32% Undecided 13% 14. Do you approve or disapprove of Agriculture Commissioner...

Two of the most potent names in South Carolina politics could be going head-to-head on ballots for statewide office next year. Michael Hollings, son of retired U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings, told The State on Monday he will seek the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor — setting up a potential clash with Republican Mike Campbell, son of former Gov. Carroll Campbell. Fritz Hollings retired last year after 56 years in public office as a state legislator, governor and U.S. senator. Carroll Campbell — a former state legislator, congressman and governor — is credited with rebuilding the Republican Party after decades of...

OSAKA, Japan (Reuters) - The outspoken chairman of Toyota Motor Corp. said on Wednesday he feared the possibility that U.S. policy could turn against Japanese auto makers if local giants such as GM and Ford were to collapse. "Many people say the car industry wouldn't revisit the kind of trade friction we saw in the past because Japanese auto makers are increasing local production in the United States, but I don't think it's that simple," Hiroshi Okuda told a news conference. "General Motors Corp. (Research) and Ford Motor Co. (Research) are symbols of U.S. industry, and if they were to...

Governor Mitt Romney's top political strategist has told a prominent conservative magazine that his client has been ''faking" his support of abortion rights in Massachusetts. ''He's been a pro-life Mormon faking it as a pro-choice friendly," Romney adviser Michael Murphy told the National Review in a cover story hitting newstands today titled ''Matinee Mitt." Murphy, a prominent Republican consultant, issued a statement of regret yesterday afternoon after a prepublication copy of the article circulated among political strategists and reporters and threatened to overshadow the positive exposure Romney was getting from appearing on the cover of two conservative magazines this week....

Five men will be ordained priests in the Catholic Diocese of Fargo on June 4; none will be ordained in the Catholic Diocese of Crookston. The Bismarck diocese that covers western North Dakota plans on ordaining two men June 4. That continues the trend of recent years, in which the Fargo diocese has ordained a disproportionately high number of priests, compared to dioceses nationwide, averaging five or six a year in a diocese of 85,000 Catholics covering eastern North Dakota. In 1997, the diocese ordained 12 men, more than most large metro archdioceses such as New York and Los Angeles....

Karl Rove, President Bush's top political adviser and a favorite headliner among Republican activists, will be the main celebrity and speaker at an April 8 fundraiser for Gov. Tim Pawlenty's 2006 reelection campaign at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Rove's appearance could have the dual effect of maximizing contributions at the event while also feeding speculation that Pawlenty could be among the GOP's presidential or vice-presidential prospects in 2008. "This is a coup for the governor," said Minnesota Republican Party chairman Ron Eibensteiner. "I am absolutely delighted." Eibensteiner said that he had invited Rove "a long time ago" to appear at...