Free Republic

I made the point the other day that Sarah Palin’s speech in Indianola, Iowa, went to the core of the Tea Party movement: "I don’t know what the future holds for Palin, whether she will be a candidate or just a powerful voice against crony capitalism. I also don’t know whether the two are compatible. I am not convinced that even the Republican electorate is ready for the message. That’s for another day. What I do know is that in attacking crony capitalism, Palin gave voice to those of us who refuse to buy into the Democratic narrative that the...

Senator Rand Paul has done an outstanding job as a freshman US Senator. He has stood his ground; he has not waivered and in every interview I have thus far seen, he has done an OUTSTANDING job articulating his remonstrance of why he could not support –any- of the bills put forward in the House or Senate. We have a few historical precedents in this nation of sons of previous Presidents succeeding their former Presidential fathers and many such examples in the House and Senate. I think that Rand Paul has clearly demonstrated... (continued)

<p>One of the serious problems facing the Republican Party is that their leadership cadre is aging and ossifying. The people who make up the county and state committees all over the country are getting older and older and increasingly out of touch with the grassroots of the party and the younger people who vote Republican but aren't at all satisfied with what the party has come to stand for or the way that it is run.</p>

YAKIMA -- Clint Didier smiled, talking about his endorsement from Sarah Palin.Didier, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate in town to share a campaign rally with Republican state House candidate Michele Strobel, has followed races elsewhere in the country and seen how the former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate's blessing has helped others. He believes it could help him upset GOP favorite Dino Rossi, who, like Didier, is looking to oust three-term incumbent Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash."It's all-important," the Eltopia farmer and former NFL tight end said during an interview before this week's rally. "(Palin) is one of the leaders...

WALLACE: Let's turn to another subject. Millions of gallons of oil are continuing to spill into the Gulf of Mexico. You, of course, are a big supporter of offshore drilling. You popularized the phrase "drill, baby, drill." Does this disaster give you any pause, Governor? PALIN: I am a big supporter of domestic extraction of the resources that we are so reliant on, versus relying on foreign sources of energy, relying and beholden upon regimes that can use energy as a weapon and have less stringent environmental standards than we have. I am still a strong supporter of domestic energy...

Folks, recently some people associated with patriot groups have been involved with exposing the background of a Campaign for Liberty cabndidate, Adam Kokesh, for what we believe are to be serious character issues, specifically, his involvement with Anti-war activities and his participation in protests against America, his attempts to coerce American troops to desert their units in Ansbach, Germany in time of war. Well, the campaign for Liberty is fighting back with threats of a lawsuit against certain individuals

Before there was a nationwide, grass-roots Tea Party movement, there was another nationwide, grass-roots movement that brought thousands of Americans to Washington, D.C. They called themselves the “Gathering of Eagles.” I covered two massive, GoE rallies against the Soros-funded, anti-war Left in March 2007 and September 2007. GOE activists continue to expose the transnational progressives, anti-military bullies, and phonies who operate under the “peace” banner. One of the groups that GOE dogged was Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) — whose members have included bomb-threat bullies and death-threat nutballs who threatened to assassinate me, fake Army vet Jesse MacBeth, and...

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Representative Ron Paul proved to be a surprising presence in the presidential race in 2008. Now his son, Dr. Rand Paul, has become an unexpected contender in the 2010 Senate race in Kentucky. Dr. Paul — an ophthalmologist and a son of the congressman, a Texas Republican and former presidential candidate — has become a serious challenger in the race to succeed Senator Jim Bunning. Capitalizing on a hearty distrust of government and an anti-Republican-establishment fervor among conservatives, he has used the Internet to raise more than $1.3 million since he began his campaign in August. “This...

The central bank doesn't need more political interference as it decides when to move against inflation. BY ANIL K. KASHYAP and FREDERIC S. MISHKIN Under the banner of increasing Federal Reserve transparency, Congressman Ron Paul has sponsored a bill that would subject the Fed's monetary policies to an audit by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The bill is a veiled attempt to undermine the Fed's independence. If it passes, it will cripple policy making—particularly when it comes to inflation. It is completely appropriate to hold the Fed accountable for its decisions. But the Paul bill, H.R. 1207, will only produce...

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- Republican Rand Paul has raised more than $1 million for his U.S. Senate campaign, largely from Internet fundraisers that have proven especially lucrative for him. The son of former presidential candidate Ron Paul eclipsed all other major candidates in the third quarter.

I am going to be on TV twice tonight to respond to Lindsey Graham's attack Monday that I am trying to "hijack" the Republican Party, and that our movement is a bunch of "angry white men." Please tune in to CNN at 6:00 pm ET and MSNBC at 6:30 pm ET and help me defend our Constitutional principles from the Neo-Conservatives!

After we broke through the 218 cosponsor threshold on H.R. 1207, I didn't think today could get any better. However, we have even more news. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) today became the first cosponsor of S 604, H.R. 1207's companion legislation. We still have a long way to go before we pass real legislation to Audit the Fed, but this is yet another major step toward our ultimate goal. Sen. DeMint is highly respected and one of the most principled conservatives in Washington. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), 604's lead sponsor, is a firebrand Independent progressive. To see these two guys on...

When Republican Sen. Arlen Specter defected to the Democratic Party recently, politicians and pundits everywhere heralded the move as another sign that the GOP was "too conservative." Said liberal Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe, "If the Republican Party fully intends to become a majority party in the future, it must move from the far right back toward the middle." Presumably "the middle," a pasture that so many Democrats, liberal Republicans, and others believe the GOP should now graze, is a place free of "reckless" government-slashing rhetoric. These critics believe Obama is president, the Democrats are in power, and Republicans who refuse...

(snip)After the speech a volunteer from Paul’s Campaign for Liberty asked Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) about it, and he weighed in against Graham. There was almost a pejorative comment a moment ago. Sen. Graham spoke and said “I’m not a libertarian,” whatever, whatever, as if that’s an evil word. Liberty is the hallmark of the American experiment … People say, you know, “Mark, you’re kind of libertarian,” you know, and they say it as if it’s an evil word, like you’re a communist or something. I’m like: Throw me in that briar patch … I’ve been accused of being a...

lthough he officially abandoned his presidential bid last summer, Texas Congressman Ron Paul’s star continues to brighten. Once shunned by the mainstream media and marginalized by the national leadership of the Republican Party, the modest pediatrician-turned-congressman has become something of an éminence grise these days, feted and fawned over by the likes of Fox News, which once dismissed him as a quack. The reason? Dr. Paul’s unexpected fundraising prowess during his presidential campaign turned more than a few heads, and the bestseller status of his book The Revolution: A Manifesto attracted further attention. But besides the growth of his Campaign...

The Transportation Security Administration is investigating the detention and harassment of a Ron Paul organization official by airport screeners, an incident that was caught on tape at a St. Louis airport. Steve Bierfeldt, director of development for Campaign for Liberty, was selected for additional screening after officials spotted a metal box in his luggage that contained a large amount of cash and checks made out to the campaign. Mr. Bierfeldt was attending his organization's regional conference in St. Louis and said he was keenly aware, as the situation unfolded March 29, of a controversial report issued to Missouri law enforcement...

Republicans would often say that no matter how far their senators, congressmen and latter-day president strayed from real conservative values, it was the various state governors who were gloriously holding the line against taxes, spending and other big government initiatives that originated from the left but were cheerfully adopted by the right. That is, until this week. GOP governors from all over the country have begun lobbying for the passage of Obama’s $819 billion spending plan and, naturally, demanding their own cut. And these aren’t just wishy-washy moderates such as Arnold Schwarzenegger or Charlie Crist, but even those “conservatives” regaled...

President Obama on Friday announced he would be drawing down the troop level in Iraq. This was what we had all been waiting for, right? After all, it was dissatisfaction with Bush’s war that kick-started the Democratic resurgence in 2006 and helped the Democrats win overwhelming victories in 2008. But aside from a little chattering here and there, most people’s response seemed to be, “Oh yeah, that war,” before changing the channel to see what’s on “The Tyra Banks Show.” True, Obama still plans to leave 50,000 troops in the country indefinitely. That’s roughly equivalent to the entire population of...

A specter is haunting America — the specter of capitalism. From the boardrooms of failed bankers turned shameless mendicants, to the empty banter of the pundit class, even to that den of mediocrity called Capitol Hill, a voice long silenced is making itself heard, and not a moment too soon. But we always hear that capitalism has been tried and failed, that this recession demonstrates the irresponsibility of the laissez-faire Bush administration, and that what we need now is more, responsible government intervention. Where to begin? Well, a recent study by Walter Williams of George Mason University shows that between...

Republican Representative for Texas Ron Paul spoke to Rice students last week to share his personal opinion on the state of the economy and discuss how to restore the United States back to a responsible fiscal system. "The system we have today has failed," he said. Paul, a two-time presidential candidate, decided to become involved in politics after President Richard Nixon took the United States off the gold standard in 1971. Since then, United States currency has operated on the fiat system, where the value of the money is based solely on faith in government to back the value of...