Free Republic

Pete Buttigieg’s recent popularity surge in Iowa and New Hampshire has many speculating that President Trump could face a Democratic ticket in 2020 that he doesn’t want and fears the most — the South Bend, Ind., mayor and another candidate recently in the spotlight, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. Despite what the “experts” might say, it’s certainly possible. Like weather forecasters and economists, political pundits often are proven embarrassingly wrong. Voters from both parties have a tendency to recalibrate rather quickly, and quite unexpectedly, toward candidates they believe actually might have a chance of winning. In 2004, for example, Democratic...

Best and Worst of the Debate Best Kerry Line of the Debate: "From the looks of the people in this audience, the only ones in this room who will be affected by the president's tax cut for the rich will be myself, the president, and Charles Gibson." Kerry's inner snob made an appearance last night at the debate. How could he tell the annual income of the audience? I guess no one was wearing Prada. One must have a trained eye for spotting designer clothes. Maybe there were no five hundred dollar haircuts like the one Kerry sports. There might...

What does John Edwards add to the Democratic Party ticket? The Kerry campaign is trying its best to spin the selection of wealthy trial lawyer John Edwards for VP by portraying Edwards as the son of a textile mill worker, a regular guy who can relate to the South and middle America. This is not the whole truth, and it is not surprising considering the source: two lawyers well-versed in skewing arguments. In actuality, Edwards’ father became a supervisor at the mill and later formed his own consulting business. Edwards’ mother managed and owned a furniture refinishing antique shop...