Free Republic

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), who has pushed comprehensive amnesty legislation as a “Gang of Eight” member, is trying to advance the notion that a Republican cannot win the White House without supporting comprehensive amnesty legislation. He even suggested that pro-amnesty 2016 Republican presidential candidates former Florida Governor like Jeb Bush ignore voters in Iowa (home of conservative stalwart Rep. Steve King) and entirely skip the first-in-the-nation nominating caucuses to avoid having his pro-amnesty views scrutinized. In an interview with the Daily Beast, Flake reportedly called Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status on the presidential primary calendar “one of the very unfortunate parts of...

SOURCES: POLITICO set to reveal details of Romney campaign infighting; Plans to publish portions of speech chief Romney strategist Stevens ordered and scrapped, just days before convention... Developing late...

Some Republicans Try Out a New Campaign Theme: Bipartisanship By JENNIFER STEINHAUER and JONATHAN WEISMAN September 15, 2012 WASHINGTON — A woman who appears in an advertisement supporting Representative Jon Runyan, a New Jersey Republican, boasts about how he works “with both parties.” Richard E. Mourdock of Indiana, whose Senate campaign has been most notable for his derision of legislative compromise as feckless, now says he would “work with anyone.” While out and about on the campaign trail, Representative Bobby Schilling, Republican of Illinois, talks so much about all the great things he has done with Representative Dave Loebsack, 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.

“Deadly assault weapons … are not made for recreation or self-defense. They are instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people.” - Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney --IMAGE HERE-- As the Republican National Convention comes to a close, it is time for me to live up to the promise I made when I wrote about Why gun owners should fear a second term for President Obama. That promise was to give the Republican nominee the same skeptical scrutiny that I gave to President Obama. And just as in that previous article, I am limiting my discussion...

Thanks to the personal finance disclosure that members of congress are required to submit — and the folks at the Center for Responsive Politics who maintain a database of the documents — we were able to look into the investment decisions of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, who as of last week, is now the official Republican vice presidential nominee. According to the documents, Ryan has benefited from a number of trusts and inheritances that make up most of his wealth, but his investments over the years have cemented his net worth somwhere between $927,000 and $3.2 million. A brief stint...

TAMPA, August 31, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – While political observers watched Rick Santorum, Paul Ryan, and Marco Rubio, the Republican National Committee pushed through new rules that could change the face of the party for some time – including one rule that Rush Limbaugh said was designed to freeze pro-life Christians out of the GOP. Under rules proposed by election lawyer Ben Ginsberg, who said he was acting on behalf of the Romney campaign, the presidential candidate who wins a state primary would get to select all state delegates to the convention and “disavow” anyone who meets his disapproval. The delegates,...

Surprise! I’m the first to admit that Mitt Romney wasn’t my first choice for president. I think the majority of the Republican Party was with me on this one. I was on the Rick Perry train, which turned out t be an epic failure. However, the primaries are over and Mitt came out on top. However, given that a lot of conservatives may still be suspicious of Romney’s shoddy conservative credentials, it doesn’t help that the RNC goodie bag contains a copy of his book No Apologies, which endorses his decision, as Governor of Massachusetts, to institute an individual mandate...

(CBS News) In an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley, Mitt Romney said his views on abortion rights are more lenient than those put forward in the Republican party platform. "My position has been clear throughout this campaign," Romney said. "I'm in favor of abortion being legal in the case of rape and incest, and the health and life of the mother." The Republican Party is gathering in Tampa, Fla., this week for its national convention, where in addition to nominating Romney for president, the party will officially adopt its national platform. Last week, the party added language...

Ann Romney strongly advocated that her husband consider Condoleezza Rice as his vice-presidential running mate, according to campaign fundraising sources. 'I know that Ann Romney was intrigued by the idea of having Condi on the ticket,' a top Romney fundraiser with close personal ties to the Romneys told MailOnline. 'At the Utah fundraiser, she gave an unbelievable speech. 'Ann is a sounding board for Mitt. He values her intuition. Their relationship is the real deal. After the fundraiser, Condi was vetted and she filled out all the forms but she was reluctant and I don't think she was ever going...

At the Republican convention in Tampa this week, Ann Romney made her bid to be the First Lady of the U.S. With husband Mitt going up against President Obama in the presidential race in November, Ann’s job is to get out there, get on the podium and get on with the job of making hubby look like some approximation of a human being. ........................................................ On both sides of the Atlantic, it is often more like The X Factor than a proper election fought on issues. It is 2012, not 1220, but wives are still called upon to declare undying love...

Oh Really Mr. Reptilian Republican? By Karl Denninger (8/30/2012) Last night was a spooge-fest at the RNC; one of the more-common lies was Ryan's: “Before the math and the momentum overwhelm us all, we are going to solve this nation’s economic problems,” Ryan said. “And I’m going to level with you. We don’t have that much time. But if we are serious, and smart, and we lead, we can do this.” Oh really Paul? Paul Ryan, for those who have been living in a cave for the last couple of years, has put forward two separate "budgets" that are nothing...

Gov. Mitt Romney's campaign toasted its top donors Wednesday aboard a 150-foot yacht flying the flag of the Cayman Islands. The floating party, hosted by a Florida developer on his yacht "Cracker Bay," was one of a dozen exclusive events meant to nurture those who have raised more than $1 million for Romney's bid. "I think it's ironic they do this aboard a yacht that doesn't even pay its taxes," said a woman who lives aboard a much smaller boat moored at the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina. Romney's Cayman-based investments have come under fire during the campaign. The event, attended...

Is the tea party changing the Republican Party from the inside -- or selling out to the GOP? As Republicans prepare to officially roll out Mitt Romney as their party's presidential nominee at the Republican National Convention this week, major tea party groups and figures have descended on Tampa, Florida, to schmooze with party bigwigs and rally for Romney. But Romney's conservative credentials have long been viewed with suspicion by the movement. So it came as a surprise when, before at least one event, tea party organizers committed what some activists would consider heresy: seeking approval from establishment Republicans to...

Rasmussen will be releasing a poll this morning showing Akin costing us dearly in Missouri: McCaskill 48% Akin 38%. Time to pack it up and stop screwing us, big guy.

TAMPA — It’s an understatement to say Republicans are worried about losing the Senate race in Missouri. Amid the Todd Akin controversy, they’re terrified by the prospect of losing a state they previously thought they could win — and thus falling a single seat short of winning control of the Senate. Now, many of them view Mike Huckabee as the key player in the Akin situation. The former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate has supported Akin all along and has prominently refused to join in the Republican chorus — which includes virtually every office holder, former office holder, political operatives...

TAMPA, Fla. – Republican leaders may want to turn the page on Rep. Todd Akin’s comments about women and rape, but Democrats won't let them. Phone calls started Monday in 20 congressional districts held by the GOP, linking the incumbent lawmaker to the six-term Missourian’s suggestion that pregnancy “rarely” results from “legitimate rape.” Akin is running for Senate, in a close race against Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill