Free Republic

Republican political consultant and former White House aide Ed Gillespie announced his plan to run for U.S. Senate in Virginia Thursday morning. He will run against incumbent Mark Warner, a Democrat. Gillespie previously served as chairman of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's 2009 campaign and as a Republican National Committee chairman. He also co-founded government relations firm Quinn Gillespie and Associates. However, he faces a challenge of name recognition -- or lack thereof. "I don't think anybody in Virginia knows who Ed Gillespie is," said Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Democrat representing Fairfax County. "I'll bet you if you check name...

How can a telegenic woman with a fervent following in the party, fundraising skills and a greater ability to fire up a Republican audience than any other GOP politician be such a liability? It’s not just because she’s unelectable as a presidential candidate. Many leading Republicans and Democrats are, for one reason or another. The problem is, Palin doesn’t know she’s unelectable, and neither do her followers......So Palin has a positive future in the Republican Party if she wants it. But running for the top of the ticket of her party’s presidential nomination in 2012, she’s the Democrats’ dream. They...