Free Republic

Normally the hunters and gun owners of northwestern Wisconsin would have nothing to fear from a latte-sipping liberal like Shelly Moore. But in this case, hunters and gun owners should be afraid, very afraid. When Wisconsin legislators recently voted to join 48 other states in allowing law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed weapon (after a background check and training requirements are fulfilled) liberal activist Shelly Moore opposed it. Shelly Moore has tried to mask her extreme anti-gun views with clever rhetoric, but the proof is in the pudding. I doubt that Shelly Moore has ever even purchased a Wisconsin hunting...

Their faces sometimes twisted in anger, 'tea party' followers have been called neo-Klansmen and knuckle-dragging hillbillies. To be sure, angry town halls, the N-word thrown at black congressmen, and signs comparing President Obama to Adolf Hitler play into the hands of the movement's critics. And demonizing tea party activists tends to energize the Democrats' left-of-center base. But political experts say that many such criticisms are near-sighted, if not outright inappropriate – and ultimately may miss the point. Indeed, polls suggest that tea party activists are not only more mainstream than many critics suggest, but that a majority of them are...

Bush Sees Fertile Soil in 'Exurbia' GOP strategists believe they can win many new voters in outlying towns rich with conservatives. By Peter Wallsten, Times Staff Writer LEBANON, Ohio — Tom Grossman parks his blue convertible at a home expo center and walks through the maze of booths hawking the necessities of upscale living: home security systems, Jacuzzi tubs, fancy kitchen fixtures and wooden blinds. Then he settles into a booth of his own. But Grossman has not come to Chestnut Hill, one of southwestern Ohio's newest subdivisions, to peddle home furnishings. He has come to hunt new Republican voters....