Free Republic

The last presidential campaign, its election and each and every day since have crystallized the magic and malice of the national media. By working its magic, the media were able to keep Obama hidden in clear sight. His past was selectively chosen, his present was a manufactured eloquence of hope and change, his future was his transcendent ability to lead us to the land of milk and honey, and his gaffes were editorially retrofitted. The media took a virtual unknown and kept him unknown. This Camelot euphoria was interrupted by another unknown that stoked the malice of the media. Unexpectedly,...

Barack Obama began his presidency with an open hand toward the man he had just defeated in a race that was at times bitter. "There are few Americans who understand this need for common purpose and common effort better than John McCain," said Obama at an inauguration-eve tribute dinner to his former foe. But in the year since that evening of comity and collegiality, McCain has emerged as one of the leading critics of the new president. On foreign policy, his traditional area of expertise, and domestic affairs, where McCain has shown new passion, the 72-year-old Arizonan is making it...

When we heard the news that the city council in Salt Lake City just approved a "gay rights" ordinance (covering both "sexual orientation" and "gender identity"), we knew in our gut that Mitt Romney was behind it. Remember, he's running for President in 2012. He wouldn't want to appear a "bigot". Sure enough... A homosexual blog connected to an anti-Mormon documentary ("8: The Mormon Proposition") on the Proposition 8 defeat of "gay marriage" in California posted this: Sources close to those who called our cast and production team alerting us to the upcoming Mormon statement on discrimination say that Mormon...

WASHINGTON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator John McCain on Wednesday strongly defended the top advisers from his 2008 presidential campaign in the face of sharp criticism from his vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin. McCain, in a telephone interview with Reuters, singled out campaign manager Steve Schmidt and senior adviser Nicolle Wallace for praise after Palin blasted the pair in her memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life." "There's been a lot of dust flying around in the last few days and I just wanted to mention that I have the highest regard for Steve Schmidt and Nicolle Wallace...

Dede Scozzafava, the woman who has become the symbol of moderate Republicanism, is taking a shot at former Republican vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin, the woman who has become the darling of the Republican Party's conservative grassroots. In a new interview, the state assemblywoman also lets loose on former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who chose to endorse Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman over Scozzafava, her party's official nominee, in the closely-watched race in New York's 23rd congressional district.... "How can Sarah Palin come out and endorse someone who can't answer some basic questions?" Scozzafava told the Washington Post. "Do these...

This morning, in an interview with CNN's State of the Union, Sen. John McCain (RINO-Ariz.) apparently used some rather choice language to describe the fairly evident future political aspirations of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Ak.): "Will Sarah and I - did we always agree on everything in the past? Will we in the future? No. But let's let a thousand flowers bloom. Let's come up with a winning combination next time."—http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2360310/posts With only a cursory glance, it appears from McCain's language that he is merely asking for a second chance -- in 2012? -- with Palin. [And, at first...

(snip) But former Republican Rep. Tom Davis, who used to run the House Republican campaign operation, added a few more to the mix today in a wide-ranging interview with The Wall Street Journal. Asked who he viewed as 2012 contenders, the Virginia Republican replied: “I don’t think it’s anybody out there right now that’s running around, to be honest.” Palin, he said, is too divisive. “I think as a candidate she probably hurts,” he said, adding to a chorus of Republicans recently dispelling a presidential bid for the former Alaska governor. Romney is too spent. “In a sense he’s the...

Martin says McCain’s Sunday endorsement of Mark Kirk is an act of infamy that will lead to McCain’s defeat by Arizonans in 2010. “McCain is not all there,” Martin says. “Or if he is all there, there is no ‘there,’ there.’ McCain is an embarrassment to the future of the Republican Party. Perhaps it is not surprising he is in bed with Mark Kirk.” . . . . . August 29, 2009 Senator John McCain United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 via fax (202) 228-2862 Re: Endorsement of Mark Kirk Last than a year ago, I remained a loyal Republican...

A new presidential poll has former Bay State Gov. Mitt Romney the early favorite of the GOP pack in New Hampshire for the 2012 primary. Romney was the top pick of 50 percent of Granite State Republicans surveyed, while recently resigned Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin tied former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, now a Fox News host, at tallied 17 percent each. Former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich was fourth with 13 percent, while highly touted Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty garnered a paltry 3 percent. Romney narrowly lost the 2008 New Hampshire primary to Sen. John McCain.

Three Republicans are bunched within five points of each when potential GOP presidential candidates are matched up for 2012 with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney barely on top, according to a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll conducted July 21-22. The margin of error for the part of the survey dealing only with Republican voters is 6 points. Romney leads with 22 percent, followed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with 21 percent and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin with 17 percent. Former New York City mayor (we're dealing with a lot of "formers" here) Rudi Giuliani polls 13 percent, former House...

As speculation over Sarah Palin's presidential aspirations heat up now that she has stepped down as Alaska's governor, a former member of George W. Bush's staff said Palin had no chance of winning the White House. "Impossible," is how Bush's former speechwriter David Frum described the likelihood Palin would become president. Frum based his opinion on Palin's decline in approval ratings from when she was announced as John McCain's Republican presidential running mate in August termed her "divisive" within the party. Asked what she represents for the future of the GOP: "political defeat."

In this uncertain moment for the party of Lincoln, behold the jaunty, robust specimen of Republican centrism. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California strides into a conference room in his Sacramento office with a smile, having wrestled down his state’s mammoth budget deficit in a compromise with a Democratic-controlled Legislature. . . . . . Now, across the country, see the slight, dour spokesman for orthodox Republicanism. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, leader of the shrunken Republican minority, will never be mistaken for a bodybuilder or a movie star. . . . . . Mr. Schwarzenegger does not rule out an...

Can this political marriage be saved? BY GARY BAUER Psychologists have discovered that the most important factor in predicting whether a marriage will succeed or fail is the existence of contempt. When one or both partners display contempt -- the intense feeling or attitude of regarding someone or something as inferior -- the union, ultimately and almost inevitably, will fail. Psychologist John Gottman has even developed a methodology that enables him to predict divorce with an astonishingly high degree of accuracy, up to 90 percent. While watching a couple interact, Mr. Gottman looks for the subtle signs -- microexpressions such...

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is atop the standings of 2012 Republican presidential candidate prospects in a new poll. A Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted from July 15 through July 18 places the rock-music-playing evangelical as the favorite of 26 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents, 5 percentage points ahead of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 7 points ahead of soon-to-be-former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and 16 points ahead of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The also-rans (below 5 percent) in the Post poll were retiring Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (4 percent), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (3 percent) and...

It looks like Joe Scarborough is trying to sell more books. I guess the endorsement his book received from Christpher Buckler, RINO who voted for Obama, didn't do the trick. Now he is back to taking cheap shots at Governor Palin. It seems he wants her to hide in Alaska and stay out of sight. Watch the video from his Morning Joe liberal talkfest. http://www.considerthisnews.com/index.php/site/thefeed/morning_joe_palin_a_circus_act_joke/

(snip) But I asked one of the senior McCain campaign officials who worked closest with Palin what he thought of the article, by e-mail last night and then this morning over the phone. He e-mailed back immediately, calling the article "absolutely fascinating" and "completely riveting." "While the Palin camp is surely marshaling the torches and pitchforks and baying for blood by now, my hope is that somehow — against the odds -- Palin is able to draw some sort of lesson out of all of this that helps her find a way to exist peacefully in the public space. It...

Alaska's lipstick-wearing pit-bull is a "Little Shop of Horrors." That's how one longtime friend and campaign trail companion of John McCain, the vanquished 2008 GOP presidential nominee, described veep nominee Sarah Palin. In an expansive story in the August edition of Vanity Fair, a slew of senior members of McCain's campaign team told reporter Todd S. Purdum that they suffer a kind of survivor's guilt following the 2008 presidential election.