Free Republic

CNN couldn't stop Donald Trump. Neither could Fox News. Some of the nation's most influential conservatives, from Glenn Beck to Bill Kristol, were powerless. Karl Rove and the Bush family had no effect. Scandal after scandal failed to put a chink in his armor. And the 16 other GOP contenders, comprising some of the party's brightest and budding stars, proved to be impotent. But some observers say that one man may have had the power to prevent Donald Trump's accession within the Republican Party: Matt Drudge. "If Drudge had come out really negatively against Trump and had supported someone who...

This much is obvious: South Carolina has proven to be a disaster for Mitt Romney. The size of his defeat by Newt Gingrich -- a 12%+ landslide in a four-way race --- is virtually a repudiation of his candidacy in a state that has prided itself on picking the eventual nominee for 32 years. And we suspect Romney will have several more nights of heartburn, much like this one, as the nomination unfolds. Snip Gingrich's win brings to a halt any prospect Romney had for ending this contest with a win in Florida on Jan. 31. What Gingrich now needs...

Joel Bennett, the lawyer for one of the former employees of the National Restaurant Association who accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment, spoke to Wolf Blitzer live on CNN moments ago. Bennett said that in his legal opinion, what occurred between Cain and his client met the legal definition of sexual harassment. But despite repeated questions from Blitzer, he refused to specify what the alleged actions were, and he said his client would not be appearing to shed any further light on the matter. When Blitzer pointed out Cain’s vehement, blanket denial, Bennett replied, “In all my years of lawyering,...

No video yet, but it sure sounds like that’s the end of that. For now.Who knew the big finale would end Sopranos-style? Bennett said his client sees “no value” in revisiting the issue now, but “stands by the complaint that she made.”Bennett said his client would disagree with Cain’s characterization of the alleged harassment incidents.He confirmed that the alleged harassment occurred in 1999 over a period of “at least a month or two.” There was “more than one incident,” he said. And here’s the key part of the statement from the NRA: “Based upon the information currently available, we can...

With No Specifics to the Accusations, Herman Cain Wins This Fight Jim Geraghty November 4, 2011 Joel Bennett, the lawyer for one of the former employees of the National Restaurant Association who accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment, spoke to Wolf Blitzer live on CNN moments ago.Bennett said that in his legal opinion, what occurred between Cain and his client met the legal definition of sexual harassment. But despite repeated questions from Blitzer, he refused to specify what the alleged actions were, and he said his client would not be appearing to shed any further light on the matter.When Blitzer...

It looks like Herman Cain isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Quinnipiac has him leading Romney by seven points nationwide: Cain 30%, Romney 23%, Gingrich 10%, Perry 8% and everyone else below 7%. South Carolina puts Cain at 10 points higher than Romney in the latest Rasmussen poll: Cain 33% Romney 23% Gingrich 15%. Rasmussen also notes: “The survey was conducted on Tuesday night following two days of media coverage concerning allegations of sexual harassment against Cain.” So much for being the flavor of the week.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) "would never consider" endorsing Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for president again in 2012 unless Romney repudiates the health reforms he sought as governor, a source close to DeMint said Thursday. A source close to the conservative icon emphasized that, despite comments to The Hill indicating that Romney shouldn't shoulder all the political blame for the Massachusetts healthcare plan, DeMint wouldn't endorse Romney again unless he admits the plan was mistaken. "It's obvious Jim was just trying to be nice to the guy he backed over McCain, as many conservatives did in 2008," the source said. "But...