Free Republic

Stop me if you’ve heard this before. A G.O.P. presidential candidate loses the popular vote, but somehow ends up in the White House anyway. Despite his dubious legitimacy, his allies in Congress take advantage of his election to ram through a huge tax cut that blows up the budget deficit while disproportionately benefiting the wealthy. While the big bucks go to the big incomes, however, the tax bill does throw some crumbs at the middle class, and Republicans try to sell the bill as a boon to working families. So far this account applies equally to George W. Bush and...

When I was a boy I swore an oath, one I take seriously to this day. It went like this: On my honor, I will do my best To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight. Inherent in this oath are not one, but two moral issues – my duty to God and my oath of remaining morally straight. These are inextricably linked, and both preclude sexual immorality, among other things. My duty to God is...

In what is being touted as further diversification of the president-elect administration, Donald Trump is expected to name Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) to lead the Interior Department, according to reports. McMorris Rodgers gets the nod ahead of Sarah Palin and Harold Hamm.The candidates mentioned for the Interior Secretary were...  * Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor, 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee* Jan Brewer, former Republican Arizona governor* Forrest Lucas, founder of oil products company Lucas Oil* Harold Hamm, Oklahoma oil and gas mogul, chief executive of Continental Resources Inc* Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon...

One of Trump’s most enduring and arguably most endearing campaign lines has been his promise to treat American vets better. When Trump dropped out of a Fox News debate in January he held a separate event at which he raised money for veterans. But three months later, Trump’s campaign adviser for veterans, Al Baldasaro, doesn’t seem too concerned about it. He told the Daily Beast, “I’m not concerned about it, because I know [Trump is] an honorable, honest guy… you guys just want to say, ‘gotcha.’”To be fair, Baldasaro is not a Trump staffer. The real problem is that...

Donald J. Trump said Thursday that transgender people should be allowed to use whatever bathroom they feel most comfortable with — including at Trump Tower in New York. Dipping into a contentious issue by taking a stand many Republicans oppose, Mr. Trump told a town-hall-style event, hosted by NBC’s “Today” show at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, that when people go to the restroom, they should “use the bathroom they feel is appropriate.” Mr. Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, was responding to a question about a bill that North Carolina’s governor signed into law last month that bars individuals in the...

Our convoluted primary system evolved to allow voters a more direct voice in choosing a candidate who can win a general election. Voters don’t always choose wisely -- after all, one party always loses. It’s a shame then -- in what should be a Republican year -- that GOP primary voters appear to want to lose the presidency once again.If the candidate at the top of the ticket is roundly defeated, the toll could also take down many Republicans running for the House and the Senate.The latest polls show that only one Republican candidate has a sure chance of...

Donald Trump might have rolled to 60 percent of the Republican vote in New York Tuesday night, but he came in a distant third in the big scheme of things nonetheless. Keep in mind, this is the candidate and the campaign that constantly pout about one-man one-vote and popular vote totals. They threaten to both call the lawyers about this concept and to riot in Cleveland over this. Thus, by Trump's own standards, Trump got thrashed in New York. Both Hillary and Bernie Sanders destroyed Trump in raw vote totals. I'm not saying Trump didn't win the N.Y. Republican primary...

(NBC) - Donald Trump says he regrets retweeting an unflattering photo of the wife of rival Ted Cruz, a rare move for the Republican front-runner more known for his boasts than backtracking. "Yeah, it was a mistake," Trump told New York Times. "If I had to do it again, I wouldn't have sent it." The retweet set off a war of words between the two candidates, and gave fresh fuel to Democratic candidates and other critics who marveled at a Republican presidential race that had descended into a fight over the candidates' wives. Trump retweeted the photo compilation showing an...

Via Politico, skip to 12:00 of the clip below for the key bit. Oh, it’s on. Or is it? Normally, a candidate for president claiming that he’s going to peel away his opponents’ supporters and win the nomination would be so banal that it wouldn’t qualify as news. It’s the ultimate “dog bites man” story. Of course Cruz believes this. If he didn’t, why would he be running? But these aren’t normal circumstances. Cruz is the only Republican in the field who has yet to utter a critical or discouraging syllable about Trump, part of his talk-radio-ish strategy not...