Free Republic

Former Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson reacted angrily to President Trump's apparent abandonment of a campaign pledge to leave pot policy to the states, saying he hopes the pivot ends Trump's shot at re-election. Johnson, who served two terms as a Republican governor of New Mexico, said the Trump administration is "grossly underestimating the anger this will create." "I hope it dooms his re-election. Trump promised to leave marijuana to the states," Johnson told the Washington Examiner.

Conservative Republican Assemblywoman Michele Fiore of Las Vegas invited a few extra guests Tuesday night to the regular pasta dinners she has for constituents. The meal was the last official stop for a group of young conservatives traveling the country — visiting battleground states such as Nevada first — as part of a $1 million campaign to get the national Republican Party to support gay marriage in its party platform in 2016. The group has been to Iowa and New Hampshire. South Carolina is the next stop. Nevada already is ahead of the curve, said Tyler Deaton, campaign manager of...

Rudy on Abortion Tom Bevan Fri Feb 16, 11:01 AM ET In response to my last post on Rudy's poll numbers, reader AG emails with a good point: the phrasing of the questions in the FOX poll is far too crude to accurately gauge how Republicans feel about Rudy's position on social issues. AG asks how the numbers might have looked if FOX had instead asked the following: Are you more or less likely to support a candidate who is personally pro-life on the issue of abortion, but believes it is ultimately a woman's decision? Are you more or less...

Why would anyone think that we need Rudy to fight the WOT? Rudy’s very own words make the very best case AGAINST needing him for that fight—when he stated that, "Clinton did all that he could do" (when he was asked about Slick's dereliction of duty in the WOT). Was that unconscionable, pathetic (not to mention blatantly false) pandering to his liberal base, or what??? I have to give credit where credit is due--Rudy does do a very good job as a Clinton-Apologist. The person most culpable for 9/11 was Slick. Rudy showed his core liberal slant when he provided...

The GOP Should Dump Its Litmus Test By Michael Reagan FrontPageMagazine.com | February 16, 2007 The philosopher Diogenes is said to have wandered around ancient Greece holding a lantern and seeking to find an honest man. My fellow Republicans, sans lanterns, are now wandering around the political landscape seeking to find the perfect Republican presidential candidate. I don’t know if Diogenes ever found that honest man, but I do know that those Republicans are never going to find the perfect candidate, simply because he does not exist. Some Republicans insist that the only perfect candidate would be a clone of...

Giuliani Nabs Key Endorsement "Rudy Giuliani, fresh off a weekend visit to California, is set to nab the support of one of the Golden State’s most influential lawmakers as sources confirmed that" Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) "is expected to endorse the former New York mayor’s 2008 GOP presidential bid," according to Roll Call. "Dreier, the ranking member on the Rules Committee, is chairman of the state’s GOP delegation and his extensive ties to California’s lucrative business community make him one of his party’s leading fundraisers. He also is extremely close to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)."

Secret study cited "weirdness factor" among candidate weaknesses FEBRUARY 12--As he campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination, Rudolph Giuliani will have to contend with political and personal baggage unknown to prospective supporters whose knowledge of the former New York mayor is limited to his post-September 11 exploits. So, in a bid to educate the electorate, we're offering excerpts from a remarkable "vulnerability study" that was commissioned by Giuliani's campaign prior to his successful 1993 City Hall run. The confidential 450-page report, authored by Giuliani's research director and another aide, was the campaign's attempt to identify possible lines of attack against...

Giuliani Strikes a Note With California GOP Testing the Waters, Former N.Y. Mayor Garners 4 Ovations SACRAMENTO, Feb. 10 -- Rudolph W. Giuliani came west to learn whether his brand of Republican politics has a chance among party members significantly more conservative than himself. By the time he had received a fourth standing ovation Saturday at the California Republican Party convention, the answer seemed clear. Equating the U.S. fight against terrorism with the Civil War and the Cold War, Giuliani told about 750 of his party's faithful that failure in Iraq would turn that country into a "massive headquarters for...

“Murder and graffiti are two vastly different crimes,” Rudy Giuliani once said. “But they are part of the same continuum, and a climate that tolerates one is more likely to tolerate the other.” Good point, Rudy. Now, what about a climate — not to mention a Republican presidential candidate — that not only tolerates, but allows unelected judges to legalize the practice of delivering a child until only its head remains within its mothers womb so the child can be killed by sucking out its brains? What about a climate where same-sex couples are given the same legal status as...

Florida voters have a chance next week to avenge the cold-blooded, public execution of a handicapped woman by depriving her of water and food for 13 long, harrowing days that captivated not just the attention of the nation, but the whole world. Instead, I fear, too many Americans have forgotten Terri Schiavo and all her killing represented about the declining moral standards of our nation and the cowardice of our public officials. Tuesday, Sept. 5, is Election Day in Florida. A primary vote is being held to determine who will be the candidates for governor, succeeding Jeb Bush. The leading...

Rudy Giuliani, a contender for the presidency in 2008, is receiving an inordinate amount of positive attention. That's quite understandable since Rudy is charismatic, did a great job on the campaign trail for President Bush in 2004, and his phenomenal performance after 9/11 was much appreciated. However, likeable or not, having Rudy as the GOP's candidate in 2008 would be a big mistake. Here's a short, but sweet primer on some of Rudy's many flaws. Rudy's Strong Pro-Abortion Stance As these comments from a 1989 conversation with Phil Donahue show, Rudy Giuliani is staunchly in favor of abortion: "I've said...

President Bush has refused to meet with border law-enforcement officials from Texas for a second time. His response to their request came in the form of a letter Monday, angering both lawmakers and sheriffs. In fact, some Republican members of the House, upset by what they call the administration's seeming lack of concern for border security, are preparing to hold investigative hearings in San Diego and Laredo, Texas, early next month. Members of the House Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Nonproliferation hope to expose serious security flaws that could potentially lead to terrorist attacks in the country, said Rep. Ted...

Current poll: "A time for choosing: It appears that a significant number of our members are so disgusted with the GOP's failure to secure our borders against illegal aliens that they are willing to risk all by voting them out of office, even if it means Pelosi, Reid, Hillary, et al, are allowed to take charge. Is this the best course of action or should we be working harder than ever to hold the line and actually try to make a difference by getting more constitutionally-minded conservatives elected? Are you willing to give it all up or are you more...

RUSH: There are Republicans planning to abandon George W. Bush in droves, particularly during this election year. Bush has had it, a 36%, 33% approval rating. The guy's an albatross around their neck. "We've got to get out of there! We don't want Bush doing anything but raising money for this," blah, blah, blah, blah. There's precedent for this. By the way, a couple of pollsters saying it's a bad move for the Republicans. You know, Republicans, I'll just give you some advice right now. All of you Republicans in Congress -- including you, Chuck Hagel and Olympia Snowe and...

Public approval of President George W. Bush continues to decline. Today, for the third time in two weeks, the President's Job Approval Rating has fallen to the lowest level ever measured by Rasmussen Reports. Just 37% of Americans now give the President their Approval, only 16% Strongly Approve. Even among Republicans, approval has tumbled and is currently measured at 66%. For most of his first term, Bush earned Approval Ratings in the high 80s from Republicans. At the other end of the spectrum, 62% Disapprove including 45% who Strongly Disapprove. Those figures are also the bleakest for President Bush ever...

A new poll from Rasmussen Reports has some bad news for Republicans—well, almost all Republicans. If you’re Rep. Tom Tancredo (R.-Colo.), the news couldn’t be better. While a generic Republican candidate trails a generic Democrat by 12 percentage points, according to the poll, a third-party candidate who runs on a get-tough-on-immigration platform not only beats the Republican, but also actually runs even with the Democrat. Here’s an excerpt: The survey also asked respondents how they would vote if "a third party candidate ran in 2008 and promised to build a barrier along the Mexican border and make enforcement of immigration...

Republican congreesional members' constituents care more about immigration and border security than any othe issue, according to a new congressional insiders poll.Seventeeen of the 37 Republican House and Senate members who responded to the National Journal's survey identified immigration as the issue "most on the minds of your consituents these days." That easily topped the next closest issue, the economy, which gained 10 votes, followed by gasoline prices with four votes and terrorism with threee votes.One Republican called immigration the "highest-octane issue in America," while another said, "It is here that the mismatch between the federal government's inaction and the...

LOS ANGELES — A Spanish-language reality TV show is offering contestants an unusual prize: the services of immigration lawyers to guide them toward a green card for U.S. residency. "Gana la Verde" (search) — "Win the Green" — began airing daily last month on KRCA-TV Channel 62 in Los Angeles. Owner Liberman Broadcasting also airs the program on its San Diego, Houston and Dallas stations. "People say that our show is like 'Fear Factor,' (search) but it's different because the climax of the show involves working," production manager Adrian Vallarino told the Los Angeles Times.

U.S. Archbishop: Life Concerns Paramount And Eclipse Any Other Considerations When Voting Political compromise possible on many social justice issues but not abortion NEWARK, NJ, May 4, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Archbishop John Myers of Newark, New Jersey has issued a pastoral statement to the Catholics of his diocese bringing a close to many debates around abortion and its political ramifications. "There is no right more fundamental than the right to be born and reared with all the dignity the human person deserves," says the Archbishop. "On this grave issue, public officials cannot hold themselves excused from their duties, especially if...

The New York Times doesn't actually come right out and say it, but ... its coverage ... reveals that... Landrieu is going to lose to GOP challenger Suzanne Terrell. Exit polls on Election Day showed that voters in swing Senate races listed abortion as a major concern, with pro-lifers having the edge. In fact, those who cited abortion as their most important issue voted overwhelmingly for the pro-life candidate. The Old Gray Lady, however, has been conspicuously silent on this trend. Typically Times editors highlight a candidate's pro-life stance only when that candidate is likely to lose. Saturday's Times offered...