Free Republic

It is that sort of no-nonsense, principled conservatism that has made him a favorite among the staunchest Tea Party activists. But wait, now he’s saying, in essence, that’s no big deal. The Hill reports: DeMint blames Democrats in the Massachusetts State Legislature for adding many of the features to Romney’s plan that many on the right decry. “It just depends on how he plays it. For me, I think he started with some good ideas that were essentially hijacked by the Democrat Legislature,” DeMint said.

On Monday, Meghan McCain told Kennesaw State University that she wants Mitt Romney, not Sarah Palin, to be the next president. As McCain explained, "My personal favorite right now is Mitt Romney. I like that he's not so radical. I like that he has really, really played his cards right, almost perfectly since the last election" (as reported by Marietta Daily Journal). McCain's endorsement may be a double-edged sword for Romney. On the one hand, her endorsement is a boon because she chose him over her own father's running mate. And McCain enjoys a devoted following among independents, moderate Republicans...

Prominent New Hampshire Republican Judd Gregg says that Sarah Palin just might have a clearer path to the Republican presidential nomination next year than commonly understood – an event he warns would lead to President Obama's clear reelection. Gregg, the former senator and governor of the Granite State, says the muddled GOP presidential field means it's more likely than ever there won't be a clear consensus candidate before the party's nominating convention in August of 2012. If that happens, says Gregg, Palin and her army of supporters might have the upper hand when it comes to settling on a presidential...

It is tempting -- very, very tempting -- to write off Willard "Mitt" Romney as a serious contender for next year's Republican presidential nomination. And, in fact, several knowledgeable observers already have. Romney, in case you haven't heard, embraced a healthcare reform law in Massachusetts five years ago that ended up being the model for the national program that President Obama pushed through Congress without a single Republican vote last year. He's also dogged by the impression that he's an unusually spineless opportunist (the result of the extraordinary pains he took to win over socially liberal voters in Massachusetts before...

In recent years, the Republican Party has conferred its presidential nomination the way companies used to hand out gold watches at retirement parties. Candidates are rewarded for long years of service, finishing second the last time around, and politely waiting their turn. Perhaps it is a reflection of the conservative temperament: while Democrats frequently nominate fresh faces, Republicans tend to prefer the tried and true. Patience is a virtue, respect your elders, good things come to those who wait. Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bob Dole, and John McCain won the GOP nomination after finishing second in the party's...

This time, Mitt Romney has a clear pitch: I'm the strongest Republican to challenge President Barack Obama on the country's single biggest issue — the economy. "He created a deeper recession, and delayed the recovery," Romney said Saturday, previewing his campaign message before Republicans in this influential early nominating state. "The consequence is soaring numbers of Americans enduring unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcies. This is the Obama Misery Index, and it is at a record high." "It's going to take more than new rhetoric to put Americans back to work — it's going to take a new president," said the former...

Bartlett, NH - Leftover 2008 campaign signs outside the Carroll County Republican Committee dinner announce what's on everyone's minds, even Ann Romney's. "And I'm the one that is encouraging Mitt to think about pushing forward and think about running. So, yes, yes I am. I'm pushing him," she said before her husband took the podium. It's his first public speech in New Hampshire since the mid-term elections, and Mitt Romney sounded an awful lot like a candidate. "It's gonna take more than a good speech on his part, more than rhetoric to put Americans back to work. It's going to...

President Obama launched a vicious, underhanded attack on one of the leading contenders for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination last month: He praised former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for launching a state-administered healthcare plan. "I agree with Mitt Romney, who recently said he's proud of what he accomplished on healthcare in Massachusetts," Obama told the nation's governors. Romney supporters winced, but his potential rivals for the Republican nomination were delighted. They've already taken to calling the Massachusetts healthcare plan "Romneycare," to remind conservative voters how much it resembles the "Obamacare" law they loathe. Like the "tea party," the Obama White...

Washington — Defying his reputation as a 1950s square, the new, more casual Mitt Romney is popping up around the country as he readies a second run for president. He's going tieless on network TV, strolling NASCAR pits in Daytona and sporting skinny Gap jeans bought for him by his wife. His latest campaign book, just out in paperback, opens with a regular-guy scene: wealthy Mitt in a Wal-Mart checkout line, buying gifts for his grandsons and comparing the surroundings to Target, another discount store he says he's familiar with.

Mitt Romney affirmed the centrality of his Mormon beliefs during an interview Tuesday on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight show. Morgan initiated a conversation with Romney about religion by showing his guest a recorded clip from the 2008 presidential campaign wherein Romney said, "I believe in my Mormon faith. Â… Some believe that such a confession of my faith will sink my candidacy. If they're right, so be it." When subsequently asked by Morgan if he still stands by those words, Romney didn't hesitate: "Absolutely." He continued: "My experience (in) Massachusetts running as a Mormon guy in a state that's overwhelmingly...