Free Republic

Unless he encounters substantial opposition, that is. Mr. Trump may have both houses of Congress under GOP control, but it’s a narrow 52-to-48 majority in the Senate -- meaning even just a few rogue GOPers could keep Trump-led legislation from passing. . . . Here are some of the people in the Republican Party who could throw a wrench in Mr. Trump’s plans: Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona)

After a disastrous week of feuds and plummeting poll numbers, Republican leaders have concluded that Donald J. Trump is a threat to the party’s fortunes and have begun discussing how soon their endangered candidates should explicitly distance themselves from the presidential nominee. For Republicans in close races, top strategists say, the issue is no longer in doubt. One House Republican has already started airing an ad vowing to stand up to Mr. Trump if he is elected president, and others are expected to press similar themes in the weeks ahead. In the world of Republican "super PACs," strategists are going...

Scheduled for Apr 14, 2016 Thursday, April 14, 2016: Live stream of the New York State Republican Gala in New York City. Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks. LIVE Stream: Donald Trump at the New York State Republican Gala (4-14-16) Donald Trump at the New York State Republican Gala

publican political consultant Karl Rove's super PAC is telling its donors it can help Donald Trump win the presidency, despite Rove's public, anti-Trump stance. According to Politico, Rove's American Crossroads super PAC had a phone call this week that outlined how Trump could beat Democrat Hillary Clinton if both are nominated to represent their parties on the November ballot. The call, reports the website, included Rove, officials from his super PAC, and a poll expert. A source told Politico, "It's not that they support him, only that if he's the guy, we can do something to stop Hillary." The report...

Republican party officials are reportedly hoping to nudge presidential front-runner Donald Trump toward party policy goals — and away from fiery rhetoric — by dangling access to crucial tools he'll need for a general election race. Citing two unnamed sources, Politico reports Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus has started saying in private meetings the party has a trump card — voter data and field, digital and media operations typically inherited by a nominee. "It's a relationship," the RNC's chief strategist and communications director Sean Spicer tells Politico. "Every nominee — it doesn't matter this cycle or last cycle —...

He's not going to get fully pregnant, just a little bit pregnant. What's the harm in that? "I think they're warming up. I want to be honest, I have received so many phone calls from people that you would call establishment, from people -- generally speaking ... conservatives, Republicans -- that want to come onto our team," Trump told reporters in Las Vegas before an appearance at the Outdoor Sportsman Awards... At an earlier rally, Trump painted himself as a pragmatic dealmaker capable of working with lawmakers, in contrast with Cruz, his top rival in the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses......

The GOPe/Karl Rove strategy to take down Donald Trump has been given the name “Operation Hummingbird.” It places Marco Rubio and Carly Fiorina on either side of the front runner and employs the media tactics of “Isolate-Ridicule-Marginalize” to do away with the formidable front-runner. Pay attention to the results of weekly and daily polls by watching who is doing the polling. Operation Hummingbird was the name of a neo-folk album released in 1999 by an artist who called himself “Death in June.” Remembering how Romney had been beaten up by the time the last Republican Convention rolled around, a decision...

Video excerpt, less than a minute and a half in length, of concerted hand-wringing from this morning's Meet The Press.