Free Republic

Top Donald Trump donors tried to set up a meeting between the GOP presidential nominee and Charles Koch in Colorado Springs on Friday, but Koch aides rejected the entreaties, according to two Republicans with knowledge of the outreach. Koch and his brother David Koch, who helm an influential network of advocacy groups and major conservative donors, have been sharply critical of Trump’s rhetoric and policy stances and have indicated they do not intend to support his campaign. Trump in turn has blasted the Kochs and other major conservative donors as puppeteers to whom his GOP primary rivals were beholden, while...

It’s not unusual for candidates to use leftover cash from aborted campaigns to form political action committees. But traditionally politicians have opted for so-called leadership PACs that allow them pay for political staff, travel the country and dole out contributions to favored candidates – all of which helps them keep themselves in the political spotlight and curry favor for potential future runs. Super PACs, which were spawned by a 2010 federal court ruling, could be used to maintain a political staff and fund a politician’s travel, but not to make donations to candidates. On the other hand – unlike leadership...

New Hampshire primary: Where's the tea party? By KENNETH P. VOGEL | 1/9/12 4:32 AM EST Updated: 1/9/12 3:11 PM EST New Hampshire might seem like ground zero for a tea party offensive.But ahead of the Republican primary Tuesday, there’s no sign that the populist conservative movement is poised to shape the presidential results in the “Live Free or Die” state — or anywhere else, for that matter.Instead, activists in the Granite State have divided their loyalties — and even seem resigned to seeing their sworn enemy Mitt Romney win his second straight victory.The situation in New Hampshire and across...

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. But of course. You knew there had to be more. Can you say "George Soros"???? The Media Research Center's Dan Gainor, the MRC VP for Business and Culture, points out an interesting fact about Politico's Ken Vogel. We've posted here and here and here about the saga of the fake talk radio scandal. Pointing out that these stories are coming from Politico "reporter" Vogel who seems to have, as Jeff Poor over at The Daily Caller politely termed it, a "lefty" agenda.

The anybody-but-Mitt Romney faction developing within the tea party may pose a problem for the former Massachusetts governor’s presidential ambitions, but some tea party organizers worry it could also backfire against the movement itself. Romney, the current Republican front runner, is viewed skeptically – at best – by many tea partiers. And disagreement over whether to actively oppose him threatens to undo the uneasy truces forged in the run-up to the 2010 midterms and undermine the fledgling movement’s influence in the GOP. The possibility of Romney winning the nomination is even reviving debate about whether activists should embrace, or even...

Tea partiers attack convention

NASHVILLE — After flirting coyly for months, Sarah Palin this weekend launches an aggressive play to become the leader of the tea party movement, a move with major political upside for the former Alaska governor but also one rife with risk. Her positioning could boost her prospects of securing the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, which she is widely believed to be eyeing. And the tea party is a natural fit for Palin, whose populist anti-Washington rhetoric and working mom persona have made her a movement favorite since its grass-roots activists burst onto the scene last year in opposition to the...