The Plain Truth

GOP Voters Still Searching

The entire Republican Presidential race is — and has been for a year — a race to stop Mitt Romney and a stolid, tired, old, constipated, GOP establishment from jamming a boring, non-conservative candidate down our collective throats for the second consecutive presidential race.

Back in 2007-2008 no one inside the GOP liked John McCain — and yet we were saddled with him. He was a lousy political candidate. He was — and still is — a prickly, unlikeable man.

Romney and McCain (Getty Images)

Now — in — the same GOP establishment is foisting on us another man that no one likes: Mitt Romney.

A man who has to repeatedly tell us how “severely conservative” he is.

A simple rule: if you have to proclaim your conservatism, then you are probably not a conservative.

Mitt Romney grew up in Michigan in the 1950s when the Republican Party was the party of moderation. Conservatives were a distinct minority; moderates the majority.

His father was a classic moderate. So, too, was his mother when she ran in 1970 for the U.S. Senate.

In 1968 Mitt’s father, Gov. George Romney, ran for president and was a poor candidate on the stump. That is not to say he was a bad person; in fact, he was a good man and a smart man in business.

But he had poor political candidate skills.

Read more on Newsmax.com: GOP Voters Still Searching
Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

Rush: Ignorance Surrounds Payroll Tax Cut Extension

The ignorance surrounding the payroll tax cut extension President Barack Obama is pushing is “appalling,” and the measure will gut Social Security, Rush Limbaugh said today on his radio show.

“I do not understand why somebody doesn’t characterize this payroll tax cut for what it is — gutting Social Security because it is not being, quote / unquote, paid for,” Limbaugh said. “The Republicans, for as long as I’ve been alive, have been accused of gutting Social Security. Here’s Obama doing it. Obama and the Democrats are actually doing it.”

He shamed the GOP for reaching across the aisle and trying to compromise with the Democrats rather than using the payroll tax cut extension against the opposition party.

“From a political standpoint, it’s a gold mine here, and they’re not using it,” he said.

On the issue of the newly released budget, Limbaugh called the document “outrageous” and “simple irresponsibility.”

“If everything happened that Obama wants in this budget, folks, it’s over,” he said. “It may be over anyway, if Obamacare is fully implemented.”

Read more on Newsmax.com: Rush: Ignorance Surrounds Payroll Tax Cut Extension
Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

The Money Man Behind Rick Santorum: Who Is Foster S. Friess?

In short, he's a pretty darn good guy!

 

Behind each super PAC, it seems, is at least one extremely wealthy individual, committed for his own reasons to a particular candidate. Newt Gingrich has casino mogul Sheldon Adelson; Rick Santorum, who stunned the political world Tuesday night by winning three (admittedly nonbinding) state GOP contests -- in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota -- has Foster S. Friess, a hugely successful investor who calls himself, rather immodestly, "the man atop the horse."

 

A Born-Again Philanthropist

In 1974, Friess founded the mutual friend management company Friess Associates, which currently has in excess of $4.6 billion in assets under management. Before that, Friess -- a Wisconsin native who grew up on a cattle ranch and studied business administration at the state university -- spent two years in Army Intelligence and served as director of research for a New York Stock Exchange firm. Friess is said to have sold 51% of his eponymous company in 2001 for $247 million, but reportedly still holds a 10% stake in it.

The central fact of Friess' personal life seems to be his status as a born-again Christian. Shortly after launching Friess Associates, he found himself, by his own account, in "a marriage flirting with divorce," raising "emotionally distant children." Citing Blaise Pascal's maxim -- "Within each person is a God-shaped vacuum that only God can fill" -- Friess found religion: In October 1978, he has said (with surprising casualness), "I did one of those 'born again' things and invited Jesus to become the 'Chairman of the Board' -- of my life."

Friess cites Scripture as the inspiration for his financial altruism -- specifically, Galatians 6:2 ("When we carry one another's burdens, we fulfill the law of Christ") and Matthew 25:35-40 ("When you do it for the least of my brethren, you do it for Me") -- but his commitment to giving is braided together with a sociopolitical conviction. Specifically, he holds a firm belief that "private individuals are called to carry others' burdens -- rather than relying on the government to do so." In support of that philosophy, Friess has gone so far as to offer a musical festival $40,000 on the condition that they refuse $11,000 in government funding. The event organizers accepted.

Friess' philanthropy is extensive -- his grant-making foundation is capitalized with more than $100 million -- and his desire to help others is sincere. But the man atop the horse is given to strange, theatrical gestures as well. Take, for instance, the climax of the lavish four-day celebration he threw for his and his wife Lynette's 70th birthdays in July 2010. In the invitations, he had asked his 200 guests to identify their favorite charity (one that reflected Galatians 6:2, of course) and said he would donate $70,000 (get it?) to the worthiest nominee.

While Four Seasons waiters handed out envelopes on silver platters, Friess asked that his guests should all open them, and that the winner should stand up and shout in celebration while everyone else remained seated. As the envelopes were unsealed, WyoFile reports, "people exploded up from every table, shouting 'I won! I won!' The Friesses had surprised their guests by writing $70,000 checks to every one of the nominated charities -- a show of generosity that cost them $7.7 million. (In most cases, each couple at the party designated a single charity.)"    Read the entire story>>>>>>>>>>>here>>>>>>>

Ryan Open To VP; Doesn’t Rule Out Convention Draft

February 9, 2012 at 3:44 pm - The Hugh Hewitt Show
Dateline: Washington, D.C.

Click on PHOTO for Video Link

Radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt asked Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) if he would consider being a vice presidential nominee on the GOP ticket. Ryan said, "If it happens, I'll think about it then; If I ever got to that bridge, I'll think about whether to cross it or not."

Asked if he would be "available" in the event of a convention deadlock, Ryan explained that it's nowhere "close to [his] mind" but did not categorically rule it out.

Democrats' taxing hypocrisy

by Larry ElderEmail | Archive

 

Forgive Republican candidate Mitt Romney for his alleged failure to adequately explain why he paid “only” 14 percent of his income in taxes.

The honest answer – “Well, because my accountants couldn’t figure out how to get them any lower” – does not work in this or very many other election years. Romney seemed flat-footed because, like most business people, he seeks to minimize costs and expenses.

This includes taxes.

Rush: 'Asinine' to think media won't destroy nominee

PALM BEACH, Fla. – When it comes to media attacks on the eventual Republican presidential nominee, radio giant Rush Limbaugh thinks it doesn’t matter who the GOP standard-bearer will be, because the onslaught will be tremendous.

“Anybody who thinks that we can nominate somebody who is not going to be the focus of a media-destruction campaign is asinine,” Limbaugh said today, as he analyzed Mitt Romney’s strong victory over Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul in the Florida Republican Primary.  Read More>>>>>>>>>

Farah on Fox TV: Rubio not a natural-born citizen

Moments after Mitt Romney’s landslide victory in the Florida Republican Primary, WND Editor Joseph Farah declared on national television that Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio would not be a good selection for vice president because he’s not a natural-born citizen of the U.S., and therefore is not legally qualified to hold the office.

“Rubio’s not eligible … because he’s not a natural-born citizen,” Farah told Sean Hannity on the Fox News Channel.  Read More>>>>

Glenn Beck: 'If he had a rational foreign policy, he'd be winning by 20 points'

by Joe Kovacs

Media giant Glenn Beck says some supporters of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul have threatened his life.

The claim came during Beck’s TV show Tuesday night, as he was analyzing Paul’s political stances and the Texas congressman’s performance in Monday night’s debate in South Carolina.

“I’m the one that sticks up for Ron Paul on the radio all the time and in meetings. Not all of them are like this,” Beck said. “Just a few have threatened my life, run me off the road. We get threats from Ron Paul supporters all the time. That’s a problem. Don’t be a zealot. You are just as bad – if not worse – than the Occupy Wall Street people. And I don’t know if you’ve seen any shows I’ve done on those people. They’re bad!”

Mitt Romney's family baptized Ann Romney's atheist father into Mormon church a year AFTER his death

More questions are being raised about presidential candidate Mitt Romney's religion after it was revealed that he helped baptise his adamantly atheist father-in-law years after the man had died.

Edward Roderick Davies was Ann Romney's father and died in 1992 after living as a staunch atheist all his life.

Recently-discovered records show that, in keeping with their controversial tradition of posthumously baptising non-Mormons, a ceremony was held to invite Mr Davies into the Church of Latter Day Saints one year after he died.

Read more:

Elliott Abrams Caught Misleading on Newt

By Jeffrey Lord

As Ronald Reagan used to say: Well...

Yesterday we took note of former Reagan State Department official Elliott Abrams' piece over at NRO that went after Newt Gingrich on his relationship with Reagan. While voting regularly with Reagan as a young congressman from Georgia, Gingrich, claimed Abrams, "often spewed insulting rhetoric at Reagan, his top aides and his policies to defeat Communism." Abrams then goes on to cite " a famous floor statement Gingrich made on March 21, 1986."...........Or sort of cites it. Read the story>>>>>>>

 

Rush: Obama speech a 'fantasyland' of lies

PALM BEACH, Fla. – Radio giant Rush Limbaugh wasted no time today attacking President Obama’s State of the Union address, calling it a fantasyland packed with untruth.

“It was chock-full of lies. It was fantasyland. No, it didn’t soar. It was boring,” Limbaugh said.

Newt Gingrich Attacks John King for Asking About Ex-Wife Saying He Wanted an Open Marriage in the 90's

Day young Mormon missionary Mitt Romney almost died in 1960s French horror crash which killed one of his passengers

Mitt Romney today stands on the brink of becoming the Republican candidate to challenge Barack Obama for the presidency of the U.S.

But it could have been so different for the former Mormon missionary when he was almost killed in a car accident in Bernos-Beaulac, France, in 1968.

The 21-year-old was driving from Pau to Bordeaux when he was hit by a car driven by a Catholic priest, which killed one of his own passengers.

Wreckage: Former Mormon missionary Mitt Romney almost died in a car accident in Bernos-Beaulac, France, in 1968, which killed one of his passengers. The Citroen DS driven by Mr Romney is pictured

‘We were all talking about how dangerous how the highways were and the French highways,’ Mr Romney said, reported the Boston Globe in 2007.

‘Literally as we were having that conversation, boom, we were hit. It happened so quickly (that) there was no braking and no honking.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2085412/The-shocking-pictures-Mitt-Romney-died-young-Mormon-missionary.html#ixzz1jDGTPIKu

Rush: Romney admits he’s just like Obama

by Joe KovacsEmail | Archive Joe Kovacs, executive news editor for WND, is an award-winning journalist and author of the No. 1 best-selling book "Shocked by the Bible: The Most Astonishing Facts You've Never Been Told."

Radio host Rush Limbaugh is scratching his head today at the strategy employed by Mitt Romney in the wake of his New Hampshire primary victory, as the former governor is likening himself to President Barack Obama. More>>

Group with ties to president engaged in massive 3rd party drive

WND.com

A mysteriously funded, highly organized effort to secure a place on the 2012 presidential election ballot for a third party candidate has ties to President Obama and top Democrats, WND has learned.

The group, calling itself Americans Elect, or AE, seems designed to appear like a massive, grassroots effort involving millions of citizens acting to draft a third party candidate.

Is Ron Paul the Reincarnation of Grover Cleveland?

What do Ron Paul and a fat, New York Democrat have in common? You'll be surprised.
by Jake Morphonios
(libertarian)
Wednesday, December 21, 2011

On the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Texas Congressman Ron Paul was asked about his favorite US President.  For those who are up on their US History, Paul’s preference should come as no surprise – it is President Grover Cleveland. 

President Cleveland, who lived from 1837 to 1908, is the only man to have served two non-consecutive terms as president - though he actually won the popular vote in a third presidential election.  Surprisingly, Cleveland accomplished all this as a Democrat during a political era otherwise dominated by Republicans.

Why does Ron Paul like Cleveland?  On the Tonight Show, he said it was because President Cleveland was quick to veto bills passed by Congress.  But there are many more reasons why Paul likes Cleveland.  The similarities between the interpretations and philosophies of the two men are striking.

“Simply put, freedom is the absence of government coercion. The Constitution established a very limited, decentralized government to provide national defense and little else. Any government coercion beyond that necessary to secure those rights was forbidden.  This reflected the founders’ belief that democratic government could be as tyrannical as any King.  Few Americans understand that all government action is inherently coercive. If nothing else, government action requires taxes. If taxes were freely paid, they wouldn’t be called taxes, they’d be called donations. If we intend to use the word freedom in an honest way, we should have the simple integrity to give it real meaning: Freedom is living without government coercion.”

-       Congressman Ron Paul, 2006

"When more of the people's substance is exacted through the form of taxation than is necessary to meet the just obligations of the Government and the expense of its economical administration, such exaction becomes ruthless extortion and a violation of the fundamental principles of a free government."

-          President Grover Cleveland, 1886

So who was Grover Cleveland?

He was born in 1837 in New Jersey, the fifth of nine children.  His father was a Presbyterian minister.  Cleveland grew up in New York and was admitted to the bar in 1859.  He managed to avoid service in the Civil War by opting to pay another man to take his place – as was permitted by the Conscription Act of 1863.  He maintained an austere lifestyle, living in a boarding house when his income as a lawyer would have permitted him to live lavishly.  Instead, he used his resources to support his mother and younger sisters.   MORE>>>>>>>>>>>

NEWT a Reagan Republican??????

Newt Flashback 2003: I’m An Eisenhower Republican, Government Has To Lead On Healthcare

December 4, 2011 at 9:38 am - CSPAN
Dateline: Washington DC

Newt Gringrich, speaking to congressional staffers in 2003, says the federal government should lead the cause for healthcare reform.

NASCAR Drivers Pleased After White House Visit, Meeting With Obama

by Jay W. Pennell

President Barack Obama welcomed NASCAR into the White House Wednesday afternoon to honor five-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and seven of his 2010 Chase competitors.

Hailing the drivers for their work both on the track and off, President Obama stood alongside Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth.

Other 2010 Chase drivers Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart said they could not reschedule prior commitments to make the trip. However, the drivers were not the only ones unable to attend Wednesday's ceremonies, as NASCAR CEO Brian France was unable to make the trip due to weather in the area.

Standing in the East Room of the White House, President Obama congratulated Johnson on his five titles and said he was not only one of the best drivers of all time, but "up there with the best sport dynasties" such as the New York Yankees, the Boston Celtics and the Montreal Canadiens.

"Which is not bad for the son of a machine operator and a school bus driver who still has plenty of seasons ahead of him," Obama said.

The president also said he had noticed some "trash-talking" this season, saying that is what makes the sport so exciting to watch.  

The five-time champion thanked the president and presented him with a pair of gloves worn during last year's Chase.   MORE>>>>>>>>>>>>

Rush Limbaugh predicts: Marco Rubio will be president

By Joe Kovacs
© 2011 WND

PALM BEACH, Fla. – Even though he's not running for the presidency and may not even be eligible for the office, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida will someday hold the highest office in the land, according to talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

 

The top-rated political analyst made the prediction this afternoon while making a point about sticking to conservative purity with candidates instead of moderate Republicans.

"You want conservative purity," said Limbaugh, "I'll give it to you: Marco Rubio, who is someday going to be president of the United States."

He made the statement as part of an in-depth discussion on whether conservatives should remain faithful to their values, or become more moderate.

He cited Rubio, an unabashed conservative, who defeated former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, often described as a moderate, in the race for U.S. Senate.

Though Rubio is not a candidate for president, he has often been mentioned as a prime choice to be a vice-presidential running mate for whomever wins the GOP nomination.

But as WND has reported, Rubio's eligibility remains in question, as the Constitution specifies a president must be a "natural-born citizen," a requirement that has plagued President Obama since his ascension.

Although Rubio was born in Miami, Fla., on May 28, 1971, his Cuban-born parents were not U.S. citizens until they became naturalized Americans on Nov. 5, 1975. There are many who believe that a natural-born citizen means being the child of parents who are both U.S. citizens.

When asked specifically if Rubio considered himself to be a natural-born citizen, the senator's spokesman Alex Burgos told WND, "Yes."

Besides Rubio, Limbaugh today also pointed to other recent conservative success compared to moderate Republicans.

"How about Rand Paul vs. the Republican moderate (Trey Grayson) there in Kentucky?" Limbaugh asked. "Rand Paul. That's a little conservative purity there and it won."

Read more: Rush Limbaugh predicts: Marco Rubio will be president http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=342485#ixzz1XIefI5tz

Chris Christie, America’s Caesar

Near the statehouse office of New Jersey’s 55th governor sits a sort of shrine to the 34th. Fortunately, Chris Christie is unlike Woodrow Wilson.

Christie, who resembles Falstaff in girth and Jack Dempsey in pugnacity, is a visceral politician who thrives on conflict. Wilson — lean, intellectual and pious, particularly about himself — regarded opposition as impious.

Wilson acquired the governorship, his first elective office, in January 1911, having learned about government mostly from books he wrote about it. (And he wrote “Congressional Government” without ever seeing Congress.) Eighteen months later he was the Democrats’ presidential nominee.

Christie’s only previous elective office was as county freeholder. But later, as the state’s only U.S. attorney, he became prominent while learning a lot about New Jersey’s gamy political culture by prosecuting some of the participants. This unsentimental political education prepared him so well for the governorship that today, in his 20th month, he is being importuned to seek the Republican presidential nomination.

He won’t. Here’s why.   MORE>>>>>>>>

Expect a Third-Party Candidate in 2012

The United States is in the midst of what we would both call a prerevolutionary moment, and there is widespread support for fundamental change in the system. An increasing number of Americans are now searching beyond the two parties for bold and effective leadership.

A Rasmussen Reports poll conducted earlier this month found that "just 17% of likely U.S. voters think that the federal government today has the consent of the governed," while an extraordinary 69% "believe the government does not have that consent."   MORE>>>>>

Rick Perry’s bad, Obama-style medicine

Beltway types are obsessing over GOP Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s campaign trail comments about the Fed and Ben Bernanke.

Blah x 3.

I’m far less aggravated by Gov. Perry’s injudicious toss-off remarks than I am by his profoundly troubling, liberty-curtailing actions in office and his fresh batch of specious rationalizations for them. My syndicated column today dissects Perry’s recent, so-called “walk backs” of his odious Gardasil vaccine mandate for children. I’ve written and reported on vaccine bullies in the schools and on informed parental authority over vaccines previously. But as you’ll see from my column below, Perry defenders who dismiss critics as “single-issue” activists are willfully blind to the Gardasil disgrace’s multiple layers of rottenness. Related must-reads on Perry and Gardasil: Tom Bevan, Rhymes with Right, and BA Cyclone at RedState. (See also this flashback on Hillary, Merck money, and Gardasil.)

While Perry and his campaign staff have now paid lip service to making a “mistake” in shoving the executive order down families’ throats, they remain defiant in defending the decree and Perry’s zealous, big government overreaching. From the latest story on Perry’s “reversal” in the Washington Post: “Perry campaign spokesman Mark Miner dismissed the criticism. Governor Perry has always stood on the side of protecting life, and that is what this issue was about…”    MORE>>>>>>>>>

The skeletons in Rick Perry's closet

Enthusiasm over a possible Perry candidacy has thus far clouded one inconvenient truth: While the governor is currently the model of a Tea Party politician, his past includes plenty to give Tea Partiers and social conservatives pause if and when they decide to take a closer look.

That fact was highlighted last Thursday, when former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee took a very pointed shot at Perry. "For all his new found commitment to hyper-conservatism," said the former GOP presidential candidate, "he'll get to explain why he supported pro-abortion, pro-same sex marriage Rudy Guiliani last time."

Perry's support for Giuliani - whose moderation on social issues alienated social conservatives and contributed to his dramatic flameout in the 2008 presidential race - isn't his only potentially problematic endorsement. He doesn't much like to talk about it these days, but Perry was actually a Democrat until 1989; the year before he converted to the GOP, he served as Texas chairman for then-presidential candidate (and current target of conservative disdain) Al Gore.  MORE>>>>

Senator supports online sales tax reform

Cash-strapped states seeking to collect billions in taxes from online transactions gained an ally in Washington on Friday when a senator introduced a bill for a federal solution to the problem.

Struggling with weak economies, states will lose an estimated $10 billion this year and $11.4 billion next year in sales taxes that go uncollected on online purchases, according to studies by three professors at the University of Tennessee.

Although the fate of the bill by Democratic Senator Dick Durbin was uncertain given the anti-tax environment on Capitol Hill, his measure is backed by the National Governors Association and the National Retail Federation and even earned a pledge of cooperation from giant online retailer Amazon.  MORE>>>

House GOP revolts against Boehner plan

Republicans do not have enough support to pass their debt-ceiling increase plan on their own, a top conservative said Tuesday as his party’s leaders tried to cobble together a coalition of Republicans and Democrats to put the bill over the top.

“There are not 218 Republicans in support of this plan,” Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican who heads the powerful conservative caucus in the House, told reporters Tuesday morning.

If Mr. Jordan is right, that would mean Speaker John A. Boehner would have to rely on Democrats to pass the $1.2 trillion spending cuts plan — support Democrats’ top vote-counter said he’ll be hard-pressed to gain. Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer said “very few” Democrats will vote for the Boehner plan, though he acknowledged there could be some.  Read the story>>>>>