Frazier Glenn Miller[Cross]: A Life of Republican, #39;KKK #39; Hate in The Heartland
Post 2012, a Coalition of Aging, #39;Angry #39; White Men is a Recipe For Failure For Republicans: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard/Article/Post-2012--...
By: politicalarticles
Go here to read the rest:
Frazier Glenn Miller[Cross]: A Life of Republican, 'KKK' Hate in The Heartland - Video
Women Breastfeeding Is #39;Smart Sexy #39; Says Republican
Republicans want more women breast-feeding because it is "smart and sexy" http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/16/alaska-republican-wants-more-women-breastfe...
By: David Pakman Show
Read more here:
Women Breastfeeding Is 'Smart & Sexy' Says Republican - Video
FORT MYERS, Fla.The Republican voters of southwest Florida have either been entertained or appalled by the allegations made by the candidates seeking to replace their congressman, who resigned in January after being arrested for buying cocaine.
The campaign in the solidly GOP district to replace Trey Radel has been marred by allegations of connections to child sex offenders, questionable business dealings and negative attack ads.
The winner of Tuesday's special election in the 19th district will still likely defeat a Democratic challenger in the June 24 general election. In another Florida special election to fill the seat of the late Rep. Bill Young in March, Republican David Jolly defeated Democrat Alex Sink. The Tampa-area 13th district was far less Republican than the 19th district.
There are four candidates on the GOP ballot: Lizbeth Benacquisto, a 46-year-old state senator; Curt Clawson, a 54-year-old former CEO of an aluminum wheel company; Michael Dreikorn, a 52-year-old aerospace and defense consultant; and Paige Kreegel, a 55-year-old physician.
Benacquisto has been endorsed by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin - who called Benacquisto a fellow "mama grizzly" who will protect southwest Florida.
Clawson has been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who called the former Purdue college basketball player "an outsider who will bring refreshing ideas to the halls of Congress."
As of Friday, Clawson had raised the most money. According to the Center for Responsive Politics - a nonpartisan research group that tracks money in politics - Clawson has raised $2.8 million. Benacquisto has raised about $980,000, while Kreegel has raised $236,000 and Dreikorn, $17,000.
A total of $2.1 million has been spent by outside groups - largely on attack ads.
Voters in the district - which includes most of Lee County and part of Collier County - have been exposed to a barrage of negative television ads, with Benacquisto, Clawson and Kreegel attacking each others' conservative credentials and background.
Other details about the candidates have emerged.
More here:
Florida voters set to fill seat vacated by Rep. Trey Radel
Republican politicians are at war over the world.
Rep. Peter King of New York says that Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky encourages paranoia. Paul says his critics are distorting his views. Rep. Walter Jones, a North Carolina congressman seeking his 11th term, is being challenged in a primary campaign that features ads saying he preaches American decline and opposes sanctions on Iran.
It has been at least 20 years since Republicans have argued this angrily about foreign policy. Voters dont much care about this debate, though, and probably wont until events overseas turn more menacing. In the meantime, Republicans vying for the 2016 presidential nomination are pushing the party toward one of two extremes on the issue neither of which will do the party or the country much good.
Most Republican voters, like most Americans generally, are neither isolationist on principle nor promiscuously interventionist. They are neither hawkish nor dovish as a matter of reflex. They want to be tough with Russia a Fox News poll found that 66 percent of the public thought President Barack Obama insufficiently so but also want to avoid getting bogged down in another Iraq War. As broad as that middle is, it isnt being well represented in the back-and-forth among Republicans.
Paul portrays himself as a realist as well as a Reaganite: someone who asks hard questions before putting American credibility, money and troops on the line. Its an attractive self-presentation, because policymakers should ask those questions: Are our interests at stake abroad? Is there any feasible way to promote them? Would the effort have an acceptable cost?
You can be skeptical about foreign interventions from Iran to Syria to Ukraine without having a conspiratorial mindset about them. Paul sometimes makes it a package deal, as in his repeated suggestions that former Vice President Dick Cheney pushed the Iraq War because of his ties to Halliburton Co. a ridiculous charge that even Cheneys bitter Democratic opponents have had too much sense to make.
And you can set a high bar for taking action against an aggressive and illiberal foreign regime without making excuses for it. Paul doesnt always observe that distinction. Last summer, he suggested that the Syrian government might be innocent of using chemical weapons, the victim of a false-flag operation by its enemies. As Russia was preparing to annex Crimea this winter, Paul was saying that Ukraine had long been within the Kremlins sphere of influence and that the key thing was to not tweak Russia too much.
On the other side of the Republican divide, the hawks tend to brush off the publics reasonable concerns about their policies. Last year, New Jerseys Republican governor, Chris Christie, delivered a full-barreled attack on libertarianism. To oppose the National Security Agencys surveillance programs, he suggested, was to place more value on esoteric concerns than on the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.
It may be that Christie and like-minded Republicans could give a compelling answer to Americans who read news stories about surveillance and worry about their privacy or the governments competence. But to answer them would require first conceding that these widespread concerns are legitimate and shared by people who understand full well that the government has to fight terrorism.
While most voters are ambivalent about foreign policy, the ones who care most about the issue are the ones who have strong views, either hawkish or dovish. And because theyre identifiable constituencies, they tend to have outsize influence on the debate. The many Republican politicians who fall between the dovishness of a Paul and the hawkishness of, say, Sen. John McCain generally arent the ones who get a lot of media attention.
Excerpt from:
Ramesh Ponnuru: As foreign crises multiply, Republican squabbling isn't helping
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says the Australian head of state should be Australian. Photo: Pat Scala
Committed republican and Labor leader Bill Shorten has conceded the lovely visit of royal couple Kate and William, and their baby George, is winning Australian hearts and minds.
And he has declared many Australians are yet be convinced of the need for a local head of state.
Mr Shorten was challenged to commit the next Labor government to a legislative timetable for a republic at a forum in Melbourne on Tuesday where he called for Labor party reforms.
Another audience member called out as long as not directly elected before Mr Shorten could answer, in an echo of the debate that divided republicans at the 1999 referendum.
Advertisement
Mr Shorten said: I am a republican, [and] for the life of me have not found an argument which says why we should not have an Australian head of state.
But he said it was up to people who believed in a republic to convince others of the need.
Weve got the lovely visit currently by the young royals you know, theyre winning hearts and minds, thats great, he said.
If we want to explain to Australians why an Australian head of state is important, we cant just simply sit in a castle not that we would because were republicans.
Read more from the original source:
I'm a republican but 'lovely visit' from young royals is winning hearts and minds: Bill Shorten