Republican

The administration has been tough on the Putin regime but the president himself has been inconsistent.

If politics is the art of the possible, as Bismarck once said, then The Scrapbook’s corollary is especially germane these days: Politics is the art of getting away with as much hypocrisy as possible. Both parties are prone to this annoying habit, of course; but in the week since the sudden death of…

Presidential campaigns are never perfect. Troubles occur. What is supposed to happen doesn't happen. There's an old saying that no one has ever become a better person for having run for president. That's about as close to a reliable expectation of presidential campaigns as there is.

"It is safer to try to understand the low in the light of the high than the high in the light of the low. In doing the latter one necessarily distorts the high, whereas in doing the former one does not deprive the low of the freedom to reveal itself fully as what it is."

As I watched the last few Republican debates, I was distracted, not for the first time, by a most nonpolitical thought: Don't they feel silly all wearing blue suits, white shirts, and red ties?

Nashua, N.H.

Manchester, N.H.

Ames, Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa

With very little warning, the Republican primaries began in earnest at the Charleston debate on January 14, closing out a year of fundraising and polite jockeying. What had once been a field of 17 declared candidates—with 8 or 10 of them being serious, substantive contenders—was, by the end of the…

Those happy days for Democrats and the media—when House Republicans were angry with each other and divided—are over. The archconservatives of the House Freedom Caucus are mostly on board with Speaker Paul Ryan. So is Heritage Action, the serious-minded group that wants the most conservative ideas…

Within weeks of announcing his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in June, Donald Trump seized the lead in virtually every national poll of GOP voters and has held that lead ever since. The Real Clear Politics average has Trump polling at 35.6 percent, with a 17-point spread…

With just over a month until the Iowa caucuses, the Republican nomination field is taking clearer form. Of the original 17 candidates, only 4 can be said to remain in top contention: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Ben Carson.

On January 15, 1787, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote proudly from Prague to his friend Baron Gottfried von Jacquin: "Here nothing is talked about except Figaro; nothing is played, blown, sung, and whistled except Figaro; no opera draws the crowds like Figaro. It's always Figaro. Certainly it's a…

At full tide, 9 of the 17 Republicans running for the 2016 presidential nomination were current or former governors. There was a perfectly good reason so many were in the race: Governors have an advantage with voters. They are executives who make real-life decisions, not just talk about doing so.…

You're worried. Okay, you're alarmed. Actually, you're panicked. Donald Trump will be the nominee and destroy the party. It's embarrassing for the GOP that Ben Carson has so much support. Marco Rubio will be judged by voters too young and inexperienced for the Oval Office. Ted Cruz would be a…

The Trump phenomenon continues apace, immune to the boorishness and ignorance of its avatar. It does not seem to matter what Donald Trump says or does—he continues to lead the Republican field by a wide margin.

The Washington Examiner's Jim Antle has written a comprehensive piece about the Democrats' war on youth. Antle notes that politicians and pundits on the right have been pointing out ways in which Democrats' policies hurt young people.

The Washington Examiner's Jim Antle has written a comprehensive piece about the Democrats' war on youth. Antle notes that politicians and pundits on the right have been pointing out ways in which Democrats' policies hurt young people.

Presidential candidate Donald Trump is threatening to go to war with Republican rival Ted Cruz. Trump was asked about Cruz's rise on CNBC. 

A year ago, the Louisiana Democratic party seemed as dead as its allegedly habitual voters from New Orleans cemeteries. Yet with a governor’s race quickening to its November 21 conclusion, Republican senator David Vitter is proving the Democrats’ greatest necromancer.

Sioux City, Iowa

CNBC defends its performance at the last Republican debate by saying that candidates should be able to answer tough questions. Indeed they should. So, using the format of the CNBC questions to Republicans, here are some tough questions to ask Democrats at the next debate:

The process of winnowing the Republican presidential field to a few candidates is beginning to take its toll, though the first actual voting won’t occur until February.

There were a few weird moments at the debate last night, but none was stranger than the crowd reaction when John Kasich and Jeb Bush were talking about immigration. Both were unapologetically pro-amnesty. Neither bothered to make concessions about how problematic the breakdown of the rule of law is…

Pop quiz: Was the percentage of the U.S. population that is foreign-born higher in 1860, 1880, 1920, or on July 1, 2015?  If you answered “2015,” you’re right. The portion of the U.S. population that is foreign-born is now 13.5 percent, surpassing even the tallies for 1860 (13.2 percent), 1880…

This article originally appeared in the February 4, 2008 issue of THE WEEKLY STANDARD and is being published today in memory of Fred Thompson who passed away Sunday.

As we approach the third Republican presidential debate, conservatives should consider what they expect the next president to accomplish.

‘Republicans in Turmoil!” “Chaos Confounds GOP Congressmen!!” “Catastrophic Conservative Crack-Up Imminent!!!” “Trump Likely GOP Nominee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Republicans are in trouble. A significant bloc regards their congressional leaders—House speaker John Boehner, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, and their underlings—as enemies. A quarter or more of grassroots Republicans think Donald Trump should be president. And to make things worse,…

When you’ve been involved in presidential politics as long as Charlie Black, things get pretty simple. A good candidate is one who can communicate and isn’t mistake-prone. News coverage matters as much as ever. “The basic things don’t change,” he says.

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with editor William Kristol on the first Democratic Debate, the 2016 election, and the state of the GOP race for the nomination. 

In 1970, the year after Jack Kemp had retired as quarterback of the Buffalo Bills, he was elected to the House from a district covering the Buffalo suburbs. He was 35. His chief concern was the suffering of his Rust Belt constituents, beset by plant closings and high unemployment. In 1973, he…

The latest political happenings—the rise of Donald Trump, John Boehner’s surprise resignation as speaker of the House of Representatives, Hillary Clinton’s slide against the septuagenarian socialist Bernie Sanders—remind me of a verse from the old Rolling Stones song “Jigsaw Puzzle”:

After John Boehner announced he would be resigning as speaker of the House, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he would run to fill his position. Now there's a second congressional leadership race to fill the spot held by McCarthy.

Judging by the number of House and Senate seats, governorships, and state legislative seats it holds, the Republican party is stronger than at any point since the 1920s. Yet, going by the presidential nomination battle alone, the party is a mess. There are too many candidates, a few of whom are…

Some Republican presidential candidate was sure to come along with a credible tax reform plan to erase tax loopholes, preferences, and special breaks, broaden the tax base, and lower rates. Now Jeb Bush has done it. This marks a departure point in the GOP race.

How big a problem is it that the two leading Republican candidates for president aren’t actually qualified to be president?

How big a problem is it that the two leading Republican candidates for president aren’t actually qualified to be president?

The first two episodes of the new South Park season remind us why the term "South Park Conservative" exists. The show should also help us narrow down the GOP field to politicians who embody its values.

On Tuesday, the Washington Post published the cease and decist letter that Donald Trump's lawyer reportedly sent Club for Growth president David M. McIntosh, along with the promise of a multi-million dollar lawsuit if the group doesn't comply.

The Donald Trump candidacy has inspired a hundred writers to pen a thousand think pieces about the meaning of it all. Is Trump’s surge the sign of a new breed of populism? Is it the Tea Party reborn? Is it the reemergence of the old Ross Perot-Pat Buchanan strand of protectionism? Does it signal a…

What is happening in the world? When one looks at recent news, one can’t help feeling a sense of bewilderment. A storied Olympian announces his new gender on the cover of Vanity Fair, the Supreme Court declares same-sex marriage a constitutional right, racial violence returns to St. Louis and…

Republicans debated on the eve of Constitution Day, and did our founding document more justice than usual. The Republican debate on CNN was full of impressive performances by nearly all the candidates—and most who addressed the Constitution did so in a less clichéd way than they typically do. 

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with online editor Daniel Halper, wrapping up the CNN Republican Debate.

Senator Marco Rubio explained foreign policy in Russia and Syria concisely during Wednesday's Republican Debate. Putin is "trying to replace us as the single most important power broker in the Middle East and this president is allowing it." Watch the full clip here: 

As Jeb Bush and Donald Trump were arguing, Scott Walker interjected:

Juneau, Alaska

It’s been a rough month for Scott Walker. From February through July, the Wisconsin governor topped virtually every poll of likely GOP voters in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses. But after a lackluster performance in the opening Republican presidential debate on August 6, Walker dropped nearly…

More than a few Republican graybeards are panicking about how the rise of Donald Trump is pulling at the seams of the GOP’s big tent. However, the Republican establishment itself has played a big role in creating this particular Frankenstein’s monster.

While looking through the newest batch of Hillary Clinton emails released by the State Department, one finds a disturbing anti-Israel trend. Her advisers regularly criticized Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, the "US. Jewish community," and AIPAC.

While looking through the newest batch of Hillary Clinton emails released by the State Department, one finds a disturbing anti-Israel trend. Her advisers regularly criticized Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, the "US Jewish community," and AIPAC. 

If this was meant to be entertainment, all 10 Flying Wallendas refused to walk the high wire, none of the clowns got out of the tiny car, and the elephants just stood around relieving themselves.

The idea of writing a book about a presidential campaign that never happened had not occurred to Don Cogman. He had spent two years trying to get Mitch Daniels, then governor of Indiana, to run for president in 2012. His effort—and it was no small effort—had failed. Daniels had moved on, right out…

The Scrapbook can’t pretend to have had a misspent youth. But we did occasionally wallow in the spectacle of pro wrestling. And it’s pretty obviously the case, as a handful of astute observers have pointed out, that Donald Trump is a close student of, and has been deeply influenced by, the dramatic…

Needless to say, The Scrapbook is strictly neutral on the results of last week’s Republican presidential debate on Fox News. So neutral, in fact, that we won’t even mention any of the highlights—or lowlights, if you prefer—and certainly won’t weigh in on who swept the floor with whom, who…

In the first Republican presidential debate, Fox News's Bret Baier asked, "Is there anyone on stage -- and can I see hands - who is unwilling tonight to pledge your support to the eventual nominee of the Republican party, and to pledge to not run an independent campaign against that person?"

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with staff writer Jay Cost about Donald Trump's supporters.

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with executive editor Fred Barnes in which he offers advice for Republicans ahead of Thursday night's Republican debate in Cleveland.

Denver

Two political entities are in a state of panic. One is the leadership of the Republican party, suffering a fright attack over the visibility of Donald Trump as a Republican presidential candidate. The other is Hillary Clinton, whose Democratic presidential campaign plunges as she tries to appease…

In this week’s newsletter, I talked about Donald Trump’s electoral prospects in the context to two other reasonably successful, non-traditional candidates: Jesse Ventura and Ross Perot. My basic point is that voters are more likely to support fringe candidates than the establishment often assumes.…

Atlantic City 

Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska reports on the four central questions he's been getting from constituents on Iran:

The latest episode of Conversations With Bill Kristol, featuring Jeff Bell:

Bobby Jindal isn’t as close to announcing a run for president as some of his other would-be GOP rivals, but that hasn’t kept the Louisiana governor out of the news. In recent weeks, Jindal has spoken out on terrorism (he says, contra Obama, Islam “has a problem”), vaccines (he’s unequivocally for…

Given that nine in ten African-American women voted for Democrats in 2014, it may be no surprise that a focus group of urban, female, African-Americans had mostly contempt for all things “Republican” or “conservative.” But what was shocking is that this group also, unprompted, uniformly opposed…

The office of House speaker John Boehner has posted the full text of the Republican response to the State of the Union (breaking its own self-imposed embargo), to be delivered by Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa:

The Los Angeles Times reports:

Senator Jeff Sessions wants Congress to stop the "president's unlawful executive amnesty." And he believes that's precisely why "Voters sent Congress a Republican majority."

The editors at the San Francisco Chronicle have endorsed Republican Pete Peterson for secretary of state in California. Here's an excerpt from the endorsement:

2017 Project executive director Jeffrey Anderson issued a memorandum this morning reporting that the nonpartisan Center for Health & Economy has "scored" the group’s alternative to Obamacare. THE WEEKLY STANDARD readers are familiar with the broad case for the alternative (see here and here), which…

The Washington Post reports:

Greg Abbott, the Republican candidate for governor in Texas, is now accepting the digital currency Bitcoin. He's just now released this ad, letting supporters know:

Earlier this year, Arkansas Republican Tom Cotton—now locked in a toss-up Senate race with Democrat Mark Pryor—voted against the farm bill. According to politicos and pundits in Washington, D.C., this is a politically dangerous vote to have cast. This recent article from Politico mentions his farm…

Gary Palmer, who is seeking a House seat in Alabama, is a unique candidate. Until this year, he’d never run for political office. Yet he has a long and impressive record in politics. He was a walk-on for Bear Bryant’s University of Alabama football team – whoops, that’s not politics.

The Republican drive to capture the Senate in the 2014 midterm election got a significant boost Tuesday in North Carolina with the victory of house speaker Thom Tillis in the GOP Senate primary.  Tillis will face Democratic senator Kay Hagan in the November election.

Jonathan Strong of Breitbart reports that the Emergency Committee for Israel dropped a "brutal ad" targeting Republican Walter Jones of North Carolina. Here's the ad:

Mike Lee, perhaps the United States Senate’s leading voice for a conservative reform agenda, has now endorsed Ben Sasse in Nebraska’s Senate race.  Lee declared, “Nebraskans need Ben Sasse to represent their values, reformers in the Senate need his conservative vote, our country needs his voice.” …

Erin Bilbray, a Democratic congressional candidate in Nevada, uses Facebook to connect with friends and supporters alike. She also uses it to express support for musicians (Amy Winehouse, Dave Matthews) and, well, other not-so-wholesome things.

It’s not hard to imagine the story of Syria and the GOP going something like this:

House majority leader Eric Cantor appears to be following the boss's advice, as Robert Costa reports:

A new poll from Suffolk University finds Democratic congressman Ed Markey with a seven-point lead ahead of this month's special election for the U.S. Senate in Massachsuetts. In a survey of 500 likely voters, Markey received 48 percent support, while his Republican opponent, businessman and retired…

A big part of Obamacare is its massive expansion of Medicaid. Fortunately, this expansion can’t happen in most states without Republicans freely choosing to make it happen. Unfortunately, far too many Republican governors seem to be confused about the distinction between repealing Obamacare and…

While traveling to New Jersey today, President Barack Obama stiffed the Democratic opponent of Republican governor Chris Christie. Obama did not meet privately with Barbara Buono, the Democratic candidate. But he did walk along the Jersey Shore boardwalk with Christie.

Bill Kristol, with Nina Easton, Karl Rove, and Joe Trippi, on the Internet-only Fox News Sunday postgame show:

In the aftermath of Mitt Romney’s defeat in last fall’s election, and the defeat of a myriad of Republican Senate candidates (establishment and Tea Party alike) in Romney’s wake, Republicans are getting no shortage of free advice.  The quantity of that advice, however, is more apparent than its…

The following are excerpts of the Republican response to the State of the Union Address, which will be delivered by Marco Rubio:

THE WEEKLY STANDARD previously noted Senator David Vitter’s offense at Chuck Hagel’s “suggestion that my support of Israel is somehow contrary to my Constitutional oath.” Here’s Vitter’s full letter, laying out that concern and many others: 

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with Bill Kristol, hosted by Michael Graham:

The number two Republican in the Senate, John Cornyn, explains in an opinion piece why he is unable to support Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense:

As an ignorant but unabashed admirer of Xenophon, I was struck by this email from a reader, and thought other readers would enjoy it as well:

Idaho senator Mike Crapo, a Republican, was arrested last night after running a red light for allegedly driving under the influence. Crapo's arrest took place just outside Washington, D.C., in Alexandria, Virginia. 

In an interview with an Indianapolis radio station, Senator Dan Coats blasted Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama's rumored choice to be the next secretary of defense.

Late last night, the former Republican governor of Florida, Charlie Crist, announced on Twitter that he had officially joined the Democratic Party:

A Republican staffer in the House of Representatives has been fired for writing an unpopular memo. The crime? The memo suggested more lenient punishments for copyright offense.

Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming believes President Barack Obama is "comfortable going off the [fiscal] cliff."

Charlotte Allen writes:

Senate aides confirm that Republican senator Mitch McConnell has been reelected minority leader in the Senate. Conservative stalwarts Pat Toomey and Marco Rubio spoke in favor of McConnell's nomination at the closed door session.

A few thoughts on the resignation of David Petraeus as CIA director: Few American leaders had a stronger reputation for integrity and honor, so the reason he cited for his departure – an extramarital affair – comes as a shock to the nation and to those who know him best.

Former Republican governor Linda Lingle of Hawaii might win one of the major upsets in the U.S. Senate 2012 elections. As the most popular GOP figure in state history and an extraordinary campaigner, I suggest this despite the fact that Hawaii is one of the most Democratic states in the nation,…

The newly released Washington Post/ABC News poll of likely voters says that if the election were held today, Democrats would enjoy a 9-point advantage over Republicans in voter turnout (35 to 26 percent), and President Obama would beat Mitt Romney by 3 percentage points (49 to 46 percent).  The…

Buried in the middle of an interesting Politico article on GOP alarm over the Romney campaign's neglect of foreign policy and its "ham-handed response" to criticism on that score is this:

The Republican Jewish Coalition will be running this print ad in several Jewish newspapers, calling attention to the growing rift in the Democratic party over support of Israel: 

Tampa

Here are the remarks Marco Rubio plans to deliver this evening at the Republican convention in Tampa, Florida:

Tampa

The first day of the Republican convention had two highlights, one at its beginning, one at its end.

Here are New Jersey governor Chris Christie's remarks at the Republican convention, as prepared for delivery:

The Romney campaign released these excerpts of Ann Romney's speech, which she'll deliver tonight at the Republican convention in Tampa: 

From an undisclosed location in North Tampa

The Republican convention will highlight a debt clock, the party announced: 

Democrats are trying to use Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin's bizarre and offensive comments about rape and pregnancy to smear GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan. And many journalists are playing along.

Regardless of one's precise political peccadilloes, most of us agree this is one of the most important elections of our lifetime. However, one gets the feeling the Romney campaign, and even the RNC, either aren't aware of the stakes or, perhaps, just not sure of the best way to convey those stakes…

The New York Times reports that "a veteran Republican campaign consultant," speaking on the condition of anonymity and in an apparent time warp, said, "Anytime Republicans are debating taxes and the economy, we’re winning. Anytime we’re debating health care, they’re winning." In 2008, this might…

Adam Kinzinger, the 34-year-old Republican congressman from Illinois, considers September 11 2001 the first of two major, life-changing moments for him. The second came five years later, in 2006, when Kinzinger and his then-girlfriend were walking down Milwaukee’s North Avenue after having dinner…

Some high profile candidates have decided not to attend their parties' national conventions later this summer. This is news, but one is inclined to wonder why. After all, would you want to spend three days in August, listening to speakers as they introduce some "great and distinguished American"…

Virginia governor Bob McDonnell has been named chairman of the Republican National Convention Committee on Resolutions. The committee, generally referred to as the Platform Committee, will help set the agenda for the Republican party and convene during the party's convention next month in Tampa,…

National Public Radio has a blog post about President Obama's statement this morning on the private sector--and how conservatives reacted to the president's assertion that"the private sector is doing fine." The title of the post? "GOP Dope Slaps Obama For Saying Private Sector's 'Doing Fine.'"

Mitt Romney, with his wife Ann, met this afternoon in Los Angeles with former first lady Nancy Reagan to receive her endorsement. "Mitt and Ann Romney joined me at my home this afternoon for some lemonade and cookies and I offered my firm endorsement of his campaign for President," Reagan says in a…

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is projected to win today's primary in Texas, giving the former Massachusetts governor enough delegates to secure his party's nomination. The presumptive Republican nominee will of course face Democratic President Barack Obama in November's general…

Now that Mitt Romney has sewn up the Republican presidential nomination, the general election battle has begun. Team Obama obviously recognizes this; since Romney basically sealed the deal after the Wisconsin primary in April, the president and his team have launched a series of attacks designed to…

In the 39 months that President Obama has held office, party affiliation has swung 10 points against his party.

Christian Heinze reports on the latest Monmouth University, showing that New Jersey Republican governor Chris Christie remains popular at home: 

The latest taunt in the world of playground politics seems to be “Social Darwinist.”  Which, if you don’t know what it means, would be the theory that the toughest do not merely survive, but prevail, and deservedly so.

The latest Republican National Committee web ad, titled "Same Tired Rhetoric," shows that President Obama keeps saying the same thing over (and over!) again:

It's over: CNN estimates that Barack Obama has won enough delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination for president in 2012.

PPP reports on its latest Wisconsin presidential primary poll, ahead of tomorrow's election there:

In many ways, the story of the 2012 Republican primary has been the inability of Mitt Romney to win over more than a third of self-identified “strong Tea Party supporters” or “very conservative” voters. If he had received the support of those voters, even a slim majority of them, the race would…

With Mitt Romney leading the delegate race and the rapid coalescing of conservatives around him – Jeb Bush, Mike Lee, Marco Rubio, and Paul Ryan with formal endorsements, and Jim DeMint and Pat Toomey with quasi-endorsements – there is increasing speculation about who the former Massachusetts…

The month of April is a big one in the GOP nomination battle, with major states in the Midwest and Northeast up for grabs, and more than 300 delegates at stake.

The latest Rasmussen poll of likely Republican voters in Maryland finds Mitt Romney well ahead of his rivals:

The Republican presidential primary race in Pennsylvania is tightening, according to the findings of a recently released Franklin and Marshall poll:

The media specialize in spotting political blunders, miscues, and lost battles by Republicans. And reporters and commentators have found a lot of them in the past year. The fight over the debt limit increase, the refusal to reach agreement with President Obama on a “grand bargain” to cut the…

Rick Santorum’s 22-point margin of victory in yesterday’s Louisiana primary was the 2nd-largest in any GOP primary this year — and was the largest outside of any candidate’s home state. Santorum received 49 percent of the vote in the Bayou State, equaling the combined tallies of Mitt Romney (27…

While it’s clear that regional variations have played a role thus far in the Republican primaries — with Mitt Romney doing well in the Northeast but not in the South, for example — breaking down the contests along other lines might help shed some additional light on the race. It’s perhaps…

Late in 2003, Charles Krauthammer coined the phrase “Bush Derangement Syndrome” to describe the rage of the left at our 43rd president, a loathing so intense that when the president was reelected his anguished opponents needed grief therapy simply to cope. This morphed in time into Palin…

As the nomination battle on the Republican side drags on, with no ostensible end in sight, I can’t help but ask myself: Who is responsible for the Republican party? What person or group is out there to make sure that the GOP does not shoot itself in the foot before November? Who is there to…

The latest Public Policy Polling survey shows Rick Santorum leading Mitt Romney by 15 percentage points in the Republican presidential race. In the wake of his upset victory in Colorado and his lopsided wins in Missouri and Minnesota, Santorum now has 38 percent support nationally among usual…

When Mitt Romney won the Florida primary last Tuesday by 14 percentage points, how many people in America imagined that when Colorado, Missouri, and Minnesota were contested just seven days later, he would fail to win in any of them? But it wasn’t just that Romney lost. In Minnesota and Missouri,…

Was yesterday Super Tuesday? Only three states had contests, and one was a beauty primary commanding no delegates. On the other hand, it was the first day in which there were races in more than one state, more delegates were selected yesterday than on any day of the primary season so far, and about…

To the Republicans of the states of Missouri, Minnesota, and Colorado:

Here’s how many votes the respective Republican presidential candidates got in Florida for every $1,000 that they or their super PACs spent on TV advertising in the state (according to ad figures published by the Washington Post as of Friday): 

More than anyone else during any of the previous Republican presidential debates, Rick Santorum took dead aim tonight at the similarities between Romneycare and Obamacare. Arguing that those similarities could pose great problems for the Republican party and for the prospects for repeal if Mitt…

It seems there is room for another candidate--say, Mitch Daniels, for example, or even Bobby Jindal--to make a late entry into the Republican primary field. Consider Rasmussen's latest survey:

After two combative debates in South Carolina that helped change the trajectory of the Republican race, the first of two debates in Florida was relatively low key and seems unlikely to change anything. With good answers and very good luck, Mitt Romney recovered after a tough week that had two…

A new poll from Florida conduced by InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Research finds 34.4 percent of Republican voters going for Newt Gingrich and 25.6 percent for Mitt Romney. Ron Paul has support from 13.1 percent, while Rick Santorum gets 10.7 percent.

Mitt Romney needs a big idea. And it’s not the one he cited at the beginning of his speech after his humiliating loss to Newt Gingrich in the South Carolina primary Saturday. Executive experience matters, Romney said. He has it and Gingrich, like President Obama, doesn’t.

It's notoriously hard to judge the political consequences of candidate debates. The media and political elites tend to opine as either drama critics judging performance art or as professors judging intellectual arguments. Doing well on one or another of these criteria can matter for a candidate.…

North Charleston, S.C.

In a pinch, Newt Gingrich resorts to his specialty: attacking the media. He did it again Thursday night in the Republican presidential debate in North Charleston, South Carolina. And the audience responded enthusiastically to his angry denunciation of CNN moderator John King for making his former…

This morning, the Republican leadership on the Hill announced that Indiana governor Mitch Daniels would deliver the GOP response Tuesday night to President Obama’s State of the Union Address. An hour ago, a dark lady mysteriously appeared at our offices and dropped off an envelope before vanishing…

If Jon Huntsman’s presidential campaign had a theme or a defining characteristic—something voters might easily identify with the candidate—it was probably his often-repeated contention that the country was facing a “trust deficit” between its citizens and elected officials. It’s no small irony,…

The latest InsiderAdvantage poll of likely registered voters in the South Carolina Republican primary:

An Insider Advantage poll from South Carolina, taken after the New Hampshire primary, shows Mitt Romney with a narrow lead over Newt Gingrich. Romney has 23 percent support to Gingrich’s 21 percent support. Rick Santorum is in third place, with 14 percent support, followed by Ron Paul (13 percent…

Newt Gingrich edged Rick Santorum for 4th place in the New Hampshire Republican primary, nipping him by 49 votes, as the final tally came in as follows:  Mitt Romney, 39 percent; Ron Paul, 23 percent; Jon Huntsman, 17 percent; Gingrich, 9 percent; Santorum, 9 percent; and Rick Perry, 1 percent. …

Politico reports on the latest New Hampshire poll from Democratic-leaning firm PPP:

Concord, N.H.

The Republican candidates did a pretty good job of making their cases tonight, given that they were dealing with questioners whose combination of bias and silliness was stunning, even by mainstream media standards.

Radio host Laura Ingraham asked Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum about a possible alliance between himself and fellow candidate Newt Gingrich.

The thrill is gone. Enthusiasm fired by the Republican sweep in the 2010 election has faded as fear of blowing the opportunity to defeat President Obama in 2012 has grown. Republican control of the House has produced tense relations between GOP leaders (plus many members) and conservative groups…

Matthew Continetti predicted earlier today that tonight's debate could be “Michele's Moment.” He may well prove to be right.

The boss this morning took the stage with Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire. Smiling, and in good cheer, the boss noted that he and Ayotte had a “tough act to follow—Vice President Rubio and Secretary of State Pawlenty.”

For the first time, Newt Gingrich has moved into first place in Gallup’s net favorability ratings. Here are the candidates’ respective tallies among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents:

Last night, the tail end of Thanksgiving weekend, Republican presidential candidate Buddy Roemer made a major announcement. “Senator Joe Lieberman’s reputation as a reformer and a man of integrity is unrivaled in American politics,” Roemer said in a press release sent out by his campaign. “He is…

The latest Gallup poll of registered Republican and Republican-leaning voters shows Newt Gingrich in first place in the race for the GOP presidential nomination, edging Mitt Romney by 1 percentage point (22 to 21 percent).  Herman Cain is in 3rd place, with 16 percent support — followed by Ron Paul…

The Daily Caller reports: 

Earlier this month, I looked at the Democratic campaign argument. Today, I’m going to look more closely at the GOP’s.

Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, and Rick Santorum had pretty credible performances in tonight’s CBS/National Journal debate in South Carolina. Tonight’s Republican presidential primary match-up was focused on foreign policy and national security.

Spartanburg, South Carolina

Supposing Wall Street were to be occupied . . . what then? Would the left’s occupation be brutal, like that of occupied Poland or France? Presumably not. Would it be a reluctant and benevolent occupation, like Israel’s of the West Bank? Perhaps. Or would its occupation resemble an occupied…

The latest CBS/New York Times GOP presidential preference poll has Herman Cain at 25 percent, Mitt Romney 21, Newt Gingrich 10, Ron Paul 8, Rick Perry 6, Michele Bachmann 2, Jon Huntsman 1, and Rick Santorum 1. A quarter of respondents failed to choose any of the announced candidates. And most of…

Historians will little note nor long remember what President Obama said in his jobs speech to Congress last Thursday night. For one thing, it was painfully obvious that the main job Obama was concerned to save was his own. But some may, after Obama leaves office in January 2013, recall the inspired…

I’m in New York, and the hotels are jammed with diplomats and bureaucrats associated with the U.N. General Assembly session, which opened yesterday. Overhearing various conversations at breakfast, I was reminded of John Bolton’s comment that "The secretariat building in New York has 38 stories. If…

Phil Klein: "GOP debate winner: 'None of the above'"

Last week, the Almighty expressed His displeasure over Paul Ryan's decision not to run for president by sending us an earthquake and a storm. But Ryan still refuses to reconsider. So we at THE WEEKLY STANDARD have put dreams of Ryan-Rubio 2012 on hold, and have turned our attention to other…

Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan is strongly considering a run for president. Ryan, who has been quietly meeting with political strategists to discuss a bid over the past three months, is on vacation in Colorado discussing a prospective run with his family. Ryan’s concerns about the effects of a…

The intentions of Democrats are only the best. They want all of the old to have lavish retirements, all of the young to have scholarships, verse-penning cowboys to have festivals funded by government, and everyone to have access to all the best health care, at no cost to himself. In the face of a…

Earlier this month, an aide to Jon Huntsman promised that his candidate would resist the angry tone and name-calling of modern political campaigns. “I think he’ll make it clear where he disagrees when it comes to policy and where he wants to take this country, but for him this is a campaign based…

Former ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, who was governor of Utah before serving in the Obama administration, has just announced that he's running for president. Huntsman joins the Republican field of at least seven others (Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain,…

Rick Santorum welcomes Jon Huntsman to the GOP primary field with this little shot across the bow:

I was interviewing Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky on February 17, in his temporary office in the Russell building on Capitol Hill, when his chief of staff Doug Stafford entered the room.

Santa Monica

After New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's recent praise of Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels yesterday, I joked that Daniels/Christie would make an awfully good ticket for 2012.

Three months ago, in this space, I half-jokingly suggested a Ryan-Rubio ticket in 2012:

Hmmm:

Freshman Wisconsin senator Ron Johnson, one of the most promising of the new wave of Tea Party-allied Republican legislators, was chosen to give the Republican radio address, delivered just after President Obama’s weekly radio offering, on Saturday, January 29. This was a notable assignment for a…

We recently uncovered a memo, circulated to Washington journalists after the 1994 election, which is again pertinent after November's midterm election. It was published in the Wall Street Journal under Andrew Ferguson's byline and, as the original piece disclaimed, "Any relation to any actual memo…

Indiana Republican governor Mitch Daniels was profiled last night on Fox News:

Fred Barnes writes in today's Wall Street Journal: