Here's a link in case you missed it this morning.

Posted by Nancy French at 08:33 PM on July 28, 2010 | Permalink

He'll be on at about 7:50.

Posted by Nancy French at 08:31 PM on July 28, 2010 | Permalink

... about his class warfare Charles pointed out yesterday:

On Monday, Pawlenty met with reporters at the Christian Science Monitor in Washington, where he cast himself as a Republican who could shake the impression that the GOP is a party of “country-club elitists.” Pawlenty also said that it helps to have a “messenger who has at least walked in [voters’] shoes.”

“I’m not a class-warfare guy,” Santorum tells National Review Online in reaction to Pawlenty’s remarks. “That’s the Democrats’ gig. They like to divide and play the class card. We don’t have classes in America — I don’t even like the term ‘middle class.’ People are lower income or middle income, and the dynamism of this country is that you can rise, and sometimes fall, but you are not stuck in classes. We should not get into that kind of rhetoric, or showing some sort of prejudice.”

Posted by Nancy French at 12:51 AM on July 28, 2010 | Permalink

Fox News: Lawsuit Claims College Ordered Student to Alter Religious Views on Homosexuality, Or Be Dismissed

ABC News: Georgia Grad Student Sues University Over Gay Sensitivity Training

Posted by Nancy French at 11:27 PM on July 27, 2010 | Permalink

I got a nice note from a reader:

I just saw the article on Foxnews.com and I saw David's name as the attorney. I said to myself, where have I seen that name before? It finally came to me, Evangelicals for Mitt. Ya'll are awesome. Tell David thank you for standing up for what is right.

I actually didn't realize how much David was pasted over the news this week. Have you guys seen him? Tomorrow, catch him on CNN live at 9:30 Central, and later on the Michael Medved Show.

What's causing all the hoopla? This.

UPDATE:

David should be on CNN between 9:20 and 9:30 Central.

Posted by Nancy French at 11:07 PM on July 27, 2010 | Permalink

Nancy, I must not be a Republican either, because the boots I've got in the closet are camouflage and at this point, I can't afford a yard, let alone an animal to keep in it.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 05:24 AM on July 27, 2010 | Permalink

Charles, thanks for pointing this quote out. Here's the context:

"What do people think when they think about Republicans? What's the stereotype?" he asked. "We're all CEOs or sons or daughters of CEOs. We play polo on the weekends. We never got our fingernails dirty. We drink Chablis and eat brie. Uh, that's not my story, and it's not the story for the Tea Party, and it's not the story for most Republicans."

I'm about as Republican you can be, and I've never played polo, been to a match, or even known one person who's ever played polo. Charles, you are young and hip. Do you have boots in the closet and a horse in the backyard?

(Neither do I drink Chablis or eat brie that I know of. Unless I'm at one of those parties with the cheese trays and you need something to munch on while chatting.) But the polo thing seems a little bit like a stretch, no?

Posted by Nancy French at 11:59 PM on July 26, 2010 | Permalink

Who could Gov. Pawlenty have been talking about?

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 09:15 PM on July 26, 2010 | Permalink

Our guy!

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 09:13 PM on July 26, 2010 | Permalink

Some of you follow David's cases with shock and awe, but here is an absolute doozy. An Illinois professor was fired for teaching about Catholic beliefs in a class on ... wait for it... Catholicism.

So here is the press release, but here is a video David made to explain it a tad more:

Posted by Nancy French at 06:13 PM on July 26, 2010 | Permalink

Me too.

Sarah Palin to Take Kate Gosselin and Kids Camping on 'Kate Plus Eight'

Posted by Nancy French at 12:30 AM on July 23, 2010 | Permalink

People who've read this blog for a while -- we started in 2006! -- know that one of our constant themes is that people of faith and values need to stick together, whether we agree about certain doctrines.

This recent case, about a grad student at Augusta State University who was told she had to change her Biblical beliefs to graduate, perfectly demonstrates the point.

Keeton VNR from ADF Media Relations on Vimeo.

The Alliance Defense Fund's Center for Academic Freedom is representing this student, and I -- for one -- am thankful for people like David who are standing between the universities and the rest of America and trying to bring sense to these situations.

When it comes to politics, the same principle applies. People of values need to stick together without being separated by bickering, accusations, and doctrinal differences. It's a tough world out there.

Posted by Nancy French at 11:26 PM on July 22, 2010 | Permalink

I haven't followed every detail of the Georgia gubernatorial race, but Gov. Romney has endorsed former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel, whom Gov. Palin has also endorsed, in the pending runoff. She's going against former Congressman Nathan Deal, endorsed by Speaker Gingrich.

It's odd to me to see Georgia Right to Life going hard against a candidate, according to Politico, largely because she isn't against abortion in the case of rape or incest. That doesn't seem to me to be the urgent life issue of our day.

I raise this because I wonder if this will not feed into the misguided "Romney isn't really pro-life" meme. If it does, that strikes me as quite silly. If being for outlawing abortion even in the case of rape or incest is the standard for whether or not someone qualifies as being pro-life, we might as well give up the fight for life.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 10:41 PM on July 21, 2010 | Permalink

John sent this spoof on the Old Spice commercials, made by BYU.

Posted by Nancy French at 06:07 PM on July 21, 2010 | Permalink

For the record, I tweet, and I love Gov. Palin (even though she's not my choice for 2012). Notwithstanding all of that, it is unfortunate that an increasing amount of our national discourse takes place in 140-character-or-less blurbs typed with one's thumbs, and this, from Alexandra Petri of the Washington Post, is funny:

Refudiate: (verb) a word Sarah Palin just coined on Twitter.

Meaning: something "peaceful muslims" should "pls" do.

Use in a sentence: "Ground Zero Mosque supporters: doesn’t it stab you in the heart, as it does ours throughout the heartland? Peaceful Muslims, pls refudiate."

Country of Origin: Unclear, but you can see Russia.

Explanation: "'Refudiate,' 'misunderestimate,' 'wee-wee'd up.' English is a living language. Shakespeare liked to coin new words too. Got to celebrate it!"

Note: As someone who has never, personally, been "wee-wee’d" up but thinks it sounds like a painful process that would be difficult to reverse, I’m overwhelmed by Palin's boldness. Churchill said of Ramsay MacDonald that "He has, more than any other man, the gift of compressing the largest amount of words into the smallest amount of thought." But why even bother with the words? Sarah Palin has broken down the last boundary, and now the sky is her limit. Soon, her speeches will just be things like: "For too long, Americans have wandered in a gormless wabe, mimsy and absturpated. Can’t the U.S. government corribulate this reticulousity?" Well, can we? I'm not sure.

Sure, Shakespeare did this, but he was -- how to put this? -- Shakespeare. He wasn't trying to encourage people to take action on the political scene. He was writing plays, and his words usually came with context -- something "refudiate" lacks. I still am not entirely sure what it means, and if someone told me to "pls refudiate" anything, my circuits would be overrun, and I would have to lie down somewhere. Besides, just because Shakespeare did something doesn't make it all right. He also wrote "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and that includes fairies and men with donkey heads -- two things I doubt Palin would endorse.

Maybe she'll prove me wrong and "refudiate" will catch on. But if she runs in 2012, I hope we’re horpswangling enough to grountify her. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 07:29 PM on July 19, 2010 | Permalink

From Slate, who reports on Gov. Romney's latest tweet:

"TIME says unnamed advisors disparaged @SarahPalinUSA. Anonymous numbskulls.She's proven her smarts; they've disproven theirs."

I am torn. How can a person who uses the word "numbskull" be so much cooler than I am? Because he's doing it in a tweet.

Let's hope the "anonymous staffers" can keep it together for a while, so we can at least get to 2011 without killing each other.

UPDATE: I just realized this may have been the first time that the word "numbskull" has been tweeted.

Posted by Nancy French at 10:01 AM on July 17, 2010 | Permalink

Via Politico, via Jonathan Martin:

With roughly 18 months to go until the Iowa caucuses, here’s what the latest fundraising numbers and recent activity of potential 2012 Republican presidential candidates tell us: Mitt Romney is the traditional front-runner, Sarah Palin is a not-so-traditional force, and Tim Pawlenty is the early bird. As for Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee, they want to stay in the conversation.

There’s one other sign worth noting: It appears that many GOP mouths and wallets are staying shut until Haley Barbour and Mitch Daniels reveal their intentions.

Posted by Nancy French at 01:00 PM on July 16, 2010 | Permalink

Wow. In what seemed like a surprising endorsement, Gov. Romney has endorsed Bill Haslam in Tennessee's race for Governor.

In a release, Romney states, “Bill Haslam’s experience as a successful businessman and mayor make him uniquely qualified to lead Tennessee through these challenging economic times. A committed conservative, he will make the hard decisions necessary to balance the budget, get the economy back on the right track, and help put people back to work,” said Romney.

Romney’s PAC is also sending Haslam’s campaign a $2,500 primary election contribution.

Read the rest here. What do you Tennesseans think?

Posted by Nancy French at 12:54 PM on July 16, 2010 | Permalink

I know many of you have very passionate feelings about LeBron Smith's decision to leave Cleveland. But I doubt you've called yourself "LawBron."

Posted by Nancy French at 12:53 PM on July 16, 2010 | Permalink

Kathryn Lopez tweets:

laura ingraham says mitt romney showed up at her boston obama diaries booksigning "looking all fonzerelli," in jeans, with messed up hair.

Posted by Nancy French at 12:50 PM on July 16, 2010 | Permalink

This might be moderately interesting for you guys in East Tennessee:

At last night’s final debate of the gubernatorial primary, Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam got an earful from his Republican rivals and the lone Democratic candidate. Today, there's another organization trying to take him down as well.

This morning, the Des Moines, Iowa-based “American Future Fund” has bought television time and begun airing a commercial on TV stations across the state. The ad accuses Haslam and his family company Pilot Oil of price-gouging on gasoline sales in the wake of Hurricane Ike in 2008.

The weird thing is that NPR and Iowa Independent have claimed the people behind the "American Future Fund" were formerly employed by the 2008 Romney presidential campaign. But Eric Fehrnstrom says it ain't so.

Posted by Nancy French at 09:30 AM on July 14, 2010 | Permalink

As I sit here at the breakfast table, I thought I'd finally had a breakthrough with Naomi over food. Almost everything is new to her, and she has rebelled again (of all things) bacon and sausage and eggs. Basically anything that gives protein before lunch. Anyway, I thought I'd won because she asked for more sausage, but as I took up her dishes, I saw several sausages hidden in her milk.

Oh well... Anyway, this was interesting to me... and good news for Republicans who support the guy who's economically so strong. Chris Cillizza reports:

Six in ten Americans say they are likely to look around for someone new in the fall election according to the latest Washington Post/ABC national poll, an ominous sign for incumbents with the 2010 midterms less than four months off.

Sixty percent of all adults -- and 62 percent of registered voters -- said they preferred to look around at their options while 25 percent of adults and 26 percent of registered voters said they planned to cast a vote to re-elect their incumbent.

While the numbers don't represent significant change from the Post/ABC June poll -- 29 percent re-elect/60 percent look around -- they do signal a sustained disinterest among the public to simply default to their incumbent.

Compare where the electorate stands on the question to how they felt in the immediate run-up to the 1994 election -- the first midterm of Bill Clinton's presidency that saw Republicans regain control of the House for the first time in four decades. In a late October Post/ABC poll that year, 37 percent of registered voters said they planned to vote to re-elect their incumbent while 56 percent said they were looking around.

Other data points in the latest Post/ABC survey make clear the volatility within the electorate -- thanks is large part to worry and unhappiness about the economy.

Just one in ten described the state of the economy as either "excellent" or "good" while just one in four adults said that they believed the economy was getting better.

Those numbers -- combined with an erosion of confidence in President Barack Obama [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/12/AR2010071205453.html] -- should rightly worry Democrats who are seeking to preserve their House and Senate majorities this fall.

While voter unrest doesn't fall more heavily on either party in the Post/ABC poll, Democrats control a significantly larger chunk of seats in both chambers so the more voters express a willingness to try something new, the more it hurts Democrats.

Try something new? You hear that, Naomi?

Posted by Nancy French at 10:56 AM on July 13, 2010 | Permalink

Mark's e-mail below puzzled me. Sarah Palin? Cocaine? I was totally confused. After googling, I realized he was not kidding. Mike Huckabee, as the host of a television program, jokingly said Sarah Palin was doing drugs.

I was a little shocked to see the segment, which he admitted would end up on YouTube. Does he really act like a man who is seeking the highest office in the land?

Posted by Nancy French at 11:27 AM on July 11, 2010 | Permalink

Mark B. Lowe from RightoSphere takes me to task a bit on my previous Huckabee post:

Nancy,

I think you missed the point.  Huckabee actually never said anything against Mormons per sé.  He did, however, absolutely, positively, without a shadow of a doubt exploit the bigotry of others against them.  He did that in many sundry ways, not just that "innocent" question.

You also missed the other bit he did in that paragraph.  "My conflicts with Romney had NOTHING to do with his religion or mine. It had to do with his inconsistency on issues ranging from guns, abortion, taxes, health care, same sex marriage, mandates of the government, etc."

Three things from that:

(1) Huckabee never specifies exactly where or how Mitt is inconsistent in "guns, abortion, taxes, health care, same sex marriage, mandates of the government, etc."  He only states them as unimpeachable fact.

(2) Huckabee is STILL fighting 2008.  Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney have moved on.  In fact, all of the 2008 GOP contenders have moved on.  The sole exception is Mike Huckabee.

(3) Compare the following synopsis of recent comments by the three main GOP 2012 hopefuls about each other:

Sarah Palin: "Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee are good guys worthy of our respect."
Mitt Romney: "Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee are good guys worthy of our respect."
Mike Huckabee: "Sarah Palin snorts coke, and Mitt Romney is a flip-flopper."

Who's the odd-man out?  Who, supposedly, is the "Christian"?

Nancy, I have, I really have tried to put 2008 behind me, to let things go, to forgive and forget what Mike Huckabee did two years ago.  We all make mistakes.  I have tried to find reasons to believe that Mike is attempting to improve himself.  Yet he keeps being a weasel.  This latest bit is just one example of it.

Posted by Nancy French at 11:15 AM on July 11, 2010 | Permalink

David Frum wrote a slightly critical piece on Gov. Huckabee earlier, to which Mike himself penned a response. Frum stated that the Arkansas governor was not politically discerning when it came to policy, that his religious appeal wasn't large enough, and that he was socially out of touch with modern America. Huckabee wrote back, and said, in part, this:

"I have not been critical of Mormons nor of Mitt Romney’s religion."

Which is interesting, considering just this one fact -- and there are others. Remember when the ordained Southern Baptist minister asked that New York Times Sunday Magazine, “Don’t Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers?”

Are we supposed to believe he was just being spiritually inquisitive, and figured the reporter might know more about it than he did? Even though he described himself as being "the only Republican candidate with a degree in theology?" (Though he doesn't have that degree, after all. Oops!)

Anyway, frequently, people who are not impressed by Gov. Huckabee's economic record (or his laxity when it comes to letting convicted criminals out of jail), will say to me, "He just needs to go back to the pulpit."

However, this is the last place we need people who play so loose with the truth.

Posted by Nancy French at 03:09 PM on July 09, 2010 | Permalink

David and Charles, it's good to have you back! So, Charles is vacationing in South Carolina? Does he also swing through Iowa? Maybe he's running for President?

Thanks, David for your thoughts on the whole idea that the Governor is going to give up on social conservatives. I just don't buy that he is.

Also, in case you are interested in taking the kiddos to the movies this week, read Rebecca Cusey's review of Despicable Me. Do you have young children? Leave a comment here for a chance to win a free 40 Year anniversary edition Classic Sesame Street DVD set! (There are only two comments, so your chance of winning is pretty high.) And, have you ever thought of owning chickens as a family project? (Yes, you!)

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Posted by Nancy French at 02:53 PM on July 09, 2010 | Permalink

Yes, I know I've been a delinquent poster, but I have a good excuse: The Supreme Court of the United States ruined my week. But while I'm still busy picking up the pieces of free association on campus, I had to weigh in on what seems like an emerging meme: Mitt Romney will "surrender" evangelicals in 2012.

Such talk is wholly and completely premature. As much as we all like to speculate about political strategies in campaigns that won't start for more than a year, it's pointless. We just won't know what the world will look like in late 2011 and early 2012, when the Republican primary will be most intensely contested.

I do think, however, we can predict the circumstances under which the Governor's religion will (or will not) be an important factor in the race. In fact, we can map it out with near mathematical precision: The focus on the Governor's religion will be directly related to Republican confidence in victory over Obama and inversely related to the unemployment rate.

In other words, the greater the Republican confidence in victory, the greater the likelihood that a fellow Republican -- in a no-holds-barred quest for electoral victory -- will try to destroy Mitt through any means possible, including playing the religious card. We'll call this "pulling a Huckabee." Why was the Clinton/Obama primary so intense? Perhaps because the Dems knew that the general election was theirs to lose, so the primary became the real contest. Preserving party unity is less important when you believe the general election will be a cakewalk.

At the same time, the worse the economic situation (as embodied by the unemployment rate), the greater the Governor's chances of countering a religious attack as a diversion. Unquestionably, the public views his economic expertise as his greatest strength, and as the economy worsens (or remains in tough shape), the greater the demand for his expertise.

Fundamentally, I believe that if the economy remains bad, that will be the single greatest factor in the upcoming election (unless there's a dramatic development in the war, a natural disaster, or an unforeseen scandal), and that fact alone will allow the Governor to deflect most of the religion questions.

Posted by David French at 12:39 PM on July 09, 2010 | Permalink

Given President Obama's glaring domestic policy missteps, it is understandable that the public has largely been blinded to his foreign policy failings. In fact, these may have been even more damaging to America's future. He fought to reinstate Honduras's pro-Chávez president while stalling Colombia's favored-trade status. He castigated Israel at the United Nations but was silent about Hamas having launched 7,000 rockets from the Gaza Strip. His policy of "engagement" with rogue nations has been met with North Korean nuclear tests, missile launches and the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel, while Iran has accelerated its nuclear program, funded terrorists and armed Hezbollah with long-range missiles. He acceded to Russia's No. 1 foreign policy objective, the abandonment of our Europe-based missile defense program, and obtained nothing whatsoever in return.

Read it all here.

Posted by Nancy French at 02:19 PM on July 06, 2010 | Permalink

Nancy, I believe the last time I blogged was when I was on vacation. I thought I'd get points for that, but alas, no. ;-)

Seriously, very sorry to hear about all the sickness and missed trips in the French home. We've had some sickness here, but not as much, and certainly no messed-up escapes to Chicago. (Did start a new job last week, though.)

As I was running around last week, I saw this story in the Boston Globe on Gov. Romney's religion in Jonathan Martin's Twitter feed. It begins:

Mitt Romney and his strategists expected his Mormon faith to fade as an issue for fundamentalist Christians during his first presidential campaign. This time around, should he choose to run again, they have doubts.

The idea during the 2008 campaign was that exposure to the candidate himself — a likable, teetotaling family man — would help convince people that there was nothing to fear in his beliefs. But even as the national Republican establishment warms to Romney as never before, the former candidate and his closest aides now believe a group of voters will always be off-limits because of his religion.

“There are some people for whom it will not be settled,’’ Romney said in a recent interview. “That’s just the nature of who we are as a people: A lot of people have differing views.’’

That acknowledgment is just one part of a growing consensus within Romney’s circle that his 2008 campaign’s almost obsessive focus on winning over social conservatives was not only unsuited to his strengths as a candidate, but strategically misguided.

“You’re not really going to alter your main message to accommodate this tiny group,’’ said Carl Forti, who served as the campaign’s national political director. “You’re going to acknowledge that there’s this small group of people and move on.’’

I don't know anything about the reporter here, but this reads to me like an account by someone who doesn't really understand evangelicals. My take, at least, is that while there is a small group of evangelicals who will never consider voting for a Mormon, it doesn't follow from this that "winning over social conservatives" should not be a priority. The former group (those who will never come around) are a small subset of evangelicalism; the latter is a large group that includes most evangelicals but is by no means limited to them. So even if there are some evangelicals who will never get the distinction between voting for a pastor and a president, Gov. Romney must still emphasize that part of his persona (there's more, obviously, but it's a key part) that centers upon being a family man and looks at what those values mean in public life.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 06:22 PM on July 05, 2010 | Permalink

From the Boston Herald:

Former Gov. Mitt Romney is having an off-the-record barbecue at his Lake Winnipesaukee home this week, inviting press for burgers and dogs at a relaxing two-hour summertime shindig. The push to schmooze is yet another indication of Romney’s intentions for a 2012 race.

Other, unrelated notes:

1. Since we returned from Africa, my dog has been at the vet 5 times and was just hospitalized. That means that our family trip to Chicago has been canceled and all of us are pretty much depressed today about our family pet.

2. Does anyone remember when David and Charles blogged at EFM? Me either.

Posted by Nancy French at 04:59 PM on July 05, 2010 | Permalink

So, I know there are a lot of you who are big Twi-Hards. (I must admit, that I went to see Eclipse with five of my girlfriends... and David!) But how do you fee about the relationship between Bella and Edward? It's chaste, but sheesh -- is this healthy?

(Leave a comment there, but no plot spoilers -- I haven't read the last book!)

Posted by Nancy French at 10:58 AM on July 02, 2010 | Permalink

From a helpful reader, Alan, a synopsis of the study I mentioned below here.

Thanks -- but EFMers need to read it too. I still say Charles is the guy.

Posted by Nancy French at 10:03 AM on July 02, 2010 | Permalink

So, when I see a headline like that, I have to click on it. The Atlantic has this teaser:

ROMNEY'S RELIGION: Did evangelicals vote against Mitt Romney in Iowa because he was a Mormon? Political journalists say yes; our evidence is mostly impressionistic. In the peer-reviewed Journal of Media and Religion, two Brigham Young University scholars found that 50 percent of religion coverage in the 2008 campaign focused on Romney and Mormonism, while 30 percent of Romney's coverage itself was about his membership in the Mormon Church. The full study costs $30 and is titled "Mitt Romney's Religion: A Five Factor Model for Analysis of Media Representation of Mormon Identity."

I'll totally shell out the $30 for this one... but I'm a little behind on a few other projects. (Like editing our next book... potty training Naomi, etc.) Charles? I'll buy!

Posted by Nancy French at 12:17 AM on July 02, 2010 | Permalink

NRO kindly asked for my reading recommendations for the summer! Here's my first (of three) picks:

That’s No Angry Mob, That’s My Mom, by Michael Graham: I was a latecomer to the tea-party movement. By the time it had gotten rolling, I’d expended all my energy trying to get a Republican elected president; when my parents started hanging tea bags from their rear-view mirrors, I was politically depressed. That’s why, when I was asked by a tea party in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to speak to their group, I wished I’d had Michael Graham’s new book. It chronicles the beginnings of the movement and describes the motives and manners its members. (In Graham’s inimitable style, too: He describes tea partiers as “folks who looks less like bomb throwers and more like the early-bird special crowd at a Denny’s in Branson.”) When I finally took the tea-party plunge, I realized Graham’s description of the law-abiding, country-loving people was exactly right on: I was in Missouri, but I could’ve closed my eyes and felt like I was in Boston circa 1773.

One particularly notable chapter is called “It’s the People’s Seat: The Scott Brown Story.” Writing from Boston, Graham had a front-row seat to witness that revolution. You might enjoy this book if, like me, you’re a little late to the movement and want to understand it more fully. Or maybe you just want to be amused by Graham, who in a previous life was a stand-up comic and a GOP political consultant — a very entertaining combination.

Need more books to put on your iPad or Kindle (or, what is that old fashioned thing called... a book shelf?) Click here.

Posted by Nancy French at 02:06 PM on July 01, 2010 | Permalink

Still reeling from the day's Supreme Court disappointment, so let's have some fun.

If you have an iPhone or an iPad and a family? My 11 year old daughter Camille tells you why families-on-the-go definitely need this app called WeetWoo! (You'll thank me.)

Posted by Nancy French at 12:48 AM on June 29, 2010 | Permalink

From David's Speak Up blog. (Yes, we blog more than any other family you know.)

So the Supreme Court “affirmed and remanded” the Ninth Circuit. What does that mean? It turns out that it doesn’t mean as much as you think.

As I read through the Supreme Court’s opinion, I’m struck by the profound narrowness of its holding. Put simply, the Supreme Court upheld Hastings Law School’s policy that every student organization must be open to any student on campus. This policy is known as Hastings “all-comers” policy, and as of the date of the oral argument in the case, we could not locate any other public university in the country with a similar policy. In fact, in the more than 10 years that I’ve been arguing and litigating this issue on campus, I’ve never seen another policy like it.

Typically, universities have nondiscrimination policies that prohibit discrimination on the basis of, among other things, “religion” and “sexual orientation.” These kinds of provisions have been used to kick dozens of Christian student groups of campus and they rarely survive a court challenge. In this case, Hastings sought to avoid scrutiny of its nondiscrimination policy by changing it to an all-comers policy, and that all-comers policy was the policy before the Court.

It’s also critical to note that while Hastings succeeded in defending its all-comers policy, it has not yet won this case. Why? Because the court remanded the case to determine if the university applied its all-comers policy in a discriminatory manner. In other words, while the policy may be constitutional, it has to be applied to all groups on campus and not just against CLS. There is strong evidence that the university has, in fact, exempted other, favored, groups from their own policy, with the radical left advocacy group La Raza permitted to discriminate on the basis of ideology and race.

Read the rest here.

Posted by Nancy French at 10:06 PM on June 28, 2010 | Permalink

Some of you may not have understood the ramifications of the Supreme Court's CLS v. Martinez case, as I noted below. Here's what David wrote on NRO. (Full disclosure: Most of you know David worked hard on this case, because he's a senior counsel at the Alliance Defense Fund and the director of its Center for Academic Freedom. ADF was co-counsel for the Christian Legal Society).

The good: The Court’s ruling is remarkably narrow. One of the strange quirks of this case is that there were actually two university policies at issue at different times in the case. Initially, the Christian Legal Society was de-recognized because it allegedly violated the school’s nondiscrimination policy, which prohibited — among other things — discrimination on the basis of “religion” and “sexual orientation” (CLS required leaders and voting members to agree with the group’s statement of faith and refrain from extramarital sexual activity). During the course of the litigation, the university stated that its policy actually required student groups to accept “all comers.” In other words, student groups could not exclude students from membership or leadership for any reason. This kind of policy is exceedingly rare: At the time of the oral argument, we were aware of no other university with an “all comers” policy.

Despite what you might read in the mainstream media, the court did not rule that the “classic” nondiscrimination policy (which is in force in hundreds of universities) trumped the student group’s right to freedom of association. That issue was left unresolved. Instead, the Court ruled that the all-comers policy (which is in force virtually nowhere) was constitutional — but only if it had been applied equally to all groups on campus.

So CLS has not yet lost its case. Despite an unfavorable ruling on the all-comers policy, it can still prevail on remand if it proves that the university did not apply the policy to all student groups but instead specifically targeted CLS. We have powerful evidence that the university has, in fact, targeted CLS.

The bad: Despite the narrowness of the ruling, it’s still a bad opinion. By emphasizing the value of dissent within groups, the Court ignores the fundamental reality of an all-comers policy: Distinct student organizations exist at the whim of the majority. If “all comers” can join, then the majority can override the speech of any student group. Thus the true marketplace of ideas exists by the permission (or, more likely, apathy) of the majority. The potential for minority or disfavored groups at schools with an all-comers policy to self-censor to avoid controversy — and potential hostile takeovers — is high. As those who follow the twists and turns of free speech on campus know, attempted takeovers are hardly unheard of; just ask the Young Americans for Freedom at Central Michigan University.

The ugly: In many ways, this case is the bad fruit of a much earlier bad decision, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin v. Southworth. In Southworth, the Court ruled that it was constitutionally acceptable for a university to force students to pay a student-activity fee to fund student expression (even if they were forced to fund speech they disagreed with) so long as the fees were dispensed in a “viewpoint neutral” manner. Justice Ginsburg explicitly noted that under the all-comers policy, “No Hastings student is forced to fund a group that would reject her as a member.”

This forced-funding regime is unique to student organizations on our nation’s campuses. In virtually no other context are citizens directly forced to fund expression they may abhor. Such a requirement exerts a powerful distorting effect on university jurisprudence, has spawned significant additional litigation, and directly influenced the outcome of the Martinez case. At the same time, this distortion could very well confine the impact of this case to the vanishingly small slice of universities with policies similar to Hastings’s.

There’s no doubt that the decision is disappointing to those who cherish free speech and free association, but it is far more limited than it could have been. The conflict between free association and nondiscrimination endures, and it wouldn’t surprise me if we’ll eventually be back before the Supreme Court on that core issue.

Posted by Nancy French at 04:39 PM on June 28, 2010 | Permalink

1. This headline:

Will Huckabee be the Republican Nominee?

This WashPo article by the never-resting Chris Cillizza suggests that Huckabee is on the Presidential prowl:

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) leaned heavily toward the 2012 presidential race over the weekend, telling Fox News Channel's Chris Wallace that he "does better against [President] Obama than any other Republican."

Huckabee's appearance -- in which he also cited a "strong sentiment out there" for him to run -- was followed by a blog post on the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan in which the governor sought to remind people of the stakes in elections; "When I hear a statement like 'Republicans and Democrats are all the same,' I cringe and think of moments in our nation's history just like this one," he wrote.

Huckabee has also used his HUCK PAC to endorse and donate to candidates of his choosing -- although his fundraising capacity to date doesn't rival that of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney or Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty -- both of whom are widely expected to run for president in 2012.

Of late then, Huckabee is giving every public indication that he is ramping up a run for president.

In private, however, there is little evidence that Huckabee is doing the sorts of things -- broadening his political network, hiring on a team of experienced campaign operatives, and, most importantly, focusing heavily on fundraising -- that would convince the D.C. chattering class that he has learned the right lessons from the 2008 campaign.

"While he is making noises in the national press, I am not seeing any of the organizational moves that would tell me he is making a serious run," said Alex Vogel, a Republican lobbyist closely monitoring the 2012 field. "The people inside the Beltway won't get moved by statements in the press -- they will look for real action."

Hogan Gidley, who runs HUCK PAC, insisted that the fact that Huckabee does not have the same approach to politics as some of his potential 2012 rivals is a strength, not a weakness.

"The Governor's success comes from his expansive, nationwide network of committed volunteers who believe in true conservatism," said Gidley. "Much to the chagrin of many Washington D.C. insiders, Gov. Huckabee's success has come without all the help from the establishment or high paid political consultants."

Gidley added that Huckabee has organized volunteer teams in each of the 50 states "awaiting the slightest hint of a presidential run" and that HUCK PAC has nearly doubled its 2009 donor base in just the first six months of 2010.

"Money is an important component to elections -- no doubt -- but if The Beatles and the 2008 presidential cycle have taught us anything, it's that money can't buy you love," said Gidley, channeling his always-quotable boss.

Gidley's points are worth noting -- and his hiring is evidence that Huckabee is playing the game a bit more seriously. (Gidley is a former executive director of the South Carolina Republican party and replaced Sarah Huckabee, the governor's daughter, who is now running Arkansas Rep. John Boozman's Senate campaign.)

And yet, there still seems to be a sense within Huckabee's world that simply re-running the 2008 campaign is a winning blueprint.

In that race, Huckabee managed to win the Iowa caucuses while being drastically outspent by Romney in a campaign that depended heavily on his base among social conservatives, strong volunteer support and his obvious personal appeal as an outsider (of sorts) to the political process.

It's important to remember, however, that Iowa was the only early state that Huckabee carried. He took just 11 percent in New Hampshire to finish a distant third and while he bounced back to finish second in South Carolina, he placed fourth in Florida's primary. By then Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) had wrapped up the nomination although Huckabee stayed in the race and won a handful of (mostly Southern) states.

There's considerable reason to believe that simply re-creating his 2008 strategy in Iowa might not be a recipe for success for Huckabee, however.

Read why his "aw-shucks, we Christians ought to stick together schtick" might not work in 2012 here. (I think Cillizza overestimates the power of Huck's personality. Maybe New Yorker columnist haven't been inoculated to his charm, but the folks here in Tennessee who wasted their votes on him might be ready for someone new.)

2. This headline:

Christian Group's Rights Not Violated by Hastings Law School, Court Says

A divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a public law school in San Francisco didn’t violate the rights of a Christian student group by denying it recognition because it limits participation by nonbelievers and gays.

The justices, voting 5-4, today upheld Hastings College of Law’s “all-comers” policy, which requires unrestricted membership for campus student groups. The policy doesn’t infringe First Amendment rights, the court said.

That policy is a “reasonable, viewpoint-neutral condition on access to the student-organization forum,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote for the majority.

The case divided the court along ideological lines, with Justice Anthony Kennedy joining the liberal wing of Justices Ginsburg, John Paul Stevens, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor.

The Christian Legal Society chapter requires voting members and officers to sign a statement of agreement with the group’s religious views. The group also excludes those who engage in homosexual activity, saying such conduct is inconsistent with its principles.

Recognized student organizations get priority access to meeting space on the Hastings campus and the right to place announcements in the law school newsletter and on bulletin boards. Approved student organizations can also apply for funds to pay for activities and travel. The Christian Legal Society is the only group that has been denied recognition.

‘Handy Weapon’

In dissent, Justice Samuel Alito said the majority “arms public educational institutions with a handy weapon for suppressing the speech of unpopular groups.” Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas also dissented.

Hastings says its all-comers policy encourages tolerance and cooperation among students of different backgrounds and viewpoints. The law school argued that the Christian Legal Society could retain its membership policies -- and still have access to unused classroom space and other facilities -- as a non-recognized group.

Posted by Nancy French at 04:06 PM on June 28, 2010 | Permalink

According to Politico:

Nikki Haley may have been the big winner in South Carolina Tuesday, but she isn’t the only Republican whose star is rising in an early state that is key to winning the GOP presidential nomination.

Both Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, and Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska, were also winners in the 2012 sweepstakes. They got behind Haley at critical junctures in her campaign for governor while the rest of the potential GOP presidential field either endorsed another candidate or stayed out of the fray completely.

As a critical early primary state and a conservative bellwether, South Carolina is a good place for GOP presidential hopefuls to have friends in high places—especially friends who owe you one.

Read more here.

Posted by Nancy French at 11:39 AM on June 23, 2010 | Permalink

So this isn't as big of a deal as the Scott Brown miracle, but how gratifying to hear Haley's speech (h/t The Corner):

Nikki Haley gave a quick victory speech tonight. She called her primary win “a story of determination,” and, notably, “about a movement,” about the “idea of government being open and accountable to the people.” Some “barriers were broken,” she said, and there is “some truth to that,” but her campaign, she concluded, wasn’t about breaking barriers, but about “clear, conservative ideas.” She thanked Mitt Romney first, the “first national figure to come into this state,” and then Sarah Palin, who “showed the entire country what it means to use the power of your voice… who gave us that boost when we needed it.”

Posted by Nancy French at 07:48 AM on June 23, 2010 | Permalink

From the WashPo's Chris Cillizza:

South Carolina state Rep. Nikki Haley's easy victory in the state's gubernatorial runoff Tuesday is sure to establish her as the newest rising star in the GOP ranks and a coveted 2012 endorser.

Not only does Haley look different than the stereotypical Republican -- she is an Indian-American woman -- but she is also the favorite to be the next governor of a state that will play a very large role in selecting the 2012 presidential nominee.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a near-certain candidate for that office, was quick to praise Haley, who he had endorsed earlier this year and who has endorsed his 2008 presidential campaign as well. "Against the longest of odds, Nikki Haley took on the political establishment and won," said Romney.

Posted by Nancy French at 07:43 AM on June 23, 2010 | Permalink

This is very good news for our guy!

From a close friend:

He has a great spread – 49-32, and if you split the “no opinions” – his absolute positives are 60ish.

Posted by Nancy French at 12:47 PM on June 22, 2010 | Permalink

From a reader:

What a great thing you and David are doing with little Naomi. Naomi means “pleasant” in Hebrew which I’m sure she is. It’s a little known fact, however, that the land of Moab (lying southeast from the Dead Sea), where the original Ruth and Naomi came from was originally named by the ancients after Moab, Utah (what foresight!) which also lies in a southeast direction from a great salt lake. It’s a great place to visit if you ever get the chance. There is a popular bumper sticker out here that simply says, “London, Paris, New York, Tokyo, Moab.”

Oh my...

CHARLES adds: Oh, yes! The Frenches have to go to Moab. That's the home of Arches National Park, one of the most beautiful places on earth -- not to mention a few microbreweries. The Mitchells recommend the creatively named Moab Brewery, as well as ditching the hotels in town in favor of the Best Western in nearby Green River. We stayed there in 2008 with some of the friendliest bikers you've never met.

Posted by Nancy French at 08:09 AM on June 22, 2010 | Permalink

Posted by Nancy French at 09:38 AM on June 21, 2010 | Permalink

The Washington Post on the Palmetto State:

"Haley can't seem to make up her mind about her faith," said Phillip Bowers, chairman of the Pickens County GOP, in an e-mail to local Republicans this week. Reached by telephone Friday, Bowers said: "It finally got to the point where I ought to let the party know about the inconsistencies in the story."

Pastor Ray Popham of Oasis Church International in Aiken told CNN: "I think she needs to be straight up with people, if she is both. If she believes that you can be both, then she should say that up front."

And Tony Beam, an interim pastor at Mount Creek Baptist Church in Greenville, asked listeners on his radio program recently: "Is Nikki Haley being honest about her faith?

Others have been less diplomatic. State Sen. "Jakie" Knotts, who became infamous earlier this month for referring to Haley as a "raghead," asked this question in a local television interview: "Have you ever asked her if she believes in Jesus Christ as her lord and savior and that he died on the cross for her sins? Have you ever asked her that?"

Asked to respond to such comments at her appearance with Romney Friday, Haley demurred, saying she is focused on the issues.

"I think that the people of the state of South Carolina rose above it, and that says a lot about the people of this state. And I don't think we need to give it any more thought."...

"I think the 49-and-a-half-percent figure that Nikki Haley garnered is a pretty clear indication that the people of South Carolina want to focus on the key issues," said Romney, appearing with Haley at the College of Charleston Friday, just a few feet from a marble plaque celebrating the education of the "sons and daughters" of Africa. Romney continued: "The distractions are not distractions anymore."

If true, that could be good news for Romney should he run for president again; his own Mormon faith was described as a liability in South Carolina in 2008. The state's prominence in presidential primary politics -- it is among the four "early" states on the calendar in 2012--means the results here can have lasting effects. Romney placed fourth in South Carolina in 2008, behind John McCain, Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 08:02 PM on June 20, 2010 | Permalink

I'll let you know if some politician comes along at church this morning and tells me I'm not a Christian.

Meanwhile, and more importantly, Naomi French is in Tennessee for the first time. She is beautiful and so is the image of the Gospel seen in her adoption. If you aren't friends with David and Nancy on Facebook, well, you can't see the pictures.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 08:53 AM on June 20, 2010 | Permalink

In South Carolina, Gov. Romney puts his money where his mouth is.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 08:15 PM on June 18, 2010 | Permalink

Paging South Carolina: You're electing a presidentgovernor, not a pastor.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 08:19 PM on June 15, 2010 | Permalink

Sounds about right.

Hat tip: David Weigel

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 08:14 PM on June 15, 2010 | Permalink

Gov. Romney's childhood home in Detroit was just demolished.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 11:19 AM on June 12, 2010 | Permalink

Ramesh Ponnuru:

Yesterday I commented on Gov. Mitch Daniels's suggestion that the next president should call a "truce" on social issues while he attends to the pressing problems of the national debt and the economy. Let me add one more point: The condition of the country seemed more parlous in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Many people worried that the country was ungovernable. (The fact that we hadn't had a full two-term presidency in 20 years contributed to this sense.) We seemed to be slipping behind the Soviets both in territory and even morale. We were bewildered about stagflation and going through a deeper recession than the one we have now.

Under the circumstances, it made perfect sense for Ronald Reagan not to make the social issues his top priority. But he neither softened his positions on them nor declared a truce. He did what he could on those issues while concentrating on the reinvigoration of the country, the resumption of growth, and the defeat of the Soviets. Certainly there were social conservatives who wanted him to do more. But nobody thought that Reagan had elevated inaction on these issues to the level of principle or promise. And whatever else one thinks of the Reagan presidency, it is hard to argue that his efforts on the social issues got in the way of his economic and foreign-policy agenda.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 09:08 PM on June 11, 2010 | Permalink

Politico:

If Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney decide to run for president in 2012, they'll have some powerful friends in the early states that are key to winning the GOP nomination.

Mike Huckabee? Not so much.

All of it is part of the presidential election fallout from Tuesday’s primaries in Iowa and South Carolina, two states so pivotal in the GOP nomination process that even their off-year state elections are carefully examined for their relevance to the next presidential race.

Both Palin and Romney backed the first-place finishers in the high-profile governors races in the two states—former GOP Gov. Terry Branstad in Iowa and state Rep. Nikki Haley in South Carolina—endorsements that are likely to pay dividends in the event either Republican runs for president in 2012.

Huckabee, on the other hand, bet on the wrong horses—he used his political action committee to invest heavily in the losing campaigns of businessman Bob Vander Plaats in Iowa and Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer in South Carolina, two candidates who finished some distance behind on Tuesday.

As we've noted here, Gov. Romney endorsed Rep. Haley long before it was cool.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 05:49 AM on June 11, 2010 | Permalink

Jim Antle over at the Spectator is no Romneyite, but he's got this one right:

I think Ronald Reagan showed you could devote the bulk of your political capital to immediate needs -- winning the Cold War and whipping stagflation -- without totally surrendering on other aspects of your agenda. Reagan wasn't a culture warrior but the country still knew where he stood on social issues. I think that would be a better model for Mitch Daniels to contemplate than unconditional surrender.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 04:50 AM on June 10, 2010 | Permalink

What I've got to say absolutely pales in comparison to the Frenches' Africa news, which is so exciting. But here goes anyway.

There's been a lot of chatter in D.C. this year about Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels. He's denied repeatedly that he's running for president, but not so much anymore, and when he appeared at the Heritage Foundation yesterday, I understand there were pre-printed copies on hand of Andrew Ferguson's new (and excellent) Weekly Standard cover story on him. So you do the math.

The chatter about Gov. Daniels is, in my view, richly deserved. As Ferguson's story illustrates, he's been an exceptional governor on fiscal issues, and there's maybe one other sitting governor (Rick Perry in Texas) of whom that could be said. Not only that, he signed a school-choice bill, which is fantastic.

He also, however, made an interesting and even troubling comment to Ferguson about social issues. Here's the relevant portion of the article:

And then, he says, the next president, whoever he is, “would have to call a truce on the so-called social issues. We’re going to just have to agree to get along for a little while,” until the economic issues are resolved. Daniels is pro-life himself, and he gets high marks from conservative religious groups in his state. He serves as an elder at the Tabernacle Presbyterian Church, in inner-city Indianapolis, which he’s attended for 50 years. In 1998, with a few other couples from Tabernacle and a nearby -Baptist congregation, he and his wife founded a “Christ--centered” school, The Oaks Academy, in a downtown neighborhood the local cops called “Dodge City.” It’s flourishing now with 315 mostly poor kids who pursue a classical education: Latin from third grade on, logic in middle school, rhetoric in eighth grade, an emphasis throughout on the treasures of Western Civilization. “It’s the most important thing I’ve ever been involved in,” he told me. His social-conservative credentials are solid.

But about that truce .  .  .

“He might be one guy who could get away with it,” said Curt Smith, head of the Indiana Family Institute, who’s known Daniels since the 1980s. “He has a deep faith, he’s totally pro-life, and he walks the talk. And in an acute situation, like the one we’re in now with the debt, he might get away with a truce for a year or two. But to be successful in office he’s going to have to show those folks he shares their vision.”

In 2008, Smith supported an amendment to the state constitution to codify marriage between a man and a woman. He asked for the governor’s support.

“I wish he’d been more vocal about it, but that’s not his way,” Smith said. “What he told me, and told the public, was ‘As a citizen I will go into the voting booth and vote for it eagerly. As governor, I don’t have a role in this. The legislature and the people amend the constitution.’   ”

Standard reporter John McCormack followed up on that with Gov. Daniels:

This morning, at the Heritage Foundation, I asked Daniels if that meant the next president shouldn't push issues like stopping taxpayer funding of abortion in Obamacare or reinstating the Mexico City Policy banning federal funds to overseas groups that perform abortions. Daniels replied that we face a "genuine national emergency" regarding the budget and that "maybe these things could be set aside for a while. But this doesn't mean anybody abandons their position at all. Everybody just stands down for a little while, while we try to save the republic."

To clarify whether Daniels simply wants to de-emphasize these issues or actually not act on them, I asked if, as presdient, he would issue an executive order to reinstate Reagan's "Mexico City Policy" his first week in office. (Obama revoked the policy during his first week in office.) Daniels replied, "I don't know."

Daniels said he didn't want to do anything to "impede" attempts to solve our fiscal problems. But it's not clear that maintaining Obama's policies on these issues for some period of time--which is what one assumes a truce means--would buy a Republican president any goodwill on fiscal issues. A Gallup poll found that only 35 percent of voters approved of Obama's reversal of the Mexico City policy. And a Washington Post poll found that only 35 percent of voters think those purchasing health care with government assistance should be able to buy plans that cover abortions.

Over at the American Spectator, Joseph Lawler added:

Failing to reinstate the Mexico City policy would not be a truce. It would be an unconditional surrender. In recent history a party change in the presidency has meant the automatic reversal of the previous administration's policy on the Mexico City rule; an incoming Republican would simply be maintaining the status quo by reinstating it.

Look, I like Gov. Daniels. A lot. More after reading about his taste for diners, in fact. But if you've watched any of our cultural battles in recent years, you will know this: Even if our side calls a truce, the other side won't. And, as Lawler points out, they've taken a lot of ground from us lately. So calling a unilateral "truce" would really constitute a surrender, if a temporary one.

Of course, if Gov. Daniels were the only option, I'd support him enthusiastically. But he isn't. There's another governor in the race who (while I don't think he's huge on plate-sized pork tenderloin, based on his figure) not only balanced the budget in a left-wing state with a rabidly hostile legislature, but also stood up on marriage and life issues and doesn't entertain the idea of surrendering after reaching the White House. Why? Because he knows that these issues are just as important to "sav[ing] the republic" (to borrow Gov. Daniels' phrase) as cutting government spending, if not more so. That's our governor, of course, Gov. Romney. He's the full package. And that's why we support him.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 05:34 AM on June 09, 2010 | Permalink

That she's a cutie.

Posted by Nancy French at 11:45 PM on June 08, 2010 | Permalink

On the very day that I flew into Iraq -- into a war that I feared would take my life -- God was preparing the next phase of our family's journey. In a village in Africa, my second daughter and youngest child was born. I did not know at that time she was destined to be ours, but I did not need to know.

This week, Nancy, Camille, Austin, and I fly to Adis Ababba, Ethiopia, to finalize the adoption of little Konjit. We will name her Naomi Konjit French, to join her sister Camille Ruth French -- so that our Ruth will help bring our Naomi from a land of want to a land of plenty, where our people will be her people, and our God will be her God.

Please be patient in our blogging absence. Please pray for us that our journey will be safe, that Naomi will know that she is loved, and that we will have the grace and wisdom to be the parents she deserves.

David and Nancy French

Posted by David French at 10:27 PM on June 08, 2010 | Permalink

So, I met some very nice Christian folks in 2007 who were Fred Thompson supporters.

Because they were kind, decent, caring people, I had one conversation after another with them about Gov. Romney and why they should support him. (Many of you remember I was a little zealous about his candidacy last time... and you only saw me through the computer screen. In person I may have been unbearable.) But being a Romney supporter in Tennessee was like being a Thompson supporter in Utah. I was a little lonely back before the field was narrowed down.

No matter how many times we talked, however, this couple was resolute. There was nothing I could do or say that would get them to support Gov. Romney. When it became obvious that Fred Thompson was not running for President -- instead he was strolling for President -- I had my chance.

The next time I saw them at the school basketball practice, I gently brought the subject up again. Okay, maybe I taunted them. "Ready for Romney now?"

Not a chance. Now they were Huckabee supporters. You read that correctly.

At that point, I was a little undone. Huckabee support was a dealbreaker for me emotionally. I just couldn't see how anyone could choose Gov. Huckabee over Gov. Romney, especially after the moderate charm of his Southern accent gave way to the stubborn facts of his fiscal and legal record.

"What if Huckabee drops out," I asked hypothetically.

"We'll support McCain," they said.

That's when I knew this line of conversation was over.

We barely talked for years.

Last week, I saw them and we exchanged pleasantries.

"Is Romney gonna run?" they asked.

People ask me this, as if I have any inside scoop. I always say the same thing.

"I really hope so." Then, I braced myself for whatever political conversation was going to come next.

I was surprised when they both responded. "We do too."

I tried not to let my face show shock.

"We were wrong last time," they said. "We just didn't think it through. But we are Romney supporters now."

I couldn't get to the point to ask them what changed their minds, but they went on to talk about the economy. But this was my "Aha!" moment... standing there with these people after years of political tension.

Maybe this is happening all over America?

I guess we'll see... but I found it immensely gratifying!

Posted by Nancy French at 12:37 AM on June 08, 2010 | Permalink

According to Chris Cillizza, there's another case of someone exaggerating their military record:

In the wake of Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's struggles to explain past misstatements about his military record, Illinois Rep. -- and Senate candidate -- Mark Kirk is now on the defensive about a discrepancy in his résumé regarding an honor he claimed to have received.

At issue is Kirk's past claim that he had been named the U.S. Navy's Intelligence Officer of the Year -- an award that he actually did not receive...

The odd thing is that Kirk had a great military record, which is now marred by the exaggeration.

(Some of you may have missed David's column about why people lie about their military records... I guess he has another example to add to the list.)

Posted by Nancy French at 04:21 PM on June 02, 2010 | Permalink

I didn't realize Gov. Romney had a Facebook page until tonight, and seeing this just cracked me up:

(On a side note, I'm on a perpetual quest to have more friends than David, so friend me!)

Posted by Nancy French at 02:38 AM on June 01, 2010 | Permalink

I was about as excited about McCain 2008 than you were -- actually, less so, I bet. But this is exactly how you want the previous nominee talking, if you actually want to be president, rather than simply to fail loudly:

“Nobody did more for me between the time I won the nomination and Election Day than Mitt Romney,” McCain says. “He did everything the campaign asked, from giving speeches everywhere to media. Cindy and I have developed a friendship with him and Ann since the campaign. They’ve stayed at our place in northern Arizona for a weekend and he stops by to see me whenever he’s in Washington. It’s a very good relationship.”

Is Romney using his political winter effectively? “Yes, very much so,” McCain says. “He’s doing the right things with his abilities — not too much, not too little, and traveling around to the early primary states. And, as I know, you always have a certain advantage the second time around, even if you support the surge.”

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 05:07 AM on May 29, 2010 | Permalink

Above you'll see some of the "Piggy Pyramids" we built all across the hotel and convention center.

Posted by Nancy French at 03:04 PM on May 28, 2010 | Permalink

We had our "Taste of Louisiana" in the same area that Sean Hannity broadcast.

Posted by Nancy French at 03:02 PM on May 28, 2010 | Permalink

I just now got to looking at the wonderful photos Anna Quinn took of New Orleans. Here are a few.

You know that we chose "piggy banks" to represent what's on everyone's minds -- the economy! However, there are moral issues that cannot be overlooked as well.

Posted by Nancy French at 02:59 PM on May 28, 2010 | Permalink

From Spencer, at the Competent Conservative:

I believe this is the best performance I have ever seen Mitt Romney give. Wow! It is quite long, but well worth watching. If all those people who attended could spare an hour, so can we:) Listen to how Mitt answers the question about running in 2012. While still eluding that he is running, this is the closest he has come to indicating that he is indeed running.

To watch Gov. Romney speak at the Reagan Library, please click here.

Posted by Nancy French at 12:01 PM on May 28, 2010 | Permalink

I've written before about South Carolina state representative Nikki Haley, whose gubernatorial campaign Gov. Romney endorsed. You may know that this week, a blogger accused Rep. Haley of an affair (with said blogger) and she called it a lie. So did Gov. Palin, who endorsed her very recently. Gov. Romney is also standing by her, according to CBS News.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 08:08 PM on May 25, 2010 | Permalink

Nancy, my favorite part of The Fix post you link below is this: "And, he avoids sounding off on every issue under the sun."

As an incurable blogger married to an incurable blogger this is probably our point of greatest personal departure from Mitt. I'd love to sit down with him one day and ask, "How do you not talk; because that's one thing I've never figured out." I tend to speak now and apologize later rather than just keep my mouth shut (And don't talk to me about various biblical verses that directly apply to such a practice. I'm working on it!) But then again, I'm not a future president.

Mitt's course of action, however, strikes me as exactly what a future president should do. You don't have to wade into the weeds on every issue. In fact, it was Obama's pre-campaign verbosity about -- well, just about everything -- that deprives him of so much credibility today. Withdraw from Iraq in 18 months? Close Gitmo? End rendition? Is there an aspect of the Bush administration that he didn't eviscerate?

But then he gained power and had to ask himself tough questions like, "If we don't put those guys in Gitmo, then where do they go?" And he had tough choices to make like, "Who should actually interrogate the recently captued military leader of the Taliban? Us or the Pakistanis?" Faced with reality, the campaign rhetoric and the endless moralizing, start to sound hollow. He now relies almost entirely on a complicit press to escape accountability for his rank hypocrisy.

For now, Governor Romney is choosing the best path. The campaign will come soon enough.

Posted by David French at 01:37 PM on May 25, 2010 | Permalink

Here are his top three:

3. Haley Barbour: There's little question that Barbour's RGA is seen as the bully -- in a good way -- on the political block this year. Due to the tens of millions the committee has on hand, the RGA is already playing active roles in a number of contested races. That involvement in Massachusetts drew some controversy -- quickly squashed -- about ads attacking state Treasurer Tim Cahill who is running as an Independent in that race. (Previous ranking: 1)

2. Mitt Romney: Romney continues to play a different sort of game than the other candidates expected to run for president in 2012. He methodically rolls out endorsements -- state by state -- in advance of the 2010 election, a strategy that allows him to use his financial might to build chits. He continues to tour the country in support of "No Apologies" -- his campaign platform book. And, he avoids sounding off on every issue under the sun. It's the strategy of a frontrunner, which, today, Romney is. (Previous ranking: 2)

1. Sarah Palin: Yes, she's number one again. No Republican has moved up as much on the Line as the former Alaska governor. And, even now, in conversations with Republican operatives, some suggest she should hold this top spot while others insist she should be down at number nine or ten. We think the former option is the right one at the moment as Palin has shown a practical side -- her endorsement of former HP executive Carly Fiorina in the California Senate race -- and it's clear that her support can make a difference in primaries and other nomination fights. (See Tom Emmer in Minnesota and Nikki Haley in South Carolina.) (Previous ranking: 3)

Posted by Nancy French at 01:11 PM on May 24, 2010 | Permalink

Thinking about taking your kids to see the new Shrek movie?

Here's why I decided not to.

Posted by Nancy French at 12:17 PM on May 24, 2010 | Permalink

Jim Geraghty thinks a new round of Romney endorsements in the Hoosier state indicate something:

Why would Indiana be such a focus for Romney? Obviously, the Senate race and three of the four House races represent competitive pickup opportunities for the GOP this cycle. But two potential 2012 contenders hail from the land of Hoosiers: Gov. Mitch Daniels and Rep. Mike Pence.

There’s always the chance that two high-profile contenders from the same state might cancel each other out, competing for the same base of support, but if Romney were to pick off the endorsement of a prominent Indiana Republican or two, it might be a feather in his cap.

Posted by Nancy French at 12:14 PM on May 24, 2010 | Permalink

Because they want to be better than they are.

Posted by David French at 12:21 PM on May 21, 2010 | Permalink

In New York City????

This is excellent news and a sure sign that the Governor has real momentum as he gathers strength for a 2012 run.

Posted by David French at 06:49 PM on May 17, 2010 | Permalink

I hear the same thing almost everywhere I go: "Huckabee won't run!" The reasons differ (some speculate that the clemency issue will keep him from running, others say he's just making too much money on Fox to run for president), but I hear it all the time.

Color me unconvinced.

He keeps polling well in a wide-open Republican race. When was the last time that a past candidate who polled that well in pre-campaign polls declined to run?

I'd be shocked if he didn't run. I think he'll run again, compete hard, and eventually lose. I don't think he can beat Sarah Palin (whose more conservative and more charismatic), and he's just too weak outside the South to beat Mitt. (And there's some evidence that Mitt will do better in the South than many people think).

Posted by David French at 06:39 PM on May 17, 2010 | Permalink

Did you see Gov. Romney's boyhood home is getting torn down?

No joke. Check out the photo.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 06:05 AM on May 15, 2010 | Permalink

Daniel Henninger in the Wall Street Journal:

One of the constant criticisms of Barack Obama's first year is that he's making us "more like Europe." But that's hard to define and lacks broad political appeal. Until now.

Any U.S. politician purporting to run the presidency of the United States should be asked why the economic policies he or she is proposing won't take us where Europe arrived this week.

In an astounding moment, to avoid the failure of little, indulgent, profligate Greece, the European Union this week pledged nearly $1 trillion to inject green blood into Europe's economic vampires.

For Americans, this has been a two-week cram course in what not to be if you hope to have a vibrant future. What was once an unfocused criticism of Mr. Obama and the Democrats, that they are nudging America toward a European-style social-market economy, came to awful life in the panicked, stricken faces of Europe's leadership: Merkel, Sarkozy, Brown, Papandreou. They look like that because Europe has just seen the bond-market devil.

Hmm. Yeah, I can think of a guy who could run with that one.

Mitt Romney in New Hampshire in 2008, according to the British press:

The United States is in danger of becoming a "second-tier" nation like Britain and other European countries if Hillary Clinton wins the White House, according to Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential contender.

Although he gave a Hallowe'en warning of a "house of horrors" if Mrs Clinton is elected, the main bogeyman for the former Massachusetts governor's stump has become Europe, with Britain's national health service being singled out for special mention.

Speaking, ironically, to employees of BAE Systems Inc, the US subsidiary of the British defence company, in the elegant New England town of Nashua on Monday, Mr Romney said that America was at a crossroads in history.

"The question is whether we're going to become a stronger nation leading the world or whether we're going to follow the path of Europe and become a second-tier military and a second-tier nation." European countries had chosen to "become a wonderful nation but not the world's power".

America's health system should remain privately rather than government run, he insisted. "I do not want to go the way of England and Canada when it comes to healthcare," he said.

He added: "For me what America should do is strengthen our military, strengthen our economy and strengthen our family structure so that we always remain the most powerful nation on earth. A world without America as the leader is a very frightening place."

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 07:57 PM on May 13, 2010 | Permalink

This has nothing to do with 2012, but I want to post it because we all love America here. Key quote:

It would take 3 Frenchmen or 7 Germans or 14 Italians to equal the charitable donations of 1 American.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 06:02 AM on May 13, 2010 | Permalink

Investor's Business Daily (via the Corner) writes about the new Supreme Court nominee:

President Obama's high court pick has practically no paper trail, yet her left-leaning orientation is clear. The president knows what he's getting in his old friend Elena Kagan; America doesn't — yet.

Is she just another New York City liberal who went to Princeton?

Investor's Business Daily explores this, but notes that the only obvious difference between Kagan and the president's first nominee (Justice Sonia Sotomayor) is that Kagan is a Mets fan, not the Yankees.

Read the whole thing here.

Gee, I wish I knew a Constitutional expert who could weigh in on this...

CHARLES adds: Let's give David a little credit, Nancy. He's begun to address the issue here.

Posted by Nancy French at 10:17 AM on May 12, 2010 | Permalink

It’s been a while since David was deployed -- thankfully. The more time that passes, the more that year in Iraq seems like a dream to our family... A dream that forever changed us.

I’m posting to tell you about Michael Medders. He was a police chief's son, who grew up around law and order, a standout high school football player, earned praise for his aggressiveness on the field and kindness toward others off the field. Twenty-five years old, he was a member of the U.S. Army's famed 2nd Squadron (Sabre Squadron) 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment Army captain and served in Iraq along with David. He was David’s friend.

He was killed by a suicide bomber the day David returned home from the war, and a memorial scholarship has been set up in his honor.

SixSeeds – an online magazine for parents looking for the good in movies, television, sports, books, music, and fun family service opportunities – has graciously offered to donate $1 to the Mike Medders Memorial Scholarship Foundation for all new subscriptions to their (free!) online magazine. (Up to $2500!) This is the same SixSeeds that organized “Operation Send-a-Box” to support Sabre Squadron when David was deployed. Thanks to you, more than 2,000 care packages were sent to FOB Caldwell — enough to supply every soldier on the base . . . twice!

But we don’t just support our soldiers when they are “downrange.” They deserve our support even more now — especially when they have paid the ultimate price.

So we’re asking for your help again. Except this time it’s a lot easier than stuffing $100 worth of sheets, towels, movies, and books into a box and sending it to Iraq. All we need this time is your email address. If you sign up for SixSeeds awesome (free!) online magazine, we’ll donate $1 to the Mike Medders fund. Already, more than 500 people have signed up.

If you sign up, you’ll simply receive an e-mail every Friday with movie, book, and television reviews as well as parenting discussions and commentary on our culture. It’s free and you can cancel anytime.

Would you mind helping us honor Mike? We’d love to try to get every one of those $2,500.

Follow the easy instructions found here.

Thanks, and God bless the families of America’s fallen soldiers.

Posted by Nancy French at 12:39 PM on May 10, 2010 | Permalink

Hope you all had a nice Mother's Day weekend! My daughter was sick, so we stayed home from church and had a quiet day... perfectly epitomizing what it's like to be a mom. We had a sweet time together.

Anyway, not sure if you saw this or not but Robert Costa evaluates Gov. Romney's decision to endorse Sen. Bob Bennett, Utah's three-term incumbent who ended up losing in the primary notwithstanding Gov. Romney's endorsement:

There he stood, a Harvard MBA man, a man of numbers, backing a collapsing equity. Mitt Romney took to the podium in Salt Lake City, the place where he rose to prominence in 2002 as Olympic chief, and urged the GOP delegates to back Sen. Bob Bennett, Utah's three-term incumbent. Despite Romney's pleas, Bennett ended the day with a worthless bronze, dumped from the primary. For Romney, however, the moment was a silver — not a victory, but an impressive showing.

When he ran for president, Romney was considered a little too calculating, a little too cool. Since then, he's been busy as an endorser and a booster, but that rap hasn't worn. As he travels around the country aiding candidates through his PAC and peddling his bestseller, voters still wonder: What does Mitt really believe in? What will he stick his neck out for?

Understandably, who Romney endorses, when, and why is a big part of answering that question. Sometimes, the Mitt approval comes a bit late, like with Marco Rubio in Florida. Other times it goes to old foes like John McCain, whose support he'd like in 2012. And sometimes he picks a real winner, early, like Scott Brown, whose outta-nowhere campaign reflected well on his old Bay State ally. Usually with contested primaries, he stays out entirely. With Bennett, the stakes were a bit different. He cut an ad for the Utah senator, an old friend, months ago, and that could have been the end. But to come to Salt Lake to challenge Bennett's tea-party opponents to their face? That kind of confrontation is not exactly the work of a man scheming to gently rope the tea-party crowd and avoid controversy on the way to '12.

Read the whole thing here, but here's the money quote:

Seeing Romney out on a limb, daring to debate the tea party about the future of the GOP, is refreshing. Right or wrong, he's at least showing that he can lead.

Posted by Nancy French at 01:11 AM on May 10, 2010 | Permalink

Remember the bad old days when Governor Romney was spending day after day battling over his "flip flop" over abortion . . . as if changing one's mind and coming to the right view as somehow a bad thing? Well, I have my own, very similar, tale to tell. Except mine is about same-sex marriage.

You can read it all here.

I felt compelled to write this post after the Washington Post's David Wiegel (a nice guy, by the way) called those who defend traditional marriage "anti-gay marriage bigots." He apologized, but also asked his readers to answer his question: "[W]ho's threatened by legal same-sex marriage?"

This is my response.

Posted by David French at 12:53 PM on May 07, 2010 | Permalink

I'm a college drop out, as some of you already know, so I never had a graduation ceremony like the ones that are happening all across America this weekend.

David, on the other hand, has had quite a few -- he says "my first wife IS my trophy wife" -- and has some thoughts on these events this week in SixSeeds.

It's called, "Graduates, This Day -- It's Not About You After All."

Enjoy!

Posted by Nancy French at 09:36 AM on May 07, 2010 | Permalink

Yesterday James Dobson endorsed Rand Paul in a strange Kentucky Senate race twist, considering he had endorsed Rand's opponent just days before. He claimed that senior GOP leaders had misled him about Paul's position on abortion. Who would've misled Dr. Dobson?

Robert Costa in NRO speculates... One guess?

Posted by Nancy French at 09:54 AM on May 05, 2010 | Permalink

Possible 2012 Presidential candidate Rick Santorum wishes his daughter Isabella, who has special needs, a happy birthday:

'Incompatible with life." The doctor's words kept echoing in my head as I held my sobbing wife, Karen, just four days after the birth of our eighth child, Isabella Maria.

Bella was born with three No. 18 chromosomes, rather than the normal two. The statistics were heartbreaking: About 90 percent of children with the disorder, known as trisomy 18, die before or during birth, and 90 percent of those who survive die within the first year.

Bella was baptized that day, and then we spent every waking hour at her bedside, giving her a lifetime's worth of love and care. However, not only did she not die; she came home in just 10 days.

She was sent home on hospice care, strange as that sounded for a newborn. The hospice doctor visited us the next day and described in graphic detail how Bella would die. In sum, she could die at any time without warning, and the best we could hope for was that she would die of the common cold.

Karen and I discontinued hospice so that we and our amazing doctors, James Baugh and Sunil Kapoor, could get to work focusing on Bella's health, not her death.

Read the rest here.

Posted by Nancy French at 09:50 AM on May 05, 2010 | Permalink

The Senate race in Kentucky might not be on the fronts of everyone's minds, but David and I used to live in the bluegrass state (Mayfield, Georgetown, and Lexington) and I found this fascinating:

Dr. James Dobson says that “senior members of the GOP” mislead him by telling him that Senate candidate Rand Paul was pro-choice. Because of that information, Dobson originally endorsed Trey Grayson. But Dobson now realizes that he was given, “misleading information” and has now reversed course and endorsed the pro-life Rand Paul.

Dr. Dobson’s message is below. It is being played by Rand Paul’s campaign on radio stations in Kentucky.

(Rand, as you probably know, is the son of Ron Paul -- a possible 2012 Presidential candidate.) Anyway, I imagine Trey Grayson didn't think he'd wake up to this today!

Posted by Nancy French at 01:32 PM on May 04, 2010 | Permalink

Sitting here in a warm, dry house as the world outside seems to be ripping in two. I woke up this morning to the flashes of lightning and the sound of thunder rolling all around us, and it has not relented one bit. I heard there are tornadoes in Arkansas and Mississippi, but none in Tennessee (though we are under a watch).

What better time to catch up on political news? Did you hear that Tim Pawlenty is doing a memoir?

The Republican governor of Minnesota has said he won't decide whether to run for president in 2012 until after this fall's midterm election. But his book deal announced Friday is another sign he's gearing up for a run, as publishing a book has become a standard step for presidential wannabes.

Potential Republican candidates Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee have all published books.

Tyndale House Publishers of Carol Stream, Ill., will publish the volume. The company says in a press release it will include Pawlenty's reflections on his life, career and vision for America.

Of course, this is not call-your-momma news (unless you are Pawlenty's mom, of course!), but I found it interesting that he's publishing with Tyndale -- a major Christian publisher. According to Wikipedia:

Pawlenty was raised a Roman Catholic Christian. His conversion to an Evangelical Christian faith is largely attributed to his wife Mary, who is a regular member of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Will this book be his effort to reach out to evangelicals?

This is what I'm thinking of as I sit in this crazy storm...

Posted by Nancy French at 04:10 PM on May 01, 2010 | Permalink

I was watching FoxNews this morning when they reported on Sarah Palin's court date against a 22-year old man accused of hacking into her e-mail account. When they went to commercial, unless I was hallucinating due to lack of caffeine, they played that Jefferson Starship 80's song that goes, "Sarah, Sarah, stars shining in your eyes... Sarah, Sarah no time is a good time for good bye."

I don't watch much news on television anymore, but don't you find that an odd way to transition to a commercial when talking about a possible Presidential candidate?

Posted by Nancy French at 10:56 AM on April 30, 2010 | Permalink

You may not have noticed, but every Friday I try to show you the latest articles on SixSeeds.tv -- David and I both write for this new e-zine that allows parents to raise kids more deliberately. This week's edition has an interesting article about magic, voodoo, and pixie dust in kids' movies. How should parents deal with the supernatural in kids' flicks? Rebecca Cusey writes about this complex issue. (This isn't meant to be the conversation-ending piece. Feel free to comment if you'd like while everyone is sorting it out.) She begins:

Parents, let's admit it. Some of us don’t quite know how to handle magic in stories and movies. Maybe we don’t want our kids to be frightened by wicked witches that turn into dragons or by mean teachers that turn into Greek Furies. Maybe we want to answer their questions truthfully and magic seems like a cop-out. Or maybe we practice a faith that is deeply uncomfortable with magic.

There’s no escaping it. Magic is everywhere in culture these days.

When the villain in Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog” used voodoo to control spirits, there was pushback from religious groups. Percy Jackson of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” explores the world of Greek gods, demigods, and obscure gods, each with their own powers. Even the upcoming “Shrek Forever After” satirically plays with fairies and witches.

For the granddaddy of magic debates, one doesn’t have to look any farther than Harry Potter and his magic potions, flying broomsticks, and Latin incantations. Poor Harry is a dividing line in certain circles. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked what I think about Harry, with my whole credibility hanging in the balance.

Does she like Harry or not?

Keep reading here.

Posted by Nancy French at 10:51 AM on April 30, 2010 | Permalink

This contest keeps getting weirder and weirder:

It's not yet clear how serious Greene's candidacy will be. On one hand, his vast personal wealth makes him potentially viable. On the other, some of the information we know about him -- boxer Mike Tyson was the best man at his wedding, Heidi Fleiss lived at his house for a year -- could be fodder for opposition researchers.

Read the rest here.

Posted by Nancy French at 10:06 AM on April 30, 2010 | Permalink

Our governor on that governor.

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 09:24 PM on April 29, 2010 | Permalink

The Fix has an interesting report on Governor Romney's activities:

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will endorse seven Republicans running for office in Illinois today, the latest in a series of state-based 2010 endorsements as he prepares for a return run for president in 2012.

At the statewide level, Romney will back Rep. Mark Kirk's bid for Senate as well as state Sen. Dan Rutherford who is running for the state Treasurer job being vacated by Democratic Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias.

On the House level, Romney is endorsing 6th district Rep. Peter Roskam and 18th district Rep. Aaron Schock as well as challenger candidates in the 10th, 11th and 14th districts. Romney described the group as having made it a "priority to get our economy moving again and create an environment conducive to job creation".

Illinois is the seventh state where Romney has made 2010 endorsements -- and contributed cash from his Free and Strong America PAC. (The previous six states: Ohio, Missouri, California, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and Nevada.)

And here's Chris Cillizza's analysis:

Romney's steady roll-out of endorsements is an exercise in some not-so-subtle muscle-flexing by the former governor. Romney led all potential 2012 Republican candidates in fundraising over the first three months of 2010 and has, without question, the most sophisticated political operation of any of the contenders.

But are these endorsements and donations "muscle-flexing" or coalition-building? Is there a difference? I'd say there's a subtle but meaningful distinction. Muscle-flexing tends to intimidate, but coalition-building breeds good will. I've said this before, but I was really struck by the high regard for Mitt demonstrated at the SRLC, and that's a crowd that mixes establishment and grass roots Republican leadership. I think the Governor's rock-steady support for the party and for good Republican candidates these past four years has made him a lot of friends.

Posted by David French at 11:06 AM on April 29, 2010 | Permalink

Charlie Crist is going to be running as an independent:

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist plans to announce he will run for the Senate as an independent, leaving the Republican party and setting up a three-way fight in the fall, according to several sources briefed on his decision.

Crist is expected to make the announcement, which had been rumored for weeks, tomorrow afternoon in St. Petersburg.

Sources close to Crist warned that he could change his mind at the last minute -- and has shown a propensity for doing just that -- but that as of today he was set on an independent run. Sources close to Crist aslo described him as comfortable with his decision and not terribly conflicted, however, which suggests there is less likelihood that he might change his mind.

His switch comes as former state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R) -- once considered the longest of shots to defeat the popular governor -- has rode a wave of adoration from conservatives nationally to not only catch but pass Crist in polling.

The final straw for Crist may well have been the first quarter fundraising reports in which Rubio collected $3.6 million to $1.1 million for the incumbent governor. While Crist still had a cash on hand edge -- he ended the period with $7.5 million in the bank -- the numbers made clear that momentum was all with Rubio.

Despite the mounting evidence of a possible switch, Crist, himself, was adamant that such a move was not under consideration. As recently as earlier this month, Crist released a statement headlined: "I am running as a Republican. Period."

Read the rest here.

Posted by Nancy French at 12:31 AM on April 29, 2010 | Permalink

An e-mail:

I copied and pasted your Money is a Moral Issue icon to use as my facebook profile picture. I also copied and pasted your url and put it on my profile. I thought though that I had better inform you that I was using the moral issue picture. I'm actually not sure if it is a copy right infringement. If do not want me to do so, I will delete it immediately, and still post your url . The picture is so interesting I thought it would really get some attention. People from different walks of life and political ideology visit my site.

This is great! Everybody else, feel free...

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 05:09 AM on April 28, 2010 | Permalink

Mark Halperin, editor at large and senior political analyst for Time magazine, reviews Karl Rove's book as well as Gov. Romney's here.

Posted by Nancy French at 04:46 PM on April 26, 2010 | Permalink

Hey guys -- I wrote an article I thought you might like to see in GOOD magazine. No, it's not related to Gov. Romney or politics at all, but check it out and leave me a comment there!

"Claire killed Steven yesterday,” said the pastor at the 200-year-old church. The oldest operational church in the state of Tennessee has weathered many tragedies, including the Civil War, with its elegant stained-glass windows intact. But this was the only time a congregant had killed another. Less than 24 hours had passed since a woman repeatedly shot her husband in the chest, apparently during target practice.

Was it purposeful? I discreetly texted my friends who were sitting a few rows back. “We don’t know details,” the pastor continued. “But I admonish you not to gossip,” he said, after I pressed send. “Or to make it worse by spreading rumors.”

Through sheer force of will I got home without gossiping, but I couldn't resist getting online. Our local newspaper’s website shed frustratingly little information. The second hit from my internet search, however, was his Facebook page.

Feeling like I’d stumbled on an open diary left on the table, I hesitantly clicked and gulped when I saw him standing next to a tank in Iraq, alive and vibrant. On his wall were dozens of recent notes from friends, like “My kids want a playdate with yours. When the snow melts?” Steven’s “recent activities” listed the people he’d “friended.”

No space existed between these entries and the next—not even an asterisk explaining what transpired—but it was obvious that a normal life had suddenly changed to something quite alarming: “Was it really Steven? How is he? Can someone please confirm?”

Facebook recently changed its policy regarding death. My article explains this, and explores the weird ramifications of living -- and dying -- online. Read the rest here.

Posted by Nancy French at 03:55 PM on April 26, 2010 | Permalink

Nancy, Sen. Brown is not the only conservative rock star who's said nice things about Gov. Romney recently. Here's Robert Costa on NRO, writing about Marco Rubio:

Rubio has spent much of his campaign focused on health care. Is he a fan of Romney’s Massachusetts health-care plan? “It’s a work in progress,” Rubio says, speaking of the Bay State program. “There are major distinctions between that and what Obama is trying to do in Washington. For one, it didn’t raise any taxes. Number two, it is not adding to our deficit. That is my biggest objection to Obamacare, although there are many others. My number-one objection to Obamacare is that we can’t afford it, even if it was the greatest idea in the world.”

“Florida and Massachusetts are very different places,” Rubio continues. “All I would say to you is that states were designed to be laboratories for creative thoughts and ideas. That’s what the Framers of our great republic intended. They wanted the states to be the places that came up with innovation and competition. And I’ll tell you what, if Massachusetts gets it wrong and Florida gets it right, people will move to Florida, and businesses will move to Florida, and vice versa. There are just major distinctions between what’s happening in Washington and what I hope states will do. Like I said, what I’m not in favor of is what Barack Obama has done, which is to raise taxes and add to the federal deficit in exchange of taking a step toward a single-payer system in America.”

Posted by Charles Mitchell at 03:43 PM on April 25, 2010 | Permalink

New on SixSeeds.tv today, by David:

One weekend a month, I get up extremely early in the morning, put on one of my uniforms from my tour in Iraq, and go to the reserve center in Nashville to fulfill my military obligations. After our physical training, I go out to breakfast on Sunday morning with my friends in our unit… all in uniform, of course, and typically go to McDonald’s. There, we eat a country ham and biscuit, sip coffee, and share war stories since almost all of us have been to Iraq.

Every weekend, as sit and chat, someone invariably comes up to us and thanks us for our service.

But one Sunday morning was different. We were finishing our biscuits and about to get up, when an older man rolled up in an electric wheelchair. He looked reasonably healthy and reasonably fit, except he had one leg. He positioned himself in front of our table, put out his hand, introduced himself, and said, “Thanks for your service.” I gave my standard response (“my privilege”) and started to to leave. But he didn’t move.

“You boys have been to war.” He motioned towards our right arms, which bear the combat patches signifying we’ve been “downrange” to Iraq or Afghanistan. “Mind if I tell a war story?”

They didn't. Read the rest of the story here.

Posted by Nancy French at 11:29 AM on April 23, 2010 | Permalink

No, not himself.

One guess.

Posted by Nancy French at 10:52 AM on April 23, 2010 | Permalink

Perhaps I've been watching Charlie Crist flaming out in Florida with a tad too much glee... Here, he responds to a reporter's question with a nonchalant ease that betrays his very precarious political situation:

Posted by Nancy French at 04:24 PM on April 22, 2010 | Permalink

This article demonstrates that Gov. Romney is an early favorite:

Mitt Romney is way ahead of the rest of the Republican contenders for the 2012 nomination in a New Hampshire poll by Public Policy Polling (PPP), winning with 39 percent of registered Republican voters, 26 points ahead of second place Sarah Palin.

Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich tied for third in the poll with 11 percent each, while Ron Paul comes in fifth, preferred by 7 percent of poll respondents.

Posted by Nancy French at 08:36 PM on April 21, 2010 | Permalink

Many of you have heard that the National Day of Prayer has been struck down. Here's the take of my resident Constitutional lawyer, who's in DC for a Supreme Court case:

United States District Court Judge Barbara Crabb, April 15, 2010, striking down the National Day of Prayer:

It goes beyond mere “acknowledgment” of religion because its sole purpose is to encourage all citizens to engage in prayer, an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function in this context. . . . In this instance, the government has taken sides on a matter that must be left to individual conscience.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, June 6, 1944, speaking to Americans for the first time about the D-Day landings.

Read the what FDR said here... very interesting. Thanks for reminding us of our history!

Posted by Nancy French at 10:31 PM on April 18, 2010 | Permalink