PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island is rarely at the center of the of the presidential nominating process, a situation that — barring major surprises in the early caucuses and primaries — is not likely to change in 2008 for either Republicans or Democrats.

With Rhode Island’s presidential primary slated for March 4, 2008, both the state Democratic and Republican parties are establishing rules for choosing delegates. Those delegates will then vote for each party’s presidential candidates at next summer’s conventions, which the GOP will hold in Minneapolis and the Democrats in Denver.

In a change from recent presidential cycles, Rhode Island Republicans will choose delegates based on proportional representation, which Democrats have used for many years to allocate delegates among presidential aspirants.

Previously Republicans apportioned delegates on a winner-take-all basis; the presidential candidate who won the state’s primary received all of the delegates. In 2008, the delegates will be given proportionally to candidates who gain votes…

Read the Rest of the Story: The Providence Journal

Former Virginia Gov. James S. Gilmore III is dropping his underdog bid for the Republican presidential nomination today, he told The Politico in an interview.

Gilmore said he has been approached about running for Virginia governor a second time, and about running for U.S. Senate if Sen. John W. Warner (R) retires. Gilmore said he will consider both options. Reflecting his long-held interest in Old Dominion politics, he said he will start a political action committee to support Republicans running for the State Senate and House of Delegates.

In the interview, Gilmore said the punishing financial requirements of the early-starting race caused him to decide it was “impractical” to continue. “Because of the front-loading of the primaries, I would have basically had to stop campaigning and spend full time organizing hundreds of people to raise money for me,” he said.

Read the Whole Story: The Politico

The Rhode Island Republican State Central Committee will be having its next meeting on Thursday, July 26, 2007, at Barrington Town Hall, in the Town Council Chambers, 283 County Road, Barrington, RI 02806. Sign-in at 6:30 P.M. / Meeting starts at 7:00 P.M.

Agenda items for the meeting are likely to include:

1. By-Laws Change Proposals

  a. Audit deadline change

  b. Change the process in which auxiliary organizations become recognized/gain membership by the State Party

  c. Add the Parliamentarian (an appointment of the Chairman) as a voting member of the State Central Committee and Executive Committee.

2. Rules changes to the Presidential Delegate Selection process

For more information, e-mail contact [at] rigop [dot] org or call RIGOP HQ at 401-732-8282. Plenty of parking is available surrounding the Town Hall.

Local Republican “troublemaker” (and longtime RIRA member) Jim Cavanugh explains in a recently published letter – as only he can – why he’s not been generously giving money to the Republican National Committee, despite their repeated requests. He’s by no means alone in his sentiments:

I was an old-line conservative Democrat from FDR, to Truman, to JFK, up until LBJ came on the scene. I’m now a conservative Republican (as Truman and JFK would be). Today I received a request from the Republican National Committee asking me to donate.

My reply: Not one thin dime. Take me off your mailing list. Why? You’ve got to be kidding me. I am not about to donate to an administration and congressional bunch that:

• Will not let our military win the war. It could be done in about 60 days, max. Provided that we let the extraneous stuff — fixing bridges and schools, etc. — wait until after victory, as we did in World War II.

• Will not protect our borders. Do we have some gentlemen’s agreement that the Islamic jihadist will not exploit this situation in advancing his goals? Don’t think so. How many hundreds or even thousands have entered to date? They are members of so-called sleeper cells, and they are ready to create mass destruction when called to do so. Read the rest of this entry »

On Thursday, July 12th, 2007, Rhode Island’s largest conservative organization, the RHODE ISLAND REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY, will be having its monthly meeting. The meeting will begin at 6:30 P.M. and will be held in the Banquet Room at the Bickford’s Restaurant on Jefferson Blvd. in Warwick (Exit 15, off Rt. 95).

The RIRA is the Rhode Island affiliate of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies, a thoughtful organization of GOP conservatives working to grow and strengthen the Republican Party in the tradition of President Ronald Reagan. This is a dinner meeting, and if you want to eat, you pay for your own meal. Any like-minded conservative Republican is welcome to attend. There will be a free raffle for GOP prizes at the conclusion of the meeting.

With the National Federation of Republican Assemblies 2007 Presidential Endorsing Convention in St. Louis, Missouri being less than a month away, there should be a very full agenda for the meeting. Most of the Republican Presidential canidates are expected to address the delegates during the NFRA Convention. There will be at least 5 members of the RIRA Board of Directors who will be attending what is sure to be a very memorable event.

For more information, you may contact RIRA President Ray McKay at president [at] ri-ra [dot] org or (401) 487-2514 or NFRA Northeast Region Vice President Will Ricci at NEVP [at] GOPwing [dot] com or visit their informative web site at http://www.ri-ra.org.

HOLLYWOOD, FL — Not yet a 2008 candidate, Fred Thompson energized young Republicans with a speech Saturday that was heavy on rhetoric and short on policy pronouncements. He branded Democrats as “the party of despair.”

Chants of “Fred” and “Run, Fred, Run,” greeted the actor and former GOP senator from Tennessee from many among the 350 people at the Young Republicans National Convention. The crowd interrupted his nine-minute speech with wild applause and mobbed him when he left.

“It makes me feel like the waters are pretty warm,” Thompson said afterward. He has formed an exploratory committee to gauge support for a White House run and raise money. He is expected to announce presidential campaign plans to run soon.

Hours later, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney also addressed the crowd and spoke about foreign policy, Iraq, the economy, health care and other issues. The substance of his remarks impressed some undecided voters.

Read the Whole Story: FOX News (AP)

DES MOINES — Six months before the Iowa caucuses, Mitt Romney has taken a commanding organizational lead in this traditional kick-off state.

Arizona Sen. John McCain’s financial difficulties have forced him to dramatically scale back his Iowa campaign, and it’s not clear whether former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani or ex-Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson will fully engage in the Hawkeye State caucuses.

That leaves Romney as the sole representative of the GOP top tier to commit to the traditional Ames Straw Poll and offer himself to voters for up close and personal inspections.

Read the Whole Story: The Politico

(While this is not a “political post” per se, it is relevant in that it should make it a whole lot easier for you to use this blog to its full potential!)

A report released by a communication workers’ union found that Rhode Island has the fastest average broadband speed of any state.

The report was issued this week by the Communications Workers of America, which represents 700,000 employees in the communications and media fields.

The study compared Internet access speeds in all 50 states and presented the results as evidence that the United States lags behind most other industrial nations. It said that countries such as Japan, South Korea, Finland, Sweden, France and Canada had far faster connections.

The report said that the median download speed of Internet connections in Rhode Island was about 5 megabits-per-second (mbps), and the median upload speed was 1.7 mbps.

Read the Whole Story: The Providence Journal

SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Former School Committee member and Republican Party operative David Coté has filed complaints with the federal and state Departments of Education and the U.S. Agriculture Department over the School Committee’s decision to pilot free breakfast at the middle school.

In his complaints, Coté questioned the use of federal funds to reimburse the state for breakfasts served to students who can afford to pay for it.

“Evidently the free breakfast program was not being used by those in need, hence the Rhode Island elected officials decided to expand the breakfast for those that do not need it,” Coté wrote. He filed the complaint as a private citizen, not in his role as Chairman of the South Kingstown Republican Party. Read the rest of this entry »

On July 2, 1776, after long and wrenching debate, the Continental Congress voted to declare independence from Great Britain. The next night John Adams went back to his rooming house in Philadelphia to write two of the most famous letters in American history. In the following letter, addressed to his beloved wife Abigail in Boston, he exulted in the birth of a new nation.

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore.

You will think me transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration and support and defend these states. Yet, through all the gloom, I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is more than worth all the means. Read the rest of this entry »

Providence, RI — On the day our nation celebrates its independence, the Ocean State Policy Research Institute announces its mission to promote freedom in Rhode Island.

The Ocean State Policy Research Institute is a nonprofit research and education organization that conducts scholarly research and analysis of Rhode Island public policy. The Institute’s mission is to advance sound policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, and the traditional American values of individual liberty and personal responsibility. Institute staff pursues this mission by conducting timely research on important issues and then sharing the findings with elected leaders, the media, business leaders, community organizations, and individual citizens.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), once assumed to be the front-runner for the Republican nomination for president, announced disappointing second quarter fund-raising figures on Monday and will be cutting staff in an effort to stay afloat.

The camp had figured it would be able to raise $100 million this year, campaign manager Terry Nelson told reporters, but now realizes that assumption was “incorrect.”

Nelson said McCain had raised $11.2 million this quarter — a far cry from the $32.5 million posted by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton’s $27 million, and barely more than the third-place Democrat, John Edwards, who claimed about $9 million.

Read the Whole Story: The Politico

This month’s SOUTH COUNTY GOP Breakfast will be held on Saturday, July 21st at 8:00 A.M. It will be hosted by the EAST GREENWICH Republican Town Committee, at a location to be announced.

The breakfast is open to all Republicans in the 10 southern R.I. towns (Charlestown, Richmond, Hopkinton, Westerly, Narragansett, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Exeter, West Greenwich, East Greenwich).
For more information or to RSVP, contact Martha Stamp at 783-6192 or Scott Cassidy at 885-4746 (E-Mail: scassidy [at] apc [dot] com).

On Saturday, July 28th, Bing West will be the guest speaker at the East Bay GOP Brunch at the Sakonnet Fish Company in Portsmouth. Mr. West served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs in the Reagan Administration and with the Marine Infantry in Vietnam. His books have won the Marine Corps Heritage Prize and the Colby Award for Military History. Mr. West regularly appears on The News Hour and Fox News. He is a member of St. Crispin’s Order of the Infantry and the Council on Foreign Affairs. He is a the author of No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah, The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the 1st Marine Division, and the The Pepperdogs. Bing and his son Owen are also screenwriters for a major hollywood studio.

To RSVP, contact Sal DeRuggiero at (401) 847-9696 or saverio1 [at] cox [dot] net.