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Few things are more amusing than watching the ever-important run to ban soft drinks and sugar for "your own good." Following New York City's attempt to ban soft drinks over 16 oz. from fast food restaurants, other left-wing cities, such as Cambridge, MA (90% voted for Obama!), are starting to line up. Controlling citizens lives is what big government is all about. Michelle Obama immediate reaction was to praise Bloomberg's efforts to "fight obesity" rather than laugh off the effort as out-of-control government nanny-statism. From the Cambridge article, there was this:

"But Cambridge City Councilor Leland Cheung said he was befuddled to see the proposal because there has been such a backlash against the idea in New York City. Cheung said the soda ban in New York has been ridiculed in the media, and is almost a nightly subject of the political comedy program "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" on Comedy Central."

Note that the general instincts of councilor wasn't to think this level of control was absurd, but to note that there was backlash in NYC. So while they would like to ban sodas, being liked may be more important.

But beyond the controlling aspect of the anti-soda, here is why these laws are just silly and emblematic of why big government rarely works or has successful outcomes

* Not on the ban list are Milk-Based products. So while you won't be able to walk into Burger King in NYC and get a soda over 16oz. (150 Calories, 0 fat, 39 grams of sugar) anyone can get a 20 oz. Chocolate Milk shake that packs 980 Calories, 24 Grams of fat, and 150 grams of sugar. To come close to that milkshake in calories, one would need about 100oz. of soda, while 64 oz. of soda would be needed to match the all-evil sugar content.

* It doesn't ban refills! You might only get a 16oz. cup, but dining in means unlimited refills and all the soda one can desire. People who drive through will be limited to a 16oz. soda (or, 5 if they choose to order them), but dining in is a fat and diabetes-inducing free-for-all. Rather than prevent people from drinking too much soda, isn't it possible that more people will choose to eat inside now to ensure they have enough drink to wash down there 2,000 calorie-but-not-banned mean?

If the goal is to prevent people from getting fat or diabetes, regulations like this are ridiculous. The only way to save people from themselves, if liberals are serious, is to outright ban these products. But that is something to be worked on for the future, I suppose.

Not surprisingly, the same ideology that wants to ban soft drinks, energy drinks, and salt also thinks legalizing drugs is a great idea because it allows for personal freedom and the right to harm one's self. (After all drugs aren't more harmful than alcohol, which given the lack of restrictions is also less harmful than soda). Obviously, the backlash of voters has been apparent. Even people who vote these nanny-staters into office look at them with befuddlement and ask: "seriously?" Maybe that's at least a little sign of progress.

Food Bans and the Illogical Nanny State originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Tuesday, June 19th, 2012 at 08:35:49.

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Is Obama's recent Illegal Immigration order a move to prevent Marco Rubio from becoming Mitt Romney's pick for vice-president?

Conservatives were already 50/50 on Marco Rubio's version of the Dream Act, but Rubio has remained on the top of most polls when it comes to become the GOP vice-presidential nominee. (Read Potential VP Selections). ). Though details of Rubio's plan are not fully completed, the Obama move is at least somewhat similar to Rubio's version. Obviously, if Rubio is the pick that leaves an opening for Obama to point out that his policy would basically do what Rubio wants to do, so how can it be that bad? The timing of this release seems to suggest that Obama does not want Rubio as the VP pick and is hoping this prevents that from happening. After all, why drop this bombshell this early when excitement over it will certainly fade by election time?

On the other hand, the move could backfire. If Marco Rubio releases his plan and it is acceptable to conservatives, he could actually use the Obama order as a stepping stone to passing that law over the left's full-blown amnesty version. While liberals have dismissed Rubio's outline, it would be much harder to do now that Obama has essentially embraced a certain portion of it.

*Read Complete Analysis of Obama's Illegal Immigration Move

Photo Source: Chip Somodevilla - Getty Images News

Obama's "Stop Rubio" Plan? originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Sunday, June 17th, 2012 at 12:34:56.

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Quick thoughts on why Obama made the announcement now, and what effects it might have on the upcoming presidential election.

1. Avoid talking about the economy - Despite Obama's many promises to "focus like a laser" on the economy, the Obama administration has been focused on anything but. Every other week is a brand new "right thing to do" proclamation that "can't wait" any longer. First it was a phony "Republicans want to ban birth control" smear to excite women. Then it was the "I won't do anything different than Mitt Romney on gay marriage, but I totally like support it and stuff" move to get the gay vote excited. Now, toss in the pander-to-Hispanic move. There's already plenty of talk about future roll outs of mortgage and student loan bailouts. It's a surprise-a-month with the Obama administration. Ironically, thrusting over a million new legalized workers into the workforce will probably only increase the economic discussion.

2. Prevent Rubio from being VP pick - Conservatives were already 50/50 on Marco Rubio's version of the Dream Act, but Rubio has remained on the top of most polls when it comes to vice-presidential nominee. (Read Potential VP Selections). Though details are not fully completed, the Obama move is at least somewhat similar to Rubio's version. Obviously, if Rubio is the pick that leaves an opening for Obama to point out that his policy would basically do what Rubio wants to do, so how can it be that bad? The timing of this release seems to suggest that Obama does not want Rubio as the VP pick and is hoping this prevents that from happening. After all, why drop this bombshell this early when excitement over it will certainly fade by election time?

3. Executive Over-reach - Not that this is anything new with the Obama administration, but the president obviously has no respect for the separation of powers or the concept of federalism in general. He previously announced he would not defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court. In battling state governments and federalism, his judicial department has sued states for implementing federal-law-enforcing legislation related to illegal immigration, as well as attempting to prevent states from implementing reasonable voter ID laws or even removing dead people from voter rolls. Once upon a time it was common to repeal legislation. Now, whatever Obama says, goes. But the bigger problem is if this is allowed to stand, it says that the President of the United States has the power to do anything, dismiss any law, and ignore any legislative acts. What would be to stop a President from offering blanket amnesty with the wave of a pen?

4. Open the Floodgates - A key component that conservatives have demanded is to first stop the leak before cleaning up the water. The borders remain open. If anything, this move will increase the amount of illegal activity. The requirements to "prove" you were in the country for 5 years and that you graduated high school will no doubt be very flexible by the "compassionate" decision-makers. I doubt there is any effective system that would stop someone from crossing the border tomorrow, obtaining a fake high school diploma (not exactly high tech documents) and become in effect a legal resident.

5. Economic Disaster - Reports have been stating that 800,000 illegal immigrants under 30 will be eligible to work legally in the country. This is probably a lowball number to make it not seem quite so bad as, say, "millions" would sound. With a country of over 12 million illegal immigrants, it certainly seems low. But even if accurate, that number would exponentially increase as it does not include non-working age aliens, who will turn working age by the tens of thousands every year. Now, an already depressed private sector will be flooded with workers that we do not need and lining up for jobs that are already attracting 100 applicants for every job opening.

Obama's Illegal Immigration Move originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Friday, June 15th, 2012 at 18:34:56.

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Michelle Malkin, Thomas Sowell, and John Stossel are just a few of the names that top our list of Top Conservative Columnists for 2012. We sought reader opinion in coming up with this list and came up with a highly diversified list of writers that cover a variety of topics. Some of the columnists are economists and educators, while others are are multi-media personalities. If you like humor and sarcasm, we have a little of that, and if you like dead-seriousness, tthen there is a little of that too. Leave a comment as to who would have made your list. Read the Top 10 Columnists Here

The Top 10 Conservative Columnists originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Thursday, June 14th, 2012 at 21:59:49.

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The Atlantic has a piece out today about a number of ballot initiatives aiming to legalize pot, and how it might help Obama's re-election by turning out the youth vote again (apparently counting on a "high" that isn't talking about unemployment rate). "This year there's another incumbent president with modest approval ratings who could turn out his base with controversial ballot measures. But this time, the issue features no biblical or scatological imagery. In 2012, voters in swing states will decide whether they'll allow their fellow citizens to bear joints. Unlike the gay marriage votes, there's no indication that Obama's re-election team is behind any of the pot legalization initiatives, but there are Democrats who are hoping that it will boost turnout among weed's biggest fans: young people."

The debate over legalizing drugs can often be a tricky proposition for conservatives who often talk about personal responsibility, economic freedom, and individual liberty, but oppose the legalization of drugs. (Some libertarian-leaning conservatives often favor or are neutral to the idea, but don't see it as needing a big push.)

But here's the easiest answer as to why legalizing drugs is a bad idea: The welfare/nanny state. Yep, we live in a society where "the youth" expect the government to change their diapers in the morning, and in the afternoon pay for their college, their food, and make sure they get a $100K job - with free healthcare - the day after graduation. The same youth who would likely enjoy seeing the legalization of drugs, thinks everything is free and every problem should be taken care of.

We do not live in a society where screwing up one's life and making stupid decisions only effects the person making those decisions. Instead, we live in a society where the taxpayer bails out everyone for everything. And people who screw up their lives taking drugs will be no exception. And then, how long until some Obama-ish administration demands that insurance plans cover drug usage for "medicinal" or "emotional" or "therapeutic" purposes? At the same time, let's not forget that the same ideology that favors drug legalization is also bandying about trying to ban salt, slurpees, and soda pop "for your own good."

So here's the deal: End the welfare state and consequence-free safety-net for people who make stupid decisions, and THEN we can have a legitimate discussion about legalizing drugs. Before you can demand the freedom to do whatever, whenever, you must first be willing to accept the consequences. A nanny-welfare state that fixes every personal problem (expensively I might add) and drug-legalization simply are not compatible.

Photo Source: Spencer Platt, Getty Images

Legalize Pot? Bad Idea in a Nanny State originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Thursday, June 14th, 2012 at 08:29:17.

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With so many great conservative columnists and writers in the world today, it can be hard to know who to read. This list offers a mix of writers with different writing styles ranging from the serious to the humorous. Each of the columnists here write on a number of issues important to conservatives including economics and the free market, foreign policy, American politics, and current events. Read The List

Top Conservative Writers: Who to Read originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Thursday, June 14th, 2012 at 07:36:37.

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If you haven't had the chance to read Romney's pro-business, limited government platform, you will find it offers a realistic approach to fixing the problems created by the Obama administration. You can read a summary here.

The differences between Obama and Romney are evident and the 2012 election will probably highlight one of the biggest differences in economic platforms. Last week, Obama was a little too honest when he said he though the private sector was doing fine based on "corporate profits" and his solution to fixing the rest of the economy was to hire more and more public employees. That is sincerely his goal. The reason some companies are making profits is because they are being forced to survive the Obameconomy by reducing their staff, shuttering segments of their operations, moving work oversees, and limiting the scope of what they can do.

At the same time, these business are holding on to what they can fearful of the Obama regulations that are sure to come, the negative effects of Obamacare on businesses, and the constant threat of taxation. Any conservative that is somewhat apprehensive towards Mitt Romney should read his economic platform and see what a welcome relief these policies would be.

"It's the economy. And we aren't stupid." - Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney

This topic is up for debate here

Romney's Solid Economic Platform originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Tuesday, June 12th, 2012 at 09:57:35.

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There is a lot of interesting numbers out today for newly-assured Republican nominee Mitt Romney (Read Romney's 2012 Presidential Profile). Earlier today, fundraising totals were released that showed Romney and the RNC ($77 Million) out-raising Obama and the DNC ($60 Million) by $17 Million for the month of May. Earlier, team Obama had a goal of $1 Billion and overwhelming a supposedly-weak GOP opponent.

But, alas, Romney is no John McCain. Not in Fundraising. Not in attitude. Not in willingness to hit Obama. Not in polls. As a result, it looks like I will need to be expanding my Battleground 2012 list, as previous big Obama wins in 2012 are looking not so great for him, and the Electoral College is shaping up nicely for Romney.

Purple strategies has Romney up over Obama in Ohio (48-45%), Florida, (49-45%), and close in Colorado (46-48%) and in Virginia (46-49%). Rasmussen has it a tie in Colorado (45% apiece), while EPIC-MRA has Romney leading Obama in Michigan (46-45%). We Ask America has Obama's lead in Wisconsin (48-43%) within the margin of error.

The good news for Romney is he is competitive or leads in all of these swing states and has not even started campaigning yet. More worrisome for team Obama is that even when he leads he is below the 50% threshold in all of the states. That is usually viewed as bad news for the incumbent as undecideds typically break for the challenger. With Romney's ability to compete financially and a continued tea party surge, it's fairly evident that it is not 2008 any longer. The question is, is it still 2010? If Wisconsin is any indicator....

Romney's Numbers: Polls and Fundraising Show Promise originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Thursday, June 7th, 2012 at 17:24:14.

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Update: 10:23PM - For those who were hoping that tea party sentiment was a one time affair in 2010, guess again. The recall election in Wisconsin was not an under-the-radar election. Big labor laid it all out on the line in and was rebuffed. If the question for November 2012 remains whether the voter turnout will look more like it did in 2008 or 2010, tonight was very good news for conservatism, the tea party, and Mitt Romney.

Original - GOP Governor Scott Walker has won the recall race in Wisconsin, beating back efforts from the left-wing groups and labor unions to force his ouster. It also appears that tea party favorite Rebecca Kleefisch, the Lt. Governor, will also win her recall election. Meanwhile, at least 3 of the 4 GOP senators up for recall in the state have large leads in their races.

Further reading for the November 2012 Presidential and Senate races in Wisconsin, and the impact of this recall election:

November momentum will depend heavily on the outcome of the June recall elections and the ability of big labor to get out the vote. If big labor is strong enough to oust Walker, they will probably have enough juice to carry Obama. If the Republicans beat back the heavily funded effort to oust them, this will point to Wisconsin being a very competitive race for both the presidential and senate contests. A GOP victory could provide extra momentum heading into November and remind the political establishment that the tea party is there to stay.

While many have attempted to claim that the WI recall election does not have any impact on the 2012 presidential election, I disagree. This race shows that the tea party enthusiasm is not just a one election fling and is here to stay.

Walker Wins Recall Race in WI originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Tuesday, June 5th, 2012 at 22:06:42.

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Today is the day Wisconsin voters head to the polls to determine if they want to oust Republican and tea party governor Scott Walker in a recall election. Big Labor thought they had this one in the bag after gathering enough signatures to force an election. But polls have told a different story an Obama has stayed away from the state altogether.

The most recent polls predict Walker will win between 50-54% of the vote, while they have his Democratic opponent earning between 42-47%. In 2010, Walker won by 52-47%.

Recall Election Overview: Why is their a recall election in Wisconsin? Read More

2012 Wisconsin Presidential Election Profile: What are Romney chances at winning. Tea party still kicking in WI? Read More

Tea Party resurgence in Wisconsin looking strong: May 14th, 2012 Update. Read More

Wisconsin Recall Election Reading List originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Tuesday, June 5th, 2012 at 08:00:55.

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Mitt Romney recently pledged to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which receives $450 million a year and helps fund PBS and NPR. Romney reasonably stated:

"I like PBS, we subsidize PBS. Look -- I'm gonna stop that, I'm gonna say PBS is gonna have to have advertisement. We're not gonna kill Big Bird, but Big Bird's gonna have advertisements, all right."

If politicians are sincerely interested in cutting costs at the federal level and balancing the budget they should be willing to start where the choices are easy. Plenty of opportunities exist for legislators to cut budget dollars where the end recipient could reasonably replace the lost money by their own means. If congressional leaders are unwilling to cut where it is easy to do so, how will they ever make tough decisions when they must cut where they do not want to?

One such example that congress should cut funding to is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or CPB. The CPB receives federal money which it then disperses to public radio and television stations, most notably Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR). The money lost from public funding could likely be recaptured - if not exceeded - by implementing a market-driven approach to raising capital. Read More

Defund Elmo? Yes, please. originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Tuesday, June 5th, 2012 at 00:40:06.

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Mitt Romney recently pledged to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which receives $450 million a year and helps fund PBS and NPR. Romney reasonably stated:

"I like PBS, we subsidize PBS. Look -- I'm gonna stop that, I'm gonna say PBS is gonna have to have advertisement. We're not gonna kill Big Bird, but Big Bird's gonna have advertisements, all right."

If politicians are sincerely interested in cutting costs at the federal level and balancing the budget they should be willing to start where the choices are easy. Plenty of opportunities exist for legislators to cut budget dollars where the end recipient could reasonably replace the lost money by their own means. If congressional leaders are unwilling to cut where it is easy to do so, how will they ever make tough decisions when they must cut where they do not want to?

One such example that congress should cut funding to is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or CPB. The CPB receives federal money which it then disperses to public radio and television stations, most notably Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR). The money lost from public funding could likely be recaptured - if not exceeded - by implementing a market-driven approach to raising capital. Read More

Defund Elmo? Yes, please. originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Tuesday, June 5th, 2012 at 00:40:06.

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Let not your DVD collection be empty, fellow conservatives. The last 2 years have seen a decent number of movies with conservative, tea party, anti-government oppression, and pro-freedom messages. This list of movies for 2012 may not all be made for conservatives, but they certainly have messages that conservatives can agree with.

1. October Baby - An incredible, touching movie about life, love, forgiveness, and self-discovery, October Baby follows a young adopted woman, Hannah, who suffers from a number of ailments, including epilepsy. After a series of health-related episodes, Hannah discovers that she was adopted following a botched abortion attempt by her birth mother. The news shatters her initially, but she eventually sets out on a Spring Break road trip with her friends to search out her birth mother, and to understand what forgiveness is all about. October Baby is an inspiring film with a pro-life, pro-adoption message that really proves every life is beautiful.

Read The Top Movies for Tea Party and Conservative Americans

Top 7 Post-2010 Movies for Conservatives and Tea Partiers originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Wednesday, May 30th, 2012 at 03:04:16.

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Update 10:00PM Not too shocking, but Mitt Romney officially clinched the Republican nomination today as he has over 70% of the vote in the Texas primary tonight. Meanwhile, the hotly-contested US Senate race might be headed towards a runoff as leading candidate David Dewhurst is about 2.5 percentage points short of the outright majority needed to win the nomination.

Update 8:30PM Before results start to come in heavy, here is a reminder of who is supporting whom in the Republican US Senate Primary. Ted Cruz support reads likes a tea party national convention, with support from Sarah Palin, Pat Toomey, Rand Paul, Jim DeMint, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, the Tea Party Express, and Freedom Works. Cruz's more establishment opponent, frontrunner David Dewhurst, has the backing of Rick Perry, Mike Huckabee, Michael Reagan, James Inhofe, and a load of statewide special interest groups and associations. The special interest group support is a good indicator of which group is a little softer when it comes to the taxpayer's money.

Today marks the second of three "Tea Party Primaries to Watch" as Ted Cruz aims for the US Senate seat in Texas. "Texas is one of those states, unlike Massachusetts, where nominating the best conservative possible will almost always lead to a good outcome. Thanks to a strong Republican electorate, the eventual GOP nominee will almost certainly win in November. With longtime moderate and establishment Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison finally retiring, the tea party has a great opportunity to widen their ranks in the US Senate."

There may be no outright winner tonight as a candidate must win 50%+1 to avoid a runoff and secure the nomination.The tea party took their first victory, as Richard Mourdock defeated incumbent Republican Richard Lugar in the Indiana US Senate primary. In a more unexpected victory (the race didn't even make our "must watch list"), Deb Fischer stole a victory in Nebraska for the open US Senate seat. A Sarah Palin endorsement helped launch that victory in Nebraska, and the former VP has also put her voice behind Cruz.

Also in Texas, former railroad commissioner and tea party favorite Michael Williams has a shot to win the nomination for a congressional seat.

Stay tuned as the returns start to roll in

Texas Primary Today; Romney Clinches Nomination originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Tuesday, May 29th, 2012 at 07:45:23.

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Yesterday we released out top 8 conservative websites for 2012. Showing how diverse these websites are, here are some links to how some of those websites honors the fallen this Memorial Day. Thanks to all who have served, are serving, and will one day serve.

* Breitbart has video of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta discussing Memorial Day

* Twitchy readers wonder why a prominent liberal isn't fond of calling our women and men of the military brave.

* Rush Limbaugh wants us to remember what it was that many Americans have died to fight against (tyrannical socialism and communism) and died fighting for (freedom in conjunction with capitalism).

* Leah Herron at Tea Party Patriots asks us to "Fly Old Glory. Fly Her Proudly" this Memorial day. And every day.

Photo: Win McNamee, Getty Images News

Memorial Day: Links From Our Top 8 Websites originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Monday, May 28th, 2012 at 07:15:13.

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Times change, and websites come and go. Conservatives have become more vocal and active since 2009, and the "silent majority" is no more.

That brings us to the top conservative websites for 2012, ones that you should bookmark and check out on a regular basis. A handful of these websites are new this year, including the first one on our list, Twitchy.

1. Twitchy - Founded by Michelle Malkin in 2012, Twitchy finds and highlights the top news items, stories, and events posted on social media site Twitter and showcases the best tweets related to those stories. The website is one part informative and one part entertainment. If you like to know the news before it makes the news from a conservative angle, twitchy offers all the excitement that could possibly be had in 140 characters or less.

Read More

8 Websites for Conservatives originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Sunday, May 27th, 2012 at 20:33:03.

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Sorry Rhode Island, Utah, and Vermont, you didn't make this list. It's a pretty safe bet how you are all going to vote.

The reality is that the 2012 election will come down to what happens when how about 10-15 states cast ballots. These swing states, or battleground states if you prefer, will decide who the next president is. If Romney becomes competitive in Connecticut (or Obama in Alabama), chances are the race won't be close anyway, and even the swing states won't matter.

There are a few states on here that wouldn't have made the swing state list prior to 2008. And I'm talking about you, Virginia, North Carolina, and Indiana. But there are also a few that Obama won handily but have slowly crept into the competitive fold. Say hello to Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Then there are the ones that are always close, and the winner of these usually wins it all. This list includes Florida, Ohio, Missouri, and Colorado.

A few other swing states didn't make the top 10 intrigue list yet. Arizona should be safely in Romney's corner, while Nevada, New Hampshire, and Iowa missed the top 10 for their low-single digit electoral vote offering. There are also not as make-or-break as the rest are.

So read up on the list, and let us know in the comments section who you think will win each state.

Top 10 Battleground States originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Sunday, May 27th, 2012 at 00:56:44.

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So it turns out that Romney is starting to look tougher than many thought he was. (And Obama is looking much weaker than anyone thought he would be.)

Romney has now led in three of the last 4 polls taken in the state of Florida. While the polls show a decent number of undecideds, this is also good news for Romney as undecided voters typically tend towards the challenger, or as they called it in 2008: "change." Of course, it isn't just Florida. Obama is also struggling in states he won by double-digits including Wisconsin, where Romney is playing him close, as well as Pennsylvania and even New Jersey.

Read More about Florida Match-ups - Battleground 2012: Florida

Florida Battleground Preview originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Thursday, May 24th, 2012 at 00:12:11.

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Update 11:15PM est: Deb Fischer is starting to pull away in the senate primary race in Nebraska, and has been declared the winner of the GOP Primary. AG Bruning, the establishment pick, was expected to walk away with this race as little as two weeks ago. It's Fischer 40.2% to 36% for Bruning. Tonight's math formula is Palin > the establishment > Jim DeMint + Freedom Works + Club for Growth.

Update 10:37PM est: Deb Fischer takes the lead in Nebraska. 38.6%-37.2%. Ted Cruz smiling, Dan Llijenquist glad to be last int he primary cycle. Tons of momentum could be headed his way

Update 10:25PM est: Returns show the gap now just 1.2% with 38.1% for Bruning, and 36.9% Fischer.

Update 10:15PM est: With 32% of the vote in, Palin-backed Senate candidate Deb Fisher is within 3% of establishment pick Bruning. The lead has narrowed to 39-36%. Stenberg, who was endorsed by most other tea party groups, is in distant 3rd at 21%. Palin power? Note: The only two general election polls done featuring Fischer vs Democrat Bob Kerrey had Fischer winning by 10 and 12 points, despite low name recognition.

Original Post: In the May 15th Nebraska Republican primary for Senate, John Bruning was the establishment favorite. Jim DeMint and a number of tea party organizations backed a second candidate, former Attorney General Don Stenberg. But days after a poll found a third candidate, Deb Fischer, trailing by 16 points, Sarah Palin gave a surprise endorsement of the underfunded underdog.

Many naysayers have dismissed Palin's influence, instead suggesting that her endorsements had little effect as the candidates were rising in the polls anyway. But the coincidences are far too many and the number of out-of-nowhere candidates to win (or come darn close to winning) are simply too plentiful to ignore. In 2010, it was Governor Nikki Haley in South Carolina, Joe Miller in Alaska, and Karen Handel in Georgia (among many others) who were given big boosts in their eventual underdog primary bids.

Most notably, Sarah Palin did not endorse a candidate for President in 2012, though both Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum claimed at one point or another they had her support. (Palin stated she voted for Newt in Alaska, but her "keep the race going" strategy was hardly a ringing endorsement.)

In addition to Fischer in Nebraska, Texas Republican Ted Cruz is touting his Palin endorsement as he attempts to pull a Rubio in Texas and defeat the establishment candidate in the Senate Primary. Two weeks ago, Richard Mourdock ousted longtime US Senator/professional RINO Richard Lugar in the senate primary in Indiana. While many expected to win late, his Palin endorsement was most buzzworthy and his 20+ point margin was much greater than anyone anticipated.

Palin's Golden Endorsement Touch originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 at 22:13:50.

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The 2010 tea party rebound in Wisconsin has helped put the state back into battleground status for 2012. Could Republicans sweep the gubernatorial, senate, and presidential race in 2010? The most recent Wisconsin polls find:

+ Scott Walker has a 5-point lead in his recall election battle in the Governor's race. This reflects the exact margin he won by during the 2010 tea party revolution.

+ Former Governor Tommy Thompson has a commanding 12-point lead against his Democratic opponent in the senate race, while Mark Neumann leads by 2. The seat is being retired by Democrat Herb Kohl and could be the second senate seat steal for Republicans in Wisconsin since Obama's 2008 victory.

+ President Obama has fallen below 50% in the state, and Mitt Romney's deficit in the state has fallen from 17 points in March, to 9 points in April, to just 4 points now. Obama's current lead in the state is just 49-45%. He won the state 56-42% just four years ago.

GOP Resurgence in Wisconsin Looking Strong originally appeared on About.com Conservative Politics: U.S. on Monday, May 14th, 2012 at 09:31:38.

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