United Liberty

That is the word from Politico. According to several sources, the results were met with boos from attendees of CPAC, which again shows that conservatives are still not welcoming to libertarians despite what Ronald Reagan said about the correlation between the two philosophies (“If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism”).

In case you’re wondering, Mitt Romney won each of the last three CPAC straw polls (2007, 2008 and 2009).

Here are the full results:

• Ron Paul: 31%
• Mitt Romney: 22%
• Sarah Palin: 7%
• Tim Pawlenty: 6%
• Mike Pence: 5%
• Newt Gingrich: 4%
• Mike Huckabee: 4%
• Mitch Daniels: 2%
• Rick Santorum: 2%
• John Thune: 2%
• Haley Barbour: 1%
• Other: 5%
• Undecided: 6%

Despite a recent poll showing him with a lead over Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) will stay put. Erick Erickson has the details, including a letter from Pence:

After much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to remain in the House and to seek reelection to the 6th Congressional District in 2010.

I am staying for two reasons. First because I have been given the responsibility to shape the Republican comeback as a member of the House Republican Leadership and, second, because I believe Republicans will win back the majority in the House of Representatives in 2010.

Former Rep. John Hostettler (R-IN) trailed Bayh by 3 points in yesterday’s Rasmussen poll, though inside the margin of error. Bayh was unable to receive anymore 45% support against any of the three Republicans polled.

News got out last week the National Republican Senatorial Committee was meeting with Rep. Mike Pence about a possible bid against Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN). There no indication either way right now on what Pence will do, but a new Rasmussen poll shows him leading Bayh by a 3 point margin (though within the margin of error):

Indiana Senator Evan Bayh is another Democratic incumbent who could find himself in a tough reelection battle this fall. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in the state finds that Bayh attracts support from just 44% or 45% of voters when matched against his top potential Republican challengers.

Congressman Mike Pence is reportedly considering running against Bayh. At this time, he attracts 47% of the vote while Bayh picks up 44%.

A former Republican congressman, John Hostettler, has already indicated he will challenge Bayh. In that match-up, it’s Bayh with a three-point edge, 44% to 41%.

Freshman State Senator Marlin Stutzman has announced that he is in the race. He trails the incumbent by 12 points, 45% to 33%.

President Barack Obama has a disapproval rating of 56% and 60% of Indiana voters disapprove of the health care plan.

Don’t get your hopes up just yet, Bayh has been re-elected with over 60% of the vote in each of his last three bids for re-election. With that said, it shows how angry voters are with Democrats, especially since Obama won this state in 2008.

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) is meeting with the National Republican Senatorial Committee to discuss a potential run against Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN):

GOPers have failed to recruit a top-tier challenger against the popular 2-term incumbent, thanks largely to Bayh’s bankroll. He had $12.7M in the bank as of Sept. 30, and GOPers expect he would be able to raise many more millions before Election Day.

But Pence has a base, especially as the number 3 GOPer in the House, and top Senate strategists believe he would be able to raise the money to compete with Bayh. He also has the national ambition, and Senate strategists plan to point out those ambitions are difficult to achieve without a Senate seat.

Yet Pence’s team is acutely aware of the financial challenge such a race would pose, and he had just $462K CoH at the end of the 3rd quarter. Pence’s decision will rest heavily on whether the NRSC would make a financial commitment to help make up the early difference, a source close to Pence said. The source also said Pence is unlikely to turn down the offer soon, indicating he is taking the notion seriously.

If you were paying attention to the news after the results of the special election in Massachusetts, you may recall that Sen. Bayh was one of the first out of the gate calling the outcome a “wake up call” and criticized the “furthest left elements in the Democratic Party” for “attempting to impose their will on the rest of the country.”

Bayh was re-elected in 2004 with over 61% of the vote. Indiana, a traditionally red state, went for Obama in 2008 by about 28,000 votes. It was the first time the state went for a Democrat since 1964.

This week, one can hardly open a discussion without hearing fearful comments on the economy and the recent attempt by Congress to bailout investors in the housing market. No question, failure to pass a bailout package will create short-term problems in the stock market, hence, retirement plans and pensions will suffer.

But the bottom line is that dropping a safety net under investors is an antithesis to the free market system. Free enterprise finds a way to make investment and initiative work, while socialism uses the force of government to bring about a contrived result.

A dear friend who blogs from left of center, made a statement a few months ago that with a Republican President and Republican Congress, we have seen as conservatism did not work. I responded that conservatism had not been tried. The Republican Congress failed to get a grip on the super growth of government and our Republican President did little to challenge the growth of the size of government.