Free Republic

Rep. Charles Rangel asked the House Ethics Committee yesterday to investigate allegations that he improperly received sweetheart deals on four rent-stabilized apartments at Lenox Terrace in Harlem. While denying any wrongdoing, Rangel is taking the matter seriously. He has tapped hot-shot Washington defense lawyer Lanny Davis to try to handle the controversy. In a letter to House ethics-panel chair Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio), Rangel requested a review of "unfounded allegations against me with respect to apartment units that I have rented in my congressional district in Harlem." "Some in the press have repeatedly - and erroneously - insinuated wrongdoing...

There is a point at which one’s contempt for the environmentalists and their allies is irredeemable. There is no longer the usual excuse that’s there’s room for argument or discussion regarding global warming. Having been labeled “deniers” for years, the sense that the end of this hoax is in sight brings no desire to forgive and forget. Recently, Dr. Roy Spencer, an atmospheric scientist who formerly worked for NASA, testified before a Senate committee. Free now to speak without the impediments of bureaucratic oversight, Dr. Spencer told the committee, “I am pleased to deliver good news from the front lines...

The Senate gave final approval to a housing bill to help struggling homeowners and support struggling mortgage giants Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE) Saturday.

"There's clearly nothing more important in the country for Congress to deal with ... than the price of gas at the pump," said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.). The minority leader said his party would continue to hold up business on the Senate floor until Democrats allowed them to offer a series of amendments on expanded offshore drilling, oil-shale development, nuclear power and other energy alternatives. Republicans have been trying to use a swell of public support for increased petroleum production -- including areas currently closed on the Outer Continental Shelf -- to break Democrats' opposition to lifting a decades-old...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senate lawmakers on Saturday overwhelmingly passed a broad package of housing legislation, hoping to send a calming message to financial markets and voters amid the ongoing deterioration of the housing market and a growing number of bank failures. Meeting in a rare weekend session, the Senate voted 72-13 in favor of the bill, which includes tax breaks for homeowners, a $300 billion program to refinance loans for struggling borrowers, and a dramatic rescue plan for embattled mortgage finance firms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Other provisions include an increase in the federal debt limit to $10.6 trillion...

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn underwent tests Friday for what was described as an irregular heartbeat. His office told news outlets that the 60-year-old Oklahoma Republican was expected to return to work at the Senate over the weekend. An aide said Coburn was at a hospital for the tests for "common arrhythmia.'' He was not admitted to the hospital, the aide said. Coburn's office would not comment further. A physician, Coburn describes himself as a two-time cancer survivor. In 2003, just months before deciding to run for the Senate, he confirmed that he had undergone surgery and treatment for...

Congressional insiders from both parties predict big Democratic gains this fall, although Democrats foresee a bigger shift than do Republicans. Average predictions: House - Democrats see pickup of +16.5 seats, Republicans see loss of 6.6 seats. Senate - Democrats see pickup of +5.8 seats, Republicans see loss of 3.9 seats. The article also quotes some of the survey responses, though without attribution.

The average American voter understands no more about the contributing factors of the current price of gasoline, than they do the falling value of their national currency. That makes them easy targets for political manipulation in a very important election year. Simple Supply and Demand Economics Most Americans kind of get this one, though they are often misled about the ups and downs of natural free market cycles and how much impact government has, or should have, on the matter. In short, the cost for one gallon of gas (or one loaf of bread) is dramatically increased when there is...

California Democrat Nancy Pelosi, the first woman speaker of the House, will promote her upcoming book, “Know Your Power: A Message to America’s Daughters” in three television appearances Monday: NBC’s “Today”, ABC’s “The View” and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” Something to watch for: will the ladies of the “The View” be able to keep it clean? During a 2007 Pelosi appearance on the program, Barbara Walters and Whoopi Goldberg fawned over Paul Pelosi, the speaker’s husband, who was sitting in the audience. The banter between the two hosts got a bit bawdy with the well-mannered Pelosi.

WHY NOT have a vote on offshore drilling? There's a serious debate to be had over whether Congress should lift the ban on drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf that has been in place since 1981. Unfortunately, you won't be hearing it in the House of Representatives -- certainly, you won't find lawmakers voting on it -- anytime soon. Instead of dealing with the issue on the merits, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a staunch opponent of offshore drilling, has simply decreed that she will not allow a drilling vote to take place on the House floor. Why not? "What...

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Call it the un-impeachment hearing. The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing Friday it insisted was not about removing President Bush from office. But critics of Bush's policies couldn't pass up the chance to charge the president with a long list of impeachable "high crimes and misdemeanors." Leading the way was Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, the former Democratic presidential candidate who has brought repeated impeachment resolutions on the House floor against Bush and Vice President Cheney. Kucinich got a rock star welcome of whistles, hoots and clapping as he walked into the hearing room, holding hands...

Federalism, a system of dual sovereigns and multiple levels of government, was envisioned by the founders a method of protecting and securing individual rights. The concentration of power in a single sovereign was viewed with much skepticism by the founders, inasmuch as concentrated power was apt to be abused (which is what they’d fought a revolution over, after all). Federalism has also offered the benefit of spurring competition amongst the states, whose differing policies offer a variety of attributes to attract (or repel) potential residents. Among these competitions is if and how taxes are collected. Florida and Texas, for instance,...

Like all the great nations and societies of history the United States is rapidly coming to the end of its existence as a great and powerful country. The shackles of our nearly 70,000 page tax code are making us less and less able to compete in the global economy. Our tax on capital is cutting our businesses off at the knees. Our highest earners have half their income confiscated by the IRS. All of these taxes along with the cost of complying with nearly unfathomable tax regulations put us at a severe disadvantage as competitors in the global economy since...

The voters say one thing, congress does another. It's the same story over and over again on topics like border security, drilling for domestic oil and so on. Why is this? "Geeks On Caffeine" MAY just have the answer to this perplexing problem, and it isn't that surprising. NOTE: The author requests that you visit his web site and refrain from pasting the cartoon within the thread. Thank you very much!

Leadership: When it comes to giving relief at the pump by drilling for more oil, this is truly a "do-nothing" Democratic Congress. President Bush should give 'em hell like Harry Truman did. Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution states that the president "may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both houses" of Congress. On more than two dozen occasions in our history, presidents have done just that, forcing the Senate and House of Representatives to meet on extraordinary matters of defense or economic peril. Sixty years ago this month, President Truman called such a special session to shame into action what...

If you are ignoring the housing bailout bill because you think it benefits only troubled homeowners, you may miss out on a windfall. The housing bill, expected to be passed by the Senate in the next few days and then signed by President Bush, does offer incentives to certain overextended borrowers and their mortgage lenders. But it also includes many handouts to first-time homebuyers, longtime homeowners, returning veterans and senior citizens seeking to tap their home equity without getting hit with big fees. Millions of people have the potential to benefit in some way. Huge numbers of people buying homes...

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego Republican Congressman, Duncan Hunter's name was popping up in blogs and cable news shows Thursday. Hunter's staff was reported to have contacted the U.S. embassy in the African country of Chad to see if Hunter could distribute food at a refugee camp. Hunter also wanted to hunt Wildebeest in Chad and distribute the meat to refugees. The embassy staff reportedly said they were happy to hear about the Congressman's interest in helping refugees, but as far as hunting goes, there are no Wildebeest to hunt in Chad and the government there does not permit the...

Drill ANWR by Paul Driessen Issue 112 - July 23, 2008 “We can’t drill our way out of our energy problem.” This daily mantra underscores an abysmal grasp of economics by the politicians, activists, bureaucrats and judges who are dictating US policies. If only their hot air could be converted into usable energy. Drilling is no silver bullet. But it is vital. It won’t generate overnight production. But just announcing that America is finally hunting oil again would send a powerful signal to energy markets … and to speculators – many of whom are betting that continued US drilling restrictions...

Want to know who will be the next US president? Allan Lichtman, a political historian who teaches at American University in Washington, DC, says he has the means to predict it. There are 13 questions, each with a "yes" or "no" answer. Lichtman calls these the 13 keys to the White House. Does the incumbent party hold more seats in the House of Representatives after the midterm election than after the preceding midterm election?Is there a serious contest for the incumbent-party nomination?Is the incumbent-party candidate the current president?Is there a significant third-party or independent candidate?Is the economy not in recession...

Leadership: When it comes to giving relief at the pump by drilling for more oil, this is truly a "do-nothing" Democratic Congress. President Bush should give 'em hell like Harry Truman did.Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution states that the president "may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both houses" of Congress. On more than two dozen occasions in our history, presidents have done just that, forcing the Senate and House of Representatives to meet on extraordinary matters of defense or economic peril. Sixty years ago this month, President Truman called such a special session to shame into action what he...

WASHINGTON — House Democrats failed Thursday in their efforts to force the Bush administration to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to lower gasoline prices as Republicans stuck to their demands for a vote on an expansion of offshore drilling. Despite winning majority support, the measure to draw 70 million barrels of light crude oil from the reserve for sale in the commercial market did not receive the two-thirds support needed under special rules. The vote was 268 to 157, 16 short of the margin needed.Republicans held together to stall the measure, which Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, the Republican...

When folks in Washington want to find out what's on the mind of the American people, they tune in to CNN or Fox News and listen to the best of the Washington talking heads. Not me. I have breakfast at my favorite diner in Eufaula, my hometown in Oklahoma. Last week, the folks at J.M.s Restaurant weren't talking about senators Obama and McCain, or the fact the Iraqi government has al Qaeda on the run. They were talking about energy prices. They were talking about the fact it costs $80 to fill up their cars and $120 to fill up...

WHO'S ZOOMIN' WHO?: The House has passed a housing bill that is designed to encourage delinquent mortgage borrowers to refinance into FHA-insured mortgages and to stimulate sales of empty houses, among other things. The Senate is expected to pass the bill, called the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (H.R. 3221), and the president is expected to sign it. As a taxpayer, there's some stuff you won't like, and some stuff that you'll appreciate. (That's a pun, one that I'll explain shortly.) I also recommend that you read Kay Bell's tax blog today, too. She addresses some of these...

As Planet Gore readers likely know, Congress currently prohibits the federal government to sell leases for energy production along the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). As the Congressional Research Service Office has put it, “OCS moratoria, which prohibit leasing on most federal offshore lands, have been an important issue in the debate over energy security and the potential availability of additional domestic oil and gas resources. Congress has enacted the moratoria for each of fiscal years 1982-2006 [NB: now 2008] in the annual Interior Appropriations bill.” This prohibition expires at the end of this (and every other) fiscal year. It...

* Refers to the rated R language that was changed from the original text * And its about time! According to The Hill Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is ready to go balls to the wall to stop surging fuel prices and hold Democrats accountable for the obstruction on drilling in the outter continental shelf (OCS). What are they planning to do? Well, play some hardball: Senate Republicans have threatened to block nearly all other bills pending before the August recess if Democrats refuse to vote with them on expanding offshore drilling. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said bills...

(The Politico) On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid criticized the Washington press corps for failing to report what he believes is unprecedented Republican obstruction. So Friday afternoon, Reid reached out to the liberal blogosphere. "You need to keep doing the job you're doing, but you need to move on," Reid said in a Webcast hosted by a handful of progressive bloggers. "We need your help to push back against the Republican harangue ... that we're not allowing votes" on oil drilling amendments. The Webcast was hosted by meetthebloggers and included bloggers from HuffingtonPost, OpenLeft and thesmogblog.com. Reid seemed flustered...

Declaring that "there is no task more important for this Congress than to seriously consider whether our nation's leaders have violated their oath of office," Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin on Friday morning told the House Judiciary Committee, "I now firmly believe that impeachment hearings are the appropriate and necessary next step."The Madison Democrat's opening statement to the Judiciary Committee's "Hearing on Executive Power and Its Constitutional Limitations" was one of many pointed and at times passionate declarations delivered during an extraordinary session that saw both Democratic and Republican representatives engage in serious discussions about how best to address what committee chair...

One of U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler’s election opponents is seeking state and federal investigations into the growing controversy surrounding his residency in Florida. Former Broward Mayor Ben Graber will hold a press conference at noon at the Broward County Governmental Center. Graber, who is running against Wexler in November, wants investigations into whether Wexler violated Florida and Maryland tax and voter registration law as well as whether he has improperly used congressional housing benefits. Wexler is Florida's only member of Congress who does not own a home in his congressional district. The Democratic congressman has admitted the only house he...

As most of Washington met last week to fret over the economy, Harry Reid was attending a less-noticed summit. The Senate majority leader had summoned the titans of more than a dozen industry trade groups to a Capitol Hill meeting, where he delivered a crisp message: Get with our program, or get demolished. Anyone remember the "K Street Project"? Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and conservative activist Grover Norquist designed it to pressure the business community into hiring GOP lobbyists, supporting GOP causes, and giving money to GOP candidates. The press was shocked, shocked, to discover such behavior, and...

WASHINGTON -- The housing and financial crisis convulsing the U.S. is powering a new wave of government regulation of business and the economy. Federal and state governments alike are increasingly hands-on in their effort to deal with failing businesses, plunging house prices, worthless mortgages and soaring energy prices. The steps add up to a major challenge to the movement toward deregulation that has defined American governance for much of the past quarter-century since the "Reagan Revolution" of the early 1980s. ... The U.S. has swung back and forth from a hands-on to hands-off regulatory approach over the past 230 years....

Conservatives wary of John McCain and worried about who he'll choose for a running mate are offering up ideas left and -- more to the point -- right. One of the ideas gaining momentum in conservative circles is Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.). McCain-Cantor Campaign Button Cantor, the 45-year-old Republican chief deputy whip of the House, has three great attributes: youth, conservative bona fides and geographic desirability, as Virginia will likely be a crucial swing state in this year's presidential election. All of which may explain why McCain had a private lunch last weekend with Cantor and his wife, Diana, in...

The Other Michele by: Rachel Paulk, July 25, 2008 Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once said, “Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation.” U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann, R-Minn, might be in that put-upon tenth. A freshman congresswoman representing the 6th district of Minnesota, Representative Bachmann is committed to a political transparency rarely seen in Washington—perhaps that is why she is a Republican elected for the first time in a Democratic year from a blue state. Moreover, contrary to popular wisdom, that dynamic did not lead her to shift left. A frequent blogger, Representative...

(The Politico) On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid criticized the Washington press corps for failing to report what he believes is unprecedented Republican obstruction. So Friday afternoon, Reid reached out to the liberal blogosphere. "You need to keep doing the job you're doing, but you need to move on," Reid said in a Webcast hosted by a handful of progressive bloggers. "We need your help to push back against the Republican harangue ... that we're not allowing votes" on oil drilling amendments. The Webcast was hosted by meetthebloggers and included bloggers from HuffingtonPost, OpenLeft and thesmogblog.com. Reid seemed flustered...

Sen. Joe Lieberman praises pastor who said Holocaust was God's work One of John McCain's most prominent supporters on Tuesday praised an evangelical leader whom the Republican presidential candidate repudiated after a string of controversial remarks were made public. Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, an independent who frequently campaigns with McCain, said pastor John Hagee's support for Israel outweighed the remarks that led McCain to reject his endorsement. Lieberman said he had been urged not to speak to Hagee's group, Christians United for Israel. Advertisement "The bond that I feel with Pastor Hagee and each and every one of you is...

Ok folks, its time for a long sit-down type of Ticker - the sort that I usually don't write. Let's start with Fannie and Freddie. As anyone who has been reading The Ticker knows, I have been saying for quite some time that Fannie and Freddie are in fact "short to zero" candidates for the common stock. This is simply due to the mathematics of their financial situation - they are levered up anywhere from 60 to more than 200:1, depending on what you include and exclude from "capital" and "credit book." I use the worst-case set of numbers, because...

H.R. 3221*, the American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008, was passed by the House 272-152 on Wednesday, July 23, 2008. (*The government website may not yet be updated following yesterday’s vote.) The Senate is expected to vote on the housing bill on July 25th or 26th. Enactment of this legislation would be a victory for socialism and big government, but a travesty for U.S. taxpayers and limited government. This one-time energy bill was transformed into a vehicle for mortgage foreclosure prevention, then very recently revised again to include plans for preventing the failure of Fannie Mae and...

“Republicans in the House and Senate want an immediate vote to put lawmakers on record” “Republicans on Capitol Hill have been hammering away for weeks … demanding action” “House and Senate Republicans have been working for weeks to coordinate their message on the need for an energy fix to bring down gas prices” CQ: “House Republicans … filed another discharge petition seeking a floor vote on legislation they say could lower gas prices pretty quickly. The bill, the fifth piece of energy legislation the House Republicans have filed discharge petitions on in recent weeks, would cut the number of localized...

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, blasted the Bush administration today for conducting what Democrats described as harsh and punitive immigration raids, calling special attention to a raid at a kosher meatpacking plant in Iowa last May where nearly 400 illegal workers, mainly Guatemalans, were arrested in the largest worksite immigration raid in U.S. history. Lofgren, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee's immigration panel, said at a hearing on the raid that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents rounded up workers at the Agriprocessors meat packing plant in Postville, Iowa, and then they were "herded into a cattle arena and prodded down...

Pelosi: Dems saved Bush’s 'chestnuts' By: David Rogers July 25, 2008 11:51 AM EST After driving a hard bargain, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is now taking credit for pulling President Bush’s “chestnuts out of the fire” in winning House approval of a landmark home mortgage bill expected to clear Congress this weekend. “We pulled the president’s chestnuts out of the fire,” Pelosi told Politico. “Without the Democratic votes he would have had no bill… He would have had no bill.” On an 80-13 vote Friday morning, senators moved to cut off debate, and final passage is expected early Saturday. Thirty-one Senate...

(BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss.) - Some people receiving FEMA assistance admitted to NBC 15 cameras thet they are getting a free ride and not looking for work. We asked one of the nation's top democrats, Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, where your tax dollars are really going. When NBC 15 News first met Gwenester Malone a month ago, she was receiving three catered meals a day, while housekeepers made sure her hotel room stayed clean. None of it was costing her a dime. "Since the storm, I haven't had any energy or pep to go get a job," Malone...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's advice to reporters who don't get his energy agenda: Check your hearing. Reid, D-Nev., may look like a mild-mannered man, but when he's backed into a corner, this former boxer comes out swinging. On Thursday, the object of his ire was the Fourth Estate as he lashed at reporters quizzing him over stalled Democratic energy proposals. At a "pen and pad" — a more casual, off-camera chat with reporters — Reid attacked and scolded correspondents in attendance, telling them he's "really disappointed" in how they have been writing his energy plans, which include a bill...

Congress refuses to pay heed to the requests of its constituents...but it may not be our fault! Maybe WE'RE just speaking the wrong language? Note: The author of "Geeks On Caffeine" requests that you visit his web site and refrain from pasting the cartoon in this thread. Thanks much!

Here is the political question of the morning: When is the term “tar baby” not a racial slur? Answer: When a liberal Democrat uses it. If you’re a Republican and those two words pass your lips, stand by for a barrage, no matter what the context. Just ask Sen. John McCain or ex-Gov. Mitt Romney or late White House spokesman Tony Snow. Over the last couple of years, they’ve all had to issue groveling apologies for mentioning the old Uncle Remus character. But that didn’t stop “outraged community leaders” from tearing into them as arrogant and out-of-touch.

Sweetheart mortgages given by Countrywide Financial, the nation’s biggest mortgage lender, to elected officials and government bureaucrats seem tailor-made for an ethics inquiry by Congress, especially as the country is seeing a rising tide of voter anger in this presidential election year due to the massive $300 bn bailout of the housing industry at taxpayers’ expense. The mortgages at issue were allegedly given to Congressional members and staffers championing this record bailout, a bailout that now surpasses the taxpayer cost of the S&L crisis in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. But Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Rep. Mark Souder...

WASHINGTON — Rep. Dennis Kucinich's quest to impeach President Bush will get an official airing in the House Judiciary Committee on Friday. The fact that the hearing is taking place was almost as improbable as its intended outcome — the ouster of the president. Under the Constitution, impeachment powers lie in the House. But despite deep divisions between the House Democratic Caucus and White House on a broad swath of issues — the Iraq war, the economy, energy, climate change, to name a few — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has pointedly said impeachment is off the table. The hearing Friday,...

Big crowd gathers for House Judiciary hearing on Bush "impeachment" A boisterous crowd has already gathered for today's hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on the case for impeaching Presidnent Bush and Vice President Cheney. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) has been leading the charge on the issue

The U.S. Senate soon could be debating whether you, your spouse and each of your children – as well as your in-laws, parents, grandparents, neighbors and everyone else in America – each will be spending $2,500 or more to reduce poverty around the world. The plan sponsored by Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for the office of president, is estimated to cost the United States some $845 billion over the coming few years in an effort to raise the standard of living around the globe. Barack Obama S.2433 already has been approved in one form by the U.S....

Media: The gaffes Barack Obama has committed would have crushed the typical Republican politician. But the reporters who can't get over Dan Quayle's misspelling of "potato" have little to say about their man's slip-ups.Sometimes it's hard to tell if Obama is really fouling up or simply puffed up when he tries to live up to his media-fed image as a leader ready for prime time. Consider his claim during a news conference Wednesday in Israel that "just this past week, we passed out of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, which is my committee, a bill to call for divestment from...

Code Pink, an anti-war group known for its frequent and sometimes raucous protests on Capitol Hill, meets regularly with Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), who serves on the Armed Services Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence, according to his staff. “He meets regularly with people who have disparate views on foreign policy,” Eric Kleiman, Bayh’s director of communications told CNSNews.com. Bayh met with the Indiana branch of Code Pink last August and plans to meet with them again in his home state in October, in addition to the meeting held behind closed doors on Thursday, Kleiman said. “All of our...

The U.S. Senate soon could be debating whether you, your spouse and each of your children – as well as your in-laws, parents, grandparents, neighbors and everyone else in America – each will be spending $2,500 or more to reduce poverty around the world. The plan sponsored by Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for the office of president, is estimated to cost the United States some $845 billion over the coming few years in an effort to raise the standard of living around the globe. S.2433 already has been approved in one form by the U.S. House of...