Free Republic

I vote for Newt! --- * Newt Gingrich? * Mitt Romney? * Rick Perry? * Michele Bachmann? * Rick Santorum? * Jon Huntsman?

The Washington Post reports on newly released emails that reveal "the Obama administration urged officers of the struggling solar company Solyndra to postpone announcing planned layoffs until after the November 2010 midterm elections" Solyndra’s chief executive warned the Energy Department on Oct. 25, 2010, that he intended to announce worker layoffs Oct. 28. He said he was spurred by numerous calls from reporters and potential investors about rumors the firm was in financial trouble and was planning to lay off workers and close one of its two plants. But in an Oct. 30, 2010, e-mail, advisers to Solyndra’s primary investor,...

Historians may look back on the political events as 2010 and view it as one of the more significant years in American history. From our perspective in California, while the events have been tumultuous, 2010 might as well be a good novel, something we can read about but probably not experience. The state continued to march ever leftward, in spite of hopeful signs through spring and summer that the dominance of liberals might be coming to an end, or at least moderated. However, it was not to be. Here then, a non-globally warmed San Francisco East Bay look at the...

In a very disturbing post by SFmom on the conservative web site Freerepublic.com, an email from Catharine Baker, an attorney who supervised the election count for the David Harmer campaign, writes of numerous irregularities in the recently decided election for the 11th Congressional District in California. Baker contends in an email from the Harmer campaign that on Election Day “several polling places experienced serious and persistent problems involving vote-by-mail ballots ("VBMs," or absentee ballots) delivered at the polls”; and that in post election counting of in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara counties problems continued with mismatched signatures, missing registration...

Voters in the Nov. 2 election chose the business-friendly Republican Paul LePage for governor and put both the House of Representatives and the Senate under GOP control for the first time since the 1973-74 session. Republicans now control the House 78-72 and the Senate 20-14, with one independent serving in each chamber. “I’m hoping they create more jobs and make it more friendly for small business. Mainers like to work,” said Jason Pratt of Augusta, who works two jobs as a cook. Pratt said he doesn’t care which party gets the credit, “as long as they do the job they...

But more than 70 percent of voters in Oklahoma still approved a state constitutional amendment to that effect, apparently persuaded by anti-Islamic activists, and a few cynical politicians, that Oklahoma was about to be brought under Islam’s heel. After Muslim groups challenged the constitutionality of the “Save Our State Amendment,” a federal district judge issued a temporary restraining order. Last Monday, the judge, Vicki Miles-LaGrange, held a hearing to determine whether to issue a preliminary injunction against the measure, and said she would make a decision by the end of November. A federal injunction is warranted to save Oklahoma from...

That is why I believe most Americans don’t want a plan for deficit reduction. The Tea Party’s vision is narrow and uninspired. Americans want a plan to make America great again, and at some level they know that such a plan will require a hybrid politics — one that blends elements of both party’s instincts. And they will follow a president — they would even pay more taxes and give up more services — if they think he really has a plan to make America great again, not just bring him victory in 2012 by 50.1 percent. That hybrid politics...

... Compared with 2008, voting dropped off this year particularly among pro-Democratic groups: -Young voters were down by 55 percent. -African-Americans were down by 43 percent. -Hispanics were down by 40 percent. Of those voters who did show up this year, four out of five were white, one in 10 was African-American and one in 13 was Latino. The analysis is based primarily on exit poll data and preliminary estimates from the U.S. Elections Project. Senior citizens turned out in force - their turnout was 16 percent higher than in the last midterm election of 2006, and 59 percent of...

As many as 1,800 Democratic congressional staffers will soon lose their jobs, with layoffs hitting everyone from entry-level schedulers to six-figure committee lawyers in a mass exodus that will accompany the greatest congressional turnover in 70 years. While results are still being tallied in some races, the damage is clear for Democratic staffers. At least 60 seats have been lost, meaning those offices need to start packing their boxes to clear out in December. POLITICO estimated the likely layoffs based on the average number of staffers per House office, as well as the Democratic committee staffing level, which will most...

Last night Congressman Jerry McNerny (D) held a press conference and declared victory in the race in Congressional District 11, which twists and winds from the uber-tony San Francisco suburb of Danville to the farmlands of San Joaquin County (see story). Yes, the candidate from the party of “every vote counts” (except the military), the man representing the party of hanging chads and divining voter’s intentions (see the oracle Al Gore), the party of let’s count until we get the vote we want (Sen. Stuart Smalley aka Al Franken) has decided they’re tired of counting votes, since he has what...

No bargaining, no deals, no compromise — that's the hard-line stance that Republicans have staked in the days since seizing control of the House. Their prescription for the sluggish economy — lower taxes, huge spending cuts, less regulation, and repeal of the sweeping healthcare law just taking effect — excites the party's conservative base. But a long and ugly fight with President Obama and Senate Democrats, starting with next week's lame-duck session, could end up alienating the large number of Americans more interested in jobs than ideological battles. The midterm vote was "an expression of anger and impatience," said James...

From its beginnings, a tension existed in the heart of American conservatism between winning hearts and minds -- and winning elections. A slogan from the 1964 presidential campaign hinted at this dichotomy. "In your heart you know he's right" implied that although we believed in Barry Goldwater, we knew you might not – at least not enough of you, not yet. By 1980, a majority of Americans certainly did rally to the side of the conservative star of the Goldwater campaign, but Ronald Reagan's eight years in the White House did not lay to rest the intramural Republican tug of...

In one declarative night, California on Tuesday confirmed its status as a political world unto itself, zigging determinedly Democratic while most of the rest of the country zagged Republican. Voters not only restored the governor's office to Democratic hands, they may have given Democrats a sweep of statewide offices, though uncounted ballots could still shift one race. Driving much of the success — and distancing the state from the national GOP tide, according to exit polls — was a surge in Latino voters. They made up 22% of the California voter pool, a record tally that mortally wounded many Republicans....

You are invited to "tune in" to our Gulag Media special, tonight: The Election for Tea Partiers & Constitutionalists: What Happened & What Happens Now? You may use the widget below or with chat at:http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gulagmedia/2010/11/05/post-election-gulag-extravaganzaDate / Time: 11/4/2010 10pm-Midnight Eastern Time Call-in Number: (310) 807-5060 The election itself: Voter fraud? Voter extortion? Where? And besides that where do the Citizens stand in the Soft War against America -- awake and aware?The future: What now? In Congress and the States? With the People? Join the Gulag Bound, as we seek answers. GulagBound.com dissidents include: Anita MonCrief, James Simpson, Sher Zieve,...

My first election memory is from 1974, when I was 7 years old. President Nixon had recently resigned, succeeded by Gerald Ford. The Democratic Party picked up 49 seats in the House for a total of 291. In the Senate, the Democrats picked up four seats for 61 total. But for me, my memories are more personal. My father, Newt Gingrich, lost his first run for the 6th Congressional district in Georgia. While victory was not to come that night, or the next election night two years later, it did four years later. In 1978, Dad won the election and...

Do you want Muslim Brotherhood operatives serving in the Congress? Sestak is in the pocket of Hamas-linked Muslim Brotherhood CAIR, and I have been reporting on this evil axis since 2007. He is lying about his ties to CAIR. What does that tell you? Art Moore over at WND: 2nd Sestak scandal days before election Unindicted terrorist co-conspirator leader claims to have hosted home fundraiser for Democrat Since his election to the House in 2006, Democratic Senate candidate Joe Sestak has fended off strong criticism of his relationship with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a federally designated terrorist co-conspirator shown...

We will win around 3 score House races (including several long-time liberal Democrats), several Senate races, a slew of governorships, and this will be spun as a loss. We are fighting the Democrats on their dark blue turf, they have become the regional party, several states have returned to their red status (Florida, Virginia, Indiana, among others), and this will be spun as a loss. We are well positioned for 2012. The conservative movement is back and growing. Nancy Pelosi and her machine have been defeated. And the GOP moderates have their backs to the wall. And this will be...

Every once in a while, you read something in the news which leaves you seething. We live in a world full of both corruption and stupidity — two things which often seem to work synergistically. A couple of days ago, I came across something which had that unique blend of the two, a news story that was like a freshly-brewed cup of tick-me-off in the morning. The story in question comes out of Illinois, via Andrew Breitbart's Big Government website. Short and to the point, Breitbart's article notes that election officials in The Most Corrupt County in the Most Corrupt...

I am an American citizen living in Israel. I sent my and my wife's absentee ballots in to the St. Louis County Board of Elections this past Tuesday. I sent them using international express mail because I needed the ballots to be at the Board of Elections by this coming Tuesday. On the 25 or so previous occasions that I have used express mail to mail to the US, the mail would never take more than four business days to arrive at the destination. I could track it on the internet. It would leave Israel within 24 hours of sending...

Hey Freepers, How about a thread of 2010 Election Voter Guides and Score Cards for some quick facts on incumbent voting records? Score Cards are a great way to learn how incumbents have voted in the past on issues. Politicians will say anything to get re-elected, but they can't deny their voting records, if you have the facts in hand. Don't forget to pass this along to your friends and family before Tuesday! Here are a few to start with: AFA is conservative, christian & pro-family. The SBE appears to be pro-business and pro-entreprenuerial organization. I've been familiar with the...

"The war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage." -- from Emperor Hirohito's surrender announcement to Japanese, August, 1945. "By most accounts, the Democrats stand to lose seats in both the House and Senate this coming Tuesday." -- Media Matters, Oct. 29,2010 By most accounts? So by some accounts, Democrats do not stand to lose any seats in the House and Senate on Election Day?

The Democrats can’t garner votes in the 2010 general elections by bragging about their legislative achievements—greater government control of our health care, more wasteful spending than ever in human history. Nor can they run on the results of their governing—chronic high unemployment and economic stagnation. So, of course, they complain about the election process, specifically about campaign spending by what they label “special interest groups.” These are not to be confused with the groups pushing special interests—government employee unions, trial lawyers—that give big bucks to them. The “process posse” has bemoaned this year’s Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United...

Political whizkids on both sides of the ideological spectrum have one thing in common as voters head for the polling booths this week into next: they're all attempting to guess, or predict how many congressional seats the Republican Party will gain on election day. Some are predicting a tsunami of 60 or more seats to the Republican Party, something that hasn't happened to either party since the GOP gained 72 seats in the 1938 mid-term election. While others are simply downplaying Republican hopes with a prediction of 45 or more seats. Which is frankly, offensive to the electorate at-large. But...

The economic climate had never been worse, gold prices were skyrocketing, real unemployment had jumped to between 17 and 19 percent, and many of the unemployed were walking away from their newly built houses, unable to afford the mortgage. Banks were closing at a rapid rate, some 500 in the previous year. At the same time, over 15,000 companies followed the banks into failure. Europeans were dumping American stocks, looking for more stable investments for their assets. Government policy seemed to exacerbate the problems, and as the election neared, the Democrats, holding the majority of seats in the House, as...

Sharron Angle's new ad in the brutal Nevada race features Harry Reid among the glitterati as Nevadans struggle. (See the video; it is hilarious.)

Hurt, AG visit Rocky Mount businesses Friday, October 15, 2010 By CHARLES BOOTHE - Staff Writer Political campaign visits are usually accompanied by some publicity, maybe a rally, a speech and at least a certain amount of hoopla. But Tuesday afternoon, Franklin Street in Rocky Mount became the scene of a low-key, unpublicized stop by Fifth District congressional seat challenger state Sen. Robert Hurt. Hurt, accompanied by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, walked down the street, visiting each business along the way and talking to owners and customers. "I learn a lot about what's on people's minds," Hurt said after...

We concur with North Carolina's Renee Ellmers that "The terrorists haven't won. We should tell them in plain English, 'No; there will never be a mosque at Ground Zero.'" Ellmers spoke with Freedom Radio about the mosque and her campaign to unseat Congressman Bob Etheridge: Last year, eight Muslim residents of her Congressional district were arrested for plotting to attack the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia which demonstrated the threat posed by the rise of radical Islamists here is a national security concern. Her opponent for North Carolina's 2nd District seat, Congressman Bob Etheridge, reportedly "has never thought building...

OH - Portman (R) 53, Fisher (D) 37 CT - Bluementhal (D) 52, McMahon (R) 42 MO - Blunt (R) 50, Carnahan (D) 42 WV - Raese (R) 48, Manchin (D) 43 NV - Angle (R) 49, Reid (D) 46

Sen. John Thune said Thursday that Sarah Palin’s decision whether or not to run for president will “change the equation” for him and all other potential Republican contenders. “She is someone who has a tremendous following out there, particularly in some of the early states,” the South Dakota Republican said in an interview with CNN that will air later Thursday. “This is not a campaign where you start out and you run nationally right away,” Thune said. “It's all sequence, and you have to get through certain states. She has a big following.”(continued)

Congress is deadlocked over virtually every major issue still pending this year, including key economic matters such as a detailed federal spending plan and extending Bush-era tax cuts, yet lawmakers still hope to leave Washington by Friday and not return until mid-November. Chances are they'll approve a stopgap budget to keep the government running, maybe vote on extending the Bush administration tax cuts and call it a day. This desire to punt on the day's biggest issue could be one more reason for voters to turn against incumbents of both parties in November.

Can't link to DailyKOS on FR, but Johnson is up 52-41 over Feingold and Scott Walker (R) leads Tom Barrett (D) 50-41 in the race for WI Governor.

DE - Coons (D) 54%, O'Donnell (R) 39% Link OH - Portman (R) 49%, Fisher (D) 36% Link PA - Toomey (R) 48%, Sestak (D) 40% Link CA - Boxer (D) 47%, Fiorina (R) 46% Link NV - Angle (R) 46%, Reid (D) 45% Link

In a strange departure from Morning Joe's typical spontaneity, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski issued what was clearly a scripted, teleprompted, manifesto this morning. The statement purported to be non-partisan condemnation of "angry voices" and a call, citing a WWII poster, to "keep calm and carry on." But even a cursory analysis reveals that the manifesto's message suits Dem themes to a 'T', and carries clear echoes of a recent partisan speech by Pres. Obama at a political event. The manifesto amounted to a condemnation of the "angry voices" and the "political extremists" who, claimed Scarborough, "are dominating the airwaves...

CBS News is reporting a new line in President Acorn's campaign strategy. In at least sixteen political speeches this year, press statements and even the State of the Union address, President Acorn has referred to Republican efforts in Washington DC as holding an issue hostage. I suppose since the Republicans have controlled both Houses of Congress, this is a smart attack. It is not like the Democrats have 59 Senators and almost 80 more House members than the Republicans, right? Furthermore, since the American people are clamoring for a far more activist federal government, it makes sense to unload on...

Gallup might be seeing an historic spread in the Republicans' favor, and even Mark Halperin is predicting a GOP gain of as many as 60 seats. But amidst all the Dem panic and gnashing of teeth, the Pelosi party can still count on one true believer: Bill Press. Former California Dem chairman Press has predicted that when results come in on Election Night, GOP leader John Boehner's office will be a "morgue," while Pelosi's place while Pelosi's place is "where the party's going to be." View video here.

A University at Buffalo political scientist with a sterling record of prognosticating presidential elections is predicting that Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will turn over her gavel to the GOP come January. The presiding Democrats stand to lose about 51 seats in November, says James E. Campbell, professor of political science at UB. His prediction stems from a crystal ball filled with scientific equations based on polling and current events, all pointing to a stunning reversal of fortune for Democrats, who took over the House in 2006. “After two election setbacks, they are poised for a comeback,” Campbell says of...

You've got to wonder when White House political guru David Axelrod will look at the churning pools of poll data and, like Chief Brody in "Jaws," say: "We're gonna need a bigger boat." The analogy isn't quite right, because in the movie, the shark ultimately loses. It's hard to imagine a scenario where Barack Obama and Axelrod victoriously paddle away on the flotsam of their own political wreckage. But in one sense, the analogy works just fine: This White House is rudderlessly lost at sea and inadequate to the challenges it faces. At the beginning of the year, retiring seven-term...

The AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) recently announced that they will spend a combined $88 million during this year’s election cycle. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) plans to spend about $50 million. Organized labor’s enormous war chests are largely derived from member dues—money that is deducted from workers’ paychecks and sent directly to the “representing” union. While some states have enacted paycheck protection laws that allow a worker to decide whether or not his dues are used for political purposes, a majority of states give workers no choice in how their dues...

Bailouts. Stimulus. Borders. Ground Zero Mosques. Health Care. Cap and Trade. Net Neutrality. DISCLOSE Act. Are you following all this? I doubt it. And I couldn’t blame you. Just as we get geared up to tackle something that is coming down the pike, two new ideas come barreling down the road at the American people. How can we keep up with everything Congress and the administration are trying to put into place? The short answer is that we can’t. There’s a political strategy at play here; set a big fire to distract from a dozen other small fires being set...

In college one my friends found Eastern religion. To each his own, I say. However, once this happened he became an insufferable bore. Specifically, every conversation became a quasi-philosophical lecture about the meaning of life and how I was focused on the wrong things. Needless to say we stopped being friends. There are only so many lectures I could listen to in college, and most were from my professors. I think about this long-lost friend every time President Acorn opens his mouth. Don't get me wrong, I have never been on friendly terms with the President's liberalism. However, it is...

Hitting the campaign-cash trail again today, President Obama in Austin, Texas today opened up a string of attacks against the Republicans, painting them as a party that lacks seriousness and ideas due to only looking forward to the next election. “There has been a fundamental lack of seriousness on the other side,” Obama said to a crowd at the Four Seasons hotel in Austin, “We've spent the last 20 months governing, they have spent the last 20 months politicking." The president – who has been out on the stump raising cash and throwing his support behind local candidates increasingly –...

Don't be surprised if you hear the phrase "birthright citizenship" a whole bunch of times before the November election. The U.S. rule that all persons born in this country automatically become citizens is becoming a major front for Republicans in the immigration debate. On Sunday, Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, the second-ranking Republican senator, expressed support for hearings on the issue. Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, generally considered a moderate on immigration, said he may introduce a constitutional amendment so children of illegal immigrants did not become citizens. "People come here to have babies," he said. "They...

To Assist in Elections, Obama May Stay Away By JEFF ZELENY WASHINGTON — As lunch was served in the Roosevelt Room of the White House one day last week, President Obama assured the nine Democratic members of Congress sitting around the table that he would do anything he could to help them survive their fall elections. Even, he said, if it meant staying away. “You may not even want me to come to your district,” Mr. Obama said, according to guests, nearly all of whom hold seats that Republicans are aggressively seeking. Three months before the midterm elections, the president...

Senate Projections (7/22 and 7/29 projection: 54 Democrats, 46 Republicans, or Republican gain of +5) (7/14 projection: 55 Democrats, 45 Republicans, or Republican gain of +4) Battle for Congress and Governor – House Races (7/29 projection: 256 Republicans and 179 Democrats, or Republican gain of +77 – 18 Democrats on the “watch list”) (7/22 projection: 258 Republicans and 177 Democrats, or Republican gain of +79 – 17 Democrats on the “watch list”) (7/14 projection: 261 Republicans and 174 Democrats, or Republican gain of +82 – 14 Democrats on the “watch list”)

Does anyone still remember when the Georgia gubernatorial race wasn’t all about Sarah Palin You know, before she suddenly breathed life into what one wit termed a “Zombie Campaign”? Before her endorsement of Karen Handel broke the heart of one of her biggest fans, leaving her feeling like some scorned heroine in a romance novel? Before Nathan Deal, the “true” conservative Republican candidate Palin passed over, asked her anyway to please come moderate a series of debates? Less than two weeks ago, things were what passed for politically normal here. Then Palin, the former Alaska governor and vice presidential nominee...

Tonight at 8 PM Eastern, join Freedom Radio as Pat asks Nonie Darwish, an Egyptian born American, lawyer and Sharia law expert, about her status as an "infidel" in America, her books 'Cruel and Unusual Punishment' and 'Now They Call Me Infidel', the proposed Ground Zero mosque, and Imam Rauf's refusal to sign Former Muslims United's 'no sharia' pledge. We will also welcome historian and prolific writer Larry Schweikart, author of multiple groundbreaking works including 'A Patriot's History of the United States' and '48 Liberal Lies About American History'. His latest book is 'Seven Events that Made America America' about...

Join us this evening at 8 PM Eastern and our special guests: Iraq and Marine Corps veteran Jesse Kelly who is running for Congress in Arizona's 8th District: Beth Gilinsky of the Action Alliance and StopThe911Mosque.com; and Christine O'Donnell who is running for the U.S. Senate seat in Delaware.

Democratic Party officials are sending a wake-up call to the party's operatives, allies and grassroots supporters, saying they could be vastly outspent by Republican-leaning outside interest groups in November's midterm elections. A four-page memorandum circulating widely among Democrats estimates that conservative interest groups, including the newly-minted American Crossroads, could collectively spend upwards of $300 million on the fall campaigns -- a far larger sum than in previous election cycles.

GOP gubernatorial hopeful Rick Lazio is calling out his Dem opponent Andrew Cuomo about the Ground Zero mosque proposal … Lazio demanded that state Attorney General Cuomo check the legality of the funding sources for the $100 million Cordoba House Islamic center planned near the site of the 9/11 terror attacks. “New Yorkers have a right to feel safe and be safe,” Lazio told reporters in Lower Manhattan. “There are serious security questions about the appropriateness of this mosque.” In a letter he sent to Cuomo, Lazio cited press accounts that Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who’s spearheading the mosque’s construction,...

<p>2010 is shaping up to be an excellent year for conservatives, who are leading in most of the races around the country for the November midterm elections.</p> <p>A brief panoramic view of the various campaigns will reveal that voters are clearly intent on making significant changes to Congress this year.</p>