http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/beltway/ en-us Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:22:52 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/3013831/posts Sarah Palin reared her head in American airspace this weekend. As the country’s media, entertainment and political elite gathered in Washington, D.C., for the annual roast that is the White House Correspondents Dinner, Palin could not resist lobbing darts from afar. “Yuk it up media and pols,” she tweeted. “While America is buried in taxes and a fight for our rights, the permanent political class in DC dresses up and has a prom to make fun of themselves. No need for that, we get the real joke.” She panned the event again in a second tweet: “That #WHCD was pathetic.... The Los Angeles Times' LA Now http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/3013831/posts#comment Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:22:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2976010/posts WASHINGTON - Interstate 270 is considered one of the most choked roads in the Washington region, but solutions for the gridlock are few and far between. Figures from the Maryland Department of Transportation show about 114,000 cars use I-270 daily, and that number is expected to jump to 200,000 in the next 10 to 15 years. "Everyone who is familiar with 270 knows it is jammed up in the morning rush hour and evening rush hour," says Gus Bauman, who studies transportation and funding and who chaired a Maryland Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation Funding. One proposal to ease congestion... WTOP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2976010/posts#comment Tue, 8 Jan 2013 14:40:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2965188/posts nspired by concerns of unemployment, the economy, Benghazi, and matters of foreign policy; organizers are promoting a “Massive Anti-Obama Rally @ Obama’s Inauguration Day.” Their goal? 500,000+ protesters armed with signs identifying the reason for their participation in the rally. The invitation expresses the following: “If you are unsatisfied with President Barack Obama’s reelection win and you further feel that he will ultimately destabilize America completely, then let us join together with bold Anti-Obama signs clearly stating our main grievances… http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2965188/posts#comment Mon, 3 Dec 2012 18:08:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2951556/posts We've been right about the academia elites, the Jurassic media, the elitistconservative pundits, the establishment, the "obama foam" class, and Occupy and union thugs, too. This includes anybody who makes his living from government -- and the reporting thereof. The American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2951556/posts#comment Sun, 28 Oct 2012 19:15:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2933396/posts State transportation officials should study dedicated travel lanes for vans, carpools and buses on a congested seven-mile stretch of the Capital Beltway that includes the American Legion Bridge, Montgomery and Fairfax leaders urged Tuesday. HOT lanes for toll payers and high-occupancy vehicles are planned for the Beltway in Virginia from the Springfield Interchange to just north of the Dulles Toll Road, and set to open later this year. But Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner and Fairfax Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova pointed out a seven-mile gap in dedicated high-occupancy travel lanes between the northern terminus of the planned... Germantown Patch http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2933396/posts#comment Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:35:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2911284/posts Representative Mike Kelly, speaking on the House floor today, managed something very rare in the history of the institution – he got a standing ovation. Applause is usually forbidden in the house, but Kelly‘s blistering attack on regulatory red tape and Washington’s culture of control was apparently so powerful that several of his fellow house members couldn’t resist showing their support, clapping, standing up and shouting “USA! USA! USA!” Would you applaud this way? See Kelly’s speech below and decide for yourself: The Blaze http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2911284/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jul 2012 04:15:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2835406/posts .S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Lanny Breuer, head of the Justice Department's criminal division, were partners for years at a Washington law firm that represented a Who's Who of big banks and other companies at the center of alleged foreclosure fraud, a Reuters inquiry shows. The firm, Covington & Burling, is one of Washington's biggest white shoe law firms. Law professors and other federal ethics experts said that federal conflict of interest rules required Holder and Breuer to recuse themselves from any Justice Department decisions relating to law firm clients they personally had done work for. Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2835406/posts#comment Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:48:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2817522/posts DES MOINES, Iowa — Newt Gingrich has taken heat on the campaign trail from conservatives for filming a 2008 commercial on climate change with House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. But that was hardly the first time the Republican presidential candidate and former House speaker collaborated with Pelosi. Gingrich co-sponsored 418 bills in Congress with Pelosi during the 12 years they served together in the House, according to the Library of Congress’s THOMAS database. Gingrich was in Congress from 1979 to 1999. Pelosi has served since 1987. As a matter of comparison, House Speaker John Boehner, who has served in Congress... By Alex Pappas--The Daily Caller http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2817522/posts#comment Thu, 8 Dec 2011 02:29:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2807972/posts Newt Gingrich is winning over Republicans. Over the past few months, the former House speaker has charmed primary voters one debate at a time. The once underdog — dismissed as a has-been when he first announced his run and the laughingstock of the race after he accumulated $1 million in debt this summer and was abandoned by almost his entire political team — has compellingly mixed historical insight, warmth toward his fellow GOP candidates, and rancor toward the media into a formula that has propelled him to the top of the polls. But is Gingrich the savior the GOP has... NRO http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2807972/posts#comment Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:14:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2806944/posts People have been asking me all week if conservatives will stick with Herman Cain, but I think he's got a bigger problem than the conservative vote. A lot more women than conservatives vote, and the women I've talked to are finished with him. There's a new CBS poll which says that 38 percent of female Republican primary voters are "less likely to back him" now that more accusers have come forward. Among all registered voters, CBS reports that Cain has lost support among women since last month—from 28 percent in October to 15 percent now. My sense is that 15... US News and World Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2806944/posts#comment Sun, 13 Nov 2011 23:07:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2652541/posts Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney continues to hold the pole position for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination in the latest National Journal Political Insiders Poll. But the surprise runner-up to Romney was the two-term Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who moved up from fifth place when the last ranking of the potential GOP White House contenders was conducted a year ago. Romney's assets and liabilities are well known and haven't changed much since last January. He has a national network of political and financial supporters left over from his unsuccessful run for the 2008 Republican nomination, a command of economic issues... National Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2652541/posts#comment Thu, 6 Jan 2011 20:48:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2609952/posts I recently asked two liberal friends "Who killed Chandra Levy?" I was referring, of course, to the 24-year-old congressional intern who went missing in DC in the summer of 2001 after a morning jog. (A dog-walker discovered her remains over a year later.) RightNetwork.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2609952/posts#comment Mon, 18 Oct 2010 22:27:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2545896/posts Washington’s biggest lobbying firm has acquired the Breaux-Lott Leadership Group, a smaller firm started by two former senators in 2008. Patton Boggs, which reported $78.1 million in lobbying revenue in 2009, counts among its clients Halliburton, Bristol Myers Squib and the Mars candy company. Breaux-Lott, started by former Louisiana Senator John Breaux and former Senate Majority Trent Lott and their sons, represented Chevron, Diageo and Goldman Sachs. “I think they’re at a point where they need to continue to grow,” Managing Partner Stuart Pape told POLITICO. “They need the substantial additional resources that we can provide, and that’s why the... Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2545896/posts#comment Fri, 2 Jul 2010 17:44:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405814/posts Given the conventional wisdom that “elitist” derision towards her only makes her supporters support her more adamantly, you’d think savvy Beltway consultants who don’t like her would keep that fact to themselves. And yet. Here’s their answer to the question, “Which voice in your party would you most like to mute?” That’s among “political” insiders, i.e. consultants. Among senators and congressmen polled, she finished second behind “no one,” tied with Michele Bachmann and Glenn Beck, among others. These insiders are the same people, mind you, who earlier this year voted her seventh among Republican governors with the brightest political future... Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405814/posts#comment Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:23:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405637/posts Even as federal employees' salaries are growing robustly, the president's pay czar Kenneth Feinberg has imposed new limits on executive compensation at AIG, Citigroup, General Motors, and GMAC, all recipients of government bailouts. Salaries will be limited to $500,000 in cash, and bonuses will be tied to "real achievement of objective goals." Chris Edwards at CATO—who has done quite a lot of independent analysis of federal pay—puts this story in context and adds some juicy details from his own data. Most remarkably, there are fully 383,000 federal workers earning six-figure salaries and 22,000 earning salaries of over $170,000. And these... National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405637/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:52:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382961/posts Looking for Update... Is John Muhammad breathing? What is the schedule? Maybe a "Live" Thread, For a bit of irony As the day goes on... Vanity http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382961/posts#comment Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:43:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296671/posts Who will save America? "Americans will save America," says Newt Gingrich. The Washington TImes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296671/posts#comment Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:37:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2239600/posts To be relevant in politics, you need either formal power or a lot of people willing to follow your lead. The governing Republicans in the nation's capital have lost both on their continuing path to irrelevance. The disconnect between D.C. Republicans and Republicans throughout the country has been growing for nearly 20 years, but it became more intense and noticeable during the waning years of the Bush administration. Perhaps the final straw was the $700 billion bank bailout plan pushed through Congress last fall despite strong voter opposition. For all the furor unleashed this spring by congressional Republicans about President... Rasmussen Reports http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2239600/posts#comment Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:05:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2131815/posts On another, sports oriented board (that has a sub-board for non-sports issues) there was a thread about the pres. election, and someone on that thread commented how in 2000, McCain was lauded as a "Washington maverick" (and I've never understood that label re anyone, either) but in 2008 he was derided as a "Washington insider", opening the door for Obumma. I post there sometimes (using my FR handle) and asked on that thread why "DC insider" is such a bad label. I'm still waiting for a response there. Maybe FReepers can explain, huh, pleeze?ff foreverfree's vanity http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2131815/posts#comment Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:18:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1902827/posts The 2008 Republican presidential candidates have been told from the outset why they will fail in a quest for the presidency. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s positions on gun control and his personal history were supposed to disqualify him for Southern, evangelical Republican voters. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney would suffer a similar fate because of his religion and his evolving views on gay rights and abortion. When former Sen. Fred Thompson (Tenn.) formally entered the race earlier this month, a series of gaffes on the Southern campaign trail hinted that he might not be the savior of... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1902827/posts#comment Thu, 27 Sep 2007 05:14:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1798160/posts The so-called "Beltway Madam" pleaded not guilty to federal racketeering and money laundering charges in federal court Friday. Prosecutors say Deborah Jean Palfrey, 50, ran a call-girl service in the Washington, D.C. area for 13 years, taking appointments from her California home and dispatching women to luxury hotels in Washington and Baltimore. They say the service promoted prostitution. [Snip] Palfrey, who was indicted last week, is threatening to release her little black book of 10,000 clients on the Internet to pay for her defense. She writes on her Web site that "consideration is being given to selling the entire 46... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1798160/posts#comment Fri, 9 Mar 2007 18:52:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1650340/posts So many stories and reports talk about the politics and mystique inside the beltway of Washington, D.C. For the majority of our population, it is unknown what is meant. As a Marine officer, I spent some time in that environment and I think that I can help explain it. There is no mystique; it is liberalism at the extreme. I recall a former Marine officer who had spent four years in the Corps and risen to the rank of First Lieutenant, and a few years later was elected to Congress. He attended a reception at the commandant of the Marine... Hernando Today Online Edition http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1650340/posts#comment Fri, 16 Jun 2006 04:51:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1630388/posts SCARY MOVIE 5, JUST IN TIME FOR FALL! When I was a kid I loved watching those cheesy horror movies like Friday the 13th or Halloween. My friends and I would sit around and invent ludicrous story lines for the mother of all horror films. Well, I have an idea for a film that could roll out in the fall of 2006. Here's the plot--Imagine a Congress that: (1) seriously considers impeaching the President; (2) launches countless investigations into the "bungled" war on terror; (3) votes against any judicial nominee who believes in originalism; (4) raises the estate tax; (5)... Laura Ingraham E-Blast http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1630388/posts#comment Thu, 11 May 2006 12:04:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1626129/posts The economic case against minimum wage laws is simple. Employers pay a wage no higher than the value of an additional hour's work. Raising minimum wages forces employers to dismiss low productivity workers. This policy has the largest affect on those with the least education, job experience, and maturity. Consequently, we should expect minimum wage laws to affect teenagers and those with less education. Eliminating minimum wage laws would reduce unemployment and improve the efficiency of markets for low productivity labor. Ludwig von Mises Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1626129/posts#comment Wed, 3 May 2006 19:06:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1612817/posts These are not easy times in which to be a Republican; it’s impossible not to be disheartened by a lot of what’s coming out of Washington. Just this week, Republicans in the House of Representatives failed to vote on a budget because Jerry Lewis and other Republicans on the Appropriations Committee objected to measures that would have controlled spending. All but 18 House Republicans voted against the First Amendment and in support of a bill to regulate 527’s (themselves a creature of the free speech-unfriendly McCain-Feingold campaign finance law). Republicans in the Senate were unable to vote on an immigration... CaliforniaRepublic.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1612817/posts#comment Tue, 11 Apr 2006 02:32:26 GMT