Free Republic

More than 60 percent of Americans back a pathway to citizenship for immigrants living here illegally — winning support from majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents, according to a sweeping new poll to be released Tuesday. When it comes to undocumented immigrants, 62 percent of Americans believe they should be allowed to gain citizenship if they meet certain requirements, while 17 percent would support green cards but not citizenship for them. Meanwhile, 19 percent think the undocumented immigrants should be deported. Split down by party, 70 percent of Democrats, 61 percent of political independents and 51 percent of Republicans said...

Dave Brat, who is challenging House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) in Tuesday's primary, believes Cantor betrayed his district on amnesty and shares the blame for surge in illegal immigrant children flooding into the country. "One you announced that kids are welcome, they're going to head in," Brat said on Breitbart News Sunday of Cantor's support for giving the children of illegal immigrants amnesty and citizenship because he believes it is one of the "founding principles" of the country. Brat, who has been surging in the polls, said Cantor has taken "zero responsibility" on the issue and blasted him for...

GOP Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor called for a compromise immigration deal with President Barack Obama during a campaign interview with a local Virginia TV station. “I have told the president, there are some things we can work on together,” he said in the WTVR interview. “We can work on the border security bill together, we can work on something like the kids,” he said referring to his proposal to offer some undetermined variety of amnesty to the children and youths of millions of parents who entered the country illegally.

There is possibly no other issue of our age that is filled with as much confusion, rhetoric and hyperbole as the subject of global warming, climate, weather, or whatever this weeks designated term may be. And while there is evidence to suggest that human beings have impact on the earths atmosphere at some level, as does nearly every living things, it is the level and danger posed to humanity which is at dispute and the demagoguery employed by the left for political and financial gain. The most egregious of lies on the subject of man-made climate change is that their...

Rand Paul told GOP activists Saturday that the GOP can’t nominate another “Chamber of Commerce Republican” and expect to win the presidency in 2016. It’s time, he said, for a “libertarian moment.” “Chamber of Commerce is fine, I was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, but a Chamber of Commerce Republican is not going to win a national election,” Paul (R-Ky.), the libertarian-leaning senator and likely presidential contender, said. “I’m not saying we give up on what we believe in, but we have to expand what we believe in.” His comments came during an address to the Republican Liberty...

Clearly immigration was why we lost in 2012. It had nothing to do with a milquetoast Republican candidate who had been on both sides of so many issues that a good portion of Republican voters just stayed home. No, forget the moderate candidate. It was the Hispanic vote that killed us! Also, I’ve got some unicorns in my back yard I’ll be glad to sell you on the cheap.

Republican Rep. David Valadao says he’s not worried that Congress’ failure to pass immigration legislation will hurt his prospects for re-election to a district in California’s agricultural heartland. Same goes for GOP Rep. Jeff Denham, who represents a neighboring district in the state’s San Joaquin Valley. Still, the California congressmen are making sure voters know they support an immigration overhaul. They’re aware that Democrats will try to turn the congressional gridlock into an advantage during this year’s midterm elections. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent $300,000 on television ads in Valadao’s district, noting that he is the son of immigrants....

White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett pulled back Friday morning from comments she made suggesting that House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) had made a commitment to President Obama to take up immigration legislation this summer. Jarrett had told an investors conference in Las Vegas on Thursday that she believes that Boehner will allow a comprehensive immigration reform bill, or a package of bills, to come up for a vote after a series of GOP primaries this summer in order to avoid spoiling the chances of some Republican incumbents. Her comments echo the long-held beliefs of some observers of the...

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has strongly supported Republican candidates and priorities in recent years. So it was notable when its leader on Monday said the GOP shouldn't even bother to field a presidential nominee in 2016 if it doesn't pass immigration reform. "If the Republicans don't do it they shouldn't bother to run a candidate in 2016. I mean, think about that. Think about who the voters are," Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue said at a Washington, D.C. panel about the economy and infrastructure. Donohue said he believes immigration reform is still doable in 2014 even though it's...

Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio said Monday he is “nudging” former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to run for the Republican nomination to be president. Though he stopped short of endorsing anyone early in the process, Boehner named Bush, son of President George H. W. Bush and brother of President George W. Bush, as a favorite. “We’ve got a lot of good candidates out there. If you look historically, our best candidates have come from the ranks of governors, of former governors, and yes, Jeb Bush is my friend, I think he’d make a great president, and I’ve been nudging...

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has a pretty good idea of what immigration reform in the House is going to look like. He just doesn’t know when it’s going to happen. Addressing the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on Monday in San Antonio, Boehner said he wanted to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws “in chunks” over a period of a week or two to a month. The process would likely begin with border security measures, and it would address the crucial question of citizenship for illegal immigrants in a way that he said would “pass the straight-face test” for people who have...

Tom Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said the GOP shouldn’t even field a presidential candidate in 2016 unless Congress passes immigration reform this year. “If the Republicans don’t do it, they shouldn’t bother to run a candidate in 2016,” Donohue joked at an event on infrastructure investment in D.C. “Think about that. Think about who the voters are. I just did that to get everybody’s attention.” Republicans have focused on immigration reform as a way to woo Hispanic voters, who have increasingly drifted to Democrats over the past two election cycles. Growing Hispanic populations in Nevada, Texas...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Republican National Committee wants to take more control over how the party picks a White House nominee. The RNC was to meet Wednesday in Memphis, Tennessee, to choose members who will effectively set the calendar for 2016's long list of potential presidential contenders. If the party's chairman, Reince Priebus gets his way, the GOP will pick its nominee more quickly than during past contests and have fewer debates in which candidates could criticize each other. The RNC also was expected to put penalties in place for candidates who don't follow the committee's plans. RNC officials described...

For the most part, Congress is the place where ideas go to die this year. But here’s one that ain’t dead yet: immigration reform. Are the chances good that something will happen in this midterm election year on the quest to overhaul the nation’s immigration system? No. But they aren’t zero, and conversations with officials from both the executive and legislative branches in recent days suggest the chances may have ticked up a bit. -snip- It’s also true that the approach Mr. Boehner and his House colleagues want to take—considering immigration issues such as border security, guest workers and the...

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is launching ads this week in North Carolina and Georgia in a crunch-time effort to help establishment-backed Republicans in crowded Senate primaries. It is also pumping money into commercials praising GOP hopefuls in Michigan, Montana and Alaska. The powerful business organization’s ad buy is a clear attempt to tip the balance in Republican contests and help the GOP nominate viable general election candidates. In 2010 and 2012, tea party and far-right conservatives cost the GOP seats in Nevada, Delaware, Colorado, Indiana and Missouri and shots at Senate control, a fate Republicans are determined to avoid...

SANFORD For months, Republican Thom Tillis’ Senate campaign touted his accomplishments and focused his attacks on Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan, acting like a frontrunner with his eye on November. Now, in the final days before the May 6 primary, Tillis is changing his strategy. Last week, he mailed a flier to voters that attacked his top GOP rival for not paying his property taxes on time. He also debuted a TV ad that trumpets his opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. Tillis hit the social conservative issues Saturday in his speech at the 2nd Congressional District GOP convention in Sanford....

The House could come up with a bill to overhaul the country’s immigration system by August, according to the House’s No. 4 Republican. “I believe there is a path that we get a bill on the floor by August,” Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-Wash.) the Republican conference chairwoman, told The Spokesman-Review last week. An August deadline would resolve the troubled issue months before November’s midterm elections, where the GOP is looking to grow its advantage in the House and pick up enough seats to take over the Senate. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has pushed for a bill and even mocked members...

As it sought to recruit well-heeled investors, an untested and unprofitable Miami company named InnoVida brought aboard a trusted Florida figure in 2007: Jeb Bush, the former governor and the brother of a sitting president. For potential stockholders, the imprimatur of Mr. Bush, who joined InnoVida as a paid consultant and a member of the board of directors, conferred credibility on the young start-up. That credibility did not last long. It turned out that the leaders of InnoVida, a manufacturer of inexpensive building materials, had faked documents, lied about the health of the business and misappropriated $40 million in company...

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce today announced its endorsement of Dave Trott for U.S. House. Trott is seeking election to represent Michigan's 11th Congressional District, which includes portions of Oakland and Wayne counties. "We are pleased to announce the Michigan Chamber endorses Dave Trott for Congress," said Michigan Chamber President & CEO Rich Studley. "Dave possesses the business experience, leadership skills and vision needed to build Michigan and America's economic competitiveness, create jobs and move our country forward."

With a single phrase of compassion for immigrants in the U.S. illegally, Jeb Bush has prompted questions about his viability as a potential presidential contender and underscored how divisive the immigration issue remains for the Republican Party. The former Florida governor sparked a conservative furor this week when he described illegal immigration in an interview as an “act of love” by people trying to provide for their families. Backing Bush are some of the GOP’s most powerful insiders and financiers, who are hoping the party can woo Hispanic voters and rebound from Mitt Romney’s damaging “self-deportation” rhetoric in 2012. “The...