Free Republic

Supervisor Nadia Lockyer, wife of California treasurer, acknowledges substance abuse, affair (Alameda County Supervisor Nadia Lockyer at a public event in San Leandro, Calif., April 22, 2011.) Alameda County Supervisor Nadia Lockyer, wife of California Treasurer Bill Lockyer, said Tuesday that she's in rehabilitation for a substance-abuse problem after an extramarital affair culminated in a beating by her ex-lover. The announcement marked a sharp turn in the career of a woman who at 40 had been seen as a rising star in California politics. The scandal is also an ugly footnote on her husband's nearly four-decade-long career, which made him...

While it's true that President Obama began his political career in the living room of former Weather Underground terrorists Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, his first political sponsor and major fundraiser was Antoin "Tony" Rezko. The pair go back to the 1990s and Obama's state Senate years, but they are best known for the still-not-completely-explained 2005 real estate deal that allowed the Obamas to buy their Chicago South Side mansion, while Rezko's wife bought a narrow strip of the home's lot on the same day. At that time, Rezko was under federal investigation for influence peddling and fraud while serving...

Both the left and right sides of the blogosphere are buzzing about a bipartisan TARP-style banking bailout bill that somehow reached President Obama’s desk in the legislative rush before Congress adjourned for the midterm election break. The sordid episode underscores everything I’ve spotlighted about the culture of corruption over the last two years — sabotage of the deliberative process, circumventing of rules, backroom deals, and contempt for the will of the people. Yes, the Vampire Congress strikes again. The bill is HR3808, the “Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act of 2010,” which requires courts to accept as valid notarized letters made...

Ohio Congresswoman Mary Jo Kilroy (D-umbass) claims to voted against TARP, but wasn't in Congress at the time (and supported it during her campaign) There is apparently a whole new level of human stupidity that can be achieved once someone gets elected to public office. Take for example this claim made by Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy earlier this week where she claims that she voted against TARP because it didn't have enough consumer protections. One problem, however. She wasn't even in Congress at the time. She was running for Congress in September 2008, and at that time she said she...

Democrats still don’t get it, and they refuse to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government mortgage companies that sparked the meltdown by giving high-risk loans to people who couldn’t afford it. Standing up for American taxpayers, CNBC’s on-air editor, Rick Santelli teed off on Rep. Paul Kanjorski’s (D-PA) claim that Democrats’ couldn’t reform Fannie & Freddie in their financial regulation bill because it was “too complicated,” asking: “It’s too complicated? You think taxpayers that go to work to pay the money you are subsidizing, it will end up a half a trillion, do you think they think complicated...

Sheesh, what has the world come to if you can't trust the Boston Globe? Over the last day or so, we've been reporting how Mass GOP senate candidate Scott Brown said he was unfamiliar with the "Tea Party Movement", notwithstanding their campaigning for him and now lots of photos and video of his addressing Tea Party events. But it seems like the original report in the Boston Globe was just wrong, or at least way overwritten. The Brown campaign has now provided us with the audio of the exchange the report was based on. And as is often the case,...

Michelle Obama: It's a 'sacrifice' to travel to Europe to pitch for the Olympics. For Oprah and the president, too. But we're doing it for the kids. By: Byron York Chief Political Correspondent09/30/09 5:12 PM EDT In her speech in Copenhagen today, First Lady Michelle Obama said her trip to Denmark, along with the travel of her "dear friend" and "chit-chat buddy" Oprah Winfrey, as well as tomorrow's visit by President Obama, is a "sacrifice" on behalf of the children of Chicago and the United States. "As much of a sacrifice as people say this is for me or...

See, we know that it isn't wild-eyed, hyperbole to say that slavery is "just like" our current healthcare debate because Glenn W. Smith of the extremist left-wing site Firedoglake helpfully tells us that "this is not hyperbole." See? Conflict solved. I’m glad we settled THAT one, I have to tell ya. Unfortunately, one would have to cast aside all ability to think intelligently to be assured by so casual a disclaimer. It most certainly is hyperbole to claim that our current healthcare debate is "just like" slavery but not only does Smith indulge in such hyperbole, he also employs some...

With Chicago officials in Switzerland promoting Chicago's 2016 Olympic bid at an important site selection meeting, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned that President Obama is creating a new White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport. According to the White House, 'this permanent White House office will promote the values of the Olympic Movement and encourage increased youth participation in athletics. The primary function of the Office will be to enhance awareness of the Olympic Movement through promotion of its fundamental principles at the federal level." From the White House... President Obama Announces New White House Office of Olympic,...

On the day the new Congress convened this year, Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation to route $25 billion in taxpayer money to a government agency that had just awarded her husband's real estate firm a lucrative contract to sell foreclosed properties at compensation rates higher than the industry norms. Mrs. Feinstein's intervention on behalf of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was unusual: the California Democrat isn't a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs with jurisdiction over FDIC; and the agency is supposed to operate from money it raises from bank-paid insurance payments - not direct...

t looks like Gov. Bill Richardson’s (D-N.M.) troubles might be getting a bit worse. Richardson is currently entangled in a federal pay-to-play investigation in his home state. Today, The New Mexico Independent’s Heath Haussamen reports that Steven Rattner, who is currently overseeing the Obama administration’s auto industry bailout program, has also been a major contributor to Richardson’s gubernatorial campaigns in recent years — donating a total of $20,000 over two elections. The problem? Richardson heads the State Investment Council (SIC), which manages the state’s investments. In October 2005, the SIC voted to invest $20 million with Quadrangle Group LLC, according...

Jefferson Parish President, Aaron Broussard, meet Tim Russert, Meet the Press and the American public once again. On Sunday's popular news-information program, Broussard engaged in hand to hand combat with the King of Surprise and Interrogation, Tim Russert. To be nice, it was brutal and bloody. Somebody should have told Broussard that his stock around the state and even in his own parish has made a nosedive since Hurricane Katrina and Meet The Press. To think that he would once again allow himself to be abused, make wild allegations, become emotional fodder, be the joke of the town is strong...

I've been reading some left leaning sites the last few days just to see what is going on. I know some of you here do the same. It's sad, it's pathetic. They actually believe what they are saying. I was on CrooksandLiars this morning and the amount of "tolerance" and hatred spewing forth is unimaginable. We need to get rid of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and start the SLR...the Strategic Litheum Reserve.

By now I'm sure you've heard of www.democraticunderground.com ... a website where your Democrat neighbors can go to trade ideas and thoughts about this year's election. One of our alert listeners lifted a few postings on this website that I thought you might enjoy. Here, my friends, are your loving, compassionate Democratic neighbors at work. Why don't we all sit back and let them chose our next president ... waddaya say? Here's the first post: As we've heard again and again recently, if we are going to beat this bunch of rule breaking GOP misanthropes, we're going to have to...