Free Republic

The cromnibus had an unlikely savior Thursday afternoon in the form of a lame-duck lawmaker who used to raise reindeer. Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (R-Mich.), who lost his primary earlier this year, was originally among the conservative Republicans who voted against the rule. Without the help of Democrats, Republicans could only lose 17 of their own to pass the rule, which sets up floor debate for the underlying "cromnibus" spending bill. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) intervened once there were 18 Republican defectors — and not a single Democrat voting "yes." Many Democrats will vote against the government spending measure because they...

Republican U.S. Rep. Kerry Bentivolio, considered by some to be an “accidental” congressman, was easily defeated Tuesday in a Michigan district and became the third U.S. House incumbent to lose his seat this year. Lawyer and businessman David Trott, 53, who contributed nearly $2.5 million of his own money to his campaign, will face Democrat Bobby McKenzie, a counterterrorism expert, in the November general election to represent the 11th congressional district covering a swath of Detroit’s western and northern suburbs. …

WASHINGTON – As the only member of Congress to serve in both Vietnam and Iraq, Rep. Kerry Bentivolio, R-Mich., knows what a dysfunctional country looks like. He has seen his share of suffering and squalor during 27 years of service in the U.S. Army and National Guard, and after evacuating from the surge in Iraq in 2007 with a neck wound. On Monday, Bentivolio had just returned from a three-day fact-finding trip to Central America to see the source of the immigration crisis for himself. The congressman told WND that conditions in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador are certainly not...

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."

The party numbers are pretty much the same, but the congressional Democrats are far more liberal, and the Republicans are much closer to traditional constitutionalism. What to Expect From the New Congress The New American 21 November 2012 The election results were not even finished being tallied by the time the left-wing, establishment media began telling constitutionalist Republicans that the path to electoral success was to sell out their principles before the next election, call themselves “moderates,” and adopt every aspect of the far-left Democratic political agenda. Though Mitt Romney had no discernible difference on principles from Barack Obama...

Michigan congressional candidate Kerry Bentivolio (pictured) will get a leg up in his battle against the GOP establishment in next week's Republican primary election, courtesy of the Ron Paul movement-aligned Liberty For All Super-PAC. The SuperPAC — headed by 21-year-old Texas financial heir John Ramsey — has committed an estimated $300,000 (already spending some $130,000, according to OpenSecrets.org) to support Bentivolio in his primary race over establishment write-in candidate Nancy Cassis. Bentivolio — a teacher and part-time reindeer farmer — committed to the race earlier in the year when victory seemed all but impossible. The Tea Party-aligned Bentivolio faced a...