Free Republic

Arizona's U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth, ranked as one of the top recipients of campaign contributions from interests enmeshed in a raging lobbying scandal, has no reason to return the money, his top aide says. Moreover, the donors want Hayworth to keep the funds, chief of staff Joe Eule said. With four other politicians returning more than $250,000 in recent days to Indian tribes and others connected with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, pressures have mounted for Hayworth and other recipients to follow suit. Eule said that the Republican congressman has received campaign contributions totaling $150,000 from tribes affiliated at one time...

Enclosed are some excerpts from Senator John McCain's letter that he E-Mailed to his followers today. I'm pleased to see someone on Capital Hill who is standing up to Obama and the Democrats and their outrageous wasteful spending..... "My Friend, I have spent much of my career fighting against wasteful spending in Washington. I'm not afraid to speak out when I see taxpayer dollars wasted. And in all my years in public office, I have never seen spending as out of control as it is under the current Democratic leadership. Our national debt has reached an all-time high of $12.4...

Hayworth faced ethical scrutiny during his unsuccessful reelection campaign for his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, whose Native-American clients contributed $100,000 to his campaigns. He is still paying off legal debt that he accumulated preparing for a possible federal investigation in connection with the Abramoff scandal.

The possible primary race for John McCain's U.S. Senate seat is getting more colorful. Former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, contending that former U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth is violating campaign laws by promoting his possible bid on his radio talk show. "There's no problem with someone in his position talking about the issues of the day and the issues that are important to the country, but essentially, you've got a situation where Hayworth is spending hour after hour, day after day, promoting his possible candidacy for the U.S. Senate while a...

Pity Ben Bernanke. The guy was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year and the reaction rivaled fish sticks in the enthusiasm category. Old Ben might well be the guy of 2009, but few know who he is or understand what he does. Being chairman of the Federal Reserve may have advantages, but public visibility is not among them. Here’s all you need to know: After being honored by Time, Oprah did not call Ben. When you think about people of the year, the list is short. Perhaps, Lady Gaga, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ... maybe the late U.S. Sen....

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- An attorney who was a major fundraiser for Florida Gov. Charlie Crist allegedly conducted an investment scam that cost investors millions, a lawsuit alleges. A group of investors said in a suit filed against Scott Rothstein that the co-partner of the Rothstein, Rosenfeldt and Adler law firm took part in a scheme that cost the plaintiffs more than $100 million, The Miami Herald reported Friday.

Gov. Charlie Crist’s office is “looking into” the possibility of removing embattled attorney Scott Rothstein from the state’s Judicial Nominating Committee. Rothstein has offered to surrender his license to practice law. But, he may remain a member of JNC unless, or until, he’s charged with a felony crime. Gov. Charlie Crist named Rothstein to the JNC in August 2008. “Typically, the governor would only step in when felony charges are filed against a public official,” said Sterling Ivey, Crist’s spokesman. “Whether we will act before that point in this case is not clear yet. Our legal office is looking into...

You don’t even know him. But you rage against him like he’s the neighbor who has his illegal lawn guy use a leaf blower to blast all his trash into your yard. You think you can feel your blood boiling when you hear him talk. You use words like “traitor, liar, egomaniac…” But you don’t even know him. Such passion can be rechanneled, if you allow yourself take a second look. Sure I had some biting nicknames for him. I had all kinds of complaints against him. He’s still wrong about some things. But when it started to dawn on...

I've been hearing that some groups of people are not welcome at Free Republic anymore, but I didn't believe what I was hearing because that seems like the complete opposite of "Free". I've heard that supporters of Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and more are no longer welcome to post at this site. This site is about uniting people together against the liberal onslaught that is ruining our country and we could use all the help we can get right? Please correct me so I can correct others who have told me that this is...

Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff today announced the endorsement of U.S. Sen. John McCain in her bid for state Senate. Bogdanoff was an early supporter of McCain's presidential bid, staying with him even when his campaign hit its low point before catching on again and winning the Florida primary. "Ellyn Bogdanoff has the character, experience and commitment to make a difference," McCain said in a statement. "During her career, she has consistently put people over politics and she will continue to outline policies to lead Florida out of its economic crisis." Bogdanoff is running for District 25, currently occupied by Senate President...

From the Washington Post today: McCain had been left for dead politically this summer, and now his decision to return to a state he skipped altogether in his 2000 bid for the White House is one of the many signs that the GOP contest for president is still in search of a front-runner. McCain has surged back into a strong second place in New Hampshire, where former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the GOP front-runner there, returned Wednesday in the hope of shoring up his eroding poll numbers. The two men traded angry, long-distance insults that signaled an abrupt end to...

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina is armed with money and the support of well-placed Republicans for a possible run against Democratic U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer next year. But she's also got something that has dogged other wealthy political neophytes - a spotty voting record. Fiorina, 54, of Los Altos Hills, who recently acknowledged that she is "seriously considering" a run, has voted in about 1 in 4 of the national, state and local elections in which she was eligible to cast a ballot since she registered in the Bay Area as a Republican in 2000, according to Santa Clara County...

The Republican strategist who helped Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman prepare for a possible presidential run says the Republican party is in for a devastating defeat if its guiding lights are Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney. "If it's 2012 and our party is defined by Palin and Limbaugh and Cheney, then we're headed for a blowout," says strategist John Weaver, who advised Huntsman and was for years a close adviser to Sen. John McCain. "That's just the truth." Huntsman, a favorite of GOP moderates, left the Republican presidential race last week after accepting President Obama's offer to become U.S....

The Republican Party is in big trouble and needs to find a way to move back to the middle of the country, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday. Powell said the GOP is "getting smaller and smaller" and "that's not good for the nation." He also said he hopes that emerging GOP leaders, such as House Minority Whip Cantor, will not keep repeating mantras of the far right. "The Republican Party is in deep trouble," Powell told corporate security executives at a conference in Washington sponsored by Fortify Software Inc. The party must realize that the country has...

I am as sick to death of RINO apologists as I am the RINOs themselves. Too many real conservatives took a lot of flack here on FR during the last mid term and presidential election cycles for expecting Republicans to actually legislate like Republicans rather voting for every Obama-lite candidate with an “R” after their names who just might be electable. To too many, elections are about partisan score keeping and not about the direction and future of the country. Many conservatives received a lot of undeserved criticism because they refused to vote straight party line or choose the lesser...

The Senator from Arizona Tells Hispanics to Look to President Obama for Leadership on Immigration. BY KIRK VICTOR John McCain sounds angry and frustrated that, despite the risks he took in pushing immigration reform, Hispanic voters flocked to Democrat Barack Obama in last year's presidential contest. McCain's raw emotions burst forth recently as he heatedly told Hispanic business leaders that they should now look to Obama, not him, to take the lead on immigration. The meeting in the Capitol's Strom Thurmond Room on March 11 was a Republican effort led by Sens. McCain of Arizona, John Thune of South Dakota,...

Captain Ed Morrissey points out that, according to her Twitter feed, Meghan McCain has found the comedic Holy Grail: (Tweet #1 and #2) To the people at current that created this, I am flattered beyond words. I can officially die a happy woman. Officially the funniest thing I have ever seen in my entire life (and I have seen my fair share). Thanks for correctly animating my bootylicious body :-) LOVE IT!!!

Now Ms. Meghan McCain is anything but a young Britney Spears type "air head" celebrity. She is a 24 year old, 2007 graduate of Columbia University. She has already written regularly for Newsweek Magazine and has been an active political blogger since her father, Senator John McCain, began running for his party´s 2008 nomination. She admits that she has only been a "real Republican for less than a year," and she is anything but a die-hard GOP conservative. She is a "moderate" that currently supports gay marriage, stem-cell research and in 2004, she voted for the Democrat, John Kerry. What...

It’s my party- And I’ll- Cry if I want to! Defy who I want to! Eat pie--one piece won’t do! You would whine too-If you hadn’t a clue. Daddy was running for President Against this way-cool black guy Now Obama’s a White House resident And I just whimper and sigh! Sarah Palin was Daddy’s running mate, Tho’ I thought she was way too right-wing Her politics are just what I hate Now all that I can do is sing…. It’s my party- And I’ll- Cry if I want to! Defy who I want to! Eat pie--one piece won’t do! You...