Free Republic

Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., accepts the "Barack Obama Gives A Thrill Up My Leg Award" at the 2008 MRC DisHonors Awards.

Immigration Vote Miscounted by Mike Pence Issue 117 - October 8, 2008As Members of Congress, we do a lot of things in the House of Representatives – we attend hearings, we help constituents with various problems, we conduct oversight, we debate the pressing issues of the day, but the most important thing we do is vote on behalf of the people we were elected to serve. This Select Committee was charged with the solemn duty of investigating what happened on the night of August 2, 2007, when a vote on the Republican motion to recommit the Agriculture Appropriations bill went...

McCain, Obama, Lieberman, and Biden have voted for the bailout. No word yet on Graham.

A group of House Republicans is cobbling together a proposal to stabilize financial markets that can serve as an alternative to the plan proposed by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, legislative sources have told CNBC. The failure of Monday's vote on the $700 billion bailout package—which these Republicans doubt is likely to cause an economic "doomsday" scenario—emboldened the group to press forward with its own plan, sources said. The group pressing the alternative plan is doing so for largely ideological reasons: They're opposed to the federal government taking a large role in financial markets, sources say. Components of the alternative plan...

WASHINGTON – The $700 billion bailout compromise announced yesterday by U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. was rejected this afternoon by the U.S. House in a 228-to-205 vote. “The American people rejected this bailout and now Congress did likewise,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, a Republican from Indiana, according to Bloomberg News. The legislation would have given the Treasury broad authority to buy troubled assets from financial companies. “I’m very disappointed,” House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., said in a statement after the vote. “The Republicans killed this.” No further vote on the plan is expected today,...

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Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) urged fellow Republicans to oppose the deal in a letter from the Republican Policy Committee. "The decision to give the federal government the ability to nationalize almost every bad mortgage in America interrupts this basic truth of our free market economy," Pence wrote. "Republicans improved this bill but it remains the largest corporate bailout in American history, forever changes the relationship between government and the financial sector, and passes the cost along to the American people. I cannot support it. "Before you vote, ask yourself why you came here and vote with courage and integrity to...

Dear Colleagues, Our nation has been confronted by a serious crisis in our financial markets. The President and this Congress were right to act with all deliberate speed in addressing this crisis. We now have a deal that promises to bring near term stability to our financial turmoil, but at what price? Economic freedom means the freedom to succeed and the freedom to fail. The decision to give the federal government the ability to nationalize almost every bad mortgage in America interrupts this basic truth of our free market economy. Republicans improved this bill but it remains the largest corporate...

God bless you guys, we need you. You're our last great hope before the Democrats and RINOs push us all in and plunge us into full blown socialism. Hang tough!! By the way, just heard on FOX News something about the committees working on this bailout bill just had their Blackberries confiscated so they can't communicate with the outside world. I pray I misheard that.

“Nationalizing Every Bad Mortgage in America Is Not the Answer” Washington, Sep 22 - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence is circulating the following “Dear Colleague” letter among his fellow House Republicans today: Republicans Should Oppose the Bailout Plan “Nationalizing Every Bad Mortgage in America Is Not the Answer” Dear Republican Colleague: Our financial markets are in turmoil and the Administration was right to call for decisive action to prevent further harm to our economy, but nationalizing every bad mortgage in America is not the answer. As Bill Kristol wrote in “A Fine Mess” in today's New York Times: And I acknowledge...

Said the boss this morning, “Seems to me House Republicans should be holding a public event every day in Washington from now until the end of the Democrats’ vacation to call attention to Nancy’s anti-drilling intransigence and her refusal to hold votes on the issue.” From her lips to the leadership’s ear. Just across from Boehner’s office:Washington, Aug 3 - House Republicans will be back on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives again Monday to continue the unprecedented protest that began last Friday, when dozens of Republicans joined hundreds of American citizens on the House floor to protest...

U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, sent a letter to President Bush today asking him to convene a special session of Congress to address the nation’s energy crisis. The Democrat majority adjourned the House for five weeks today. “Today the Democrat majority of Congress adjourned for a five-week vacation without taking a vote on bipartisan measures that would lessen our dependence on foreign oil by allowing more domestic drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf. “The American people won’t get a vacation from high gasoline prices, so Congress shouldn’t take a vacation until we vote to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. “Since...

Former Atty. Gen. Testifies Today Former Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft answered questions about his role in the drafting of detainee interrogation rules. In his opening statement, Ashcroft admitted that he had "limited recollection" of the events pertinent to the committee's inquiry.

Representative Mike Pence,R-IN., revealed no Democrat has signed the discharge petition for the Broadcaster's Freedom Act. Speaker Pelosi recently admitted to Human Events her support for the 'Fairness' Doctrine. VIDEO

The speaker of the House made it clear to me and more than forty of my colleagues yesterday that a bill by Rep. Mike Pence (R.-Ind.) to outlaw the “Fairness Doctrine” (which a liberal administration could use to silence Rush Limbaugh, other radio talk show hosts and much of the new alternative media) would not see the light of day in Congress during ’08. In ruling out a vote on Pence’s proposed Broadcaster's Freedom Act, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-CA.) also signaled her strong support for revival of the “Fairness Doctrine” -- which would require radio station owners to provide equal...

Congress is just 23 signatures away from a vote that could finally end the archaic Fairness Doctrine and create a permanent free-market system for talk radio. Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) continues to urge congress members to sign the Broadcaster Freedom Act discharge petition. The petition will “prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from repromulgating the fairness doctrine,” originally initiated in the 1930s under Franklin Roosevelt. During its glory days, the Fairness Doctrine was never applied to ensure conservatives’ air time. In fact, conservative voices were shunned while liberal bias seemed to mysteriously remain under the radar of the FCC. The...

Read about this bill Action Alert: Article on American Family Alert Website link above. Also see website of http://www.silencingchristians.com Fairness Doctrine would muzzle truth from the airwaves Urge your member of congress to support the Broadcaster Freedom Act H.R. 2905, The Broadcaster Freedom Act, introduced by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), would prohibit the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) from reinstating the so-called Fairness Doctrine, a former FCC policy that the agency revoked in 1987. The policy required broadcasters to air contrasting viewpoints about controversial issues of public importance (as decided by FCC bureaucrats) or risk losing their license. For example, pro-life...

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) is proposing an amendment to the appropriations bill that funds the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services to prohibit federal funding for Planned Parenthood. "I just think it's wrong that the largest abortion provider in America is the largest recipient of non-abortion funding under Title X," Pence told Cybercast News Service. Listen to audio Title X is the "family planning" program run by HHS that funds birth control clinics. Pence said his amendment mirrors the so-called "Mexico City policy" that currently prohibits federal funding for family planning programs overseas that perform or promote abortions....

Today I come to CPAC 2008 to speak not about conservatism’s past, but its future. Because, despite the obituary that is being written for conservatism in this election, I believe this movement will define the Republican Party for generations to come. And, as the theme of this conference attests, the future of freedom and the future of conservatism is forward. We are past the time where we can indulge in woulda, coulda, shoulda. We must look forward. Though the odds are still 50/50 on who the eventual Democratic nominee will be, the odds are 100 percent it will be a...

... The path back requires re-establishing the GOP as a party of limited government and economic freedom. This is essential to Mr. McCain's political future, the fortune of his party, and the economic well-being of the nation. And the first big indication that he intends to bring back the party of Reagan will be who Mr. McCain taps as his running mate. ... Fortunately, there is no shortage of true-blue fiscal conservatives in the GOP. Here are few who would help Mr. McCain unify his party and restore its winning brand: ... South Carolina's Governor Mark Sanford... South Carolina Senator...

The only Republican in the U.S. House who chose not to vote in favor of a resolution supporting Christmas and Christianity says his strict adherence to the Constitution was the deciding factor. Earlier this week, nine House members voted against the resolution sponsored by Steve King (R-Iowa); and ten members, including Mike Pence (R-Indiana), chose to simply vote "present." Pence says although he is a Bible-believing Christian and Christmas is his favorite holiday, his "struggle" with the King resolution was the same struggle that caused him to vote "present" on a House resolution honoring Ramadan in early October. The Indiana...

It wasn't that hard for Indiana's Rep. Mike Pence to build media and congressional support for his Free Flow of Information Act, which would protect the confidentiality of contacts between reporters and sources. It passed the House this month by an overwhelming vote of 398-21. His next battle will be a lot harder--to permanently ban the Fairness Doctrine, the regulation many liberals are now actively trying to revive in an effort to silence their critics. Until the FCC scrapped the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, it required broadcasters to provide equal time to all sides of "controversial" issues. In practice, this...

Fairness Doctrine: The Democrats' assault on the First Amendment has run into a wall. Republican Rep. Mike Pence is determined to see that freedom of speech isn't repressed in the U.S. as it is in tin-pot dictatorships. For years, the political left has been setting the country up for a rerun of the Fairness Doctrine, looking for a Reichstag fire to whip up public support for a regulation that is clearly unconstitutional despite the Supreme Court's absurd 1969 ruling. The Fairness Doctrine was instituted in 1949 as a Federal Communications Commission rule that required broadcasting licensees to provide balanced views...

Indiana Congressman Mike Pence is one of the strongest opponents of the Democrats’ attacks on free speech and especially their plans to kill conservative talk radio by re-instituting the so-called “fairness doctrine”, the unconstitutional regulation requiring government mandated, balanced political coverage. A former talk radio host himself, Pence is also fervent about “The Free Flow of Information Act”, to protect confidentiality between reporters and sources, which passed by a vote of 398-21 last evening. Yesterday, speaking with reporters and bloggers at The Heritage Foundation, Pence said he encountered a telling Bible verse in his morning devotions. “Where the Spirit of...

The American people love a fair fight and so do I, especially where the issues of the day are debated. In a free market, fairness should be determined based upon equal opportunity, not equal results. Some voices are calling for Congress to enforce their idea of “fairness” on our broadcast airwaves. But our nation should proceed with caution whenever some would achieve their “fairness” by limiting the freedom of others. Beginning in 1949, the Federal Communications Commission and its precursor developed and enforced the so-called Fairness Doctrine. The Fairness Doctrine required broadcasters to present controversial issues in a fair and...

Pence Deserves Thanks for Taking on Planned Parenthood by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor Amendment would have kept taxpayer money out of abortion provider's hands. Late Thursday afternoon, Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., offered an amendment to the Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations bill that would prevent taxpayer dollars from being used to fund Planned Parenthood or its affiliates. Unfortunately, 231 representatives in the U.S. House voted to continue to send millions of dollars in taxpayer money to Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the world. Joining Pence in voting for the amendment were 188 lawmakers.Pence deserves our thanks, said Ashley...

A blogger called the 309-115 vote against federal funding of the Fairness Doctrine a "historic vote for freedom of speech." A columnist called it "A big victory for radio broadcast freedom." But it was nothing of the sort. Even if the amendment from Rep. Mike Pence were to pass the Senate, it would do absolutely nothing to stop a Democratic president and Congress from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine. It was a political maneuver that has confused many people. The Pence amendment to the Financial Services Appropriations bill, as AIM points out in a new special report, accomplished nothing-except to allow...

Craig Crawford of Congressional Quarterly, a news analyst for NBC, MSNBC and CNBC, warns that "Unless broadcasters take steps to voluntarily balance their programming, they can expect a return of fairness rules if Democrats keep control of Congress and win the White House next year." The Rep. Mike Pence amendment, adopted by a vote of 309-115, was to the Financial Services Appropriations bill. It prohibits funds from being used by the Federal Communications Commission to impose the Fairness Doctrine on broadcasters. But it only applies to fiscal year 2008 dollars and there is no plan by the current Republican-dominated FCC...

The House voted Thursday to bar the Federal Communications Commission from reinstating the broadcast “fairness doctrine” even though there are no legislative or regulatory proposals to bring back the rule. Mike Pence, R-Ind., a former conservative radio talk show host, offered an amendment to the bill funding federal financial entities (HR 2829) that would block the FCC from spending money to restore the mandate. The rule, repealed 20 years ago, required broadcasters to present controversial issues in a balanced manner. During floor debate on the spending bill, José E. Serrano, D-N.Y., chairman of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations...

Congressman Mike Pence led the charge in the House of Representatives that effectively headed Feinstein, Kerry, and Durbin off at the pass. By adding an amendment to the Financial Services and General Government bill. His amendment will disallow any federal funds to be used to carry out any enforcement of a revived "Fairness Doctrine." It passed 309-115... Meaning - even a major chunk of Democrats thought the idea of reviving the ancient rule that would in essence stifle most free speech in on-air capacities - was a really stupid idea. Pence had this to say upon the overwhelming victorious vote...

Prominent Democrats want to revive a policy to require broadcasters to present multiple viewpoints on controversial issues, spurred by complaints that talk radio has unfairly impacted the national immigration debate. An article published Wednesday by The Hill quoted Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D.-Ill.),stating: “It's time to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine. I have this old-fashioned attitude that when Americans hear both sides of the story, they're in a better position to make a decision.” The Fairness Doctrine was a Federal Communication Commission regulation that dates back to 1947. Under the regulation, station licensees were considered “public trustees” that had an...

WASHINGTON ? The people who threw tea into Boston Harbor to protest taxation without representation in the British parliament ?would not be open to the idea that any group of a half-million Americans should not have a seat in Congress,? Rep. Mike Pence, R-6th, contends. So he ? and just a handful of other Republicans ? will buck the White House and the bulk of their party this week when the House votes on a bill to give residents of the District of Columbia a seat in the House. The bill would increase the House to 437 seats from 435....

On November 5, 1994, Ronald Wilson Reagan wrote his farewell letter to the American people. Although President Reagan confirmed he had Alzheimer’s disease his inspiring letter reaffirmed his belief in the American people and the future of this great country. America grieved for their great leader yet we were reminded why we became Republicans in the first place. Three days later millions of Americans swarmed to the polls with the memories of Reagan and the conservative values that made us all proud to be Americans again. The result was the largest earthquake in the history of American politics with the...

Are CPAC organizers trying to send a message? They've chosen Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) to deliver the keynote address at CPAC's Ronald Reagan banquet 3/2. Does Pence, a former Republican Study Cmte chair, harbor any presidential ambitions? There's already a grassroots website set up to tout him. Through a spokesman, Pence told us that he thinks about running for POTUS "no more and no less than any other kid who grew up in the Midwest with a cornfield in his backyard." Asked to elaborate, Pence spokesman Matt Lloyd was more clear: "Congressman Pence has not ruled out a run in...

The 2008 presidential campaign is actively under way, and while some winnowing has occurred, the field remains as open as it is crowded. Odds at the moment favor Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.) or former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani to win the Republican nomination, yet odds change every day. From "early presidential frontrunner" to "outgoing junior senator," Sen. George Allen (Va.) can tell you better than any Las Vegas bookie. The field is open not merely because it lacks a presumptive nominee such as a sitting president or vice-president, but because it lacks a Reagan Republican...

Some Members Say They're Tired, Though They've Only Been on Capitol Hill Two Months of This Year Dec. 5, 2006 — - It was surprising when a member of Congress said he and his colleagues were "tired," considering the fact that this Congress has held fewer workdays than any since the "do-nothing" Congress of 1948. Still, Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana told The Washington Post that he and his colleagues were worn out. "Contrary to popular belief, members of Congress are human beings," he said. Pence added that Congress members had "a certain amount of energy to be drawn on....

Friday in Washington, the remaining House Republicans gather to vote for minority leader and minority whip. If they want to position themselves in the near future to change those modifiers from "minority" to "majority", they would best serve their party by voting for reform candidates untainted by associations with Hastert-era leadership. Republicans need to elect Rep. Mike Pence, R-Indiana, their minority leader. Head of the Republican Study Committee, Pence is a principled, well respected conservative who.....

Rep. Mike Pence, candidate for House minority leader, delivered the following speech to the Republican Conference today. I know there are many traditions in this room but permit me begin by acknowledging God. He has given my family and my staff the health and strength to give our colleagues a choice: to endure this contest of worthy opponents with grace. I want to thank my supporters in this room, loyal friends who have stood at my side in this cause, wherever life takes my little family, I will always see you in this moment and admire your courage and your...

Did the Republican leadership learn anything on Election Day? Did they finally get it that voters are fed up with politicians who use their office to raise money and get perks? Will the GOP return to the lean, ascetic, committed politics that animated its 1994 surge to power or will it resist change and choose leaders who skate on the edge of corruption in their bid for privilege? And, in the Senate, will the Republicans realize that they need a mechanic who can make the trains run on time to tie the Democrats in knots? And do the Democrats realize...

If Rep. Mike Pence... wins his bid ...for House minority leader, he will become the second most influential conservative in Washington, behind President Bush... The congressional Republicans are engaged in a desperate search for a new revolutionary... One story about Mr. Pence suggests that he might just be the man: "The president said, 'Mike, I really need your vote for my prescription drug bill," Mr. Pence recalls... "And I responded, 'With all due respect, Mr. President, I didn't come to this town to create new entitlements, but to rein in the ones we already have.'" A few days later, this...

Republican Rep. Mike Pence, who's seeking to become leader of the House Republicans when Democrats take control in January, says his party's primary mission in Congress' next two sessions will be "to defeat the agenda of the Democratic Party." Pence, R-Ind., released a document Friday containing a five-point vision in which he declared that "our primary task these next two years: to expose, dismantle and defeat the 'principles to which we have been forced to succumb.'" The document repeats Pence's call to the GOP to unite behind conservative goals of small government and lower taxes and goes on to urge...

WASHINGTON -- The depleted House Republican caucus, a minority in the next Congress, convenes at 8 a.m. in the Capitol Friday on the brink of committing an act of supreme irrationality. The House members blame their leadership for tasting the bitter dregs of defeat. Yet, the consensus so far is that, in secret ballot, they will re-elect some or all of those leaders. In private conversation, Republican members of Congress blame Majority Leader John Boehner and Majority Whip Roy Blunt in no small part for their midterm election debacle. Yet, either Boehner, Blunt or both are expected to be returned...

U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, R-Ind., Wednesday formally announced his campaign for Republican Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. Spence sent a letter to his colleagues, explaining his platform: "I am running for Republican leader because we didn't just lose our majority, I believe we lost our way .... "Our opponents will say that the American people rejected our Republican vision. I say the American people didn't quit on the Contract with America, we did. And in so doing, we severed the bonds of trust between our party and millions of our most ardent supporters.... "Only by making a dramatic...

Red State has an item linking to a report that Tom Tancredo has endorsed Mike Pence for Minority Leader. This would indicate that Pence's stand on immigration merits Tancredo's seal of approval, and should, IMHO, guaranteed Pence the position. I looked for a direct link/quote from Tancredo, or a statement..didn't find one. Anyone have an update?

Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., told fellow Republican lawmakers on Wednesday he does not intend to run for minority leader when Democrats take control of the House in January, officials said. Hastert conveyed word in a conference call one day after Republicans lost control of the House in midterm elections. The officials who described Hastert's plans did so on condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to pre-empt a formal announcement. His decision to step down cleared the way for a likely succession battle. Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the majority leader, is expected to run, and Reps. Mike Pence...

When the now-defeated Republican majority in the House of Representative was led astray on key issues by President Bush, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, it was Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana who rallied backbenchers to fight back in defense of conservative principles. That is why Pence should be elected minority leader for the next Congress. Under Pence’s leadership over the next two years, we believe, House Republicans can put themselves in position to retake the majority in 2008. More importantly, they can be counted on to fight for what’s right—even when that means defying a...

Election Day 2006 will be remembered as a turning point in American political history. Twenty-five years after the Reagan Administration came to Washington with a conservative agenda of limited government, the American people chose a different course. It is the duty of the losing party in a free election to humbly accept defeat and to acknowledge that the people are sovereign in the People's House. As we examine the results of this election, it is imperative that we listen to the American people and learn the right lessons. Some will argue that we lost our majority because of scandals at...

T]hree years after leaving Congress, the former House majority leader is now savaging conservatives in his own party for what he calls "knee-jerk" opposition - "emphasis on jerk" - to the Bush administration's efforts to create a temporary guest-worker program and overhaul the nation's immigration system...Unabashedly naming names, Armey described Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., as the "cheerleader of jerkiness in the immigration debate" and said conservative commentator Pat Buchanan "is content to be a rock star" for "10 percent of the most militant voters in America." "In Dick Armey's search for relevance in today's political environment, it's disappointing that he...

Mass deportations get thumbs down Voters prefer path to citizenship September 20, 2006 Rep. Tom Tancredo is not terribly impressed by a new Rocky Mountain News/ CBS 4 poll, conducted Sept. 10-12, that seems to show most Colorado voters disagreeing with his hardline immigration prescription. More than four times as many voters polled said they'd rather have Congress grant illegal immigrants a path to citizenship than deport them; 61 percent would make naturalization an option for those illegals who paid back taxes and learned English. A mere 15 percent of those polled want them all sent home. Wait just one...

Nearly two of every three Colorado voters think illegal immigrants should be allowed to become U.S. citizens if they pay taxes, learn English and meet other requirements, according to a new Rocky Mountain News/CBS 4 poll. Only 15 percent of those polled favor mass deportations. "People want to be tough but fair," said pollster Lori Weigel. "It's like many issues. You tend to hear from extremes on both ends. Clearly, this data indicate that there's a silent majority that is supportive of a more middle-ground approach."