Free Republic

The No. 2 official at the Homeland Security Department meddled in three high-profile immigration cases, giving special treatment to applications from wealthy and well-connected immigrants after calls from major Democrats despite the objections of career employees, the department’s inspector general concluded in a report Tuesday. Alejandro Mayorkas, who was elevated from head of the department’s legal immigration agency to be deputy secretary while the investigation was ongoing, also angered many of his colleagues by getting involved in the cases, and “created an appearance of favoritism and special access” for the wealthy immigrants, the inspector general concluded. Inspector General John Roth...

Gas prices, on average, are about 50 cents less a gallon than a year ago, giving a de facto tax cut and providing relief to millions of consumers as the holiday season kicks into high gear. However, a growing number of politicians have suggested that, given cheaper fuel costs, conditions might be ripe to hike federal taxes on gas in order to help fund infrastructure projects. Rendell is one of those voices. He supports raising the federal gas tax—

I have read about 5 percent of the noise surrounding the upcoming governor’s race in Pennsylvania. As a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, I’m always amazed at what issues become amplified, minimized, and often buried. Less than 1 percent of the voters will read this little note, but as a son of teachers, and a friend to many current and retired teachers, administrators and state workers, I believe some facts deserve being said. There is no doubt; incoming governors and other elected officials inherit the good, bad and ugly of the preceding budgets and sessions. There is...

In a radio interview with a Philadelphia radio station today, former Gov. Ed Rendell (D-Pa.) called GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) a “dumbbell” for her opposition to gun control. Listen to the full interview below.

Barack Obama, Dianne Feinstein, Michael Bloomberg, Andrew Cuomo, and their cohorts followed Rahm Emanuel's advice to "never let a good crisis go to waste" when they used the Sandy Hook shooting to renew their assault on the Bill of Rights. Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell added, in effect, that one should never let a dead child go to waste if one can exploit him or her for political gain. "...the GOOD THING about Newtown is, it was so HORRIFIC that I think it galvanized Americans to a point where the intensity on our side is going to match the intensity...

Overextension is a classic way to snatch catastrophic defeat from the jaws of victory. Examples include Napoleon's invasion of Russia, Hitler's decision to start a war with Russia before he finished his war with Britain, and Operation Market Garden. The latter debacle was the origin of the phrase, "A bridge too far." Overextension is often the result of hubris, the delusion of invincibility as exemplified by Napoleon and Hitler. The enemies of the Bill of Rights have similarly assumed they could exploit the blood of the murder victims to revive an agenda that had been put down hard in 2000,...

If you needed any more evidence to prove the Left is using the Newtown shooting not to find solutions that will lead to safer schools but instead to push for a long-desired gun control agenda, this is it. Former Democratic Governor Ed Rendell said on MSNBC Friday, "The good thing about Newtown is, it was so horrific that I think it galvanized Americans to a point where the intensity on our side is going to match the intensity on their side. "

“The good thing about Newtown is, it was so horrific that I think it galvanized Americans to a point where the intensity on our side is going to match the intensity on their side,” said the former mayor, referring to the current debate between gun control advocates and supporters of the Second Amendment.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell decried federal lawmakers for failing to pass a permanent ban on assault weapons, such as the one used in Friday’s deadly Colorado movie theater shooting. Rendell said it was an “act of cowardice by the Congress” not to renew the ban, which expired in 2004, and blamed lawmakers for being too “terrified” of the National Rife Association, which has lobbied against the ban, to actually do it. “We’re terrified of the NRA. We Democrats are as bad as the Republicans. Everyone is scared of the NRA,” Rendell said Friday on MSNBC. “There are some things...

The Treasury Department’s counterterrorism arm is investigating speaking fees paid to a long-time Democratic Party leader who is among the most vocal advocates of an Iranian opposition group designated as a terrorist group by the State Department. Former Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell told The Washington Times that Treasury investigators last week subpoenaed records related to payments he has accepted in exchange for public speaking engagements. Mr. Rendell is among a bipartisan group of prominent former officials - including Cabinet-level Republicans - who have accepted payment in exchange for speeches calling for the removal of the Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK) from...

The Treasury Department’s counterterrorism arm is investigating speaking fees paid to a long-time Democratic Party leader who is among the most vocal advocates of an Iranian opposition group designated as a terrorist group by the State Department. Former Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell told The Washington Times that Treasury investigators last week subpoenaed records related to payments he has accepted in exchange for public speaking engagements. Mr. Rendell is among a bipartisan group of prominent former officials - including Cabinet-level Republicans - who have accepted payment in exchange for speeches calling for the removal of the Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK) from...

Rendells tell friends they are separating HARRISBURG -- Their marriage survived years of speculation about Ed Rendell's never-confirmed affairs, but today -- 20 days after the former governor left office -- he and U.S. Circuit Judge Marjorie O. Rendell told friends they are separating. The news came in a five-sentence email sent at 4:08 p.m. and signed "Ed and Midge." The Rendells told recipients that the split is amicable, that they will remain friends and that they "will not find it awkward or uncomfortable" to be invited to the same social events. The Rendells have been married for about 40...

NBC News has announced that former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell will be the network's newest political analyst, following the departure of prime-time MSNBC host Keith Olbermann. According to a press release, Rendell's title is "effective immediately," and will entail Rendell's contributing to both NBC News and its sister cable channel MSNBC.

Switch to Pro-Abortion Governor Allowed Abortionist Horror The grand jury calls him a butcher of women. If the charges are proven correct, he is a butcher of baby girls and boys too, a poster boy for what Roe v Wade has wrought. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/01/21/switch-to-pro-abortion-governor-allowed-abortionist-horror/

As friends and foes assess Ed Rendell's tenure as governor, few events better illustrate his record in one contentious arena - campaign fund-raising - than his 2001 trip to see a Chicago businessman. Rendell was in the early stages of the governor's race. Aides had dispatched him to the Windy City with what they thought was a reasonable goal - a $50,000 check, according to one who spoke on condition of anonymity. Rendell left the meeting buoyant, but confessed to aides he never asked the would-be donor for a set amount. Rendell "just had a feeling," he told them. A...

After eight disastrous years as Pennsylvania’s Governor, Ed Rendell being viewed as a “good guy” is as likely as the Eagles’ winning this year’s Super Bowl: nonexistent. Up to this point, his legacy was known for three things: the introduction of gambling, which did not live up to the promise of tax-relief; huge tax hikes, coupled with a 40 per cent increase in state spending; and a perception of widespread pay-to-play within his Administration. Of lesser note but still sore subjects were his signing an unconstitutional legislative pay raise and not getting a single budget passed on time --- budgets...

In the movie Dave, Kevin Kline plays a presidential lookalike who finds himself running the country after the real President falls into a coma. Convening a Cabinet meeting, this political novice uses common sense to expose the ludicrous mentality of the entrenched Business As Usual crowd. Kline asks the Commerce Secretary about an ad campaign his Department has implemented to boost consumer confidence in the American auto industry. “It’s designed to bolster individual confidence in a previous domestic automotive purchase,” the Secretary proudly explained. Speechless at first, Kline fires back, “We're spending millions for somebody to feel good about a...

It’s that time of year again when Freindly Fire heaps praise upon those most deserving. You probably aren’t going to find these winners on the lists of typical media outlets, most of which bow at the altar of political correctness. The Biggest Winner of 2010, as is the case every year, goes to none other than illegal invaders, all 20 million of them. Year after year, they continue to win everything. They are handed driver’s licenses, free education — in some cases all the way to college — and free first-rate health care. Most appallingly, their freedom exists because of...

Was Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell right to call us a nation of "wussies" after the Eagles-Vikings game was postponed because of the snowstorm? No, Rendell is a public official and should've been more concerned with safety Ignore him. Rendell's being a typically ornery Eagles fan. Rendell's comments were a larger statement about the world, and U.S. willingness to fight to keep our supremacy If the roads and public transportation were as clear as he said, there was no reason for the game to be held Yes. Seriously, when did the big, bad NFL start worrying about weather conditions?

HARRISBURG - For eight years, Gov. Rendell has lobbied hard in the halls of the Capitol for what he calls "commonsense" handgun laws. He wanted to limit sales to individuals to one handgun a month. He wanted owners to report lost or stolen weapons. He wanted to close a loophole in state law that he believes lets criminals use gun permits obtained in other states. At each turn, the legislature - including some of his allies in the Democratic-controlled House - knocked down the proposals like so many slow-moving clay birds on a skeet-shooting range. On Monday, Rendell defended his...