Free Republic

Washington (AP) - Sen. Lindsey Graham makes an unlikely champion for action on climate change. The South Carolina Republican has joined forces with Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts and independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut to drum up support for a bill that would put a price on heat-trapping pollution. Graham's position has irked just about everybody. He has been censured by Republicans back home for supporting a bill that would clamp down on greenhouse gases. Environmentalists have criticized his push for nuclear energy, more oil drilling -- and most recently his support of a GOP effort to prevent the Environmental...

There are very few brave politicians in the world. Most of them mince their words and tell you what they think you want to hear. Brave politicians are ones who speak their mind. They tell you exactly how they feel, consequences be damned. Iowa 5th District Congressman Steve King is among that rare breed.

"I cannot think of anything, domestically, that would do more harm to our country and to the people of our country, and to future generations, than the health care bill thats being promoted right now. Nobody in this country wants this defeated more than I do." -U.S. Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl The Arizona Senator made the statement on the heels of this: Tea Party Support ( http://teapartysupport.com ) and the Social Security Institute ( http://socialsecurityinstitute.com ) joined forces yesterday to blast out a million-and-a-half email messages asking people to demand that Republican Senators stop assisting Harry Reid to ram...

HELLO FREE REPUBLIC AND WELCOME TO AN EXCLUSIVE FREE REPUBLIC CALL TO ACTION BURNIN' DOWN THE TENT!!! We have all been frustrated and angry at the way we have been treated by the political elite in this country. They have ignored us, belittled us, overlooked us, and singled us Conservatives out for their special brand of contempt. It is bad enough when liberals and Democrats do it, but the betrayal of our Constitution and of our whole system of Conservative values and morals at the hands of the party we built and supported for lo these many years has...

Today Americans for Tax Reform, a non-profit taxpayer advocacy group, gave the first ever “Richard Rich Backstabber Award,” to current California State Senator and newly appointed Lt. Governor, Abel Maldonado. For those unfamiliar with Rich and why Abel Maldonado should be bestowed with an award in his name, Rich was Lord Chancellor during the reign of Henry the VI of England and Solicitor General under Henry the VIII. Rich is best known for perjuring himself in order to secure a death sentence for Saint Thomas More (who happens to be the patron saint of those who work in politics and...

Why is every single thread that I log onto this day after Thanksgiving, have a picture of Mitt Romney, that then trashes him?? Does JimRob and this website condone the Palin trashers, and try to create a Mitt backlash, to trash him? Does this website wish to promote a Republican/Conservative candidate who has no real business experience, like our current loser-in-chief, Zer0? Mitt has problems, as do each and every Pubbie, Conservative, or RAT potential to lead this once great US! Back off on the hits to Romney, (or maybe do you see him as a threat, much like the...

Apparently there are still some posters on FR who are fast asleep. Wake up! Dammit! We are in the middle of a conservative rebellion! While you were sleeping we, along with millions of other freedom loving grassroots Americans have participated in hundreds of tea parties all across this great land and fully intend to keep it up until all of America is awake. We are fed up and mad as hell! We grassroots Americans are delivering a message to the ruling class: NO MORE!! No more big government! No more high taxes! No more government bailouts! No more government takeovers!...

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-LA, has been in the spotlight since her vote Saturday, allowing debate to begin on the national healthcare bill. Included in the deal, Landrieu secured as much as $300 million for Louisiana's Medicaid program, something she said Gov. Bobby Jindal asked for, leaving him in a sticky situation. "It is the number one request of my governor, who is a Republican," Landrieu said Saturday on the Senate floor. She told her fellow senators she is proud of the move she made Saturday. She voted to allow debate on the national healthcare bill...

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani has decided not to run for governor next year - but will run for U.S. Senate instead, sources told the Daily News. A source familiar with Giuliani's thinking said the failed presidential candidate has been telling people he plans to run against Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in 2010 to fill out the remaining two years of Hillary Clinton's term.

State Rep. Beth Coulson, one of the most moderate Republican candidates running for Congress, will be meeting with Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele tomorrow in Illinois to discuss her campaign – and the need for Republicans to have a big-tent party so it can compete in Democratic-minded districts.

Reminds me of Jim DeMint notoriously saying that he’d rather have 30 pure conservatives in the Senate than a centrist Republican majority, presumably so that he could lose with honor on every single vote. Remember that old commercial about pollution where Iron Eyes Cody turns to the camera and a single tear rolls down his cheek? That’s Frum when he reads this. The poll indicates that a slight majority, 51 percent, of Republicans would prefer to see the GOP in their area nominate candidates who agree with them on all the major the issues even if they have a poor...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich predicted disaster for his party if the conservative wing of the GOP continues to field independent candidates to the right of the party’s nominee. “If we get into a cycle where there are tea parties and there are conservative third-party candidates, we will make [Nancy] Pelosi speaker for life,” Gingrich told POLITICO in an interview Thursday, calling the practice “totally destructive.” But Gingrich, who broke with many fellow conservatives by getting behind the liberal Republican who was nominated but ultimately dropped out and backed the Democrat in a New York special congressional election, admitted that...

I realize this is old news by now...but we really need to follow up and show our support when GOP officials take this kind of action against a big-government Republican. Please go to http://www.charlestongop.org/ and send Chairwoman Bennett a note of support. We've also linked to her e-mail at removerinos.com . I have a feeling that the same tidal wave that's going to wash the Dems out of office is also going to be sweeping a bunch of RINOs out to sea.....

FINALLY, the people in South Carolina are awakening to the fact our values are not being represented by Lindsay Graham.

WASHINGTON — When it comes to combating global warming, Sen. Lindsey Graham is right where he loves to be — ahead of the curve, in the mix on a major issue, at the table for high-level, bipartisan talks behind closed doors. Graham, a South Carolina Republican, is working with Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut to craft a climate change bill. They face the dual challenge of overcoming widespread GOP opposition and withstanding relentless attacks by Big Oil and allied energy interests. "Our goal is to create a vision that not only will...

Now that we sit her in incredulity as Doug Hoffman wanders off into the sunset, maybe it's a good time to take a moment and think about what just happened. Modern politics is not won with torches and pitchforks from half way across the country which is what was attempted here. No, Scozzafava should never have been handed the nomination but it was an isolated, freakish situation brought on by the sudden departure of the incumbent and exasperated by everyday political insider dealing. To claim that it was an example of how GOP politics work everyday is hyperbole by those...

(snip) The GOP wins in New Jersey and Virginia are breeding a new competition among Republicans to take part of the credit. Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty, potential rivals for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, both tried to bask in glow."We worked extremely hard on behalf of Bob McDonnell and the entire Republican ticket in Virginia, and helped him close strong with a full day of campaigning in the final week; in New Jersey, we endorsed Chris Christie early and made sure he had the resources to be competitive against his better-financed opponent," Romney told supporters of his Free &...

"Republican Dede Scozzafava today endorsed Democrat Bill Owens, her former opponent, in Tuesday's election to fill the North Country congressional seat formerly held by John McHugh. Scozzafava suspended her campaign for the 23rd District seat Saturday, citing weak poll numbers and inadequate campaign funds. In a statement released this afternoon, she called Owens ''an independent voice devoted to doing what is right for New York.''"

Republican Dede Scozzafava endorsed her former Democratic opponent Sunday in the race for an upstate New York congressional seat, one day after Scozzafava dropped out of the contest. Scozzafava dropped out after Conservative Party candidate Dough Hoffman experienced a late-in-the-game surge. But on Sunday, Scozzafava backed Democrat Bill Owens -- the announcement was made in a statement send out by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "I am supporting Bill Owens for Congress and urge you to do the same," she said. "In Bill Owens, I see a sense of duty and integrity that will guide him beyond political partisanship. He...

Gingrich endorses Hoffman Posted: October 31st, 2009 01:04 PM ET From CNN Political Editor Mark Preston WASHINGTON (CNN)– Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who came under fire from some conservatives for endorsing Dede Scozzafava in next week's special Congressional election in New York, is now backing Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. Gingrich made the announcement via Twitter shortly after the Republican Party nominee Scozzafava announced she was releasing supporters from their commitment to back her. "Scozzafava dropping out leaves hoffman as only anti-tax anti-pelosi vote in ny 23 Every voter opposed to tax increases support doug hoffman," Gingrich wrote on...

Scozzafava Suspends New York Congressional Campaign Sarah Palin had the guts and the foresight to stand with Hoffman, the clear conservative, before anyone else, when he was a relative unknown. Now, as a result of her backing, he will win and others in the GOP have been scrambling to get on board her train and catch up with her ever since. That's leadership! Hehehe. Hey Barry, Nancy, and Harry...you can expect a lot more of the same to come. You too Newt. MANY MORE STICKER DESIGNS HERE "...like that grizzly guards her cubs, as a mother naturally guards her own....

With Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman running neck and neck with the Democrat in Tuesday’s special election in New York, some other disaffected Republicans are seeing the third-party route as more viable. And it could hurt the Republicans in those races. In Virginia’s 5th district, state Sen. Robert Hurt’s entry into the GOP primary has spurred little-known candidate Bradley Rees to switch to the Virginia Conservative Party. And in Ohio, another GOP primary contender said this week that he’ll run as a Constitution Party candidate. Both will go at the GOP nominees from their right flanks and try to expose...

The events of the last 24 hours have pretty much clinched it: NY-23 is now officially a two-man race between the Democratic nominee Bill Owens and the Conservative Party upstart Doug Hoffman. From NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions to former Gov. George Pataki to former Mayor Rudy Giuliani (through his operative, Jake Menges), Republicans are quickly abandoning their nominee, Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, and backing Hoffman in a last-ditch effort to keep former Rep. John McHugh's seat in GOP hands and, perhaps more importantly, deny the Obama administration a much-needed political victory. "I think it’s now to a point where we’ve got...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is warning conservative activists that their support for a third-party candidate in a key upcoming New York special election is a “mistake.” In a video captured last week and posted on YouTube Friday, Gingrich told tea party organizer Lisa Miller at a book-signing event that conservatives are inadvertently hindering the cause by backing Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman over Dede Scozzafava, the Republican Party’s nominee. “I just think it is a mistake for the conservative movement to think splitting in the special election is a smart idea,” Gingrich said. “If we give that seat to...

The GOP needs to shed its image as the "old white guy party," Jeb Bush said this week. Speaking at George Washington University, Bush said Republicans need to reach out to a more diverse group of voters. "You don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize that in order for a political party to be successful it has to reach out to everyone," Bush said, according to the GW Hatchet. "In politics, you never win when you say 'us and them.' We need a more welcoming message."

SYRACUSE, New York, October 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A conservative uprising against the GOP's selection of a staunchly pro-abortion, pro-gay "marriage" nominee has transformed the battle for New York's 23rd congressional district into a tight three-way race that has the strong possibility of a dark horse Conservative Party candidate pulling an upset victory - or sending a strong message to the GOP that they alienate social and fiscal conservatives at their peril.New York's 23rd Congressional District covers much of the northern areas of upstate New York just north of Syracuse, bordering Canada, and encompassing most of the Adirondacks. While conservative...

Gay rights activists stood alongside religious fundamentalists in the balcony of the state Assembly chamber last Tuesday looking down upon what could either be a monumental movement for the gay community or the solidification of traditional religious beliefs in New York state. Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s controversial program bill to legalize same-sex marriage, sponsored by Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, D-Manhattan, found its way to the Assembly floor after several weeks of stagnation. After three hours of emotional debate, the bill passed 85 to 61. ::snip:: Party lines became less clear as the bill came to the Assembly floor after an hour-long Republican...

Anyone surprised?They certainly lost touch with me. When the Democrat Party became the Socialist Party, the Republican Party became the Democrat Party. If the conservatives can’t take back the Republican Party, then we’ll need a new party.

Former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich is taking real heat over his endorsement of a moderate Republican, Dede Sozzafava, in a special congressional election in upstate New York. David Keating, executive director of Club for Growth, has taken to a third-party conservative, Doug Hoffman, and rakes Gingrich on the anti-tax group’s web site: “Gingrich does this all the time,” said Keating. “He does whatever the party committee asks him to. He likes to cultivate this image of being an innovator (snip) But this afternoon, on his own web site, the former Georgia congressman pushed back: The choice in New York...

The Republican Party is in search of a message to attract voters who are angry with just about everything — healthcare, the U.S. deficit, Wall Street bonuses, increased unemployment and home foreclosures to mention a few. “There’s a lot of anger out there and there’s a lot of frustration,” said Republican Senator John McCain, who was defeated by Democrat Barack Obama for president last year. Thousands of people are turning up at townhall meetings and “tea party” protests against government policies, he noted. “So there’s something going on out there. And I’d love to sit here and tell you that...

Sacramento, CA – Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law legislation that will help law enforcement officials track down and apprehend armed criminals and other prohibited persons. AB 962 by Assembly Member Kevin DeLeon (D-Los Angeles) had the support of law enforcement officials from across the state and was modeled after successful city ordinances, including the cities of Sacramento and Los Angeles. AB 962 was the Brady Campaign´s top priority bill in this year´s legislature. The law requires maintenance of purchaser records by handgun ammunition vendors. Local law enforcement can use these records to find illegal guns. "The purchase records will...

Sen. Lindsey Graham to Sonia Sotomayor: "Unless you have a complete meltdown, you will be confirmed."

When you're up to your waders in barracuda, blame the media. And quit your job. And say you did it for the people. And hire an agent. And try to keep a straight face. On your way to the bank. Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public, H.L. Mencken once said. Terribly elitist fellow, that Mencken. If only he were alive to witness the phenomenon of Sarah Palin, whose biography validates every cynical thought that ever found expression in his prolific prose..... Meanwhile, getting real, can we stop pretending that Palin is interested in anything other...

"You're the problem!" one crowd member hollered. "You voted for TARP," yelled another. Boos interrupted Cornyn, who won his second term last year, after he said: "This is a day of celebration, the day we celebrate our Founders, who defied empires and declared their independence."

A Republican renewal could still be possible, according to Murphy, because "conservatism is traditionally energized by a reaction to liberal excess, and the unabashedly leftish tilt of the Obama administration's domestic agenda does give hope. But demography is a powerful force." Republicans need to become more socially libertarian on issues such as gay rights to appeal to young voters, and to support practical immigration reform to win more of the Latino vote, Murphy suggests, adding: "Saving the GOP is not about diluting conservatism but about modernizing it to reflect the country it inhabits instead of an America that no longer...

Florida’s Republican Governor Charlie Crist is getting a big boost for his U.S. Senate bid from a bevy of GOP A-listers. Helping to raise money for Crist in Washington are Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chairman Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and 2008 GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. The power trio will be on hand – along with yet other Republican luminaries – to help attract major donors at an event for Crist slated for June 22 at the NRSC, according to a report in The Hill, which obtained an invitation. The week...

Sarah Palin has begun to get on the nerves of Republican senators who say the former GOP vice presidential nominee is taking her own White House aspirations entirely too seriously. But those same senators may have their eye on a 2012 White House run or be friends with senators with presidential ambitions. And Palin, who does not have a lot of Washington connections, energized the party’s grass roots in 2008 while bucking the D.C. establishment, leaving much of the party’s elite grumbling about her appeal to the conservative base. Several GOP senators offered searing criticism of the Alaska governor when...

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) rejected charges Sunday that President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, is a racist. Asked if he agreed with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh that Sotomayor is a racist, the South Carolina Republican said he disagreed. “No, they interject themselves in the debate. They have got an audience to entertain and Newt is a political commentator. I’m a United States senator,” Graham said on "Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace. “I don’t think she’s a racist. She should be proud of what she has accomplished in...

Memo to my party: Blasting targets like Sonia Sotomayor is a surefire strategy to guarantee our extinction. If the GOP is ever to be resurgent, it has to pick its fights carefully. The tendency is, unfortunately, to shoot at everything that moves. Here are a couple of fights we don’t need: Colin Powell and Sonia Sotomayor. Let’s face it, Sotomayor is a political trifecta. Woman. Hispanic. Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval from George H. W. Bush. Yes, Mitch McConnell has to make his pro forma gestures about doing due diligence. And it is important to fully examine Judge Sotomayor’s judicial...

Republican leaders on Capitol Hill are rushing to contain racially tinged rhetoric in the debate over President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, fearing that attacks emanating from some conservatives opposed to appellate court Judge Sonia Sotomayor could damage GOP prospects among women and the rapidly growing Hispanic population. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said today he was "uneasy" over allegations by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and talk-show host Rush Limbaugh that Sotomayor is racist. Sessions, who lost a 1986 bid for a federal judgeship amid concerns over his own racial sensitivity, said Republicans...

WASHINGTON -- Saying California voters delivered a message to "go all out" in cutting government spending, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today promised to make severe state budget reductions in education, health care and law enforcement. "We tried to not make those kind of cuts, but now we have to," the Republican governor told reporters in Washington. "There's no other choice. I think the message was clear from the people: Go all out and make those cuts and live within your means." Schwarzenegger thanked Californians for voting in Tuesday's special election. They rejected ballot measures endorsed by the governor that would have...

Now a U.S. Senate candidate, Crist calls backing 'pragmatic.' BY LUDMILLA LELIS DAYTONA BEACH - Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, now a U.S. Senate candidate, said he would have made the "pragmatic" decision to vote for the federal stimulus bill, differentiating himself from fellow candidate Marco Rubio and the man he is trying to replace -- Mel Martinez. Speaking to a politically mixed crowd in Daytona Beach, Crist emphasized his support for the bill as practical and pragmatic, though it would have meant crossing Republican party lines. Only three Republican Senators backed the stimulus bill, and Martinez wasn't one of them....

This week’s endorsement of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist by senior Senate Republicans is being cheered by GOP senators as a move toward the middle. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) endorsed Crist over former state House Speaker Marco Rubio, a protégé of former Gov. Jeb Bush and a more conservative candidate. The decision by McConnell and Cornyn was the first such choice since last month’s defection of Arlen Specter to the Senate’s Democratic conference. Moderate GOP senators like Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine used that opportunity to publicly warn the...

SAN FRANCISCO, May 12 (UPI) -- Meghan McCain, the 24-year-old daughter of the 2008 Republican U.S. presidential nominee, could be the upcoming face of the GOP, political analysts say. The San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday that the younger McCain has described herself as a pro-sex, "pro-life, pro-gay-marriage Republican." The newspaper said she appeals to younger Republicans, who could become known as the "Meghan McCain Republicans" -- interested in fiscal conservatism and less government involvement in peoples' private lives. "That's the kind of positioning it will take to appeal to more millennials," said Mike Hais, a fellow with NDN, the Washington...

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) will be announcing Tuesday that he will be running for the Senate, according to a source close to the governor, giving Republicans their most high-profile recruit of the 2010 election cycle. Crist's decision puts Republicans in strong position to hold onto the seat held by retiring Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) Crist holds high approval ratings among both Republicans and Democrats, according to statewide polling, and has forged a moderate governing style that has won him widespread support. His decision to run came as little surprise to political observers, with the governor and his allies hinting...

The Republican Party is not an endangered species but can do a better job of outreach, recruiting candidates and getting the message out, Sen. John McCain said Sunday. In an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” McCain responded to a question referring to a story in Time magazine, describing the party as “in distress.” “I probably would not go that length,” McCain said. “We all work in cycles for many years. We have seen parties down and parties up. That’s a great thing about American politics. “But having said that, do we have to do a better job of getting our...

Bristol Palin's new abstinence campaign shines a light on the Republican Party's unhealthy attitude about sex and desire. BY MEGHAN MCCAIN The first time I ever heard about oral sex was during the Lewinsky scandal. Mostly, I remember being confused by President Clinton’s response—“it depends on what the meaning of ‘is’ is”. When it comes to sex, politicians face all sorts of double standards: who is allowed to have sex with whom, what constitutes sex, and whether it’s appropriate, to name a few. Candie’s Foundation’s announcement that they were partnering with Bristol Palin to promote an abstinence-only campaign has caused...

<p>So, you say you want to win elections? No problem. Just be more like the Democrats.</p> <p>1) Quit talking about abortion. Go along with the flow. A woman's body is hers to control. If a growing baby is in the way, who cares? Kill him!</p>

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney headlined congressional Republicans' big new policy conclave over the weekend, stressing the need to listen to real Americans, but also appearing to slap a potential rival for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. At the National Council for a New America's first "conversation" in Arlington, Va., Romney, who ran for the Republican nomination last year and has kept his name in the conversation for 2012, joined House Republican Whip Eric Cantor and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush in presiding over the panel. "I’ve learned that when you sit in a position of responsibility as you do...

In the latest instance of a high-profile GOP member taking a passing swipe at the party's 2008 vice-presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Governor and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney jokingly dismissed Sarah Palin’s inclusion on TIME’s list of influential people in an interview broadcast Sunday. He asked, was “the issue on the most beautiful people or the most influential people?” . . . . . Romney, who was appearing with House Minority Whip Eric Cantor as part of a party re-launch the two are organizing with other prominent Republicans under the banner of the National Council for a New America, was...