Free Republic

Bloomberg writer Francis Wilkinson recently wrote a piece claiming that Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina--an African American--only became a senator because Republicans "lowered the bar" for his appointment. He also claimed that Scott’s candidacy serves as a "shield" for racist Tea Party members to hide behind. In an article that is more invective than analysis, Wilkinson essentially called Senator Scott a do-nothing senator. He said Scott acted like a "shield" for racist, Confederate flag-waving Tea Party members who need someone to replace Herman Cain as the favorite candidate behind whom they can hide their racism. Wilkinson made these...

Mark Levin on recent comments by Bob Goodlatte, Kelly Ayotte and Cathy McMorris-Rodgers signaling GOP leadership intends to push forward on amnesty… "What is it with these idiots!?" The much-maligned “status quo” is immeasurably preferable to granting eventual voting rights to 40 million of the least-educated, most anti-gun, most pro-big government parasites that Mexico has to offer.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) said Tuesday that he was a victim of "philosophical bigotry" after an NAACP leader referred to him as a ventriloquist's dummy. Appearing on Fox News's The Kelly File, Scott said that NAACP leader William Barber was engaging in a form of “philosophical bigotry” because he knows that the group's "baseless rhetoric" about "the same old things that have not worked so far" is becoming ineffective. Scott also emphasized, “We’ve had a 50-year war led by the government on poverty, and it hasn’t taken people out.” He said that "we should be preaching the fact" that "free market capitalism produces greater...

Sean Hannity tells his audience he is leaving New York state after Cuomo’s comments. Sean said he discussed it with his wife and they are moving to Texas or Florida. “Look, I have contractual obligations, I can’t leave here. My kids are in school. And there are about over 100 people who that rely on me. People who have kids and mortgages and homes. I can’t selfishly pack up and leave. But my wife and I discussed last night Dana that we are going to leave. I wouldn’t pay a 10% state tax in Florida or Texas. I would save...

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's administration defied the federal government by refusing to close popular state properties at the behest of the National Park Service. The park service ordered state officials to close the northern unit of the Kettle Moraine, Devil's Lake, and Interstate state parks and the state-owned portion of the Horicon Marsh, but state authorities rebuffed the request because the lion's share of the funding came from state, not federal coffers. Instead, the state's Department of Natural Resources "issued a statement saying all state parks, trails and other recreational properties were open and not affected by the federal government's...

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida Gov. Rick Scott says the state will pull out of a national test for school children to see if they are reaching standards in certain subjects. Scott on Monday called for Education Commissioner Pam Stewart and other state officials to take steps related to the ongoing controversy surrounding the new Common Core State Standards. Those include holding public hearings and possibly altering the standards.

Once a clear Common Core supporter, Scott is in a political bind. Tea party groups, which make up an important part of his base, want Florida to jettison the new standards and tests. But schools across the state are already teaching Common Core, and Republican leaders in the House and Senate are standing behind the benchmarks. The Common Core standards outline what is expected of students at each grade level but do not include suggestions for books or how teachers should plan their lessons. The benchmarks, created by the National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers, have...

TALLAHASSEE — When Rick Scott won a bruising battle for Florida's governorship three years ago, he inherited an economy in disarray. He ostracized allies with his stubborn streak, emboldened foes through his slash-and-burn budgeting and was dubbed by pollsters "America's least popular governor." It's still a political eternity until the Republican former health-care CEO stands before voters again. But the crosswinds have shifted in ways that make his re-election in 2014 much less of a long shot than Tallahassee prognosticators once expected. With former Gov. Charlie Crist planning to jump into the governor's race this fall, national liberal groups and...

Sen. Tim Scott, R.-S.C., the only African American serving in the United States Senate, wasn't invited to the event commemorating the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's march on Washington, though a host of Democratic luminaries spoke on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. “Senator Scott was not invited to speak at the event,” Greg Blair, a spokesman for the South Carolina lawmaker, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “

Noticeably absent from the speaker line-up at the Let Freedom Ring event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington today: the nation’s only black Senator, Tim Scott. Scott, a Republican Representative appointed by S.C. Governor Nikki Haley earlier this year to fill former Sen. Jim DeMint’s seat in the U.S. Senate after he retired, was not invited to participate in the historic event, a spokesperson for the Senator confirmed to Red Alert Politics in an email. African-American leaders who did receive an invitation to speak at included Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) – who participated in the original March...

BOSTON – Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown said Wednesday night he won't be a candidate for Massachusetts governor next year. The former Republican senator and state lawmaker spoke on WBZ-AM's "NightSide With Dan Rea" radio program. "I have decided, with my wife's blessing, that I will not be running for governor of Massachusetts in 2014," Brown said.

Lee County, Florida Sheriff Mike Scott sent a letter to Lee County Branch NAACP president James Muwakkil explaining his disdain for the way he believes the NAACP ignores "epidemic" black-on-black violence in certain parts of Florida while allegedly trying to recast the Trayvon Martin shooting as white vs. black violence to score political points. Sheriff Scott was invited to the NAACP's "Freedom Fund Awards Banquet" and was even asked to sponsor the event financially, but as he made clear in his July 16 letter, "[he] will not be doing either." Regarding the lack of NAACP response to black-on-black violence, Scott...

Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott is among a growing number of city leaders across the nation pulling out of a group call Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The group, spearheaded by New York City Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, has been an active advocate for gun control measures. Scott, who joined the group after taking office last year, said he unsubscribed because their political views have exceeded his. ... “They’re not just against illegal guns, they’re against all guns.” Both Buzzfeed and the New York Post have reported that Mayors Against Illegal Guns has lost nearly 50 members since...

From Lee Stranahan, Breitbart News: A coalition put together by Dream Defenders took over Florida Gov. Rick Scott's office in Tallahassee on Tuesday to demand a special legislative session that they say will address "the issues at the center of the Trayvon Martin tragedy." The coalition contends that "stand your ground vigilantism, racial profiling and a war on youth that paints us as criminals and funnels us out of schools and funnels us out of schools and into prison" is part of the culture that lead to the tragedy. Governor Scott was out of the office and not expected to...

The Talk Shows June 16th, 2013 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Former Vice President Dick Cheney. MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Sens. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., Mark Udall, D-Colo., and Lindsey Graham R-S.C.; Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va.; Michael Hayden, a former director of the CIA and the National Security Agency.FACE THE NATION (CBS): White House chief of staff Denis McDonough; Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich.THIS WEEK (ABC): Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill.; former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla.STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): Rogers; Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.

Liberty County (FL) Sheriff arrested by the governor for defending the Second Amendment of the Constitution and refusing to arrest citizen. See video at link.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott is vetoing a bill that would have allowed some young immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally to apply for a temporary driver's license in the state. The Republican-controlled Legislature passed a bill that said that young immigrants allowed to remain in the country under an Obama administration "deferred action" policy could use federal documents to receive a temporary driver's license for at least one year....

The Wall Street Journal reports that the part-time Florida Legislature has adjourned for the year without approving the Obamacare Medicaid expansion, which Gov. Rick Scott famously flip-flopped into supporting earlier this year. Here's how the Journal's editorial described the outcome: The nine Republican governors who decided earlier this year to pump some helium into the Obamacare balloon and expand Medicaid forgot about that saving grace of American politics: the separation of powers. On Friday, Florida became the latest state to reject the expansion, as Gov. Rick Scott failed to convince the GOP-controlled legislature to approve his Medicaid flip. Republicans in...

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who has made job creation his top priority since coming into office, has rejected a proposed deal to bring major Internet retailer Amazon to the state. After months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, Scott ultimately said no to a deal that would have led to the construction of at least one Amazon warehouse in the state and brought jobs along with it. Amazon's arrival in the state, however, would have meant that Floridians would have to pay sales tax on Internet purchases made through the company.

As a 15 year old, I never imagined my activism in politics would translate into controversy for me at school. My name is Benji Backer and I attend a public high school in Appleton, Wisconsin. I have always supported the public school system and plan to do so for the rest of my life. Many Americans who stand up for the public school system and the unions believe there is no attempt to sway opinion or that students with opposing beliefs are singled out. Unfortunately, experiences I have had with harassment and bullying prove that wrong. This is a timeline...