Free Republic

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist may be distancing himself from his support for the stimulus bill Congress enacted earlier this year, but the White House isn't playing along. A day after Crist denied having endorsed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters the governor's February appearance with President Obama in Fort Myers, Fla., left little doubt about his views on the law. "I think his words at that event speak for themselves," Gibbs said. "I think he was very supportive of the legislation and supportive of the benefits that it would have and has...

The "straw-dog" that comes out of the liberal circles is asking people if they are in the US legally during the census is a horrible act of racism. In actuality it is simply an attempt to guarantee all US Citizens the right to equal representation in Congress and equal access to Congressional funds and programs. As set up by the constitution, the purpose of the US Census is to determine the amount of congressional representatives each state receives Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective...

We strongly object to the President creating a two-tier system of justice for terrorists in which those responsible for the death of thousands on 9/11 will be treated as common criminals and afforded the kind of platinum due process accorded American citizens, yet members of Al Qaeda who aspire to kill Americans but who do not yet have blood on their hands, will be treated as war criminals. The President offers no explanation or justification for this contradiction, even as he readily acknowledges that the 9/11 conspirators, now designated "unprivileged enemy belligerents," are appropriately accused of war crimes. We believe...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Thursday approved a Democratic climate change bill that would require industry to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases 20 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels. With Republicans boycotting the committee's work saying more analysis of the legislation was needed, 10 Democrats voted to approve the legislation and one Democrat, Senator Max Baucus, voted against it. The bill will now become one of several initiatives aimed at attacking global warming. Senator John Kerry is leading an effort with some Republicans and the White House to craft...

Don't buy the claim that the Sen ate health-care bill is substantially more moderate than the House measure. While Speaker Nancy Pelosi's legislation is even more onerous than the package created by Sen. Max Baucus and now championed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the larger story is how similar the two Democratic bills are. First, we need to get past the misleading accounting games. Each bill is routinely "scored" for its 10-year costs from 2010-19. Yet this includes several years when the spending wouldn't yet have kicked in. According to the Congressional Budget Office, fully 99.9 percent of the...

Four Republican Senators — South Carolina’s Lindsay Graham, New Hampshire’s Judd Gregg and Maine’s Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins — sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson today, asking her to provide critical data requested by Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) during Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearings on climate change Oct. 27.

Congressional Phone/Office Directory HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 111th CONGRESS Phone# & Room# (alpha by State & Name) 40094 Representative State District Phone Room Young, Don AK At Large 202-225-5765 2111 * Aderholt, Robert B. AL 4th 202-225-4876 1433 Bachus, Spencer AL 6th 202-225-4921 2246 Bonner, Jo AL 1st 202-225-4931 2236 Bright, Bobby AL 2nd 202-225-2901 1205 Davis, Artur AL 7th 202-225-2665 208 Griffith, Parker AL 5th 202-225-4801 417 Rogers, Mike AL 3rd 202-225-3261 324 * Berry, Marion AR 1st 202-225-4076 2305 Boozman, John AR 3rd 202-225-4301 1519 Ross, Mike AR 4th 202-225-3772 2436 Snyder, Vic AR 2nd 202-225-2506 2210 *...

Many thanks to Jim Robinson and Hildy who encouraged me to post here. I don't do much blogging or posting other than Facebook so you can go over there to learn more about me and my platform. I am running for the U.S. Senate in Arizona. I will be a primary challenger to John McCain. I am a Constitutional conservative. I need your support in our effort to right the wrongs of how our federal government operates and repeal bad laws, regulations and protect states. Thanks for taking the time to read all this and yes I look forward to...

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday. We (the United States) tax everything that moves and doesn’t move, and that’s not what we see in Pakistan,” she said.

Obama Touts Good Economic News, Yet Warns More Job Loss to Come October 31, 2009 ABC News' Jordyn Phelps and Sunlen Miller report: President Obama touted good news in the economic recovery in his weekly address, pointing to Thursday’s report that GDP has grown for the first time in over a year and credited his administration in helping to bring about a conclusion to the current economic recession. “We can see clearly now that the steps my administration is taking are making a difference, blunting the worst of this recession and helping to bring about its conclusion,” the president said...

Senate Confirms Surgeon GeneralBy Kate Phillips October 29, 2009, 8:46 pm After much agitation earlier in the day, the Senate voted to confirm Dr. Regina Benjamin as the nation’s surgeon general on Thursday night amid a national emergency over the swine flu outbreak. The Senate approved her on a voice vote. On Thursday morning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, had taken to the floor to complain that her nomination, along with others, had been held up. Republicans had stalled her confirmation over another issue, the so-called gag order imposed on insurance companies about whether they could inform...

During the past month, I’ve published four posts about the Kerry-Boxer climate change bill and the detrimental impact it will have on the country if passed. Today, I offer two videos from the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearings on the Kerry-Boxer climate change bill. If you’re like me, they will make you wonder how people like EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and others in the Obama Administration sleep at night.

Tuesday night the citizens of Indiana's Senate District 17 got to hear from the candidates. Huntington County Commissioner Tom Wall, Coffee D'Vine owner Ron Fusselman, and Whitley County Councilman Jim Banks faced off in a debate at Huntington University. The event was sponsored by.....

Support those who are standing up against this healthcare bill, and support those that need support. There’s no time like the present. There’s no time like the immediacy of now to praise those who are willing to stand up for all of us and vote against this crummy health care bill. If you are new to this site we have detailed since June the many defects in both the house and the senate bills … too numerous to mention here, but a quick search of our site will provide you with enough background to understand why we need you to...

Rep. Bart Stupak said Speaker Pelosi is not pleased with his effort to change abortion-related provisions in the healthcare bill being crafted by the House. During an interview on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" show, Stupak (D-Mich.) said he is undeterred in trying to ensure that taxpayer dollars do not pay for abortions. Stupak, who opposes abortion rights, acknowledged that some in his party are upset with his public campaign to change the bill. "The Speaker is not happy with me," Stupak said. The Energy and Commerce subcommittee chairman said he has been working with Democratic leaders on a compromise, but they...

Where is Tina Fey now that we need her? Martha Coakley is the front-runner for the Dem nomination for Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat. In a recent debate, asked about her lack of foreign policy experience, the first credential Coakley offered in response was that "I have a sister who lives overseas, and she's been in England and now lives in the Middle East." Will the MSM savage Coakley the same way it went after Sarah Palin for observing that Russia can be seen from parts of Alaska? Not holding breath.

This should be read and understood by all Americans Democrats, Republicans, EVERYONE!! To President Obama and all 535 voting members of the Legislature and the Senate. It is now official you are ALL corrupt morons: The U.S. Post Service was established in 1775 You have had 234 years to get it right and it is broke. Yet, two non-government businesses, UPS & FedEx, company's who did not get any government subsidies starting from scratch, have far superseded the USPS in their successes! Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is...

Senate GOP leaders warned Tuesday they will hold Democrats accountable for procedural votes during the floor debate over healthcare reform, bracing against a sneak legislative attack from the majority party. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) left no doubt they would pursue Democrats who face reelection in 2010 by considering any procedural votes on the health bill as equally important as final votes. Cobbling together the Senate’s 60 Democrats on procedural votes has emerged as a likely strategy for Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). It involves a controversial legislative tactic called reconciliation...

Independent Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman said Tuesday that he would back a Republican filibuster against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's health care reform bill if a government-backed insurance plan remains in the package. The announcement is a blow to the Democratic leader and signals that he does not yet have the votes to advance the bill. While Reid needs just 51 votes to pass the package, he needs 60 votes to crush a filibuster. "If the bill remains what it is now, I will not be able to support a cloture motion before final passage," Lieberman told reporters... The trouble...

Breaking News: Senator Joe Lieberman has announced that he will join the GOP in filibustering the Reid-pushed Health Care Bill.

Where is Tina Fey now that we need her? Martha Coakley is the front-runner for the Dem nomination for US Senate for Ted Kennedy's old seat. In a recent debate, asked about her lack of foreign policy experience, the first credential Coakley offered in response was that "I have a sister who lives overseas, and she's been in England and now lives in the Middle East." View video here.

If recent reports are accurate, legislation being prepared in the U.S. Senate would cause nearly every healthy American under the age of 65 to become uninsured. Under current proposals, large employers would face a fine of up to $750 per employee if they didn’t offer health insurance. Since that is much less than employers currently spend on employee health insurance premiums, most businesses would choose to pay the fine and drop their group health insurance. Individuals who did not buy health insurance would face an initial fine of between $0 and $100. Since the biggest fine is much lower than...

Last week a new bill was introduced in the Senate to audit the Federal Reserve. Some backers of my bill HR1207 and the existing Senate companion bill S.604 were a little miffed at this, but depending on how you think about it, this new legislation poses no great threat to our efforts. With the economy in shambles, people are looking for answers - not just because of lost savings on Wall Street, but because of lost houses on Main Street. Because of the many problems we face, the Federal Reserve and its powers over the economy have come under scrutiny....

On Nov. 23 2009 Americans all over the country will be taking a day off of work to peacefully assemble in their state capitols and protest at or near their senators office. Workers and businesses alike will sacrifice a day to let the senate know that they are in that office to represent the people of their respective states and not their party. If you are one of the majority of people who do not agree with a 2 trillion dollar healthcare "Reform" package being passed while the dollar plummets ,unemployment approaches 10% and our economy crumbles then act now...

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive," wrote Sir Walter Scott in his 1808 poem, "Marmion." I doubt Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has read "Marmion." But he now has a pretty good idea of what Sir Walter Scott meant

Who are the the DIABLOs (Democrats In All But Labels Only)? Who are the RINOs (Republicans In Name Only)? Unfortunately, the American Conservative Union's rankings are pretty useless. In search of being non-partisan and having an even spread of votes, they include many votes which are very lopsided, and so therefore Republicans can fake conservatism without upsetting their media masters and liberal donors. At the same time, a conservative who thinks that a bill is too liberal can get lumped in with all the liberals who thought the bill was too conservative. Combining these two factors, it's impossible to tell...

You have to read all the way to page A-25 in today’s New York Times to learn about it, but the Senate took its first floor vote on Obamacare yesterday and the White House lost. Big. The NYT reports: “Democrats lost a big test vote on health care legislation on Wednesday as the Senate blocked action on a bill to increase Medicare payments to doctors at a cost of $247 billion over 10 years. The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, needed 60 votes to proceed. He won only 47. And he could not blame Republicans. A dozen...

Shortly before Super Bowl XXII, Clint Didier had a dream that his team, the Washington Redskins would be down, but come back to win, and that he would catch a touchdown pass. That dream came true. Later that year, Didier dreamed that he would no longer be with the the Redskins and watch from afar as they played in another Super Bowl. That dream also came true. Now, Clint dreams of going back to Washington, D.C., this time as a U.S. Senator, to rein in what he sees as a government out of countrol. Disgusted at the confirmation of Obama...

A handful of centrist Senate Democrats, along with moderate Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe, could pose a major problem for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as he tries to pull health care reform legislation to the floor. Snowe, in concert with Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., has for weeks held meetings with a group of five or six moderates, including Sens. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn.; Mary Landrieu, D-La.; Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark.; and, at times, Susan Collins, R-Maine.

Imagine you're driving in a city, trying to find a place to park your car for the whole day. A parking garage costs $30. Right next to the parking garage entrance, you eye a parking spot on the street. Next to the curb is a sign that says, "No parking. Fine $5. No-tow zone." Many people wouldn't choose the garage. Likewise, imagine if you saw a sign that says, "Health insurance for sale: $200 a month," and right next to it was another sign. This one says, "Fine for not buying insurance: $33 a month -- but you can still...

Sometimes the dems know no bottom to the cesspool within which they live. Franken offers an amendment to the Defense appropriations bill. It stems from the awful case of Jamie Leigh Jones who was allegedly sexually abused while working for contractor Halliburton/KBR in Iraq.

Sen. Thune highlighted the difficulty the Democrats may have in convincing enough of their own members to vote for a huge, expensive new entitlement on top of tax increases and Medicare cuts. He laid out how he thought the Dems would try to push it through the Senate. 1. First, they will merge the Finance and HELP Committee bills and include a clear public option. They will then try to get the bill through in regular order, meaning with a normal cloture vote requiring 60 votes. This is obviously subject to a filibuster by the Republicans if they can peel...

TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) ― Governor Crist may be in for more of a battle in the Republican primary for the soon-to-be vacant Senate seat than he initially thought. According to a new poll from Quinnipiac University, former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio has cut Governor Crist's in half. Crist had a lead of 29 points in the Quinnipiac poll for Florida voters in mid-August. In the latest poll, conducted October 12-18, Crist's lead over Rubio had been cut to 15 points. Rubio has hammered Crist over the Governor's support of President Barack Obama's stimulus plan earlier in 2009. Both Crist and...

Public Option Short Democratic Votes In The Senateby David Welna October 21, 2009 Most polls show a majority of Americans want health care overhaul to include a public option, or government insurance program that competes with private insurers. So it might seem logical that Senate Democrats, with their 60-member majority, would include a public option in the bill that's headed for the Senate floor. But no decision has been made yet, because it's not clear how many Democrats would back a public option. Earlier this month, Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders and 29 Democratic colleagues sent a letter to Majority...

Democratic Senators sound alarm on red inkBy Walter Alarkon - 10/19/09 08:16 PM ET Senate Democrats are pressing Majority Leader Harry Reid to address the nation’s rising debt with a special legislative process, despite reluctance from the White House and House leaders. Nine Democrats and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) called on Reid (D-Nev.) last week to support the process, which would ensure any legislation aimed at curtailing debt gets serious consideration by lawmakers. Proponents have argued for a special panel to seriously consider fiscal policy changes, such as major tax hikes or spending cuts, that they fear wouldn’t survive the...

Brunner spent more than she raised in latest quarter Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner spent more than the $147,000 she raised during the most recent quarter that ended Sept. 30 and has less than $112,000 on hand, a report filed with the Federal Elections Commission shows. Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, her opponent in the May 2010 primary, reported raising $618,201 during the quarter with nearly $1.6 million cash on hand. Despite the fundraising difference, Brunner has vowed to make to the ballot. "There's some rumor-mongering going on that I'm getting out of the race," Brunner told The Dispatch last...

In these days, President Obama has declared a war on nuclear capabilities around the world. With the watch of Iran's nuclear program, North Korea's missile launches, and the discussions with Russia about the missile defense systems in Europe, Senators Lugar and Nunn have been a help.

Politics: Move over, John McCain and Olympia Snowe. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is fast becoming the Democrats' favorite Republican as he partners with John Kerry to push cap-and-trade through the Senate. Earlier this year, eight Republican congressmen made it possible for Waxman-Markey, the 1,400-page job- and economy-killing cap-and-trade legislation, to barely pass the House of Representatives. At the time it seemed dead on arrival in the Senate if it was brought up there this year. Once again, as with their medical plan, the Democrats seek to better the odds by putting a GOP hood ornament on a Democratic clunker....

Senate Bill Would Permanently Overturn Mexico City Policy on Foreign Abortions Washington, DC -- The Senate version of a federal spending bill controlling the State Department would make President Barack Obama's decision to overturn the Mexico City Policy permanent. Obama overturned the policy during his first week in office and opened the door to funding groups that perform and promote abortions overseas. http://www.lifenews.com/nat5577.html ACTION: Contact your two U.S. senators and urge strong opposition to the Lautenberg amendment against the Mexico City Policy. Urge lawmakers to remove the amendment from the State, Foreign Operations Appropriations bill and to vote against the...

White House: Obama Not Demanding Government-Run Health Insurance OptionThe White House and lawmakers are trying to blend five versions of health care legislation into something that will pass Congress. But the House and Senate are deeply at odds over the so-called 'public option.' FOXNews.com Sunday, October 18, 2009 As White House aides said President Obama will not demand a government-run option be part of his sweeping health care overhaul bill, top Democrats refused to back down from their steadfast support of the so-called "public option" on Sunday. The war of words underscored the intraparty rift over the necessity of the...

I am not a Mark Kirk fan. For me he is and always has been far too "moderate" on social issues and his now (maybe) retracted Cap and Tax vote sticks in my craw pretty badly. But Steve Benen of the Washington Monthly blog Political Animal unfairly and illicitly slammed Kirk on something he said in an interview with The News Gazette of Danville, Illinois. Benen was ticked at Kirk's answer about the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy of the U.S. Military. In an effort to show all his LGBT, or BLGT, or BLT fans… whatever they call themselves this...

House, Senate Democrats disagree over taxes, other health care issuesErica Werner, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS October 17, 2009 WASHINGTON - It's not just Democrats and Republicans who are at odds over health care reform. House and Senate Democrats are going after each other over the shape of the legislation that is President Barack Obama's top domestic priority. The disputes among Democrats may prove the most grueling test of all as Congress tries to write a bill that fulfills Obama's goal of extending health care coverage to millions of Americans and reining in rising medical costs. The disagreements extend well beyond whether...

Dodd: Reform must have public optionUpdated: Friday, 16 Oct 2009, 6:27 PM EDT Mark Davis Hartford (WTNH) - There are two bills passed by two senate committees. Dodd is on the inside of the group that will blend the two versions into something that can pass the Senate with the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster by Republicans and that President Obama would sign. Senator Dodd rejected the criticism that the final Health Care Reform bill is being negotiated with the White House behind closed doors at the Capitol. Dodd is among the key players who is negotiating the...

Mr. (Forgiven Sinner) (Street) Peoria, IL Dear Mr. (Forgiven Sinner): Thank you for contacting me to share your concerns about federal funding for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). I appreciate hearing from you. I've seen the videos and I am appalled by them. I am also troubled by the discoveries of voter registration fraud, and I am glad ACORN reported the incidents to the authorities. These employees have been fired, and ACORN is being investigated by state and federal agencies for misconduct and potential misuse of government funds. Anyone who has broken the law should be...

Incendiary headline? You bet. Here's the story, which, not inconsequentially, was brought to my attention by both U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar fans and foes. Wednesday night, the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce held its 139th annual dinner meeting, with nearly 1,100 people in attendance at the DECC. The keynote speaker was Klobuchar, who started the day casting votes in DC but came to Minnesota Wednesday evening solely for the Duluth speech. Apparently there were plane delays, and Klobuchar finally arrived in Duluth via helicopter, just a few minutes late. She hurried to the podium and gave a 20-minute speech, hurried...

Big government healthcare is out of committee and on its way to becoming law. Do your part to make sure this doesn't happen. Here's a form letter you can use to write your senators and congressman before they vote. Find your senators at: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=NJ Find your congressman at: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml Dear Senator, There is absolutely no commonsense reason why we should scrap our entire healthcare system and replace it with a new one. I (and almost everyone I know) am vehemently opposed to any sort of "public option", whether you call it public or cooperative, because: 1) I don't want some...

Demure Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution, but since then has not made many waves. It might, however, be part of a political wave a year from now, thanks to a direct descendent of Benjamin Franklin. The great man's great-great-great-great-great grandson, Mike Castle, 70, a nine-term Delaware congressman, will be next year's Republican nominee for the Senate seat Joe Biden held for 36 years. This and other candidate-recruitment successes make it reasonable for Republicans to hope that in January 2011 the Senate will contain fewer than 60 Democrats. Biden's seat is currently occupied by a former Biden...

Senate Republicans are urging the chamber to slow down its debate of the healthcare bill this fall, reviving a tactic they used this summer to stall the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Sonia Sotomayor. Republican leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) led the charge Wednesday, telling reporters at a mid-afternoon press conference that his conference will insist that the bill go through a “couple of months” of debate on the chamber floor — and only after it is analyzed by the Congressional Budget Office and published online. In response, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) promised “sufficient time” to debate the bill, but...

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 Kirk, Biggert and IL Dems vote special protections for transgenders Two Republican and all but one Democratic member of the Illinois U.S. Congressional delegation voted to make transgenders a new protected class in federal law last Thursday.  Republicans Mark Kirk and Judy Biggert, as well as Democrats Melissa Bean, Jerry Costello, Danny Davis, Bill Foster, Luis Guitierrez, Debbie Halvorson, Phil Hare, Bill Lipinski, Mike Quigley, Bobby Rush and Jan Schakowsky voted for H.R. 1913, tucked within a larger difficult-to-oppose Defense Authorization bill. Eagle Forum explained: H.R. 1913 makes a hate crime — a crime in which the...

Sen. John Ensign has admitted to having an affair with a staffer, admitted that he helped find a job for the staffer’s husband and admitted that his parents paid the staffer’s family nearly $100,000. But the worst may still be to come. The Justice Department is expected to decide within weeks whether to pursue a criminal probe into the relationship between Ensign (R-Nev.) and the staffer’s husband, and two prominent Washington defense attorneys say prosecutors are likely to find Ensign’s case irresistible. “I don’t see how they cannot look at this case,” Stan Brand, a Washington attorney who specializes in...