Free Republic

Senators have to find a balance between voting their conscience and voting as their constituents would like. If senators vote their conscience too heavily, constituents tend to get angry. When this happens, constituents may ask for a recall of their U.S. Senator. (The 5 steps are listed in detail) -- The 18 states allowing for recall are as follows: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin.

November 20, 2009 Dear Senator Bayh, I tried to call your Washington and Indianapolis offices, but the voice mail boxes were full. I am writing this email to you to plead with you not to vote to bring this health care bill up for senate vote. NOTE: A vote for it now IS a vote to allow it to eventually pass because, as you know, it is quite possible you can vote against its final version knowing full-well that there will be enough votes for it's final passage because the vote requirements are fewer. There are many reasons why you...

This afternoon I am invited to participate in a townhall meeting conference call. Wanted to solicit ideas from my Freerepublic friends and what I should ask the Senator.

Your Concerns From: Senator Roland Burris Dear [Forgiven Sinner]: Thank you for contacting me regarding the Senator Leahy Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1390) regarding hate crime legislation. Current law defines hate crime as any crime against either person or property in which the offender intentionally selects the victim because of the victim's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, or disability. Currently, hate crimes are not distinct offenses under federal law; rather, they are crimes that are committed by individuals who are motivated by one or more biases that are considered to be...

Listen to Candidates Bucking For United States Senator Harry Reid Seat in 2010 Part 4 We have had candidates that have been campaigning for US Nevada Senator Harry Reid Seat in 2010. On October 17, 2009 we have had Doctor Robin Titus Republican Candidate for US Senate on the Veterans In Politics Talk Show on All Talk Radio. Listen to what they have to say and do your homework be an educated voter. We will have more candidates as the filing dates come closer. If you are thinking about being a candidate for US Senator representing Nevada in 2010; Or...

Both the family and the Church stand in the way of socialism's triumph, former US Senator Rick Santorum told Christians gathered for the 17th International Week of Prayer and Fasting last week. The pro-life champion warned attendees, however, that both institutions are under heavy attack from Obama-administration policies. "We are under a great assault with this President and this Congress on the issue of life. We are under a great assault, maybe even greater assault, on the foundational issue of the family," Santorum told those gathered for the October 11 dinner at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. Santorum said that 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...

ublished: August 24, 2009 TABOR CITY, N.C. — A sheriff says a North Carolina state senator shot one of two intruders at his home and hospital officials say the man is in fair condition. Multiple media outlets reported that Columbus County Sheriff Chris Batten said that 74-year-old Sen. R.C. Soles of Tabor City shot Kyle Blackburn late Sunday afternoon. A spokeswoman at Loris Community Hospital in South Carolina said Monday that Blackburn was in fair condition. Batten says the shooting occurred when two men went to the senator’s house and tried to kick in his front door. No charges have...

U.S. Sen. John Kerry is making personal calls to on-the-fence lawmakers today asking them to support an interim U.S. Senator as national Democrats ramp up pressure for the measure. State Rep. Martin Walsh (D-Dorchester) spoke to Kerry on his cell phone this morning. “He made some good points. He talked about how constituent services would be hurt,” Walsh said. “I’m still uncommitted.” Many state legislators are leery of the bill, which would allow Gov. Deval Patrick to appoint a temporary senator, because they voted to strip the governor of appointing powers in 2004 to prevent Gov. Mitt Romney from appointing...

Dear Senator Enzi, Democracy’s Achilles Heel As a member of the gang of six Senators that are trying to reach a compromise on the health care issue I would like to share with you my thoughts on compromise and what I consider Democracy’s Achilles Heel. A liberal’s nature supports government safety net programs and the role of big government’s as nanny state and exercises a general faith of government solutions to societal problems emphasizing the general welfare of the populace (Democrats and big government). Conservative’s nature on the other hand believes that America’s safety net has become a hammock and...

GROVE — Right-thinking Americans can only hope the country will survive the next 16 months of the Obama administration until Republicans can regain control of Congress, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe said Wednesday. “I never dreamed I would see an administration try to disavow all the things that have made this country different from all others,” Inhofe told more than 300 people at a town hall meeting in the Grove Community Center. “I have never seen so many things happening at one time so disheartening to America.” Inhofe found a highly receptive audience. Many wore T-shirts of a local organization called...

As speculation swirls about which politicians will vie for the first open Massachusetts Senate seat in 25 years, the process of determining a successor for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy will hinge on the actions of the state Legislature. Current law provides for a special election to fill an open seat five months after a vacancy, a provision enacted by Democrats in 2004 during the presidential election, when Sen. John Kerry was running for president. The law would have prevented then-Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican, from appointing a successor to the seat. Just days before his death, Kennedy sent a...

IN 2004, FEARING that Republican Gov. Mitt Romney would appoint a fellow Republican to replace Sen. John F. Kerry should he become president, the Democratic-controlled Massachusetts legislature changed the law, mandating a special election. Now, fearing that the push for health-care reform could be weakened by the absence of a 60th Democratic senator, that same legislature wants to change the law again, allowing the governor -- now a Democrat -- to make a quick appointment. With all due respect to the wishes of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, this isn't how lawmaking is supposed to work. It smacks of political expediency...

NORTH ROSE – Border patrol officers can’t break the law to enforce it, the Wayne County Farm Bureau is asserting. Farm Bureau is in the process of gathering information for a formal complaint to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Buffalo, asking for an investigation into the circumstances of the stop of four migrant farm workers on Route 414 in front of Barbara Jean’s Furniture Store Aug. 17. Also, U.S. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand was made aware of the incident last week and indicated she will write a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napalitano regarding border patrol activity in...

A state lawmaker says Gov. Charlie Crist is picking his former chief of staff George LeMieux (leh-'MEW) to replace Republican Sen. Mel Martinez, who is resigning. State Rep. Jennifer Carroll, who was considered for the position, said Crist told her he is choosing LeMieux. Crist planned to make the announcement later Friday.

LAKE JACKSON — U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, stopped at a Lake Jackson woman’s home Wednesday as part of what she says is an effort to bring the Republican Party back to the people. The GOP gubernatorial candidate made her fifth visit to Anne McKeithan house to discuss her campaign and promote a grassroots effort to re-energize the GOP in Texas. “I just love her,” Hutchison said of a smiling McKeithan. “I can call her for anything and I know she’ll be there. She’s been such a friend and supporter for so long.” Hutchison talked about lowering taxes and...

In honor of the Mary Jo Kopechne Memorial Brain Tumor completing its task, here is Herb Rommerstein's exposé of Ted Kennedy's traitorous collaboration with the Soviet KGB, originally published in Human Events in December 2003. Following Mr. Romerstein's article is the full text of the letter he references from KGB head Viktor Chebrikov to Soviet leader Yuri Andropov regarding Mr. Kennedy's collaboration with the KGB.Even long-time Bush watchers were surprised when former President [George H. W.] Bush presented an award to Sen. Edward Kennedy (D.-Mass.) at a time when the far-left senator was involved in a full-scale series of attacks...

This past spring, Senator Claire McCaskill wrote to me asking for $50 to help elect more Democrats, so we could have a filibuster-proof Senate. Now that Al Franken has finally been declared the sixtieth Democratic senator, her plea may seem moot. But even with Franken in office, we don't have a filibuster-proof Senate. To get to sixty on the Democratic side, we'll still have to cut deals. Maybe we should start sending postcards like the following: "Dear Senator: Why do you keep asking for my money? You've already got the fifty-one votes you need to get rid of the filibuster...

Itching to unload on Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand at a town hall meeting on health care reform? You're out of luck. Aides to the New York Democrats told the Daily News they won't be sponsoring any town hall meetings on health care. Instead, they will be touring the state and soliciting opinions in more informal settings. "During recess, as he does every year, Sen. Schumer will be in over 20 counties across New York City and state talking with

ALBANY, N.Y. -- The son of a powerful state senator instrumental in this summer's Senate coup was given a newly created $120,000 job in the chamber in the latest political appointment during the governor's hiring freeze. Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada's son, Pedro G. Espada, holds the new job of Senate liaison between governments, Senate Democratic majority spokesman Austin Shafran confirmed Tuesday. The elder Mr. Espada, a Bronx Democrat, was one of the dissidents who created a June coup in the Senate when he joined a Republican-led coalition, taking the slim majority from his Democratic party in exchange for a...

......... while Boxer's popularity swings with the tides and rarely reaches beyond the magic 50% level. Every six years, Republicans believe that with just the right candidate and just the right amount of money, they can knock off the woman they love to hate. And they are heartened again by a new poll showing Boxer barely leading the most likely 2010 challenger, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.

An upcoming speech on health care was touted last week by Sen. Maria Cantwell's press office. It was then delayed by a few hours. Then, the speech was deep-sixed as Cantwell flew to Spokane for the weekend. No mention of the speech has come this week, as the Senate wrapped up its work before the August recess. Has Washington's junior senator adopted a long-ago motto of Virginia Sen. Harry Byrd: Silence is golden? Cantwell is a member of the Senate Finance Committee. A bipartisan group of six committee members - not including Cantwell - is trying to hammer out a...

Developing: Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., is resigning, a senior Republican official told FOX News. He announced earlier this year that he had decided not to seek re-election in 2010. His resignation may allow Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running for the seat, to appoint a replacement.

As a young Air Force Lieutenant I got into a heated discussion with my squadron commander about the US Constitution. It was one of those perplexing but educational moments in a young life, where a bright young officer, commonly called a “butter bar,” attempts to lecture a 20 year military veteran who’d seen and done it all. I don’t remember how the conversation started, but I made the statement that ‘originally United States Senators were nominated by their state’s governor and confirmed by the state legislature in a process not unlike the one that the President’s senior cabinet members undergo...

Red meat by the slab, folks! Barbara Boxer wound up getting reamed by Harry Alford, the chair of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, after attempting to challenge his testimony on energy policy. When Boxer started waving position papers from the NAACP and the 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Alford called it a “condescending” attack and complained about Boxer’s focus on black people rather than science. I just love it when white politicians set themselves up as arbiters of racial authenticity, especially when they try to scold minorities for drifting off the political reservation. It belies a “soft” bigotry, if...

WASHINGTON (AP) - A Republican senator is blocking the nomination of a top Environmental Protection Agency official over what he calls a flawed study of the climate bill recently passed in the House. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, said Wednesday that the hold is unrelated to the qualifications of Robert Perciasepe, nominated to become the EPA's deputy administrator. Voinovich said the EPA analysis of the House climate bill fails to thoroughly review its impact on the economy.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic Senator Carl Levin on Wednesday temporarily withdrew a bid to kill $1.75 billion in funding for the F-22 fighter jet in a massive defense bill, but he vowed to bring it up again. ... President Barack Obama has threatened to veto the annual defense bill if it includes the money to acquire seven F-22 aircraft, made by Lockheed-Martin. The overall measure includes $550.4 billion for military operations and $130 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for fiscal 2010 which begins October 1. Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants to cut back many of the military's...

What follows is a letter written by a retired military Officer to Barbara Boxer. Please give it your widest dissemination. (I searched key word and title BEFORE posting and came up empty,) Babs: You were so right on when you scolded the general on TV for using the term, “ma’am,” instead of “Senator.” After all, in the military, “ma’am” is a term of respect when addressing a female of superior rank or position. The general was totally wrong. You are not a person of superior rank or position. You are a member of one of the world’s most corrupt organizations,...

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Democratic official says Roland Burris will not run for a full Senate term in 2010. The source says Burris has begun informing Democratic officials about his decision. The official spoke anonymously because Burris had yet to announce his decision publicly.

WASHINGTON (AP) - With health care legislation at a crossroads, the nation's hospitals are near agreement with a key lawmaker and the White House to pick up part of the cost of President Barack Obama's plan for expanded coverage, officials said Monday. The precise size of the deal was not available, although several days ago, talks were focused in the range of $150 billion to $155 billion over a decade. These officials said under the emerging agreement, hospitals would accept lower-than-anticipated payments under Medicare and Medicaid, the federal health care programs for seniors and the poor.

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) to a General at a hearing yesterday: "Do me a favor," she said. "Could say senator instead of Ma'am It's just a thing, I worked so hard to get that title, so I'd appreciate it, thank you."

FREEP this poll. What an arrogant thing to say to a man that has "paid" more than his OWN dues to get where he is!

We are already seeing Sen. Ensign being attacked by local liberals, and it is spreading to the national level. However, reserve your judgement for a moment. You must consider certain facts about the affair. * Ensign was separated from his wife at the time. * One they reconciled, he ended the affair. * The husband apparently demanded money from Ensign to keep quiet. So it will depend on your own value system as to whether he should really take heat for violating his vows. It would be understandable to hold scorn for Ensign since he slept with the wife of...

A concerned Pennsylvania citizen and the pro se Plaintiff in Schneller v. Cortes, James Schneller had originally brought a suit against his Secretary of the Commonwealth, Pedro Cortes, alleging that Pennsylvania’s certified ballots were improperly transmitted to the federal government due to a stay of such activity and that Sen. Arlen Specter had been improperly placed as an Elector for the McCain/Palin ticket. His application for Writ of Certiorari had originally been denied by Associate Justice Souter back on January 8, 2009 (docket).

Bob Roberts was elected to a Senate seat in 1963. At 6' 4", the senator from the small town of Smithville in Northern Idaho was a big man with even larger aspirations. Before being elected, "Big Bob" as he was known, ran a meat and three called "Bob's Diner" in the quaint little burg. Bob's home-style cooking was a favorite among the townspeople, but Bob's was especially well known for its bodacious breakfasts. Big Bob, however was not satisfied with just fryin' up the bacon… he wanted to bring some of it home too. And bring it, he did! Bob's...

Veterans In Politics Talk Show Introduces AZ State Senator Seel and Veteran Jeff Brookman LIVE on www.AllTalkRadio.net May 23: Jeffrey F. Brookman, DO, FACOFP Carl Seel Arizona State Legislature District 6: "Veterans In Politics" is a weekly radio show produced by the Veterans In Politics International and hosted by Steve Sanson and Co-Hosted by Ronda Baldwin Kennedy. The "Veterans In Politics" show is live every Saturday 2:05 PM Pacific Time you can call in and speak to the guest or/and hosts at (702) 309-6690. Sage Bocook has done an excellent job as co-host on the Veterans In Politics. We wish...

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge is seriously considering a run for the Senate for the GOP nomination against Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), according to Roll Call: Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge is considering running for the Republican Senate nomination in his home state, according to a senior Republican aide with knowledge of the situation. National and Keystone State Republicans have been publicly and privately urging Ridge to consider a Senate bid since Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) announced earlier this week that he was switching parties and would run for re-election as a Democrat in 2010. Specter said he switched parties...

President Barack Obama talked to Sen. Arlen Specter at 10:32 this morning from the Oval Office, said Dems are "thrilled to have you," according to a White House aide. President Obama heard the news of Sen. Arlen Specter's switch to the Democratic party when an aide passed a note during an economic briefing.

On the day the new Congress convened this year, Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation to route $25 billion in taxpayer money to a government agency that had just awarded her husband's real estate firm a lucrative contract to sell foreclosed properties at compensation rates higher than the industry norms. Mrs. Feinstein's intervention on behalf of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was unusual: the California Democrat isn't a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs with jurisdiction over FDIC; and the agency is supposed to operate from money it raises from bank-paid insurance payments - not direct...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The shipping company whose captain is being held hostage by Somali pirates said the US Navy saw him alive Sunday, as a top senator said the United States is "not going to give in to blackmail." Maersk Line, operators of the Maersk Alabama which was briefly hijacked by armed pirates this week before its captain was taken captive, said the navy told them they "had sight contact of Captain Richard Phillips" Sunday. Intense negotiations are ongoing off the coast of Somalia where the small band of pirates have held Phillips in a lifeboat since Wednesday, closely shadowed...

http://www.covertradioshow.com # The Daily Blast for March 23, 2009 PodCast Link: http://covertradioshow.com/podcast.cfm?pid=159 SNIPPET: “CHINA Chinese Hackers Target Senate Computers Cyber hackers believed to be based in China have tapped three times into the computer network in US Sen. Bill Nelson’s office, the Florida Democrat said Friday. Two attacks on the same day this month and another one last month targeted work stations used by three Nelson staffers — a key foreign-policy aide, the deputy legislative director and a former Nelson NASA advisor, according to Nelson’s staff.”

A U.S. senator has suggested that voters have made Barack Obama eligible to occupy the Oval Office, whether or not he meets the constitutional mandate of being a "natural born" citizen. The comments from Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., came in an e-mail sent to a constituent shortly after the election, which just now was forwarded to WND. The WND reader who forwarded the e-mail was alarmed. "This is frightening in its implications and should alarm every freedom-loving American and military member. I myself am a veteran of the U.S. Air Force (1979-84). Senator Martinez has said, in essence, that it...

Feb 26, 2009 10:45 pm US/Central Between Salary, State Pension Burris Makes $300K Illinois Offers Generous Benefits To Elected Officials Upon Retirement Reporting Jay Levine CHICAGO (CBS) ― A guaranteed salary for life with raises every year—that's the impossible dream for most of us. But not for Illinois' elected officials. A viewer e-mail to CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine asked what kind of Senate pension Roland Burris would get after his retirement. The answer: he won't get anything unless he runs and is elected for a full term. But Sen. Burris, who formally retired 13 years ago, has been...

WASHINGTON – A U.S. senator has weighed in on the continuing controversy over Barack Obama's eligibility for office by saying he has never seen proof the new president was actually born in Hawaii. "Well, his father was Kenyan and they said he was born in Hawaii, but I haven't seen any birth certificate," Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., told constituents in Cullman County. "You have to be born in America to be president."

CNBC's Rick Santelli this morning at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange With tongue only partially in cheek, a CNBC analyst on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange this morning responded to President Obama's proposed $275 billion deficit-financed homeowner bailout plan and other massive spending measures with a call for a new "tea party." Rick Santelli, in a nearly three-minute rant that drew approving hoots and comments from nearby traders, said the Obama administration's promotion of bad behavior must be causing the founding fathers to roll over in their graves. "We're thinking of having a Chicago Tea Party in July," Santelli...

WASHINGTON - - New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who argues her pro-gun stance aims to protect hunters' rights and the Second Amendment, last week said she and her husband, Jonathan, keep two rifles under their bed to protect their upstate home. UPDATE: Gillibrand removes guns from bed citing security reasons Gillibrand said neither she nor her husband is a hunter, and in a general discussion of gun control said, "If I want to protect my family, if I want to have a weapon in the home, that should be my right." The mother of two young children has taken "gun...

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand says she keeps 2 rifles under bed BY TOM BRUNE | tom.brune@newsday.com 10:46 PM EST, February 15, 2009 Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., (Left), shakes hands with Vice President Joe Biden, while her husband, Jonathan Gillibrand, stands in the center. (AP Photo / January 27, 2009) WASHINGTON - - New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who argues her pro-gun stance aims to protect hunters' rights and the Second Amendment, last week said she and her husband, Jonathan, keep two rifles under their bed to protect their upstate home. Gillibrand said neither she nor her husband is a hunter, and...

WASHINGTON – Another Democratic U.S. senator has gone on record as supporting the reinstatement of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine," adding, "I feel like that's gonna happen." Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., told radio host and WND columnist Bill Press yesterday when asked about whether it was time to bring back the so-called "Fairness Doctrine": "I think it's absolutely time to pass a standard. Now, whether it's called the Fairness Standard, whether it's called something else – I absolutely think it's time to be bringing accountability to the airwaves. I mean, our new president has talked rightly about accountability and transparency. You...

Senator Collins seems to think that her cutting $110 Billion from the bill makes it good. She also says she won't vote for it if it comes back from committee with all that pork put back into it. She didn't look confident, she didn't seem well informed.

Have you remembered to pay heed to Barack Obama worship services at his inauguration this Tuesday? If you are a Verizon customer you just might be getting an urgent reminder of this sacred duty in the form of a robocall as related by Brian Maloney of the Radio Equalizer: Yesterday, I was all set to write a smug, self-congratulatory post regarding my tremendous wisdom in finally dumping Comcast a few weeks ago for the complete Verizon Fios package, including cable. With Comcrap now establishing an all-Obama channel, isn’t it finally time to make the switch? Sadly, however, Verizon did something...