Free Republic

I want to welcome this groundbreaking scientific expedition to the savage lands of the Left Coast. You are here in California to answer an important theoretical question and now you have your answer. Yes, this is what Barack Obama’s second term would look like. Study it. Fear it. And then go home and make sure that it never happens to the rest of the country. Of course, in spite of all of its problems, California is still one of the best places in the country to build a successful small business. All you have to do is start with a...

Congressman Tom McClintock (CA-04), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Water and Power, today made the following remarks on the House floor in opposition to administration plans for removal of Klamath dams. Mr. Speaker: This generation is facing spiraling electricity prices and increasingly scarce supplies. Californians have had to cut back to the point that their per capita electricity consumption is now lower than that of Guam, Luxembourg and Aruba. What is the administration’s solution? Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced yesterday that the administration is moving forward with a plan to destroy four perfectly good hydroelectric dams on the Klamath...

Speaker John Boehner pushed his debt-ceiling bill through the House Friday night with the support of 218 Republicans. Here are the 22 no votes: Justin Amash (Mich.) Michele Bachmann (Minn.) Chip Cravaack (Minn.) Jason Chaffetz (Utah) Scott Desjarlais (Tenn.) Tom Graves (Ga.) Tim Huelskamp (Kans.) Steve King (Iowa) Tim Johnson (Ill.) Tom McClintock (Calif.) Mick Mulvaney (S.C.) Ron Paul (Texas) Connie Mack (Fla.) Jim Jordan (Ohio) Tim Scott (S.C.) Paul Broun (Ga.) Tom Latham (Iowa) Jeff Duncan (S.C.) Trey Gowdy (S.C.) Steve Southerland (Fla.) Joe Walsh (Ill.) Joe Wilson (S.C.) CORRECTED: Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) voted YES on the Boehner...

The following twenty-two House members stood firm and opposed the Boehner bill, which is nothing more than a vehicle which will be sent to the Senate, reworked by Harry Reid into something even worse than it already is, and then returned to the House. Boehner will dutifully bring it up and the Tea Partiers who voted for it will then vote against it, but it will not matter. Boehner and Reid will pass the Bill in the House with Democrat votes and Obama will sign it. The votes today cast by conservatives, many of whom are good people, are very...

From C-SPAN, Rep. Tom McClintock (R-California): 'That's Why This President Is So Dangerous'

House Floor Remarks, June 3rd. M. Speaker: Lets be clear: without prior Congressional authorization, under the War Powers Act, the President may only commit armed forces to hostilities for sixty days if there is a direct attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions or its armed forces. There was none, so there is no sixty day clock and the President’s unprovoked attack on Libya – from Day One – constituted an illegal and unconstitutional act of the highest significance. If the President felt there was moral justification to attack Libya, he was constitutionally required to make his case...

M. Speaker: When the President ordered the attack on Libya without Congressional authorization, he crossed a very bright Constitutional line that he himself recognized in 2007 when he told the Boston Globe “The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.” The reason the American Founders reserved the question of war to Congress was that they wanted to assure that so momentous a decision could not be made by a single individual. They had watched European kings plunge...

Congressman McClintock interview, “On the Record with Greta VanSusteren.” January 26, 2011. Chief Medicare Actuary on President's health care claims: "I would say false, more so than true"

Congressman Tom McClintock issued the following statement in response to the President’s State of the Union Address to Congress: “The President missed the message of the 2010 election. It is not government that creates prosperity. It is freedom. We cannot bring about prosperity by locking government spending at unsustainable levels, wasting billions of dollars on subsidies for outrageously inefficient industries, increasing taxes on energy, managing our local schools from Washington and usurping the countless decisions made every day by families, consumers and businesses. “These policies are squandering our wealth, impoverishing our nation and mortgaging our future. “After the Republican sweep...

By Tom McClintock House Chamber, Washington, D.C. January 19, 2011 M. Speaker: The Department of Interior issued an announcement yesterday that perfectly illustrates the irrationality of our current approach to water issues. California’s precipitation this season has gone off the charts. Statewide snow water content is 198 percent of normal; in the all-important Northern Sierra snowpack is 174 percent of normal. This is not only a wet year – it is one of the wettest years on record. Yet yesterday, we have this announcement from the Department of the Interior: that despite a nearly unprecedented abundance of water, the Bureau...

During the despotic eras of Norman and Plantagenet England, the Crown declared one third of the land area of Southern England to be the royal forest, the exclusive preserve of the monarch, his forestry officials and his favored aristocrats. The people of Britain were forbidden access to and enjoyment of these forests under harsh penalties. This exclusionary system became so despised by the people that in 1215, five clauses of the Magna Carta were devoted to redress of grievances that are hauntingly similar to those that are now flooding my office. The Royal Forests House Chamber, Washington, D.C. January...

More than a year ago, Pollster Frank Luntz stood before a group of about 40 House Republicans in a cramped conference room. “I need to tell you something,” he said. “I’ve been looking at polling data from Congressional districts across America for the last three months. I’m convinced that you are going to be in the majority next year.” After a long pause, he added, “This time, please don’t screw it up again.” I don’t think we will. The message of the last two elections could not be louder or clearer. Great parties are built upon great principles and they...

Prop 19: When Worlds Collide.  NO.   If this simply allowed people to cultivate and smoke marijuana themselves and left the rest of us alone, it would be worth considering.   But it goes much further and provides that “no person shall be … discriminated against or denied any right or privilege” for pot use, inviting a lawsuit every time an employer tries to require a drug test, for example.  If you want to smoke pot in your own world, I don’t care.  But don’t bring it into mine.     Prop 20: Congressional Redistricting. YES.  This finishes the work we began in...

Debate on HR 4213 Remarks by Representative Tom McClintock House Chamber, Washington, D.C. July 22, 2010 M. Speaker: Anyone who has experienced firsthand the quiet panic that stalks every waking hour of an unemployed family knows how frightening and debilitating is chronic unemployment. You watch your savings evaporate, you see your children going without the material things their friends enjoy, and you count down the months or even weeks until you won’t be able to make that crucial rent or house payment. That unemployment check is a lifeline in such times, and I fully appreciate and understand how desperately an...

Response to President Calderon House Chamber, Washington, D.C. May 20, 2010 M. Speaker: I rise to take strong exception to the speech of the President of Mexico while in this chamber today. The Mexican government has made it very clear for many years that it holds American sovereignty in contempt and President Calderon’s behavior as a guest of the Congress confirms and underscores this attitude. It is highly inappropriate for the President of Mexico to lecture Americans on American immigration policy, just as it would be for Americans to lecture Mexico on its laws. It is obvious that President Calderon...

On the Propositions: Prop. 13. Seismic Retrofits. YES: Earthquake proofing your house shouldn’t trigger a tax increase until you’re ready to sell. Any questions? Prop. 14. Distorted Primary. NO: This was the result of the corrupt deal for the tax increase engineered by Abel Maldonado that included this measure to by-pass party primaries in a manner Maldonado believed would enhance his future election prospects. Instead of voters of each party putting their best candidate forward, this jerry-rigged system is designed to disguise the difference between the parties and force those pesky third parties off the general election ballot entirely. Prop....

Here is video of Ed Schultz expressing his anger at Rep. Tom McClintock for challenging Schultz's comments advocating voter fraud in Massachusetts while on the House floor. Schultz said, "you can't even say anything in jest anymore, you can't even say anything half-heartedly anymore" because "they take one word and one sentence" and "they'll twist it and turn it, and turn it and twist it." (Audio)

....Normally only a tiny fraction of Americans choose to donate to candidates or political causes. Yet many government employee unions enjoy the power to compel virtually all of their members into supporting the unions’ advocacy, regardless of how the individual worker feels about that agenda....

A GOP 'clarifying moment' in Calif. primary The conservative challenging GOP establishment-backed candidate Carly Fiorina in the 2010 Republican U.S. Senate primary in California says his campaign is putting the lie to the notion that the Party needs a moderate, self-funded businesswoman to defeat incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer. California Assemblyman Chuck DeVore says he is not surprised or bothered that Carly Fiorina gained the backing of eight Republican U.S. senators last week in Washington. DeVore notes that he has been endorsed by 60 percent of California's elected Republican officials, including Congressman Tom McClintock -- people that can actually vote for...

Tea Party Boot Camp Saturday - October 24th 8:30 am - 2:00 pm Fresno Fairgrounds A Training Event How to transform yourself into a Government Butt Kicking Activist Four Training Sessions Session One - Activism 1. Street Activism - Scott & Saundra Hawkins 2. Boots on the Ground Activism - Julie Griffiths 3. Precinct Level Activism - Lonny Leitner from American Majority Session Two - Using the New Media Lonny Leitner from American Majority explains how to use Facebook, Twitter and Blogs to advance the Tea Party Movement. From beginner to online activist in one hour. Session Three - Health...

Rep. McClintock gave the following speech to the How to Take Back America Conference in St. Louis hosted by the Eagle Forum on September 26, 2009. A funny thing happened this summer on the Road to Serfdom. The American people decided we don’t want to go! We are watching something unfold across the country that is quite remarkable. We are watching Americans do what Americans have always done whenever we have sensed that our country or our freedom is in danger. Ever since the days of the Boston Tea Party, in times of crisis, we have set aside our personal...

Tom McClintock has announced four healthcare town halls in Placer County, Lassen County, Nevada County and El Dorado County. The original health care town hall in Cameron Park, El Dorado County September 5th has been moved to a larger location due to the anticipated crowd size: ELDORADO COUNTY, CA McCLINTOCK TOWNHALL Saturday, Sept. 5th 4:30 pm Ponderosa High School 3661 Ponderosa Rd Shingle Springs, CA 95682 PLACER COUNTY/ROSEVILLE, CA McCLINTOCK TOWNHALL Tuesday, Sept. 1, 6:00 pm Granite Bay High School 1 Grizzly Way Granite Bay, CA 95746 NEVADA COUNTY/GRASS VALLEY, CA McCLINTOCK TOWNHALL Friday, Sept. 4, 6:00 pm Grass Valley...

Sacramento Tax Day Tea Party - April 15th Rep. McClintock will be speaking to the Sacramento Tax Day Tea Party at the State Capitol on Wednesday, April 15th. This should be one of the largest Tea Party gatherings in the nation. Fox New's Neil Cavuto will be broadcasting live from the event. Conservative talk show host Michael Reagan and Michelle Malkin will be there as well. We hope that you can join the thousands of people at the Tea Party. Where: California State Capitol, West Steps When: Wednesday, April 15th -- Tax Day Welcome at 11:00 am Rally from Noon...

The Bush administration added another $700 billion to the nation’s deficit with the bailout bill last fall, despite many warnings that it would not stabilize the economy. It didn’t. That administration ended with record spending, record borrowing, record deficits, and an economy in shambles. But my question to many of my friends in the majority is this: if record spending, record borrowing and record deficits is the path to economic recovery – why aren’t we already enjoying a period of unprecedented economic expansion? In fact, all of the bailouts, handouts and loan guarantees already enacted add up to $9.7 trillion...

Democrat Charlie Brown closed to within 329 votes of Republican Tom McClintock Friday in the ongoing ballot count for the 4th Congressional District race. Brown, from Roseville, was as close to McClintock's lead as he'd been since Election Day, and an e-mail to campaign supporters said that provisional ballots from Nevada County deserved the credit. "Every day, we are hearing that election day provisional ballots, thousands of which have not yet been tallied, are breaking for Charlie by substantial margins in Placer, El Dorado, and Nevada counties," Brown campaign manager Todd Stenhouse said in the Friday e-mail, which also requested...

Nevada County has completed 85 percent of its uncounted ballots and the three days of tallies have cost us 1,350 votes of the 1,500 loss that we expected. However, El Dorado and Sacramento returns have been much higher than expected, so it now seems unlikely that we will dip into negative territory any time during the counting of the remaining ballots. As of tonight, our lead has narrowed to 691 out of 338,307 ballots counted, or 0.20 percent. But there are only 1,792 ballots left to be counted in Nevada County, and Nevada County is the only county remaining that...

Charlie Brown (Dem) 162,556 49.8% Tom McClintock (Rep) 163,839 50.2%

Here’s the latest on the vote count. Today our lead increased slightly to 827 votes out of 312,693 cast. Our best estimate is that there are just under 55,000 votes remaining to be counted. We currently have 50.13 percent of the vote; we will need 49.25 percent of the remaining ballots to win the election. The good news is that a precinct-by-precinct analysis of the remaining ballots leads us to believe that the overwhelming majority is from Republican strongholds, but as they say, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

These are crucial races for us, particularly the senate races: Coleman MN-Sen: Coleman leads by about 500 votes. This one looks like it's headed for a recount. How (or will) this change the outcome? Chambliss GA-Sen: Chambliss is leading by 1% or so. He may have dipped below 50%, and if so, we're headed for a runoff. McClintock CA-04: McClintock is leading by about 600 votes or so with 100% of the precincts in, but there are about 4000 ballots yet to be counted. Stevesn AK-Sen: Stevens is up by about 4,000 votes, with about 40,000 absentee and provisional ballots...

Conservative House Races to Watch: Peter Roskam – IL-06 Michele Bachmann – MN-6 Tom McClintock – CA-04 John Shadegg – AZ-03 Tom Feeney – FL-24 Andy Harris – MD-01 Chris Hackett (challenger) – PA-10 William Russell (challenger) – PA-12 Lou Barletta (challenger) – PA-11 Dean Andal (challenger) – CA-11 Marilyn Musgrave - CO-4 Jon Porter - NV-3 Tim Walberg - MI-7 Joe Knollenberg - MI-9 Does anyone live in these districts? What are the ground reports like? We need to keep as many solid conservatives in the House as we can.

Ron Paul is getting ready to welcome Republican California state Sen. Tom McClintock into his caucus, but first, Paul must get him elected. Paul, the libertarian-Republican congressman from Texas who raised more than $34 million for his presidential race, sent out an e-mail last week urging his massive donor base to contribute to McClintock. McClintock is the career Southern California politician, who is in a tough fight to win a congressional seat in the region that runs from east of Sacramento north to the Oregon border. The district is heavily Republican, but Democrats think they have a chance for victory....

Not content with his legacy of seriously damaging the Republican Party in California during his term in office, former Gov. Pete Wilson has weighed in on the Sacramento-area Tom McClintock vs. Doug Ose congressional primary ... I lived in Sacramento and was deeply involved in GOP politics during the “Wilson years,” and as such think there are a couple of items Republican voters in the 4th Congressional district ought to take into account as they weigh the liberal Wilson’s endorsement of the liberal Ose. * If Pete Wilson had gotten his way, Ronald Reagan would have never been in the...

(snip) Doolittle was hailed by elected officials in a vast, stoutly Republican district for bringing home federal dollars. His bountiful political leadership fund furnished the purse strings for candidates and causes. His fiery conservatism plucked the heartstrings of party activists. (snip) Regional elected officials who stood with Doolittle now overwhelmingly support former Sacramento-area Rep. Doug Ose, claiming he is best suited to secure federal funding for local projects and infrastructure. Republican Party activists, particularly the local county GOP central committee members who were among Doolittle's most devout supporters, are breaking strongly for Ose's rival, state Sen. Tom McClintock. (snip) Tom...

Senator Tom McClintock: "I'm not sure if Ron Paul is presidential Timber" 7 Days Before The Primary, McClintock Refuses To Endorse Ron PaulBy Martin HillLibertyFight.com: As a former supporter of California State Senator Tom McClintock, I've been very disappointed in im in recent years, particularly after he endorsed gun-grabbing socialist Arnold Scwarzenegger in 2006. So last week I wrote and posted the article 'Which Big-Government Socialist Will Tom McClintock Endorse Next?' (I also posted it at RON PAUL WAR ROOM and DAILY PAUL). When I had started writing the article, Fred Thompson was still in the race for president. Then...

With Fred Thompson out of the presidential race, who's a self-respecting conservative to go for? Could it be, maybe, perhaps, a certain Republican-libertarian from Texas? That's one question perplexing California state Sen. Tom McClintock, possibly the second-most-famous California Republican currently in office after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. McClintock created a stir two months when he endorsed Thompson’s presidential candidacy. Having run for governor, lieutenant governor and state controller, McClintock has shown that while he has not won a statewide contest, he can win GOP primaries, which conservatives tend to dominate. So heading into the Feb. 5 primary, McClintock’s endorsement is seen...

Video of FRED THOMPSON speech at Laguna Woods, California, it runs approximately 25 minutes. There are also pictures posted. Our thanks to Curt who was at the ralley and taped the event as well as the photographs.

I was going to post MY OWN "after-action report" from the AMAZING rally for Fred Thompson [with Tom McClintck, John Zeigler -- and JERI !] this morning in Southern California......but since Curt from Flopping Aces did such a GREAT JOB, I'll just post a link to HIS report, and add my comments to THIS thread. :o) Plus, Flopping Aces now has the FULL VIDEO of Fred's speech posted online here:www.floppingaces.net/2007/12/01/a-visit-from-fred-thompson ..so you can watch the whole thing online FOR YOURSELF!It's almost like being there LIVE!

I was proud to host Senator Fred Thompson to the 70th Assembly District today to an enthusiastic crowd of 700 people in Laguna Woods. According to my wife, Diane, Senator Thompson, “Covered all the bases. He hit all the conservative themes and he covered them articulately and with passion.” I was very glad to hear that as Diane is very tough to impress (she had a weak moment when she met me, for which I am eternally grateful). Greeting Senator Thompson at the rally were his state chairman, Sen. Tom McClintock, radio personality John Ziegler emceed the event while former...

Today, I saw Presidential Candidate, Fred Thompson for the very first time at a Rally in California! Master-of-Ceremonies, John Ziegler, had the crowd laughing at jokes and insights about the upcoming election. The crowd of several hundred supporters rallied around Thompson after he spoke clearly about why the Democrats are ruining this great country. Fred Thompson stood a literal head above the crowd, as he shook hands with the crowd at the events end. John Ziegler brought up an important issue in his introductions... The most important issue is to stop Hillary from winning the presidency! I wish more of...

O come all ye Thompson faithful to the Laguna Woods Village Clubhouse 3 this Saturday for a rally for the presidential candidate. All the information you need is contained in this flyer, which you will need to show at the gate so you can see Fred. The closer we get to Iowa and New Hampshire, the fewer opportunities we will see these guys in OC, so now is a good time to catch Fred and any others who come around the Orange Curtain.

This announcement needs ITS OWN thread! FRed PING!!I am passing this along for anybody who can make it to Southern CA this weekend. Let's give FRed a good turnout!! ***** Come meet Presidential Candidate Fred Thompson Come join California State Senator Tom McClintock and Orange County Assemblyman Chuck DeVore as they extend a warm Southern California welcome to former US Senator and Presidential Candidate FRED THOMPSONthis Saturday in Laguna Woods at 9:00 AM.Don’t miss this rare chance to meet Senator Thompson in a candid and fun rally. FREE and open to all supporters. Clubhouse 3 at Laguna Woods Village 24351...

The Los Angeles Times reported today that “State officials have warned the Governor that the likely deficit for next year has jumped from a few billion dollars to as much as $10 billion, threatening to wipe out the progress Schwarzenegger has claimed in getting the state's accounts in order.” This is news? For more than three years now, I have been warning that the state’s finances were in worse condition than they were under the Davis administration and that the rate of state spending could not be sustained. This past summer, Senate Republicans warned that the budget was dangerously unbalanced...

The pundits and media and once again telling those of us in Flyover Country what a bad job Fred Thompson is doing as a presidential candidate. Aside from his campaign staff in disarray, his wife running his campaign, and his low energy level, Fred has committed a “gaffe” in New Hampshire by stating that no state legislature had yet passed a law permitting gay marriage, when the New Hampshire Legislature, alone among the states, had passed a law permitting civil unions and the governor had signed that bill into law. Poor Fred couldn’t get his facts straight! Except…he did get...

One of California's leading conservatives delivered a public slap at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Sunday, two days after the celebrity governor called for the Republican Party to move to the political center or risk a future of irrelevance. Sen. Tom McClintock never mentioned the governor by name, but his speech to GOP activists at a state convention was thick with transparent digs at Schwarzenegger and referenced remarks the governor made last week. On Friday, the governor declared that the GOP was "dying at the box office" and would drift into the political margins unless it tackles issues like global warming...

SACRAMENTO, (AP) -- The impasse over the state's long-overdue budget turned heated Wednesday when the Democratic leader of the Assembly said Republicans would lose the gains they had previously negotiated if they fail to end the stalemate quickly. "Political hostage-taking is not the way to do business, and we can't reward it," said Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, recently returned from a European vacation. . . .

The other night, as the Senate's Republicans were blocking the state budget, GOP Sen. Tom McClintock alluded to the driver's license pledge, sending an implicit but unmistakable message that a big impediment to a deal was mistrust of the governor's promises to cut enough spending to bring the budget into rough balance. Rightly or wrongly, Republicans believe that he'll sell them down the river in his eagerness to deal with Democrats. That mistrust, when coupled with Schwarzenegger's cavalier treatment of GOP politicians last year, made all but one of the senators impervious to his pleas.

Conservative activists, meanwhile, told the lawmakers to hold their ground. "You 15 are officially martyrs for all California taxpayers," Jon Fleischman, a member of the state party's board, wrote to the caucus on his blog Flash Report, http://www.flashreport.org.GOP senators have been using the blog to sound off on Perata, the governor and Assembly Republican Leader Michael Villines of Clovis. They also offered updates on the lockdown. Just before 7 a.m. Saturday, Sen. Jim Battin (R-La Quinta) sent in a posting. "We've been locked in, and there are sergeants at every exit making sure we can't leave," he wrote. "I slept...

A s the Senate immigration bill faltered, Sen. Dianne Feinstein complained that the status quo is de facto amnesty because the mass deportation of millions of illegal immigrants is logistically, politically and socially impractical. Feinstein and her cohorts seem oblivious that it is this attitude that discredits any promises that a new, tougher law will somehow be enforced when an amnesty is granted. Sorry: been there, done that. And they have yet to explain what is wrong with current immigration law — except that it's not being enforced. Indeed, if the self-described "grand bargainers" want to enact future immigration laws,...

Respected fiscal watchdog state Sen. Tom McClintock, writing in The Sacramento Bee, criticized a state government spending rate that has grown “significantly faster than it did under Davis,” increasing 30 percent the last three years alongside 23 percent revenue growth. McClintock said “the governor’s spending spree has now produced the biggest operating deficit in California’s history -- $8 billion, compared with Davis’s worst year of $6.6 billion.” McClintock also cited $45 billion in pension obligations and “$40 billion to $70 billion in health care obligations” owed to state employees. Warning that “pressure for tax increases” will grow “as California approaches...

SACRAMENTO - While critics believe California state government is bloated, a new analysis from a Silicon Valley think tank suggests the state has one of the leanest work forces in the country. Census data released this week shows California had 393,609 full-time-equivalent employees as of last March, working out to 105 employees per 10,000 state residents, according to the Palo Alto-based Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy. That makes California the third-lowest in the nation in state employees per resident, behind every state except Illinois (at 103) and Nevada (at 104). The federal government has 142 employees per...