Free Republic

The facts 1. There are 21 US Senate seats held by Democrats in the 2014 election. 2. There are nine US Senate seats held by Democrats in the 2016 election. This is likely to be 10 due to a special election in HI in 2014. 3. Republicans need to pick up six senate seats to have a majority. The Analysis The failures of ObamaCare and broken promises by Democrat senators create a target rich environment in 2014. This is a year Republicans have to do well. Winning a majority in the senate by only one seat or maintaining the status...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Bowing to a flurry of cost-cutting amendments on a bill extending unemployment benefits, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he will allow votes on “reasonable” reforms. But he didn’t say when. Reid’s shuffle comes after Republicans blasted the Nevada Democrat for unilaterally blocking amendments that could yield $70 billion in taxpayer savings. “I am not surprised that Senator Reid is backtracking,” said David North. The immigration-law expert praised GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., for her amendment to halt IRS child tax-credit refunds going to illegal immigrants.

WASHINGTON – The recent nationwide cold snap isn’t just making Americans uncomfortable. It’s turning some into lawbreakers. The shocking news of state and local regulations that make it illegal to warm up your frozen car is hitting home in Texas, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia, Colorado, Wisconsin, South Carolina – even some cities in Minnesota. Who knew it could be illegal to run back inside while your car is warming up in winter – in a practice sometimes called “puffing”? Many Americans are getting first-hand experience this brutal winter with the latest manifestation of what some call the “Nanny State.” The...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The National Guard says tests show the amount of chemical in the water is going down, but is still not where it needs to be for residents to use the water. West Virginia American Water customers in parts of nine counties have been under a do not use water order since early Thursday evening. Those nine counties are also under a state of emergency declared by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. A chemical leak was noticed Thursday morning in the Elk River, near Freedom Industries. The company has since been forced by the DEP to shut down...

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency Thursday in several counties because of a chemical spill into the Elk River. The advisory was expanded at night from five to eight counties. The state of emergency includes West Virginia American Water customers in Kanawha, Boone, Clay, Jackson, Lincoln, Logan, Putnam and Roane counties, according to NBC station WSAZ. Residents were told not to drink the water, bathe in it or cook with the water and only use it for flushing and fire emergencies. Boiling it will not remove the chemicals.

The Republican National Committee began running ads in 40 media markets Tuesday mostly targeting incumbent senators who supported President Barack Obama’s health care program. Billionaire former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, meanwhile, gave $2.5 million to help Democrats defend their majority in the Senate. The early action suggests Republicans see the president’s signature domestic achievement as their way to keep control of the House and perhaps win the Senate. With more than 300 days remaining before Election Day, both sides are looking to set the agenda before voters start paying attention. “Obamacare is going to be the issue in 2014,”...

When Roscoe Bartlett was in Congress, he latched onto a particularly apocalyptic issue, one almost no one else ever seemed to talk about: America’s dangerously vulnerable power grid. In speech after late-night speech on the House floor, Bartlett hectored the nearly empty chamber: If the United States doesn’t do something to protect the grid, and soon, a terrorist or an act of nature will put an end to life as we know it.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A state official says a glitch in the federal health insurance marketplace has affected about 18,000 West Virginians trying to sign up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Jeremiah Samples of the state Department of Health and Human Resources tells the Charleston Gazette (http://bit.ly/1higldL ) the federal exchange is having problems transferring account information to and from West Virginia's system. He says some other states are having the same problem.

President Obama endured a terrible 2013, raising GOP hopes of a Senate takeover in next year’s midterm elections that would turn him into an early lame duck. The GOP needs to win six seats in the upper chamber to take a 51-49 edge, something clearly obtainable with Democrats defending difficult seats in South Dakota, Montana, West Virginia, Arkansas, Alaska, Louisiana and North Carolina. With the Senate and House in GOP hands, Obama would have little if any hope of moving his legislative agenda, and would be left to play defense against a GOP Congress in his final two years in...

Democrats in West Virginia have pretty much taken their two Senate seats for granted for a long time now. (And with good reason, since the last time the GOP held those spots, Ike was still president.) They’ve also had a fair bit of success in hanging on to at least some of their three congressional seats in the modern era. This stands in contrast to a seemingly constant ideological shift to the right among voters, demonstrated by the fact that no Democrat presidential candidate has carried the state since Bill Clinton. This shift may be setting the stage for some...

LOGAN COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ)-- Two men are facing charges after police say they were caught red-handed trying to break into a Logan County home Saturday morning. Terry Robbins, a neighbor and family member, caught the two suspects in the house and says he was forced to shoot one of the alleged burglars when he tried to attack him. Robbins told WSAZ.com Saturday morning around 5:30 his aunt and uncle called saying their security alarm was triggered. Robbins says when he arrived at the house shortly after, he found Jimmy Walker and Justin Blair. Robbins says he and Walker are distant...

Charleston, WV – The West Virginia Citizens Defense League has filed for an injunction against the City of Charleston in the Kanawha County Circuit Court. Charleston has continued to enforce multiple city ordinances which are in clear violation of state law governing Home Rule cities, made effective July 1 of this year. Under the state law, Charleston’s firearms ordinances are rendered null and void as a condition of participation in the Home Rule Pilot Program. “The WVCDL is not seeking financial damages; only injunctive relief” said WVCDL President, Keith Morgan. “Charleston is operating in clear violation of state law by...

President Barack Obama's healthcare law could have a "meltdown" and make it difficult for his Democratic Party to keep control of the U.S. Senate next year if ongoing problems with the program are not resolved, a Democratic senator said on Sunday.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Sunday that Obamacare could be headed for a "complete meltdown" if costs rise too fast and people are unhappy with their coverage. “If it’s so much more expensive than what we anticipated, and if the coverage is not as good as what we've had, you’ve got a complete meltdown at that time,” Manchin said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” The senator said such a situation would result in the law collapsing under "its own weight."(continued)

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama's healthcare law could have a "meltdown" and make it difficult for his Democratic Party to keep control of the U.S. Senate next year if ongoing problems with the program are not resolved, a Democratic senator said on Sunday. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who has urged delaying a penalty for people who do not enroll for health insurance in 2014 under the law, told CNN that a transitional year was needed for the complex healthcare program, commonly known as Obamacare, to work. "If it's so much more expensive than what we anticipated and if...

Sen. Joe Manchin warns that Obamacare could collapse “under its own weight” if there are continued problems, repeating his push for delaying the individual mandate. “If it’s so much more expensive than what we anticipated and if the coverage is not as good as what we had, you’ve got a complete meltdown at that time,” the West Virginia Democrat said in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “This transitional year gives you a chance to adjust the product for the market.”Manchin is pushing legislation with Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) that would delay the individual mandate for another...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A time to mend the divide; a sentiment that was met with a standing ovation. The Duval County School Board voted unanimously to remove the name of a Confederate general from a Westside high school. School leaders called it a move for progress.

Production of natural gas in the Marcellus region, located in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, is expected to exceed 13 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) this month, based on estimates in the U.S. Energy Information Administration's latest Drilling Productivity Report (DPR), which will be released later today. The Marcellus region, which produced less than 2 Bcf/d as recently as 2010, is expected to provide 18% of total U.S. natural gas production this month. The total natural gas production estimate is marketed production, while the DPR estimates gross withdrawals, so coming up with a precise percentage is difficult. The rise of...

CHARLESTON — Attorney General Patrick Morrisey today announced that West Virginia and 25 other states and one territory have filed an amicus, or friend of the court, brief with the U.S. Supreme Court opposing a federal government attempt to prosecute legal gun owners who wish to sell a weapon to another person who can legally own and purchase firearms. “Our Office is proud to lead a bipartisan group of 27 states and territories in this brief to oppose the U.S. Department of Justice’s attempt to unilaterally create a federal restriction on firearm sales between law-abiding citizens,” Attorney General Morrisey said....

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia is joining more than half a dozen states, so far, in rejecting President Barack Obama’s proposal which allows health insurance companies to renew plans not in compliance with the Affordable Care Act for one more year. On Thursday, state Insurance Commissioner Mike Riley said the “single year” re-enrollment proposal is not necessary in West Virginia because of the proactive steps taken, this year, to allow for a transition period that is “consistent with the existing law.” “The abrupt CCIIO (Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight) proposal comes at a time when West Virginia employers,...