Free Republic

With Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announcing on Wednesday his intent to end his reign as GOP leader in the Senate, speculation about who will run to replace him in the role quickly began to mount. Top of the list of potential contenders, according to early chatter, appears to be the so-called “three Johns:” Sens. John Thune (R-SD), John Barrasso (R-WY), and John Cornyn (R-TX). Thune is currently the second-ranked Republican in the chamber, serving as minority whip — a role in which the holder performs head counts and rallies members of the party for votes and quorum calls. The No....

One word, my friends: RINOgeddon. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that Christie earns 21% support when Republican voters are asked whom they would vote for if the party’s primary in their state were held today. Florida Senator Marco Rubio runs a close second with 18% of the GOP vote, followed by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush at 16% and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul with 15% of the vote. Congressman Paul Ryan, the unsuccessful Republican vice presidential candidate in 2012, picks up 13% of the Republican vote, with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker dead last at six percent (6%)....

WASHINGTON -- Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus formally unveiled a 10-year $856 billion bill that would extend health insurance to tens of millions of Americans not now covered, moving an important step forward on President Barack Obama's top domestic priority. The sweeping measure is designed to steer a more moderate course on health policy than other major bills moving through Capitol Hill, and doesn't propose to create a new government insurance plan to compete with private insurers, as proposed in rival House legislation and favored by many liberals. Instead, the Montana Democrat is proposing to expand coverage by creating...

<p>Sen. John McCain, a registered Republican and former Republican presidential contender, yesterday emphatically said that he will not switch sides to become the vice presidential running mate for Democrat Sen. John Kerry.</p> <p>For more than a month, political analysts, pundits and Sunday talk-show panelists have said that Democrats view Mr. McCain and Mr. Kerry as a "dream ticket." Mr. McCain has said he cannot imagine accepting such an offer, though he would consider it — an answer that merely fueled the speculation.</p>