Free Republic

A year after the decimation of 2008, Republicans are newly confident about their election prospects in the Senate. Then again, they have almost nowhere to go but up: The GOP occupies only 40 seats, compared to 58 for the Democrats (plus a pair of “independent” allies, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Bernie Sanders of Vermont). As always, many races are foregone conclusions, such as the special election in Massachusetts next month to choose a successor to the late Ted Kennedy. But at least 20 of the 2010 Senate races are worth watching. Herewith, a state-by-state summary. ARIZONA: Could Republican senator...

Dear Congressman Snyder: Thank you for including my family in your recent town hall teleconference on Monday December 14, 2009. We had asked your staff to speak with you, but unfortunately our question did not make it to you personally. As a result, I would like to ask you in this forum: Why did you vote for a health care reform bill that contains a government run option, one that the majority of the American people (and more importantly, the majority of Arkansans) are opposed to? This bill is fundamentally flawed and will result in lower quality of care for...

Even before she became the swing vote that forced consideration of Obamacare onto the Senate floor, two-term Arkansas senator Blanche Lambert Lincoln had a dubious distinction: "For 2010, she may be the most endangered Democratic senator in the country," says Public Policy Polling head Dean Debnam. Political handicappers began to note her vulnerability last summer when, in the face of the tea-party movement, Lincoln refused to hold town hall meetings with her constituents. In a conference call with Arkansas reporters, she called tea-party confrontations with politicians "un-American," and ever since, even though she relented and held a few town halls...

Think Blanche Lincoln may dessert her far-left liberal Dem colleagues in the Senate and vote against Obama-Reid-Pelosi's Socialized Medicine scheme? Think again. This is from her latest campaign letter: "If the Republicans have their way, pregnancy will always be a pre-existing condition disqualifying women for health insurance and diagnoses for chronic diseases like Parkinson's Disease will always prompt insurance companies to drop their coverage." We know Arkansas voters are easy to fool; they gave Bill Clinton his start in politics, but would they fall for these lies? Their Senator thinks so!

U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln is pretending that the secretly written, +2,000 page, government takeover, Medicaid robbing, healthcare takeover efforts by Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and special interest groups. She is also pretending that if Reidcare is stopped, it will mean no healthcare reform is possible. This is a lie used to justify any and all bad parts of Reidcare, the government takeover plan in the U.S. Senate. To give political cover for herself, Blanche has used the same excuse after every vote to move forward with just different phases. Below are some quotes from Blanche Lincoln after continuing Reidcare: "Although...

Police serving order shot at, ATF says LINDA SATTER ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE A Pulaski County man fired several shots Tuesday at officers who attempted to serve a federal warrant at his mobile home at 3106 W. Justice Road in northern Pulaski County, a federal agent said. No one was injured, and the resident, Johnny Davis, surrendered at about 2:30 p.m., roughly four hours after his standoff with officers began, said Joe Riehl, special agent in charge of the New Orleans Field Division for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Riehl said ATF agents obtained a warrant charging Davis with...

If it weren't for bad luck, Mike Huckabee would have no luck at all. Of all the deranged criminals in the country, it was Maurice Clemmons -- granted clemency by then-Gov. Huckabee of Arkansas almost a decade ago -- who recently murdered four police officers in Washington state. Seldom has an act of mercy been more publicly or horribly betrayed. Some of Huckabee's potential rivals for the 2012 Republican nomination responded, not merely by criticizing this specific act of clemency but by rejecting the very idea. "In Minnesota," said Gov. Tim Pawlenty, "I don't think I've ever voted for clemency."...

The nation was stunned by the senseless and savage cold-blooded murders of four young police officers in Lakewood, Wash., over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Whenever a police officer or soldier is killed, the loss is even more profound, for they are the ones who stand between our way of life and total anarchy. Nine years ago, the name Maurice Clemmons crossed my desk. I commuted his sentence from 108 years to 47 years. I take full responsibility for my actions of nine years ago. I acted on the facts presented to me in 2000. If I could have possibly known...

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee explains why he commuted the sentence of Maurice Clemmons, suspected of shooting police officers in Washington State before being killed by authorities. (Dec. 1) Huckabee: Why I Commuted (Cop Killer) Clemmons Sentence

Gov. Chris Gregoire today directed state Corrections Chief Eldon Vail not to accept any new parolees from Arkansas until matters arising from the Maurice Clemmons case have been addressed and resolved. Glenn Kuper, a spokesman for the governor, said Gregoire was taking the unusual step because she wants "to make sure that the system is appropriate to protect Washington residents."

Senate Democrats will offer an amendment this weekend to curb the pay of executives at health insurance companies that benefit from federal subsidies, fueling the growing feud with the powerful industry. Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) have sponsored an amendment that would prohibit health insurance companies from deducting more than $400,000 in executive compensation per individual. The cap would apply to companies that earned 25 percent or more of their income from Americans who buy insurance from government-created exchanges.

Last April, a Department of Corrections officer was watching a television news story about a series of armed robberies around Puget Sound when he saw a Pierce County Crime Stoppers sketch that bore a striking similarity to a man he'd once monitored — Maurice Clemmons. The officer passed on the tip to Clemmons' current supervising officer, who called Crime Stoppers. Yet, somehow, the tip didn't filter down to all the detectives working the cases. A Crime Stoppers operator told the officer that they had "received too many tips/leads already," according to the second DOC officer's notes. Crime Stoppers "refused to...

Mike Huckabee is a liar. He granted clemency to a dangerous criminal, but wants us to believe everyone would have acted the same way. Huckabee's efforts to shift blame away from himself includes a total fabrication of Maurice Clemmons' extensive criminal history.

The fatal shooting of four police officers in Washington state this week has set off angry finger-pointing between Washington and Arkansas over why the suspect in the killings — a man convicted of at least five felonies in Arkansas and charged with at least eight more in Washington this year alone — was not behind bars. Much of the attention so far has focused on former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s (R) decision to commute the sentence of the suspect, Maurice Clemmons, nine years ago. Clemmons — who was killed by a Seattle police officer on Tuesday (Dec. 1) after a...

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney defended Mike Huckabee's clemency decision that allegedly led to the shooting death of four police officers in Washington state.. During an interview Thursday night with CNN's Larry King Live, Romney, who in his four years as governor says he did not pardon or commute a single sentence, empathized with his former political rival in the last battle for the Republican presidential nomination, saying the focus is on the tragedy that struck the lives of Washington state residents. Huckabee has come under fire because, as governor of Arkansas in 2000, he signed a clemency order for...

Washington state will not accept any more parolees from Arkansas. The governor's order stems from the belief that Arkansas could have kept the Lakewood cop killer Maurice Clemmons behind bars. Despite a 108-year sentence in Arkansas, Clemmons was on parole. Former Governor Mike Huckabee granted that parole, and is still defending himself for it. Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire says under a national agreement, Arkansas should've taken Clemmons back last May when he got himself in trouble again. And don't blame the local courts for the Lakewood tragedy, the governor said. Corrections chief Eldon Vail told Arkansas he'll reject any more...

Liberal democrat Blanche Lincoln now trails four Republicans in her home state after voting to open debate on Obamacare. During the debate to open Obamacare Lincoln said government is too big to fail then went ahead to vote to make it bigger anyway. Ony 18% of Arkansas voters strongly favor Obamacare while 56% strongly oppose it. Rasmussen reported: Senator Blanche Lambert Lincoln has found herself right in the middle of the national debate over health care, and that’s a tough spot as she prepares to face Arkansas voters in 2010. As she did in September, Lincoln trails four possible Republican...

Senator Blanche Lambert Lincoln has found herself right in the middle of the national debate over health care, and that’s a tough spot as she prepares to face Arkansas voters in 2010. As she did in September, Lincoln trails four possible Republican challengers in the latest Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 survey. In fact, support for the incumbent ranges from only 39% to 41% in these match-ups. The two-term senator, who was reelected with 54% of the vote in 2004, appears more vulnerable because of her visible and pivotal role in the Senate debate over health care. Lincoln was the last...

LITTLE ROCK — An alleged accomplice of Maurice Clemmons, suspected of slaying four Washington state police officers before being gunned down himself, served prison time with Clemmons in Arkansas and is a wanted man in his home state. Washington authorities filed rendering criminal assistance charges today against Darcus D. Allen, the alleged getaway driver for Clemmons, who police say shot to death four police officers early Sunday at a Parkland, Wash., coffee shop. A lone police officer shot Clemmons to death early Tuesday in Seattle while investigating a stolen vehicle. Authorities today pressed charges against others accused of aiding Clemmons’...

Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK — An alleged accomplice of Maurice Clemmons, suspected of slaying four Washington state police officers before being gunned down himself, served prison time with Clemmons in Arkansas and is a wanted man in his home state. Washington authorities filed rendering criminal assistance charges today against Darcus D. Allen, the alleged getaway driver for Clemmons, who police say shot to death four police officers early Sunday at a Parkland, Wash., coffee shop. A lone police officer shot Clemmons to death early Tuesday in Seattle while investigating a stolen vehicle. Authorities today pressed charges against others accused...

The Arkansas coordinator for former governor Mike Huckabee's political action committee, Huck PAC, resigned Tuesday, citing in part the controversy over Huckabee's decision nine years ago to commute the sentence of a man later linked to the shooting deaths of four police officers Sunday. "With a heavy heart - I just resigned as Arkansas coordinator for HuckPAC - one of the toughest things I have ever done in politics," Jason Tolbert tweeted Tuesday morning. "Some have asked about the timing. As most could imagine, the recent news of the last two days along with the response did play a role...

Images of Prosecutor's strongly voiced complaints against Huckabee's clemencies, and a response stating that Huckabee "laughed out loud" upon reading it and suggesting the Prosecutor "cut down on your caffeine consumption". Click to view images of original documents.

Mike Huckabee is out there attacking his attackers. "It really does show how sick our society has become that people are more concerned about a campaign three years from now than those grieving families in Washington." No, Mr. Huckster, that's not it at all. The fact is that the time to think about the grieving families in Washington would have been IN ADVANCE, so they wouldn't be grieving. Gov. Huckster faced PLENTY of opposition back home to his outrageous clemency policies, and he was warned that violent criminals become recidivists. In other words, he was warned that turning violent offenders...

The Arkansas coordinator for Mike Huckabee's political action committee resigned Tuesday, citing the former Arkansas governor's decision nine years ago to grant clemency to Maurice Clemmons, the man suspected of murdering four police officers in Washington state. Jason Tolbert, who runs a conservative blog, served as Arkansas state coordinator for HuckPAC in a volunteer capacity. "My departure was with a heavy heart but was done after serious prayer and consideration," Tolbert wrote on his Web site. "Some have asked about the timing. As most could imagine, the recent news of the last two days along with the response did play...

Pierce County authorities say a man who served time in an Arkansas prison with Maurice Clemmons has been identified as the getaway driver in the fatal shooting of four Lakewood police officers. Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer says Darcus D. Allen is being held in Pierce County for investigation of rendering criminal assistance. Troyer says Allen will be charged on Wednesday in connection with Sunday's police shooting. Allen was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a 1990 double murder at a Little Rock liquor store. He was paroled in 2004. Arkansas prison spokeswoman Dina Tyler says Allen and Clemmons never...

A man police said drove the getaway car for Maurice Clemmons when Clemmons fatally shot four Lakewood police officer is in custody and was in prison with him in Arkansas, sources told our CNN affilliate station KIRO 7 Eyewitness News. To read KIRO-TV's story click here. A lone Seattle police officer is being credited with finding and shooting suspected cop killer Maurice Clemmons. Authorities say the officer spotted a stolen car in front of a house in Seattle, then shot and killed a man he recognized as Clemmons. Clemmons was reportedly approaching and confronting the officer when he was shot....

If you liked George W. Bush's brand of big-spending, big-government conservatism, you'll love Mike Huckabee. BY MICHAEL D. TANNER Most of the leading Republicans running for president show some support for Bush's ideology, but no other candidate so completely embodies it. As governor of Arkansas, Huckabee dramatically increased state spending. During his two-term tenure, spending increased by more than 65 percent — at three times the rate of inflation. The number of government workers increased by 20 percent, and the state's debt services increased by nearly $1 billion. Huckabee financed his spending binge with higher taxes. Under his leadership, the...

If clemency for Maurice Clemmons were the only fatal error committed by Mike Huckabee as governor of Arkansas, he might be able to shift blame to the state's law enforcement system and even run for president again in 2012. Yet the Clemmons commutation that he granted nine years ago is only one among several cases that raise serious questions about Huckabee's judgment.

Under fire for commuting the sentence of suspected cop-killer Maurice Clemmons, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Tuesday called some of the criticisms “disgusting” and suggested they were attempts to score political points. “It really does show how sick our society has become that people are more concerned about a campaign three years from now than those grieving families in Washington,” Huckabee said during an interview on Joe Scarborough’s radio show. “It is disgusting, but people use anything as a political weapon.” Huckabee granted Clemmons, a suspect in the killings of four police officers in Washington state over the weekend,...

Documents released this morning by the Arkansas Parole Board show police slaying suspect Maurice Clemmons was supposed to remain in prison there until at least 2015, but won his release by claiming he'd changed while behind bars. Clemmons' appeal for clemency was granted in May 2000 by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee, who commuted Clemmons sentence and made him immediately eligible for parole. Clemmons wrote in an appeal to Huckabee that he'd been sent to prison after an extended crime spree that started in 1989 when he was a teenager — and that he was a different person now. At the time...

Mike Huckabee said today it's "less likely than more likely" that he'll run for president in 2012. Recent polling has shown him to be the most popular candidate among Iowa Republicans, but Huckabee told Chris Wallace on Fox New Sunday today that polling isn't the only factor. "There's a whole different deal of saying some folks take a poll and whether there's the financial support," he said. Huckabee said he's enjoying his current gig as a Fox News host, and wants to see what the political climate is like heading into 2012.

When Fox News' Bill O'Reilly hosts former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee tonight, O'Reilly might consult the "Arkansas Blog" at the Arkansas Times for some questions to pose to the man who commuted Maurice Clemmons' prison sentence. Don't hold your breath. "What do you think the chances are of a Fox host asking tough questions of another Fox host?" asks Arkansas Blog. Here is what inquiring minds in Clemmons' former home state would like to find out, courtesy of the Blog: "Will Huckabee reveal office memos that led to his recommendation for commutation?" "Will he reveal office communication with the parole...

The murder of four police officers in a suburban Seattle coffee shop on Sunday took a decidedly political turn when it was discovered that the prime suspect in the killings was once granted clemency by Mike Huckabee.

The Seattle Times reports that the man suspected of shooting four police officers in Washington State was granted clemency in Arkansas nine years ago by then-Governor Mike Huckabee.

The man sought for questioning in the execution of four Lakewood police officers was granted clemency in 2000 by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and released on bail just six days ago on a child rape charge in Washington state. Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing this morning of four Lakewood police officers, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health. Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protests of prosecutors.

Sunday, November 29, 2009 - 19:44:51 Ark. ex-con of interest in slayings The tip I gave you earlier is panning out. Washington autthorities are seeking Maurice Clemmons, 37, for questioning in the slaying of four Washington police officers. Clemmons is wanted in Arkansas, where he has an extensive criminal record, according to unnamed sources in early reports. Clemmons also is mentioned in this report. My source says the man wanted for questioning is believed to be the same Maurice Clemmons as an Arkansas ex-con with an extensive record of armed robbery who became a subject of some controversy for political...

Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing of four Lakewood police officers this morning, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health. Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protestations of prosecutors. "This is the day I've been dreading for a long time," Larry Jegley, prosecuting attorney for Arkansas' Pulaski County said Sunday night when informed that Clemmons was being sought in connection to the killings. Clemmons' criminal history includes at least five felony convictions...

With a rapidly changing political atmosphere, the 36 Senate seats up for election in 2010 are drawing a big field of office seekers. But before Republicans can try their luck after eight years of Democratic gains, both parties have to settle their own internal struggles. A look at three key primaries: Florida Republican primary Aug. 24, 2010 The combatants Former state House Speaker Marco Rubio is a conservative darling and the face of a possible new generation of Republicans. He's 38, the son of Cuban immigrants and a strong retail politician. His campaign to take the seat formerly held by...

Police beat ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Two gunmen rob Razorback Pizza Two men armed with handguns robbed Razorback Pizza in southwest Little Rock late Sunday, forcing people to the floor before taking money from the register, safe, employees and customers and firing shots randomly as they ran away. No one was injured. The men walked into the restaurant at 10900 Stagecoach Road not long after 9:30 p.m. showing their weapons, police said. They ordered customers and employees to put their personal belongings — wallets, cell phones and other items — into bags. The gunmen then forced the customers from the bar into...

For Sen. Blanche Lincoln, the moderate Arkansas Democrat, the nation’s health-care woes may lead to more headaches than any medicine could alleviate. Lincoln is a pivotal vote on the motion to begin debate on Senate majority leader Harry Reid’s health-care legislation; if the motion passes, she could be the swing vote on the eventual motion to close debate. Her decision isn’t simply a calculation about winning the right number of concessions, as perhaps President Obama and the Democratic leadership hope; it’s about her political survival. The pressure in Washington may be significant — Lincoln has had sit-down meetings with Obama...

Staffers on Capitol Hill were calling it the Louisiana Purchase. On the eve of Saturday's showdown in the Senate over health-care reform, Democratic leaders still hadn't secured the support of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), one of the 60 votes needed to keep the legislation alive. The wavering lawmaker was offered a sweetener: at least $100 million in extra federal money for her home state. And so it came to pass that Landrieu walked onto the Senate floor midafternoon Saturday to announce her aye vote -- and to trumpet the financial "fix" she had arranged for Louisiana. "I am not going...

“Oh, I can’t think about this now! I’ll go crazy if I do! I’ll think about it tomorrow. But I must think about it. I must think about it. What is there to do? What is there that matters?” —Scarlett O’Hara, Gone With the Wind Like the calculating Southern belle in Margaret Mitchell’s classic novel, who endeavored to ignore the realities and consequences of war, Sen. Blanche Lincoln is bent on making the rest of us believe she is the most reluctant participant in the most epic of legislative wars. Lincoln, the last holdout, didn’t want to be on the...

In response to Senator Lincoln's decision to vote in favor of cloture, Governor Palin tweets the following: Not sure I can convince Sen. Lincoln to vote no - but will do everything in my pwr to convince my friends in Arkansas to vote against her.,/u>,/b> Senator Lincoln is up for re-election in Arkansas in 2010. Only 29% of Arkansans support Obama's healthcare plan.

Democrats on Saturday clinched the votes needed to advance the Senate's version of President Obama's health care overhaul to the floor for a historic debate scheduled to begin shortly after 8 p.m..

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) said she’d deliver the deciding vote to push forward with a sweeping health reform plan in the Senate Saturday, ending days of speculation over whether President Barack Obama’s signature priority would proceed to the floor or suffer a debilitating blow. As with several centrists before her, Lincoln’s yes vote to start debate came wrapped in series of serious concerns about the current bill – and she said it would require major revisions before she could cast a similar vote in favor of final passage. "I'm prepared to vote against moving to the next stage of consideration...

it's done folks...

WASHINGTON — Chances are that Arkansas Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln won’t be sharing her big secrets with Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., anytime soon. Durbin, the Senate majority whip, spent Friday afternoon backtracking from comments that appeared to out Lincoln as a supporter of Saturday’s cloture motion aimed at advancing the Senate version of health-care reform to the floor. Lincoln and Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., are the only two voters yet to publicly declare their intentions for the motion.Durbin told reporters Friday that Lincoln has already made up her mind about the vote and conveyed her decision to Senate Majority Leader...

Yesterday, The Arkansas Hands-Off Healthcare Bus Tour went through Arkansas. Guest speakers included Dick Morris, Jim Miller of 60 Plus, Dr. Kathy Chenault, and Teresa Oakle. Here is some video footage of that event. More footage will come soon. http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-5433-Little-Rock-Immigration-Examiner~y2009m11d20-Healthcare-video--Events http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rho6J-7Jr6w http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skJGUUmVsRU Same video in case there are problems with youtube. http://keeparkansaslegal.blogspot.com/2009/11/hands-off-healthcare-video-footage.html Saturday November 21st. We will need as many Secure Arkansas Volunteers as possible for the Arkansas Razorbacks game. You can show up on your own or call 501-412-4063 to meet with other Secure Arkansas members. You will be called back within a few minutes. Sunday November 22nd The...

Trying to rain on Jolly St.Nick? The United States Post Office will not be forwarding letters to Santa at the North Pole this year. Other programs and private efforts go on, but some are questioning why the USPS is unwilling to forward letters to the North Poll where volunteers – not employees – respond to the kids with letters including sought-after North Pole postmarks on the letter.

The National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting three veteran Democrats who voted for the House version of the health care bill in a weeklong round of television ads that will begin airing on Thursday. The new 30-second spots hit Democratic Reps. Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota, Vic Snyder of Arkansas and John M. Spratt Jr. of South Carolina for their votes by using the words of fellow Democratic legislators who opposed the legislation. Among the statements the NRCC uses in it' new ad against Pomeroy is one released by the office of Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., when he announced he...