Free Republic

via Matthew Boyle on twitter "Gosar just came out against Boehner. Voted for Boehner last time"

A federal appeals court has refused to reconsider a decision allowing residents of Kansas and Arizona to register to vote using a federal form without providing proof of their U.S. citizenship.

Sen. John McCain is no fan of the tea party – and he’s now doing his best to purge the Arizona Republican Party of its influence. According to Politico, McCain is preparing for his 2016 reelection bid by dismantling Arizona’s tea party apparatus. That includes a massive effort to remove or undermine the many local officials who have influence across state politics and could cause trouble for McCain in a primary. Prior to Aug. 26, when the races for the party offices were held, the vast majority of the 3,925 precinct slots were filled by people McCain’s team considered opponents....

I considered saving this for tomorrow night, just to send you off into 2015 on the most depressing, eeyorishness note possible. But then I reconsidered.For maximum eeyorishness, I should really end the year with a “Romney 2016″ post instead, no? Team McCain’s goal? Unseat conservative activists who hold obscure, but influential, local party offices.Under the byzantine rules of Arizona Republican Party politics, these elected officials, known as precinct committeemen, vote for local party chairmen. The chairmen, in turn, determine how state and local GOP funds are spent, which candidates are promoted in an election year, and which political issues...

Nearly a year ago, tea party agitators in Arizona managed to get John McCain censured by his own state party. Now, he’s getting his revenge. As the longtime Republican senator lays the groundwork for a likely 2016 reelection bid, his political team is engaging in an aggressive and systematic campaign to reshape the state GOP apparatus by ridding it of conservative firebrands and replacing them with steadfast allies.

Sen. Jeff Flake, the vocal proponent of immigration reform from Arizona, has a New Year’s wish: serious action in the issue from the House of Representatives, and soon. The 2014 midterm elections are just months behind us, but already Flake feels the pressure of the 2016 presidential elections. In an interview with The Daily Beast earlier this month, the Republican senator—one of the few Republicans in Congress still aggressively push hard for immigration reform—urged quick legislative progress on a series of measures on the matter before politicians get too caught up in the next election cycle. “The closer we get...

California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina voiced support Friday for Arizona’s new immigration law even as she deplored a “racist tone” that’s developed in some corners of her party over the highly charged issue. The former Hewlett Packard CEO said the law’s passage stemmed from Washington’s failure to address the problem of illegal immigration through stricter border enforcement and a practical temporary worker program. But when asked in an interview with POLITICO if Republicans needed to make any changes in their approach to the growing Hispanic community, Fiorina replied, "There has been a very unfortunate racist tone that has emerged in...

Minnesota Congresswomen and presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has become the latest politician to call for an impenetrable fence along the entire length of the border with Mexico. "President Obama has failed the American people by failing to secure the southern border," said Bachmann. "I will secure that border and that will be Job One." Statements like that may get some attention, but they are not practical. Don't take our word for it; take Rick Perry's. The Texas governor has been called a lot of things, but he's hardly a mushy liberal. Yet even this tough Texan sneers at calls for...

A bummer from D.C., especially coming so soon after a federal judge in Pennsylvania held that the amnesty was unconstitutional. Don’t fret, though. A similar lawsuit, led by incoming Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and joined by 24 different states, has already been filed in Texas with a hearing scheduled early next month. The judge in that case is a Bush appointee who’s been critical of Obama’s DHS on immigration in the past. I like those odds. Worry about losing that one, not this one, as all it’ll take is a circuit split to force this issue before the Supreme...

Ohio Gov. John Kasich will roll out “responsible” tax plans that protect against revenue gaps. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Arizona’s new Republican governor are delaying big dreams of nixing the income tax as they face budget shortfalls. And Missouri Republicans, once jealous of their neighbor Kansas’ massive cuts, are thankful they trimmed less. Call it the Brownback effect. Story Continued Below . . Republicans once idolized Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback as a tax cutting superstar — now he’s a lesson in what not to do. “It’s a cautionary tale on a national scale … Many of us felt that...

“I want to see what happens in the hearings,” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said. “But certainly I’m supportive.” McCain and Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) all said in interviews they have met with Lynch privately and are inclined to vote in favor of her nomination. “I would say yes, unless something comes up during the hearings,” Fischer said when asked if she was leaning toward backing Lynch.

There is a lot of worry popping up in the media just now -- "Can Israel Survive?" Don't worry about it. It relates to something that Palestinians, the Arabs, and perhaps most Americans don't realize -- the Jews are never going quietly again. Never. And if the world doesn't come to understand that, then millions of Arabs are going to die. It's as simple as that. Throughout the history of the world, the most abused, kicked-around race of people have been the Jews. Not just during the holocaust of World War II, but for thousands of years. They have truly...

U.S. Sen. John McCain laughed at the possibility that former Alaska governor Sarah Palin may challenge him in the 2016 election. After dropping hints that he was considering retiring, the 78-year-old Arizona Republican is now expected to announce that he will run for a sixth term — to the dismay of many conservatives. And while he expects to see a primary challenger, the moderate lawmaker is certain it will not be Palin. “Oh, that’s foolish,” McCain told The Arizona Republic. “Sarah and I have maintained a very close and warm relationship. That’s just not in the realm of possibility.” McCain...

Parting Shot: Outgoing Arizona Gov. Brewer Calls Obama A ‘Failed President’ By William La Jeunesse Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, stepping down after six years in office where she was a perpetual thorn in the side of the Obama administration, is leaving with a parting shot -- calling President Obama a "failed president." "He's been a very big disappointment to me," Brewer told Fox News in an interview. "I think he has done things that certainly we would never have expected any president to do -- by executive order and because he says so." Brewer has spent the last few years...

A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit brought against Barack Obama by an Arizona police chief who called the U.S. president's sweeping immigration reforms unconstitutional, saying the plaintiff lacked legal standing in the case. Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied the demand by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio for a preliminary injunction to halt the policies. Arpaio, who calls himself "America's Toughest Sheriff," filed the case last month, saying Obama had overstepped his powers by bypassing Congress and ordering the changes himself. Arpaio's lawsuit said the reforms, which eased the...

Before he was recalled in 2011, Arizona state Senate President Russell Pearce was arguably the most powerful man in Arizona politics. Elected in 2000 to represent Mesa, Pearce was known primarily for his efforts aimed at undocumented immigrants, most notably Senate Bill 1070. (SNIP) Prop 100—passed by 78 percent. [Proposition 100 denied bond to undocumented immigrants. It was later ruled unconstitutional.] Prop 200—passed by almost 60 percent. [Proposition 200 partly required proof of citizenship to vote in state and federal elections. Portions of it were also struck down.] Employer sanctions—overwhelmingly supported; S.B. 1070—supported by over 73 percent. Tell me what...

PHOENIX (AP) — Many young immigrants protected from deportation under an Obama administration policy are expected Monday to begin applying for Arizona driver's licenses, a privilege first denied by the governor but now given to them by the courts. The Arizona Department of Transportation said it's anticipating a rush of immigrant applicants in the weeks ahead at Motor Vehicle Division offices statewide. It comes after a judge barred enforcement of Gov. Jan Brewer's policy of denying licenses to about 20,000 immigrants living in the country illegally. The governor is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review her appeal.

Earlier this week, 38-year old Brenda Begay was arrested for trying to kill her two children, a girl age 12 and a 13-year old boy. The girl awoke from a deep sleep to her mother stabbing her. After that attack, the mother went into her son’s room and stabbed him. Begay has had a history of child abuse and the children suffered wounds to their chest and wrists in this attack. Begay said she believed it was time for her children to go to heaven, so she decided to kill them. She is believed to be mentally disturbed and friends...

McDonald’s and its franchisees illegally retaliated against employees for participating in union-related activities, the National Labor Relations Board’s top lawyer alleged Friday in a case with sweeping industry implications. NLRB general counsel Richard Griffin announced Friday he will issue 13 complaints involving 78 charges against franchises and McDonald’s USA, LLC. Though many of these alleged labor violations were committed by independent franchise owners, Griffin ruled earlier this year that McDonald’s can be held liable for those actions as a so-called joint employer, leaving the corporatrion — and potentially other franchisors — exposed to such claims. McDonald’s said the decision will...

FORT HUACHUCA — They may be both Republicans and represent Arizona in the upper chamber of Congress but they don’t agree on the recent decision of the Obama Administration of the reestablishing diplomatic relations with Cuba after six decades. After about 90 minutes on Fort Huachuca Thursday, Sen. John McCain and Sen. Jeff Flake discussed the announcement with the Herald/Review during a quick walking interview to a plane waiting to take them to Yuma.