Free Republic

Please see a true conservative combating the nihilistic Barbara Boxer. The California Republicans must endorse him. To see video follow the linkAlso go to previous post on Devore vs Fiorina.

I was pleased last week when we won a vote in the Financial Services Committee to include language from the Audit the Fed bill HR1207 in the upcoming financial regulatory reform bill. As it stands now, if HR 3996 passes, because of this action, the Federal Reserve’s entire balance sheet will be opened up to a GAO audit. We will at last have a chance to find out what happened to the trillions of dollars the Fed has been giving out. Finally, the blanket restrictions on GAO audits of the Fed that have existed since 1978 will be removed. All...

Last Saturday many concerned Americans watched in horror as the House passed the healthcare reform bill. If this bill makes it through the Senate, it would massively overhaul the way healthcare is delivered in this country. Today, obviously, we don’t have a perfect system, but this legislation takes all the mistakes we are making with healthcare and makes them worse. Most of what is wrong with healthcare stems from decades of government intervention and the resulting unintended consequences. But the government’s prescription for the ills caused by intervention is always more intervention. We see this not only in healthcare policy,...

It’s still early to be thinking about 2010 elections, but the Republican Liberty Caucus National Board has approved several endorsements for 2010 already. Liberty fans across the country will be pleased to note that the RLC endorsed Rand Paul in his bid to become U.S. Senator in Kentucky, and Peter Schiff in his bid to represent Connecticut in the Senate. The RLC has also endorsed Jason Shepherd for State Representative in Georgia, Shane Schoeller (Incumbent) for State Representative in Missouri, and Bill Hunt for Orange County Sheriff in California. Our endorsements process has just begun, so please stay tuned for...

California Republican Execs have a chance to redeem themselves ... After two serious fumbles: 1. Teresa Hernandez for Congressional District 32, May 2009, and 2. David Harmer for Congressional District 10, November 2009. How can they shed their Keystone Cops image? Answer: Follow the Jim deMint lead and support Chuck DeVore to replace senator Boxer. Do not support Carly Fiorina, she is the poster girl of affirmative action. The Board at Hewlett Packard (mostly heirs of Wm. Hewlett and David Packard) soon discovered she was unsuitable, because rather than build on HP strengths, she sought to expand via acquisition, mostly...

These are partial results for Libertarians who were candidates in the November 3, 2009 elections. We will post more results as we learn them. In Georgia: Karen Richardson was re-elected to the John's Creek City Council. Chris Neill, running for Mayor of Marietta, got 14%. Richard Segal, running for City Council in Douglasville, got 41%. Jeffrey Sexton, running for City Council in Leesburg, got 22%. Kellie Weeks, running for School Board in Gainesville, got 32%. Dr. Thomas Smoot, running for School Board in Valdosta, got 24%. In Iowa: Roger Fritz was elected Mayor of Roland. Nick Taiber got 46% running...

A Republican Liberty Caucus-endorsed candidate for House of Delegates in Virginia was endorsed by The Washington Post last week. Eric Brescia, who is running in a longtime Democrat stronghold in Arlington, Virginia, impressed The Post. Brescia, who is young, articulate, and has strong libertarian leanings, has run a campaign that may well fit his far-left district during an economic crisis due in part to overspending: his campaign emphasized policies that are socially tolerant and fiscally conservative. The Post said, “[Brescia] is exactly what the Republicans need in Northern Virginia: an independent-minded thinker who has fresh and specific ideas for how...

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson (R) is setting up a new political group to potentially set up a run for the White House. The former two-term governor, known for his libertarian leanings, is setting up a new 527 group, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, over which he'll preside as an "honorary chairman." The move raises the specter that Johnson might wage a bid for the GOP -- or Libertarian Party -- nomination for president in 2012. Candidates often set up groups, more frequently Political Action Committees (PACs) to raise money for or support other candidates. Johnson said...

Last week a new bill was introduced in the Senate to audit the Federal Reserve. Some backers of my bill HR1207 and the existing Senate companion bill S.604 were a little miffed at this, but depending on how you think about it, this new legislation poses no great threat to our efforts. With the economy in shambles, people are looking for answers - not just because of lost savings on Wall Street, but because of lost houses on Main Street. Because of the many problems we face, the Federal Reserve and its powers over the economy have come under scrutiny....

The Economist has a thoughtful interview with Reihan. His thoughts on Paul: My suspicion is that non-interventionism is going to enjoy a rebirth among conservatives. As memories of 9/11 fade and casualties continue to mount, a desire for an independent foreign policy with an inward focus—I won't call it isolationism—will reassert itself. Though I'm a firm believer in a more forward-leaning foreign policy (my instincts are more McCain than Paul), this is a good and healthy debate to have. So in that sense, Mr Paul is good for the party. I worry, however, that the Paul movement represents a turn...

Democrat Steve Shannon gets caught not knowing what the Virginia Attorney General's Office actually does, and not only does he consistently evade the question, his staffers harass and try to assault anyone who documents his reactions to questions from reporters who ask him about his evasive non-answers. Clearly, Steve Shannon doesn't understand the office he's running for and his campaign will stop at nothing to try to hide his troubling lack of competence about the job he's asking voters to elect him to.

With a faltering economy, multiple wars, and the approaching demise of the dollar’s reserve status, there are more than enough problems to keep politicians in Washington working day and night. In between handing out cash for clunkers and nationalizing healthcare, the administration is busy sending more troops overseas, escalating existing wars, and seeking out excuses to start new wars. Congress is working on “urgent” legislation to address crises like healthcare reform and climate change. The reforms are so very urgent that legislation must pass swiftly with no time to read the bills even though the new laws wouldn’t take effect...

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- Republican Rand Paul has raised more than $1 million for his U.S. Senate campaign, largely from Internet fundraisers that have proven especially lucrative for him. The son of former presidential candidate Ron Paul eclipsed all other major candidates in the third quarter.

I am going to be on TV twice tonight to respond to Lindsey Graham's attack Monday that I am trying to "hijack" the Republican Party, and that our movement is a bunch of "angry white men." Please tune in to CNN at 6:00 pm ET and MSNBC at 6:30 pm ET and help me defend our Constitutional principles from the Neo-Conservatives!

What if tomorrow morning you woke up to headlines that yet another Chinese drone bombing on US soil killed several dozen ranchers in a rural community while they were sleeping? That a drone aircraft had come across the Canadian border in the middle of the night and carried out the latest of many attacks? What if it was claimed that many of the victims harbored anti-Chinese sentiments, but most of the dead were innocent women and children? And what if the Chinese administration, in an effort to improve its public image in the US, had approved an aid package to...

This past week there has been a lot of discussion and debate on the continuing war in Afghanistan. Lasting twice as long as World War II and with no end in sight, the war in Afghanistan has been one of the longest conflicts in which our country has ever been involved. The situation has only gotten worse with recent escalations. The current debate is focused entirely on the question of troop levels. How many more troops should be sent over in order to pursue the war? The administration has already approved an additional 21,000 American service men and women to...

As a state senator, Ken Cuccinelli has made a positive difference in the lives of many Virginians. Sen. Cuccinelli passed a bill to keep Virginia government from unfairly seizing private property. He toughened our laws to keep violent sexual offenders off our streets. He passed a law allowing the government to fire workers who hire illegal immigrants. He passed laws to crack down on gang violence. He fought consistently against tax increases proposed by our governors. He was the deciding vote to ban partial birth abortions.

Now more than ever we need an attorney general who will fight for limited government and stop the expansion of federal programs. As the federal government gets more intrusive in our lives, we need someone like Ken Cuccinelli who will stand up for our rights. Ken has the same belief our Founders did when they established this great nation and cautioned against too much government power and regulation. Ken knows that the government that governs best, governs least.

Those of us who have been waiting for a politician to pick up on the monetary issue are perking up at Governor Palin’s demarche on the dollar. This came last week in a posting on her Facebook page, where she reacted to a report that Gulf oil producers were negotiating with Russia, China, Japan, and France to abandon the use of the dollar in pricing petroleum. She noted the report in the Wall Street Journal that Arab oil officials were denying the story, but reckoned that “even the possibility of such talk weakens the dollar and renews fears about its...

Last week I was very pleased that the Financial Services Committee held a hearing on the Federal Reserve Transparency Act, HR 1207. The bill has 295 cosponsors and there is also strong support for the companion bill in the Senate. This hearing was a major step forward in getting the bill passed. I was pleased that the hearing was well-attended, especially considering that it was held on a Friday at nine o’clock in the morning! I have been talking about the immense, unchecked power of the Federal Reserve for many years, while the attention of Congress was always on other...

Statement before the United States House of Representatives, September 23, 2009. Government has been mismanaging medical care for more than 45 years; for every problem it has created it has responded by exponentially expanding the role of government. Points to consider: No one has a right to medical care. If one assumes such a right, it endorses the notion that some individuals have a right to someone else’s life and property. This totally contradicts the principles of liberty. If medical care is provided by government, this can only be achieved by an authoritarian government unconcerned about the rights of the...

I’ve mentioned in the past the importance of electing officials who share our principles of liberty, limited government, and personal responsibility. That’s why I’ve ardently supported Senator Ken Cuccinelli as our next Attorney General. Both Virginia and our nation as a whole could benefit from more leaders like him. I’m pleased to announce that my former employer, Congressman Ron Paul, has taken note of this race as well. From an email earlier today: Dear Friend in Liberty, The 2009 elections in Virginia promise to be very important for the direction of our Country. America has taken a dangerous turn away...

Two weeks ago, both the administration and the Fed announced with straight faces that the recession was over and the signs of economic recovery were clear. Then last week, the president made a stunning decision that signals the administration’s determination to repeat the mistakes of the Great Depression. Much like the Smoot-Hawley Tariffs that set off a global trade war and effectively doomed us to ten more years of economic misery, Obama’s decision to enact steep tariffs on Chinese imported tires could spark a trade war with the single most important trading partner we have. Not only does China manufacture...

Last Wednesday the nation was riveted to the President’s speech on healthcare reform before Congress. While the President’s concern for the uninsured is no doubt sincere, his plan amounts to a magnanimous gift to the health insurance industry, despite any implications to the contrary. For decades the insurance industry has been lobbying for mandated coverage for everyone. Imagine if the cell phone industry or the cable TV industry received such a gift from government? If government were to fine individuals simply for not buying a corporation’s product, it would be an incredible and completely unfair boon to that industry, at...

NB: Ron Paul does not officially endorse candidates in primaries running against incumbents. Saying her two high-profile rivals have dropped the ball for Texas, Wharton County GOP chairwoman Debra Medina announced her campaign Saturday for the Republican nomination for governor. "We've done little to move in the right direction. Some may even say we've lost yardage," Medina said during a rally at the Westin Galleria. "I'm ready to take the field as quarterback, for a time, for Texas." Medina, a top volunteer in Rep. Ron Paul's presidential campaign, joins powerhouse Republicans Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison as candidates in...

Things seem to be unraveling quickly for the new administration. The latest unemployment numbers are worse than the last reports. For all the billions of dollars spent and committed to fixing our economic problems, the situation is only getting worse. This was to be expected by those who understand the root causes of the problems. Throwing money around and creating more government programs is both simplistic and damaging to the economy. Of course, the administration claims that we would have been much worse off without these efforts. You can’t improve this situation by adding to our mountain of public debt...

Over the last few months, there has been a growing movement to bring transparency and new levels of accountability to the US Federal Reserve. Congressman Ron Paul has been leading the fight in the House of Representatives. There’s no champion fighting in the US Senate to bring accountability to the Federal Reserve, but that might change if one Kentucky senatorial candidate gets elected. Currently in the U.S. Senate, there’s a piece of legislation similar to Ron Paul’s H.R. 1207 which would bring new levels of accountability to the Federal Reserve by allowing the GAO to audit the Fed. The legislation,...

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul and a mysterious supporter are attempting to paint GOP front-runner Trey Grayson as a Washington, D.C., insider. Supporter Josh Manuel, whom Paul Campaign Manager David Adams said he doesn't know, has launched a Web site promoting a "Kentucky Fight" between Paul and Grayson on Sept. 23. The site, titled "Rand 'We the People' vs. Trey 'The DC Insiders,'" notes that 23 Republican U.S. senators, including Kentucky's Mitch McConnell, are to hold a $500-per-plate fund-raiser for Grayson's 2010 U.S. Senate campaign in Washington on Sept. 23. "This deck stacking favoritism in a highly contested GOP...

Just got off the phone with some 20 year old at the RNC. I screen my calls and was going to let it roll over to the answering machine. Then I realized that this was a chance to give the RNC an earful.

It has been an interesting week indeed for the Federal Reserve. Early this week, it was announced that President Obama intends to reappoint Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke to a second term in January, signaling a vote of confidence in him. Bernanke seems to be popular with the administration and with Wall Street, and with good reason. His lending policies have left big banks flush with newly created cash that covers up old mistakes and allows for new ones. By buying up mountains of Treasury debt he has also enabled spending to soar to ridiculous levels that should startle any responsible...

^ Rand Paul speech in Nicholasville, Kentucky [Click Here]

During August recess, many legislators have heard an unexpected amount of discontent from their constituents about what is happening on Capitol Hill, particularly regarding healthcare. Some people are justifiably terrified at what the government could do to healthcare, should it get its claws even further into it. Others demand a public option for health insurance and are adamant that healthcare be treated as yet another absolute entitlement. One thing everyone agrees on is that the final bill needs to be read and understood by all legislators before a vote is taken. To any American, this is common sense. In Washington,...

Since the bailouts last fall, lawmakers have been behaving as quasi-owners of the bailed-out banks and businesses, leading to calls for increased regulation of executive compensation and other wasteful expenditures. We have heard much about bonuses and executive pay packages that sound more like lottery winnings than an honest salary. Many lawmakers voted in favor of these unconstitutional bailouts, believing that these corporations were too big to fail, and allowing them to go under would precipitate widespread economic disaster. This second wave of citizen outrage at the bailouts has left these lawmakers with a bit of egg on their face,...

It is every American's patriotic duty, if they are over the age of 65, an active exploiter of Medicare or any other government services, and not contributing retribution, to plan for their departure from American society. If you are over 65, a burden, you should feel duty bound. Now which of you folks here feels patriotic, raise your hand--Barack Obama

The donors who poured millions into Ron Paul's presidential campaign coffers aren't done yet. On Saturday, libertarian financier and commentator Peter Schiff raised more than $200,000 in a 24-hour "money bomb" as he continues to explore a bid for the Republican nomination to run against Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). Having now collected more than $790,000 in campaign contributions since mid-July, the Ron Paul Republican Schiff is competitive financially with the frontrunners for the GOP nomination. Former Congressman Rob Simmons raised $754,000 through June 30 while former ambassador Tom Foley has taken in $528,000 since mid-June. Schiff's fundraising haul wasn't the...

How sick and sad that Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed today by the US Senate for a seat on the US Supreme Court! Anyone who cares about individual rights and true justice has to be in despair. Sotomayor is a racist, sexist, bigot, and lowlife. Her "identity politics" philosophy, and "wise Latina" persona, violate the Greek ideal of "impartiality before the law," and the American ideal of "e pluribus unum." She's a drop-dead enemy of civil rights and neutral, impartial justice -- the only justice that even exists. Sotomayor reduces America to the level of savage, tribalist Afghanistan wherein the great...

Healthcare continues to dominate the agenda on Capitol Hill as House leadership and the administration try to ram through their big government healthcare plan. Fortunately, they have been unsuccessful so far, as there are many horrifying provisions tucked into this massive piece of legislation. One major issue is the public funding of elective abortions. The administration has already removed many longstanding restrictions on abortion, and is unwilling to provide straight answers to questions regarding the public funding of abortion in their plan. This is deeply troubling for those of us who do not want taxpayer dollars funding abortions. Forcing pro-life...

Connecticut Republican Peter Schiff is using donation levels over the next few weeks to gauge support for a potential Senate run in 2010. But he might want to make a note of the experience of political mentor, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, whose 2008 presidential campaign experience demonstrated that a huge number of donations do not necessarily denote electoral viability. Schiff alerted supporters Tuesday that his campaign Web site is now accepting donations. "My decision to run is largely dependent on the level of early support and contributions I receive from people like you," he wrote in the e-mail. Recent polling,...

To Reject nihilism and Revive Liberty, Conservatives must lead the charge. How will we regain our lost liberty and our prosperity? How can we claw our way out of the depths of nihilism back up to our perch in the “Shining City on the hill?” All Americans must reject the something-for-nothing vision of Hope and Change. We must come to terms with ourselves and recognize that a people cannot live free, if they constantly prey on each other. Similarly, we cannot live free, if we lose our will to live free, and sit idly while organized groups of nihilists overwhelm...

Why is America Discussing Sonia Sotomayor? President Obama is within his Constitutional purview to nominate anyone he wants as a Supreme Court nominee, even Sonia Sotomayor. He could have nominated Bozo the Clown or a “died in the wool” Communist like Bill Ayres, which he would have been more inclined to do. The fact is that that during the space of time between Obama’s announcement of her as a nominee and her confirmation hearings, she has, very publicly, had her judgment overturned regarding the firefighters in Connecticut. Those who overturned Sotomayer’s verdict knew exactly what they were doing and were...

As the focus turns from rebuilding the Republican Party in 2009 to winning elections in 2010, look to three savvy women to lead the way for liberty next year. Sharron Angle is a former member of the Nevada Assembly who was narrowly defeated in a Congressional primary two years ago. At her website, she sharply criticizes the national debt, the continued growth of government, and mounting Congressional spending. In 2010, Angle is likely to run against the vulnerable U.S. Senate Speaker Harry Reid (D-NV). Terri McCormick is a former State Representative from Wisconsin. Elected in 2000, she self-imposed a term...

“No one’s going to save us dude. It’s up to us and us alone.” These are the words of a text message I received from a fellow conservative upon the revelation that South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford had disappeared for a few days to spend time with his mistress in Argentina. After the cumulative disaster that were the 2008 GOP primaries, conservatives desperately thought that, for once, we might have an ardent conservative – particularly a fiscal conservative – run and actually capture the White House in 2012. And this was not your garden-variety, self-proclaimed “conservative” Republican who interpreted conservatism...

Tough Love for California.House Chamber, Washington, D.C.June 11, 2009 M. Speaker: Gov. Schwarzenegger of my home state of California has called for the federal government to underwrite as much as $15 billion of Revenue Anticipation Notes that the state has to issue to avoid insolvency. I think that would be a colossal mistake, and that such an act would not only dig the nation deeper into the hole it is in, but would actually make California’s fiscal condition worse. Today, California faces a paradox: despite record levels of spending and borrowing, it can no longer produce a decent road system,...

Caucus says governor protects taxpayers. BY ROBERT BEHRE At least one faction of the Republican Party thinks South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford should run for president. The National Board of the Republican Liberty Caucus passed a resolution encouraging Sanford to seek the office in 2012. It cited the way Sanford has voted his conscience on tough issues. Dave Nalle, chairman of the California-based caucus, said: "In his two terms as governor of South Carolina, Sanford has shown independence and creativity and acted as a vigilant guardian of taxpayer interests." The caucus is far from the highest profile organization within the...

Grassroots call for lawmakers to KILL loaded TxDOT sunset bill Trans Texas Corridor to proceed despite repeal of corridor (Austin, TX – May 28, 2009) The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) sunset bill, HB 300, now over 1,500 pages long, has too much baggage for taxpayers to swallow. HB 300 ends the private toll moratorium (which hands our PUBLIC highways to PRIVATE, foreign toll operators), keeps the Trans Texas Corridor (TTC) alive, opens a new loophole to toll existing freeways, allows counties a 10 cent gas tax hike, raids public employee pension funds to invest in risky private toll roads...

Yesterday judge Nadia Sotomayor was nominated for the US Supreme Court by President Barack Obama in a profoundly bigoted way, for notably racist and sexist reasons. And she has ruled in a profoundly bigoted way, with massive racism and sexism in her judicial decisions. One can't help but ask: What about the concept of a neutral, impartial, objective rule of law -- one in which no-one is a second class citizen? What about the notion that "justice is blind?" What about the ideal of equality before the law? And if this loathsome, anti-white, anti-male bigot is promoted to the United...

Viva Teresa She will be good for her own district in So. Cal, but she will bring great perspective in honesty, practical reality, and tax restraint. to Washington DC. She is: a mother, a successful business woman, and a very decent, moral, civil and intelligent human being. She has signed a No New Tax Pledge. Her pro-life, pro-family stances have been clearly, unequivocally stated. She was a key speaker at the April 15 Pasadena, CA Tea Party. She is a standard bearer of the Ronald Reagan tradition. Teresa Hernandez is running for Congress(District 32, vacated by Hilda Solis) to bring...

Former Sen. Karen Johnson is considering a return to the political arena with a run for governor. Johnson, a Mesa Republican who left office in 2008 after 12 years in the Legislature, filed an exploratory committee for a gubernatorial run on April 15. She said she filed at the urging of friends and colleagues who worked with her on Ron Paul's presidential campaign, and is waiting to see what kind of support she gets before she decides whether she will officially file as a candidate. "I thought we'd kind of stick our toe in the water," Johnson said. "I think...

Last night, to a packed audience at Murphy's Tavern, gathered there to watch Glenn Beck's special "We Surround Them" show, New Hampshire State Representative the Honorable Dan Itse broached the possibility of a run for Governor. He invites potential supporters to let him know if they would like to see him make this run, and offered his email up to everyone as a means to contact him. Email him at itsenh@comcast.net or write him at PO Box 70, Fremont, NH 03044 and let him know that you would like to see him officially throw his tricorn in this ring. YouTube:...

Last week the House passed another budget that increases federal power, raises taxes, and increases the national debt. I voted against it, and was pleased to see that not a single Republican representative voted for it. Legislators often see bipartisanship as constructive, but I disagree especially where the destruction of our economy or our liberty is concerned. There has been too much bipartisan consensus on expanding government far beyond the bounds of the Constitution which we all swore to defend and uphold. Because of this, I have never been able to vote for a budget. However, it was good to...