Free Republic

Reid Wilson of Real Clear Politics had a column yesterday, "Dems finding success in the center" about how democrats have been having success winning House seats by recruiting "conservative" democrat candidates, and they were following the model again in 2008. While it is true that the democrat party has had success in executing this tactic, this success is due more to their ability to fool the public about these candidates than anything else. Wilson mentioned a few members such as John Barrow of Georgia and Heath Shuler of North Carolina (perhaps better known in the South for his college football...

Plenty of evidence has existed before, but now the conclusion is inescapable: the Democrats cannot understand the most basic law of economics, the law of supply and demand. Faced with spiraling fuel costs and a demand to act, the Democrat-controlled Congress cannot or will not act. Nancy Pelosi claims the idea to drill in protected coastal areas is a “hoax” and is “echoing the demands of big oil.” Ms. Pelosi, whose husband’s company has received millions of dollars worth of government contracts directly as a result of her efforts, states a plan to release the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to consumers,...

This is a Gospel video, with a balloon message and is created with scenic pictures of autumn and the song is, “ Higher “, sung by: Evangelist Ezekiel Cash. Also the best for American GOP, just ahead and will fly higher than she has ever been.

The way I see it, there are three albatrosses we should be hanging around the necks of the Democrats: 1) sky high oil prices (anti-drilling, global warming nonsense); 2) the mortgage meltdown: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Countrywide (Jim Johnson, Jamie Gorelick, Chris Dodd); and 3) Iraq defeatism: (Harry Reid: "this war is lost," etc., etc.) My question is: where are the attack ads showing Reid, Gorelick, Dodd, Anthony Mozillo, Chuck Schumer and the rest of the traitors? I can write them if need be, for God's sake, we should win Congress this Fall. Does anyone know what's going on in...

Presidents are term limited, so they can only do so much damage to the country. What I am very concerned about is our crummy Congress, which gets worse every year, and needs to be term limited. But Congress has a LOCK on never letting us get term limits on them. So I suggest the only way to do it, is to NEVER REELECT any incumbent! In the meantime, we can try to use the presidential race to give us a boost. Such as the following: McCain is a maverick. He likes to make waves. And he specializes in townhall meetings....

There is a chasm between the GOP Party and the American people that has been created by a break-down of communication as to where the Party stands on issues relative to the good of America and the American people.

Brooklyn Conservatives have wasted no time, picking retired banker and former Marine Corps captain Paul Atanasio, 59, as their candidate for Congress. "He is my congressional candidate," said Brooklyn Conservative chairman Jerry Kassar. "I'm going forward with that." Atanasio, an attorney, will replace the late Frank Powers as the Brooklyn Conservative pick in the race. A formal party candidate has yet to be chosen because Brooklyn Conservatives and those on Staten Island disagree over the choice. Brooklyn wanted Powers, who was the GOP designee, while Island Conservatives prefer City Councilman Michael McMahon (D-North Shore). If the two sides can't come...

An Oregon City woman who dated congressional candidate Mike Erickson seven years ago said she asked him directly whether he wanted to have a baby. He shook his head no, she said, and paid for her abortion. In interviews with The Oregonian, the woman said she met Erickson in September 2000, and she had the abortion in January 2001. They saw each other afterward, she said, even going on a trip to Mexico in March, before the relationship ended. She spoke on the condition that only her first name, Tawnya, be used. Her story is backed up by medical and...

Following the death of their candidate for Congress, Republican leaders on Staten Island and in Brooklyn are turning their attention in earnest — once again — to finding potential candidates to run for the seat. And they say they will probably reach a decision by the weekend. Party leaders on Staten Island said they were looking seriously at a number of potential candidates. The most prominent is Matthew Mirones, a former assemblyman who operates a prosthetics company. They had also considered Lisa Giovinazzo, a lawyer and part-time anchor at the cable channel NY1 News. But on Wednesday, Ms. Giovinazzo said...

I'm thinking of a word. Ah, yes. A#%hole. That's the one. Massachussetts (go figure) State Representative James Fagan took to the floor of the state house to oppose Jessica's Law, a bill sweeping through state legislatures across the nation that creates mandatory sentences for criminals who rape a child. Mr. Fagan, a defense attorney and hardcore liberal, opposes the bill on the grounds that...well, I guess he just hates children and loves child rapists, I dunno. It defies good sense, logic and simple moral decency. In the video below, Fagan explains what he would do to a child rape victim...

Click photo to enlargeJason Chaffetz (Leah Hogsten/The Salt Lake Tribune)«12»An anonymous Web site attacking 3rd District challenger Jason Chaffetz, accusing him of malicious lies and campaign law violations, was run by a staffer on Rep. Chris Cannon's campaign payroll. Cannon's campaign says they had no idea that the young man they hired to put up lawn signs was also running the Web site. "There is absolutely no connection between that Web site and the fact that he was paid by us," said Cannon spokesman Joe Hunter. The site, thetruthaboutjason.com, was taken down this week after inquiries from The Salt Lake...

Three potential candidates, including a new entrant, into this fall’s 6th Congressional District race sounded a sense of urgency Saturday for Republican recapture of the seat that fell to Democratic hands last month. Republicans lost the Baton Rouge-area district to Democrat Don Cazayoux, of New Roads, in a special election to fill the remainder of U.S. Rep. Richard Baker’s term. The seat, which had been in the GOP column since 1975, will be up for grabs again this fall. Businesswoman Laurinda Calongne and former state Rep. Woody Jenkins — candidates in the race Cazayoux won — told the Republican State...

SurveyUSA’s exclusive polling for Louisville’s WHAS-TV shows incumbent Democrat John Yarmuth 17 points atop Republican Anne Northup in the US House race in Kentucky’s 3rd Congressional District. Northup held the seat for five terms, beginning in 1996; Yarmuth won the seat by a 3-point margin in November of 2006. Today, it’s Yarmuth 57%, Northup 40%. Northup runs 8 points weaker today than she did in 2006, when she lost to Yarmuth 51% to 48%. Yarmuth runs 6 points stronger than he did in 2006. In between 2006 and today, Northup run for Governor of Kentucky and lost in the GOP...

In an attempt to further demonize the Republican party for its logic and practicality, Democrats are livid over the Republicans rejecting their bill to initiate a higher gas tax. The gas tax that dems are so in love with would cut into the profits of the 5 major oil producers in the US: Shell, Chevron, Exxon, BP America, and ConocoPhilips Oil Co. Sen. Charles Schumer (D- N.Y.) griped that: "We are hurting as a country. We're hurting individually as Americans ... and the other side says, 'Do nothing. Don't even debate the issue..." The truth of the matter is Republicans...

In a sad attempt to get the party to rally behind Rick Noriega, the Texas Democratic Party made him the keynote speaker at their Convention this past week. Noriega who is "challenging" incumbent John Cornyn in November put on his best "please elect me, sympathy tie" and went before the flock of Texas Demos to rally support. Noriega must appear so desperate because he currently is 10 points behind Senator Cornyn in the polls and significantly behind Cornyn in fundraising...I'd be sad too (mas triste). This is sad attempt on behalf of the Texas Democratic Party...couldn't they have picked someone...

One Bright Spot for Black Republicans in 08 Ralph Nader with money? A celebrity with money who thinks like Nader? A Clinton walkout at the Denver convention? None of the above, actually. Instead, it is Dr. Deborah Travis Honeycutt who declares herself the Democratic Party's worst nightmare. She says so in a letter I found in my post office box this morning. How does she back up this claim? Because "I am a black Republican woman and I am running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. " Yes, I was skeptical, too, for I didn't recall Democrats...

Huntsville insurance executive Wayne Parker and Huntsville attorney Cheryl Baswell Guthrie will be in a runoff for the Republican nomination for the 5th Congressional District seat. Parker nearly won without a runoff but didn't quite reach 50 percent of the GOP primary vote Tuesday. The runoff is July 15. State Sen. Parker Griffith of Huntsville won the Democratic Party primary Tuesday. The winner of the 2nd District race will replace veteran Democratic U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer, who has represented the district since 1991. Parker has previously run twice against Cramer.

It is not physically possible to show that ANY Global Warming law will have ANY effect on the climate. We will lose millions of jobs to India and China, where they don't buy this liberal hoax. Pure and simple, this is a tax to try to stop the sun from heating the earth. God help us.

So you may have received a call from Jim Oberweis recently. No, not one of those annoying robocalls that descended on the 14th Congressional District like a swarm of angry, negative bees during the final weeks of the primary and special-election campaigns. I mean something quite a bit more personal. Since losing the March special election to now-Rep. Bill Foster, Oberweis has been contacting people involved in the race, people who commented on the race, and people (like yours truly) who covered the race. He's been meeting with as many of these people as he can, trying to pick their...

How to recapture the Republican advantage on trade By Jesse Richman, Howard Richman, and Raymond Richman web posted May 26, 2008 When a new issue emerges that is popular, sometimes one party captures the issue and wins elections thereby. At other times no major party will adopt the issue and third parties emerge to champion it. Finally, some issues are dealt with by both parties. The Democratic Party, but not the Republicans, began talking about trade in 2006 when Senator Chuck Schumer took leadership, both on the trade issue and in enlisting Democratic candidates who would make trade an issue....

Kevin Mannix, who lost in the Republican primary in Oregon's 5th District to businessman Mike Erickson, will not be endorsing his rival - a serious blow to the Republican party's chances of holding the very winnable open seat, currently held by retiring Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-Ore.). "I will not support him because he's a dishonest person and that's my bottom line," Mannix told the Politico. "I cannot support a dishonest campaign. I need to stick to my principles here, and he'll have to deal with it. That doesn't mean I'm endorsing or supporting the Democrat, but I'm not doing anything...

When there’s trouble in Idaho for Republicans, you know they’re hurting everywhere. We’ve already seen the grassroots revolt in the works on the part of Paul supporters. But the fissures in the Idaho party run deeper. At the core of the party split is a fight over Idaho’s primary system between the state central committee and many elected officials. The battle came to a head this week, causing one Idaho observer to take note of the strong contrast between a united Democratic party in Idaho, and the Republican infighting [sub. required]: With Obama at the top of the ticket, Democrats...

Energy, high gas prices and the future of fuel highlighted the first debate between Republican Rep. Bob Inglis and his primary challenger, Charles Jeter, Wednesday night at the University of South Carolina Upstate. Trade policy and China's role in world economic and environmental affairs were underlying themes. About 50 people - including staffers and campaign volunteers, event organizers, family members and several media outlets - attended the debate, sponsored by the Spartanburg Young Republicans. WORD radio personality Bob McLain moderated.

With Thursday's California Supreme Court ruling regarding same sex marriage, we can expect a resurrection of one of the most shopworn political epiteths: San Francisco values. GOP Rep. Sam Graves unveiled an ad this week using the money phrase to disparage his Democratic challenger Kay Barnes, aka the "Big City Mayor" (formerly that is, of Kansas City.) Barnes' sin: She attended a fundraiser thrown by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and she shares Pelosi's "San Francisco Values." You know what that means. Or at least what it is supposed to mean. Nevertheless, you've GOT to see Graves' commercial only to check...

I was going to title this post "Bend Over, America", but I didn't want to upset the gays. So, by this time I'm sure most of us were expecting to be paying nearly $1 a gallon again for gas and the last of our troops would be coming in from Iraq. Well, at least that's what we were promised by the new Democrat majority in Congress. Instead, their planned retreat from Iraq has (thankfully) failed numerous times and since taking control of Congress, gas prices have risen more than $.50 a gallon. Is anyone allowed to say these things in...

President Bush threatened to veto the Foreclosure Bill proposed by the democrats. *link* This bill created by democrats wants to allocation billions of taxpayer funds to bail out individuals who basically bit off more they can chew it attempts to prevent foreclosure on homes across the county. Rep. Neugebauer from Texas brings up a valid point “The American people don’t want to make their neighbor’s payment when they’re having trouble making their own”, which is precisely what this bill would do. Assuming the bill passes, and homeowners are pulled from the brink of defaulting on their mortgage loan, what makes...

In the 5th Congressional District, incumbent Republican Dan Burton gets to try for yet another term in November. Burton withstood a challenge from former Marion County Coroner Dr. John McGoff, saying his opponent was very well-financed with special interest money. Plus, he says his campaign had problems with the Indianapolis print media. Heading into November, Burton believes the main issue will be the economy. McGoff says the Republican crossover vote was probably the biggest factor in his loss. Burton faces Democrat Mary Etta Ruley in the general election.

Rep. Patrick McHenry says the candidates who want his seat in Congress don't want to talk about his voting record. Unfortunately for the North Carolina Republican, there's plenty of other material for them to work with. The contest has gotten so ugly that McHenry's GOP opponent has accused McHenry of putting American lives at risk after he returned from Baghdad - perhaps a new height in primary election squabbling. "It's getting a little testy out there," said Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C. "Campaigns are modern-day warfare, so you are going to pull out...

The Republican free-for-all to replace retiring GOP Rep. John Doolittle is ugly and getting uglier, with the campaigns spending plenty to tag one candidate as a greedy carpetbagger and the other as a big-spending liberal. Those are fighting words in the Fourth Congressional District, which rambles from the Sacramento suburbs of Rocklin and Roseville east to Lake Tahoe and north to the Oregon border. Former Rep. Doug Ose and state Sen. Tom McClintock are brawling for the GOP nomination in a district where Republicans outnumber Democrats 47 percent to 30 percent and the incumbent is leaving after being named in...

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jerry McNerney, a freshman Democrat, has emerged as one of the Republicans' top targets in Congress this year, making the race in his district that rarity in California politics — a national battleground contest and a true tossup. In 2006, McNerney pulled off one of the big upsets of the year when he knocked off Republican Richard Pombo, a committee chairman who earned the ire of environmental groups. Now, efforts by the GOP to retake the district, which stretches from Stockton through Alameda County to Morgan Hill, ensures an expensive campaign and should be one of the...

Born December 9, 1962 in Madigan Army Medical Center – Fort Lewis, Washington State Following his service in the Army, Pete’s father earned a PhD in paper chemistry and began a career with Champion International. After various moves, the Olson family settled in Seabrook, Texas in 1972. Pete attended public school and graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1981. He played varsity basketball his Freshman year and later graduated from Rice University in 1985 with a BA in computer science and enrolled in the University of Texas School of Law in Austin. On the day he completed the Texas...

Given recent results in congressional elections and current polls, and given the beating we took in 2006, there is significant concern that 2008 will result in the Democrats making sweeping gains in the House and Senate. Given the electoral history of the past few decades, I believe that the fears of Democrats picking up an additional 5 or more seats in the Senate, or 20 or more seats in the House, are WAY overstated, PROVIDED McCain wins by a few points or more in November. Why? I surveyed the Senate elections occuring in presidential years. In no year at least...

Freshman Rep. David Davis (R-Tenn.), who won a crowded Republican primary in 2006 with just 22 percent of the vote, is in a two-man race this year with one of his vanquished foes. Johnson City Mayor Phil Roe (R) finished fourth in 2006 with 17 percent of the vote, but has quietly become one of the few challengers in the country this year to out-raise an incumbent. He reported collecting $120,000 between January and March, compared to $80,000 for Davis, who still holds a 2-to-1 advantage in total cash. Better still, with the 2006 runner-up to Davis deciding against another...

Rep. Patrick J. Murphy (D-Pa.) has been one of the most high-profile freshman members of Congress in his first term. As one of Barack Obama’s most visible supporters in Pennsylvania, he routinely appears as a surrogate to tout Obama’s candidacy. And because he is the only Iraq war veteran serving in Congress, Democrats have turned to Murphy as someone with the credibility to speak out against the war. But while Murphy has emerged as a rising star in Democratic circles, Republicans have quietly recruited a candidate with an equally compelling story who is now on pace to raise the amount...

Many of those with political experience in the Fox Valley are working to analyze the results from our March 8 special election to fill the U.S. House seat left vacant by Dennis Hastert. One thought offered, that GOP voters thought it was a done deal and stayed home, is wrong! Many who voted crossed the aisle. I did. Jim Oberweis set the tone with his negative material. Many voters were put off by the aggressive ads. Bill Foster addressed people with some respect. Look at election results from the February primary. State Sen. Chris Lauzen won Aurora districts by a...

State Sen. Tom Butler, D-Madison, announced today he will not be a candidate for the Congressional seat being vacated by Bud Cramer. Butler, who is serving his seventh term in the Alabama Legislature (fourth in the Senate), was considering running as a Republican for the north Alabama congressional seat. "After much prayer and consideration, I have decided not to run. I appreciate the support of many across the district and the state who encouraged me to seek the office, but at this time being with my family and finishing the job I stated in the State Senate is my priority,"...

Though retiring Republican incumbents hold two western New York seats near Syracuse and the Canadian border, the party is having a difficult time coming up with top-notch candidates to hold the seats. In the past day alone, two top recruits have told the Washington GOP establishment that they will not be seeking their party's nomination to replace Reps. Tom Reynolds and Jim Walsh, while Democrats have largely settled on their candidates. Walsh's Twenty-Fifth District, based around Syracuse, looks like one of the best pickup opportunities Democrats have in the Northeast. Former Congressional aide Dan Maffei, a Democrat who came just...

Shelby County Register Tom Leatherwood said today he will challenge U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn in this year’s Republican primary for the 7th Congressional District seat she has held since 2002. His entry gives Blackburn her first intra-party challenge since she won the congressional seat by defeating six opponents in the GOP primary of 2002, including three prominent Shelby County Republicans -- lawyer David Kustoff, state Sen. Mark Norris and Memphis City Council member Brent Taylor. “Yes, I’m in (the race),” Leatherwood told The Commercial Appeal today. “This is something that began to brew with me maybe a year or so...

Do we have enough young people to carry the flag of conservative values in public office for the next generation? Specifically, people who fit the following description: under the age of 50currently holds office or is a declared candidate for US Senate/House or Governor...or...merits being recruited for officeholds all or most of these (or more) conservative principles: Pro-lifePro-2nd AmmendmentSmaller govermentLower taxesFewer entitlementsSecure bordersAggressively pursue war on terrorism Know anyone who fits the bill?

Republicans appear to have found their candidate to run in the seat of retiring Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Ill.) after their previous nominee, New Lenox mayor Tim Baldermann, abruptly dropped out of the race last month. Businessman Martin Ozinga, who owns a Chicago-area concrete company, announced he will be seeking the support of the district’s party leadership, and appears to all-but-assured of the nomination, according to a state GOP operative. The 11th Congressional District State Central Committee will be officially naming a replacement candidate at a meeting on April 30. “After much prayer and careful consideration – and at the urging...

Madison County Commissioner Mo Brooks says he won't run for the 5th Congressional District seat being vacated by Bud Cramer. Brooks, who's a Huntsville lawyer, said Thursday he has been encouraged by many voters to qualify as a Republican for Congress. But he said he has many trials coming up and can't abandon his clients during their time of need. Brooks said he also has family commitments that take priority. Brooks ran for lieutenant governor in 2006 and finished third in the Republican primary.

The announcement produced outpourings of praise for Cramer and then immediate scrambling by potential successors who have until April 4 to qualify for the June 3 Democratic and Republican primaries. The general election is Nov. 4. State Sen. Parker Griffith, D-Huntsville, said he plans to visit with political and other leaders in Washington to gauge his chances of winning the seat. The physician joins about a half-dozen others who either have been asked to run or are considering running, including Huntsville attorney Ray McKee, who has qualified as a Republican. State Sen. Tom Butler, D-Madison, is being courted by Gov....

Former homebuilder Bill Dew, a Republican, announced Monday that he will challenge U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson in the 2nd Congressional District. Matheson, a four-term Democrat, represents a district that covers the southeast part of Salt Lake County, a small northeastern part of Utah County, and, in a horseshoe-shaped area, eastern, southeastern and southwestern Utah. This is Dew's first run for elective office. A millionaire through his homebuilding business, Dewbury Homes, Dew said he is willing to "spend substantial" amounts of his own money in the race. He declined to give a number. Matheson has been challenged by wealthy Republicans before....

The Republican race for Mississippi's third congressional district will go to a runoff. Charlie Ross won the most votes out of a field of seven candidates. Gregg Harper came in second place, with David Landrum trailing in third. Ross, a former state senator, was cheered by a crowd of supporters Tuesday night at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. The 52-year-old Brandon resident told WLBT Tuesday afternoon that he expected to be in a runoff. He said he was excited about leading the pack of qualified candidates. "It's like we're in the third quarter of a ball game,"...

A wheelchair manufacturing company owned by congressional candidate Dan Meuser and his family paid a $23,000 fine in 1997 for employing illegal immigrants. Mr. Meuser, president of Exeter-based Pride Mobility Products, acknowledged the fine in an interview and said the complaint by what was then the Immigration and Naturalization Service was prompted by the company’s hiring of three illegal immigrants. The workers presented the company 13 years ago, then known as Pride Health Care Inc., with false identification that included fake Social Security numbers. Fighting illegal immigration has been a linchpin of Mr. Meuser’s campaign. In a television ad aired...

Former GOP state chairman Kevin Mannix made it official Thursday, entering the race for the Oregon congressional seat being vacated by Democrat Darlene Hooley. Mannix will have to fight for his party's nomination against Mike Erickson, a wealthy businessman from Lake Oswego who ran against Hooley in 2006. On the Democratic side, a primary contest is set between state Sen. Kurt Schrader and political consultant Steve Marks. Some unions have also been quietly floating the idea of a run by Jim Hill, the former state treasurer who ran for governor in 2006. Mannix represented the city of Salem in the...

Follow the logic: 1.) Government routes funds -> subsidy to cover some of the bill -> Insurance industry gets a dramatic influx of income -> most influential lobbyists get the exclusive subsidy contracts -> unfair competition and antitrust complaints -> legal framework gets delayed 2.) Unions lose bargaining power as they no longer have the required negotiation of health insurance for workers -> kicking unions in the mouth even more in the face of an already unregulated globalized workforce -> unemployment 3.) No requirement to insure workers -> less workers for same productivity due to weakening Unions -> corporations get...

In 2006, Chris Carney, a liberal college professor, took the seat. This year, we at RedState hope to take it back with Chris Hackett. Mr. Hackett, a CPA, is both a fiscal and social conservative. He is pro-life and anti-earmarks. His opponent, Chris Carney, has been spending federal dollars on earmarks claiming they bring the bacon home to the tenth. The problem is, Carney can't explain how his vote for fruit fly research in France brings jobs home. Chris Hackett, on the other hand, can deftly explain how growth in Washington kills jobs in the 10th. The 10th Congressional District...

Dermatologist Shelley Sekula Gibbs and former U.S. Senate staffer Pete Olson indicated on Wednesday they will campaign based on their contrasting service and backgrounds after emerging from a congressional contest whose 10 conservative candidates agreed on virtually every policy issue. The pair advanced to an April 8 runoff that will produce the Republican nominee to challenge Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Stafford, in the 22nd Congressional District.

I drove up to Auburn Tuesday to see Tom McClintock rhetorically throw his hat into the ring. "The ring" in this case refers to the 4th Congressional District, and the cliché is historically appropriate. Apparently derived from a frontier tradition of throwing one's headgear into a boxing ring to announce one's pugilistic intentions, it was popularized as a political term by Theodore Roosevelt in 1912. "My hat's in the ring. The fight is on, and I'm stripped to the buff," Roosevelt said as he announced he would challenge a heretofore fellow Republican, William Howard Taft, for the presidency. Which is...