Free Republic

How many excuses has the White House produced for not complying with the statutory requirement to notify and consult with Congress before releasing detainees from Gitmo? We’ve had enough to get to the point where they’re recycling the older ones. First we heard that there wasn’t enough time to notify Congress, followed by a claim that Bowe Bergdahl’s health was so bad he could have been dead within days. When that didn’t work, the White House then claimed that the Taliban threatened to kill Bergdahl if the deal leaked, which no one bought, and so we’re back to the we-had-no-time...

Senate Assistant Majority Leader Richard J. Durbin vowed Monday to keep fighting to give green cards to some illegal immigrants who serve in the U.S. military, according to a report. “If you are willing to sign up in our military and risk your life for America, you should be given that opportunity,” Mr. Durbin, Illinois Democrat, proclaimed at a Senate Appropriation Committee field hearing in Chicago. Senate Democrats are debating whether to add the measure, known as the ENLIST Act, to the annual defense authorization act. The ENLIST Act would enable young illegal immigrants who entered the United States before...

Chicago Scoop: Obama to Chicago May 22 for Senate Democrats fundraisers Lynn Sweet @lynnsweet | Email WASHINGTON--President Barack Obama returns to Chicago on May 22 to headline big money fund-raisers to benefit the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Sen. Dick Durbin's re-election warchest. Obama, who touched down in Chicago in March for funders to bankroll the Democratic National Committee, will appear at a reception at the home of Michael and Tanya Polsky and a dinner at the home of Fred Eychaner, the CEO of Newsweb Corporation and one of the biggest Democratic donors in the nation. Obama needs the Senate...

SPRINGFIELD, IL, April 3, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, known for his outspoken defense of the right to life and the natural family, has signaled his support for denying Communion to Catholic politicians who publicly endorse activities gravely contrary to the moral law.

In a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said free enterprise isn´t always best. Government must step in. "The free enterprise system is a strong system," he said, but it "created unfairness and injustice when it came to health care, which we are addressing with this Affordable Care Act." In passing that law, Durbin said Democrats "rejected the free enterprise approach to health care and said let´s have something that basically respects families." He also criticized Republicans for embracing free enterprise: "Let me tell you a free enterprise idea when it came to health care. Before

In the race for U.S. Senate, Republican challenger Jim Oberweis is getting shunned by two top Republicans - one local, one national. Dick Durbin is such a favorite for reelection that Republican Senator Mark Kirk says he’s not even planning to campaign with fellow Republican Oberweis. “I’m going to be protecting my relationship with Dick and not launching into a partisan jihad that hurts our partnership [in which we] both pull together for Illinois.” And at his side at an unrelated news conference was Republican Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn of Texas, in town for a fundraiser, who took a...

As we begin debate on this aid and sanctions package, I also hope that Republicans who stopped action on this legislation prior to the break have considered how their obstruction affects United States’ national security.” “In light of such clear-cut Russian aggression against Ukraine, it’s difficult to believe Republicans blocked this package at all. But it’s almost unimaginable why they blocked it – to protect the anonymity of their own big-money donors. ““Democrats fought hard four years ago to pass this landmark expansion of quality, affordable health care. And we will fight just as hard to make this law work...

The Talk Shows March 23rd, 2014 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas; Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Former President Jimmy Carter; Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Mitt Romney; Sens. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill.THIS WEEK (ABC): Reps. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., and Tom Cole, R-Okla.STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): Tony Blinken, President Barack Obama's deputy national security adviser; Reps. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

Putin is set to respond to Obama's sanctions of Russian officials with his own list. Several U.S. Senators and officials will be banned from visiting Russia, including Sen. Dick Durbin. U.S. senators, congressmen and top Obama administration officials are sure to be on Vladimir Putin’s sanctions list; a response to the Obama Administration’s announcement on Monday that 7 Russian officials and 4 Ukrainian officials would be barred from holding assets or traveling to the United States.

Oberweis found wintering in Florida a week ahead of Tuesday's primary AURORA - Just days before the election NBC 5's Mary Ann Ahern found U.S. Senate candidate Jim Oberweis relaxing ... in sunny Florida. We're only one week away from the Illinois primary, but GOP U.S. Senate candidate Jim Oberweis is already looking ahead to November.NBC 5 has learned that Oberweis flew out of Illinois Saturday, and is at his million-dollar Bonita Beach Florida condo until the end of the week.When reached by phone, Oberweis would not confirm his whereabouts, and when he was repeatedly asked whether he's in Illinois, he...

The Talk Shows February 23rd, 2014 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H.; Govs. Scott Walker, R-Wis., and Peter Shumlin, D-Vt.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): National Security Adviser Susan Rice.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Govs. Bobby Jindal, R-La., and Martin O'Malley, D-Md.THIS WEEK (ABC): Former President George W. Bush.STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): Govs. Rick Perry, R-Texas, Mike Pence, R-Ind., Dannel Malloy, D-Conn., Jay Nixon D-Mo.

Seven Democratic lawmakers are pushing to ban the use of electronic cigarettes on the grounds of the Capitol complex as part of a wider campaign against them. Led by the Senate's second-ranking Democrat, Dick Durbin (Ill.), the group called on rulemaking committees in both chambers to include e-cigarettes in the Capitol's existing ban on smoking in public places and near building entrances. "Given preliminary [federal] research finding harmful chemicals present in e-cigarettes, measures should be taken to ensure that the public is equally protected from the potential dangers posed by e-cigarettes and their vapor," the lawmakers wrote Tuesday. Via a...

Democrats may have changed the rules on filibusters, but far from ending the intense battle over President Obama’s nominations, the move has pushed Republicans to fight harder — and to pioneer other tactics. The latest move was made late Friday, just as the Senate was preparing to adjourn for a two-week recess. Republicans refused to allow a courtesy request to keep the full slate of Obama nominees pending. As a result, the nomination process must restart early next year. It was a capstone of a year in which a deal on filibusters frayed and finally collapsed, leaving the Senate atmosphere...

"llinois Senator Dick Durbin is talking about the flap over his claim that a leading House Republican told President Barack Obama he couldn't stand to look at his face, and Durbin got some help dealing with it from an unexpected source."

I just heard on WLS that McCain is in Chicago to stump for Durbin. And Kirk has good things about Durbin as well. What a nice thing!

RACIST ALERT! GOP leader Pete Sessions (R-Texas) disses El Presidente, right in the White House! Right to his face! Just because he’s BLACK! Oh look! A squirrel! And an Oreo! Well, for a minute there it looked like we had found that racist new squirrel we’ve been looking for. Sadly, it turned out that the allegation was…unsustainable. Okay, maybe it was a lie, butt nice try! The latest Washington “he-said-she-said” is so convoluted you’ll get whiplash trying to follow along, so allow me to attempt to lay it out flat. Here’s where the story started gaining traction: Durbin claimed in...

"................On Thursday, the White House explained further: “While the quote attributed to a Republican lawmaker in the House GOP meeting with the president is not accurate, there was a miscommunication when the White House read out that meeting to Senate Democrats, and we regret the misunderstanding.” To “read out” is Washington jargon meaning to summarize. Aides to the president refused to say how the miscommunication happened or who conducted the briefing with Senate Democrats in which it occurred. Durbin’s original Facebook post remained up Thursday, and a new post was added: “I appreciate this clarification from the White House that...

The White House on Wednesday disputed Sen. Dick Durbin's assertion that a House Republican leader insulted President Barack Obama while negotiating with the president over the partial government shutdown. But Durbin, an Illinoisan who is a friend and ally of the president, stood by his story, according to numerous media reports. In a Facebook post Sunday that remained up Wednesday night, Durbin wrote: "Many Republicans searching for something to say in defense of the disastrous shutdown strategy will say President Obama just doesn't try hard enough to communicate with Republicans. But in a 'negotiation' meeting with the president, one GOP...

In case you haven’t heard about this, Senator Dick Durbin claimed in a Facebook post that a House Republican told Barack Obama during the shutdown negotiations that “I cannot even stand to look at you.” Republicans vehemently denied it, and now the White House agrees: White House press secretary Jay Carney on Wednesday flatly denied that a House Republican told President Obama “I cannot even stand to look at you” during negotiations over the government shutdown. “It did not happen,” Carney said, saying he discussed the incident with a “participant in the meeting.” … “Many Republicans searching for something to...

A top Senate Democrat said on Sunday that ObamaCare is “on its way to be a substantial success.” Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the No. 2 Democrat in the chamber, defended the rollout of the healthcare reform law in an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” while noting that “it’s off to a rough start with the website.” Critics of the law have been quick to point out problems in the website that the Obama administration launched on Oct. 1, which is designed to help consumers shop for health insurance on new marketplaces, called exchanges. Glitches and delays at the website have...