Free Republic

The mayor of Hendersonville, N.C., says he is ready to challenge Rep. Health Shuler in 2010. Republican Greg Newman told local news outlets of his decision on Monday. Newman has been mayor of Hendersonville since 2005. In 2008,Shuler won a second term in the House by beating Asheville City Councilman Carl Mumpower by 26 points in a race that national Republicans did not target. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., carried the district by 5 points in the presidential race, Questions about a real estate development could make Shuler more of a target in 2010. CQ Politics currently rates the general election...

PRESS RELEASES McConnell Statement on Finance Committee Proposal from the Office of Senator Mitch McConnell Tuesday, October 13, 2009 ‘The fact is, this proposal will never come before the Senate’ WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement Tuesday regarding the Finance Committee vote on partisan health care reform: “Sen. Snowe called me this morning to let me know that while she continues to have serious, substantive policy reservations with this proposal, she wanted to keep the process moving. I share her concerns about the direction of this bill once it leaves the committee, and...

The three-way race makes for a number of possible scenarios, including ones that have Scozzafava finishing first, second or even third. She is in real trouble. A lack of campaign resources and a classic political squeeze from the left and the right have severely damaged the prospects of Republican Dede Scozzafava, a six-term state Assemblywoman from Watertown. While initial polling showed Scozzafava leading Democratic attorney Bill Owens and Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman, Owens has caught Scozzafava in recent private polling, and Hoffman continues to gain strength, making him a considerable factor in the contest and a growing problem for...

Sign petition to expel Snowe from GOP at http://gopetition.com/online/27432.html

What do Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand have in common? An odd assortment, to be sure, they share the fact that each of them has a greater degree of economic freedom than the United States. The Index of Economic Freedom is an annual analysis of world economies, now totaling 183 countries. It is a collaborative effort of The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal. The rankings are an average of 10 components analyzed during the last half of 2007 and the first half of 2008, on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the highest degree of...

A new conservative talk radio show, The Conservative Underground Radio Show, can be listened to at Electric Talk Radio at http://curadio.reaganites.org There will be a new show every Saturday night at 10 PM. It currently has about 4,000 listeners per week and is based in Cleveland, Ohio.

And we thought McCain was bad.... Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, known through out the country for his no nonsense stance on illegal immigrants in his home county, has been reprimanded by the Obama Administration. Sheriff Arpaio (better know simply as Sheriff Joe) and his deputies were authorized by the federal government to detain, question and verify the status of suspected illegal immigrants in the area. After receiving a litany of complaints from liberals various individuals, the Obama Administration revoked his ability to make immigration arrests. Sheriff Joe responded by stating that he would continue to make arrests...

The Tusk has mentioned his prospects in this race before, but now it looks like it's all over for Senate Democrat Leader, Harry Reid of Nevada. Polls are consistently showing him lagging behind his two potential competitors, Sue Lowden and Danny Tarkanian. But the surest factor indicating his assured retirement is this: Though respondents can't decide whom they want to win the Republican primary, they're certain they don't support Reid, the Senate majority leader seeking his fifth consecutive six-year term. In one general election scenario, 49 percent of respondents picked Lowden and 39 percent chose Reid. In another, 48 percent...

You really have to hand it to Barack Obama and his crew over at the Democratic National Committee for their abiity to turn virtually nothing into a whole lot of something. In his weekly address, President Obama touted what he seems to think is a wave of bipartisanship over his healthcare reform bill. It doesn't exist, of course, but that didn't stop the DNC from releasing an ad just hours after the address. Why, it almost seems like a concerted effort by liberals to fool the American people into thinking Republicans (the good guys) are now for this heaping pile...

Heart surgeon Dr. Larry Bucshon, the candidate that some 8th District Republican leaders say is the likely GOP challenger to Rep. Brad Ellsworth, is set to announce his candidacy. Bucshon, 47, will make a noon announcement Monday on the riverfront pavilion in Newburgh and appear Monday night at Princeton High School at a book-signing for former U.S. Rep. John Hostettler, R-Ind. Bucshon's campaign issued statements supporting him by party chairmen in Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey and Gibson counties.

The State Department speaks out on the Nobel Peace Prize and slams President Bush in the process. "From our standpoint, you know, we think that this gives us a sense of momentum … when the United States has accolades tossed its way, rather than shoes," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters on Friday. It's good to know we have people in the State Department that condone that type of conduct toward a President. Someone should tell him that the State Department represents the United States and as an employee his job is to promote and protect our interests. An...

The GOP has had five possible candidates: State Rep. Tom Kovach, who is close to Castle; businessman Anthony Wedo; Ferris Wharton, a former prosecutor who narrowly lost to Beau Biden for state Attorney General in 2006; former U.S. Attorney Colm Connolly; and former state Senate Minority Leader Charlie Copeland. "I don't want to make it seem like once we have a candidate, that candidate will be a frontrunner," the source said. "I think everyone knows it will be an uphill battle to hold the seat. But I feel confident that we can run a credible candidate and run a vigorous...

Republican strategist Mike Murphy has never been a timid talker, and he unloaded on Sarah Palin during NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. Addressing the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee’s chances of getting her party’s nod in 2012, he acknowledged that she has a constituency. But he said, “She’ll never be the nominee. It would be actually a disaster if she was the nominee.” He joined conservative columnist David Brooks in trashing talk show hosts such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, and their efforts to steer the GOP’s direction. “The noisiest parts of the conservative media machine have far...

Another miracle! As Obama walks on water, he drops a load of crap "AND IT ALSO FLOATS". Published by Ripley's Beleive it or don't. Nothing more to add. HE (THE CHOSEN ONE) Has said it all - (apparently).

Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer holds a strong edge over possible Republican challengers seeking to unseat her in the 2010 election, according to a new Field Poll of registered voters. The poll, conducted via telephone between Sept. 18 and Oct. 6, showed Boxer holding a double-digit lead over two GOP hopefuls, declared candidate Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine, and former Hewlett Packard executive Carly Fiorina, who has not declared her candidacy but has formed an exploratory committee. Boxer beat Fiorina 49 percent to 35 percent, and DeVore 50 percent to 33 percent. The poll indicated that much of Boxer's lead could stem...

I admit it: I've been sceptical in the past about Barack Obama. I thought he was weak on terror and an incompetent diplomat who managed to alienate America's allies while making nice with dictators everywhere (and when I say everywhere, I mean places like North Korea, Birma, Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and Russia. Oh I'm sorry, I forgot: Vladimir Putin isn't a dictator, he's the duly elected deputy leader of his country. Just like Mahmoud Ahmedinejad). That was then, this is now: U.S. President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for giving the world "hope for a...

The Democrats exhaled in relief yesterday after the CBO announced the Senate Finance version of health care would only cost 829 billion dollars and even better news...it will help decrease the deficit by 81 billion dollars. Oh happy day! You could feel the enthusiasm and back slapping from Washington D.C. out to the far reaches of the west coast. Obama was right, we could get this thing done for under a trillion dollars and reduce the deficit at the same time. Time to pop the balloons. There's nothing to celebrate here. Politicians in Washington never cease to amaze. They throw...

What did you think of Rush's newest parody? Rush Limbaugh's own parody of the children singing to Barack Obama. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNCFCVHPd7k

Just when it seems congressional Republicans have finally gotten the message about standing on principle before grasping for power, they go and pull a Dede Scozzafava. Scozzafava is the "Republican" New York assemblywoman selected by the GOP establishment as their candidate in the upcoming special election to succeed Rep. John McHugh. He recently resigned from his seat representing the Empire State's 23rd Congressional District on Capitol Hill to become President Obama's secretary of the Army. Incredibly, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, is throwing its money and resources behind Scozzafava. There is something else about Scozzafava -...

Doug Hoffman, a conservative running as a third-party candidate, is adding intrigue to the race to replace Republican Rep. John M. McHugh by trying to tap the electorate's anger and overcome long odds to upset the establishment candidates, Republican Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava and Democrat Bill Owens. Mr. Hoffman's message is simple: no more bailouts, no more tax increases and no more trillion-dollar deficits. "People are fed up with the two major parties, and they want someone who's going to take some action," said Hoffman spokesman Rob Ryan.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 "TAKE A COAT...TAKE A SEAT!" Image via Wikipedia The President once again turns to the cameras of the media to push his bid for a public option in the health care bill. Yesterday he invited some 150 doctors to the White House to be with him when he faced the cameras. All of them were supposedly Obama supporters. There was however, a problem. It seems that not all the doctors got the memo reminding them to wear white coats. Not to worry though, the President's staff happened to find a supply of white coats in varying...

<p>As if Michigan isn’t having enough trouble with the effects of the recession and the ailing auto industry, some of its citizens are suffering under laws and enforcement policies that simply defy common sense.</p> <p>But Michigan is not alone in having goofy laws and dopey bureaucrats. Vermillion County, Indiana, Prosecutor Nina Alexander said that she is proud to be "enforcing the law as it was written" by prosecuting a grandmother for buying two boxes of cold medication in less than a week.</p>

The lies and idiocy does not stop it only continues to get worse every day as Republicans get increasingly desperate to stop Obama, Democrats, and empathy. Lindsey Graham says Republicans are poised to come roaring back. God help us! He better look at his big tent party again, it is the Big Top party, a circus.....

Chris Burgard of Big Hollywood Blog has a great entry out today entitled the War on Propaganda. Burgard writes: "From Sun Tzu to Psy Ops, propaganda has won wars, toppled cultures and changed civilizations. As a self-identified enlightened and educated culture, we thought ourselves beyond such base manipulation. We were wrong." Burgard continues "On Sept. 20, 2009, President Obama stated that he would look into bailouts for print newspapers because he is concerned that blogs will take over the world and be a threat to democracy. Imagine that: the President of the United States is concerned free speech may be...

The Senate Judiciary Committee will be conducting an inquiry into the role and proper function within government played by czars and czardines and the wisdom of allowing unconfirmed, unvetted individuals to control a trillion dollars of taxpayer money without being subject to Congressional oversight. High time too. While some czars follow the traditional Congressional vetting process, and their budgets undergo the traditional authorization and appropriation funding process, some do not. Some czars have enormous budgets and enormous responsibilities; some have modest budgets and modest responsibilities, and some have neither budget nor responsibilities. Czars, such as the Drug Czar, Gil Kerlikoske...

Not quite satisfied with having run one of the worst presidential campaigns ever, Senator John McCain is now seeking to reshape the Republican Party in his on image. In other words, to make it a "centrist" party, or as I prefer to call it, "a group of dithering cowards who wet themselves at the slightest sign of liberal hostility". It’s all part of an approach that is at odds with most other recent failed presidential nominees, whose immediate response to defeat was to retreat from the electoral arena. But those familiar with McCain’s thinking say he has expressed serious concern...

There hasn't been a more controversial piece of Congressional and Senate legislation than the proposed health care program in my memory. In spite of polls revealing a majority of Americans oppose the current health care proposals, the Democrats are pushing hard to pass their legislation as quickly as possible. The American people are seeking to have their voices heard through their elected officials including conservatives, but the US Senate appears to be oblivious to that fact — including Republican senators such as Iowa's Chuck Grassley. Rather than fighting this attempt at an oppressive government takeover of the private sector, Senator...

Minnesota Republicans were told Saturday that they are members of a brand-new party and that Rep. Marty Seifert is their early favorite to be the state's brand-new governor. Seifert, of Marshall, who came into the race as a front-runner and has one of the most active campaigns, won 37 percent of the first-choice votes in a non-binding straw poll. Rep. Tom Emmer of Delano came in second, former state auditor Pat Anderson third and Sen. David Hann of Eden Prairie a close fourth. The poll won't bind delegates in next year's endorsement fight, but it gave winners bragging rights and...

Former Republican state Sen. Joe Heck is “seriously considering” dropping out of the governor’s race to challenge Democratic Rep. Dina Titus for Southern Nevada’s congressional seat in Washington. According to conservative activist Chuch Muth’s news service, Heck attended a meeting in Las Vegas on Monday called by fellow Republican John Guedry, who announced last week he was dropping out of the race, and was encouraged to run. Heck is expected to decide whether he’s in by the end of the week, the report said.

Political payback could turn an Illinois primary campaign into a Republican grudge match. Less than two years after a divisive primary crippled the GOP’s hopes in a special election won by Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Republicans are setting up strikingly similar battle lines in their February primary. State Sen. Randy Hultgren announced his candidacy for the seat on Monday, joining attorney Ethan Hastert — the son of the district’s longtime congressman and former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R) — and several other candidates. Hultgren has drawn praise from state Sen. Chris Lauzen, who bloodied up businessman Jim Oberweis in the...

Hey Dave, got caught with your pants down? SHE who laughs last laughs best. Hey, you and Bob Barker can talk about your diffenent methods of staffing the staff.

Mosley drops bid to be challenger to U.S. Rep. John Barrow Vidalia doctor was preparing quest to challenge Democrat John Barrow A Republican who said he'd spend $500,000 of his own money in an effort to oust U.S. Rep. John Barrow in 2010 has quit the race. Wayne Mosley, a Vidalia doctor and former Army lieutenant colonel, e-mailed the news to his supporters Thursday. Mosley widely had been considered the strongest of three GOP would-be challengers to Savannah Democrat Barrow. "I think so," said Savannah political consultant David Simons, "especially because of the money." During the past two years, Mosley...

Our government still has not figured out what to do about the dependence on foreign oil that everybody agrees is an unacceptable situation. The sensible thing to do, of course, is to produce more oil and natural gas from sources within and off the coasts near the United States, and the sooner, the better. “Drill here, drill now” is not just a slogan; it’s a prescription for energy independence. The 30-year old ban on offshore drilling along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts expired a year ago, and yet the federal government has sat on its hands, allowing time to pass...

When legislation of significant importance is attached to an unrelated bill as an amendment to avoid getting 60 votes, this tactic needs to be immortalized. Let's call it "Reiding the Bill" or "Reiding the legislation". Let's all give Harry Reid his due fame.

After last weekend's California Republican Party convention, a spokeswoman for potential Senate candidate Carly Fiorina dissed the results of rival Chuck DeVore's self-commissioned straw poll, telling CNN's Peter Hamby: "Let me get this straight, you want me to comment on a Chuck DeVore straw poll that was conducted in the DeVore hospitality suite on Saturday night with a bunch of college Republicans and a lot of free beer flowing?" Beer and college students may go together like Republicans and no-tax pledges, but can candidates really capture conservative students' support with an abundance of ale? Not so easily, according to Michael...

A majority of Minnesotans don't want to see Gov. Tim Pawlenty run for president in 2012, but nearly as many say they would give him a look if he were nominated, according to a Star Tribune Minnesota Poll. The poll shows that only 30 percent of adults want to see the two-term governor make a try for the White House three years from now, while 55 percent do not. But in a mixed message for Pawlenty, 25 percent of Minnesotans said there was a "good chance" they would vote for him if he became the GOP nominee, while another 25...

h/t Hot Air Hardly a week after Nancy Pelosi nearly wet her panties worrying that healthcare protests and townall meetings could turn violent (whaa! whaa!), a worry being fueled by the mainstream media and left bloggers. But in the midst of the G20 protests by liberal anarchists and anticapitalists, we see what a violent protest actually looks like. Nice. Via Hot Air: Of course, the media didn’t bat an eye at the larger implications of the real violence from the same leftist crowd in Saint Paul, Minnesota, during the Republican convention, either. It seems that conservatives exercising free speech in...

Last year the media did not mince words in their race to announce that young voters were flocking to Obama. In fact, a google search I conducted while doing research for this entry yielded 210,000 results for the very specific search phrase "young voters flock to Obama". The link provided is to the first one on the list. It was hardly surprising after young people's ridiculous choice at the polls in 2006, when they helped usher in a new era of governmental horrors by voting in droves for Democrats thus handing them control of Congress. Back in 2007 the new...

Gross Domestic Happiness? Why the French want to redefine economic growth. French President Nicolas Sarkozy recently said he wanted the nations of the world to stop using GDP, or gross domestic product, as the main measure of their economic performance. He wants them instead to work up another metric that takes into account not only economic production but such things as environmental quality and even time not spent in traffic—a sort of gross national satisfaction index. France has excellent reason to suppress GDP statistics. Since 1982, among developed nations, France has been a clear laggard in GDP growth. Mr. Domitrovic...

President Barack Obama has made another horrid decision, deciding not to put an immediate stop to the dangerous probe into activities of the CIA in working to protect the United States from terrorist attacks during the Bush administration. Attorney General Eric Holder launched a preliminary investigation in August into some old cases that had already been reviewed by the Justice Department and determined to be without merit. The reviews were performed by career employees who are non-partisan and have no ideological or political motives. In a letter to the president, seven past directors of the CIA – representing the administrations...

Republican state Sen. Clark Barnes says he's going to challenge Democratic Congressman Alan Mollohan in 2010. Barnes currently lives in Randolph County, which is part of Republican Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito's district. But Barnes says he is considering moving to a residence he owns in Grant County, which is in Mollohan's district. Barnes, who was first elected to the state Senate in 2004, says he has wide ideological differences from Mollohan, a 14-term congressman.

Indian Wells, California Republicans begin the 2010 campaign season with something many considered unthinkable just a few months ago - hope that they can win a major statewide race. They realize the odds are still steep. Only 31 percent of California voters are registered Republicans and no Congressional or legislative district has a majority of GOP voters. And demographically, former state Republican leader and current political analyst Allan Hoffenblum said the GOP has become an "old white guy" party in a state that is rapidly diversifying.Yet coming out of their three-day state convention that ended today, party activists say they...

Main stream media, or state run media, which ever you prefer, all seem to be wondering who is the leader of this protest movement? Is it Rush, Hannity, Beck...possibly Newt Gingrich, or heaven forbid, Sarah Palin? They seem to be alluding to the fact that without a leader, one must question their legitimacy. Well, my question has always been, why do they need a leader when the message is loud and clear? I found a response for the pundits on the left, and guess what? It comes from the mouth of one of your own politicians. So the next time...

Indian Wells, CA -- Greetings from the California Republican Convention, where we've already made a tactical error: We forgot to eat before the speeches. Do you know what the sound of 900 Republicans chewing sounds like? For all intents and purposes, this weekend is the kickoff for the 2010 campaign season and all the major statewide candidates are here. (Save for US Senate hopeful Carly Fiorina, who is undergoing her final two weeks of radiation therapy to treat breast cancer.) The next 40 hours are all about kissing up to the hardcore activists here. But before the smooches were planted,...

The Republican polling firm Rasmussen Reports surveyed 500 "likely voters" in Iowa on September 22 and came up with bad numbers for Governor Chet Culver. Former Governor Terry Branstad leads Culver by 54 percent to 34 percent, and Bob Vander Plaats leads Culver by 43 percent to 39 percent. Culver's approval rating is 43 percent, with 53 percent of respondents disapproving of the job he is doing. Topline results and favorability ratings are here. Culver was viewed very or somewhat favorably by 43 percent of respondents and viewed very or somewhat unfavorably by 50 percent. Branstad's favorability was 64 percent,...

If Detroit had been savaged by a hurricane and submerged by a ravenous flood, we'd know a lot more about it. If drought and carelessness had spread brush fires across the city, we'd see it on the evening news every night. Earthquake, tornadoes, you name it — if natural disaster had devastated the city that was once the living proof of American prosperity, the rest of the country might take notice.

Listening to Qaddafi babble to the United Nations assembly today is both entertaining and boring. However, he may be on to something when he went on his rant about moving the United Nations out of America. He suggested moving it to across the pond to the eastern hemisphere. I would venture to say that the vast majority of Americans would agree with this view.

Free Press is reporting that Democratic Representative John Conyers (Chairman House Judiciary Committee) and Barney Frank (Chairman House Financial Committee) are caving under mounting pressure to invetigate the ACORN scandal exposed by James O'Keefe and Hanah Giles - but there's a sick fascistic twist - the two wunderkinds are also calling for an investigation of Big Government and the "individuals" who secretly shot the damning videos. Americans must pose the following question of our fearless leaders. Do they also intend to investigate ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN? All of whom have used the exact same journalistic tactics to expose outrageous...

Charlie Cook, one of the most respected of the political prognosticators, continues to sound the alarm for Congressional Democrats. Since August, Cook has been telling them they’re headed for electoral disaster in the 2010 midterms if they don’t change their ways. Most of the erosion of support has taken place among independents. Although the country still seems willing to give President Obama the benefit of the doubt, at latest for the time being, they’re not willing to extend that to Congress. The threat to the Democratic majority in the House, unsurprisingly, comes in the districts of the Blue Dogs: "I...

Politicians love issues that get voters upset and they use them to attract votes. One of those is the cost of drugs and the evil, greedy pharmaceutical industry. People think they’re being ripped off when pills cost more than a few cents each, and some enterprising politician will likely use that issue to his or her advantage. You can make the argument that a drug that is effective in treating a serious medical condition is worth whatever it costs, but that argument often collapses when someone thinks about how a bunch of powder formed into a tablet can cost more...