Free Republic

House conservatives are renewing their fight to unilaterally ban earmarks for a year within the Republican Party. House GOP leadership has also renewed their own version of an earmark ban, but it's woefully diluted -- it is contingent on Democrats playing along. Frankly, that's too little, too late. But thanks to Jeb Hensarling, Jeff Flake, and the other RSC members who are pushing for an earmark ban now, I'm confident that we'll see a moratorium before the election. I've been told that they have the votes needed (50) to receive a conference-wide vote. This will force leadership to make a...

If Jeb Hensarling (R) of the 5th Congressional District of Texas, is your Congressman, I hope you folks will throw his sorry a** out of office in November. WHAT A LOW-LIFE SCUMBAG. Lou Dobbs just tore him up and the pollitical whore sat there with that crap eating grin on his face and REFUSED to stand up for consumers against the credit card companies. He has been bought off by the major credit card companies. I thought Lou Dobbs was going to reach through the monitor and punch him in his lying mouth.

If you only watch one YouTube video this month, let it be this. Since Democrats took control (Jan. 2007): The price of oil has almost doubledJob growth has been cut in half (80,000 jobs lost in the last two months alone)The average family grocery bill has increased about $70 per monthThe stock market has lost about 10% of its valueHome prices have fallen roughly 8%Consumer price inflation has increased over 4%, the largest calendar increase since the early 90s.Etc.Watch

A Hensarling Sandwich at CPAC by Jillian Bandes Posted: 02/08/2008 After the booing of Sen. John McCain, CPAC attendees were attacked by pundits on the right and left for dividing the Republican Party on its choice of Presidential nominees. But if Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Tex), had been more of a featured item at CPAC, maybe some of that criticism could have been avoided. Hensarling’s speech came right after Romney’s withdrawal announcement, but his words of reassurance on the nominee issue briefly united the thinned and raucous crowd. “When our nominee is chosen, we will be there and we will enthusiastically...

House conservatives, rejecting protests from fellow Republicans who said they were depriving troops of needed support, stripped $500 million in military projects from a veterans spending bill Friday. Democrats in turn said GOP-backed tax cuts and a tight budget passed two days ago were behind a fiscal crisis leading to the cuts. "I don't know why they (the troops) should be stuck in the middle of a family squabble within the Republican Party," said Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. The conservatives, led by Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, used parliamentary procedures to delete some...

Taking the heat By Rebecca Hagelin Oct 18, 2005 Vice President of Communications and Marketing, The Heritage Foundation “In fire, gold is tested,” the saying goes. Just ask Mike Pence. A third-term congressman from Indiana, Pence has been sorely tested lately, enduring a fire that few of us would want to withstand -- and he’s demonstrating that he’s as good as gold. That’s because Pence is largely responsible for the change in attitude we’re seeing in Republican leaders toward spending cuts. Not long ago, they appeared unconcerned about the explosion in growth we’ve witnessed in the size of government over...

Last week we suggested that cancellation of $25 billion in pork projects -- euphemistically known as "earmarks" -- in the recently passed Highway Bill would be a good first step to offset some of the cost of rebuilding the infrastructure in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast. The idea of a pork-for-reconstruction swap had already been denounced as "moronic" by a spokesman for Don Young of Alaska, Chairman of the House Transportation Committee and proud father of the now-infamous $223 million "bridge to nowhere" near Ketchikan. Since then the White House and Congressional Republican leadership have been acting as...

Lacking votes to pass the budget, House Republican leaders struck a deal yesterday with conservative members who had demanded reforms to the spending process. The deal is a major win for the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC) and signaled a rare concession from powerful GOP leaders. Republican leaders had charged that the reform demanded by members of the RSC would tie the leadership’s hands and empower House Democrats. But realizing that they would otherwise lack the votes to pass the budget this week, the GOP leaders yesterday agreed to conservatives’ demand that waiving budget rules for future spending bills require...

Hensarling stumps in Cherokee County By Jim Brown - Progress Region Editor Republican Congressman Jeb Hensarling was in Jacksonville and Rusk Friday, stumping for the votes he'll need if he's to become Cherokee County's first Dallas-based representative since courts approved the state's controversial redistricting plan. He was sworn into office in January 2003 after he ran for, and won, the District 5 seat vacated by Rep. Pete Sessions, who now serves District 32. Hensarling, 46, said Friday he understands there is a "natural leeriness" on the part of some locals as to how someone from Dallas can represent East Texans....

Good will frays in Senate as topic becomes fines Associated Press AUSTIN (AP) — Some of the good will shown on the Senate floor a day earlier appeared to be cracking Wednesday as Democrats pressured Republicans about the fines imposed on them for the Democratic boycott of the last special legislative session. "We're here. I'm here," an angry Sen. Mario Gallegos, D-Houston, said from the Senate floor. "I'd like to write my constituency back home and either, either somebody does something on this floor or I will. I will go to my parking space ... I want somebody to take...

Congressional race takes a side road on the who's-who issue By Jayson Larson A week ago this Saturday, Ron Chapman, the Democratic political candidate for Dist. 5 U.S. Congress, stood on the Henderson County courthouse lawn trying to convince voters he will bring a "common-sense approach" to Washington, D.C. A little bit later in the day, Jeb Hensarling brought Ron Chapman to Republican Party headquarters to get his endorsement. Confused? Depending on which campaign you speak to, so are voters. The Chapman who dished out the endorsement would be the longtime Dallas radio disc jockey whose unmistakable voice was heard...

Hensarling-Chapman Race Remains Tight Former National Republican Senatorial Committee executive director Jeb Hensarling (R) enjoyed a 6-point lead over former Dallas County judge Ron Chapman(D) in the open 5th district race, according to a poll conducted for Hensarling's campaign. Hensarling took 39 percent of the vote to 33 percent for Chapman in the Baselice & Associates survey. In the field from Aug. 11 to 13, the poll's sample was 400 likely voters with a 4.9 percent margin of error. In a generic ballot question 46 percent said they would support a Republican candidate while 33 percent said they would back...