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Washington (CNSNews.com) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has the power to shut off microphones and still video cameras, but that has not stopped House Republicans – and a steady stream of Capitol Hill visitors – from gathering in the House chamber for a third day on Tuesday for what seemed like a pep rally for energy independence. “Nancy Pelosi has said no to a vote on a comprehensive energy bill,” said Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colo.) before the rest of her words were drowned out by booing from the crowd. “Madam Speaker, get off your book tour …” Musgrave’s words...

<p>I just called and said "There's a Republican revolt going on int the House Chamber and I wasn't seeing much coverage of it." I got a run around on it. Was told several times "There are no cameras on now. Cameras are not allowed." I objected, politely, that the story could still be covered.</p>

An anti-immigration backlash has taken hold among Republicans in the Capitol, led in some cases by the staunchest supporters - Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina - of the failed Senate bill derided by many as amnesty. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a San Jose Democrat, fended off GOP efforts Friday to block what in normal times would be noncontroversial "private bills" to remedy the most compelling individual plights of a handful of illegal immigrants caught in the labyrinth of immigration law. Late Thursday night, Republicans walked out of a House vote to protest...

Tom Cole earned a Ph.D. in British history from the University of Oklahoma, intending to become a college professor, but he came to his senses and to a zest for politics and now, in just his third term in the House of Representatives, he is chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. As such, he is charged with recruiting the candidates and honing the tactics that will transform Speaker Nancy Pelosi back to House minority leader. "We are looking," says Cole, speaking unminced words about the Republican Party, "like a beaten down stock." Nevertheless, he is sanguine regarding 2008: "The...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- New House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is snuffing out one of Congress' enduring prerogatives, still cherished by some lawmakers -- the right to smoke near the floor of the House. Pelosi, D-California, announced Wednesday that effective immediately, House members would no longer be able to light up in the ornate Speaker's Lobby off the House floor where lawmakers mingle during votes. The room is often hazy with smoke, as it was Tuesday night as the House voted on anti-terror legislation; Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, often has a cigarette in hand, for example. "The days of smoke-filled rooms...

As they prepare to take control of Congress this week and face up to campaign pledges to restore bipartisanship and openness, Democrats are planning to largely sideline Republicans from the first burst of lawmaking. House Democrats intend to pass a raft of popular measures as part of their well-publicized plan for the first 100 hours. They include tightening ethics rules for lawmakers, raising the minimum wage, allowing more research on stem cells and cutting interest rates on student loans. But instead of allowing Republicans to fully participate in deliberations, as promised after the Democratic victory in the Nov. 7 midterm...

It took 48 hours of loose nukes in the control of bad hair kooks to get the electorate refocused on the stakes in November's elections.  But even before North Korea reminded the electorate of the wonders of Clinton-Albright era diplomacy, even as "The Path to 9/11" and The Looming Tower had done, the Foley effect had begun to dissipate as the reality of the choice before the country broke through even the MSM's fascination with the destruction of the Republicans because of the notorious IMs.Now Santorum in Pennsylvania, DeWine in Ohio, and Corker in Tennessee have showed strong momentum to match...

The Washington Times offered an article today about improving GOP prospects that, to me anyway, seemed long on conclusions and short on evidence. Their thesis: There has been a palpable shift in the mood in Washington in recent weeks. No longer are insiders in both parties sharing predictions of a Democratic rout of Republicans. Some on both sides had expected an election debacle for the Republicans, driven by the Iraq war, high gas prices and the perception that a Republican-led Washington can neither shoot nor spend straight.Now those perceptions have changed. First off, let me just note the strategic...

Ohio State Representative Bob Ney formally requested that his name be removed from the November election ballot. A special primary must now be held to find a replacement. Ney first made the announcement a week ago, citing the strain of an intensifying corruption investigation that had focused for months on his dealings with lobbyists. The six-term congressman denies any wrongdoing and has not been charged. Democrats targeted Ney's seat in the wake of the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. Ney's campaign began hemorrhaging money after his former chief of staff pleaded guilty to corrupting the congressman and the justice department subpoenaed...

House Republicans signaled a coming clash with the Senate over the future of military tribunals yesterday when Armed Service Committee members indicated they were inclined to give the Bush administration largely what it wants in the conduct of terrorism trials. The tone at the first House hearing since the Supreme Court tossed out President Bush's tribunals last month was markedly different from Tuesday's Senate hearing, where lawmakers from both parties said they wanted to make significant changes to the White House's plans. "This could be easy," said Rep. Candice S. Miller (R-Mich.), who proudly announced she has neither a law...

In recent weeks, the talk among pundits about the inevitability of Democratic triumph has simmered down. For some reason - one that I have not yet ascertained - Bush in the high-30s induces an entirely different storyline than Bush in the mid-30s. While the logic does not make sense, the result is nonetheless a move in the right direction. We seem to have returned to the much more sensible conversation that we were having in March: for the Democrats to win the House, they will actually have to do something.What do they have to do? This is the $2.3 trillion...

U.S. Representative Patrick McHenry is in his first-term and is the youngest member of the House of Representatives at 30 years old, but found that losing his first state race taught him more than winning races could have. McHenry told a group of conservative students that won the Republican primary for a North Carolina state house race at 22, but was defeated in the general election which made him learn to appreciate victory and not believe he could accomplish things by himself. “You get into a race with a plan to win. Don’t tilt at windmills. Get into races you...

Top conservative leaders have written President Bush telling him to drop his insistence on a guest-worker program and a path to citizenship for illegal aliens and instead support the 85 percent of congressional Republicans who want to tighten law enforcement first. Signers include William J. Bennett, Robert H. Bork, Ward Connerly, David A. Keene, Phyllis Schlafly and a number of think-tank academics and pundits. The immigration debate is the first major issue on which Mr. Bush finds himself opposing a majority of Republicans in Congress and depending on Democrats to deliver a victory. In their letter, the conservatives tell Mr....

How quickly things can change. For months Democrats have been basking in the glow of President Bush's dismal approval ratings, ongoing investigations of Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and a White House in disarray and seemingly helpless to respond to the steady stream of bad news in Iraq. There has been giddy speculation by some Democrats about retaking control of one or both houses of Congress, and more than a few stories have popped up recently reporting that Democrats are already hard at work making plans for when they regain majority status in November. But a string of events over the...

The results from California's 50th district are now in - and Republican Brian Bilbray has defeated Democrat Francine Busby in the contest to complete the tenure of Duke Cunningham. This was Busby's third try at seizing the seat. She is now 0-for-3. The two will face off again in November, but it seems highly likely that the GOP will hold the seat.Pundits and partisans across the land have examined the returns to divine some kind of meaning from them. What did the voters tell us? Many answers have been offered - not all of them valid. Many people have seen...

WASHINGTON — It is the home of the enviro-friendly Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream empire, the first civil unions law in the nation and 12-termer Bernie Sanders, the only Socialist in the U.S. House of Representatives. So as Sanders, who is registered independent, leaves his post as Vermont's at-large congressman in a bid to become the only Socialist in the U.S. Senate, it would hardly be surprising if a liberal Democrat were to replace him. But as political observers and both national parties make note, the open at-large seat is just that: very open and surprisingly competitive, with an aggressive...

WASHINGTON - The District of Columbia is making historic and startling progress in its effort to gain full voting rights in the House of Representatives, as a compromise between Democrats and Republicans to permanently increase the size of the House to 437 members gains momentum.A Republican, Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia, is brokering a deal that would give the district's delegate full representative status, a change that would give the overwhelmingly Democratic district a vote in the House.In exchange, another seat would be awarded to Utah, a heavily Republican state expected to gain a new seat in Congress after reapportionment...

ADDISON, Ill. - You could hardly design a more intriguing contrast: man versus woman; a veteran legislator versus a political neophyte; anti-abortion candidate versus abortion rights proponent. If you live in Chicago’s western suburbs in the Sixth Congressional District you’ll get a chance to choose the winner of this face off. Your choice could decide whether Democrats gain control of the House. This is a district where President Bush won 53 percent of the vote in 2004. Now it’s up to veteran state legislator Peter Roskam to keep it a Republican seat in House. Since 1974, Republican Henry Hyde, best...

One more time, the media is filled with speculation of a dramatic defeat of the Republican Party this coming November, fueled primarily by President Bush¹s unpopularity and dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq.Certain Democrats who are running this year are already measuring the drapes for the offices they are quite confident of winning from their Republican opponents, many of whom are incumbents.Those who cover all the individual races for governor, senator, congressional seats and state legislatures, e.g., Stu Rothenberg and Charlie Cook, are being more careful about predicting GOP loss of control of the House and Senate, but even they...

As Republicans have become increasingly nervous about whether they will be able to maintain control of the House in the midterm elections, they have resorted to the straw-man strategy of identifying a parade of horrors to come if Democrats gain the majority. Among these is the assertion that I, as the new chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, would immediately begin impeachment proceedings against President Bush. I will not do that. I readily admit that I have been quite vigorous, if not relentless, in questioning the administration. The allegations I have raised are grave, serious, well known, and based on...

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 15, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) –The House voted strongly last week against an amendment that would allow U.S. military hospitals to perform abortions. This is the tenth year in a row the measure has been brought forward, since Congress banned abortions at federally funded facilities, including military hospitals, in 1996. The measure was defeated despite a stipulation that military members would have to use private funds to pay for abortions, reported the United Press International. Concerned Women for America supported the decision in a press release Friday, saying: “The Davis/Sanchez/Harman Amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization…is legislation that...

Will Democrats win control of the House in November? It's a question lots of people have been asking in Washington and around the country these days. It seems possible, certainly. Democrats only have to make a net gain of 15 seats to win a majority. But it's also true that, with the single and large exception of 1994, neither party has made a net gain of more than 10 House seats over the last 20 years.I think there are two plausible hypotheses about how House elections work. If Hypothesis One applies, Democrats have a good chance at gaining a majority....

NEW YORK, APRIL 11, 2006 (Zenit.org).- A recent "statement of principles" by 55 Catholic Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives has rekindled the debate over the responsibilities of Catholic politicians. The signatories of the letter stated that "we seek the Church's guidance and assistance but believe also in the primacy of conscience." But, according to Jesuit Father Joseph Koterski, professor of philosophy at Fordham University, the Catholic understanding of conscience requires a distinction. The crucial factor is not fidelity to one's chosen moral principles, but rather fidelity to moral principles given to us by God. Father Koterski explained to...

Now here is the problem John Campbell (R., Calif) has said that he has gotten 63 requests for him to add earmarks into bills in the House so far this legislative session. (Earmarks are spending appropriations added to bills that are unconnected with the spending requests being added. Earmarks are not reviewable by Congress and when added to a bill, it is not necessarily obvious that it is there, nor can Congressmen who has added an earmark be revealed or debated.) In an appearance on the Hugh Hewitt radio show (March 16th), Mr. Campbell said that the totals of these...

With the announcement of Bill Thomas’s retirement, many have begun to take closer notice of the number of open seats in 2006 – and how they seem to favor the Democrats. Most political observers have recognized that the number of open seats is a critical factor in the partisan composition of the House, and that this year the Republicans must defend more than the Democrats. However, few have correctly surmised that the Democrats enjoy little-to-no real advantage because of open seats.All political scientists agree that open seats are a key method of party changes in the House of Representatives. Only...

SUGAR LAND, Texas (AP) -- Rep. Tom DeLay won the GOP nomination to the House on Tuesday, beating three challengers in his first election since he was indicted and forced to step aside as majority leader. With 14 percent of precincts reporting, DeLay had 10,005 votes, or 64 percent. His closest challenger, environmental attorney Tom Campbell, had 4,049 votes, or 26 percent. "I have always placed my faith in the voters, and today's vote shows they have placed their full faith in me," DeLay said in a statement. "Not only did they reject the politics of personal destruction, but they...

Two days ago, I began to discuss what I believe to be the best way to predict congressional elections. Developed first by Edward Tufte and later refined by Gary Jacobson, the “Tufte/Jacobson theory” is starting point I have chosen. It argues that we can predict the outcome of a congressional election based upon three factors: exposure, presidential job approval and changes in real disposable income per capita (RDI/cap). It is time to supply the details, supplement the theory with some extra concerns, and make a prediction for 2006.Exposure is the extent to which the party of the President is above...

Most political commentators remain ambivalent about the chances of a Democratic capture of the House. Most are willing to say that they cannot capture the Senate – especially now that Lott has decided to return. It would require them to run the tables on every vulnerable and “vulnerable” incumbent Republican out there: Santorum, Dewine, Burns, Chafee, Talent. This would be at a time when incumbents are, historically speaking, as invulnerable as they have ever been, and Republicans are as invulnerable as they have been since Hoover. Most think this is impossible.But what about the House? To take the House, the...

To lose control of the House of Representatives, the Republican Party, which is now in its 12th year as the chamber's majority party, would have to suffer a net loss 15 seats in the November midterm elections. By historical standards, that is not a very tall order. On the other hand, if historical trends played out during the 2002 midterm elections, Republicans would not have added half a dozen seats in the House. To be sure, midterm elections have not been kind to presidents or their parties. For example, since 1862, there have been 36 midterm elections held during the...

FORGET MAGAZINES AND EDITORIAL PAGES. The only endorsements that really matter in the GOP House leadership contest are those from the members themselves, especially the members with clout. Two such Republicans are Jim Sensenbrenner, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Mike Pence, head of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC), both of whom endorsed Arizona congressman John Shadegg this week. Shadegg, an erstwhile chief of both the RSC and (more recently) the Republican Policy Committee, remains a dark horse--but he's gaining steam. "The 'Big Mo' is on our side," says one pro-Shadegg Republican.The timing of Pence's public support came...

The following is a transcribed excerpt of "FOX News Sunday," Jan. 15, 2006. "FOX NEWS SUNDAY" HOST CHRIS WALLACE: President Bush's agenda and the fate of House Republicans in the fall elections could be determined by a fight on Capitol Hill. It's the battle to replace Tom DeLay in the very powerful post of House majority leader. There are three candidates and they're our exclusive guests today, acting majority leader Roy Blunt, Congressman John Boehner, and Congressman John Shadegg. Congressman Blunt did what most frontrunners do. He insisted on being interviewed separately. Congressman, we'll start with you. Good morning. U.S....

WASHINGTON — Democrats hope the stars are aligned for a big victory in the 2006 mid-term elections, saying more than astrology is on their side — recent Capitol Hill scandals and wavering popularity of President Bush is helping to boost their chances for a congressional takeover. "We're in a very strong position right now," said Phil Singer, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "We're poised to make gains." Winning a majority of the House or Senate would be unlikely based on the current numbers, say most political observers. Still, Democrats are riding a growing wave of disenchantment with Republicans...

House members left town for the year, leaving the Senate to determine the fates of a massive defense spending bill and a budget-trimming package, both of which the House passed in the early morning hours yesterday. In the Senate, Democrats are vowing to block the defense spending bill unless Republicans drop a provision that would allow oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Senate Republican leaders late yesterday filed a motion to limit debate and force a final vote on the defense bill. Senators will vote on the motion tomorrow. Democrats are working to round up...

House Democratic leaders this week will try to block any effort by members to adopt an official Democratic Caucus position on the Iraq war, recognizing such a move would highlight internal party differences and invite new political troubles.

I am asking all FReepers who are outraged at Rep. John Murtha for his devastating political stunt yesterday to contact him. Murtha may not care to hear from you unless you are one of his constituents, but HE put himself on the National stage yesterday calling for the immediate withdrawal of our troops in Iraq and as Americans, we need to let him hear from us. If ever there was a time for us to ban together on this forum, we need to do it now. The anti-war drumbeats are becoming deafening and ALL OF US need to find our...

BATAVIA, Ohio — Jean Schmidt campaigned nearly nonstop in the 24 hours before the polls opened, hitting all-night restaurants in search of voters. The 53-year-old Republican wore out staffers half her age, and she was still going strong as the sun came up, casting her own vote, attending Mass and then continuing to campaign until around 11 p.m., when it became clear she had won the special election for Congress. On Sept. 6, she'll be sworn in to replace Rob Portman, a 12-year Republican representative who left to become U.S. trade representative. "If you want to do something, nothing holds...

When Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) hustled onto the House floor Wednesday night, he knew that he was about five votes short of the number needed to pass a trade agreement that had become the toughest bill of the year for the Republican leadership. "Your adrenaline is pumping 100 miles an hour -- you're excited about the prospect of winning a big one," he recalled in an interview. "At the same time -- especially in something like this, when you go on the floor knowing you don't have the votes -- there's this seed of doubt back there that we...

House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), who has been publicly vague about whether he will give up the reins at the end of this Congress, told a group of supporters last week that he plans to run again and serve as speaker for the rest of President Bush's second term. Republican officials said they are relieved by the development because it postpones what is likely to be a brutal succession fight that would be a distraction from next year's midterm elections, which are historically tough for the party in power, and from Bush's domestic agenda, which is already having a...

There is much hand-wringing now in Washington about the inability of Republicans and Democrats to compromise even on seemingly unimportant issues. I think it is the inevitable result of long-term trends going back 100 years. The movement started in 1913 with the 17th Amendment to the Constitution. This requires election of senators by popular vote. As provided by the Founding Fathers, senators previously were elected by state legislatures. Before the 17th Amendment, senators represented states as states. This made the states much more significant players in national politics -- collectively coequal to the national government in our federal system. But...

H.R.418 REAL ID Act of 2005 (Introduced in House) Beginning January 26, 2005 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. TITLE I--AMENDMENTS TO FEDERAL LAWS TO PROTECT AGAINST TERRORIST ENTRY SEC. 101. PREVENTING TERRORISTS FROM OBTAINING ASYLUM. SEC. 102. WAIVER OF LAWS NECESSARY FOR IMPROVEMENT OF BARRIERS AT BORDERS. SEC. 103. INADMISSIBILITY DUE TO TERRORIST AND TERRORIST-RELATED ACTIVITIES. SEC. 104. REMOVAL OF TERRORISTS. TITLE II--IMPROVED SECURITY FOR DRIVERS' LICENSES AND PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION CARDS SEC. 201. DEFINITIONS. SEC. 202. MINIMUM DOCUMENT REQUIREMENTS AND ISSUANCE STANDARDS FOR FEDERAL RECOGNITION. SEC. 203. LINKING OF DATABASES. SEC. 204. TRAFFICKING IN AUTHENTICATION FEATURES FOR USE IN FALSE IDENTIFICATION...

Below is the floor peech of Rep. Ric Keller (R.-Fla.) regarding Electoral Vote count delivered on January 6, 2005. There's a wise saying we've used quite a bit in Florida over the past four years that the other side would do well to learn -- GET OVER IT. Isn't it ironic that the only people who refuse to "move on" are the people from MoveOn.org and their hero Michael Moore? My colleagues across the aisle have two sides to choose from, the John Kerry side that acknowledges the election is over and President Bush has won. Or the Michael Moore...

Alright, I've been tasked with the unusual-but very solemn-obligation of reporting back to FreeRepublic Land on the progress of Paul's campaign to unseat that noxious, vile, contemptible, harridan of a congresswoman, Nydia Velasquez; she of the twelfth congressional district, representing constituents in New York County. And Queens County. And Kings County.I know, I feel for all you people who happen to live in that general vicinity. Now, you freepers perusing this thread are by this point, probably asking yourselves-quite reasonably, in my estimation-why the Paul Rodriguez campaign would entrust such an important duty to such a complete and utter numbskull....

To: National Desk Contact: Jeff Lungren or Terry Shawn, 202-225-2492, both of the House Committee on the Judiciary WASHINGTON, July 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The House Judiciary Committee today approved by a 21-to-13 margin legislation that would ensure States continue to decide state marriage policy. H.R. 3313, introduced by Rep. John Hostettler (R-Ind.) and amended today by the Committee, removes the federal courts' jurisdiction to hear cases involving the provision in the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that allows States to decide whether to legally recognize out-of-state same-sex marriage licenses. Article III, Section 2, clause 2 of the Constitution...

Best-selling author Brad Meltzer's latest Washington thriller, The Zero Game, involves congressional staffers running betting pools on upcoming votes (naturally, things go awry, and the next vote is for…danger!). Since its publication, he's heard from lots of Capitol Hill folks regaling him with descriptions of real betting games that go on. One of which involves the loquaciousness of Houston's own (very loquacious) U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee. (Actually, Meltzer wouldn't identify the specific congressperson in question; one current Hill worker, though, says, "Lee is the only member I've heard of the game being played with.") How does it work? There's...

Elect, Never Appoint U.S. Representatives On June 20, 2003, we issued the following alert: "The clock is ticking. A well-orchestrated, well-financed campaign to quickly amend the Constitution is underway. A proposed constitutional amendment would take away your right to vote for your U.S. representative. We can't and won't stand by and let our republic be gutted by this amendment." This alert was in response to the "Continuity of Government" (COG) report made public on June 4, 2003. The report calls for a constitutional amendment that would allow for the appointment of members of the U.S. House of Representatives under vaguely...

In the months following the September 11th terrorist attacks, questions arose about whether Congress could continue to function if many of its members were killed or injured in a future terrorist attack. These concerns resulted in the creation of a commission that advocated a first in American history, namely the appointment of individuals to the U.S. House. A constitutional amendment has been proposed that would provide the method for such appointments following a catastrophe that killed or disabled a majority of the people in Congress. I strongly oppose this constitutional amendment, because I believe an appointed Congress would become an...

Brian Wilson on Special Report says U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall of Texas will be switching parties from Democrat to Republican. He is being pushed into a heavily GOP district with the new boundaries and he is known as a conservative Democrat. While it may not change that many votes, it will add one more "R" to the congressional makeup.

CANDIDATE STATUS REPORT - MARCH 2, 2004 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY12/08/2003 9:52 AM D/I - Declaration of Intention D/C - Declaration of Candidacy SIL - Signatures in Lieu of Filing Fee NOM - Nomination Signatures *-Incumbent PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES CANDIDATE PARTY CONTEST Peroutka, Michael A. AI Clark, Wesley DEM Dean, Howard DEM Edwards, John DEM Gephardt, Dick DEM Kerry, John F. DEM Kucinich, Dennis J. DEM LaRouche, Lyndon DEM Lieberman, Joe DEM Moseley Braun, Carol DEM Sharpton, Al DEM Cobb, David GRN Mesplay, Kent GRN Salzman, Lorna GRN Badnarik, Michael LIB Nolan, Gary LIB Abu-Jamal, Mumia PF Brown, Walter F....

Florida's Harris opened door for Bush; now she wants House Admired, reviled election figure leading in congressional race 07/25/2002 By TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News SARASOTA, Fla. - "Anybody but Katherine" bumper stickers are going for $5. But Katherine is doing just fine, thank you. Love her or hate her, Katherine Harris will probably be a member of Congress next year. Mocked for her makeup, reviled by some for stopping the clock in Florida's presidential recount, she's the odds-on favorite for an open U.S. House seat from a district rich with sugary beaches, fabulous homes and...