Free Republic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbkjIfBIWK4 I wish this guy was my Rep. Moderator, please delete if duplicate.

Note to Paulson: The Key to Passing the $700 Billion Bailout Is Insurance September 26, 2008 09:58 AM ET | Michael Barone | Permanent Link Contrary to widespread expectations in Washington and on Wall Street, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's financial bailout/rescue package was not agreed to at the White House meeting that started at 4 p.m. Thursday. The meeting included the congressional and committee leaders of both parties and the administration's top financial officials, plus two presidents—George W. Bush and either Barack Obama or John McCain. What's the problem? An agreement modifying the Paulson plan in significant ways seems to...

I got together this afternoon for a short interview with Jim DeMint, the man who could fairly be called the conservative leader of the Senate, to hear what he has to say about the bailout. What follows is the slightly edited transcript of our conversation. Did Congress help create this problem and if so, how? ...Congress passed a law back in the late seventies that required banks to make subprime loans to... The Community Reinvestment Act? Yes. It required the banks to make loans to people who couldn't afford them as part of our social programming. Congress also created Fannie...

A special bipartisan House committee has found that Democrats incorrectly closed a vote on the House floor last in August 2007 which would have resulted in Republicans prevailing on an immigration issue. The committee...led by Reps. Bill Delahunt (D-MA) and Mike Pence (R-IN) found that "the vote tally of 212 yeas and 216 nays that was finally announced was incorrect. It is either 215 yeas and 213 nays, which would have reflected the tally at the time the Chair prematurelu announced the statement of result, or 211 yeas and 217 nays..." The committee issued a final report on the alleged...

The House, on a 236-189 vote, on Tuesday approved a bill to allow oil drilling off the nation's Atlantic and Pacific coasts if states agree — but only 50 or more miles out. Republicans called the bill a ruse, saying that's well beyond where most of the estimated 18 billion barrels of oil is located. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the measure marked "a new direction in energy policy" because of its emphasis on alternative energy. The White House threatened a veto, saying the bill doesn't go far enough to generate new domestic supplies of oil and natural gas. The...

U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., joined a group of senators Thursday in a letter asking Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to allow the Oct. 1, 2008, expiration of current bans on American energy exploration and production. The letter was authored by U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. In addition to DeMint and Corker, the letter is signed by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and 36 other Republican senators. "We need a balanced approach that will allow us to produce more energy here at home and use less, with a strong emphasis on conservation as we move...

WASHINGTON: Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives attacked a Democratic offshore drilling plan Friday for including a 50-mile coastal buffer that they said would leave untouched most of the 18 billion barrels of oil in waters now off-limits to energy companies. A Democratic drilling proposal expected to be taken up by the House next week would allow energy development access to waters 50 to 100 miles from shore along almost all the country's coastlines as long as a coastal state agrees to drilling off its shores. Waters off Florida's Gulf coast and a nationwide 50-mile coastal buffer would remain...

 THANK YOU REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN!JOB WELL DONE!WE, THE AMERICAN, PEOPLE THANK YOU!FIVE FULL WEEKS! STORM DC with your CALLS FOLKS!Hit the Dems- THIS IS JOB ONE!-- GET TO IT SLACKERS!THANK OUR GOP HOUSE FOLKS FOR STAYING AND FIGHTING THE FIGHT!For Anyone Who has Not Met Congressman Broun from GAYOU WILL LOVE HIM!! Click HERE and Learn About HisFOUR WAY TEST! Please continue prayers for Jim Robinson and TrueblackmanPalin Video on Drilling!Randy Evans LIVE from RNC talks Palin and Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less!!Randy wants to get you the answers! Freepmail me if you would like Randy to talk to anyone as...

Be sure to READ THIS!!Please continue prayers for Jim Robinson and TrueblackmanRandy Evans LIVE from RNC talks Palin and Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less!!Randy wants to get you the answers! Freepmail me if you would like Randy to talk to anyone as the Conventionfor information or any quesitons you may have. He will be joining us LIVE all week.Poll: 74% Support Drilling CONGRESSMAN MIKE PENCE Joins Bill Collier of DontGo on BTR!Today, Tuesday, August 26th at 4:30 pm EDT!DON'T MISS THIS SHOW!  Brokaw, Pelosi and Pickens"Media" Tries to Downplay Pelosi's Abuse of PowerBut the REAL Media Says "NOT SO FAST!"  DON'T STOP...

Be sure to READ THIS!!Please continue prayers for TrueblackmanPoll: 74% Support Drilling CONGRESSMAN MIKE PENCE Joins Bill Collier of DontGo on BTR!Today, Tuesday, August 26th at 4:30 pm EDT!DON'T MISS THIS SHOW!  Brokaw, Pelosi and Pickens"Media" Tries to Downplay Pelosi's Abuse of PowerBut the REAL Media Says "NOT SO FAST!"  DON'T STOP FOLKS!!JUST SAY NO TO GANGS!!Congressman John R Carter of Texas says Gang of 10 a "Bad Deal"Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a total lack of our "Establishment Media/Misinformation Socialist Monarchy" reporting on the price of gas and food for the past 2 weeks?New FTC Rule Could Apply...

Be sure to READ THIS!!Please continue prayers for TrueblackmanPoll: 74% Support Drilling CONGRESSMAN MIKE PENCE Joins Bill Collier of DontGo on BTR!Today, Tuesday, August 26th at 4:30 pm EDT!DON'T MISS THIS SHOW!  Brokaw, Pelosi and Pickens"Media" Tries to Downplay Pelosi's Abuse of PowerBut the REAL Media Says "NOT SO FAST!"  DON'T STOP FOLKS!!JUST SAY NO TO GANGS!!Congressman John R Carter of Texas says Gang of 10 a "Bad Deal"Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a total lack of our "Establishment Media/Misinformation Socialist Monarchy" reporting on the price of gas and food for the past 2 weeks?New FTC Rule Could Apply...

The Elephants of August by: Irene Warren, August 28, 2008 To protest the U. S. Congressional House Democrats going on recess without voting on a bill to relax oil drilling restrictions—while America suffers from high gas and energy prices—House Republicans once again took the floor Friday, August 22, 2008, to speak to thousands of Americans visiting the nation’s Capitol in an effort to encourage citizens to vote for American energy production. House Republicans insist that they tried earnestly for months to get House Democrats and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to vote on nonpartisan proposals that would allow them to lower...

We need to tell our Representatives and our Senators who are running for reelection this year we won't vote for them unless they vote to authorize drilling for oil in Alaska, off shore, in national parks and in my back yard. I doubt that anyone would want to drill for oil in my backyard, but Congress shouldn't prevent oil companies from drilling for oil where ever it may be. Drilling for new oil is part of the solution for the emerging fuel shortage. Another part is development of alternative biofuels. Backward Democrats oppose drilling for new oil because it might...

Be sure to READ THIS!!Please continue prayers for TrueblackmanPoll: 74% Support Drilling CONGRESSMAN MIKE PENCE Joins Bill Collier of DontGo on BTR!Today, Tuesday, August 26th at 4:30 pm EDT!DON'T MISS THIS SHOW!  Brokaw, Pelosi and Pickens"Media" Tries to Downplay Pelosi's Abuse of PowerBut the REAL Media Says "NOT SO FAST!"  DON'T STOP FOLKS!!JUST SAY NO TO GANGS!!Congressman John R Carter of Texas says Gang of 10 a "Bad Deal"Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a total lack of our "Establishment Media/Misinformation Socialist Monarchy" reporting on the price of gas and food for the past 2 weeks?New FTC Rule Could Apply...

As discussion regarding domestic exploration for oil and natural gas off Florida’s coast grips the nation’s attention, new poll results today released by Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) demonstrate a significant increase in the percent of Floridians in favor of drilling off the state’s coast over the percent of those in favor this time last year. The McLaughlin & Associates poll, conducted last week, concluded 73.2 percent of Floridians favor drilling for oil off the coast of Florida – a 10 percentage-point increase over the previous year’s poll results. Further, the results show bipartisan support of the issue with the...

Be sure to READ THIS!!Please continue prayers for TrueblackmanPELOSI to American People: "Can we drill your brains?" P-P-P-P-P-PRESSURE! Isn't she LOVELY?CONGRESSMAN MIKE PENCE Joins Bill Collier of DontGo on BTR!Today, Tuesday, August 26th at 4:30 pm EDT!DON'T MISS THIS SHOW!  Brokaw, Pelosi and Pickens"Media" Tries to Downplay Pelosi's Abuse of PowerBut the REAL Media Says "NOT SO FAST!"  DON'T STOP FOLKS!!JUST SAY NO TO GANGS!!Congressman John R Carter of Texas says Gang of 10 a "Bad Deal"Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a total lack of our "Establishment Media/Misinformation Socialist Monarchy" reporting on the price of gas and food...

Be sure to READ THIS!!Please continue prayers for TrueblackmanCONGRESSMAN MIKE PENCE Joins Bill Collier of DontGo on BTR!Today, Tuesday, August 26th at 4:30 pm EDT!DON'T MISS THIS SHOW!  Brokaw, Pelosi and Pickens"Media" Tries to Downplay Pelosi's Abuse of PowerBut the REAL Media Says "NOT SO FAST!"  DON'T STOP FOLKS!!JUST SAY NO TO GANGS!!Congressman John R Carter of Texas says Gang of 10 a "Bad Deal"Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a total lack of our "Establishment Media/Misinformation Socialist Monarchy" reporting on the price of gas and food for the past 2 weeks?New FTC Rule Could Apply To Pelosi After...

Today House Speaker Nancy Pelosi jets her way into the fourth week of her book tour with a dismal sales rank (as of Saturday night) on Amazon.com of 22,184th. Some 22,183 books are selling better than Pelosi’s own as House Republicans maintain their high-voltage revolt on Capitol Hill and nationwide demanding that Pelosi bring the House back into session for a vote to end the Congressional embargo on offshore drilling. Instead of returning to debate their colleagues on practical energy policy last week, Democrats kept floating their wacky ideas. Democrat Majority Leader Steny Hoyer asked the Office of Personnel Management...

Be sure to READ THIS!!Please continue prayers for Trueblackman Brokaw, Pelosi and Pickens"Media" Tries to Downplay Pelosi's Abuse of PowerBut the REAL Media Says "NOT SO FAST!"  DON'T STOP FOLKS!!JUST SAY NO TO GANGS!!Congressman John R Carter of Texas says Gang of 10 a "Bad Deal"Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a total lack of our "Establishment Media/Misinformation Socialist Monarchy" reporting on the price of gas and food for the past 2 weeks?New FTC Rule Could Apply To Pelosi After reading this post I decided to pull up her financial disclosure report and look for any other natural gas producers....

Be sure to READ THIS!!Please continue prayers for Trueblackman"Media" Tries to Downplay Pelosi's Abuse of PowerBut the REAL Media Says "NOT SO FAST!"  DON'T STOP FOLKS!!JUST SAY NO TO GANGS!!Congressman John R Carter of Texas says Gang of 10 a "Bad Deal"Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a total lack of our "Establishment Media/Misinformation Socialist Monarchy" reporting on the price of gas and food for the past 2 weeks?New FTC Rule Could Apply To Pelosi After reading this post I decided to pull up her financial disclosure report and look for any other natural gas producers. On 11/8/07,...

Be sure to READ THIS!!Please continue prayers for Trueblackman  DON'T STOP FOLKS!!JUST SAY NO TO GANGS!!Congressman John R Carter of Texas says Gang of 10 a "Bad Deal"Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a total lack of our "Establishment Media/Misinformation Socialist Monarchy" reporting on the price of gas and food for the past 2 weeks?New FTC Rule Could Apply To Pelosi After reading this post I decided to pull up her financial disclosure report and look for any other natural gas producers. On 11/8/07, she purchased between $250,001 and $500,000 of Quest Energy Partners, LP. (see pages 12...

Be sure to READ THIS!!Please continue prayers for Trueblackman  DON'T STOP FOLKS!!JUST SAY NO TO GANGS!!Congressman John R Carter of Texas says Gang of 10 a "Bad Deal"Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a total lack of our "Establishment Media/Misinformation Socialist Monarchy" reporting on the price of gas and food for the past 2 weeks?New FTC Rule Could Apply To Pelosi After reading this post I decided to pull up her financial disclosure report and look for any other natural gas producers. On 11/8/07, she purchased between $250,001 and $500,000 of Quest Energy Partners, LP. (see pages 12...

Be sure to READ THIS!!Please continue prayers for TrueblackmanDON'T STOP FOLKS!!JUST SAY NO TO GANGS!!Congressman John R Carter of Texas says Gang of 10 a "Bad Deal"Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a total lack of our "Establishment Media/Misinformation Socialist Monarchy" reporting on the price of gas and food for the past 2 weeks?New FTC Rule Could Apply To Pelosi After reading this post I decided to pull up her financial disclosure report and look for any other natural gas producers. On 11/8/07, she purchased between $250,001 and $500,000 of Quest Energy Partners, LP. (see pages 12...

Still Blocking Vote on the American Energy Act, Speaker Pelosi Crafts “No Energy” Bill Loaded With Poison Pills Dow Jones News: Instead Of Allowing Vote on All-of-the-Above Energy Reforms, Speaker to Load Bill With Killer Provisions “Dooming the Election-Year Effort to Failure” Washington, Aug 18 - All year long, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has blocked a meaningful vote on the “all of the above” energy reforms the American people want – and she’s still blocking one. Congress’ five-week summer break continues to drag on – and there’s been no indication from the Speaker that she will allow an honest...

Be sure to READ THIS!!JUST SAY NO TO GANGS!!Congressman John R Carter of Texas says Gang of 10 a "Bad Deal"Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a total lack of our "Establishment Media/Misinformation Socialist Monarchy" reporting on the price of gas and food for the past 2 weeks?New FTC Rule Could Apply To Pelosi After reading this post I decided to pull up her financial disclosure report and look for any other natural gas producers. On 11/8/07, she purchased between $250,001 and $500,000 of Quest Energy Partners, LP. (see pages 12 and 18). According to its site...

Be sure to READ THIS!!New FTC Rule Could Apply To PelosiBEHOLD the Power of the People, and the Power of  Nancy: "most open, most honest, and most ethical Congress in history"Nancy: "and Democrats promise to work together in a bi-partisan way for all Americans."What is the truth about Nancy?"Madam Speaker has a substantial amount of money invested in Clean Energy Fuels Corporation." dontgo"T Boone Pickens runs CLNE, this is the company Nancy has invested in, and apparently, the push is Natural Gas, which is the focus of the $5 billion in Ca. tax money and $5 billion in fed money...

Republicans are threatening to block the annual extension of the ban on offshore oil drilling, claiming to be building support for an effort that Democrats say smacks of a threat to shut down the government.Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., has announced that 36 of the 49 GOP senators had signed a letter to Senate leaders supporting the designation of Oct. 1 - the deadline for renewing the ban for the 28th straight year - as "American Freedom Energy Day" and opposing the extension of the prohibition.The letter, addressed to both Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell,...

Six out of 10 Americans (61%) say Congress should return to Washington immediately to vote on lifting the ban on offshore oil drilling, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. But voters overwhelmingly expect Congress to adjourn this year without taking action. Even more (67%) recognize that Republicans are the ones pushing for offshore drilling, and 77% say the issue is important to them in terms of how they will vote for Congress this November. Forty-five percent (45%) of voters say it is Very Important. Voters see a clear difference between the political parties on this issue as...

In the showdown between House Republicans and Speaker Nancy Pelosi over an up-or-down vote on increasing American oil supply by opening up offshore drilling, Pelosi blinked before a national TV audience on Larry King Live Monday night. When asked by King about bringing Congress back into session for a vote, Pelosi responded in part, “[Republicans] have this thing that says drill offshore in the protected areas. Well, we can do that. We can have a vote on that.” Before her book tour flopped, Pelosi haughtily informed Republicans that they needed to “imagine” a vote. As monumental as that capitulation to...

WASHINGTON - Even in the absence of lights, cameras and microphones, Republicans still seem to have a steady crowd of listeners to speak to on the House floor. The people filling the seats aren't members of Congress but a line of tourists sporting shorts, flip-flops and baseball caps, intrigued by the loosened rules that allow them to take a seat and listen to the ongoing GOP performance. Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., led the second week of the House Republican revolt against Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats who adjourned for the month despite congressional gridlock and with no vote on...

When House Speaker Pelosi abruptly and literally turned off the lights in Congress on August 1st and sent the members on a five-week vacation, she thought she was doing something clever. C-SPAN can only broadcast Congress while Congress is in session. If there was no session, there would be no cameras to cover the debate over providing relief to American families from historically high gas prices. If there were no C-SPAN, Americans would never get to see the Speaker and the anti-energy left's stubborn refusal to lift the ban on offshore drilling, refusal to lift the ban on drilling in...

Be sure to READ THIS!!BEHOLD the Power of the People, and the Power of  Nancy: "most open, most honest, and most ethical Congress in history"Nancy: "and Democrats promise to work together in a bi-partisan way for all Americans."What is the truth about Nancy?"Madam Speaker has a substantial amount of money invested in Clean Energy Fuels Corporation." dontgo"T Boone Pickens runs CLNE, this is the company Nancy has invested in, and apparently, the push is Natural Gas, which is the focus of the $5 billion in Ca. tax money and $5 billion in fed money they are seeking."From the same article:"the...

BEHOLD the Power of the People, and the Power of   There are still only Republicans showing up in DC to fight for the people on the House Floor.Maybe the Democrats just aren't aware of what is going on? (/s) Let's give them a ring, and ask them where they are!Time to call the DEMS folks! Melt the lines!As for the Gang of 10.I had several conversations with these offices yesterday. They NEED to hear from us.WE WANT THE BOEHNER BILL!1) The House (Republican and Dem) has heard the people and know that this is the bill we want.2) The Senate...

Texas Tea Party continues The recent actions of the House Republicans—staging a revolt and refusing to leave the House for a five week vacation in protest of the Drill Nowhere Democrats—have the potential to turn the tide. Read more about it here:House GOP persists in protest of energy stalemateTo give visitors a better view, Republicans have opened the chamber floor to the public, which normally is restricted to the balcony. Although the chamber lights are dimmed, the microphones muted and the cameras shuttered, the Republicans say their message is spreading and that their populist-styled "talk-a-thons" are resonating with voters at...

There is something especially inspiring in watching democracy in action. Today, as has been the case all week, Republican Members of Congress took to the House floor to stand up for Americans who need relief from rising energy costs. Sadly, what we’ve also seen this week is democratic inaction. When Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat Congress skipped town last week, adjourning before Republican Members had a chance to speak about their energy plan on the House floor, they walked out on Congress and essentially walked out on the needs of the American people. I cannot commend the Republican House...

Oil prices resumed their descent Friday, dropping briefly below $116 a barrel as a huge jump in the U.S. dollar and expectations of slowing global demand offset supply concerns over a sabotaged pipeline in Turkey.

Well, no sooner did I write a column envisioning it than we almost had the real thing. Last Friday, about 40 House Republicans staged a spontaneous protest on the floor of the chamber, when Speaker Nancy “Nine Percent Approval Rating” Pelosi forcibly adjourned the House for a five-week vacation to avoid taking any vote on domestic energy drilling – precisely because she would lose it. Pelosi was caught between a political rock and a hard place: Allow the vote, watch a good number of Democrats defect so as to protect themselves in an election year, and see the enviro-wacko lobby...

There’s a very odd mood among House Republicans this week. Rebelling against Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s adjournment of the House last Friday, Reps. Mike Pence (R-Ind) and Tom Price (R-Ga) had a sort of Howard Beale moment. Beale, the mad newscaster in “Network," asked his audience to throw open a window and shout, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any more.” Pence and Price refused to leave the House floor and began the open revolt against Nancy Pelosi’s “Drill Nothing” Congress. Five days into the revolt -- as I saw yesterday in the Republican cloak room...

One Week STRONG!!!! "I sat there(on the House Floor) side by side with the American People.." Congressman Duncan Hunter (35 minutes into show)...There has never been a time in our history when this has occurred. The House is adjourned, but a demonstration from the House Memebers is taking place on the House Floor, and the American Folks are sitting in the empty seats, personally telling their stories to their Representatives, and watching speeches from the Floor in person. This is not a "Constituent Day" this is a full week of HISTORY!Call to action for today folks-CALL THE "establishment" that claims to...

As House Republicans spend their fourth day protesting a lack of action on energy prices, Freedom's Watch is taking aim at incumbent Democrats Nancy Boyda of Kansas; Don Cazayoux from Louisiana; Texan Nick Lampson; Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire; and Chris Carney of Pennsylvania. Ads against the five endangered members will try to tie them to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and drilling bans on the Outer-Continental Shelf and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Freedom's Watch is doing what it can to protect some Republican incumbents too, targeting four Democratic challengers who look strong at the moment. Challengers to Reps. Bill Sali,...

WASHINGTON — - A Connecticut congressman took his turn Wednesday in an unusual piece of political guerrilla theater taking place on one of the most prominent stages in the country: the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Chris Shays, the lone New England Republican in the House, stood in the chamber of the recessed Congress — where the lights are low and microphones are off until the session resumes in September — and demanded that the Democratic majority come back to the Capitol and allow a debate on energy policy. More specifically, Shays and several other Republicans who...

House Republicans are gearing up to continue their revolt of Congress’ adjournment for at least the next two weeks – right up to the start of the Democratic Convention in Denver – according to a memo sent Wednesday to GOP members from Minority Leader John Boehner. “Republicans will not rest until we have an honest, up-or-down vote on the American Energy Act,” Boehner wrote. “To that end, we request that you contact the Whip’s Office and indicate any time you may have available to come to Capitol in the coming weeks. We specifically request that you indicate your availability for...

There has been much discussion (and justifiably so) the last few days regarding the energy crisis, namely the efficacy of drilling versus tire inflation.Indeed, over-inflated tires do help with fuel economy (as McCain has noted on numerous occasions), however it is no substitute for an “all of the above,” cumulative energy agenda – one combining sensible off-shore drilling, nuclear power, clean coal, wind, etc.House Democrats, evidently, have even less to offer than Obama’s “tire gauge” approach. While Democrats remain on their five-week, tax-payer funded vacations, their Republican counterparts stayed on the House floor (in the dark, thanks to Madame Speaker)...

Gingrich: GOP ready to shut government down over drillingBy Lisa Desjardins CNN Radio updated 1 hour, 26 minutes ago WASHINGTON (CNN) -- He led Republicans into government shutdowns in the 1990s, and now, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich indicates his party is seriously considering another shutdown threat to force a vote on offshore oil drilling in September. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is drawing attention to a Republican call for offshore oil drilling. House Republicans brought Gingrich to the Capitol on Wednesday, partly to revive media coverage of their speech-making protest in the chamber, now in its fourth day. The...

How Obama and the Democrats Screwed Up on Drillingby Steve Kornacki August 6, 2008 The Democrats are supposed to own the issue of energy, if only because they've mastered the art of tarring Republicans as the party of Big Oil. It's a caricature that the G.O.P., with its mocking scorn for conservation, addiction to corporate tax cuts and unkickable habit of nominating oil men for national office, has done nothing to refute. Of course, the Democrats are also (supposedly) the masters of the blown political save, experts at devising new and ever more elaborate means of snatching electoral defeat from...

House Republicans have begun Day 4 in their "Shadow Session" on gas prices, and former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) is with them. Rep. Adam Putnam (Fla.), chairman of the House Republican Conference, is with them today, making him the highest-ranking GOP leader to show up so far. Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) is expected later this afternoon, and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) will probably be here on Friday. There are some new faces among the 18 GOP members taking part in Wednesday's unofficial session, including Reps. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), David Davis (R-Tenn.), John Doolittle (R-Calif.), Ralph...

House Democrats are not just hearing about offshore drilling from Republicans who have taken over the House floor for a recess revolt; the conservative advocacy group Freedom’s Watch is going up with radio and TV advertisements against Democratic candidates in a dozen races around the country. The ads, scheduled to be aired beginning Wednesday against incumbents seeking re-election and Democrats vying for open seats, echo the theme Republicans are sounding on the floor: Democrats left town for August without allowing a vote on lifting a ban on offshore oil drilling. “No to offshore drilling. Yes to a vacation for Congress,”...

Newt Gingrich speaks on the House Floor! Republicans are not just standing strong, they are growing in number and strength. Also, the story of HOW this ALL BEGAN and the media outlets who BROKE the news, and LEAD THE CHARGE!

Blue Dog Democrats take popular, moderate-to-conservative positions in their districts, but back in Washington they play games and often side with the liberal Democratic leadership. Once in a while, some of them vote with the Republicans. But somehow enough of them stick with their party and the Democrats win. The domestic drilling issue is a good example. Lots of them say they support the concept, but because their leadership blocks legislative action, the Blue Dogs bark, but don't vote. There is a way under the House rules, however, to force a vote. It's called a "discharge petition" and requires 218...

As you know, I call Washington, DC everyday (every weekday) and I even started to do a radio show each Friday to share with folks the responses that I get. This week I called Senator Obama's office about the Global Poverty Act, and all 23 of the cosponsors- some of them 2 and 3 times. Well, on Thursday, my focus changed. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives held a vote on weather or not they would stay and debate the energy issue, or go on their scheduled vacations. In this vote, 17 Democrats sided with ALL the Republicans and voted...