Free Republic

It is a sad fact of life that there exists many whose sole reason for existence seems to as much as a blight on the enjoyment of life as they possibly can. Narcissistic to the core and contemptuous of those they believe who are beneath them (which just happens to be most ordinary folk), these bringers of misery wreak havoc with people's lives whilst proclaiming their actions are "for the greater good." As we all know though, that these actions hurt most people except for those proposing such actions. RightWingPatriot.com offers up another of these blowhards as the recipient of...

It is always entertaining to see what happens when old guard D.C. crosses paths with “young gun” D.C. Take, for example, the recent clash between Congressmen Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) and Paul Ryan (R-Wis). During a Tuesday House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the IRS’ targeting of conservative groups, Rep. McDermott said that Tea Party groups wouldn’t have been scrutinized if they didn’t apply for tax-exempt status and engage in the activities they didSounds like McDermott’s blaming conservative groups for the IRS scandal, no? An amused Paul Ryan seemed to think so. Ryan scrapped his prepared question and instead chose...

If you’re going to step in the ring with your government, you should expect to get punched in the face. And by “step in the ring,” I of course mean “avail yourself of the same perfectly legal tax strategies that are routinely permitted to liberal nonprofits.” I confess, while I expected some stupid and predictable Democratic scandal spin this week, I didn’t expect to watch a congressman indirectly defend government discrimination on grounds that the victims could have avoided it by simply not asserting their statutory rights in the first place. And yet here we are. That’s not the only...

If you’re going to step in the ring with your government, you should expect to get punched in the face. And by “step in the ring,” I of course mean “avail yourself of the same perfectly legal tax strategies that are routinely permitted to liberal nonprofits.” I confess, while I expected some stupid and predictable Democratic scandal spin this week, I didn’t expect to watch a congressman indirectly defend government discrimination on grounds that the victims could have avoided it by simply not asserting their statutory rights in the first place. And yet here we are.That’s not the only problem...

A Washington state Democrat is accusing Republicans of “throwing American infrastructure … under the bus” after a bridge collapse there this week. The portion of Interstate 5 in Washington that runs over the Skagit River collapsed on Thursday after a truck hit an overhead support structure, but Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) cited the incident in an interview as proof Republicans were blocking infrastructure investment to hurt President Obama politically. “Well, they have clearly spent the whole last five years trying to tear the president down, but they have done it by throwing the American infrastructure and the society under the...

Congressman Jim McDermott (D-Washington) warns the U.S. could turn into a scene from Les Misérables without a 'we' mentality in an interview with C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" on Tuesday.

Democrats in House of Reps. joined J Street in supporting Obama administration's attempt to force Israel into making painful concessions Seventy-four Democrats in the House of Representatives have joined the dovish J Street organization in supporting the Obama administration's attempt to force Israel into making painful concessions to the Palestinian Authority. “In our view, support for a two-state resolution is inseparable from such support for Israel, its special relationship with the United States, and its very survival as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people,” the letter said. Seven Jewish members signed the letter, including Reps. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), John...

Rep. Jim McDermott appeared on Fox News to push President Obama's $447 billion 'jobs plan'. While doing so, he somehow shifted the focus to the space program stating, "We have no way of getting groceries to our people who are up in the space lab" while trying to make the case. As Jim Hoft from Gateway Pundit points out: "Last we checked – Obama shut down the shuttle program, Jim."

Apparently, the "watchdogs" at Media Matters - a radical left wing group funded in part by George Soros - think that accurately quoting a Democratic Congressman somehow constitutes a "smear," even when the context of the remark is explained. A headline at Media Matters screams, "Right-Wing Media Smear McDermott; Claim He Called The Constitution "Silly"" with a subheadline claiming, "Right-Wing Media Declare McDermott Is "Tired Of Reading That Silly Old Constitution"." Set aside for a moment the fact that Jim McDermott (D-WA) actually did say: "I'm tired of reading the Constitution and all the silly things we’ve done for the...

Washington Congressmen Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Jay Inslee (D-WA) do not want Speaker Pelosi to bring the tax rate compromise bill to the floor of the House for a vote. In short, the two Washington liberals want taxes raised on everyone because they object to upper income earners - the very earners who invest and start business that hire Washington workers - keeping some of their own money. Fox News reports the two members are working on a letter with Peter DeFazio (D-OR) to present to the House Democratic Caucus. The letter reportedly asks Pelosi to not bring the measure...

Was Jim McDermott mocking Christmas? View the video and be the judge. On this evening's Hardball, the left-wing Democrat [but I repeat myself] from Washington was making the case for the extension of unemployment benefits. MCDERMOTT: This is Christmas-time. We talk about Good Samaritans, the poor, the little baby Jesus in the cradle and all this stuff. And then we say to the unemployed we won't give you a check to feed your family. That's simply wrong. Chris Matthews, interestingly, took umbrage at what he clearly took to be McDermott's mocking tone. View video here.

Liberal Democrats may tout openness, reform and transparency on the campaign trail but those promises never seem to make it past the Beltway when they return to Washington. In one of the more egregious examples of this truism, one needs to look no further than the efforts by Representative Jim McDermott (D-Washington) to pull a fast one and slip into the intelligence budget a provision that, in a backdoor way, impose fines and prison terms on intelligence officers who "abuse" captured terrorism suspects. The House Democratic leadership stopped a vote Thursday night on the $50 billion classified intelligence budget after...

From yesterday, Thursday, February 25, 2010:Intel bill pulled over controversial added interrogation provision "A controversial bill that would have levied criminal punishments on intelligence officers for harsh interrogations was pulled Thursday evening [Feb 25, 2010] . House Republicans charged Democrats with trying to sneak a provision into the intelligence authorization bill that would establish criminal punishment for CIA agents and other intelligence officials who engage in “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” during interrogations."... Intelligence committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas) added the language, originally offered by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), to his manager’s amendment, which makes several changes to the bill...

Keith Ellison, widely hailed as America's first Muslim congressman, could more accurately be described as CAIR and Hamas' man in Congress. Congressman Ellison has been a regular presence at CAIR fundraisers and at pro-Hamas rallies in the United States. As a former member of Farrakhan's Nation of Islam , Ellison has enough anti-semitic and Islamist credentials to satisfy anyone, and had expressed openly anti-semitic beliefs in the past. Since Ellison got his start with CAIR , his attempt to provide support for Hamas is completely unsurprising. Both Hamas and CAIR are projects of the Muslim Brotherhood, which also helped...

As Congress approaches high noon for health care reform, liberal U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott urged support even as he warned that a Senate-House compromise will contain provisions that "we don't like." The congressman spoke and fielded questions at a Sunday afternoon Healthy Washington Coalition gathering. It drew nearly 400 people, many of them elderly, to the United Food and Commercial Workers hall. "I believe in a single payer system, O.K.," said McDermott, who has fought nearly two decades to have America adopt a Canada-style health system. The remark drew loud applause. He showered praise on the late Saskatchewan Premier Tommy...

The e-mail chain between Elizabeth (Don't call me Liz!) Becton, a staffer for Rep. Jim McDermott, (D-Wash.), and a Democratic lobbyist who is a friend of a friend of mine has been forwarded around Washington all week because it perfectly encapsulates the frustration of lobbyists in both parties in dealing with some of the more arrogant Democrats on Capitol Hill. The e-mail exchange started with a seemingly innocuous request by the lobbyist to set up a meeting with her client, JPMorgan Chase, and McDermott (I've taken out the identifying names and phone numbers only): Sent: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 5:05...

Our Congress with the help of Republicans is squeezing out private charity with paid "volunteers." They are paid - AmericaCorps - but called volunteers; it sound so good. What do they work on? What the politicians want; you have no say. And they tripled its funding. But what if there aren't enough volunteers for paid "volunteer" service. Force! It might be unconstitutional under the 13th Amendment's ban on involuntary servitude. But Jim McDermott (D, Washington) wants your children to serve his favorite causes. Robert Knight at Townhall ... Mandatory national service has reemerged in HR 1442, the "Congressional Commission on...

Though it represents itself to be a Muslim civil rights organization, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) devoted most of its resources earlier this month to mobilizing opposition to Israel's attempt to neutralize Hamas militarily. On Thursday, the Investigative Project on Terrorism reported that the FBI has cut off contact with CAIR due to unanswered questions about the organization's roots in a Hamas-support network. Earlier this month, the IPT showed how CAIR officials dutifully avoid mentioning Hamas by name when discussing the conflict. Yet no major media outlet or political figure is challenging CAIR's positions or tactics. That may be...

You may have heard about Argentina's plan to nationalize private retirement accounts. Some Democrats on Capitol Hill are inspired, and with their big election victory they may get the chance to test Peronist ideas in America. Meet Congressmen George Miller and Jim McDermott, who are eager to change the way Americans save for their golden years. They'll also be powerbrokers in the next Congress. Mr. Miller, who came in with the Class of 1974 from California, chairs the House Education and Labor Committee. Mr. McDermott, who has represented Seattle the past two decades, runs a House Ways and Means subcommittee...

RALEIGH — Democrats in the U.S. House have been conducting hearings on proposals to confiscate workers’ personal retirement accounts — including 401(k)s and IRAs — and convert them to accounts managed by the Social Security Administration. Triggered by the financial crisis the past two months, the hearings reportedly were meant to stem losses incurred by many workers and retirees whose 401(k) and IRA balances have been shrinking rapidly. The testimony of Teresa Ghilarducci, professor of economic policy analysis at the New School for Social Research in New York, in hearings Oct. 7 drew the most attention and criticism. Testifying for...