Free Republic

Never has there been a presidential race as sprawling and wide-open as the 2020 Democratic primary. It would be a landscape entirely without a map, except that a small handful of battle-hardened veterans have navigated similar terrain before. At the kickoff of the primary debate season four years ago, no fewer than 16 candidates were jockeying for position in the largest Republican presidential field in history—only to end up being mowed down by Donald J. Trump in what became a slaughterhouse of a campaign. What’s in store for this year’s Democrats? To get an insider’s view, POLITICO Magazine invited four...

A former campaign adviser for John Kasich has registered as a foreign agent to lobby against sanctions on Russia despite being a long-time critic of the Kremlin for interfering in U.S. politics, according to a report. John Weaver was the top strategist on the 2016 presidential campaign of Kasich, the Republican former governor of Ohio who has frequently been at odds with President Trump. Weaver claims he accepted a six-month contract worth $350,000, plus expenses, to work for the foreign power because he wanted to defend America against what he described as Trump's “dangerous” policies. The former Kasich aide signed...

RUSH: The president promised to bring back manufacturing jobs. The headline from the Wall Street Journal: “U.S. Steel to Invest $1.2 Billion at Pennsylvania Mills — United States Steel Corp. outlined plans Thursday for the biggest upgrade of its steelmaking operations in decades by investing more than a $1 billion in its plants near,” the steel city. “The company also intends to build a cogeneration plant at its coking coal ovens in nearby Clairton to decrease emissions by using waste gases from the coking process to generate electricity.” Wherever you look. You want the Never Trumper take on this? I...

I thought we’d end up with zero given the futility of the endeavor. Instead one has already declared, another is making post-Mueller noises about getting in, and a third — the most formidable, although not very formidable — is out there watching. A four-man field, potentially? The more choices there are, the smaller Trump’s landslide margin will be.The one who’s already in is William Weld. The one who’s making noise is Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who spoke at the “Politics and Eggs” event this morning in New Hampshire that all presidential candidates eventually make their way to. Hogan has...

While Ohio has reached this stage twice before, the measure was vetoed both times by Gov. John Kasich. But new Gov. Mike DeWine has promised to sign the bill, which would ban abortions, except to save the life of the woman, once a fetal heartbeat is detected. It was unclear Wednesday how quickly the legislation would reach DeWine’s desk or how long he would wait to add his signature. Cincinnati Right to Life labeled the measure “the nation’s strongest pro-life bill,” while Senate Democrats said it “would become the most extreme abortion ban in the country.”

Ohio's "heartbeat bill," which would have prohibited killing unborn children with a detectable heartbeat, went down in flames on Thursday after the Senate failed by one vote to override Gov. Kasich's heartless veto of the bill. The bill passed both chambers earlier this month — the House by a comfortable majority and the Senate 18-13 — but Kasich followed through on his promise to veto the bill. In Ohio, a three-fifths majority is required to override a veto, which meant that two additional votes were needed in the Senate. The Ohio House voted earlier today to override Kasich's veto 61-28,...

Many media commentators are warning readers about a new Ohio bill because it could prevent women from obtaining abortions before they know they’re pregnant. But in the process of doing so, they’re making a pro-life message go viral: Abortion stops a beating heart.On Dec. 12, the Ohio Senate made national headlines for approving abortion legislation, known as the “heartbeat bill” or H.B. 258, which would ban the abortion of unborn babies with a detectable heartbeat. Republican Gov. John Kasich has promised to veto the bill – which resembles one he vetoed in 2016. But that didn’t keep the media, from...

COLUMBUS, OH – The Ohio Senate passed The Human Heartbeat Protection Act, also known as the “Heartbeat Bill,” by a vote of 18 to 13 yesterday. HB 258 bans abortions on babies when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually within a few weeks of conception. Liberty Counsel has offered free legal defense once it is signed into law. Prior to the floor vote, the Senate Health, Human Services and Medicaid Committee added two amendments to the bill. One amendment removed the mandate for transvaginal ultrasounds, which can pick up a heartbeat as early as six weeks, and instead simply...

Ohio lawmakers on Thursday passed controversial legislation that aims to block women from getting an abortion after a fetal heartbeat has been detected. The Columbus Dispatch reported that Thursday's 58-35 vote marked the second consecutive session in which the House passed the bill. It passed the House and Senate in December 2016, but was vetoed by GOP Gov. John Kasich. “The point is, it’s time. It doesn’t matter if the governor is with us or against us,” one of the bill's sponsors, Rep. Christina Hagan (R), said. Governor-elect Mike DeWine (R) has said he would sign a so-called “heartbeat” bill,...

On December 13, Ohio Governor John Kasich (shown) vetoed the Heartbeat Bill, which would have banned abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Kasich’s veto was of the “line-item” type and was accomplished by means of “veto messages” that disapproved of two items contained in Amended Substitute House Bill 493. The “heartbill bill” — as the abortion ban was commonly called — was part of Item Number 1. In his message, Kasich offered the following explanation for vetoing that portion of the appropriation bill: As governor I have worked hard to strengthen Ohio’s protections for the sanctity of human...

'Governor isn't as committed to life as he professes to be' Prominent evangelical Christian leader Dr. James Dobson pulled no punches Wednesday after Ohio Gov. John Kasich vetoed the “Heartbeat Bill” – issuing a blistering attack on Kasich for his “cowardice” and “shameful action.” “I join with millions of evangelicals and Catholics in condemning Gov. John Kasich’s veto of the bill,” Dobson wrote on his website. “This was a cowardice and shameful action.” The “Heartbeat Bill” would prohibit abortions in cases where a baby’s heartbeat can be detected along with any procedures performed after six weeks of pregnancy. Kasich did...

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) on Tuesday signed into law a measure banning abortions 20 weeks after conception, but vetoed a measure that would have outlawed abortion after as few as six weeks.   The bill Kasich vetoed, known as a “heartbeat” bill, passed Ohio’s legislature along mostly partisan lines last week and would have made abortions illegal once a fetus's heartbeat is detected. But even groups that oppose abortion rights believed the measure would fail in the face of an expected court challenge; Ohio Right to Life asked Kasich on Monday to veto the bill. Lower courts have struck...

CNN)Donald Trump's election, and a presumption that he'll appoint conservative Supreme Court justices, spurred Ohio Republicans to pass what would effectively be the nation's strictest time-based abortion law, a legislator said. Ohio lawmakers on Tuesday passed a controversial "Heartbeat Bill" that would ban abortions in that state from the moment the heartbeat of a fetus can be detected -- which usually occurs about six weeks into a pregnancy. What happens next for the bill, which would prohibit such abortions even in cases of rape or incest, depends on Republican Gov. John Kasich, who has 10 days to decide whether to...

The Ohio legislature Tuesday approved one of the nation’s toughest abortion laws, and the bill is now headed to Gov. John Kasich for his signature or veto. Votes in the Ohio Senate and House capped a long day of maneuvering on a bill that would effectively outlaw abortions by banning the procedure once a heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. First Ohio senators voted 21-10 for the bill, which is different than the one the House approved last year. After more than 90 minutes of emotional debate, the House voted 56-39 late...

The Ohio State Senate today passed legislation that would ban all abortions after an unborn baby’s heart begins to beat. An unborn child’s heart begins to beat at 22 days after conception or earlier. Should the measure be approved by the full Ohio State Legislature and be signed into law, the legislation would likely be struck down in court as has been the case and two other states — Arkansas and North Dakota. As the Ohio General Assembly considers bills in these last days of lame duck session before the year’s end, significant amendments are being added to various laws...

Pretty Funny. The democrats and there hypocrisy.

Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday that he will propose an increase in the gasoline tax — and it could be a sizable one — to fix and improve Ohio’s crumbling roads and bridges. The first-year Republican would not reveal the size of the proposed hike. DeWine told reporters the recommended increase would maintain the status quo of highway maintenance and some major projects. That would require another $600 million per year, or an additional 14 cents a gallon — a 50 percent increase in the 28-cent tax — based on figures from the Department of Transportation. The elevation will be...

For Democrats who want to teach their children at an early age that violence against opponents is perfectly normal and acceptable, an Ohio performing arts center has them covered. “A popular performing arts building is advertising a kid’s birthday party where participants can play ‘Shoot the President’ with Nerf guns – and it’s raising more than a few eyebrows in Ohio,” according to Fox8. “The game was being advertised at Olmsted Performing Arts building in Berea.” The object of the game is simple, per Olmsted’s website. “There is one president with body guards. Everyone else tries to eliminate or shoot...

Outgoing Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) warned in a USA Today op-ed on Monday that the GOP "seems stuck in the 1950s." Kasich, who is considering running for president in 2020 after a failed bid in 2016, also said Republicans haven't learned from their losses in the midterm elections.

On New Year’s Day this year, I predicted in a column published here that under pressure of various governmental investigations, Donald Trump will be compelled to resign from the presidency before the end of 2019. The recent disclosures regarding these investigations have strengthened my position. Upon Trump’s resignation from the presidency, Vice President Mike Pence will become the president. Pence, however, will be a very poor reelection prospect in 2020. Mike and Karen Pence, his wife, have a well-deserved reputation for extremism on social issues, particularly on issues affecting gay and lesbian voters. The Pences possess a “kook” factor they...