Free Republic

As attention turns to the 112th Congress -- and the 2012 cycle -- the political ramifications of the sprint to close the 111th Congress are becoming clear. Several members of the 111th Congress may find themselves in competitive Senate races in 2012 and an analysis of their voting decisions during the lame duck session offers a few clues about what is in store for some of 2012's marquee contests. The debate over Pres. Obama's compromise on the extension of the Bush tax cuts, a central focus of the session, shed some light on the 2012 Nevada Senate race. Sen. John...

Today, 12/22/2010, finally ended the orgy of political abuse by the Gang of Lame Ducks, led by Nazi Bela Lugosi (aka Nancy Pelosi) and Dirty Harry “Squeaky” Reid, known officially as the end of the 111th Congress. (My personal suggestion is to replace the 1′s with 6′s for a more appropriate appellation.) After the “shellacking” that Obama and the Demonrats took on 11/04/2010, the filthy pack of third-world politicos used scorched earth politics to ram the remainder of their agenda down the throats of the dismayed – but at this point – not-altogether-surprised American public The weeks from 11/04 to...

Happy Festivus everyone!!!! May your Feats of Strength go well and have fun with the Airing of Grievances!

Last month, citizens across the country sent a strong message to politicians - Republicans and Democrats alike - that they do not want more congressional meddling. But the leaders of the lame-duck Congress didn't listen. One of Big Labor's top objectives is to ram the so-called Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act (reintroduced last week as S. 3991) into law. Under this cynically mislabeled legislation, all states and localities would be denied the option to refuse to grant a single public-safety union the power to speak for all front-line employees, including those who don't want to join.

... to Pilfer and Sabotage Operative word for conservatives: VIGILANCE The so-called progressives aren't done with their date-rape of this country just yet... As legislators return to the Hill today, don't let the reported "slow start" to the congressional lame duck session lull you into complacency... rather expect the worst and keep your guard up for a sharp left-hook at anytime over the coming weeks. From it's deathbed, the fading Obama-Reid-Pelosi triumvirate is apt to ram-through anything they can get the votes for: it's not like they'll be restrained by any scruples- and you already know what they think of...

Keep calling 1-800-868-3407 between 8-10:30 EST until they tell you to stop. And you can vote on every line you have, cell, fax and land line. I apologize if this is lame and I've never voted for a show in my life but she has been recieving tea party support even though she is not the best dancer by consistently being in the top 3 in viewer votes every week. You may not be a fan of the show or even Bristol but I firmly believe her continued success on the show demonstrates the power of the tea party.PLEASE VOTE!and...

Dem lame-duck agenda shrinking fast after Election Day 'shellacking'By Alexander Bolton - 11/08/10 05:00 AM ET Democratic allies are not optimistic about their legislative priorities getting done in the lame-duck session after Democratic candidates got pummeled on Election Day. Senate Democrats had discussed as many as 20 bills up for consideration during the lame-duck session, the period between the Nov. 2 election and Christmas. In the wake of a midterm election that President Obama called a “shellacking” of his party, Democratic insiders question if anything more than a stopgap spending measure and temporary extension of Bush-era tax cuts can pass....

One of the top priorities of the coming lame duck session of Congress will be the formal repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," aka U.S. Code Title 10, Section 654. Obama won't have another chance to shove it through before 2012, and he wants the gay community on his side then. He will probably also want to repeal Article 125 - Sodomy in the Uniform Code of Military Justice.  Read at least the "Findings" part of Section 654 before you go any further. It contains a good summary of the logic that was used at the time that "Don't...

Kirk to miss part of lame-duck sessionUpdated at 11:36 AM today November 6, 2010 (SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) -- Illinois Republican Mark Kirk won't be seated in the U.S. Senate in time for the start of the lame duck session of Congress this month -- unlike two other newly elected senators. The session begins Nov. 15. But state officials say the paperwork officially declaring Kirk the winner of the Senate race won't be delivered until Nov. 29. That should still allow Kirk to participate in two weeks of the session in December. He argued strongly during the campaign that voters needed to...

Big Labor is pouring money into two Democratic U.S. Senate races, attempting to secure a union pension bailout during a lame duck session of Congress. As previously reported on HUMAN EVENTS, new Federal Accounting Standards Board rules set to take effect on Dec. 15 threaten to shake up unions and the businesses entangled in multi-employer union pension plans that have been mismanaged and underfunded well before the 2008 financial upheaval. The economic downturn has only exacerbated the problem. Recent reports show hundreds of thousands of dollars in union cash pouring into races for Democratic Senate candidates Michael Bennet and Joe...

Dear People of Delaware, Illinois, and West VirginiaYour Nation Is Counting on You. Posted by Socrates Wednesday, October 20th at 12:49AM EDT This is a special appeal to you, the people in the three states with special elections on the ballot November 2. The winners of those special elections, as you may know, will be seated immediately, and will be fully voting members of the Senate during the “lame duck” session. I believe that Democrats have reserved their most unpopular schemes for this lame duck session. Now, I’m not a member of the inner circle of the Democratic Party, not...

Lame duck dangersFriday, October 15, 2010 U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith When a football game goes into overtime or a baseball game goes into extra innings, fans are usually on the edge of their seats with excitement. Unfortunately, when Congress goes into extra innings it usually means bad things for American taxpayers. In Congress, such overtime is called a "lame duck" session, and one is set to take place shortly after the November elections. I am concerned this session will be used as an opportunity by some to bring up controversial issues without the possibility of being held accountable. House Speaker...

The Looking Spoon is a conservative humor/satire/art/commentary blog, visit www.thelookingspoon.com to see more posts and art

Democrats Scale Back Agenda on Their Own Termsby Wendell Goler | October 04, 2010 Even though the president's aides believe Democrats will retain control of the House and Senate, they're prepared for a scaled down legislative agenda after next month's elections. But officials say it's not because Republicans will be calling more of the shots. Part of the reason is that the largest items on Mr. Obama's agenda, including the Recovery Act, health care reform and financial regulatory reform, have already been passed by Congress. Another part of the reason is that few here expect Republicans to follow their likely...

The Practice's David E. Kelley, has come on board to write and produce a new series project about the female superhero. The project, from Warner Bros. Television where Kelley is based, and Warner Bros.' DC Entertainment, will be taken out to the networks shortly. Kelley, who has created several female-centered shows, most notably Ally McBeal, had been interested in tackling a contemporary take on the World War II-era Amazon. Details on the reboot are being kept under wraps, and it is not clear if the new Wonder Woman aka Diana Prince will keep her signature powers and weapons, including her...

DOVER, Del. — With the new season of "Saturday Night Live" comes a fresh batch of political satire — and Delaware Senate hopeful Christine O'Donnell is the first target. The Republican candidate's past statements were fodder for the opening sketch on Saturday night's broadcast on NBC.

Michael LaPayower really likes the song "California Gurls" by Katy Perry. He's also a second generation Yankees superfan, having watched nearly every game since 1995. When he combined these two elements, disaster ensued, as he created a Yankees remix of the song so ridiculous that it borders on surreal. After his performance, he goes on to explain his ultimate fandom. It is really something special -- enjoy. Click to see video on this page

Beware the lame duck appropriatorsBy Alex Cortes - The Daily Caller Updated: 8:49 AM 08/12/2010 Republicans have been raising the concern of a lame-duck session of Congress where the Democrats will attempt to shove Cap and Trade, Card Check, and other tired, statist policies down the American people’s throats. Although such new authorizations would be a slap in the face to a public that just issued a new governing mandate, this concern is misdirected and minuscule compared to an even greater lame duck challenge. The radical policies the Lame Duck Democrats may attempt to authorize honestly have little to no...

The Senate’s lame-duck session would begin the week of Nov. 15, according to an internal document obtained by The Hill. Under a scheduled laid out by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the Senate would return on Monday, Nov. 15 for a single week before breaking for the week of Thanksgiving. The upper chamber would then return to business on Monday, Nov. 29. It is not clear how long the Senate would then remain in session. The House has not announced a preliminary schedule for post-election sessions. Congress could have to consider appropriations bills after the election, as well as what...

Some kids turn to parents, friends or teachers if they’re dealing with bullies. But one local girl went right to the top for a little help. Student Ziainey Stokes from West Philadelphia wrote a letter to President Obama about bullying in January. The 11-year-old was fed up with being a victim after several years of abuse at two schools