Free Republic

“What too few in Washington appreciate — and what the new Republican Congress must if we hope to succeed — is that the American people’s current distrust of their public institutions is totally justified.” So wrote Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) in The Federalist shortly after the big election earlier this month. “Americans are fed up with Washington, and they have every right to be.” You can say that again. When Democrats swept the 2006 mid-term elections to re-take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, it was much more a repudiation of the pork-barreling, corrupt crony behavior of that Republican...

Rep. Keith Ellison, Minnesota Democrat, said Tuesday that Republicans don’t have a mandate after a midterm election cycle in which they took back control of the Senate and picked up about a dozen seats in the House — pointing to low voter turnout and successful ballot initiatives on raising the minimum wage as evidence of a nuanced electorate. Appearing on CNN’s “New Day,” Mr. Ellison was responding to comments from Sen. Mike Lee, Utah Republican, that the American people have spoken and President Obama can listen to them on issues like immigration. “Well, you know, we had a 72-year low...

Former Sen. Bob Bennett says even though Republicans are set to take over Congress come January, don't expect Sens. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee to set the agenda. Bennett, speaking at a conference in Washington, says Sen. Mitch McConnell, who will be majority leader in the next Congress, has done a masterful job of "isolating" Ted Cruz. "There is no cannier politician in Washington than Mitch McConnell," said Bennett. "Yes, Ted Cruz is an unsettling factor within the Republican conference. My sense of things is Mitch has very carefully, very methodically, very much under the radar isolated Ted Cruz. He's...

U.S. Rep. Steve King is planning a caucus 2016 kick-off featuring at least three potential Republican presidential candidates in January. King, who earlier this month was re-elected to a seventh term, will team with Citizens United to host the inaugural “Iowa Freedom Summit” in Des Moines Jan. 24. Among the confirmed speakers are Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Also in the line-up are Utah Sen. Mike Lee; Tennessee U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn; former Ambassador John Bolton and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina. Additional speakers are expected to be announced in...

There is an idiom that parents and employers likely put in practice when an important task has to be completed correctly; “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” President Obama certainly understands that sentiment with a slight variation; if the nation wants anything done at all, the President has to do it himself due to Republicans who have done nothing since January 2009. Sometime next week, after waiting patiently for Ted Cruz to order House Republicans to take up, and pass, the Senate’s bipartisan immigration reform, the President will take action on immigration reform. The...

HOUSTON, Texas – An article by the New York Times Editorial Board appears to agree with Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT) that Attorney General Nominee Loretta Lynch must answer about whether she approves of President Obama’s threatened executive amnesty. Cruz and Lee came out quickly after the announcement of Lynch’s nomination demanding that Lynch provide her analysis of the president’s legal authority to issue amnesty for illegal immigrants through an executive order. “Several Republicans, including Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee, have said Ms. Lynch must disclose her position on, among other things, the president’s announced plan...

After years of frustration and months of feverish work, the Republican Party has finally won back the U.S. Senate, and with it, undivided control of Congress. But no sooner had Tuesday night’s balloon drops hit the floor than Republicans around the country—and especially in certain offices in Washington, DC—faced that timeless question of election-night winners: Now what? snip Rather, these are five suggestions to my Republican colleagues to help repair the dysfunctional legislative branch we have inherited,

Five Steps To Restore Trust, Transparency, And Empowerment After years of frustration and months of feverish work, the Republican Party has finally won back the U.S. Senate, and with it, undivided control of Congress. But no sooner had Tuesday night’s balloon drops hit the floor than Republicans around the country—and especially in certain offices in Washington, DC—faced that timeless question of election-night winners: Now what? This is never an easy question to answer, given the requisite balancing act between expectations and realities, politics and substance. And answering it could be especially difficult for the leaders of the new Republican Congress,...

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, says she hopes to run for office again and is urging GOP leaders to have "more guts" as they pursue their agenda. Palin said in an interview with Fox Business Network on Tuesday that she is invigorated by her critics, who make her "want to work so hard for justice in this country." "The more they're pouring on the more I'm going to bug the crap out of them by being out there with a voice, with the message, hopefully running for office in the future, too," Palin said....

The tax reform plan from Sens. Mike Lee and Ted Cruz could turn out to be a big deal for Republicans. Essentially, the plan sets just two rates for income tax - 15% and 35%. It also raises the child tax credit by $2,500 from $1,000 to $3,500. It also reforms corporate imcome taxes. The Week's Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry says the next Republican to win the White House will have a tax plan very similar to this one, which focuses on building the middle class. Here are two Tea Party senators, one of whom is thought to be a strong candidate...

The Republican Party has become the party of ideas again. You can see it in the new tax reform plan put out by Tea Party Sens. Mike Lee (Utah) and Marco Rubio (Fla.). Their plan would simplify the income tax system, setting just two rates: 15 percent and 35 percent. More importantly, it would add a $2,500 child tax credit, refundable against both income and payroll taxes, to the existing $1,000 child tax credit. This means that even families that don't pay income taxes, but do pay payroll taxes (i.e. families who work), would benefit from the tax credit. The...

The Senate approved a continuing resolution for the budget which included a provision authorizing President Obama to arm and train Syrian rebels for the purpose of combating Islamic State terrorists. The legislation passed 78-22. Of the 22 Senators that voted no, here are the 12 Republicans that voted against the provision: John Barrasso (WY) Tom Coburn (OK) Michael Crapo (ID) Ted Cruz (TX) Mike Enzi (WY) Dean Heller (NV) Mike Lee (UT) Jim Moran (KS) Rand Paul (KY) James Risch (ID) Pat Roberts (KS) Jeff Sessions (AL)

Yesterday, the Senate approved a bill  to arm and train Syrian rebels, who fight against Bashar Assad, so they can eliminate ISIS, which possesses hundreds of millions of dollars, and no shortage of fighters willing to die for them.  I fail to see the wisdom in this action, or what good can come of this.  It appears cowardly, and even immoral to pay others to fight for you. The New York Times penned almost 1,800 words describing and analyzing this vote, and even got the tally wrong in the original version. Correction: September 18, 2014 An earlier version of this article...

Two GOP senators have vowed to stall any nonemergency legislation taken up in the lame-duck session later this year. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) warned Democrats that trying to muscle through any substantial legislation after the midterm elections would do lasting harm to the chamber. They said they would vote against any unanimous consent agreements on nonemergency legislation after Election Day. ADVERTISEMENT Cruz is also publically pushing his House colleagues to oppose a continuing resolution to fund the government until mid-December, which would require lawmakers to reconvene after the election. "Americans cannot trust politicians they can no...

Last Saturday, Renee Ellmers (R-NC02) — a 2010 Tea Party favorite who has since lost the support of conservatives — gave a brief speech to the Moore County, North Carolina GOP Convention. During the speech, she claimed to hold the same views on immigration as Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, and even Dr. Ben Carson. This statement came a few days after Ellmers’ tendentious appearance with Laura Ingraham last week — an interview that might have progressed smoothly had Ellmers actually expressed the same views on immigration as those four. Ellmers’ brief speech in Moore County offered no specification backing her...

Bi-partisan legislation protects privacy rights while targeting terrorists July 29, 2014 | (202) 228-7561 WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, today released the following statement regarding the USA FREEDOM Act of 2014 filed today. Senator Cruz is an original co-sponsor of this bill: “Republicans and Democrats are showing America that the government can respect the privacy rights of law-abiding citizens, while at the same time, giving law enforcement the tools needed to target terrorists,” said Sen. Cruz. “The USA FREEDOM Act of 2014 ends the government’s bulk record collection program and implements other necessary surveillance reforms. Importantly, it...

Transcript of Mark Levin, 6/10/2014 You know what I've heard? On good authority, that Mitt Romney and Orrin Hatch want one of Mitt Romney's sons to go after Mike Lee in the Republican fight -- should there be one -- because they want to get rid of Mike Lee. Who are the purists, exactly? Who are the "Big Tent" guys, exactly? Now let me tell you what I'm gonna do if these fools pull that. Listen to me, Orrin, I'm talkin' to you. I'm going to go into your state and expose you. For your lies on this show. I'm...

The Republican Establishment always says conservative purists would rather lose than compromise. But the opposite is playing out in Nebraska. The moment Ben Sasse got endorsed by the Senate Conservatives Fund, Mitch McConnell went all in for Shane Osborn. Well, Osborn is now toast. He has extremely high negatives, extreme negative poll numbers, and outside groups have just finished him off with an ad blasting his involvement in a made up military memo. That leaves Sid Dinsdale who’d have you know he is a lifelong Republican despite years of significant giving to Democrats. Dinsdale too, however, is behind in the...

Challengers see themselves in the Texas senator, even in races where their odds of an upset are considered steeper than Cruz’s surprise victory over a GOP establishment figure two years ago. He’s made endorsements in the Oklahoma and Nebraska Senate races, plus the Nebraska gubernatorial race, and sent almost $26,000 to federal candidates through his leadership PAC. “Ted Cruz would be extremely helpful as an endorser and a fundraiser,” said C. Edmund Wright, a consultant to longshot South Carolina Senate hopeful Lee Bright, in an email. “Rand Paul and Mike Lee would be great also.” But, he said, “the reason...

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said Ben Sasse, who won Nebraska's GOP Senate nomination on Tuesday, would be a much needed reinforcement for conservatives in the Senate should he win the general election in November. Cruz, who endorsed and campaigned for Sasse along with Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, said Sasse's "decisive victory" is a "clear indication that the grassroots are rising up to Make DC Listen" and "rising up to take our country back."Sasse trounced his two opponents, getting nearly 50% of the vote in the primary. "We urgently need conservative reinforcements in the Senate like...