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It doesn’t matter if they talk about it on the evening news or not according to Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana. Pence, along with two of his Republican colleagues – Reps. Dan Burton. Ind., and Bob Goodlatte, Va., met with reporters about the protest they are waging against congressional Democratic leaders at the Capitol on Friday. Democrats, led by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, have prevented an up-or-down vote on expanding offshore oil exploration and drilling. “We don’t need to be on the mainstream media,” Pence said. “I think the switchboard at the Capitol is melting. Quite frankly, you know,...

Pelosi Bans C-SPAN CoverageRepublican lawmakers returned the U.S. Capitol Monday to resume their demands for a vote on offshore oil drilling. On Friday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered the lights and microphones in the House chamber shut off while GOP members spoke about energy independence. The Democratic leader also closed the press galleries and forced C-SPAN to discontinue broadcasting. Two dozen GOP stalwarts pledged to continue their protest of Pelosi’s adjournment of the House for five weeks without allowing an up-or-down vote on opening the Outer Continental Shelf to oil exploration. They are calling on the Speaker to call the House...

An updated list of what's happening in OUR house.

U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, sent a letter to President Bush today asking him to convene a special session of Congress to address the nation’s energy crisis. The Democrat majority adjourned the House for five weeks today. “Today the Democrat majority of Congress adjourned for a five-week vacation without taking a vote on bipartisan measures that would lessen our dependence on foreign oil by allowing more domestic drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf. “The American people won’t get a vacation from high gasoline prices, so Congress shouldn’t take a vacation until we vote to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. “Since...

On Wednesday night, several members of Congress lined up on the floor of the House of Representatives and issued a call for de-funding Planned Parenthood. They said taxpayers shouldn't be forced to fund the abortion business -- even if the money doesn't directly go towards abortions. Reps. Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota and Chris Smith of New Jersey, both Republicans, organized the special order speeches. In her testimony on the House floor, Bachmann referenced recent reports highlighting Planned Parenthood’s targeting more affluent young women in her congressional district. A Wall Street Journal article also cited opening of “express centers in wealthy...

The announcement from Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she wants to revive the so-called “Fairness Doctrine” is big news -- but it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. The Fairness Doctrine is an Orwellian and archaic Federal Communications Commission rule devised in 1949 that requires radio broadcasters to present both sides of an opinion when discussing controversial topics. It put unelected FCC bureaucrats in charge of enforcement and determining what speech was legal. Broadcasters responded by avoiding controversial issues completely, the opposite of what a healthy democracy should expect from its radio press. This wrong-headed policy was finally repealed...

They only need about 23 more signatures from our congresspersons on Rep. Mike Pence's Discharge Petition to send the Broadcaster Freedom Act to the House floor for an up or down vote. 113 congresspersons signed Rep. Pence's temporary bill last year, and when you call, they might tell you that, but they must sign Rep. Pence's current Discharge Petition. Rep. Mike Pence said that the Dem congresspersons who were against the "Fair"ness Doctrine last year, are afraid to sign his Dispatch Petition now. Rep. Pence needs 22 Dems to sign it, so it will get passed. It sounds as if...

First Amendment At Risk by: Emily Ham, June 27, 2008 For many congressional representatives, this year Fourth of July is not only a day to observe the freedoms Americans hold dear, its also the deadline to sign a petition that could be the dividing line between broadcast freedoms and a form of governmental censorship and control. At a press conference held on June 11 (Radio Independence Day), members of Congress, the press and organizations throughout Washington D.C. gathered on the steps of the Cannon Senate Building to ask Congress members to stand up for broadcasters’ rights. Speakers beseeched the House...

Representative Mike Pence,R-IN., revealed no Democrat has signed the discharge petition for the Broadcaster's Freedom Act. Speaker Pelosi recently admitted to Human Events her support for the 'Fairness' Doctrine. VIDEO

I am deeply honored to have this opportunity to address the 41st Annual Silver Elephant Dinner here in South Carolina. I am grateful for the leadership of Chairman Katon Dawson and for the gracious introduction by Senator Jim DeMint. Senator Jim DeMint is a hero to his former colleagues in the House and has done more, in less time, to shake up the United States Senate than any other conservative in recent history. While Jim’s introduction was overly generous, there really are some great men here. I am humbled to share the stage so many great conservatives in South Carolina,...

MY POST ON SAT EVE: HR 2905 The Broadcaster Freedom Act, introduced by R-IN Rep Mike Pence needs our Support Special Program: Silencing Christians, and Christian Broadcastors on INSP 9pm ^ | 05/17/08 | Kackikat Posted on Saturday, May 17, 2008 11:09:40 PM by Kackikat Read about this bill Action Alert: Article on American Family Alert Website link above. Also see website of http://www.silencingchristians.com/ Fairness Doctrine would muzzle truth from the airwaves Urge your member of congress to support the Broadcaster Freedom Act H.R. 2905, The Broadcaster Freedom Act, introduced by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), would prohibit the Federal Communication...

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) is proposing an amendment to the appropriations bill that funds the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services to prohibit federal funding for Planned Parenthood. "I just think it's wrong that the largest abortion provider in America is the largest recipient of non-abortion funding under Title X," Pence told Cybercast News Service. Listen to audio Title X is the "family planning" program run by HHS that funds birth control clinics. Pence said his amendment mirrors the so-called "Mexico City policy" that currently prohibits federal funding for family planning programs overseas that perform or promote abortions....

Congressman Mike Pence Issues Challenge to McCain WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 /Standard Newswire/ -- The following is U.S. Congressman Mike Pence's (R-IN) speech to Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this morning in Washington, D.C.: Today I come to CPAC 2008 to speak not about conservatism's past, but its future. Because, despite the obituary that is being written for conservatism in this election, I believe this movement will define the Republican Party for generations to come. And, as the theme of this conference attests, the future of freedom and the future of conservatism is forward. We are past the time where we...

The American people love a fair fight and so do I, especially where the issues of the day are debated. In a free market, fairness should be determined based upon equal opportunity, not equal results. Some voices are calling for Congress to enforce their idea of “fairness” on our broadcast airwaves. But our nation should proceed with caution whenever some would achieve their “fairness” by limiting the freedom of others. Beginning in 1949, the Federal Communications Commission and its precursor developed and enforced the so-called Fairness Doctrine. The Fairness Doctrine required broadcasters to present controversial issues in a fair and...

Miffed that not enough people tuned in to Al Franken’s “Air America” liberal talk radio venture to keep it out of bankruptcy protection, and further miffed that conservative talk radio hosts mobilized listeners against the failed immigration bill, some Democrats are trying to put the defunct “fairness doctrine” into federal law. A Republican member of the House, Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, has a better idea. He’s introduced legislation to forbid the Federal Communications Commission from doing such a stupid thing. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin wrote Pence that the commission has no such intention anyway, but it never hurts to...

Rep Mike Pence, Republican of Indiana and Rick Boucher, Democrat of Virginia have introduced a federal shield law which in general I oppose. I wrote him an email indicating a change that I'd like to see if in fact he went ahead with the law. Here were my suggestions: If you are really going ahead with the shield law then at least change the standard for libel and slander when the media utilizes it. Right now there is a very high bar for someone to win a judgment against the media when the information they provide is wrong and damaging....

Pence Deserves Thanks for Taking on Planned Parenthood by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor Amendment would have kept taxpayer money out of abortion provider's hands. Late Thursday afternoon, Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., offered an amendment to the Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations bill that would prevent taxpayer dollars from being used to fund Planned Parenthood or its affiliates. Unfortunately, 231 representatives in the U.S. House voted to continue to send millions of dollars in taxpayer money to Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the world. Joining Pence in voting for the amendment were 188 lawmakers.Pence deserves our thanks, said Ashley...

There is a movement afoot to strip Planned Parenthood of millions of annual taxpayer dollars. One of the leaders in this effort is Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., whom I mentioned last week as being a chief cog in the effort to halt activation of the Fairness Doctrine, which Democrats hope to use to stifle conservative talk radio. Rep. Pence, a rising star in the Republican Party, this week offered an amendment to the House appropriations bill (H.R. 3043) that funds the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, to prohibit taxpayer dollars from funding Planned Parenthood's abortion efforts....

What ever happened to liberals' support of free speech? First, it was "lobbying reform" that targeted grassroots communications. Then it was "hate crimes" legislation that tries to figure out what we are thinking. More recently, it's "card check," payback to the big labor unions that would take away the right of employees to secret ballot elections on unionizing the workplace. Worst of all, however, have been the recent calls by liberal congressmen to re-instate the Fairness Doctrine, the ironically misnamed government regulation requiring broadcasters to present competing sides of controversial issues. Enacted in 1949, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) put...

Congressman Mike Pence led the charge in the House of Representatives that effectively headed Feinstein, Kerry, and Durbin off at the pass. By adding an amendment to the Financial Services and General Government bill. His amendment will disallow any federal funds to be used to carry out any enforcement of a revived "Fairness Doctrine." It passed 309-115... Meaning - even a major chunk of Democrats thought the idea of reviving the ancient rule that would in essence stifle most free speech in on-air capacities - was a really stupid idea. Pence had this to say upon the overwhelming victorious vote...

Prominent Democrats want to revive a policy to require broadcasters to present multiple viewpoints on controversial issues, spurred by complaints that talk radio has unfairly impacted the national immigration debate. An article published Wednesday by The Hill quoted Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D.-Ill.),stating: “It's time to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine. I have this old-fashioned attitude that when Americans hear both sides of the story, they're in a better position to make a decision.” The Fairness Doctrine was a Federal Communication Commission regulation that dates back to 1947. Under the regulation, station licensees were considered “public trustees” that had an...

Last year, President Bush set out his views on immigration reform to the American people, saying there must be "a rational middle ground between granting an automatic path to citizenship for every illegal immigrant, and a program of mass deportation." I agree with the president that a rational middle ground can be found between automatic citizenship and mass deportation, but the amnesty bill that was defeated in the Senate was not the middle ground.

Yesterday, Rep. Mike Pence (R.-Ind.) gave a great speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives that hasn’t gotten enough attention. He was speaking about the Democrats' menu of plans to lose in Iraq and pointed out something almost everyone else had missed: the fact that even the LA Times and the Washington Post are very critical of the Pelosicrats and their irresponsible approach to the war. Pence’s remarks deserve to be read in full, because they show how far out of line, and out of the mainstream, the Democrats really are."In January, President Bush outlined his plan...

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History has shown that conservatism works every time it is actually tried and that nothing else works at all. As a guide, we have the principals of Ronald Wilson Reagan. Yet, for ten years, Republicans have slowly moved away from limited government into a government-first, careerist, get-reelected at any cost mentality. The 2008 Presidential election will decide if we maintain our conservative convictions or abandon them for perceived political gain. Most of us realize that our party must nominate a Reagan conservative who can articulate the values and philosophy that made America what it is today. We must draft, nominate,...

Are CPAC organizers trying to send a message? They've chosen Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) to deliver the keynote address at CPAC's Ronald Reagan banquet 3/2. Does Pence, a former Republican Study Cmte chair, harbor any presidential ambitions? There's already a grassroots website set up to tout him. Through a spokesman, Pence told us that he thinks about running for POTUS "no more and no less than any other kid who grew up in the Midwest with a cornfield in his backyard." Asked to elaborate, Pence spokesman Matt Lloyd was more clear: "Congressman Pence has not ruled out a run in...

Last month, President Bush delivered a speech to the nation outlining a new way forward in Iraq. It has since met with resistance from both parties on Capitol Hill. I support the president's call for reinforcements and a change of our strategy because we must do everything in our power to see freedom prevail in Iraq. A few days before the president addressed the nation, I was invited to the White House to discuss his plan to increase troop levels in Iraq. What I found most persuasive was that the president didn't just lay out a plan for more troops...

Pollster Frank Luntz for the past decade has issued warnings to his fellow Republicans that they did not want to hear, but never has he been so out of touch with them as he is today. "The Republican message machine is a skeleton of its former self," Luntz told me. "These people have no idea how the American people react to them." Luntz sees a disconnect between Republicans and voters that projects a grim future for the party. That contradicts what House and Senate Republicans are saying to each other in closed party conferences. While Luntz views 2006 election defeats...

PENCE ADDRESSES NATIONAL MARCH FOR LIFE RALLY Congressman and Mrs. Pence at the 2007 March for Life speech   Washington, Jan 22 -  U.S. Congressman Mike Pence spoke at the National March For Life rally today, urging attendees to fight for the sanctity of life. His remarks follow: "It is the 22nd of January again. On this cold anniversary of the worst Supreme Court decision since Dred Scott, all across this land, because of the prayers and compassion of every one of you, springtime is breaking forth in the battle between choice and life. "Although the abortion movement is gathering...

The 2008 presidential campaign is actively under way, and while some winnowing has occurred, the field remains as open as it is crowded. Odds at the moment favor Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.) or former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani to win the Republican nomination, yet odds change every day. From "early presidential frontrunner" to "outgoing junior senator," Sen. George Allen (Va.) can tell you better than any Las Vegas bookie. The field is open not merely because it lacks a presumptive nominee such as a sitting president or vice-president, but because it lacks a Reagan Republican...

House Republicans picked John Boehner Friday to serve as minority leader when Democrats take control of Congress for the first time in 12 years in January. Boehner defeated Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana in a closed-door election among colleagues. The Ohio winner was expected to speak after elections for other leadership positions concluded. Boehner received 168 votes, Pence 27 and Rep. Joe Barton of Texas won 1 vote.

Rep. Mike Pence, candidate for House minority leader, delivered the following speech to the Republican Conference today. I know there are many traditions in this room but permit me begin by acknowledging God. He has given my family and my staff the health and strength to give our colleagues a choice: to endure this contest of worthy opponents with grace. I want to thank my supporters in this room, loyal friends who have stood at my side in this cause, wherever life takes my little family, I will always see you in this moment and admire your courage and your...

If Rep. Mike Pence... wins his bid ...for House minority leader, he will become the second most influential conservative in Washington, behind President Bush... The congressional Republicans are engaged in a desperate search for a new revolutionary... One story about Mr. Pence suggests that he might just be the man: "The president said, 'Mike, I really need your vote for my prescription drug bill," Mr. Pence recalls... "And I responded, 'With all due respect, Mr. President, I didn't come to this town to create new entitlements, but to rein in the ones we already have.'" A few days later, this...

WASHINGTON -- The depleted House Republican caucus, a minority in the next Congress, convenes at 8 a.m. in the Capitol Friday on the brink of committing an act of supreme irrationality. The House members blame their leadership for tasting the bitter dregs of defeat. Yet, the consensus so far is that, in secret ballot, they will re-elect some or all of those leaders. In private conversation, Republican members of Congress blame Majority Leader John Boehner and Majority Whip Roy Blunt in no small part for their midterm election debacle. Yet, either Boehner, Blunt or both are expected to be returned...

Rep. Mike Pence (R.-Ind.), leader of the conservative Republican Study Committee, is expected to announce later today that he will run for House minority leader, according to sources on Capitol Hill. Pence’s announcement will come after significant Republican losses in the House yesterday. Although some races have yet to be decided, the GOP is on the verge of losing 30 seats in the House and on the brink of handing control of the Senate to Democrats. As the conservative leader of the GOP in the House, Pence is positioned to offer a strong challenge to current Majority Leader John Boehner...

Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., told fellow Republican lawmakers on Wednesday he does not intend to run for minority leader when Democrats take control of the House in January, officials said. Hastert conveyed word in a conference call one day after Republicans lost control of the House in midterm elections. The officials who described Hastert's plans did so on condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to pre-empt a formal announcement. His decision to step down cleared the way for a likely succession battle. Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the majority leader, is expected to run, and Reps. Mike Pence...

When the now-defeated Republican majority in the House of Representative was led astray on key issues by President Bush, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, it was Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana who rallied backbenchers to fight back in defense of conservative principles. That is why Pence should be elected minority leader for the next Congress. Under Pence’s leadership over the next two years, we believe, House Republicans can put themselves in position to retake the majority in 2008. More importantly, they can be counted on to fight for what’s right—even when that means defying a...

If a successful steakhouse stopped selling beef and substituted stale vegan sandwiches as part of a strategy to increase its customer base, the restaurant wouldn't remain in business very long. Yet for some reason, the Republican Party has adopted precisely this strategy for governing. Instead of rewarding its loyal voters with the limited government they were promised, the Republican Party has decided to increase its voter base by offering the stale ideas of big government liberalism. This tactic is difficult to understand given that in modern midterm elections, voter turnout has hovered around 40 percent, meaning that winning is about...

Day 1 (Friday) The Values Voter conference poses a unique setting to look at many of the 2008 presidential potentials speaking on the same day, to the same crowd, on similar issues. A crowd which you may note, that many consider to constitute the base, or a large portion of the primary election base. For those unaware, the Values Voter Conference is sponsored by the Family Research Council (and Dr. James Dobson). An interesting note: who's not here? Rudy Giuliani, John McCain Speakers, in order of appearance.... Speakers, in order of appearance. (TP = Talking Points. Notes on each speakers...

The 109th Congress will be remembered as a time of tremendous challenge and great change for the Republican majority in the House of Representatives. Buffeted by internal conflict, scandal and external crises, House Republicans were tested again and again by an American public losing confidence in our federal government. The American people should know that House conservatives never lost confidence in our agenda and the Republican Study Committee stood firm in the winds of change. As the nation prepares to render judgment on this Congress, it is a good time make an account of the battles fought by House conservatives...

PENCE COMMENDS TROOPS ON ANNIVERSARY OF 9-11 Congressman tells soldiers "You do not go alone" Washington, Sep 11 - WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence today made the following speech at Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh, Indiana. Thank you for that warm welcome. I am deeply honored and profoundly humbled to be with you. As I thought about what I might say today, what words of inspiration and hope I might share on this solemn anniversary, I couldn’t help but be struck by how incongruous it is that I should be speaking to you. Our roles today are backwards. It...

The New York Times front page profile on my friend, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), "Star of the Right Loses His Base at the Border," is really all about the anti-immigration, far-right group led by Tom Tancredo of Colorado to oppose any broad-based immigration reform whatsoever--and to label any proposals for temporary workers, or even Pence's 17 year citizenship path, as "amnesty." This word "amnesty" is being used to attack absolutely any conceivable immigration compromise. I could go on forever on this subject. I have written several columns on it. But at the end of the day, the Tancredo crowd, which...

He supports tax cuts and the war in Iraq. He opposes stem cell research and the Medicare drug plan. He is a master of his movement’s medium, talk radio. Jesus Christ is his personal savior and Ronald Reagan his political idol. Conjure what might be called the perfect conservative, and chances are he would look a lot like Representative Mike Pence, the Indiana Republican who in just three terms has turned 100 House allies into a vanguard and himself into one of his party’s rising stars..... Arriving in Washington, he was dismayed at conservatives’ support for government expansion. In 2001,...

He supports tax cuts and the war in Iraq. He opposes stem cell research and the Medicare drug plan. He is a master of his movement’s medium, talk radio. Jesus Christ is his personal savior and Ronald Reagan his political idol. Conjure what might be called the perfect conservative, and chances are he would look a lot like Representative Mike Pence, the Indiana Republican who in just three terms has turned 100 House allies into a vanguard and himself into one of his party’s rising stars. Or that was the case until this spring when he sought compromise in the...

A chance encounter in the lobby of the National Press Club suggests that it's possible — not likely, but possible — that immigration reform could pass this year. Prospects are grim because House Republicans seem dug in on their plan to fight illegal immigration, period, while the Senate wants to combine border and workplace enforcement with work permits and an opportunity for illegal immigrants to become legal residents and citizens.

Watch Mike Pence Today (Saturday, 7/29/2006) On C-Span I Time: 5:17PM, Eastern Time Time: 2:17PM, Pacific Time Presentation by Mike Pence and Dick Lugar at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C., Federal Media Shield Legislation I saw most of this on Friday night on C-Span. I've gone through their schedule and the only other time it's been scheduled is the time shown above. If you want to see what makes Mikee run, please tune in or set a tape. The Press Club's drive-by media audience usually has some very hostile questions for conservative speakers. But Pence was treated as an...

Guest Workers Aren't Cheap; They're Expensive President Bush entered the White House in 2001 hoping he would be known in history books as the education president who improved public school standards with "No child left behind." It now looks like his legacy will really be "No illegal alien left behind." As President Bush's poll numbers drop even among his base, the question most frequently asked by angry Republicans is, why, oh why, is Bush so stubbornly rejecting the advice of his supporters even though that advice is consistent with the thunderous message from public opinion surveys? The reliable Rasmussen survey,...

WASHINGTON – With Congress at a stalemate over immigration, Texas' two senators took different tacks this week in hopes of breaking the logjam and getting a bill to President Bush's desk. Sen. John Cornyn and fellow Republican Jon Kyl of Arizona on Monday urged the president to make a bold move and demand that Congress immediately free up nearly $4 billion for hundreds of Border Patrol agents, immigration inspectors and border fencing. Doing so, they said, will convince Americans that the federal government is serious about enforcing immigration law – and could increase support for a broader bill that includes...

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) is no finger-in-the-wind politician. Pence operates from a firm set of conservative principles; he does not do that which is simply expedient and momentarily advantageous politically. During my years in Washington conservatives have had their fair share of principled legislators in Congress. Not all were effective. They held the right views but lacked the leadership skills and organizing capability to have a true impact on legislation. Pence, however, appears to offer the gift of leadership, a conservative House Member, with the potential to have a substantial impact upon the legislative process and, therefore, is well worth...

Rep. Mike Pence (R.-Ind.) should be commended for speaking articulately about the problems with federally funded stem-cell research. Pence, chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, has been one of the few lawmakers able to simplify the issue. Take, for instance, Pence's most recent statement. He makes the point that President Bush should stress when he vetoes the bill: Taxpayers who morally disagree with the destruction of human embryos shouldn't have their taxes used for federally funded research. "President Ronald Reagan famously said, 'we cannot diminish the value of one category of human life -- the unborn -- without diminishing...