Free Republic

The spectacular rise of Donald Trump as leading presidential candidate should at last force Republicans in Washington to face the chronic ineffectiveness of their party: rank and file Republicans are turning to the Donald because he, unlike the party establishment, seems energetic, articulate, and determined to get something done. They have so long despaired of a party leadership that is inarticulate, somnolent, and inept that they are not deterred by the fact that Trump is dangerously unpredictable. The problem is not an insufficiently conservative party, as some conservatives think; a two-party system will always have a broad spectrum of viewpoints...

When conservatives held a Washington, D.C., rally last week in opposition to the nuclear deal with Iran, which names do you suppose inspired the loudest boos from the crowd? Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and John Kerry would be good guesses. So would Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But none of those are the right answer. Instead, it was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner, the two most important Republican leaders in Washington, who seemed to get the loudest boos. When Dave Brat, who won his Virginia congressional seat by beating then-House Majority Leader...

We have all had it with Boehner and McConnell. This is the axis of the Washington Cartel that protects their leadership positions, pomp, prestige, and power. Ted Cruz and Carly Fiorina have demanded that Planned Parenthood be defunded as part of the Budget Appropriations Bill. Should not we the grassroots demand that serious contenders for the Republican nomination do the same? To borrow the old saying, if they don't see the light, should we not make them feel the heat? We need to throw out these two rascals who are doing the bidding of "Club for Growth," "American Prosperity," and...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) will be the next target of conservatives frustrated with party leadership, according to one of the conservative representatives who pressured House speaker John Boehner in the weeks leading up to his resignation. “Next guy in the crosshairs will probably be McConnell,” Representative Matt Salmon (R., Ariz.) said in a text message to Senator Mike Lee (R., Utah), ... That fits a theory of Boehner’s struggles that is common among the outgoing speaker’s friends and foes alike — that his unpopularity among the grassroots stems more from McConnell’s failure to take advantage of the...

Speaker John A. Boehner will resign from Congress and give up his House seat at the end of October, according to aides in his office.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wants you to think he opposes the effort to defund Planned Parenthood in the continuing resolution (CR) because it could cause a government shutdown. He also wants you to think it's because he doesn't have 60 votes in the Senate when in fact it only takes 41 votes to filibuster funding for the organization. But the real reason he won't fight is that he doesn't really care about stopping funding for Planned Parenthood, and he never has. Here are the facts that he doesn't want you to know: (1) In 1992, McConnell voted to...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he will push a short-term spending bill that funds the government through Dec. 11 and redirects Planned Parenthood funding to other health centers amid controversy over the organization’s abortion practice. Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican, set up a procedural vote on the measure for Thursday, or after Congress hears from Pope Francis in a joint session, although Democrats will likely block the GOP bid. “I know Democrats have already blocked virtually every bill to fund the government this year, but I’m asking them to allow the Senate to fund the government now,” Mr. McConnell...

Why on earth would Republicans do that?” That is a question I’ve been asked at least a dozen times since illustrating that the GOP has played a cynical game in connection with President Obama’s Iran deal. “Follow the money” is a common answer to questions about political motivation. It may not explain everything in this case, but it is certainly relevant. This spring, Republican leadership colluded with the White House and congressional Democrats to enact a law — the Corker-Cardin Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act — that guaranteed Obama would be authorized to lift sanctions against Iran (the main objective...

Dozens of House Republican lawmakers are making a late stab at pressuring Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to abandon the filibuster on legislation to block the nuclear deal with Iran. A total of 57 House lawmakers signed on to a letter led by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) telling McConnell that blocking the deal was “simply so consequential” that it demanded a change to the Senate’s rules, known as invoking the "nuclear option." “Our request to eliminate the filibuster for some votes simply underscores that in a democracy the majority should decide,” they wrote. “The super-majority now required to advance legislation...

Last week, the Congress began debate on President Obama’s nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Many questions have been raised about the wisdom of the deal, including the lack of verifiability of the inspection regime, the release of over $150 billion that will help fund its ongoing terrorist activities, the secret codicils that the United States is not privy to, the lifting of sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile program, and the bellicose words of Iran’s supreme leader, who has continued to openly reject the terms of the deal as the president moves forward with its implementation. As expected,...

Trump gave a great statement today to MSNBC about the Iran deal, saying Obama negotiated from desperation, that we shouldn’t be giving Iran any money, and that we should have at least gotten back our four Americans being held in prison in Iran. Trump says the deal is terrible, because without immediate inspections, we’ve got nothing and the Iranians know it.

The Senate stands adjourned until 10:00am on Thursday, September 17, 2015. Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of H.J.Res.61, the legislative vehicle for the Congressional disapproval of the proposed Iran nuclear agreement, with the time until 11:00am equally divided between the two Leaders or their designees. At 11:00am, there will be up to 3 roll call votes: Motion to invoke cloture on McConnell amendment #2656 (hostages and Israel’s right to exist); if cloture is not invoked, then Motion to invoke cloture on McConnell amendment #2640 (Iran nuclear agreement resolution of disapproval); if cloture is not invoked, then...

Republican congressional leaders John Boehner and Mitch McConnell have become a big, wide target on the 2016 campaign trail. Not just for Democrats, as you’d expect, but for presidential candidates of their own party who are calling out the House speaker and Senate majority leader for not doing more to advance a conservative agenda in Congress. Sen. Ted Cruz, one of the most anti-establishment candidates in the field, has taken the lead in criticizing the GOP leaders. Even some of the more establishment-oriented candidates like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have heaped blame on them. Those candidates are playing to...

Thursday on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom,” Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) 93% said, “America is about done with” his opponent GOP front-runner Donald Trump because he is a “buffoon who insults women and calls them ugly,” and that has “become pitiful.” Paul said, “I think America is about done with him. I think we are ready to move on. I sensed that in the debate. There was up a silliness and lack of seriousness on his part that I think America will be done with him. The debate I think will reshuffle the pack. And I think...

WASHINGTON - Democrats in the US Senate blocked a last-ditch effort by Republicans on Thursday to add new conditions before President Barack Obama can waive any sanctions under the Iran nuclear deal. After Obama's fellow Democrats in the Senate twice blocked a disapproval resolution meant to kill the nuclear agreement, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced an amendment to the measure that would bar the president from lifting sanctions on Iran unless it recognized Israel's right to exist and released American prisoners. The vote was 53-45, meaning the measure failed to attract the 60 votes it would need to...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) attempt to pass an amendment to halt President Obama's Iran deal by demanding the release of four American hostages in Iran and to recognize Israel's right to exist has been rejected by Democrats. Senators voted 53-45 on an amendment from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that would have prevented President Obama from lifting sanctions on Iran until the country releases American prisoners and publicly recognizes Israel's right to exist. Sixty votes were needed to move forward. Many conservatives have argued that the Obama administration is putting Israel's security at risk by giving Iran a...

McConnell is always eager to do the right thing in the Senate…so long as the outcome is no longer in contention and he won’t actually have to fight for the cause he espouses. Yesterday, McConnell filed cloture on amendments that would prohibit Obama from lifting Iran sanctions until they recognize Israel’s right to exist and release the American hostages. McConnell is threatening to vote on more amendments that embarrass Democrats and put them on the record as siding with Iran against Israel. Does this sound like a tough GOP leader? Think again. Forcing Democrats to take tough votes is a...

Multiple House Republicans want Senate leaders to “go nuclear” over the Obama administration’s deal with Iran now that Democrats have stymied efforts to derail the accord by conventional means. A small but growing number of GOP lawmakers say that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) should invoke the “nuclear option” to change Senate rules and prevent a filibuster on a resolution to kill the deal. Their angst is intensified by their belief that Democrats will likely be able to block legislation withholding federal funds from Planned Parenthood, a standoff that increases the chances of a government shutdown. Less than two...

Linking the defunding of Planned Parenthood to a government funding bill is "an exercise in futility," according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The Kentucky Republican lawmaker, in an interview with Politico Friday, says he'll support instead a plan to fund the government into December with no conditions. "It's an exercise in futility," McConnell says of the Planned Parenthood defunding effort. "I'm anxious to defund Planned Parenthood" but "the honest answer of that is that's not going to happen until you have a president who has a similar view." "It's better to be honest with the American people and say,...

Name: Mitch McConnell State: Kentucky Party: Republican Born: February 20, 1942 Entered Office: January 3, 1985 Term Expires: January 3, 2021 Mailing Address: 317 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510 Phone Number: (202) 224-2541 Email Address: Email Form Website: Official Website