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Following is the full text of the Republican Address to the Nation by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), as prepared for delivery: "Good evening. "I'm Joni Ernst. As a mother, a soldier, and a newly elected senator from the great State of Iowa, I am proud to speak with you tonight. "A few moments ago, we heard the President lay out his vision for the year to come. Even if we may not always agree, it's important to hear different points of view in this great country. We appreciate the President sharing his. "Tonight though, rather than respond to a speech,...

This weekend I was reading a background piece on the nascent 2016 GOP field by our friend Andrew Malcolm which provides some leading indicators to watch for. (Worth a read for all of us.) He may wind up being more than a little prescient given the results of the latest CBS pollregarding how self identified Republicans feel about each of the hopefuls and if they would like to see them run. This one was taken after Mitt made it official that he was officially thinking about officially running, though he might still officially give it a pass. With the 2012 nominee (and 2008...

"....the number of potential contenders for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination exceeds two dozen. It's actually a somewhat ridiculous situation.........Now it is my assertion that the vast majority of GOP politicians over the last century can be classified into one of the following three categories:RINOs–meaning that they do not really believe that progressivism and big government are bad for America–it's just that the Democrats are screwing it up and Republicans should be entrusted with the task of implementing the progressive agenda because they will do it more efficiently and cost effectively than liberal Democrats have or could.CRUELs–that is,confused Republicans who...

Almost overnight, former governors Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Jeb Bush of Florida have transformed the 2016 GOP presidential campaign into a mad scramble for support and funding for a lengthy and hard-fought battle.

I am no longer a Republican. John Boehner, Mitch McConnell and their Democrat-lite, RINO Republican establishment have seen to that. They have betrayed their own constituents. They have actively turned against the American people – the very voters who granted them power to do good. Even before the gavel has sounded on the Republican-led 114th Congress, these treacherous cowards shamelessly, eagerly, it seems, squandered perhaps the one opportunity they had to stop, in his tracks, America's first cultural Marxist, anti-American, palpably evil president. If ever there were, there can no longer be any doubt. Barack Obama is bent on turning...

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Paul. Great to have you, sir. Thank you for waiting and hello. CALLER: Yeah, great to speak with you, too, Rush. Most Republicans agree that Boehner has to go. He not only voted for the cromnibus that funded Obama's illegal activities until next October, he also negotiated behind closed doors and then threw it on the clerk's desk 48 hours before the vote so nobody else had a chance to see what was in it. So he's disgraced himself. He's got to go. The question is who should replace him.And two men...

Back to basics. Is the US government republican? If not, what is it? What is the purpose of government? What should be done? What made our plan of government unique? What is the purpose of elections in our existing system? Which body should decide the constitutionality of law? Can the two-party system lead to restoration of liberty?

After releasing our report on Monday covering the accounting issues of the PAC and campaign finance reports of the Texas Legislature, the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) issued a response defending its “important work”. In the two page letter, TEC chairman Paul W. Hobby, a Joe Straus appointee, admitted that we were correct about the TEC’s limited enforcement powers (thanks to the Legislature) and bemoaned the appeals process that hindered prosecution. He defended the commissioners’ diligence, claiming they have “met much more than is required by law.” Unfortunately, the figures the TEC provides only tell half the story. One of the...

There are few figures in popular media that I find less interesting than Lena Dunham.It has always seemed to me that the absurdly copious acclaim she receives from moribund institutions of spent cultural relevance like The New York Times were inversely proportional to her observable significance. She was a useful totem for the cultural left; unconventional, counter-cultural, a writer and performer on a modestly popular show that exalts lasciviousness, and, most importantly, an activist progressive. As such, she needs to be aggrandized even though her commendations are not entirely earned and her vast influence cannot be independently confirmed. I...

HONOLULU (AP) - Warning from President Barack Obama to congressional Republicans: I have a veto pen and, come January, I won't be afraid to use it. Continue reading Since taking office in 2009, Obama has only vetoed legislation twice, both in fairly minor circumstances. But with Republicans set to take full control of Congress next year, Obama is losing his last bulwark against a barrage of bills he doesn't like: the Senate. "I haven't used the veto pen very often since I've been in office," Obama said in an NPR interview airing Monday. "Now, I suspect, there are going to...

I am no longer a Republican. John Boehner, Mitch McConnell and their Democrat-lite, RINO Republican establishment have seen to that. They have betrayed their own constituents. They have actively turned against the American people – the very voters who granted them power to do good. Even before the gavel has sounded on the Republican-led 114th Congress, these treacherous cowards shamelessly, eagerly, it seems, squandered perhaps the one opportunity they had to stop, in his tracks, America’s first cultural Marxist, anti-American, palpably evil president.

**SNIP** Paul Begala, Democratic media consultant Santa is definitely a Democrat. Rather than cater to the wealthiest one percent he rewards people who work hard and play by the rules. And while he's not a participant in the first lady's anti-obesity campaign he's very concerned about climate change. After all, Rudolph can fly but he can't swim. **SNIP** Billy Moore, Democratic lobbyist My sister Kiki suggests he is a Democrat: "He cares about all the children, rich or poor. He cares about the elf's as workers and he believes there is good in the world to be celebrated not just...

The secret negotiations that led to one of the most significant expansions of campaign contributions in recent years began with what Republican leaders regarded as an urgent problem: How would they pay for their presidential nominating convention in Cleveland in two years? The talks ended with a bipartisan agreement between Senate Democrats, led by the majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, and House Republicans, led by Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio, that would allow wealthy donors to begin giving more than $1 million every election cycle to each party’s national committees. The agreement drew intense criticism from both liberal...

What is going on in the House right now betrays every American citizen who voted for a change in irresponsible governing The 2014 Midterm Election was a historical rejection of President Barack Obama, and the policies of the Democrat Party. The strategies of the Republican Party always seems to be to vote away any leverage they may have in future debates, by giving in to too many of the liberal left Democrat Party’s demands, and voting for bills or resolutions that are a longer term than they should be in regards to their best interests, while trying to give us...

Actress, philanthropist and former Miss America Mary Ann Mobley died Tuesday morning in Beverly Hills, Calif., after a second battle with breast cancer, one of her daughters has announced in a statement to NBC News. She was 75. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, Mobley, was crowned Miss America in 1959 and became one of the few Miss Americas to launch a successful TV and movie career. She graduated from "Ole Miss" in 1958 and was the university's first Carrier Scholar and the first woman voted into the Alumni Hall of Fame. In 1962, Mobley made her successful Broadway debut in the...

The text of the 1,603-page, $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill was released yesterday after House and Senate leaders wrote it behind closed doors. Instead of fighting for a provision that defunds the president's unlawful amnesty, Republican leaders fought for other riders. For example, they airdropped a political earmark into the bill that increases the amount the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) can collect from individual donors from $32,400 per year to $324,000 – a tenfold increase. Since the NRSC takes sides in primaries, the new donation limit will help the DC establishment do more to support liberal incumbents. RINOIt's an...

The only person left who can stop the 1,603-page, $1.1 trillion Speaker John Boehner omnibus spending bill from getting to the floor for a vote is House Rules Committee chairman Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX). If Sessions doesn't kill the bill in the Rules Committee on Wednesday, the bill just may pass the House of Representatives. For Sessions to do that, however, he’d need to very publicly and aggressively cross Boehner and House Appropriations Committee chairman Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY)—something that would be largely unorthodox and very difficult to do, politically. Don’t expect Sessions to kill it, though: He’s a Boehner...

Dozens of the Republican Party’s leading presidential donors and fund-raisers have begun privately discussing how to clear the field for a single establishment candidate to carry the party’s banner in 2016, fearing that a prolonged primary would bolster Hillary Rodham Clinton, the likely Democratic candidate. The conversations, described in interviews with a variety of the Republican Party’s most sought-after donors, are centered on the three potential candidates who have the largest existing base of major contributors and overlapping ties to the top tier of those who are uncommitted: Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida...

In a lengthy interview on Friday afternoon, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) exposed how House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Majority Whip Steve Scalise strengthened President Barack Obama’s executive amnesty with procedural trickery former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber would envy—and they did it all in the name of pushing a bill that they told Republicans would block Obama’s executive amnesty. What’s more is that a series of interviews and recent developments indicate that Boehner’s gambit here is placing several of his top lieutenants—including at least two committee chairmen—at political risk of serious primary challenges...

Is it me, or is Sessions the guy we've been missing in the White House? I know he's older and been in Washington awhile, but he seems to be the one guy who really wants the truth out, wants limited government and border security, and stands up to the establishment. We need someone of unquestionable integrity. Shouldn't he be the guy?