Free Republic

Not only was Republican Richard J. Berry elected mayor of Albuquerque yesterday, but the G.O.P. also took control of the Albuquerque City Council, as the New Mexico Independent reports: GOP challenger Richard Berry surprised even himself Tuesday, knocking off longtime Democratic Mayor Martin Chavez and avoiding a two-man runoff while doing it. Berry, a two-term Republican state legislator, bested Chavez in convincing fashion, collecting nearly 44 percent of votes to Chavez’s 35 percent. Richard Romero received nearly 21 percent of the vote. Only provisional ballots remained to be counted early Wednesday. ... City Councilor Michael Cadigan lost a bid Tuesday...

Dave Weinbaum's First-Ever, Totally-Unscientific Political Reader Poll

President Barack Obama may be remembered for permanent depression, the way that Leon Trotsky's name is linked with permanent revolution. Fiscal stimulus combined with near-zero interest rates have proven to be a toxic cocktail for the United States, the macroeconomic equivalent of barbiturates and alcohol. Keynesian spending creates a deficit that sucks all the available capital out of the grassroots economy and transfers it to the Treasury market. Easy funding terms from the Federal Reserve allow financial institutions to make money in government bonds while shutting off credit to the rest of the economy. It's classic crowding out,........(rest at link)

Doug Hoffman, a conservative running as a third-party candidate, is adding intrigue to the race to replace Republican Rep. John M. McHugh by trying to tap the electorate's anger and overcome long odds to upset the establishment candidates, Republican Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava and Democrat Bill Owens. Mrs. Scozzafava, who also received perhaps-unwelcome support from the founder of the Daily Kos, a liberal political blog. Meanwhile, Mr. Hoffman counts former senator and Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson and the conservative Club for Growth among his supporters. In addition, RedState.com, the influential right-wing blog, has slammed Mrs. Scozzafava for her past involvement...

Who is on your list as presidential material? Click here and make your voice heard.

Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., is closing the door on Republican donors who want their campaign contributions back after his party switch. His website announces a new October 15 expiration date for his promise to return the money of those who want their money back.

We've all seen calls for a third party (which would be disastrous I think, given the lack of success third parties have had since 1860) and countering calls for taking control of the Republican Party. But what has been distinctly missing is any idea of how to do either of these things. I'm not going to bother about how to form a third party, as I think it would be at best a waste of time. Instead, I'm going to present an idea and a website that gives concrete instructions on how to start to take control of the Republican...

Thanks to the summary of republican principle contained in the U.S. Declaration of Independence, we have a succinct basis for doing both. The defining goal of republican government is to secure the unalienable rights with which their Creator has endowed all human beings. On account of this goal, the republican form characteristically confines government to the exercise of "just powers" derived "from the consent of the governed." Though still very familiar to many Americans, we too rarely pause to consider the full implications of the Declaration's words. Though consent is the sine qua non for the government's exercise of just...

Former eBay executive Meg Whitman, the 2010 gubernatorial candidate who has recently portrayed herself as a "darned good" conservative Republican, endorsed Democratic U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer in 2003, records show. "Whitman contributed $4,000 to Boxer in the 2004 reelection campaign -- and endorsed Boxer as a part of Technology Leaders for Boxer,'' confirmed Boxer aide Rose Kapolczynski today. And, she signed an "open letter" appealing for support from the California technology executives, touting Boxer as a "dynamic and courageous leader" on the tech front. Whitman's name was included in a "Friends of Boxer" release when the committee of a dozen...

We all know that President Obama has a Republican problem, namely the 200 or so Republican members of Congress who refuse to go along with his health care reform plans. However, I think he might also be developing a republican problem. Namely, I think he is having trouble keeping his ego within the boundaries of an office that fundamentally reflects the republican quality of this country. It is difficult to nail down precisely what "republicanism" means. It has had different meanings in different places at different times. In the United States, it conjures up the notion of self-government: the people...

Fresh from a humbling loss in last year’s presidential election, Sen. John McCain is working behind-the-scenes to reshape the Republican Party in his own center-right image. McCain is recruiting candidates, raising money for them and hitting the campaign trail on their behalf. He’s taken sides in competitive House, Senate and gubernatorial primaries and introduced his preferred candidates to his top donors. When the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy created a vacant Senate seat in Massachusetts, McCain went so far as to solicit former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling to run for the seat. It’s all part of an approach...

A conservative rock band, The Reaganites, are releasing an anti-Obama album in January 2010 that will be available to download for FREE off their website, www.reaganites.org You can currently download three of the songs for FREE. There is an anti-Obama ballad, "America, I Miss You," an anti-Joe Biden song called "Joe" and an anti-abortion song called "No Choice." The Reaganites are based in Cleveland, Ohio.

Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee defeated Republican efforts Wednesday to strengthen provisions in a sweeping health-care reform bill aimed at restricting federal funding for abortions and denying government benefits to illegal immigrants.

Retail Politics by: Allie Winegar Duzett, September 30, 2009 On September 22, 2009, freshman congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) took the stage at the Heritage Foundation’s Conservative Bloggers Briefing and showed the crowd how to win friends and influence people all the way to Congress—all the while spending under one hundred thousand dollars. Rep. Chaffetz is the perfect man to address this topic. In 2008, he shocked the world by unseating an incumbent of twelve years, U.S. Chris Cannon (R). And while Cannon had a budget of almost $700,000 for the race, Rep. Chaffetz won using a mere $74,000. Clearly, Rep....

Rep. John Carter (R-Tx), a member of the GOP House Leadership and a former judge, informed us in a blogger conference call that he will be hosting a virtual townhall tonight at 7:30 p.m. Eastern and will be taking questions from members of the public. CSPAN will broadcast floor speeches covering the status of certain legislation on issues such as ACORN hearings, Obama's Czars, auditing the Federal Reserve, and the Democrat abuses in running the House of Representatives. After that, Rep. Carter will return to his office, fire up the web-cam and take questions from the public by email or...

Michael Falcone, from Politico.com, wrote a piece on Governor Palin, Republican base still wild about Sarah Palin: Despite a torrent of criticism from the media, Democrats and even some in her own party, Sarah Palin remains the hottest brand name in politics. Her recent resignation was perplexing. It’s raised doubts about her viability as a potential presidential candidate. Still, she remains extremely popular with the GOP grass roots, and most Republican Party leaders would jump at the chance to have her headline one of their events. That’s the picture that emerges from interviews with dozens of GOP state and local...

I like Glenn Beck, but what the h--- is he thinking on this one? He told Katie Couric that John McCain would have been a worse president than Barack Obama. He also stated that he may have voted for Hillary Clinton had she been the Hypocratic nominee. Huh?!?!?!? Glenn, were you afraid of getting Palinized by Katie? (That's the only explanation I can come up with after such mind-boggling remarks...)

Lots of liberals support the US going after Roman Polanski, but I must ask, what's the big deal? It's only about sex, right?It's nobody's business, right?It's between him & the girl (who forgave him), so drop the charges, right? Personally, I think Roman's problem was having sex with a girl. If he was smart, he would have had sex with a young boy instead. That way, every liberal and gay rights supporter in America would be celebrating his actions and defending him until the bitter end. And before any of you libs gasp and act all offended, I suggest you...

This Party Sucks For half a century, the Republican Party has been a joke in Philadelphia. But now a few upstarts have a radical idea: Let’s try to get Republican candidates elected! By Jason Fagone Page 1 of 9 THIS IS THE story of the biggest group of losers in the city and their struggle not to be such losers anymore, and it begins with the story of the biggest loser of all. His talent for losing was epic. He worked at it. He was good at it. He built an empire on top of losing, and by doing so,...

AIKEN, S.C. (AP) The South Carolina congressman who gained national attention for shouting "you lie" at President Obama during a speech to Congress will attend a Republican rally in Aiken. The Aiken Standard reports the Saturday rally will be held at the Republican Party headquarters in Aiken. Some have called the event a fundraiser and a show of support for Wilson. Aiken County Councilman Scott Singer called the rally awkward. He said he didn't want the rally to appear to support of Wilson's outburst. Wilson's shout at the president came after Obama said that extending health care to all Americans...

Unlike the "legitimate bull markets" of many foreign markets, Peter Schiff believes the U.S. is merely experiencing a "rally in a bear market," and is lagging the rest of the world "for a reason." The worst is not over, according to Euro Pacific Capital's Schiff, who predicts the Dow will fall another 90% from current levels when measured against gold. A longtime dollar bear and gold bull, he foresees gold hitting $5000 per ounce "in the next couple of years," and predicts the Dow and gold will trade on a one-to-one ratio vs. the current level of around 9.7-to-1. Schiff...

Douglas County, Colorado has three streams running from South to North. The Cherry Creek, East Plum Creek and West Plum Creek all eventually flow into the Platte River and the water then makes its way down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. Many of Colorado’s first settlers made their homesteads on these three rivers. The West Plum Creek ends at Sedalia, Colorado, founded in 1865. This land along the West Plum Creek is Horse Country as it has been for over 140 years. On Saturday September 19th, the Douglas County Republicans held their annual picnic. They chose the Wiens...

Douglas County, Colorado has three streams running from South to North. The Cherry Creek, East Plum Creek and West Plum Creek all eventually flow into the Platte River and the water then makes its way down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. Many of Colorado’s first settlers made their homesteads on these three rivers. The West Plum Creek ends at Sedalia, Colorado, founded in 1865. This land along the West Plum Creek is Horse Country as it has been for over 140 years. On Saturday September 19th, the Douglas County Republicans held their annual picnic. They chose the Wiens...

In a FOXNews.com story on September 21, a member of the Rhode Island Republican Hispanic Assembly, Ivan Marte, quit the party after Wilson called out the president. Wilson’s now-famous cry of “You lie!” was directed at the Barack Obama had claimed that his health plan would not give benefits to illegal aliens. While Wilson has been excoriated, very little journalistic research has been done on the Democrat bill, which makes no provision to prohibit benefits for illegals. Marte, whose input and contributions to the GOP were valued, according to state chairman Giovanni Cicione, called Wilson’s comment “shameful” and “uncivilized.” The...

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer did not look so happy as he competed with actress Dana Delany and comedian Andy Richter in a round of “Celebrity Jeopardy.� The photo shows the scores at the end of the first two rounds. For “Final Jeopardy,� Alex Trebek was nice and wiped out that nasty negative number, credited him with $1,000 and Wolf nailed that final answer with the correct question.

TWITTER IS FASCINATING. Earlier I received a few tweets from liberals who want to punish Joe Wilson for saying "You lie". They are outraged that he "broke the rules" of the House, and they demand retribution. Oh, the irony... Let's refresh our memories. It wasn't too long ago that we had a President (not just a mere Rep) who did worse than break any rules. He actually broke the law. He lied under oath in a court of law, not to protect his family, but to deceive the court so that he would have a better chance at winning his...

HOBBS, N.M. September 14, 2009 – New Mexico Tech’s Center for Energy Policy will present a special presentation about the future of energy in the 21st century at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13. John Hofmeister, the former president of Shell Oil Co., will present a one-hour talk titled “Affordable Energy in the 21st Century: Enablers and Disablers.” The talk will be followed by an open dialog about energy future. John Hofmeister, former U.S. president for Shell Oil Corp. and founder of the Citizens for Affordable Energy non-profit group. The presentation is free, but registration is requested at nmcep.nmt.edu or by...

As a snob, I have little use for the typical NASCAR-watching, foam-hat-wearing, tract-house-dwelling American lump. I find such people to be boorish, clownish, and largely incapable of rational thought. And the upper crust of the Republican Party feels the same way that I do. They detest the average American. However, at least I’m not going around pretending to be a friend of the common man. I’m open about my better-than-thou attitude, which is one of the many reasons you will never see me running for any political office. The same can’t be said for the typical GOP “representative”. He or...

According to the Democrats, the opposition Republican party only knows how to say no. In fact one of the President's constant refrains is "where is their plan?" He also promises to meet with anyone to listen anybody who has other legitimate ideas regarding fixing the US heath care system, but that is an empty promise. Since January of this year, the Republicans have introduced 35 different health care proposals, sadly President Obama is not serious about wanting to listen to alternative proposals. President Obama's refusal to listen to the Republican versions adds fuel to the fire of people who say...

Excuse this simple post.... I really feel we need to set aside a thread to THANK Joe Wilson!! Joe singlehandedly spoke up AGAINT the despicable LIES of President Obama last night! Whether or not you feel it was the appropriate place for him to speak out or not, he DID say what most of us were thinking while listening to the President spew out bold faced LIES. Joe Wilson's website has been down since last night! Let's use FreeRepublic right now to say THANKS!! THANK YOU JOE WILSON!!!!! I have donated $$ towards your re-election!! Polly

Congressman Yells 'You Lie' During Obama Speech The outburst caused Obama to pause briefly before he went on with his speech President Obama's address Wednesday to Congress was greeted warmly with applause from Democrats, but also some disruptions, including one moment in which a congressman accused Obama of lying. South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson shouted "You lie!" after Obama had talked about illegal immigrants.

Former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card will address members of the state GOP at a committee meeting tonight in Newton, potentially signaling his intention to run for the Senate seat vacated by the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the Herald has learned. Card, 62, a Holbrook native, will attend the meeting at the Newton Marriott, according to a Republican source with knowledge of the logistics. Card’s appearance follows an announcement by GOP gubernatorial hopeful Christy Mihos this morning that he will not quit his quest to unseat Gov. Deval Patrick and make a bid for the Senate. Mihos...

Forming the ‘Leave Me Alone’ PartyPosted By Mike Baron On September 9, 2009 @ 8:33 am In Politics | 38 Comments “Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism. That you put down your divisions. That you come out of your isolation, that you move out of your comfort zones. That you push yourselves to be better. And that you engage. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed.” –Michelle Obama [1]There is a right not specifically spelled out in the Bill of Rights...

A federal appeals court on Tuesday unanimously rejected a challenge to a law that requires trade groups to disclose their members that contribute to lobbying efforts. The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) had claimed the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, passed by Congress in 2007, violated privacy and freedom of association rights.

WASHINGTON – It's no surprise that Democratic lawmakers got an earful about health care legislation when they went home this summer. But Texas Republicans in the House who have already denounced the legislation have also been bombarded by correspondence from highly informed constituents. The office of Rep. Joe Barton, R-Arlington, received an unprecedented amount of mail, spokesman Sean Brown said. In the five weeks prior to the health care debate, Barton received nearly 400 e-mails. In the five weeks after it began, he got almost 2,800. "We have legislative correspondents that are tasked with returning mail, and they have been...

Insulted in Restroom, Texas Judge Jails Court Attendee, 69, for Contempt Posted 1 hour, 15 minutes ago By Martha Neil Angry about a Texas judge's ruling in a custody matter involving his granddaughter, Don Bandelman followed the jurist into a public restroom at the Caldwell County courthouse. Then the 69-year-old called District Judge Jack Robison a fool, reports the American-Statesman. Bandelman says the judge told him to leave, and he did. But then Robison had his bailiffs arrest Bandelman on the courthouse outside the sidewalk and, without any hearing, sentenced him to a 30-day jail term for contempt, the article...

MONTPELIER — Democratic Vermont Auditor Tom Salmon is switching parties to the GOP. Salmon announced his plans today, saying he is frustrated with the Democrats’ handling of the budget, and says the party has moved too far to the left. Salmon says he plans to run for auditor next year, but says if Republican Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie does not run for governor, there’s a very slim chance he might. Salmon says he’s been considering switching parties for some time and says the Republican party is the closest to accepting the realities of the times. He says when he returned...

Joseph P. Kennedy II said today he will not make a bid for the senate seat held by his late uncle Edward M. Kennedy, in a bombshell announcement expected to draw candidates-in-waiting out from the wings. “Given all that my uncle accomplished, it was only natural to consider getting back involved in public office, and I appreciate all the calls of support and friendship that have poured in,” Kennedy said in a statement posted on the web site of Citizens Energy, of which he is the founder. “My father called politics an honorable profession, and I have profound respect for...

When was the last time you asked your doctor how much it would cost for a necessary test or procedure? In all likelihood, you can't remember. That's because your employer-provided health plan or the government "paid for it." In fact, you paid. We all pay for health care. There's no denying that our health-care system is complex. However, we can trace most of the problems in the current system to the lack of control individuals and families have over their care. If there's one lesson we've taken away from the thousands of citizens at town-hall meetings, it's that one massive...

JFK'S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60's when DeGaule decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaule said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible. Rusk responded "does that include those who are buried here? DeGuale did not respond. You could have heard a pin drop When in England , at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush. He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has...

A mysterious YouTube member named, conveniently, “megwhitmanonvanjones,” has uploaded a May 2009 San Francisco Chronicle video of 2010 GOP California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, in which the former CEO of eBay and former adviser to Mitt Romney and John McCain gushes about suddenly controversial green jobs czar Van Jones. "There’s a guy over in Oakland, I think his name is Van Jones. And he and I were on a cruise last summer in the Arctic, on climate change. And I got to know him very well. And a lot of the work he’s doing to enfranchise broader communities I’m a...

Who should take Kennedy's Senate seat? Possible Kennedy successorsPrev 12 of 12 First Who should take Kennedy's Senate seat? Joe Kennedy II 26.0% Curt Schilling 22.8% Martha Coakley 21.2% Victoria Kennedy 6.2% Someone else 5.4% Michael Capuano 4.5% Stephen Lynch 4.4% Scott Brown 3.5% Kerry Healey 2.7% Marty Meehan 2.0% Michael Sullivan 1.2%

Curt Schilling appeared on the Dennis & Callahan Show on Thursday morning, with Bob Neumeier filling in for John Dennis. A transcript of his conversation about a potential Senate run is below. The interview can also be heard in its entirety by clicking here: PART 1 - Curt Schilling on D&C PART 2 - Curt Schilling on D&C Are you contemplating a run for the vacant Massachusetts Senate seat? I’ve thought about it. Most dread the idea of campaigning and debating - the fight. The fight would be fun. The whole spotlight/media crap, not so much. But the fight would...

Add another name to the growing list of pols and would-be pols eyeing a run for Edward M. Kennedy's Senate seat: Former Red Sox ace Curt Schilling. That's right, Mr. Bloody Sock himself apparently told NECN's Brad Puffer in an interview today that he, too, was considering running for the seat. Schilling would presumably run as a Republican -- he supported President George W. Bush in the 2004 election, and he campaigned for Senator John McCain in the 2008 presidential race.

----snip---- There's no evidence that coaches with a conservative bent are better coaches or more likely to get jobs. Football coaches aren't the most diverse group, which may help explain their political similarities. Still, could it be that football coaches, just by the nature of the job, are more comfortable on the right end of the political spectrum? "I'd say that sounds likely—very likely," said Bobby Bowden, the longtime Florida State coach and an outspoken Republican. Mr. Bowden, a 79-year-old native Alabaman, describes himself as a lifelong conservative who—like many white Southerners of his generation—migrated from the Democratic Party to...

Just before Thanksgiving last year, a group of former aides to Mitt Romney convened at his salmon-colored Belmont home, many of them gathering for the first time since Romney had disbanded his presidential campaign some nine months before. Romney had invited them for a post-mortem of the election weeks earlier, the type of dispassionate assessment that the Harvard Business School alumnus so enjoyed. But over cookies, they found few of the metrics for success that Romney prized -- Republicans had been decisively thumped at all levels -- and his attention shifted from 2008 to the future.

Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming delivers the weekly Republican address on the loss of Senator Kennedy and the importance of getting health care reform done right. Sen. Enzi discusses how the Democrats are rushing a health reform bill through congress that will ultimately "raid Medicare", raise costs and increase the deficit. Sen. Enzi urges lawmakers to listen to what the American people are saying and scrap the Democrats' current plan in order to "enact common sense reform that will actually cut costs."

Debate between the Democratic Party Meet Up Groups and the Republican Party Meet Up Groups Sponsored by: The Veterans In Politics International, Inc. Date: Monday, September 14, 2009 Time: 7PM Location: Panera Bread in The District at Green Valley Ranch 2235 Village Walk Drive, Suite 169 Henderson, Nevada 89052 (702) 896-2294 Purpose: This debate is to educate and attempt to understand both sides of the political spectrum on issues the affect our day to day life. This is a friendly debate between the two major political parties. Let’s express our opinions to each other in a civil and productive manner....

A Republican congresswoman from Kansas is issuing a great big apology for saying the GOP is searching for a "great white hope" to stop President Obama's policy agenda. Rep. Lynn Jenkins "apologizes if her words have offended anyone," her spokesman, Mary Geiger, told The Associated Press. "That was not the intent in any way, shape or form." During an Aug. 19 forum, Jenkins attempted to reassure the crowd that that the Republican Party has promising young leaders. "Republicans are struggling right now to find the great white hope," Jenkins, who is white, said. "I suggest to any of you who...

August 27, 2009 Senators Grassley, Enzi and Snowe, I am writing this letter to you because I understand that you are working to save Obamacare from defeat. I have to ask you why you would do such a thing. It is apparent that you are working against the will of the American people. What is in it for you to destroy the freedom that has been lighthouse to refugees all over the world? Is it because Ted Kennedy died and you want to pay him tribute? You can send a card, buy a wreath, or attend the funeral. You could...