Free Republic

On Nov. 3, 2009, the morning of the state elections in Maine and Washington regarding same-sex marriage and civil unions, newspapers across the country carried an odd "news" story: A UCLA "think tank" that had just released a groundbreaking study saying that homosexual relationships really normal - gay couples are just like straight spouses. It turns out that the "think tank" is the Williams Institute, which describes itself as a "gay and lesbian" organization and is dedicated to "advancing critical thought in the field of sexual orientation law and public policy." It is funded by millions of dollars from wealthy...

Just had the 218th vote, which is what they need to psas th ebill

(snip) The GOP wins in New Jersey and Virginia are breeding a new competition among Republicans to take part of the credit. Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty, potential rivals for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, both tried to bask in glow."We worked extremely hard on behalf of Bob McDonnell and the entire Republican ticket in Virginia, and helped him close strong with a full day of campaigning in the final week; in New Jersey, we endorsed Chris Christie early and made sure he had the resources to be competitive against his better-financed opponent," Romney told supporters of his Free &...

What a great election yesterday! It's exhilarating to wake up to headlines of conservative victories in the battleground elections in Virginia and New Jersey. The American people have sent a very strong message to the liberals in Washington, DC that big government is not the answer, and that conservatism is still alive and well. We worked extremely hard on behalf of Bob McDonnell and the entire Republican ticket in Virginia, and helped him close strong with a full day of campaigning in the final week; in New Jersey, we endorsed Chris Christie early and made sure he had the resources...

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) on Wednesday promoted a round of Republican victories in last night's elections in a letter to supporters. The 2012 presidential hopeful plugged the triumphs of Republican gubernatorial candidates Bob McDonnell (Va.) and Chris Christie (N.J.), emphasizing that his political action committee's endorsement and campaign work for the two candidates. "It's exhilarating to wake up to headlines of conservative victories in the battleground elections in Virginia and New Jersey," Romney wrote. "The American people have sent a very strong message to the liberals in Washington, DC that big government is not the answer, and that conservatism...

November 3, 2009 2:30 PM Where’s Mitt Romney? Why was the once and no doubt future presidential contender missing from NY-23? By Kathryn Jean Lopez In October, everybody seemed to be doing it — getting into the campaign in New York’s 23rd Congressional District, that is. It was a three-way race among Republican Deirdre Scozzafava, Democrat Bill Owens, and Conservative Doug Hoffman to fill the seat that had been left vacant when President Obama tapped Republican John McHugh as secretary of the Army. Endorsements became such a popular sport for out-of-state Republicans that the special election came to seem a...

And Romney was nowhere to be seen. BY BRENDAN MINITER Amidst the stunning events in New York's 23rd congressional district -- with Republican-turned-independent Doug Hoffman suddenly surging to the front and likely to win today's race -- collateral damage has been suffered by some of the GOP's presidential hopefuls who misread the race and the mood of the Republican electorate. Mitt Romney -- formerly a man who seemed willing to show up and plug for any Republican anywhere to pick up a few chits -- was nowhere to be seen in the district. Mike Huckabee, a favorite for religious conservatives...

Results of Freeper only vote on Pail vs Romney for republican primary.

Much has been made over the special election in New York's 23rd Congressional District. For some, the attention might seem a bit much, given that it is merely one of 435 House seats. In reality, this race is about much more than one House seat. It is a proxy battle in the long-running war between establishment Republicans and grassroots conservatives. Although GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava endorsed the Democrat over Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, after quitting the race with three days to go, Hoffman looks poised to win

Americans are looking forward to former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's memoir the most out of a slew of autobiographies from Republicans set to hit bookshelves soon. Interest in Rice's book leads interest in those by her former bosses, former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney, as well as the memoir to be published this month by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), according to a poll. Twenty-two percent of Americans said they're most likely to read Rice's book, according to a poll commissioned by the CBS news program "60 Minutes" and the magazine Vanity Fair....

Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney says the time has come to stop the economic stimulus program, contending that it has not worked as the Obama administration planned. Three days after the Obama White House touted the program as creating or saving some 650,000 jobs, Romney said in a nationally broadcast interview that "the stimulus that the president and the Congress passed is not what's helped the economy." Romney said on CBS's "The Early Show" that the administration's stimulus plan "didn't work" and

A Massachusetts man was fired from a national retail corporation because of his traditional beliefs on same-sex marriage. Peter Vadala was formally dismissed from his job as second deputy manager of the Brookstone store at Boston’s Logan Airport on August 12, 2009, after a supervisor reported him to Human Resources regarding an incident two days earlier.

The details of Congress’ health care “reform” legislation are finally coming into focus, and it’s not a pretty picture. Congress is essentially proposing a national version of the failing Massachusetts system. In 2006, Massachusetts adopted a health care plan which included an individual mandate requiring residents to purchase state-approved health insurance, new regulations on insurance companies specifying who they must cover and what benefits they must provide, and a government-subsidized “public option” for low-income residents. Supporters promised a utopia of “universal coverage” which would save money while improving quality of care. However, the exact opposite has occurred — health costs...

Gays demand tolerance and inclusion. See how long that lasts once should they continue to get people fired because they dare not agree with their brand of "marriage"....

Amidst all the exciting news coming out of NY-23 yesterday, there was an article in the Washington Examiner by Mark Tapscott. At the very end of Tapscott’s article, David Keene is interviewed about the Upstate New York campaign: This race will have more impact on the Republican politics than any other this year. I believe Hoffman will win on Tuesday, but regardless of the outcome, he and the conservative base of the Republican party have already won by proving that conservatives can no longer be ignored by an establishment that has all too often ignored those it is supposed to...

CBO DIRECTOR DOUGLAS ELMENDORF: “Our Judgment Is That That Piece Of The Legislation Would Raise Insurance Premiums.” (Finance Committee, U.S. Senate, Hearing, 9/22/09) New Government Regulations: “[P]remiums in the new insurance exchanges would tend to be higher than the average premiums in the current-law individual market…” (CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf, Letter To Sen. Baucus, P. 6, 9/22/09) New Taxes On Medical Devices, Prescription Drugs And Clinical Labs: “Those projected premium amounts include the effect of the fees that would be imposed under the proposal on manufacturers and importers of brand name drugs and medical devices, on health insurance providers, and...

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney may have worked with Democratic candidate Stephen Pagliuca, but he’s supporting fellow Republican Scott Brown in this race to succeed the late Sen. Edward Kennedy. The 2008 GOP presidential contender is headlining a fundraiser Friday night in Brown’s hometown of Wrentham.

Robert A. George: In Key New York Race, Barracuda Chews Up Mitt By Doug Brady Another Black Conservative recently lampooned establishment Republican insider Mitt Romney for "voting present" in the NY-23 race. Robert A. George, at NBC's Bay Area affiliate, has taken a further look at Romney's choice to avoid making a decision in the race: What do you find most often in the middle of the road? Road kill. Mitt Romney, who hopes to be the GOP's next presidential nominee, couldn't bring himself to endorse anyone in New York state's contentious 23rd congressional district special election. [...] The conservative...

So tell me, how do you write a “news” story about an organization paying for a speaker when you don’t even know if the organization is paying for the speaker? Ask “journalist” Jonathan Martin. He knows all about it. You see, Jonny wrote a piss poor story the other day about how the Iowa Family Policy Center will be paying a large speaker fee if Sarah Palin comes to Iowa to keynote the IFPC’s fall funderaiser. The only problem is that Jonny has no sources confirming that any exorbitant fee is being charged or paid. In fact, he had just...

Mitt Romney passed over the race for the open Senate seat in Massachusetts, but has decided to get involved in his own way. He is holding a fundraiser for Republican state Sen. Scott Brown, in his long-shot bid to become the successor of the late Edward M. Kennedy.. Romney will appear tonight with Brown in Wrentham, Mass. The event should provide a needed financial shot in the arm for the under-resourced campaign -- Brown raised $154,000 through Sept. 30, the lowest of any of the major party candidates. State Attorney General Martha Coakley led the four-person Democratic field with $2.2...

(CNN) - Is Mitt Romney weighing in on the intra-Republican Party fight in race for New York's 23 Congressional District by refusing to make an endorsement? That's the special election where the GOP nominee, Dede Scozzafava, is facing a challenge not only from Bill Owens, the Democrat's candidate, but also from Doug Hoffman, who's running on the conservative party line. Because of the split among Republicans, Owens has a good chance of taking back a district the Democrats haven't won in generations. On Wednesday Romney was asked whether he'd make an endorsement in the New York 23 contest. "I have...

Romney ducks the leadership test What do you find most often in the middle of the road? Road kill. Mitt Romney, who hopes to be the GOP's next presidential nominee, couldn't bring himself to endorse anyone in New York state's contentious 23rd congressional district special election. The contest,.....has been a flashpoint for a party in search of its identity. An all-star lineup of national party leaders has weighed in, allowing themselves to be defined by whose side they're on. But not Romney. The former Massachusetts governor passed, and this could have serious ramifications down the road. The cliche about the...

Tea Party Patriots 2012 Presidential Poll Who do you think would make a great conservative president? (Consider only their commitment to the constitution, charisma and personal integrity. Do NOT consider their ability to win.)

As reported here by ABC News (online), Mitt Romney "...doesn't plan to make any endorsement at all" regarding the contentious NY23 Congressional race. What does this say about Mitt? When balanced against Sarah Palin's political courage, it seems telling. Sarah is a political alpha, a leader for the future. Mitt, in spite of his genuine conservatism and mastery of issues, is almost certainly not. You have to look no further to see why conservatives are so passionate about their support for Palin. Regardless of the arguable notion that she has yet to fully mature, she commands a degree of respect...

A day after President Barack Obama rallied Democrats in Norfolk for gubernatorial nominee R. Creigh Deeds, national Republican headliners hopscotched Virginia for front-runner Bob McDonnell. Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, a once and future presidential prospect, appeared with McDonnell, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and attorney general hopeful Ken Cuccinelli, stopping in Henrico County to echo the campaign’s jobs-and-economy theme and help pad campaign coffers.

The timing of this attack suggests that the DNC is perturbed by the fact that regardless of how American adults view Governor Palin's qualifications for the presidency at the moment, a good majority of American adults view her as "honest and trustworthy" and as "someone who cares the needs of people like you." Her strong showing in these "character traits and qualities" categories (categories with which Republicans typically struggle) provide her arguments against Obamacare extra credibility.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is acknowleding that the health care plan he famously implemented as governor did nothing to address costs. "We were unable to deal with - and didn't have any pretense we would somehow be able to change - health care costs in Massachusetts," Romney said in an interview with CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta. "We still have a fee for service, a re-imbursement system here like every other state in America. That's the way Medicare and Medicaid are structured, that's the way the insurance industry is structured." Romney said "Massachusetts is not the model"...

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who's eyeing another White House bid in 2012 after an unsuccessful run in 2008, endorsed former Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell for governor on Wednesday. -snip- Romney was also asked whether he would make an endorsement in the House of Representative race in New York's 23rd district, where Republican nominee in New York's 23rd is Dede Scozzafava, a state assemblywoman, is facing a threat from the right. "I have chosen not to endorse the Republican candidate in New York's 23rd District, "Romney said, "and that should speak a certain amount of volume. I can't endorse...

Appearing on CNN last night, Mitt Romney conceded that the Massachusetts health care plan he signed into law did nothing to control costs. But, he now says, it was never intended to. "We were unable to deal with -- and didn't have any pretense we would somehow be able to change -- health care costs in Massachusetts," Romney said. "That's a whole different topic, which is how do we get the cost of health care down in America." The problem with Romney's account is that at the time he signed the bill, he was saying it would bring down health...

Facts are a stubborn thing. And despite the false claims of ideologues, academics and politicians, the facts tell the story of Massachusetts' remarkably successful health-reform law. The lengths that critics have gone to in their various attempts to disprove the obvious—that our state's landmark 2006 law and its implementation amount to a truly historic achievement—would be amusing if the subject were not so serious.

BOSTON (AP) ― The four Republicans who held the Statehouse Corner Office for 16 years have endorsed Charles Baker for governor next year. William Weld, Paul Cellucci, Jane Swift and Mitt Romney made the announcement Tuesday during a fundraiser for the Massachusetts Republican Party.

Sarah Palin's financial disclosure, which was publicly released this morning, may help explain the timing of her resignation as governor of Alaska. According to reporting by Sean Cockerham of McClatchy Newspapers, the former governor had to take out a loan to pay her attorneys for legal work in her defense from a series of bogus "ethics" complaints filed by her political enemies: Palin is also reporting that she took out a home loan from Wells Fargo for "legal fees to fight false allegations while governor." She didn't give a date or amount.One of the last of the complaints filed against...

A longstanding ban that prevents gay and bisexual men from giving blood is being reviewed and could be overturned as early as next year, the Government has said. Men who have had sex with other men are currently banned for life from donating blood, under measures designed to reduce the risk of passing on infections such as HIV. But gay rights campaigners have condemned the policy as being irrational. The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (Sabto) meets today to discuss evidence for and against exclusion of high-risk donors as part of an official review of...

Three years after Massachusetts enacted its sweeping health-reform legislation, rising health costs continue to bedevil the state and threaten to derail reform efforts. Despite a significant restructuring of the state's health sector and dominance of nonprofit health plans, Massachusetts still has the highest health-insurance costs in the nation, averaging $13,788 for a family, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. One of the reasons so many people supported the reform effort in Massachusetts is that they were told universal coverage would lead to lower costs. With universal coverage, Massachusetts politicians argued, as many in Washington do today, people would no longer...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is once again making headlines by publicly pondering a 2012 presidential bid. Yesterday, as Politics Daily and Politico report, Gingrich talked about a possible bid on CSPAN's Washington Journal. In the interview, Gingrich said he would make the decision in February of 2011 and that probably would run if he and his wife, Callista, decided that they feel "a requirement as citizens that we run," which would be based on how they asses the other candidates running for the Republican nomination. "We are going to reach out to all of our friends around the country,"...

There is still time for potential 2012 candidates to stand with Republican voters and the conservative base against the Inside the Beltway Establishment keen on abandoning principles for ACORN supported candidates. Tim Pawlenty and Sarah Palin, both talked about as 2012 candidates, have stood with the base. The Hill reports: Other candidates, like former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), have said they will not get involved on either candidate’s behalf. This is disappointing. At a time when the conservative brand is ascending and the Republican brand is still in the gutter, candidates like...

Just in from the Senate Majority Leader’s press shop: Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will hold a press conference this afternoon to give an update on the merger of Senate health insurance reform proposals. Today, Monday, October 26, 2009, at 3:15 p.m. Practically every report agrees that Reid will deliver a bill to the CBO today for scoring, and that it will include a public option with the potential for states to opt out.

Fox News posted yet another 2012 poll and as usual Governor Palin more then tripled the votes cast of the number 2 candidate. This poll had 3,357 votes cast with Sarah Palin at 49%, Mitt Romney 16%, Mike Huckabee 15%, Newt Gingrich 5% and Tim Pawlenty 5%. As I monitored this poll I observed Romney and Huckabee supporters contacted first (Facebook, MySpace, Freerepublic, PAC) too vote & spread the word but Sarah Palin still stayed way ahead. Soon after the world spread and Palin, Pawlenty & Newt supporters caught on and all the candidate’s supporters were voting & spreading the...

The National Republican Congressional Committee remains committed to embattled GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava in the upstate New York House special election, even as many of the party's top names throw their support to Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman. Two party officials tell POLITICO that the NRCC will continue to air TV ads propping up Scozzafava in the days leading up to the Nov. 3 contest and plans to keep up a near relentless barrage of press releases slamming Hoffman.

Sarah Palin's endorsement of Conservative, Doug Hoffman, in the upstate New York Senate Race over Republican Dede Scozzafava who is backed by Newt Gingrich, is a clear example of the present problem facing the Republican Party. Scozzafava is a Republican in name only. She votes like a liberal, stands for big government, abortion rights, and even supports laws to make it easier for unions to organize private business. So why would Newt Gingrich support her? According to Newt, if you want to take back Congress from the Democrats, then you need to accept Republican candidates who may not fully conform...

"It ain't over till it's over," said the philosopher Yogi Berra. As every sports fan knows, momentum can change in a hurry. The opponent can make a costly mistake that opens the door, a key play can give your team the edge, or you may simply catch a lucky break that changes the course of the game. In what has become the defining issue of the moment, President Obama and the Democrats are attempting to paint passage of ObamaCare as inevitable, and survey ratings that many Americans expect some form of ObamaCare to pass. There are many hurdles to be...

AMERICANS seem to like the idea of broadening health insurance coverage, but they may not want to be forced to buy it. With health care costs high and rising, such government mandates would make many people worse off. The proposals now before Congress would require just about everyone to buy health insurance or to get it through their employers — which would generally result in lower wages. In other words, millions of people would be compelled to spend lots of money on something they previously did not want, at least not at prevailing prices. Estimates of this burden vary, but...

Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava (R-N.Y.) brought two female GOP lawmakers with her on the campaign trail today after a week in which several national Republicans endorsed Conservative Party challenger Doug Hoffman. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.) joined Scozzafava today at a campaign event. Ex-Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska), arguably the Republican Party's most visible woman, endorsed Hoffman this week. Most conservatives have shied away from Scozzafava or endorsed Hoffman, arguing that she holds too many liberal positions.

Last week there were a couple Rasmussen Polls which seemed to show Governor Palin losing support among Republican voters. One showed her in third place behind Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. Another showed her losing in head to head matchups with Huckabee and Romney. At the time I argued, justifiably, that hypothetical polls, even scientific polls, this far from an election, are unreliable at best. I still believe that to be the case. For example, in March 2007 Rudy Giuliani was beating John McCain by 21 points in the Rasmussen Poll for the 2008 GOP nomination, yet less that none...

When it comes to health care legislation, the devil is in the details. Despite what politicians and interest groups are saying, details in current bills compromise both patient choice and medical privacy. The leading House bill (H.R. 3200), for instance, forces all Americans to buy "acceptable" health insurance. According to the bill, the federal government -- always guided by special interests -- will decide what that means. People who prefer to carry catastrophic insurance only, for instance, will lose that freedom and will be forced to buy much more comprehensive -- and expensive -- coverage for services they don't want....

During an appearance on the Neil Cavuto show, Mike Huckabee said he would not make an endorsement in the NY-23 special election -- and then proceeded to profusely praise Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman, and say he could never support a pro-choice candidate (which so happens to be the case for the GOP's nominee, Dede Scozzafava). "Certainly his views represent more closely to mine," said Huckabee. "I'm not taking a role in that with my PAC, simply because I feel like it would be inappropriate with me at this point -- mainly because I'm already speaking to the Conservative Party...

The locally based AIDS Healthcare and Pink Cross foundations have organized a boycott of Marriott hotels over porn. The protest is not about the Mormon-founded chain's in-room, X-rated offerings. No, that's just fine. The problem, according to the groups, is the hotel company's palette of on-demand smut that features actors who do not use condoms. "Marriott is certainly not alone among major hotel chains that promote and profit off the sale of unsafe, condom-less adult films to their hotel guests," AIDS Healthcare Foundation president Michael Weinstein states. "However, we want to highlight the brazen hypocrisy--the Mormon Marriott's moral masquerade--of such...

Visit most public school libraries and you'll find an array of books that address the subject of homosexuality. Many include sexually explicit content, and some even include graphic images. But if you're looking for a book that refers to the possibility that homosexuality can be "reversed," a Chicago-based group says your best bet is the banned books list.

President Obama will travel Friday to Massachusetts, one of only two states to implement a universal health-care program similar to his ambitions for the entire country. But he does not plan to use the trip to make his case for far-reaching reform; he will tout clean energy and raise money for the Democratic governor. The president's critics say his reluctance to spotlight the Massachusetts model is real-world evidence that his vision would not work on a national scale. High costs have forced the state to trim benefits for legal immigrants and prompted one safety-net hospital to sue over a $38...

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) echoed Republican criticisms of a public option today, suggesting it would bankrupt the country. Describing the public option as a "government-run, taxpayer subsidized, national insurance plan," Landrieu said it would likely replicate the problems faced by Medicare and Medicaid. "Why don't we fix the two public options we have now instead of creating a third one," she told NPR's "Tell Me More." Asked about polls showing public support for a government plan, Landrieu said the questions should be phrased differently. "I think if you asked, do you want a public option but it would force the...