Free Republic

Fresh off a vote last week urging our abrupt surrender in Iraq, and just hours removed from coming up 62 votes short in an attempt to override the president's veto, Democrats will use the House floor this afternoon to slide through legislation conceived of, written by, and moved in consultation with a key segment of their special interest constituency. The bill, harmlessly coined "the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act" by House Democrats, would create a nebulous new class of criminals based not on the things they do, but on the basis of what they may or may not...

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.

Your May 17 editorial "'Rational Middle Ground'" missed the point on border security. You were right to say that I, along with a majority of House Republicans, would have serious problems with broader immigration reform "until we have adequately addressed our serious border security problems." You were wrong to suggest that those of us in the House who favor a border-security-first approach to dealing with our nation's illegal immigration problems wouldn't be satisfied unless the president called in the 82nd Airborne to guard our nation's borders. I would like to see a tough border security and interior enforcement bill signed...

House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) today announced that he and his wife Abigail have adopted a son. Alexander Charles Blunt, 18 months, was born near Moscow, Russia, in 2004. "Abby and I are so glad to add this little guy to our family," Blunt said. "So far, Charlie has spent every day of his young life in an orphanage or hospital. "We are so fortunate and so pleased to be able to share our lives and opportunities with him." The Blunts had worked with a Texas-based agency for a year prior to the adoption. Blunt has three adult children...

Growing opposition to Rep. Roy Blunt (Mo.) among conservative bloggers threatens to generate political momentum against his campaign to permanently replace Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) as House majority leader, according to those who have studied the growing influence of alternative media in politics. A growing number of influential conservative bloggers are throwing their support behind Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.), who is also running for majority leader, while Blunt is drawing negative reviews. Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), the third candidate in the race, is receiving a better reaction from conservative bloggers than Blunt. But Boehner has garnered fewer accolades in the...

FORGET MAGAZINES AND EDITORIAL PAGES. The only endorsements that really matter in the GOP House leadership contest are those from the members themselves, especially the members with clout. Two such Republicans are Jim Sensenbrenner, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Mike Pence, head of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC), both of whom endorsed Arizona congressman John Shadegg this week. Shadegg, an erstwhile chief of both the RSC and (more recently) the Republican Policy Committee, remains a dark horse--but he's gaining steam. "The 'Big Mo' is on our side," says one pro-Shadegg Republican.The timing of Pence's public support came...

WASHINGTON--As readers of this page know all too well, excessive government regulation, taxation and spending strangle economic growth as frequently as runaway litigation and soaring health-care and energy costs do. What politicians say about these issues does not matter much, but what we do about them does. I'm proud of what House Republicans have accomplished on this front over the last several years, but I know that much remains to be done. House Republicans have cut the tax rate on capital gains and dividends, substantially lowered personal tax rates, and set in motion a plan to eliminate the death tax...

When John Shadegg announced from his hometown of Phoenix on Friday that he is running for House majority leader, it appeared that the two leading candidates to succeed Tom DeLay had peaked. The reason is that Roy Blunt and John Boehner both are regarded as K Street candidates, whose selection might not be prudent for a Republican Party enmeshed in scandal. Neither Blunt nor Boehner is burdened with DeLay's connection to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Like DeLay, each is closely associated with K Street (the capital's big and brassy lobbyist community). Unlike DeLay, neither is viewed by ardent ideological conservatives...

The following is a transcribed excerpt of "FOX News Sunday," Jan. 15, 2006. "FOX NEWS SUNDAY" HOST CHRIS WALLACE: President Bush's agenda and the fate of House Republicans in the fall elections could be determined by a fight on Capitol Hill. It's the battle to replace Tom DeLay in the very powerful post of House majority leader. There are three candidates and they're our exclusive guests today, acting majority leader Roy Blunt, Congressman John Boehner, and Congressman John Shadegg. Congressman Blunt did what most frontrunners do. He insisted on being interviewed separately. Congressman, we'll start with you. Good morning. U.S....

Rep. Roy Blunt (R.-Mo.) said today he had secured 117 votes, enough to become the next House majority leader. Here's Blunt's official statement: "I've counted a lot of votes in my seven years in the Whip's office, and this was a well-fought fight on all sides," Blunt said. "John Boehner is a great congressman and a good friend. My friend John Shadegg is bringing an important focus to the final days of this race. I look forward to working with both of them as we achieve great results for the American people." "As I've talked with Members of our conference...

About 10 years ago, I attended a local GOP dinner in North Carolina where Boehner was the featured speaker. Boehner arrived early enough that he observed the preliminary segments of the program from the dais. As part of the program, each local GOP candidate was introduced and allowed to speak to the crowd for a few minutes. One particular gentleman -- we'll call him George -- was dressed in an out-of-fashion suit and spoke with an unusually pronounced Southern drawl. None of the locals seemed to notice or care, especially since George seemed like an extremely likable and funny individual....

House conservatives moved on Tuesday to prevent either Roy Blunt or John Boehner from wrapping up the race to become majority leader before Congress reconvenes later this month. Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., who chairs the Republican Study Committee, a group of about 110 conservative members of the House, said he hopes the race won't be decided before his committee holds a retreat Jan. 30-31 in Baltimore. "I'm not going to express any endorsement" until after then, said Pence, who on Monday took his name out of the running to succeed Tom DeLay as majority leader. DeLay stepped down last September...

WASHINGTON — The contest to succeed Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) as House majority leader appeared to shape up as a two-man race Monday, as Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands) and another possible contender announced they would not run for the powerful No. 2 position. That apparently leaves the field to two senior Republicans — Roy Blunt of Missouri and John A. Boehner of Ohio — to compete for support from fellow House Republicans, who will choose DeLay's successor in a secret ballot election the week of Jan. 30. There is a chance that another candidate may yet enter the race because...

Multiple people on the Hill tell me that Blunt is in the lead. Those who are whipping for him are getting good feedback. As an added attraction, if Blunt goes into the majority leader position, it opens up the majority whip position, which a number of representatives are interested in. The desire to be majority whip increases Blunt's vote margin for majority leader by those who want to be whip. Update [2006-1-9 11:52:38 by Blanton]: We hear now that Congressman Jack Kingston will be endorsing Roy Blunt. Kingston is close to DeLay and a Vice Chairman of the Republican Conference....

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - Even before he was elected to Congress in 1996, Roy Blunt from Missouri signaled his intention to be a major player on Capitol Hill. And he did it in the universal language of politics - money. In a move of unusual perceptiveness, Blunt - himself a man of modest means - began sending contributions from his own campaign coffers to 21 Republicans throughout the country running for Congress for the first time. Blunt won his own election, as did 20 of the recipients of his largesse. When he arrived in Washington, he already knew and had...

Fox news just reported (via announcment with Dennis Hassert) that Roy Blunt will be taking over for Delay in the short term (while he is fighting the charges).

Of all those most mentioned as winners in last week's successful passage of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) — the White House, the Republican-led Congress, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay — none proved himself or earned as much newfound respect as Majority Whip Roy Blunt. Though seen as an effective leader and vote-herder, Mr. Blunt had never really commanded the awe and reverence in the position as his predecessor — and close ally — Mr. DeLay. Last week's come-from-behind victory on CAFTA, however, might just change that. In the beginning of the year, just about the only person...

BLUNT AMENDMENT TO PREVENT INTERNATIONAL TAXES PASSES --“International taxation out of step with our nation’s formative opposition to ‘taxation without representation’” - WASHINGTON---An amendment sponsored by House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for fiscal years 2006 and 2007 will prevent the taxation of American citizens or businesses by international entities. The amendment passed the House today by voice vote. “The United States already pays nearly 25 percent of the United Nations’ $2 billion annual budget,” Blunt said. “This payment, of course, comes out of the pockets of the American people. “Congress sent the...

House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) today issued the following statement regarding the attacks in London, England: "Today the American people stand with our friends in Britain, as they have stood with us in many of our darkest hours. "The terrorists attack those who stand for freedom and tolerance, as we in the U.S. experienced in the starkest terms on September 11, 2001. "Now, as then, America stands against these cowardly attacks on innocent people, and we will not falter in our efforts to rid the world of this ideology of hatred. "Our thoughts are with the victims and their...

WASHINGTON, June 20 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) today issued the following statement regarding comments made by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) on the House floor Thursday calling, the war in Iraq a "grotesque mistake" and the resources allocated for fighting the war spent "without success:" "When elected officials back home call the war our men and women are fighting abroad a mistake, the only people emboldened are the enemy. "Our troops in harm's way need armor and equipment, not second-guessing and cynicism. They deserve to be supported, not demoralized. "Leader Pelosi's comments during debate...