Free Republic

Utah Sen. Mike Lee on Friday rejected Donald Trump's Supreme Court nomination proposal, saying he already has the job he wants, Politico reported. "Sen. Lee already has the job he wants which is why he is campaigning to represent the great people of Utah again this year," Lee's spokesman Conn Carroll told Politico in a statement.

On Tuesday night, the Senate voted to proceed to the continuing resolution, a bill that will allegedly fund the government until Dec. 9. The only problem is that there isn’t actually a bill yet. There is no text. There is no agreement between Democrats and Republicans on what the bill will fund—Planned Parenthood, the Export-Import Bank, control of the internet—all of it remains a mystery. Yet the Senate voted 89-7 to proceed to this nonexistent bill. The Senate operates under complex parliamentary rules that require a series of votes in order to “proceed to” or “get onto” a bill. The...

As President Barack Obama’s time in office nears its end, the Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced another one of his judicial nominees toward a lifetime post. She may not get to the finish line, though. While the Senate has entered that part of the political calendar when confirmations traditionally halt, the Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted 13-7 to advance the nomination of U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The cadence of judicial nominations customarily follows what’s known as the Thurmond-Leahy rule. The rule, a longstanding gentleman’s agreement among senators, prohibits confirmations of new judgeships...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats are sounding increasingly concerned about their chances of retaking control of the Senate, as Republicans demonstrate a commanding fundraising advantage and Hillary Clinton's lead narrows in key battleground races. Although most Democrats still express confidence that they will win back the Senate majority in November, they now appear to have fewer paths to victory as wins in Ohio and even Florida look increasingly remote. [snip] A key factor is the Republican money edge, which is particularly pronounced this year because some major donors, most notably the billionaire Koch Brothers, have decided to stay out of the...

Writing as if he had an eye on 20th and 21st century America, Charles de Montesquieu in the mid-18th century wrote, “At the birth of societies, the rulers of republics establish institutions; and afterwards the institutions mold the rulers.” The institution of the US Senate has indeed been transformed from the Framers’ intended structure and purposes determined at the federal convention of 1787. There, on May 31st, Governor Edmund Randolph of Virginia set forth the first purpose of a senate: to check “the turbulent follies of democracy.” Consider for a moment the nation’s short history and the Framers’ recent experiences...

Election 2014 displayed one of the most incredible switches of U.S. Senate control in recent memory. The Republicans did not just take back the upper chamber—they wiped the floor with the Democrats. They bested some of their pettiest political tricks, including three different Democratic candidates in Montana, plus three-way races in other states. Nothing can top Election Day 1980, which produced a Republican majority with 12 Senate wins. Election Day 2014 produced nine seats, but could have been 11 if not for the intense infighting in Republican primaries. So, will 2016 turn into an epic landslide of the Democrats and...

The filibuster is under attack again, this time by Senate Democrats who are hoping to win back that chamber as well as the White House in November. Carl Hulse, chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times, reported Wednesday that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid wants Democrats to “move to curtail the filibuster” if they win both the White House and the Senate “only to run up against persistent use of the tactic by Republicans.” Hulse wrote:

D. Glenn 37.8% 130,034 J. Graham 24.6% 84,639 R. Blaha 16.5% 56,665 J. Keyser 12.5% 43,102 R. Frazier 8.7% 30,000

With the prospect of a President Donald Trump or a President Hillary Clinton on the horizon, the growing trend toward the executive acting without the consent of Congress is troubling to all political stripes. Both parties claim to worry about a strong presidency, at least if the other party is in the White House. That trend has been exacerbated by President Obama, but it certainly didn’t start with him. With the exception of Calvin Coolidge, every president of the 20th and 21st centuries contributed to the problem. Many proposals to address the imperial presidency have been floated over the decades....

Fresh after Congress and the White House scored the largest transportation spending package in a decade, both presidential candidates this year are proposing billions in funding to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure. While both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump—and the parties they represent—agree the nation’s roads, bridges, airports, rail system, and ports are in need of repair, the new proposals invite familiar questions over how the spending would be paid for, and whether the federal government is the best provider to pay for it. Those questions, and the lack of a must-pass infrastructure initiative requiring Congress’ attention in 2017, mean that...

Chinese news source is reporting that President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping will announce as early as this week that both nations have "ratified" the climate change treaty inked in Paris last year. The most asked question during the Obama years: "How can he do that without congressional approval?"

CARLISLE, Pa. (AP) — Freshman U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey is the rare conservative Republican who is running for re-election with the support of leading gun-control groups, but it may not be enough to save him in Democratic-leaning Pennsylvania in this unusual election year....His stance so angered one gun-rights group that it is backing his Democratic opponent, Katie McGinty, just to send a message to Toomey and any other Republican who might deviate from orthodoxy on guns.

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats, aware of the dead weight that Donald J. Trump has placed on their vulnerable Republican colleagues, can taste a reclaimed majority. But just as Senate Republicans blew their chances in 2010 and 2012 before finally taking control in 2014, Democrats find themselves hobbled by less-than-stellar candidates in races that could make the difference in winning a majority. In Pennsylvania, Katie McGinty, a relatively unknown former federal official who has never held elective office, is ahead in polls but lags Hillary Clinton’s large lead in the state. In Florida, a nasty primary between two flawed candidates could...

Democratic megadonors, including George Soros and Tom Steyer, are putting millions of dollars into efforts to put Hillary Clinton in the White House and win control of the Senate. Their investment comes as Republicans worry about not only their nominee Donald Trump’s chances, but also his effect on down-ballot races. Yet few of the GOP’s biggest donors have put major money into Trump efforts, a striking change from four years ago when Mitt Romney had more million-dollar donors on his side than did President Barack Obama. …

Senator Cruz stunned conservatives when he refused to endorse Donald Trump at the RNC Convention in Cleveland. This came after Cruz was thumped in the GOP primary race. Perry leads Cruz in a senate primary matchup 46% to 37%. The Texas Tribune reported: A new poll suggests there is at least one fellow Republican who could unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018: Rick Perry. The former Texas governor would beat Cruz by 9 percentage points, according to the forthcoming survey from the Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling. Set to be released later today, the poll found Perry would get...

On election night 2016, the nation’s attention might be focused on Nevada, where Republicans have their most promising, and probably their only realistic, chance to capture a Democratic Senate seat. Harry Reid, Senate minority leader, is retiring, and Republicans’ hopes of retaining their majority might depend on Joe Heck replacing Reid. He is a strong candidate for his party, as his opponent is for hers. Catherine Cortez Masto is a former two-term state attorney general who won reelection even against the 2010 anti-Democratic wave. She would be the Senate’s first Latina. Heck, an emergency room physician and a brigadier general...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that GOP prospects for keeping control of the Senate after the November elections are “very dicey,” sounding an alarm amid mounting Republican concerns about presidential nominee Donald Trump. […] Twenty-four GOP-held seats are on the ballot this year, compared with 10 for Democrats, he noted. McConnell was promoted to majority leader two years ago when a Republican surge wrested Senate control from Democrats. McConnell did not mention Trump as being a drag on Republican down-ballot races, but he chided Trump’s campaign tactics. The Kentucky senator said he hopes Trump “settles down and follows...

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Ilhan Omar spent four years in a Kenyan refugee camp as a young girl, fleeing with her family from civil war in Somalia. Two decades later, after forging a new life in Minnesota, she appears on the brink of becoming the nation's first Somali-American state legislator. Omar, a 33-year-old community activist, cried as she delivered victory speeches in English and Somali after defeating a 44-year incumbent in the latest sign of the Somali community's growing influence in the city and state. Her victory in a heavily Democratic Minneapolis district makes her a strong favorite in the general...

The Democratic National Committee is feeding excited speculation that first lady Michelle Obama will follow Hillary Rodham Clinton from the East Wing to the Senate. Following on the heels of her well-received Democratic convention speech, the DNC has just printed up Obama bumper stickers and is offering them to supporters of Clinton for a $10 donation.

The Democratic National Committee is feeding excited speculation that first lady Michelle Obama will follow Hillary Rodham Clinton from the East Wing to the Senate. Following on the heels of her well-received Democratic convention speech, the DNC has just printed up Obama bumper stickers and is offering them to supporters of Clinton for a $10 donation. It shows the first lady bathed in Obama blue beside her convention speech phrase, "When they go low, we go high." Ever since that speech, dubbed "stunning" by the Los Angeles Times, speculation has been high in Illinois that the popular native daughter...

The Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence told Breitbart News Thursday the more he learns about the reality of President Barack Obama’s Iran deal the more shocked he becomes at its reckless disregard for the safety of Americans. “The Obama Administration and Secretaries Clinton and Kerry insisted that the Iranian deal was beneficial to the United States, and proceeded with the deal despite warnings from experts and the wishes of the American people,” said Sen. Richard Burr (R.-N.C.), who is a direct descendant of the family of Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson’s first vice-president and the man who shot...

Folks breaking now. Laura Endorsed Kelli Ward! Her track record for endorsing people has been good aka what happened to Cantor!

Donald Trump might be unwilling to support Arizona Sen. John McCain's re-election bid, but Ohio Gov. John Kasich thinks McCain deserves a lifetime appointment to the Senate. "Honestly, I don't even think they ought to have an election. They ought to tell McCain, as long as you want to be in the Senate, you can have it," Kasich told WGN radio. "He's just the greatest guy."

Colorado U.S. Senate candidate Darryl Glenn says he was defending his mother against an abusive father in a 1983 altercation that led to a misdemeanor assault charge against Glenn. Glenn, the Republican challenger to Democrat Michael Bennet, had previously denied he was arrested when asked about the charge by The Denver Post, which reported his statement on Thursday. The charge against the then-18-year-old Glenn was dropped. Glenn said he did not remember the incident until he spoke this week to his mother about it.

California’s racially charged all-Democrat Senate race has spilled onto the Democratic National Convention as the candidates continued to feud over President Obama’s endorsement of one over the other. Attorney General Kamala Harris, the recipient of Mr. Obama’s blessing, said Monday that she thought Rep. Loretta Sanchez should apologize to the president for suggesting that race played a role in the endorsement. Ms. Harris is black and Ms. Sanchez Hispanic. “I find it very troubling, and I think that that is not the voice or perspective of a leader,” Ms. Harris told Fox11 in Los Angeles. “Especially in these times, where...

Suffice to say that neither being a U.S. Senator nor signing a petition by the UCS makes you a scientist. That "App" needs (much) more work! No need for you to feel “scientifically challenged” anymore; there’s an App for nearly everything now. It appears that one of the easiest ways to become a “scientist” (concerned or not, my personal view) is to join the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). That group has already millions of members (so it claims) and you are most welcome to join. No experience or other credentials required—if anything, just a few dollars from your wallet....

Discuss.

Orange County congresswoman Loretta Sanchez let loose on resident Obama for endorsing her rival in California’s U.S. Senate race, accusing him of being part of the “entrenched political establishment” that has failed California voters. Obama and Vice President Joe Biden announced their support for U.S. Senate candidate Kamala Harris early Tuesday morning, praising her record as California’s attorney general and a prosecutor. Harris has been a longtime political ally of the resident. Sanchez said she was “disappointed” that Obama would intervene in a Senate race between two Democrats, ... I believe that California voters are deeply concerned about the entrenched...

Numerous death threats made towards Republican Senators on Twitter remained on the platform for weeks before being deleted, despite the platform’s consistent record of removing “problematic” opinions within a matter of hours.

Sen. John McCain warned Google and Apple executives Thursday that the Senate Armed Services Committee “has subpoena power� that could compel them to testify on why their encryption systems on newer smartphones are not accessible to law enforcement operating under court orders.The Arizona Republican, who chairs the panel, said, “There’s an urgency� to finding a solution to the matter of protecting privacy while also not closing out police, prosecutors and intelligence agencies from lawfully pursuing criminals and terrorists.At the start of the hearing, McCain noted that Tim Cook, president of Apple, declined to attend the session. “This is unacceptable,� he...

Three Republican senators have filed a bill to ratchet up penalties against anyone who intentionally targets the police, a response to the deadly shooting that left five officers dead in Dallas last week. Sens. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) filed a bill Wednesday to make attempting or conspiring to kill a law enforcement officer or judge a federal crime punishable by up to 30 years in jail, with lesser penalties for assaulting such officials or trying to flee prosecution by crossing state lines. In states that have capital punishment, a murder of a police officer...

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee reacts to the candidate's meetings with Congressional Republicans on 'The Kelly File'

... Once Congress finishes this week, it will go on a seven-week recess to give both parties a chance to hold presidential nominating conventions, ahead of a five-week August break. ...

Donald Trump’s private meeting Thursday with Senate Republicans — designed to foster greater party unity ahead of the national convention in Cleveland — grew combative as the presumptive presidential nominee admonished three senators who have been critical of his candidacy and predicted they would lose their reelection bids, according to two Republican officials with direct knowledge of the exchanges. Trump’s most tense exchange was with Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who has been vocal in his concerns about the business mogul’s candidacy, especially his rhetoric and policies on immigration that the senator argues alienate many Latino voters and others in Arizona....

A recent survey on voters’ attitudes about race shows that Clinton’s supporters are more likely to see Blacks as violent people and criminals. The survey report was released Wednesday, June 29. The questionnaires included 21 questions that concerned the issues of race and were handed out to over 16,000 of possible voters in the period between April and June. The outcome of the poll was shocking; it showed that one-third of Clinton’s supporters considered Black people to be “violent criminals” compared to Whites. More than 20 percent of the former Secretary of State’s supporters saw Black people as “lazy”, alleging...

I seldom watch network or cable TV so I rarely see political commercials. I was over at a relatives house yesterday and they had the TV on. I was shocked by the ads for Senator Rob Portman -R vs. Ted Strickland - D (in Ohio). The ads seemed to be each candidate trying to out-Trump the other one. Portman's ad talked about the Chinese devaluing their currency, dumping steel on the U.S. and how Portman would fight them. Strickland's ad talked about how he was against unfair trade deals that hurt the middle class and export jobs. These candidates might...

Sen. Susan Collins' attempt to keep firearms out of the hands of potential terrorists just picked up its most powerful backer yet: Harry Reid.

To the typical liberal, nothing engenders greater panic and crippling fear than the sight of a firearm; especially the Mainstream Media’s self-defined posterchild for gun violence, the AR-15. The Left’s irrational reaction to the popular sporting rifle, enjoyed (safely and legally) by millions of recreational and competition shooters across America, is so potent the New York Daily News’ resident pansy, Gersh Kuntzman, claims to have suffered “temporary PTSD” from merely firing the rifle at a gun range. Yet, in spite of its obvious and repetitive ignorance on firearm information, the Left considers itself capable of engaging in an adult discussion...

One-time Republican presidential candidate and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio will be running to keep his Senate seat, reversing course on his initial decision not to seek reelection. In an interview with the Miami Herald on Wednesday, Rubio explained what was behind his change of heart. "I think that the point that really drove me to change my mind is that as we enter this kind of new chapter in our history here is, there's another role the Senate plays that I think can be really important in the years to come," he said. "And that's the power given to it...

In the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Orlando—the largest in the United States since 9/11—lawmakers on Capitol Hill have yet to introduce one piece of legislation that would actually fight terrorism. Not one. Instead, the Republican-controlled Senate has not only allowed Democrats to define the debate and make this an issue about gun control, but they’ve joined the tour de farce. That President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats once again called for more gun control in the wake of the tragedy is no surprise. It’s completely predictable.

Or maybe the opposite is true Trying to follow the purported logic of Barack Obama is rarely an easy proposition, but I think I’ve got this one worked out. As he sees it, your duty as a U.S. senator is to take advantage of the high emotion of the moment to decimate the Second Amendment, regardless of whether the gun-grabbing, Constitution-shredding move you make would have done anything to stop the shooting that’s provided the convenient pretense for your legislative recklessness. And if you don’t do this, you’re a coward, and he’ll make sure everyone knows it by saying so

The Senate is invoking a cloture vote on amendments offered by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) that would expand background checks and permit the attorney general to prevent anyone with a "reasonable belief" of having terrorist ties from purchasing firearms. These legislative measures come after the horrific Orlando attack, where 49 people were shot and killed by Omar Mateen, who pledged allegiance to ISIS during the attack. It's the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.Last week, Sen. Murphy launched a 15-hour filibuster, holding up a spending bill to fund the Department of Justice until a agreement could be reached to hold...

Rep. David Jolly (R-Fla.) said Friday morning that Sen. Marco Rubio (R) is "saying he's getting in" the Senate race. Rep. David Jolly (R-Fla.) said Friday morning that Sen. Marco Rubio (R) is "saying he's getting in" the Senate race. Jolly added during an appearance on CNN's "New Day" that he plans to tell his constituents at noon on Friday whether he'll stay in the Senate race himself or seek reelection to the House. A spokesperson for Jolly later clarified that he "has no actual knowledge of a Rubio decision." An aide indicated Friday that Rubio still plans to spend...

Given the rumors that are flying around about 'changing the rules' at the GOP convention so as to prevent Donald Trump from being the Republican nominee, I think some thought should be given to the potential collateral damage to the Republican Party's efforts in November. First, I'll state the obvious - if Trump is denied his position on the ballot in 2016, I simply will not vote for president - and I suspect that holds for many, probably a majority of Trump supporters. So Romney, Ryan, or whoever replaces him will simply have to find another pool of millions of...

Omar Mateen's father, Seddique. He is many things. He is an immigrant. He is an outspoken supporter of the Taliban. He's the father of an ISIS terrorist who murdered 49 Americans in cold blood and injured more than 50 more. He's someone who has meetings with Obama Administration officials in the White House, people in the State Department, and senior Senate Democrats. He's also a guy who goes on television and blames the Pulse Nightclub for his son's murder spree...

Those zany Dems are up to their unconstitutional antics again ! Watch the hilarity unfold as those wacky Senators from the left side of the aisle yuck it up on the chamber floor while trying to eviscerate another unalienable right !

As some Republicans struggle with justifying their support for Donald Trump after a series of controversies — including his recent attack on an American-born judge for his “Mexican heritage” and a doubling down on his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the U.S. — the two Republican senators from Tennessee aren't lending their overt support. Sen. Lamar Alexander isn't calling Trump the GOP nominee just yet, as reported by an Associated Press reporter. When his office was asked about the comments, Communications Director Jim Jeffries confirmed them and said, “Republicans officially choose our nominee in July. Sen. Alexander...

Sen. Marco Rubio said Monday that seeking another term as a senator from Florida has not been part of his family's plan, but the mass shooting Sunday in Orlando has given him pause about his future. "My family and I will be praying about all this, and we'll see what I need to do next with my life with regards to how I can best serve," the former presidential candidate told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. 50 people including the gunman were killed in the shooting at a gay nightclub, Pulse, in Orlando early Sunday morning. Hewitt asked if Rubio...

World | Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:43am EDT Related: U.S., Election 2016, Politics U.S. Senate Democrats discussing new gun control push Leading U.S. Senate Democrats are discussing how to revive a push for legislation imposing additional gun controls in the wake of last weekend's mass shooting in Florida, according to a senior Senate Democratic aide on Monday.

Given the rumors that are flying around about 'changing the rules' at the GOP convention so as to prevent Donald Trump from being the Republican nominee, I think some thought should be given to the potential collateral damage to the Republican Party's efforts in November. First, I'll state the obvious - if Trump is denied his position on the ballot in 2016, I simply will not vote for president - and I suspect that holds for many, probably a majority of Trump supporters. So Romney, Ryan, or whoever replaces him will simply have to find another pool of millions of...