Free Republic

The deliberations of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 were held in strict secrecy. Consequently, anxious citizens gathered outside Independence Hall when the proceedings ended in order to learn what had been produced behind closed doors. The answer was provided immediately. A Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.” I actually can’t believe I’m writing this, but the following speech from freshman U.S. Senator Ben Sasse (R, Neb) is so thoughtful and inspiring, it should be required...

Saturday, December 05, 2015 ILLINOIS Kirk sides with U.S. Senate Democrats on gun rights WASHINGTON DC - During four crucial votes on Second Amendment issues, U.S. Senator Mark Kirk departed from the Republican majority last week in D.C. Illinois' junior senator chose instead to vote with senior Senator Dick Durbin and the Democrat minority. Kirk was the only Republican to vote with Democrats on the following votes on December 3:

When pressed during a CNN interview about why he thinks federal workers should be fired for not doing their jobs while he has missed the most votes in the Senate, Sen. Marco Rubio put his foot in his mouth and said that voting in the Senate is not important for a Senator. In an interview that aired on CNN’s State of the Union, Jamie Gangel pointed out to Rubio that other Senators running for president (Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders) have only missed ten votes while the Senator from Florida has missed 59. Rubio answered, “Well, I can tell you...

Senator Rubio takes his responsibilities as both a senator and a father seriously. The vast majority of missed votes are when the latter duties take precedent, and he needs to be in Miami for family commitments.

One of the dangers of the the social internet is the potential to destroy someone. We have seen it with liberals attacking conservatives over issues. But, rarely have we seen it when one group attacks itself. The Wall Street Journal has an editorial today about how a person at the Brookings Institution think tank was deliberately attacked by Senator Elizabeth Warren. What’s pretty clear is that it was organized behind the scenes and launched. It wasn’t random. You might have read about thought police in science fiction. They aren’t science fiction anymore. What was his crime? Using cost-benefit analysis, Robert...

Eighteen months ago, TAC publisher Ron Unz discovered an astonishing account of the role the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, John McCain, had played in suppressing information about what happened to American soldiers missing in action in Vietnam. Below, we present in full Sydney Schanberg’s explosive story.

Former Sen. Tom Coburn served in the United States House of Representatives from 1995-2001, and in the U.S. Senate from 2005 to January 2015. When U.S. Sen. Dr. Tom Coburn left Washington, D.C., in January, he didn’t look back with longing or regrets. He retired with two years left on his term in Congress to return home to Muskogee, his wife, Carolyn, and his career as a family medical doctor. Regret is a word seldom spoken in Coburn’s vocabulary. He’s an informed straight shooter when he talks about the nation’s Capitol and his time spent there, astutely observing the political...

**SNIP** The 35-year-old Smith is charged with felonious assault, felony firearm, domestic violence assault and battery, and malicious destruction of personal property on accusations he fired as many as ten shots at ex-wife’s parked Mercedes-Benz during a domestic dispute early in the morning of Sunday, May 10, outside his Detroit home. While Smith has not been asked to resign, the leader of the Michigan Senate has said he should give “serious consideration” to whether or not he can still serve his constituents. In a statement out May 12, the day charges were filed against Smith, Republican Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof’s...

Talk radio host and author of “The Liberty Amendments” Mark Levin argued that the next president does not need to be a governor and that it doesn’t matter what title the Republican nominee has on Monday.

Feds reportedly plan to charge US senator with corruption THIS WEEK as grand jury reaches decision on government favors going to top Democratic donor**SNIP** On a new website called ByeBob.com, the group claims he 'unethically, and likely criminally, compromised his ability to represent the people of New Jersey.' CNN reported that the investigation into Menendez is reaching a crescendo, with prosecutors under pressure to complete their work before the statute of limitations runs out on some charges. Attorney General Eric Holder, according to the network, has already given his approval. But he insisted 'I can't comment on that' when a...

‘The president has his priorities so screwed up that it’s unbelievable,’ senator says... “The least of your problems are what Bibi Netanyahu said in a political campaign,” McCain said Sunday. “I think the president maybe shouldn’t like it, but thousands are being slaughtered by ISIS. The Iranians have taken over the major capitols of Lebanon, Syria, Beirut and Baghdad. It pales in significance to the situation which continues to erode throughout the Middle East, and it puts America at risk. … The president has his priorities so screwed up that it’s unbelievable...Either that or he’s delusional. I’m not sure which,”...

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), who has served in Congress longer than any woman in history, will announce at a news conference Monday that she is retiring from the Senate after five terms in office, three people familiar with her plans said. Mikulski, 78, was the first woman to chair the powerful Appropriations Committe, a post she had to give up this year when the Democrats lost control of the Senate. A social worker turned politician, she has been a forceful presence on many pieces of legislation, passionately liberal on certain issues but also committed to working closely with Republicans.

Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul earned a standing ovation at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Friday, with members of the conservative activist crowd chanting “President Paul” at one point. Paul made clear overtures to a presidential run. The video of his speech is below. Here are some highlights: “Your rights are in your DNA and the government, quite frankly, can get over it.” “I say that your phone records are yours! I say that the phone records of law-abiding citizens are none of their damn business.” “Hillary’s war made us less safe. … As Hillary was declaring victory in...

Sen. Joe Donnelly, Democrat Indiana, described what his position is as a senator"I am the hired help, and my top priority continues to be addressing the issues most important to Hoosiers: working to strengthen the economy for working- and middle-class families, ensuring our servicemembers and veterans have access to the care and resources they deserve, and providing excellent constituent services to every Hoosier.

 SEE: Cruz: Abolish the IRS January 13th , 2015 ”Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said Monday that Republicans should take advantage of their control of Congress to abolish the Internal Revenue Service. “We need to pass fundamental tax reform making our tax code simpler, flatter, fairer,” he said Monday at Heritage Action’s 2015 conservative policy summit. ”And I’ll tell you, the single most important tax reform, we should abolish the IRS.” What is discouraging is, the above article goes on to say that Senator Ted Cruz ”… acknowledged it’s not really possible to abolish the IRS or adopt a flat tax...

At the end of last year, with most of his colleagues stuck in Washington for an important Senate session on a Saturday, Sen. James M. Inhofe was in Tulsa getting spurs fastened onto a pair of boots. “They’re ostrich,” said Inhofe (R-Okla.), the country’s most prominent climate-change denier, referring to his footwear. “Probably some endangered species; I have a reputation to maintain.” Inhofe could have been wearing Birkenstocks and it wouldn’t have put a dent in his notoriety. The senator cemented his status as public enemy No. 1 for environmentalists long ago, topping it off with his 2012 book on...

Here in Oklahoma, the news that Senator Tom Coburn will be retiring early from his second term has still not entirely settled in with most folks. For ten years we awoke each day knowing that our state’s voice in Washington would be one of principled reason and absolute integrity. It’s not that our other senator, Jim Inhofe, or our House members, like Tom Cole and Frank Lucas, are lacking. They are all solid conservatives, as is former congressman James Lankford, whom we elected in November to replace Coburn in the Senate. But as conservatives across the nation have recognized for...

So says a Roll Call story… "Rep. John Fleming, R-La., is “very interested” in running for Senate in 2016 if Republican Sen. David Vitter is elected governor next year. Louisiana only wrapped up the 2014 Senate race a few days ago, but soon state operatives may start thinking about another race. Vitter has already announced an exploratory committee to run for governor in 2015. If Vitter wins, Fleming said, he wants to succeed him in the Senate. “I’m very interested in that possibility,” he told CQ Roll Call Tuesday during votes at the Capitol. “I think that we need, you...

Thomas Roberts asks Tim Scott How can he care about the poor since the NAACP gives him bad rating

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) blasted President Barack Obama Tuesday night in the wake of a devastating Democratic defeat in the midterm elections. "It doesn´t make sense that we have to fight so hard against our own government and our own administration and our President to try to find a balance," said Manchin on MSNBC. Manchin said West Virginians have "the perception of the government attacking them, which basically is what´s happening." Manchin added, "The people are speaking loud and clear. They don´t like what they´re seeing. I don´t like what I´ve been involved with the last four years and I´ve