Free Republic

SEATTLE — Patty Murray defeated GOP challenger Tiffany Smiley in her bid to retain her seat in the U.S. Senate. Murray led Smiley with 57% of the vote following an initial ballot count on Nov. 8. Murray, a Democrat, will serve for a sixth term in the U.S. Senate. Washington state hasn’t elected a Republican to the Senate since 1994.

GOP U.S. Senate candidate Tiffany Smiley is getting just 25.56% of the vote in King County. She needs at least 30% to have any chance to win state wide. 440,000 King County votes have been counted. There are 1.38 million King County registered voters - so, probably 500,000 to 600,000 more votes to count. King County stops counting votes around 9 PM on election night. If the election is close, they will keep counting, for weeks into the future!

Washington State Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tiffany Smiley has taken the lead over 30-year incumbent Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), according to polling. The poll, conducted November 3-5, shows Smiley with a 0.4 percent lead over Murray, sitting at 47.4 percent and 47 percent, respectively. While Smiley has gained momentum, closing a significant gap in the deep blue state of Washington, Murray’s unpopularity has increased to 50 percent, while her favorable rating is 44 percent — a net unfavorability increase from three to six points since October.

Republican Tiffany Smiley has caught up with 30-year incumbent Democrat Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and is now tied in the race to Represent Washington in the U.S. Senate, according to two new polls. A Moore Information Group (MIG) poll released Monday found that Smiley is tied with Murray at 46 percent. Interestingly, Smiley is up two percentage points since MIG’s September poll, While Murray lost two points since last month.

Democrats are adding millions in television spending to boost Sen. Patty Murray, a sign that the party is employing a take-no-chances approach even in solidly blue Washington state. The 30-year veteran of the Senate is facing a challenge from Republican Tiffany Smiley, a political newcomer whose campaign has seized on quality-of-life issues, from urban crime and homelessness to inflation, to tarnish Murray. In recent public polling, Smiley has closed a sizable gap since this summer, when Murray led by 18 percentage points in an 18-candidate, all-party primary. A Seattle Times poll released last week showed Murray slipping slightly, from 51...

Washington’s Senate race between 30-year incumbent Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Republican Tiffany Smiley has been placed on “upset alert” by the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, the Center’s political prognosticating publication, also switched the race from “Safe Democratic” to “Likely Democratic.” The move in favor of Smiley also comes as the Republican outraised Murray by nearly double in the third quarter, beating her $6 million to $3.3 million. National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) also put Smiley’s race on his list of pick-up opportunities.

The agitprop media are full of polls and pundits predicting doom for the GOP's hopes to win a majority in the Senate...with an assist from Mitch McConnell. All of this before Labor Day, the traditional time when American voters start paying attention to a November election.But if you look beyond the propaganda media, there are definite signs of hope for the GOP, even in states regarded as fairly deep blue.In Washington State, the Republican nominee for Senate, Tiffany Smiley, is proving a highly attractive and adept contender. Take a look at the trend in polling, via Real Clear Politics:Of course,...

Republican Tiffany Smiley is closing in on Democrat incumbent Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), in Washington’s U.S. Senate Race, according to the most recent poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associates. The poll found that Smiley is closing in on the Democrat with 43 percent of the vote, compared to Murray’s 49 percent of the vote. The McLaughlin & Associates poll also found that eight percent were undecided.

Tavis Smiley was found by a jury to have violated PBS’ morals clause, and the network will be awarded $1.486 million from a countersuit of its former host. “We are pleased with the jury’s decision,” a PBS spokesperson said in a statement. “PBS expects our producing partners to provide a workplace where people feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect. It was important for us to ensure that the courageous women who came forward were able to share their stories, and we continue to uphold the values and standards of our organization.” “With this jury verdict for PBS,...

Walmart and a book distributor distanced themselves from Tavis Smiley on Thursday after PBS said an investigation found “troubling allegations” of sexual misconduct by the radio and TV host. The moves came a day after PBS said it was suspending Smiley following an independent investigation by a law firm. PBS said the firm uncovered “multiple, credible allegations of conduct that is inconsistent with the values and standards of PBS.” His show’s page at PBS was scrubbed on Thursday. Smiley has denied any wrongdoing. Walmart, which had been a sponsor of Smiley’s talk show and an upcoming touring theatrical show, cut...

PBS has suspended its distribution of “Tavis Smiley” after “multiple, credible allegations” of misconduct against the late-night show’s eponymous host. Variety first reported the news that an investigation “found credible allegations that Smiley had engaged in sexual relationships with multiple subordinates” and that some feared “their employment status was linked to the status of a sexual relationship with Smiley.” But Smiley, in a text and video statement posted on Facebook later that night, said PBS had gone too far. “I have the utmost respect for women and celebrate the courage of those who have come forth to tell their truth....

Suspended PBS talk show host Tavis Smiley insisted on Thursday that sexual harassment allegations him are untrue. “I have the utmost respect for women and celebrate the courage of those who have come forth to tell their truth,” he posted on Facebook shortly after midnight. “To be clear, I have never groped, coerced, or exposed myself inappropriately to any workplace colleague in my entire broadcast career.”

Sometimes Mother Nature takes your breath away – and makes you smile. The Kilauea volcano in Hawaii looks like it is smiling and it is little wonder.

Barry Hammer didn’t know what hit him. A night out at a Celtics game with his wife and twin boys on Tuesday turned into a nightmare when he was punched in the face by a total stranger for no apparent reason. “I’ve never been punched in my life,” said the 38-year-old Auburn dad who’s still stunned by what happened in the mezzanine area of Boston’s TD Garden during his kids’ first Celtics game. Hammer said he believes he was likely the victim of a so-called “knockout game.” The game has been seen around the country and involves attackers who sucker...

PBS's Tavis Smiley made a comment Thursday that every African-American as well as liberal media member should sit up and take notice. Appearing on Fox News's Hannity, Smiley said, "The data is going to indicate sadly that when the Obama administration is over, black people will have lost ground in every single leading economic indicator category" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Liberal radio hosts Tavis Smiley and Cornel West had liberal entertainer Harry Belafonte on their show the other day, and in the interview, Belafonte ripped into President Obama. However, THAT portion of the interview conveniently was CUT when the show went out for distribution. The producer later said that it was for time purposes and that that part of the interview was the least interesting part, since you could hear criticisms of Obama on Fox News any day. Hmmm. . . . A big-name lefty like Belafonte, on a left-wing radio show, slamming Obama for not being leftist enough,...

When Barack Obama was elected president, millions of Americans believed that the United States finally was entering a postracial period. But we are seeing old divisions return.When Barack Obama was elected president, millions of Americans believed that the United States finally was entering a postracial period when race no longer mattered in any serious way. But the Obama presidency has, ironically, heightened racial tensions, and we are seeing old divisions return. One of the most unexpected developments resulting from the Obama presidency has been the resurgence of conflicts and name-calling among blacks themselves. Not since the heyday of the Black...

Enjoy fellas and gals

At 11:44 a.m. on September 19, 1982, a man named Scott Fahlman posted a message to an electronic computer-science department bulletin board at Carnegie Mellon University. And with that simple action he did something wonderful: He became the individual who would later be credited as the inventor of :-), an ASCII-based emoticon. Thanks to the efforts of Microsoft Director of Identity Partnerships Mike B. Jones — who worked at Carnegie Mellon University when the original post was made — and a small team of dedicated individuals, we know that the following is the message Fahlman sent:

African-American leaders fear academic rebel Cornel West’s fierce attacks on the president could spell trouble in 2012. How did Cornel West become the administration’s No. 1 gadfly? The noted African-American scholar and radio host may have helped Barack Obama into the White House, but he has spent the better part of the president’s term taking shots at him, calling him a “black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs,” among other names. “These last few weeks have only proven my point about Brother Obama,” West says in his signature “one love” voice as he talks about the debt-reduction debacle on Capitol Hill....