Free Republic

Alan Kessler has shaken the money trees for President Bill Clinton, Senator and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, and countless other Democrats, notably former Gov. Ed Rendell. Now the Democratic powerbroker and Center City lawyer is co-sponsoring a $5,200-a-ticket fundraiser July 9 for Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. And the Democrats’ 2010 nominee, who wants a rematch with Toomey in three years, is not too happy about it. “We need more Pat Toomeys,” Kessler said. “Time and time again he has reached across the aisle to work with Democrats and do what people are...

In the days after the whimpering defeat of Mitt Trotsky, the RINO National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus (whoever the hell he is) did an "autopsy" on the Republican Party. In this "autopsy", it was determined that the Republican Party needed a "bigger tent". The gist of the report was this: The party was too white, too Christian, and too male. The only way to get out of the loser's bracket was to pander to as many minorities as possible. What a load of crap. You see ladies and gentlemen, regardless of what the hapless Bill Kristol will tell you, regardless...

As a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association with an “A+” rating for her voting record in the Tennessee House of Representatives, Debra Maggart never imagined that her political career would end this way. Maggart, who chaired the Republican caucus, killed an NRA-backed bill that would have permitted Tennesseans to keep firearms in their parked vehicles wherever they went — work, school or the neighborhood bar. Months later, Maggart was stunned to see NRA-sponsored ads on billboards in her district. Her face was next to a picture of President Obama. The ads proclaimed: “Sure, Rep. Debra Maggart Says She...

"Superficial" "A source close to the Senate negotiations [says] that two senators who voted against the background check bill would vote for it after minor, superficial changes." - Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC, May 6, 2013ACTION: Senators who voted pro-gun last month are under intense pressure - by Senate Democrats and Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s hit ads - to switch their votes.  We need to keep applying the heat and let them know that gun owners are ready to help in any Senate campaign, no matter which state, to defeat ANY SENATOR who votes for gun control.LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FROM WASHINGTON, DC. It’s...

I sent an email to Senator Toomey urging him to oppose the Senate gun control efforts even in the face of his Manchin-Toomey legislation. Here is his response - I'm sure it's canned: Dear (Castigar), Thank you for contacting me about national firearms policy. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue. Like many Pennsylvanians, I have long been a supporter of the Second Amendment. Americans have an individual right to bear arms for self-protection, hunting and recreation. In fact, during my tenure in the House of Representatives (1999-2005), my record of supporting gun owners' rights earned me an...

WASHINGTON - Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) dismissed talk Friday that he might take a second run at passing new gun laws, even as a new poll found voters in the state giving him high marks for backing a bipartisan plan to expand background checks. "My own view is very simple: The Senate has had its vote. We've seen the outcome of that vote. I am not aware of any reason to believe that if we had the vote again that we'd have a different outcome," Toomey said on a conference call. He was responding to a question about a...

Someone from Pipestone, Minnesota, asked “why did the toomey amendment have all the democrats bills.” Essentially, because the Democrats could. A persistent pattern of misspellings seen in bills introduced by long time anti-gun activist Chucky Schumer is also present in the “background check” part of S.AMDT.715. So the amendment was written by Schumer or his staff, and handed to Manchin to be filed. A hard line “false flag” Democrat, Manchin probably never looked at the Amendment – and would have approved it if he had. And of course Toomey had already been suckered signed on so he had no reason...

After two weeks in the national spotlight, Sen. Pat Toomey was ready to move on. Toomey, seeming refreshed Thursday after the deflating defeat of his background-check plan the day before, greeted reporters with a smile as he rode an escalator up from the Capitol's subway platform. But the Pennsylvania Republican did not want to talk much about the fight that had put him at the center of the political and cultural maelstrom on gun laws. "The Senate has spoken on this," Toomey said. "It's not obvious to me what alternative path forward there is. I gave this my best shot."

Dear Friends, President Obama wanted three things on gun control -- to ban assault weapons, limit magazine sizes, and expand background checks. Fortunately, he lost on all three. I’ve always been confident if the Senate debated the Second Amendment, the Second Amendment would win. Yesterday, the Senate took up, debated, and voted on gun violence legislation. I am very pleased we had this debate, and was always ready and willing to vote in support of what I believe. Here’s how I voted yesterday: Voted Against the Manchin-Toomey Background Check Amendment (Failed 54-46, required 60 votes) No matter how well-intentioned, the...

Former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary and ex-Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge believes the Obama White House can draw some useful lessons from Wednesday's defeat of a bill extending background checks on most firearms purchases. Ridge took a few minutes to chat Thursday about the lessons of Monday's Boston Marathon bombing, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey's rising national profile and where gun-control advocates go next after Wednesday's vote. Here's the transcript of the interview: Q: In the hours after the Boston Marathon attacks, there was a rush to judgment, both in the press and in social media, about the identity of the alleged...

In the wake of perhaps the worst political failure of Barack Obama’s term short of his 2010 midterm loss, the President vowed to continue to push forward on gun-control measures, especially background checks. One of the lead Senators on that effort appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe to insist that the fight isn’t over. Joe Manchin insisted that he could convince enough of his colleagues to flip on the background checks, at least: The public face of a failed amendment to expand background checks for gun purchases promised to continue pushing his legislation Thursday, saying he’ll work with skittish Democrats who...

Following a series of amendment votes in the Senate, including the Manchin-Toomey Amendment expanding background checks that failed to pass, the President makes a statement to reporters on what the White House calls "common-sense" gun control.

With Senate support for the Manchin-Toomey "compromise" continuing to slide, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) appear willing to revert to gimmicks to try to squeak the bill through. (snip) To stop the momentum shift before it is too late, Manchin and Toomey are "considering the possibility of adding language to the bill that would exempt select far-flung communities in Alaska and North Dakota from some background check requirements." They hope this would win the votes of Sens. Mark Begich (D-AK) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), as well Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND). If being exempted from the bill is what...

Despite what Manchin has said, keep calling your Senators. A tactic to get people (who will call their senators to tell them they do not support Manchin's bill) to ease up on calling their senators??? Hmmm....

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) told reporters on Wednesday that the compromise legislation he crafted with Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) to expand background checks for gun purchasers does not have enough votes to pass the Senate when it comes up for a vote. [Snip] Chuck Todd, NBCs Chief White House Correspondent, speculated that, because the Manchin/Toomey compromise could not pass the House, there is no incentive for legislators who may be vulnerable on the issue of guns in 2014 to pass stricter legislation.

RUSH: Senator Elizabeth Warren wanted to get in on the big press conference in Boston this morning that happened about 10:30. The first words out of her mouth were praise for Obama and government. "The president of the United States has pledged his full support in all efforts, both to keep the city safe, and to find the person who did this. We did not have to reach out to the president; the president reached out to us," Warren said. He called the governor. He called the mayor. He called the members of congressional delegation because the president is actively...

(snip) The amendment will require at least 60 votes to be added to the underlying gun bill. Based on analysis by The Washington Post, only 22 of the 100 Senate votes are in play: The 16 Republican senators who voted last week to proceed with debate and six moderate Democrats who face difficult reelections in 2014 or represent rural states with strong gun cultures and would face strong political pressure at home for supporting new gun-control legislation. ** The 16 Republicans who voted with Democrats to proceed: Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Tom...

Everyone wants to keep criminals from getting guns. However, expanded background checks are not the simple answer that Sens. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) and Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) think they are. Unfortunately, as the Senate considers the Manchin-Toomey amendment, Toomey is simply wrong to assert: "It's the people who fail a criminal or mental-health background check who we don't want having guns." Toomey apparently does not understand how the background-check system works. Take his claim on Sunday: "Since checks began in 1998, more than 100,000 people who are ineligible to own guns have been denied them each year." Just because...

The deal senators have struck to expand firearm background checks to all Internet and gun show sales will drive up prices for consumers, weapons retailers say. Manufacturers say the deal, which is the crux of the gun bill that senators will begin debating this week, also includes language that gives background checks for sales at gun shows priority over in-store purchases — something their top trade group says is unfair. -------------cut------------------- But Sen. Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican who was part of the negotiations with Mr. Toomey before dropping out of the talks, said the record-keeping provisions in the deal...

Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) told host Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday that supporters of new gun control legislation do not yet have the votes to pass it, despite defeating a Republican-led filibuster attempt last week. Durbin is the Senate Majority Whip, responsible for counting his party's votes on key legislative proposals. The specific bill facing the Senate is the Manchin-Toomey compromise on background checks, which would expand such requirements to gun shows, among other provisions. Currently, private sales between individuals at gun shows do not require background checks--just as private sales anywhere do not require them. The following is...