Free Republic

Tough-as-nails former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina kicked off her U.S. Senate campaign this week with defiant words for a ruthless opponent - her cancer. "Let me start with the most obvious question: What's with the hair?" she asked a crowd in Orange County, motioning to the graying buzz cut that replaced her auburn wigs of recent months."I'm happy to tell you that having been through surgery and chemotherapy and radiation, breast cancer is officially behind me. I feel absolutely great and I am raring to go."In California, where politics and drama are wedded, the Republican candidate's public embrace of a...

Senate Democrats are looking to restart momentum for climate legislation, which has taken a backseat to healthcare. The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee next week opens debate on the Kerry-Boxer bill with three hearings over three days in which more than 50 witnesses are scheduled to testify. Not much has happened since the House passed its climate bill in late June on a tight vote, but Senate Democrats hope to make progress on one of the administration’s highest priorities before global climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December. One marathon session set for Thursday on the Clean Energy...

I first became a social activist nearly 20 years ago. At that time, I did not realize that activism and politics are inexorably linked. Perhaps I was naive to believe this was not the case. I had hoped with all my heart that pro-family conservatives held to a higher standard than those on the left which practice the dark arts of innuendo, ad hominen and character assassination as a means to gain political power. Again, I was naive. I am learning battles between factions of the Republican Party can be just as ruthless as our Democratic opponents. Republican U.S. Senate...

Periodically, a Republican senator is seized with desire to be the front man for the Democrats' latest regulatory monstrosity in Washington. Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina is now in the throes of this pathological urge, which usually appears just when defeat seems imminent for a big-government scheme like the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade energy bill. Democrats and their liberal buddies in the mainstream media need only whisper the magic word "bipartisanship" and soon enough along comes a gullible GOPer to take the bait. Graham made clear in a Sunday New York Times op-ed written with Sen. John Kerry, D-MA, that he...

September 29, 2009 With No Fanfare, Senate Hits ACORN, Again With no fanfare and no roll call vote, not even a speech -- the Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved an amendment by Sen. Mike Johanns, R-NE, that bars any funds from the Defense spending bill from going to ACORN.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US Senate Republicans on Friday pulled out of a bipartisan investigation into controversial "war on terror" detentions and interrogations, including tactics widely condemned as torture. The move by the opposition party dealt a sharp blow to the Senate Intelligence Committee's efforts to find out exactly what methods were used when and whether they paid off -- without prosecuting witnesses or agents thought to have committed abuses. Senator Kit Bond, the panel's top Republican, blamed Attorney General Eric Holder's investigation into alleged CIA abuse of detainees, which he said made it impossible for current or former CIA officials...

The IRS yesterday severed its ties with ACORN, the profoundly corrupt community organizing group embroiled in a seemingly never-ending string of controversies, criminal investigations and voter registration fraud charges.  Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau also severed ties with the group. The latest controversy is over the series of videos covertly taped by new media journalists James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles.  In these videos, O’Keefe and Giles, posing as a pimp and prostitute, are given tax advice by ACORN representatives in different cities across the country.   The tax advice included listing “performance artist� as the prostitute’s employment code in...

It's time for the Illinois GOP to request that Mark Kirk bow out of the U.S. Senate race. U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk's bid to obtain the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Roland Burris in 2010 has, to put it mildly, got off to a rocky start. The 10th District Republican has come under fire, not only from social conservatives, but from fiscal conservatives as well. Kirk's votes on abortion, gun rights and radical environmentalism is contrary to the state and national Republican Party Platforms. Kirk was never going to receive support from pro-family Republicans,...

There might not be a temporary replacement for Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) in the coming days after all. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) was expected to have the power to appoint a 60th Democratic senator this week, but the bill to give him that power hit a snag Wednesday, according to The Associated Press, and the situation could be headed for court. Though the state Senate on Tuesday joined the state House in signing off on the appointment powers, the timing the of the appointment is at issue. Without an emergency declaration, Patrick could not make the appointment for 90...

Here is a YouTube video of what Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Robert Casey (D, MoveOn.org, PA) just voted to continue funding with taxpayer dollars. Here are the U.S. Senators who voted to continue to fund Barack Obama's friends in ACORN (a "nay" vote is a vote against defunding ACORN). See also this video. Note in the video that, per ACORN's employees, the fake pimp doesn't have to file W-2 reports for his (imaginary) prostitutes because they are under sixteen.U.S. Senators who voted to continue to spend taxpayer money to fund ACORNBurris (D-IL) Casey (D-PA), also accepted the endorsement of an...

(snip) SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Well, I thought the president is eloquent. I thought he had a lot of passion. (snip) MCCAIN: I hope he gets a bill. I hope we can sit down together and do the things that all of us agree on. And there are a number of things that are -- that we can agree on. And I think the American people, obviously, want that. I don't know what the administration and the Democrats will insist on. Facts are stubborn things. The bills so far have had no bipartisanship associated with it. They were drawn...

On August 26th, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-10th District) was one of eight Republicans who voted for a bill commonly called Cap and Trade. HR2454 officially titled, the "American Clean Energy and Security Act" passed the House of Representatives, but has yet to be considered by the U.S. Senate. The legislation passed by a total of seven votes. Indeed, without the support of these eight Republicans, the Cap and Trade bill would not have passed in the House. The Republicans who voted for Cap and Trade have come under a great deal of criticism. In fact, the bill is so...

Inhofe: U.S. headed toward revolution @ 1:01 pm by Eric Zimmermann The overreaching of the federal government is pushing the U.S. towards a revolution, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said today. "People are not buying these concepts that are completely foreign to America," Inhofe said at a townhall in Chickasaw, Okla. "We're almost reaching a revolution in this country." Inhofe has been one of the Senate's most strident opponents of climate legislation and healthcare reform. Inhofe added that he didn't need to read the full helathcare legislation before deciding to vote against it. Public opinion and news reports, he said, provided...

I'm answering my evening emails and reflecting on one, in particular. My correspondent, a man of definite liberal outlook who made a small fortune in the sporting goods market beginning in the late 1980s, is lamenting the passing of Ted Kennedy, last son of the original Democratic political dynasty… Here's his take: "He represented the proper conflation of strongly held views and a simultaneous collegial approach. That's also the view of most Republicans with whom he worked. Certainly you may not agree with his political views …” It went on for some time after that. … Most conservatives would, at...

Sen. Edward Moore Kennedy, the youngest Kennedy brother who was left to head the family's political dynasty after his brothers President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated, has died at age 77.

KABUL (AP) — Sen. John McCain called Tuesday for more American troops in Afghanistan, saying that doubling the number of Marines in one southern region could lead to "significantly more success." The former Republican presidential candidate, along with other members of a visiting congressional delegation, also said that Afghanistan's elections this week were a milestone event, but that the U.S. was not backing one candidate over another. The group's two-day visit included meeting with Marines in southern Helmand province, where U.S. and Afghan forces are staging a major offensive aimed at clearing out Taliban militants ahead of Thursday's vote.

WASHINGTON — A Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee says more troops are needed in Afghanistan and is warning that the U.S. must not 'Rumsfeld' the war.

FL Senator Mel Martinez Stepping Down... Breaking!

Senator Christopher S. Bond of Missouri, a Republican who is retiring after four terms in the Senate, said on Wednesday that he would vote to confirm Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court, despite some disagreements with some of her rulings and public statements. “I do agree that Judge Sotomayor has proven herself a well-qualified jurist,” Mr. Bond said on the Senate floor. “I do agree that she has proven herself as a talented and accomplished student, federal prosecutor, corporate litigator, federal trial judge, and federal appeals court judge.”

A coalition of conservative groups dedicated to dispelling the myths of global warming is keeping the heat on lawmakers when it comes to "cap and trade." The Cooler Heads Coalition recently held a closed door meeting in Washington, DC. The coalition comprises individuals from conservative organizations who are leading the charge against the Waxman-Markey energy bill, also known as "cap and trade" and referred to in the meeting as "energy rationing and tax." Although the healthcare debate currently is the main newsmaker in DC, the Cooler Heads Coalition says the Waxman-Markey energy bill is still alive and well. They also...

A White House spokesman said Tuesday that Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) decision to vote against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is "disappointing." White House press secretary Robert Gibbs criticized McCain, President Barack Obama's opponent last year, saying that Sotomayor is qualified to sit on the bench. "It's disappointing that Sen. McCain came to a different conclusion a day after talking about bipartisanship," Gibbs told reporters in his West Wing office.

He is one of the most liberal members of the United States House of Representatives. He is a staunch defender of abortion rights and he recently voted for the largest tax increase in American history--Cap and Trade. Who am I talking about? U.S. Representative Mark Steven Kirk of Illinois' 10th Congressional District. Earlier this month, Kirk threw his hat into the ring, seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2010. Oh, and one more thing...Kirk will never win the seat currently held by Roland Burris who was appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill the office vacated by...

Maverick senator should battle Supreme Court appointment. It's time for Sen. John McCain to step up to the plate on an issue he usually leaves to others. The Arizona Republican ought to fight hard against the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Mr. McCain is usually not a partisan warrior on the subject of judges. But that's a reason why his active involvement would be effective. As the Republican Party's most recent presidential standard bearer, he commands more attention than almost any other senator in his party. As a man with a reputation for principled independence, his...

Political headlines on health care and the Supreme Court have offered competing visions for the future of the Republican Party, and "(R-S.C.)" has played a prominent role in both debates. Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the gang of 14 that ended partisan deadlocks on previous Supreme Court nominees, won praise for his sometimes thoughtful (though occasionally condescending) questioning of President Barack Obama's pick for the court, Sonia Sotomayor. Last week, he bucked his party's leadership and supported her nomination. When challenged by conservatives in his own party, he told Politico he had no time for "blind ideology." Sen. Jim DeMint,...

When it comes to next year's primaries, three senators probably are feeling a lot like Rodney Dangerfield: They can't get any respect. As veteran lawmakers, Sens. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., and Jim Bunning, R-Ky., should be coasting, under normal circumstances, to the general election. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., appointed in January as Hillary Rodham Clinton's successor, has the White House's backing. Yet each has party challengers clamoring for a primary fight in 2010. That's unusual in the Senate, where incumbents typically sail smoothly into the November vote. It's created awkwardness and tension for party leaders who like to avoid contentious and...

WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who helped vote down U.S. ratification of a nuclear test ban treaty ten years ago, said he would now consider supporting it. McCain told The Associated Press that he could support the treaty, a priority of former presidential rival President Barack Obama, if concerns are addressed before another vote.

(snip) GRAHAM: Well, the speeches she gave, I think, bugged a lot of people, not just me. The idea that "a wise Latina woman" more often than not, because of her experience and background, would reach a better conclusion than a white male is not something I think most Americans want to embrace. I think Americans embrace the idea that diversity is good for the court.But I looked at her record and I put the speech in perspective. She's lived an incredible life. She's been a judge for 17 years. There's no indication that her speech drove way she judged....

Sen. John McCain (L) talking to Sen. Lindsey Graham during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Washington, July 7.

“Combative Start to Senate Climate Hearings” – “Climate Fight: The Senate Tackles Global Warming Bill” – “Dem: Long Battle Ahead of Us” – “Senators Draw Battle Lines on Cap-and-Trade” News Round-Up: EPW Kicks Off Latest Global Warming Debate    Watch: Democrat Senator: "Long Battle Ahead of Us" on Global Warming Bill  Link Bond: The American People Deserve Answers on the Costs of Democrats’ Cap and Trade Bill to Family Budgets, Lost Jobs, Press Release, July 07, 2009: U.S. Senator Kit Bond today called on Democrats to tell the American people the truth about the cost of their cap and trade legislation to...

Senate Republicans see a new agreement forged between President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev as an opportunity to force Democrats’ hand on a major security issue: missile defense. Sixty-seven senators, or two-thirds of those present, must agree to ratify any deal seeking to reduce nuclear weapons between the two nations, giving Senate Republicans, who only control 40 seats, rare leverage. The high bar for ratifying treaties will put pressure on Obama to finish construction of a missile shield in Eastern Europe. At the very least, it will make it very difficult for the president to limit that shield in...

Sen. John McCain touched on a variety of topics with The Daily Courier while visiting Prescott July 4, from single-payer health care to a revived push for a national scenic area designation in the Sedona area. . . . . . Other topics with McCain included: . . . . . * Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. McCain said he hasn't decided how he will vote on Sotomayor, especially since he still needs to talk to fellow Sen. Jon Kyl about her. Kyl serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Will post all contact information for senate.

Sen. Arlen Specter continues to pick up support from Democratic party leaders across Pennsylvania. However, a new poll indicates that the five-term incumbent has not convinced a majority of Pennsylvania voters that he should be re-elected. According to a new Franklin & Marshall poll released Thursday, only 28 percent of registered voters in Pennsylvania think Specter should be re-elected. That number is down from 40 percent in March, a month before Specter's "conversion" to the Democratic Party. Back then, roughly half the voters in each party said that Specter was doing an excellent or good job in the Senate. The...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 25, 2009 Contact: Francisco Lopez, Executive Director: (503) 269-5694 Erik Sorensen, Communications Director: (503) 488-0263 Historic White House Meeting on Immigration a Complete Success Roadmap to Immigration Reform makes a strong and positive beginning Salem, Ore--Today members of Congress from both houses and from both sides of the aisle met at the White House for an historic working session on Immigration Reform. The White House meeting, which was postponed from last week, was rescheduled for today after immigration reform proponents generated over 200,000 faxes, 30,000 phone calls, and 3,300 personal notes calling on the President to...

U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint helped scuttle national immigration reform last year not by trying to win over his fellow senators but by reaching out to people outside the U.S. Capitol, and he's now taking a similar tack with President Barack Obama's health care proposal. DeMint, R-S.C., is saying the best way to extend health coverage to the uninsured would be to make it easier for people to buy private insurance, not by expanding government programs. "We're not trying to change the whole system with this. Basically, this plan is based on the idea: If you like what you've got, keep...

After twice postponing a highly anticipated meeting between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders on immigration reform, the White House is under increasing pressure to get legislation done this year. Winning congressional approval of an immigration measure by December is a steep climb, with the economy, health care and energy higher on the president’s agenda. So far, Obama has promised only to begin the discussion at the summit set for next week. But if the president does not move quickly, he will suffer the same fate as his predecessor, President George W. Bush, who left office acknowledging that failure to...

Link only, per FR copyright and excerpt policy

Tom Cox, president of the Arkansas Tea Party organization, will announce his candidacy for the Senate on Monday at a gathering of the Arkansas Tea Party group in downtown Little Rock. Cox, who plans to run in the Republican primary, is the first leader of the grassroots anti-tax movement to run for federal office. He is seeking the Senate seat held by Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln. The local businessman, who has not previously run for elected office, became involved in the Tea Party movement after watching CNBC host Rick Santelli’s February rant against the federal stimulus. . . . ....

WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell may have a tepid relationship with fellow Kentucky Republican Sen. Jim Bunning, but he's giving GOP rising star and 2010 Senate candidate Florida Gov. Charlie Crist a thumbs up. According to Crist's Web site, McConnell gave the governor a full-throated endorsement. "Decisions are being made every day in Washington that have a direct impact upon the lives of all Americans and we need Charlie Crist in the U.S. Senate to ensure that those decisions will benefit the citizens of Florida.” Crist, McConnell and other party luminaries are slated to attend a campaign fundraising...

After we broke through the 218 cosponsor threshold on H.R. 1207, I didn't think today could get any better. However, we have even more news. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) today became the first cosponsor of S 604, H.R. 1207's companion legislation. We still have a long way to go before we pass real legislation to Audit the Fed, but this is yet another major step toward our ultimate goal. Sen. DeMint is highly respected and one of the most principled conservatives in Washington. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), 604's lead sponsor, is a firebrand Independent progressive. To see these two guys on...

WASHINGTON — Remember back to September, when Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was a newly minted vice-presidential candidate and she was asked by ABC's Charlie Gibson about drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and her split with her running mate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. At the time, she told Gibson: "We'll agree to disagree, but I'm gonna keep pushing that, and I think, eventually, we're all gonna come together on that one." Apparently Palin wasn't persuasive enough. Tuesday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee shot down Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski's effort to open up ANWR to directional drilling. The...

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday" that President Barack Obama's proposed health care plan is the "first step in destroying the best health care system the world has ever known." "When the government is involved more and more in the details," Shelby said, "and you start the one-pay deal and you got the government competing with private enterprise with all the incentives the government has and the power, they can destroy the marketplace for health care and it will be a mistake and the American people better be careful in what they want."

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Republican Senator John McCain on Wednesday joined his former rival President Barack Obama in calling for a nuclear-free world, a goal previously formulated by former president Ronald Reagan. During a lengthy speech on the Senate floor marking the unveiling of a statue of Reagan in the Capitol, the veteran Arizona lawmaker recalled how his "personal hero" had dreamed of a world free of nuclear weapons. "That is my dream too," McCain said. "This is a distant and difficult goal. And we must proceed toward it prudently and pragmatically, and with a focused concern for our security and...

Tallahassee - Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law a $1-per-pack cigarette tax hike Wednesday - the biggest of its kind in Florida history -- saying he hopes to kill the habit that results in thousands of deaths every year. "I view it more as a health issue than a tax issue," said Crist, a Republican who broke with a career-long opposition to tax increases. " Ronald Reagan used to say if you want to kill something, tax it. It wouldn't be bad if we killed smoking. It would save a lot of lives." As of July 1, Florida's new cigarette...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Arizona's U.S. senators, both Republicans, congratulated Sonia Sotomayor on her nomination to the Supreme Court and said they would study her record thoroughly before the Senate's confirmation vote. . . . . . Sen. John McCain also congratulated Sotomayor and said, "I look forward to examining her record thoroughly during the Senate confirmation process."

Last year I supported Sen. John McCain for president. Despite these efforts, the American public chose Barack Obama as the person they wanted in the White House to confront the worst financial market turmoil since the Great Depression and the worst recession in a generation. Regardless of whom they voted for Nov. 4, he is our president, and every patriotic American should hope he succeeds in ending the economic problems that now beset our country. Soon after his inauguration, the president signed legislation aimed at stimulating economic growth. Many good and decent people opposed this measure, and some even offered...

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s decision to run for the Senate in 2010 set the stage for a potentially brutal GOP primary battle between moderates lining up behind Crist and conservatives backing his challenger Marco Rubio. Crist has a huge lead over Rubio in a new poll of registered Republicans in the Sunshine State. But the Senate race could showcase the deep divide that national Republicans are struggling to overcome after two consecutive election-year blowouts. Even more troubling for the beleaguered party – it’s just one of many moderate-versus-conservative primaries taking shape in top races next year.

You know Harry Reid is usually thought of the quiet part of the two-headed Pelosi-Reid monster. But today he set a new world record, Most screw-ups by a Senate Majority leader during the same press conference. Now one would think that after wrongly declaring Teddy Kennedy's brain cancer in remission he would be more careful, but there is no halting this Harry, this Majority leader turned medical expert also announced that Senator Byrd would be out of the hospital in the next day or two, no--wrong again. Finally he put too much spin on the President's closing gitmo funding loss...

WASHINGTON — Sen. Jim Bunning acknowledged Tuesday that during a meeting in December, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told him that "I was too old and I couldn't win" a re-election battle in 2010. Bunning, 77, went on to call McConnell a "control freak." He also said he'll fare well in Kentucky without McConnell's endorsement in the Republican primary, since during the senior senator's tenure as a member of the GOP leadership the Republicans have lost several seats and could lose more in 2010. "If Mitch McConnell doesn't endorse me that may be the best thing that could happen to...