Free Republic

Most Democrats have come to understand that they can't run on ObamaCare, but few have the temerity of Ron Wyden. The Oregon Senator is the first to break with the policy underpinnings of the bill he voted for. Last week Mr. Wyden sent a letter to Oregon health authority director Bruce Goldberg, encouraging the state to seek a waiver from certain ObamaCare rules so it can "come up with innovative solutions that the Federal government has never had the flexibility or will to implement." One little-known provision of the bill allows states to opt out of the "requirement that individuals...

Dems attack Rossi ahead of possible Senate bid By CURT WOODWARD ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Democrats stepped up their pre-emptive campaign against potential Republican Senate candidate Dino Rossi on Thursday, alleging that $20,000 in delinquent property taxes owed by his business partners show poor ethical standards on his part. Rossi, a two-time gubernatorial runner-up, is mulling a possible run against Democratic Sen. Patty Murray. Rossi dismissed Thursday's Democratic attacks as inaccurate and said he has no direct ties to the property in question. At issue are unpaid property taxes on a building in Everett owned by a real...

For the past 14 years, the re-election of U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden has been the closest thing to a sure bet in Oregon politics. The popular senator is back on the ballot this year, and while he's still an overwhelming favorite to win another term, Republican voters have a chance to nominate a serious challenger, Lewis & Clark law professor Jim Huffman.

After several years at the helm of the Lewis and Clark Law School, Republican James Huffman says he will run for U.S. Senate and try to unseat longtime Democrat Ron Wyden. Huffman says Wyden has supported corporate bailouts and the stimulus plan which have not helped create jobs and fix unemployment. Huffman acknowledges the race will be an uphill battle but is confident people are ready for change. Click the following two links to hear Huffman on KXL: For further information about James Huffman, follow this link: http://www.lclark.edu/law/faculty/james_huffman/

Another “safe” Democratic senator may not be quite as safe as he thought. The first Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 telephone survey of likely voters in Oregon finds incumbent Democratic Senator Ron Wyden with a 49% to 35% lead over law professor Jim Huffman, the most prominent Republican reportedly considering running against him. Seven percent (7%) prefer some other candidate, and nine percent (9%) are undecided. Given Oregon’s political leanings, it’s a tough struggle for any Republican candidate against a popular Democrat like Wyden. Still, an incumbent who polls less than 50% at this stage of the campaign is viewed as...

Another “safe” Democratic senator may not be quite as safe as he thought. The first Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 telephone survey of likely voters in Oregon finds incumbent Democratic Senator Ron Wyden with a 49% to 35% lead over law professor Jim Huffman, the most prominent Republican reportedly considering running against him.

The Wyden-Bennett plan seeks to achieve universal coverage by creating a new private insurance system for the United States. It would establish state-based purchasing pools, with nearly all Americans (except those in Medicare and the military) required to enroll in a private insurance plan made available through their state’s pool. Employer-based coverage would likely be reduced substantially over time (few, if any, small employers likely would continue to offer coverage although a number of large employers probably would do so, at least initially), and Medicaid and SCHIP would be converted into supplemental insurance programs that “wrap around” the private insurance...

Nearly 600 people came to Medford's Abraham Lincoln Elementary School today to hear Sen. Ron Wyden talk about health-care reform in a town-hall meeting. Questions from the spirited crowd reflected the range of issues in the national debate about how to make health care affordable and available. The Oregon Democrat said everyone will have to give up something in the effort, which he noted has been a work in progress since Harry Truman was president. Wyden repeatedly turned the conversation to his own health care reform proposal, the Healthy Americans Act, which has support from both Democrats and Republicans. Wyden...

The Healthy Americans Act would guarantee every American universal, affordable, comprehensive, portable, high-quality, private health coverage that is as good or better than Members of Congress have today. The Act includes tough cost containment measures - and would save Americans $1.45 trillion over the next decade.

I believe that Bill O'Reilly did sum up the president's health care plan the best. He simply couldn't understand how any of it will work. That's because the president is either misguided or disingenuous. He makes outlandish claims about how everyone will be covered, costs will go down, services will stay robust, and no one will lose the health care coverage they currently have. At the same time, while this plan means a massive expansion of government control, he actually claimed that government won't get in between the doctor and patient. You can see why O'Reilly was so confused.

My younger sister has often complained to me that, during their working careers, she and her husband had difficulty making ends meet, financially. In response, I’ve tried to convince her that those who have a little money… or even a lot of money… have a far more difficult problem: i.e., holding onto what they have. No man has done more to prove my point than Bernard Madoff, the head of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, LLC, a Wall Street investment advisor admired and trusted by some of America’s wealthiest individuals and foundations. No man has done more to destroy the...

Wyden biting the hand that feeds his state's energy needs by McCainiac Updating a previous story, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is in the news again beating up Sarah Palin over LNG exports from Alaska. This time, Time magazine picked up the story and regurgitated the Democrat talking points. Hook, line and sinker. Your faithful correspondent, me, was cited on Free Republic as the lone "some critics" by the Oregonian's Jeff Mapes: And some critics are accusing Wyden of hypocrisy since he wants to give the state of Oregon the ability to block a proposed LNG site on the Columbia River....

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) made headlines this week by decrying the export of LNG from Alaska to Japan and complaining about the high price of natural gas. Oh, the hypocrisy. Wyden and other Left Coast liberals such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and my governor, Ted Kulongowski (D-OR), have done everything they can to stonewall LNG terminals proposed for the West Coast, including three proposed terminals right here in Oregon. There are currently no LNG terminals on the U.S. West Coast, the nearest terminal is across the border from San Diego in Baja California. The Baja terminal just opened two...

5 out of the top ten US House Recipients of contributions (1989- 2001) from Arthur Andersen are democRats. Their names and the amounts are listed below. And, according to dim logic, they are guilty by association and should have their names shining in the bright lights of Reuters, AP, Drudge, The Washington ComPost, and more. After all, this is a hit piece. Here you go, Klayman, chase this ambulance too! Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) $34,687 Martin Frost (D-Texas) $32,000 Peter Deutsch (D-Fla) $24,200 James P. Moran (D-Va) $21,250 Ken Bentsen (D-Texas) $19,225 Other Rats also receiving Andersen dirty money include: Rick...

To read entire article click text: In a court hearing in San Diego, Kenneth Breen, an assistant United States attorney, said the adviser, Amr Ibrahim Elgindy, tried to sell $300,000 in stock on the afternoon of Sept. 10 and told his broker that the stock market would soon plunge. "Perhaps Mr. Elgindy had preknowledge of Sept. 11, and rather than report it he attempted to profit from it," Mr. Breen said. So, what did Mr. Elgindy, who was trying to sell $300k in stock, tell the financial world the day after 9-11?  Read it for yourself! Immediate release InsideTruth.com...

On April 17, 2002, Senators Grassley and Wyden submitted a Senate Resolution to eliminate the practice of placing secret holds. Note that the resolution did not eliminate holds but rather exposed them to the light of day. Without surprise, the resolution died in committee. 107TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 244 Eliminating secret Senate holds. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 17, 2002 Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself and Mr. WYDEN) submitted the followingresolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration RESOLUTIONEliminating secret Senate holds.Resolved, SECTION 1. ELIMINATING SECRET SENATE HOLDS. Rule VII of the Standing...

The Talk Shows Sunday, May 21st, 2006 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Rice; Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; and Rep. Charles Norwood, R-Ga. FACE THE NATION (CBS): Attorney General Alberto Gonzales; Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; and Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. THIS WEEK (ABC): Gonzales; former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C.; "America's Most Wanted" host John Walsh. LATE EDITION (CNN) : Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert; Australian Prime Minister John Howard; Sens. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore.; Zalmay Khalilzad,...

Anyone know how long he as been at this? I first tuned in this morning and he was on this rant... now he is STILL at it.. Anyone guess how long he can hold it..Basicly he asking for a vote on HIS amendment without playing by the rules..

I have been waiting for more information on what I thought I heard this afternoon on Fox News. What I heard was Durbin, Rockefeller and Wyden had criminal referrals and were being asked to submit to lie detector tests. This was tied to the leak investigation. I don't post too often and I might be suffering from excess radon consumption.....and hallucinating.???? Help me out..... anyone else out there hear the same thing I did???

I was listening to the John Batchelor Program last night. Jed Babbin, of the American Spectator, was a guest last night, Friday, February 3, 2006. Babbin said several things last night: 1) The Justice Department investigation into the leaking of the NSA program is pointing to Capital Hill. 2) The Justice Department is looking to use polygraphs on members of Congress and their staffers. 3) Any Senate member of Congress who refuses a polygraph directive by the Justice Department automatically loses their security clearance if they have one. 4) The names being rumored to be a target of the investigation...