Free Republic

Accenting again the campaign focus she has placed on veterans' affairs, Sen. Barbara Boxer on Sunday formally opened a veterans' center at Pasadena City College and was later brought to tears by a forceful defense of her record by Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, a highly decorated member of Congress. Inouye joined Boxer for her formal endorsement by the political action committee of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, whose California chairman also praised Boxer's work on behalf of veterans.

The political arms of the National Rifle Association and Veterans of Foreign Wars have weighed in on the hotly-contested congressional race in northern Virginia’s 11th District, splitting their support between Republican Keith Fimian and Democratic incumbent Gerald Connolly. The VFW Political Action Committee, which represents roughly 2.2 million VFW members, auxiliaries and military families, recently endorsed Connolly, while the NRA’s Political Victory Fund has thrown its support behind Fimian.

Given that the observation has been forthcoming from such sources as the editorial pages of the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times, it is not a partisan potshot to note that Democrat Barbara Boxer has been ineffective as a California senator. After 18 years in the Senate, Boxer deserves the thanks of Californians for her service, but not re-election. As the Chronicle observed, “There is no reason to believe that another six-year term would bring anything but more of the same uninspired representation.” Meanwhile, much more so than with past Boxer Senate opponents, Republican Carly Fiorina offers promise. The...

Expect to see a lot of analysis about what's going on in New Hampshire after this poll. Public Policy Polling looked at the Senate race and found a striking change since Republican Kelly Ayotte scored an endorsement from Sarah Palin. As a former attorney general, Ayotte has already run statewide and voters considering who they want to succeed retiring Sen. Judd Gregg ought to be at least somewhat familiar with her. But the Mama Grizzly seal of approval seems to have raised some doubts about Ayotte with the biggest bloc of voters in the state. Ayotte's lead over Rep. Paul...

Revolution in California and political regime change come November has been a theme of mine for weeks. Tuesday night's big victories for Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina moved that agenda nicely down the field. And let me add to it. Following the Tuesday primaries, the mainstream media began calling this the year of the woman, pointing not only to Fiorina and Whitman in California, but to Sharron Angle in Nevada, Nikki Haley in South Carolina, and Democrat Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas. But we need a qualifier here. This is really going to be the year of the women from the...

As a decorated United States Marine, Nick Popaditch has clearly shown his loyalty and love of country. Nick was a career marine who first served his nation in combat as a Sergeant during Operation: Desert Shield and Storm – after an Honorable Discharge – he decided to re-enlist and returned to the front lines in Operation: Iraqi Freedom. Nick’s willingness to serve is testament to his character and heart. Now, Nick is once again going to serve and protect the liberties that make this nation truly exceptional, this time from liberals in Washington. Californians deserve a leader like Nick who’ll...

WASHINGTON – The role of endorser in chief isn't working so well for President Barack Obama. Sen. Arlen Specter became the fourth Democrat in seven months to lose a high-profile race despite the president's active involvement, raising doubts about Obama's ability to help fellow Democrats in this November's elections. The first three candidates fell to Republicans. But Specter's loss Tuesday to Rep. Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania's Democratic senatorial primary cast doubts on Obama's influence and popularity even within his own party — and in a battleground state, no less. Of course, it's possible that Democrats will fare better than expected...

Today, in Columbia, South Carolina, two of the women who are showing America what real feminism is, will appear together, at which time Sarah Palin will officially endorse Nikki Haley for South Carolina Governor. I had the honor of meeting Nikki Haley, and hearing her speak, in Atlanta at the Red State Gathering last Summer. She’s even more impressive in person than she is on paper (or web). She was one of several women, including Liz Cheney whom I also adore, who spoke at that event, each as impressive as the next. All smart as whips, charismatic, charming, quick, impassioned,...

Filling the void in 12th District Observer-Reporter May 10, 2010 The unexpected death in February of U.S. Rep. John Murtha left a void in the U.S. Congress and, more specifically, in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District, that seems unlikely to be filled anytime soon. Murtha not only brought a wealth of expertise on defense issues to the U.S. House of Representatives, but also pulled a bounty of federal projects into his district. Some may have condemned it as pork-barrel spending, but it brought the region a much-needed economic lift as the steel industry withered. Voters in the 12th Congressional District will...

Dr. James Dobson, founder and former chairman of Focus on the Family, has endorsed Rand Paul, son of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.). The irony of it is that Dobson had formerly endorsed Paul’s opponent, Trey Grayson, because, as he put it, “Senior members of the GOP told me Dr. Paul is pro-choice and that he opposes many conservative perspectives.” Paul is, in fact, simply a federalist with regard to abortion, just as his father is. That is, he believes that abortion is an issue to be dealt with at the...

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) on Thursday diverged from her Tea Party base and endorsed ex-Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who is vying for the GOP nomination to run against Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). Fiorina in running in the June 8 primary against state Assemblyman Chuck DeVore and former Rep. Tom Campbell for the opportunity to try to unseat Boxer. But Palin took to Facebook Thursday afternoon to endorse Fiorina over the other contenders in "Reagan Country," and in the process took a shot at Campbell, although she didn't refer to him by name.

I’d like to tell you about a Commonsense Conservative running for office in California this year. She grew up in a modest home with a school teacher dad, worked her way through several colleges, and then entered an arena where few women had tread. Through a combination of hard work, perseverance, and common sense, she proved the naysayers wrong to reach the top of her field, where she led with distinction – facing hard truths, making tough decisions, and showing real leadership through a rocky transition period. Where others had failed, her company had weathered the storm and settled on...

Here's Palin on Fiorina: "Please consider that Carly is the conservative who has the potential to beat California's liberal senator, Barbara Boxer, in November. I'm a huge proponent of contested primaries, so I'm glad to see the contest in California's GOP, but I support Carly as she fights through a tough primary against a liberal member of the GOP who seems to bear almost no difference to Boxer, one of the most leftwing members of the Senate. Carly needs our support in this crucial election year when we have a real chance of putting an end to the Pelosi/Reid Big...

Christian conservative leader James Dobson withdrew his endorsement of Kentucky Senate candidate Trey Grayson Monday, switching his support to Rand Paul’s campaign and accusing “senior members of the GOP” of misleading him about Paul’s record on abortion. Dobson said in an audio recording that he made an “embarrassing mistake” as a result of misunderstanding Paul’s position on abortion. “I was given misleading information about the candidacy of Dr. Rand Paul, who is running in the Republican Primary for the U.S. Senate. Senior members of the GOP told me Dr. Paul is pro-choice and that he opposes many conservative perspectives, so...

Vaughn Ward wonders when the Tea Party Express passed him by. The Republican challenger to Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Walt Minnick in Idaho figured to at least have a shot at an endorsement to switch the seat from a vote for Nancy Pelosi and Democratic control of the House. Instead, the Tea Party Express endorsed Minnick, and left a lot of head-scratching behind in Idaho afterward: When the Tea Party Express last week endorsed Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick — the only Democrat to receive the backing of the conservative grassroots group — one of his Republican challengers said he was...

Vaughn Ward wonders when the Tea Party Express passed him by. The Republican challenger to Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Walt Minnick in Idaho figured to at least have a shot at an endorsement to switch the seat from a vote for Nancy Pelosi and Democratic control of the House. Instead, the Tea Party Express endorsed Minnick, and left a lot of head-scratching behind in Idaho afterward: When the Tea Party Express last week endorsed Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick — the only Democrat to receive the backing of the conservative grassroots group — one of his Republican challengers said he was...

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) is leaving the Senate, but he's not going quietly. Bunning on Wednesday announced that he will support Rand Paul in the GOP primary to take his seat. The move will be seen as a direct affront to the state's other senator, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and the candidate he is more closely tied to, Secretary of State Trey Grayson. “Kentucky needs a conservative who will say no to bailouts, stop the government takeover of our economy, end wasteful spending, and bring down our national debt," Bunning said. "And Kentucky’s families need a conservative who believes...

... The former California lawmaker, finance director, Stanford law professor, congressman and Berkeley business school dean offers substance over flash, insight over sound bites, accomplishment over confrontation. We recommend him. If civility and bipartisanship really are important to voters, Campbell ought to have the upper hand in the race against Carly Fiorina and Chuck DeVore. Unfortunately, Campbell's gentlemanly demeanor and thoughtfully nuanced positions can be a handicap on today's campaign trail. The electorate in the primary, more conservative than the general population, may be inclined toward the more charismatic and simplistic Fiorina, if not DeVore, who is furthest to the...

Former KSFO morning host Lee Rodgers has never endorsed a candidate for Senate before. But the conservative thinks OC Assemblyman Chuck DeVore is the man for him in the US Senate race. At least that's what it sort of sounds like in his blog. The only thing that would be better for DeVore is if Uncle Lee lived in California and could cast a ballot; he's camped out in Arizona. "Carly Fiorina has a background in the big-time corporate world and a bulging campaign war-chest. Chuck DeVore brings a record of principled conservatism in the state legislature. "Has the prototype...

The Shark Tank was hinting yesterday about a major endorsement to come next week, although I wasn’t sure if that was an April Fools joke or not. And if it wasn’t, I figured the obvious suspects were Palin or, more importantly, Jeb Bush. Surprise. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will campaign with Senate candidate Marco Rubio. The two will appear together Monday in Miami, where Giuliani is expected to endorse Rubio in the Republican primary against Gov. Charlie Crist. In a statement released by the Rubio campaign, Giuliani said, “Marco Rubio is one of the Republican Party’s true rising...