Free Republic

<p>The Medicare prescription-drug bill will no doubt be a flash point in many congressional races in the upcoming election cycle, but the political fallout for some is beginning already.</p> <p>The Republican Main Street Partnership began running a radio ad Wednesday against Rep. Patrick J. Toomey, Pennsylvania Republican, for voting with 24 other conservatives against the $395 billion bill President Bush is set to sign Monday. Mr. Toomey, who said the bill didn't adequately reform Medicare and was too costly, is running in the Republican primary for the Senate seat of Sen. Arlen Specter, whom the partnership backs.</p>

By ORI NIRFORWARD STAFFWASHINGTON — Faced with the possibility their party could seize control of the White House and Congress next week for the first time in eight decades, moderate Republicans are dismissing the warnings of analysts and opponents who say the GOP will push an "extremist" agenda through aggressive legislation.GOP moderates say their own influence in the party, as well as checks and balances built into the legislative system, will temper the far right's sway over hot-button issues such as stem-cell research, judicial nominees, the environment and church-state relations.The notion that a Republican majority in both houses of Congress...

E-mail Author Author Archive Send to a Friend <% printurl = Request.ServerVariables("URL")%> Print Version April 14, 2004, 8:40 a.m. Penn. ShuffleSoros funds Specter? A donor group that prefers moderate Republicans to conservatives has unveiled its latest ad to help Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, contending the incumbent deserves reelection because of what he's done for Ginny Snyder's colon. Ginny Snyder, a resident of Greenfield, Penn., suffered from colon cancer six years ago; she had it partially removed and is now the focus of a commercial from the pro-Specter Main Street Individual Fund. In the commercial Snyder says, "There's one hope...

It took a tea party insurrection that disabled the federal government and wrecked the Republican brand, but after months of handwringing, establishment Republicans are preparing to attack ultra-conservative ideologues across red America. From Alabama to Alaska, the center-right, business-oriented wing of the Republican Party is gearing up for a series of skirmishes that it hopes can prevent the 2014 mid-term election from turning into another missed opportunity. But this will not be a coordinated operation. It will be messy, ugly, and prone to backfiring. And if the comeback succeeds, it will be in fits and starts, most likely culminating in...

It wasn't long ago that the conservative, free-market Club for Growth was viewed by a swath of Republicans as a furtive, well-heeled enemy whose efforts to purge moderates from the GOP had to be thwarted. The club and its agenda are "not representative of the Republican Party," the director of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group of moderate GOP congressional members, once said, adding: "We raise money on a daily basis to defeat them." When asked this week about the Republican animus the group faced in the recent past, Club for Growth executive director David Keating replied: "That sounds...

Don't call me moderate, I'm a centrist By Mark Preston WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A word of advice if you speak to leaders of the Republican Main Street Partnership. Do not use the word moderate when talking about the organization's politics. Members prefer being described as centrists, because the moderate tag conjures up thoughts of abortion and gay rights. And Main Street does not take a position on either of these issues. Instead, the group of over 60 governors, representatives and senators advocates reducing the deficit, cutting taxes, focusing on education as well as environmentally friendly measures. The organization released its...

Unions are funding Republican groups to help push through amnesty for illegal immigrants. What do George Soros, labor unions, and money-grubbing former GOP representative Steven LaTourette all have in common? They’re control freaks. They’re power hounds. They’re united against tea-party conservatives. And they have all operated under the umbrella of D.C. groups masquerading as “Main Street” Republicans. LaTourette heads up the so-called Main Street Partnership, which claims to represent “thoughtful,” “pragmatic,” “commonsense,” and “centrist” Republican leadership. Reality check: The pro-bailout, pro-debt, pro-amnesty, anti-drilling group founded by former liberal GOP representative Amory Houghton of New York includes three liberal Senate Republicans...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Republican Main Street Partnership today praised Rhode Island Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) for his decision to vote against Judge Samuel Alito's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court and blasted his critics for "playing politics" with the Senator's decision. Senator Chafee showed incredible courage by weighing long and hard Judge Alito's outstanding legal qualifications and judicial philosophy against Chafee's own principles (...)

Update 1145am EST. Many of you are asking for the list of the anti-drilling Republicans. The group who succeeded in pressuring the GOP to cave in calls itself the "Republican Main Street Partnership." They're holding a press conference at 130pm EST in Washington, D.C. to bray about their "victory." Here's some more info: Main Street Leaders who helped broker the deal to eliminate ANWR from budget cuts: Rep. Charlie Bass (R-NH), Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL), Rep. Jim Walsh (R-NY), Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-MI), RMSP Executive Director Sarah Chamberlain ResnicHere's the complete list of "Main Street" members in Congress. 1pm EST....

Sometimes you read an article in the newspaper, and you just wonder aloud how some people's views of the world can be so skewed, and wonder if they are even from the same planet as you. Now I admit that usually, in the context of politics, that is me reading the latest rant of a Howard Dean or an Al Gore. But in the article I am referring to today, it is Congressman Tom Davis of Virginia, a Republican, who heavily quoted in an article in today's Washington Times entitled, GOP Left Slams Club for Growth. Davis is the head...

What do George Soros, labor unions and money-grubbing former GOP Rep. Steven LaTourette all have in common? They're control freaks. They're power hounds. They're united against tea party conservatives. And they all have operated under the umbrella of D.C. groups masquerading as "Main Street" Republicans. LaTourette heads up the so-called "Main Street Partnership," which claims to represent "thoughtful," "pragmatic," "common sense" and "centrist" Republican leadership. Reality check: The pro-bailout, pro-debt, pro-amnesty, anti-drilling group founded by former liberal New York GOP Congressman Amory Houghton includes three liberal Senate Republicans (John McCain, Mark Kirk and Susan Collins) and 52 center-left House Republicans....

Steve LaTourette, a former congressman and friend of John Boehner, runs the “Republican Main Street Partnership”. Note the word “Republican.” As the left-wing Talking Points Memo reported a month ago, LaTourette and his Main Street Partnership have created an affiliated SuperPAC called “Defending Main Street PAC.” Along with the Chamber of Commerce and Republican Leaders, the Main Street Partnership wants to take out troublesome conservatives. Defending Main Street PAC plans to raise $8 million in this election cycle; by contrast the Senate Conservatives Fund handled $12 million in 2012 and expects to raise even more this time around. Note, first,...

On Monday, the National Journal reported that "documents filed by other groups show that two labor organizations, the International Union of Operating Engineers and the Laborers' International Union of North America, directed a combined $400,000 to the Republican group [the Defending Main Street super PAC] in September and October." The Defending Main Street super PAC was organized at the end of 2012 by former Congressman Steve LaTourette (R-OH), and has very publicly declared war on the Tea Party. It is affiliated with and has offices at the same location as the Republican Main Street Project, which LaTourette currently heads and...