Free Republic

A Republican running in a hotly contested race for an open congressional seat now says that Obamacare is here to stay. David Young, who is running for Iowa's third congressional seat, said at a healthcare forum Monday that the Affordable Care Act “is going to be here to stay,” according to the Des Moines Register. “The president is not going to allow his keystone legislation to go by the wayside. So we're going to have to work to make it better,” he said. That is a marked change from Young’s previous statements on the law. At a training event for activists in August,...

On Tuesday, The Daily Caller‘s Mirror blog reported that Alaskan Republican Rep. Don Young was clowning around on the House floor during the naming of a post office. He stuck his fingers in his ears and made funny faces, much like Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble on The Flintstones. Post office namings, as you might imagine, are not terribly exciting legislative moments in Washington. But this one actually meant something. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) sponsored the bill to honor a fallen solder.

Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) is drawing praise from across the aisle from one of Alaska's top Republicans. Rep. Don Young (R), the state's lone congressman, praised the work Begich has done as senator. "Mark's done a great job of, very frankly, representing people. He's not always on my page, that's for sure, but he's done a good job," Young told The Hill on Wednesday. Young, the longest-serving House Republican, said he expected Begich to face a tough race, however, due to some of his votes for Democratic priorities. "His big challenge is some of the votes he made are not...

It turns out, Speaker of the House John Boehner and Barack Obama have much more in common than nicotine addiction and a high melanin quotient (more on Boehner’s suntan in just a minute). Boehner recently shocked and angered millions of us, who are already routinely nauseated by Obama’s endless lies and usurpation, when he answered an interviewer’s question by saying emphatically that he “trusts Obama absolutely.” The interviewer pressed him about that word, asking, “Absolutely?” Without missing a beat, Boehner replied “Absolutely.” Boehner went on to say that he and Obama have a “very good relationship” which is “one of...

WASHINGTON - One of the House of Representatives’ longest-serving Republicans now says he meant “no disrespect” when he used the term “wetbacks” to describe migrant workers his family once employed. His comment, which drew a strong rebuke from the House speaker, flies in the face of his party’s effort to improve outreach to minority groups.

Alaska Congressman Don Young today demanded to know why agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have been asking gun shop owners in the 49th State for copies of their gun sales records. As this column reported, ATF agents had contacted gun shops in Anchorage for the bound books which contain information on gun buyers. Federal law prohibits federal agents from doing that, and they know it. Gun rights activists across the Northwest are furious. The situation has caused an uproar in the firearms community, and Young – a member of the National Rifle Association Board of...

Young abided by letter of law; spirit of law takes a beating The House Ethics Committee has ruled that Alaska Rep. Don Young didn't violate the law in accepting 12 checks totaling $60,000 for his legal defense fund from 12 businesses owned by one family. As the committee pointed out, the companies are technically 12 separate entities in Louisiana, but they represent exactly one political interest.

Televised congressional hearings often serve as a platform for members of Congress to berate, bloviate and showboat for the cameras, but at a House Natural Resources Committee hearing Tuesday, historian Douglas Brinkley wouldn't stand for it. The topic at hand was drilling in the the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The trouble began when Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young misstated Brinkley's name after referring to the hearing as "an exercise in futility." In a certain breach of protocol, Brinkley cut him off.

Alaska’s sole congressman says he wants to eliminate every federal regulation issued since 1991 – a proposal that could touch everything from food and drug safety to banking to health care to oil drilling. Republican Rep. Don Young told the Anchorage Downtown Rotary Club on Tuesday that he drew the line at 20 years ago “because it crossed party lines and also we were prosperous at that time,” The Anchorage Daily News reported. “And no new regulations until they can justify them.” Young’s spokesman, Luke Miller, told FoxNews.com Young is still developing the legislation. “The main thing is if an...

Lu Young, the wife of U.S. Rep. Don Young, has died. She was 67. A spokeswoman for the Alaska Republican says Lu Young died early Sunday at the couple's home in Great Falls, Va.

Dear (that's me), Thank you for contacting me regarding climate change policy. I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with me. Alaska is the focal point in the global warming debate. However, calling what is taking place a debate is a bit of a stretch because, all too often alarmists, such as Al Gore, declare the debate over without it ever having taken place. I do not challenge that climate change is occurring, but the central question awaiting an answer is to what extent man-made emissions are responsible for this change. Contrary to popular opinion, that question...

Now that the corruption case against former Sen. Ted Stevens has been dropped, Alaska Rep. Don Young wants Stevens to run for governor — a move that would set up a Republican primary between the veteran lawmaker and Sarah Palin, if she decides to seek a second term in 2010. "Personally I'd like to see him run for governor, and that's my personal feeling," Young told the Alaska Public Radio Network on Thursday. "So, we'll see what happens down the line. He probably won't, but I think that would be a great way to cap off a great career as...

Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell (R) is considering a primary rematch against Rep. Don Young next year. According to sources close to the lieutenant governor, Parnell is leaving the door open to another bid for Alaska’s at-large seat after he came close to defeating the 19-term lawmaker last year.

On Alaska Public Radio, Rep. Don Young (R-AK) says that he'd like to see former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) challenge Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R).

MD-1: Democrat Frank Kratovil leads Republican Andy Harris by 2,003 votes in this district that includes all of Maryland's Eastern Shore and parts of three counties west of the bay. Harris's campaign thinks there are about 10,000 outstanding provisional and absentee ballots. In order to win, the remaining ballots need to go 3-2 for Harris. Earlier today, the Associated Press and CNN called the race for Kratovil. Harris hasn't conceded, and Kratovil cautioned against premature celebration. CA-4: Tom McClintock netted another 118 votes over Democrat Charlie Brown in their nail-biting race to represent California's Fourth District, stretching from the Sacramento...

JUNEAU, Alaska, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Veteran Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, edged Democratic state Rep. Ethan Berkowitz to keep the seat in Congress he has held since 1973. Young, 75, fought off Berkowitz in an election season that featured Gov. Sarah Palin's run for the vice-presidency and the conviction of another longtime Alaska politician, Republican Sen. Ted Stevens, on corruption charges.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell has conceded the tight Republican House primary race to incumbent U.S. Rep. Don Young. Parnell said Thursday he would not ask for a recount in the race he lost by 304 votes. Parnell conceded in a statement e-mailed to reporters and confirmed by campaign spokeswoman Cathy Giessel.

"Rep. Don Young, a 35-year veteran of the U.S. House and currently under federal investigation, narrowly won the Republican primary battle Wednesday to keep his seat, Alaska's only one in the House of Representatives," the AP says. "In a close race only decided with the final counting of about 350 outstanding absentee and questioned ballots, Young beat Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell by 304 votes. Young finished with 48,195 votes; Parnell had 47,891 votes....

U.S. Representative Don Young of Alaska still has a slim lead in a tight primary race against state Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell. Young was 172 votes ahead of Parnell this evening (Friday) with most of the absentee and questioned ballots counted. That's up slightly from 151 votes after the primary election a week and a half ago. Ballots from five House districts still remain to be counted tonight and the last overseas ballots won't be counted until Wednesday. But campaign spokesman Mike Anderson said Young was cautiously optimistic. Young, the subject of a federal investigation for his ties to oil...

With another hurricane bearing down on the Gulf Coast, the so-called “bridge to nowhere,” championed by Alaska’s Congressional delegation on behalf of the people of Ketchikan, just won’t go away. Three years ago, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the plan to spend hundreds of millions to connect Ketchikan with its airport on Gravina Island became a national symbol of Congressional excess, much to the dismay of Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young. Sen. John McCain has made it a habit to ridicule the bridge project during his presidential campaign. McCain has promised to veto any bill sent to...