Free Republic

Russia’s national parliament, the Federal Assembly, has voted to restrict abortion for the first time in decades, in the face of a demographic decline that has reduced the population by 2.9% since 1992. The new law, which is expected to be signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, prohibits abortions beyond the 12th week of pregnancy, and imposes a mandatory waiting period of between two and seven days. Exceptions are permitted for economic hardship, which allows abortions up to the point 22 weeks of gestation. Join a Facebook page to end abortion here. Legislators discarded proposals by the Orthodox Church to...

Gingrich rips Paul Ryan's plan, then backpedals... Gingrich backed RINO establishment candidate Scozzafava (who later withdrew and threw her support to the Democrat candidate) instead of giving his support to the independent conservative, Hoffman, back during the 2009 special election; then Gingrich backpedaled over that. Winks and nods to the Republican and Democrat establishment followed by grinning mea culpas for the benefit of conservatives. Par for the course...

A Democratic congressman who backed Speaker Nancy Pelosi for minority leader said Monday it is "quite possible" he might vote for Republican John Boehner for Speaker in the next Congress. Rep. Bill Owens (N.Y.) said he voted for Pelosi (D-Calif.) for minority leader in a House Democratic caucus meeting last week, even though he thinks she is too liberal. But Owens said he is open to supporting Boehner, whom House Republicans designated as the next Speaker, when the full House votes next year.

SARNAC LAKE, Ny -- Failed Congressional candidate Doug Hoffman is calling for unity after Democrats take New York's 23rd Congressional seat once again. He is also taking shots at the GOP establishment in the North Country. Plattsburgh Democrat Bill Owens managed to hold onto his seat over Watertown Republican Matt Doheny in Tuesday's general election by a mere 37 hundred votes. Hoffman is being blamed for the Republican's loss. Hoffman managed to garner more than 9,000 votes, even though he had dropped out of the race. Hoffman, who lost to Doheny in the GOP primary back in September, remained on...

Or so implies Andrew J. Hoffman, current sitter in the cushy Holcim chair at the University of Michigan, and writer of the peer-reviewed (I'm guessing) article "Climate change as a cultural and behavioral issue: Addressing barriers and implementing solutions". This sonorous creation resides in the journal Organizational Dynamics. The publisher of that august serial, Elsevier, thinks so highly of Hoffman's prose, that the article can be had for a mere $39.95. A bargain! Hoffman, who not un-coincidentally has the look, mannerisms, and speech cadence of a television evangeli$t, has a deep, but narrow faith. He is certain sure that It's...

The NRCC provided a polling memo that showed Doheny ahead of Owens 51 percent to 37 percent. The poll, however, was conducted Sept 22- 23, before conservative Doug Hoffman suspended his campaign this week. Hoffman, who was running on the Conservative Party ballot line, threatened to draw significant support away from Doheny in what is a Republican leaning district. While Hoffman is no longer actively campaigning, his name will still appear on the Nov. 2 ballot.

Earlier this morning Doug Hoffman announced he was dropping out of the race and is supporting my candidacy for Congress to take back the 23rd. I am deeply appreciative of Doug’s support. Now, more than ever, Republicans, Conservatives and independents are united in our efforts to defeat Bill Owens in November. Thank you for all your support. Please read a copy of the article that appeared in this morning’s Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Hoffman out of Congress race SARANAC LAKE — Doug Hoffman has dropped out of the race to represent New York’s 23rd Congressional District. Hoffman’s name will still appear...

Tea party may stop backing Hoffman 23RD DISTRICT RACE: Upstate group may now support Doheny By JUDE SEYMOUR TIMES STAFF WRITER SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2010 One hundred tea partiers made Douglas L. Hoffman's Republican candidacy possible. Now 1,000 are considering whether their group should help get his opponent elected in the 23rd Congressional District. Members of the Upstate New York Tea Party, Plattsburgh, overwhelmingly supported Mr. Hoffman over fellow Republican Matthew A. Doheny during a May poll. But with Mr. Doheny holding a 582-vote lead with 1,969 absentee ballots to be counted in the GOP primary, Chairman Mark L. Barie...

Businessman Matt Doheny's GOP primary victory Tuesday night sets Republicans up for a case of déjà vu in upstate New York's 23rd district. Doheny led accountant Doug Hoffman 53 percent to 47 percent when the race was called with just over 93 percent reporting. But Hoffman holds the Conservative Party line and has promised to campaign through November. That would create the same scenario that helped Rep. Bill Owens (D) win last year's special election against Hoffman and Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava.

Doheny is +60 in Jefferson County. Watertown Daily Times says Doheny is up over all +19. Lots of ballots to count…

Long notes Doheny called Scozzafava “terrific” in a July 23, 2009 Watertown Times article and pledged to do “everything I can for her and more.” He subsequently contributed $2,400 to Scozzafava’s campaign – the maximum allowed by law.

Washington -- A year ago, Doug Hoffman could do no wrong in the eyes of conservative Republicans, who viewed the political newcomer as a rising star, the darling of the tea party movement. As a third-party candidate seeking an open seat in the 23rd Congressional District, his anti-Washington message resonated from Upstate New York across the nation. A conservative group honored him in Washington with its Charlton Heston “Courage Under Fire” award. He fell just 3,600 votes short of an upset win against both major political parties. But as the millionaire accountant from Saranac Lake makes his second bid...

...On the other hand, sometimes you need a few "wets" to gain a majority and advance your own ideas. Ask Nancy Pelosi, who rode the victories of Rahm Emanuel's hand-picked Blue Dog Democrats to the House Speakership in 2006 and then used them to pass 40 years of liberal dreams in this Congress...

English novelist George Eliot once penned the following: "Iteration, like friction, is likely to generate heat instead of progress." Albert Einstein famously quipped, "insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."  There are more than a few famous quotes on the destructive nature inherent in the repetition of foolish behavior. What is to be said for the way in which the Republican Party is actively pursuing a repeat of last November's special election for NY's 23rd Congressional District? If you were outraged at Dede Scozzafava, wait until you see their latest candidate, Matt Doheny. It...

Doug Hoffman, who took the North Country by storm in the NY-23 special election last fall and became a cause celebre for the Tea Party movement, has had trouble catching fire in his re-match attempt against Democratic Rep. Bill Owens. Hoffman’s GOP opponent, Matt Doheny, has sewn up the support of most local party leaders, a number of whom have grumbled to me about Hoffman’s lack of fire in the belly – even though he has managed to maintain the support of state Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long. (Doheny has the Indy line, while Owens has the Democratic and WFP...

Joining Pat, aka Honest Conservative, on Freedom Radio tonight are Doug Hoffman who is leading the 2010 race in New York-23 for the people's seat. Former Air Force and CIA veteran Gary Berntsen of New York will also be with us after announcing his candidacy today for the U.S. Senate. In addition, Iraq War veteran and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Allen West returns to Freedom Radio to discuss his run for U.S. Congress in Florida's 22nd Congressional District. Here is the show link. The call-in-number is 646-478-5613.

Since Doug Hoffman's electrifying campaign in last fall's wild three-way special election in upstate New York, other candidates have thrown their hats in the ring for the GOP nomination for the seat now held by Democrat Rep. Bill Owens. Among those candidates is Matt Doheny. Jude Seymour of the Watertown (N.Y.) Daily Times reports that Conservative Party chairman Mike Long says he's committed to supporting Hoffman this fall... To grasp the problem now facing the GOP in NY-23 requires an understanding of New York's multi-party system. In addition to the Democratic and Republican parties, several other minor parties have ballot...

Al Hoffman, the former RNC finance chairman and ambassador, tells us the FBI interviewed him several weeks ago as part of their investigation into activities at the Florida Republican party and credit card spending by party leaders and staffers. "They had Jim Greer's travel expense records and wanted me to react to some of the issues surrounding that debacle. ... There wasn't one single question asked about Marco Rubio. There were a lot of questions asked about Jim Greer, (former party executive director) Delmar Johnson, Victory Strategies (the Johnson/Greer company paid by the party) and the (Greer) 527,'' said Hoffman,...

In New York’s 23rd congressional district, it’s déjà vu all over again. Internecine fighting has broken out between candidates in the district’s Republican primary, and the race threatens to be a repeat of the divisive 2009 special election that saw a Democrat take a historically Republican district. On Monday, the Oneida Republican county committee endorsed Matt Doheny, a businessman who lives in the district. This comes on the heels of three endorsements from other Republican county chairs. Doug Hoffman, who failed to win the Republican nomination in 2009 but then ran on the Conservative Party ticket, has so far failed...

Dede Scozzafava's friends have another bad day ... Doug Hoffman 2010 going strong in NY23! Yep, even the north country New York GOP has good news for us. Happy St. Patrick's Day. "Mr. Barclay was the most outspoken of the potential candidates during his brief flirtation with the seat, with Mr. Owens and Mr. Hoffman being his two main targets for criticism." - Watertown Daily News