Free Republic

Sen. Durbin on filibuster reform: "It has to be done for the good of this country. [...] If we don't change the rules to go back to a Senate that truly debates and legislates and responds to the needs of America, then it's going to be a great misfortune for this country." Clip...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on Senate Republicans and the White House to allow the FBI to follow the facts where they lead and hold off on scheduling a vote on Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court until Congress and the American people learn what the FBI uncovers.  In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin also called out Republicans who have been calling Dr. Blasey Ford’s allegations of sexual assault against Judge Kavanaugh a “smear,” or a calculated and orchestrated political hit.“I believe Dr. Ford,...

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement after the Senate Judiciary Committee announced dates for the Supreme Court confirmation hearing for Judge Brett Kavanaugh:  “This is unprecedented and unfair to the American people.  Senate Republicans want to wrap up Judge Kavanaugh’s hearing before the National Archives releases documents--which Republicans themselves requested--about the work Kavanaugh did in the White House.  These documents may bear directly on the credibility of Judge Kavanaugh’s sworn testimony, not to mention his legal views and temperament.  The American people deserve to know the true story of the man seeking a...

The second-ranking Democrat in the Senate said Tuesday that JudgeBrett Kavanaugh misled senators during his 2006 confirmation hearing, and vowed to make the judge explain himself before winning a seat on the Supreme Court. Sen. Richard Durbin said JudgeKavanaugh in that earlier hearing denied involvement in crafting the Bush White House’s policy on detainees and enemy combatants caught during the war on terror. But Mr. Durbin said he now believes JudgeKavanaugh, who had been in the White House counsel’s office and later served as staff secretary to President George W. Bush, was involved in those decisions. ~snip~ Mr. Grassley said...

Claiming he was just trying to free Josh Holt, a devout young Mormon from Utah held hostage by Venezuela's Maduro regime on phony charges, left-wing Illinois Democratic senator Dick Durbin isn't exactly credible about his real mission in his secret visit to Caracas this past week. Rep. Pete Sessions, a Dallas-based Republican, isn't exactly believable, either, given that he called his secret trip with Durbin "a peace mission" to Caracas last week.

One thing no liberal will ever turn down is the opportunity to get a standing ovation for accusing someone else of racism. Democrats have placed their opening bid in the immigration talks on Trump's 10-yard line -- a hilariously unbalanced "compromise" that is worse than their original proposal. Now, they are battering him with accusations of racism to force him into an amnesty deal that he was specifically elected to prevent. Forced to choose, soccer moms are going with MSNBC -- and, hey, if that means we'll still have Rosa to clean the house, well, that's OK, too! Liberals have...

CHICAGO—U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement after President Trump signed an executive order further targeting and destabilizing the Affordable Care Act:“Make no mistake—after spending nine months repeatedly trying and failing to repeal the Affordable Care Act, President Trump is sabotaging America’s health care system and hurting working families to make a political point. His tactics are well documented: President Trump issued an Executive Order instructing federal agencies not to enforce the law, cut the open enrollment period in half, cancelled television and radio ads that educated people about how to enroll for insurance, slashed funding for patient navigators...

After Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell noted that Democrats' opening statements had lasted twice as long as Republicans, President Obama responded that his time shouldn't count in the calculation. “There was an imbalance in the opening statements, because I’m the President," Obama declared. "And I didn’t count my time in terms of dividing it evenly.” Throughout the morning session, Obama repeatedly cut off Republicans, citing time constraints. Yet he took as much time as he wanted to respond to Republicans. Not only did Obama use more time, he also tried to limit the terms of the debate.

As Barack Obama prepares a nationwide broadcast to America's students next Tuesday, it has been revealed that Democrats complained in 1991 when then President George H. W. Bush broadcast a speech from a Northwest Washington junior high school. In fact, the House Majority leader at the time, Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.), said "The Department of Education should not be producing paid political advertising for the president, it should be helping us to produce smarter students." Such was reported by the Washington Post on October 3, 1991 (h/t KY3 Political Notebook via Chuck Todd): House Democrats criticized President Bush yesterday for using...

A funny thing happened on the way to the nation’s highest forum last week. After Harry Reid attempted to use the well of the U.S. Senate to advance his party’s frivolous attempt at ousting Karl Rove for outting Joe Wilson’s wife, GOP leaders actually fought back. After four years of quietly beating the minority to a pulp behind the scenes and at the ballot box, Bill Frist and company exhibited a rare public display of political payback. Amid the undulating and ever-changing accusations of Republican skullduggery, the liberal left--ever reliant on its faithful media wing--has finally turned its attention away...

Sen. Richard J. Durbin yesterday said he was "sorry" after parsing words for a week about his remarks comparing U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay to those of Nazi and Soviet regimes. He apologized on the Senate floor. "I'm sorry if anything that I said caused any offense or pain to those who have such bitter memories of the Holocaust, the greatest moral tragedy of our time," said Mr. Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate.

By Frank J. Gaffney Jr. When a United States Senator says something deeply offensive, there are usually but two immediate recourses: Either he or she voluntarily apologizes, or colleagues formally censure the senator. If the senator happens, however, to be a member of the leadership -- as was the case with then-Majority Leader Trent Lott in December 2002 -- another option is available: The humiliating loss of power resulting from the forced removal from that high office. Such a remedy clearly seems appropriate in the case of the Senate's unapologetic and as-yet-uncensored Minority Whip, Dick Durbin, Illinois Democrat.

Apparently it wasn't just conservatives that thought Bush drop-kicked Kerry Friday night. Charlie Gibson didn't think much of ABC's candidate either. Enjoy! http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/debpeterson/story/2A03A9BD4839815886256F28001DA9CB?OpenDocument&Headline=Debate+moderator+tells+Gephardt%3A+%22It+should+have+been+you+up

Charles Gibson said to Richard Gephardt in a private moment: "It should have been you up there - things would have been different."

It's Gephardt Just got some scuttlebutt, top Gephardt aide Joyce Aboussie has been sent a private plane to join Dick Gephardt for....one can only assume the announcement that Dick Gephardt will be the next Vice President Nominee for the Democratic Party. UPDATE: If Aboussie is being flown out and ordering staff to be ready for a change, it's hard to imagine that it is anything, but gearing up for an announcement that he is the VP nominee. He and Aboussie are incredibly close and she is his right hand. Unless this is a bit of disinformation, this is the real...

Caption Richard Gephardt

Presidential hopeful Dick Gephardt appears on 'Tonight Show' By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press Writer BURBANK, Calif. -- U.S. Rep.and presidential hopeful Dick Gephardt appeared Tuesday on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and said he has a problem most celebrities would envy - he has a hard time getting recognized in public. Gephardt, a Democrat from Missouri, told Leno he was recently approached in a Texas airport by a man who thought he was his insurance agent and by women in St. Louis who thought he was either a weatherman on CNN or Dan Quayle. "Did you just quit the...

Name that tune When not collectively ganging up on President Bush, Democratic presidential hopefuls individually are coming up with some unusual campaign gimmicks to stand out from the rest of the crowd. Take Sen. Bob Graham of Florida, who is announcing the availability of a signed limited edition die-cast replica of the Craftsman Truck Series No. 50 "Bob Graham for President" Ford F-150 truck driven by racing phenomenon Jon Wood. One can play with the nifty red and white toy trucks for an $80 campaign contribution. The die cast is signed by Mr. Wood, who drove the F-150 to victory...

Think about it... what better ticket for Hillary... a real General to "pretend" concern for national defense.Clark is perfect..totally inept, completely liberal, and opting out of the primary fray... he is going to be Hillary's VP candidate after she wins a brokered convention.It's going to be 2004 NOT 2008 Hillary would never lower herself to grovel in a inter-party campaign and her "RED" agenda can't wait for another 4 years.

<p>WASHINGTON - In an article headlined "The Middlest Middle-of-the-Road Democrat," Fortune Magazine highlighted Rep. Richard Gephardt's willingness to challenge his party's liberal traditions.</p> <p>"With his Robert Redford good looks, telegenic personality and relative youth, Gephardt is the very picture of a New Democrat," the magazine gushed.</p>