Free Republic

With Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on his way out, a MAGA power play amid the fight for Senate leadership is starting to rub some Republicans the wrong way. After 17 years in the hot seat, McConnell is expected to exit his post at the top of Senate Republican leadership on Wednesday, ending his run as the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history... ...“Senators do not take kindly to having an army of social media trolls attack them,” one unnamed aide told Politico on Sunday, noting that the effort was only “pissing off senators whose votes Rick needs” to...

Mitch McConnell is pulling his usual shenanigans and trying to install one of his puppets as the incoming senate majority leader. That got me to thinking... The Constitution does not provide for a "Senate majority leader," but it DOES declare that the Vice President is "president of the Senate." If McConnell gets his puppet installed, could Vice President Vance simply walk into the Senate and say "I'm assuming my duty as president of the Senate," and just shut out the majority leader? Has there been any historical precedent for a V.P. doing something like this? If obstructionist Republicans intend to...

Charlie Kirk tells me, “John Adams presided over the US Senate as Senate Majority Leader 200 years ago as Vice President of the United States. I think JD Vance should be President of the Senate and become Senate Majority Leader? Senator Mike Lee came up with this. This is a 1AM phone call from him last night and he had me at ‘hello.’ This would COMPLETELY change the game in Washington.” (3 minute Video in the link below) https://x.com/glennbeck/status/1854988977989992472

Paul Ryan never liked Donald Trump. He still frequently attacks Trump and praises his detractors like angry warmonger Liz Cheney. Dirty Paul Ryan repeatedly lied to the American public about funding President Donald Trump’s border wall. Paul Ryan announced in December 2017 that he was retiring after the midterm election in 2018. Then he stuck around and did as much as he could to fund never-Trumpers and ignore Trump supporters in the historic midterms that gave Nancy Pelosi the gavel again. Paul Ryan also hampered House republican investigators when he blocked subpoenas of Democrats associated with the Trump-Russia collusion hoax....

Senator John Cornyn (RINO-TX) has officially entered the race to succeed Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (RINO-KY). As The Gateway Pundit reported yesterday, the 82-year-old McConnell announced he would be stepping down as leader of the Senate GOP in November. Cornyn, in a statement, explained why he decided to run to succeed McConnell. “I am asking my Republican colleagues to give me the opportunity to succeed Leader [Mitch] McConnell. I have learned a lot during my time both in and out of Senate leadership. Throughout my time, I’ve built a track record of listening to colleagues and seeking consensus while leading...

Senator Addison Mitchell McConnell, R-KY, was born on February 20, 1942, the same year as his former Senate colleague, Joe Biden. This makes him exactly nine months older than the current pretender-in-chief. The comparisons don’t end there. Both went to law school and quickly entered government. In fact, Mitch McConnell has occupied high office in the federal government almost continually since the Nixon administration, so both men have been in government for half a century. Some might say that’s about enough; few would say that it isn’t. That being said, the differences are stark. McConnell has been a standout in...

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told Fox News' "Your World with Neil Cavuto" on Tuesday that he would have no objections to President Trump delivering a State of the Union address in the House of Representatives on Jan. 29, despite House speaker Nancy Pelosi's repeated threats that the traditional speech be delayed. [cut] Hoyer, in an apparent break with Pelosi, seemingly had no problems with allowing Trump to speak. "Sure," Hoyer responded, when asked if he'd be open to Trump speaking in person in the House for the State of the Union.

In an interview during a Politico Playbook Live event on Tuesday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told Politico’s Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman that it would be “accurate” to say that she would seek to raise taxes if her party under her leadership were in charge of the House of Representatives. Pelosi was asked about the possibility of instituting single-payer health care and raising taxes, to which she acknowledged a desire to “revisit” tax legislation. “The second part is accurate,” Pelosi said with a chuckle. “I do think we should revisit tax legislation in the way we always have...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has become a flashpoint for Republicans running for Senate in 2018. The Hill asked nearly two-dozen Senate candidates this week if they would support McConnell as leader if elected. Not one campaign said outright that they would support McConnell, although two candidates appear to have expressed support for McConnell in the past. Several candidates declared their opposition to McConnell and attacked their GOP primary opponents for not taking a stance on the question. Other candidates deflected, or spoke on background about the bind they’re in over the question of McConnell’s leadership. Most candidates were...

A top House leader predicted Monday that Washington will avoid stumbling into a government shutdown next week over a tea party-backed drive to take away Planned Parenthood's funding. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy added, however, that Congress may need additional time to work through a massive, $1.1 trillion catchall spending bill that tops the agenda as lawmakers return to Capitol Hill for a two- or three-week sprint to finish this year's session. McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters that "I do not hear people shutting the government down over it right now," referring to demands by some conservatives to attach language to "defund"...

The calendar for new House leadership elections has been pushed back, meaning that the scrambling for position, internal sniping and various bits of dirty laundry being aired is going to stretch on for nearly two more months. Originally we expected to see nominations for the new Speaker and the election of the new Majority Leader and GOP Whip taking place this Thursday, but this afternoon John Boehner threw a wrench in those plans and pushed things back to after he’s left the building. (Washington Post) Outgoing House Speaker John A. Boehner said Monday that lawmakers will elect his replacement on...

Speaker John Boehner secretly met with Rep. Trey Gowdy Tuesday to encourage him to jump into the race for House majority leader, a dramatic attempt by the chamber’s top Republican to try to influence the intraparty election. The previously undisclosed meeting reveals new behind-the-scenes involvement by Boehner, who has not endorsed any candidates in the leadership race. That the Ohio Republican inserted himself in the contest underscores his concern about who succeeds him in GOP leadership. Boehner requested the meeting after word spread that Gowdy was considering a bid for the post. Many Republicans close to Boehner and House Majority...

The choice House Republicans make to replace John Boehner as speaker will say a lot about how the party is going to handle its current identity crisis. Will it finally take governing seriously, or will it go on using its majority in Congress to shut down the government, hold show votes on health care reform, stymie President Obama and try to stop Hillary Clinton from becoming president? The current conventional wisdom holds that the leading candidate is the majority leader, Kevin McCarthy of California. Mr. McCarthy, at least, said on Monday that it is time to stop “governing by crisis,”...

Trey Gowdy of South Carolina has become a rightwing folk hero for leading the crusade against Hillary Clinton over the use of her private email server The US congressman who is leading the public inquiry against Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server could continue his rambunctious rise to Washington power, if a drafting effort by the Republican far right succeeds in the wake of John Boehner’s shock resignation. Trey Gowdy, the South Carolina representative and chair of the House select committee on Benghazi, has been a thorn in the side of the former secretary and current White House...

Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, says he has every intention of voting to repeal Obamacare with a new GOP majority in January, but also said people should be realistic about what to expect in the way of repeal with President Obama still in the White House. “We certainly will have a vote on proceeding to a bill to repeal Obamacare. … It was a very large issue in the campaign,” Mr. McConnell told Roll Call. “We’re certainly gonna keep our commitment to the American people to make every effort we can to repeal it. “It is a...

Open Letter to Mitch McConnell Congratulations on your win. It is commendable that you were able to keep another liberal Democrat from gaining a foothold in the US Senate. For that, you deserve thanks and credit.  Now, though, after the huge Republican win, it's time for you to recuse yourself from consideration for the Majority Leader position.  Unfortunately you have been too divisive and polarizing over the past year.  Your extreme comments against fellow Republicans make it such that you've spent too much goodwill among the whole Big Tent.  Your comments in fact amount to a conflict of interest in...

Politics 2014 Election McConnell: No Shutdowns, No Full Obamacare Repeal Jay Newton-Small/Hazard, KY @JNSmall 8:22 AM ET Sen. Mitch McConnell was giddy... Kentuckian... TIME’s interview ... Notably, a full repeal of Obamacare was not on his mind... ... ... get America back to work ... Keystone XL pipeline ... medical device tax ... 40-hour work week ... individual mandate ... bipartisan majority in the Senate ... agree on with the President ... comprehensive tax reform and trade agreements ... international trade ... nuclear option? ...we’ll discuss that... ... ... immigration reform? We’re going to discuss... What if ... executive action...

The Hobson's choice ... Dirty Harry vs. Munch McClownCar

Rep. Raul Labrador said Tuesday that he is gaining momentum in his campaign to become the next House Majority leader and “close” to securing the votes he need to win the post. “A lot of people are switching their votes, and they are really excited about having somebody challenge the establishment right now,” Mr. Labrador, Idaho Republican, said on “Fox and Friends.” “It is important for us to show that we need a new direction in the party.” Asked whether he is nearing the 218 votes needed to win the job, Mr. Labrador said, “We’re close.”

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said Sunday he will vote for Dave Brat, the man who ended his career in Congress, but stopped short of congratulating him or mentioning his name. Cantor, who lost to Brat despite outspending by a margin of 26 to 1, stressed the importance of keeping the Republican Party unified, a message he stressed to Tea Party conservatives in the House after the 2013 government shutdown. Cantor said keeping his seat, Virginia’s 7th congressional district, in Republican hands is a priority and that’s why he’ll vote for Brat, who pummeled him mercilessly on the campaign...