Free Republic

When Republican Sen. John McCain called the recently passed Obama/Democrat stimulus package "generational theft" and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham commented "If this is going to be bipartisanship, the country's screwed," it was amazing how quick these GOP leaders forgot about their own complicity in furthering American socialism the last eight years.

Mayor Bloomberg has added yet another recognizable name to his ever-growing stable of campaign staffers: Jill Hazelbaker, who most recently served as the national communications director for John McCain's presidential campaign. This comes as Bloomberg is pushing very hard to convince the GOP county chairs to give him permission to run on their ballot line a third time this fall. So far, the chairs have expressed reluctance to say "yes" to the mayor, citing a host of complaints - not the least of which is displeasure with the lack of Republicans working in the Bloomberg administration and the mayor's recent...

BY EDWARD LUCEA & KRISHNA GUHA Nationalisation, long regarded in Washington as a folly of Europeans, is gaining rapid ground among US opinion-formers. Stranger still, many of those talking about federal ownership of banks are Republicans. Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator for North Carolina, said that many of his colleagues, including John McCain, the defeated presidential candidate, agreed with his view that nationalisation of some banks should be “on the table”. Mr Graham said that people across the US accepted his argument that it was untenable to keep throwing good money after bad into institutions such as Citigroup and Bank...

John McCain might be fan favorite during Phoenix Suns games, but Arizona’s senior senator sure didn’t receive a warm hometown welcome Sunday night in front a national crowd at US Airways Center. McCain, who’s held his seat in Arizona for 22 years, was greeted with a smattering of boos and hisses when introduced with wife, Cindy, during a break between the first and second quarter of the NBA All-Star game Sunday night. His presidential opponent Barack Obama was greeted more cordially after a short speech that aired during halftime on the stadium’s monitors and big screens.

PHOENIX (AP) — Sen. John McCain met with 20 boys and girls selected by the NBA to the 2009 Junior NBA/WNBA national teams before the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night. One of their first questions: who's your favorite Phoenix Sun? "I love them all, but I have not seen anybody take control of a basketball game as consistently as Steve Nash does," said the Phoenix Republican and former presidential candidate, who often attends games at U.S. Airways Center. "I've never seen anybody, when the game is on the line, to take control of a game and win the game,...

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Sunday bemoaned what he called politics as usual and criticized President Obama's early Cabinet choices as typical Washington appointees. "I'm not happy, and most of us aren't at the lack of true bipartisanship in approaching this legislation," McCain said of the stimulus package during an interview on CNN's "State of the Union." The eight-pound, thousand-page measure is "the old business as usual," McCain said, criticizing the president for going back on his pledges of transparency.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator John McCain said on Friday that President Barack Obama should include Republicans in his plans sooner if he really wants their support after the bitter debate over the $787 billion economic stimulus bill. McCain, who lost the 2008 presidential election to Obama, and other Republicans complained they had been left out of negotiations on the legislation by Democrats who hold majorities in both houses of Congress. McCain said the bill was filled with non-emergency spending paid for with borrowed money that future generations will have to pay back. "I think that the majority of people understand...

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Tuesday he is definitely running for reelection in 2010 and has begun using criticism of the $838 billion federal economic stimulus plan as a platform to raise money. McCain, 72, had given indications of a run for fifth term, but publicly told supporters in a fundraising e-mail Tuesday he is definitely seeking reelection. He also used the opportunity to criticize Democrats over the spending package. “The economic challenges currently confronting our nation are immense and unfortunately, the Democrats in Congress propose addressing these challenges through increased spending that wastes billions of taxpayers dollars and...

From an Email I just received: Being the Republican nominee for President was one of the great honors of my life and an experience I will never forget. Some have wondered, after my hard fought presidential campaign, if I plan to run for re-election to the United States Senate. Join my re-election team I want you to know that I do intend to seek re-election. The magnitude of the financial crisis that many American families are facing makes it clear to me that I want to continue to serve our country in the Senate. The economic challenges currently confronting our...

Not bipartisan? Try telling that to Sen. Olympia Snowe. On CBS’s Face the Nation Sunday, Sen. John McCain scoffed at the notion that the support President Barack Obama’s stimulus proposal has received from Snowe, Sen. Susan Collins, Arlen Specter, constituted bipartisanship. “[T]his agreement is not bipartisan,” McCain told moderator Bob Schieffer. “I've been in bipartisan agreements, many. This is three Republican senators. Every Republican congressman voted against it in the House, plus Democrats. And all but three Republicans stayed together on this. That's not bipartisanship. That's just picking off a couple of senators.” On Monday, Snowe took issue with that...

It used to be that any “gang” of Senate centrists seeking a big legislative deal would have John McCain at its core — to the chagrin of Republican Party leaders. Not anymore. While a large group of Senate moderates worked behind closed doors in the Dirksen Building last week to fashion a compromise plan to trim the stimulus plan by some $100 billion, the original maverick was on the floor, leading conservative GOP opposition. McCain, R-Ariz., a longtime fiscal conservative but not always a tax cut advocate, said the plan is too costly and full of wasteful spending. He offered...

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said on Sunday he'll vote against President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill, calling the legislation “generational theft” in an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “I thought we were going to have change," he said, in a shot at Obama's campaign slogan, "and that change meant we work together. This is a setback. This is a setback to all Americans because you promised Americans we’d work in a more bipartisan fashion, and that certainly is not the case in this bill,” McCain said. McCain said the bill would saddle Americans with billions in future debt, and contained...

He built his reputation and ran for president as someone who would buck the GOP in favor of bipartisan cooperation. Now he's rallying opposition to the Democratic stimulus plan. BY JANET HOOK Reporting from Washington. Mac is back. But now, Sen. John McCain is cutting a new profile -- one that is far more partisan than when he became so familiar to Americans months ago as the Republican nominee for president. As a candidate, McCain cast himself as a uniter of the two parties, willing to buck his GOP colleagues and reach across the aisle to build compromises on immigration,...

"He (McCain) did everything that we asked of him, including arming the KLA", said Albanian lobbyist Joe DioGuardi. The Albanians collected one million dollars for the presidential campaign of this senator.Americans of Albanian heritage collected a million dollars in one evening for the presidential campaign of Republican Senator John McCain, said the Albanian American Civic League yesterday, the lobby group headed by former Congressman Joe DioGuardi. A reception for McCain was held January 22 at the Saint Regis Hotel in Manhattan, and the senator, who is now leading in the runoff for the Republican party candidacy in the November elections,...

[42 min ago ] (NECN: Washington) - Lawmakers have reportedly made progress on an economic recovery package and a vote could come as early as this afternoon. The economic stimulus plan has grown to $937 billion. Moderates have been circulating a list of cuts...

Senate Democratic leaders conceded yesterday that they do not have the votes to pass the stimulus bill as currently written and said that to gain bipartisan support, they will seek to cut provisions that would not provide an immediate boost to the economy. The legislation represents the first major test for President Obama and an expanded Democratic Congress, both of which have made economic recovery the cornerstone of their new political mandate. The stimulus package has now tripled from its post-election estimate of about $300 billion, and in recent days lawmakers in both parties have grown wary of the swelling...

Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell, the Republican nominee for governor, said today that former presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, will travel to Virginia to campaign for him next month. McDonnell also said he expects to travel across the nation, including Texas, Chicago, Palm Beach and New York, for fundraisers. "I have been fortunate to get some pretty broad support from some major political leaders," he said. Mike Huckabee, the guitar-playing Baptist preacher and former Arkansas governor, will appear with McDonnell in the spring. Govs. Sarah Palin (Alaka), Rick Perry (Tex.), Charlie Crist (Fla.) and Mark Sanford (S.C.) are all...

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Ten Republican senators met in Sen. Mel Martinez's office Tuesday morning to discuss a broader stimulus measure than their leadership is proposing — but a narrower one than Democrats are considering. CNN was the only news organization outside the meeting. Afterwards, Martinez told CNN the details are still being debated and finalized, but they are looking at a ballpark figure of $500 billion, including the cost of tax cuts, infrastructure and military spending, and provisions to address the housing crisis. Martinez and Sen. Lindsey Graham said they plan to present their ideas to fellow Republicans at their...

Sen. John McCain is urging his supporters to sign a petition opposing the economic stimulus bill, saying in an e-mail from his "Country First" PAC that the plan "is big on giveaways for the special interests and corporate high rollers, yet short on help for ordinary working Americans." "I cannot and do not support the package on the table from the Democrats and the Obama Administration," McCain writes. "Our country does not need just another spending bill, particularly not one that will load future generations with the burden of massive debt." He says that every spending proposal in the bill...

Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) said in an e-mail to his supporters that he will not support President Obama's economic stimulus package in its current form. The former GOP presidential candidate, e-mailing through his Country First political action committee, acknowledged the country is going through difficult economic times, but said that "unfortunately, the proposal on the table is big on the giveaways for the special interests and corporate high rollers, yet short on help for ordinary working Americans." "I cannot and do not support the package on the table from the Democrats and the Obama administration," McCain said. "Our country does...