Free Republic

Shortly after Barack Obama won reelection in November, New Jersey governor Chris Christie pointed out that Republicans’ cloudy political prospects had a bright silver lining. “One of the reasons you have 30 Republican governors in America, and why we’re the only organization to add Republican strength,” Christie said, “is because people see us getting things done.” Christie’s stance countered most of the elite postelection commentary, which gleefully pronounced the Republican Party’s political irrelevance. But the governor was right. Since Obama first took office in 2008, Republicans have picked up a net nine governorships, bringing their total to 30 states,...

Kansas legislators gave final passage to a sweeping anti-abortion measure Friday night, sending Gov. Sam Brownback a bill that declares life begins “at fertilization” while blocking tax breaks for abortion providers and banning abortions performed solely because of the baby’s sex. The House voted 90-30 for a compromise version of the bill reconciling differences between the two chambers, only hours after the Senate approved it, 28-10. The Republican governor is a strong abortion opponent, and supporters of the measure expect him to sign it into law so that the new restrictions take effect July 1. In addition to the bans...

If you want to know what a Tea Party America might look like, there is no place like Kansas. In the past year, three state agencies have been abolished and 2,050 jobs have been cut. Funding for schools, social services and the arts have been slashed. The new Republican governor rejected a $31.5 million federal grant for a new health-insurance exchange because he opposes President Obama’s health-care law. And that’s just the small stuff. A new “Office of the Repealer” has been created to reduce the number of laws and regulations, and the Repealer is canvassing the state for more...

Gov. Sam Brownback endorsed Texas Gov. Rick Perry for president on Thursday, citing Perry's record on creating jobs and reducing taxes. "Rick Perry is the right leader for this moment in history," he said in a prepared statement. "I think he's really got the right message that it's about jobs, it's about job creation and it's about getting the atmosphere right," Brownback said. "They've maintained and created a very positive, growth-oriented atmosphere in Texas that we've got to get back to in the United States." Perry's campaign issued a statement calling Brownback "one of the most respected voices for conservatism...

The guest list for Rick Perry's August 6 day of prayer won't include many U.S. governors. Only two governors, both Republican, plan to join Perry at the event at Houston's Reliant Stadium, which Perry has labeled as a non-denominational, apolitical, Christian prayer meeting. Perry invited all of his fellow U.S. governors to the event. Just two - Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and Lousiana Gov. Bobby Jindal - have accepted the invitation. Mark P. Jones, a government professor at Rice University, said he is not surprised by the lukewarm response. "For a Democrat there is nothing to be gained by attending,...

Kansas still has one abortion provider, but two others that don't have state licenses were hoping to persuade a federal judge to block a new licensing law and health department regulations they consider burdensome. The state attorney general's office argued ahead of a Friday hearing in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., that a license granted to a Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri clinic disproves critics' contention that the new Kansas rules are designed to cut off access to abortion. The licensing law was part of a wave of anti-abortion legislation enacted across the nation this year, but...

It used to be easy for the Kansas Legislature to pass new abortion laws. Getting them signed into law was another matter. But freshman Gov. Sam Brownback, a Republican and longstanding abortion opponent, is expected to sign two bills that passed the Legislature with overwhelming support Tuesday. One of the bills deals with late-term abortions, the other with parental consent.

It could be a game-changer. A plan in Arizona to require presidential candidates to prove their eligibility to occupy the Oval Office is approaching critical mass, even though it has just been introduced. The proposal from state Rep. Judy Burges, who carried a similar plan that fell short last year only because of political maneuvering, was introduced yesterday with 16 members of the state Senate as co-sponsors. It needs only 16 votes in the Senate to pass. In the House, there are 25 co-sponsors, with the need for only 31 votes for passage, and Burges told WND that there were...

TOPEKA (AP) — After 16 years in Washington, Republican Sam Brownback is coming home to be governor of Kansas. Brownback on Tuesday defeated Democratic state Sen. Tom Holland to reclaim the office held by Democrats for the past eight years.

With the leaders of five tribes in attendance, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas read a congressional resolution Wednesday apologizing for "ill-conceived policies" and acts of violence against American Indians by the U.S. government.

A Kansas pastor says by endorsing Kathleen Sebelius for Health and Human Services secretary, Senator Sam Brownback "violated the scriptures and his own church's teaching" and "betrayed" many conservative Christians who had been his largest base of support. Senator Brownback (R-Kansas) joined home-state colleague Pat Roberts and seven other Republicans Tuesday to help Kathleen Sebelius win approval (65-31) to serve as HHS secretary. The nomination of the Kansas governor -- which Brownback has supported since it was announced almost two months ago -- was controversial because of her failure to pay taxes and her lack of honesty regarding the large...

After a day of uncertainty, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas said Tuesday he would vote to confirm Gov. Kathleen Sebelius for secretary of health and human services. “The president won the election and has nominated a Kansan to the Cabinet,” Brownback said in a statement. “Despite our profound policy differences, I will support my fellow Kansan.” Brownback joined Sen. Pat Roberts, who also made his intentions known Tuesday. Earlier Tuesday, Brownback had deferred. “He doesn’t plan to say anything either way at this point,” said a spokesman. Some questioned how Brownback would decide, considering how abortion opponents — who have...

It occurred to me the White House might be forced to nominate radically pro-abort Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as Department of Health and Human Services secretary after news leaked last week it was pausing due to her loathsome reputation among pro-lifers. Fear of pro-abortion recrimination, pride, whatever. But it never occurred to me a pro-lifer legislator would applaud the pick, never mind two. But that's what happened when Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts issued a glowing joint statement congratulating their home girl: It's an honor for the State of Kansas to have an elected official appointed to the...

(WASHINGTON) — A top Republican US senator on Tuesday said China is planning to spy on guests who stay at foreign-owned hotels during the Olympic Games, which begin next month. "The Chinese government has put in place a system to spy on and gather information about every guest at hotels where Olympic visitors are staying," Kansas Senator Sam Brownback told reporters. "This means journalists, athletes' families, human rights advocates and other visitors will be subjected to invasive intelligence gathering by the Chinese Public Security Bureau." The State Department issued a warning in March that Americans traveling to China for the...

It is often said that the best way to find out how a candidate would act in office if elected, is to see who he/she surrounds himself with. Money is another factor, what people and industries are backing the candidate. These answers should be an indicator of what to expect. Who is behind the man should gauge what kind of man he is. The great Richard Viguerie tells the story of how he and other conservatives had a “seat at the table” of the presidential campaigns of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan for. His thinking was if Conservatives aren’t at...

There is an old hymn written by Fanny Crosby, sung at generations of camp meetings, which exclaims: "Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet, and Priest, and King!" Since the emergence of evangelicalism as a cultural force in the 1950s, three approaches to politics, represented by three personalities, have emerged. They are the prophet, the priest and the kingmaker. The prophet has been psychologist James Dobson, who dispenses child-rearing advice on the radio from his Colorado ministry, Focus on the Family. On family issues, Dobson's counsel is moderate and broadly appealing. On politics, his tone sharpens. He rails against compromise on social-conservative...

GARDEN CITY - Although the meeting was about renewable energy, the Sunflower Electric Cooperative's proposed coal plants were high on the radar Monday at the Kansas Bioscience Authority luncheon. "We got gored on this plant deal," said House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, an Ingalls Republican, after the meeting, referring to the denial of air permits for the plants. The collection of elected officials and business leaders were on hand to listen to a presentation by the Bioscience Authority about current and future projects and southwest Kansas' role in renewable energy. Neufeld, along with Senate President Steve Morris and U.S. Sen. Sam...

Brownback's doom campaign started when fundraising totaled to only $94,653 and a weak Iowa Straw Poll. For most candidates, if you can't do well in Iowa, you can't do well in the race for the White House. The U.S. senator from Kansas will hold a press conference today at 3:45 p.m. in Topeka, where he is expected to announce his withdrawal. An Oct. 7 poll by the Des Moines Register ranked Brownback seventh among Republican voters in Iowa, with 2 percent of the vote. The race has four front-runners, listing off Republican presidential-nomination candidates Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, John McCain,...

“Goodbye Sam Brownback, Hero of the Social Conservative Movement: Where Else is There to Turn?” by SK Johnson 10-18-07 Originally from www.dhgrassrevolt.wordpress.com At the outset I will make my confession. I am a volunteer with the Duncan Hunter for President campaign and closely connected to the grassroots movement for Duncan Hunter. Yes, at the core, this article is an attempt at solicitation but it comes from a place of common ground. It comes from our common ground on the importance of the pro-life, human trafficking, and the social conservative and human rights platform at large. This is not merely an...

Christian conservatives have thus far failed to rally behind a single candidate, but a prominent conservative leader predicts at least one candidate will emerge from the upcoming Values Voter Summit with major support from social conservatives. Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, recently said he was “very optimistic” with the field of candidates that will attend this week’s Washington Briefing 2007: Values Voter Summit. He believes there will be one to two contenders that will be revealed as the favorite among social conservatives during the three-day gathering. But even if none of the candidates appeal to values voters, it...