Free Republic

Washington is short on cash these days and will borrow every dime of the $150 billion to $300 billion for the "stimulus" bill now being worked on. Federal appetites may know no bounds. But the federal government's ability to borrow is not limitless. Already, our nation's unfunded liabilities total $52 trillion -- about $450,000 per household. There's something very strange about issuing debt to solve a problem caused by too much debt.

South Carolina's Mark Sanford is one of three GOP governors now being widely mentioned as potential saviors of the Republican Party between now and 2012. All are conspicuous for calling on their own party to live up to its principles. Most notably, none have advocated the GOP move to the left. Mr. Sanford is a two-term governor known for vetoing spending bills, pushing market-oriented policy reforms (such as moving his state's Medicaid system to a private account-based model) and criticizing the lapses of the national GOP. "Some on the left will say our electoral losses are a repudiation of our...

A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest has told his parishioners that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama because the Democratic president-elect supports abortion, and supporting him "constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil."

Senator Jim DeMint let John McCain and George Bush have it at a gathering of top level Republicans at Myrtle Beach yesterday. The South Carolina conservative spared few words in lambasting the Arizona senator :

A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest has told his parishioners that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama because the Democratic president-elect supports abortion, and supporting him "constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil." The Rev. Jay Scott Newman said in a letter distributed Sunday to parishioners at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville that they are putting their souls at risk if they take Holy Communion before doing penance for their vote. "Our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or...

The Republican Governors Association announced its new leadership lineup today after their annual meeting concluded Thursday in Miami. South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford was voted RGA chairman, taking over the top job from Texas Gov. Rick Perry who will now serve as finance chairman. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is vice-chairman, while Florida Gov. Charlie Crist will serve as chair for the annual RGA gala, and Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue will head up the recruitment effort. . . . Not on the list? Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who also attended the Miami meeting. Some Republican governors grumbled to CNN that Palin’s...

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement on the news Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel has accepted the job as White House Chief of Staff. Graham spoke by phone with Emanuel earlier today. Graham said: “This is a wise choice by President-elect Obama. “Rahm knows Capitol Hill and has great political skills. He can be a tough partisan but also understands the need to work together. He is well-suited for the position of White House Chief of Staff. “I worked closely with him during the presidential debate negotiations which were completed in record time. When we...

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain picked up a trio of red states early in the night Tuesday, with multiple media outlets projecting a GOP victory in South Carolina, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. All three were polling fairly strongly for McCain, although there was some indication that the race had been tightening in South Carolina. The states are mid-weights in the Electoral College, with Oklahoma adding 7, Tennessee 11, and South Carolina 8, adding 26 votes to McCain's total. McCain's victory in South Carolina eliminates the possibility that rival Democrat Barack Obama could sweep the Atlantic seaboard. Obama was down by 10...

OK, SC called for McCain by FoxNews.com

As pollsters predicted, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham won a second term, defeating Democrat Bob Conley. The Associated Press called the race for Graham — a close friend of Sen. John McCain — shortly polls closed at 7 p.m. The call was based on an analysis of voter interviews, conducted for the Associated Press by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International. “Number one, I’m grateful — appreciative — to have a second term,” Graham told the AP in a telephone interview. He said he’ll continue reaching out to Democrats and mainstream conservatives as he returns to Washington. “I’ll just keep...

THE EDITORIAL BOARD of The State finds itself faced with a happy dilemma — a choice between two presidential candidates whom we unanimously and enthusiastically endorsed in their primary contests. Now the nation must choose between them, and while we believe either man would make a fine president, we endorse Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Barack Obama is an inspiring and even transformational figure. He has the intellect and the temperament to lead the nation well in troubled times. On some issues, such as health care, we prefer his proposals to Sen. McCain’s. If anyone else had won the Republican...

The Obama camp has leased space for their Greenville, SC headquarters right next door to the Republican campaign headquarters. But were they honest about the transaction? Read about it here. greenvilleonline.com

The first Rasmussen Reports poll of South Carolina’s United State Senate race shows Republican Senator Lindsey Graham attracting 50% of the vote while Democratic challenger Bob Conley earns 41%. Graham, who was first elected to the Senate in 2002, is viewed favorably by 52% of the state’s voters. Thirty-eight percent (38%) have an unfavorable view. Before serving in the Senate, Graham had been a member of the House of Representatives from 1994 to 2002. Conley is viewed favorably by 42%, and unfavorably by 32%. Twenty-five percent (25%) have no opinion of him. Although he is running for the Senate as...

A new poll shows that Republican John McCain might win South Carolina as handily as George W. Bush did four and eight years ago. McCain had a 59 percent to 37 percent lead in this state over Democratic rival Barack Obama, according to a recent American Research Group poll. Four percent remained undecided.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina's Democratic Party chairwoman said Wednesday that Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's top qualification seems to be not having had an abortion. She later apologized.

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE KATHERINE JENERETTE’S 75-Day Whirlwind Campaign for US CONGRESSDATE: June 10, 2008MORE INFORMATION: www.jenerette.orgPHOTOS at: www.jenerette.org/photos       KATHERINE JENERETTE’S 75-Day Whirlwind Campaign for U.S. CONGRESS SUBJECT: Republican Congressional Candidate Katherine Jenerette thanks All-Volunteer Campaign Team - Congratulates U.S. Rep. Henry Brown, Jr. and remarks on the November Election I want to take this opportunity to congratulate U.S. Rep. Henry Brown, Jr. and offer my support to both him and to all the members of the Republican slate of candidates for the November 2008 general elections. With the primary election behind us it is time to...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham faced a long shot primary challenge Tuesday from a fellow Republican who has hammered his ties to Arizona Sen. John McCain. In Virginia, Democrats wrapped up a bitter contest to run for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Davis. And in Maine, Democrats chose between Rep. Tom Allen and political newcomer Tom Ledue in a U.S. Senate primary while both parties settled hard-fought races in the 1st Congressional District in the southern part of the state. Graham challenger Buddy Witherspoon, a retired orthodontist and former Republican National...

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham’s campaign today released new television and radio advertisements in advance of the June 10 Republican Primary. Both ads include supporting statements from presumptive Republican nominee for President John McCain. In the TV ad McCain calls Graham, “a reformer who is willing to take a stand and tackle the tough issues. He’s guided by conservative principles – like appointing conservative judges and keeping taxes low.” In the radio ad, McCain notes that unlike some political leaders who refuse to tackle the tough problems facing our nation, Graham “won’t run from a political fight.”...

There's no mistaking Lindsey Graham's loyalties or liabilities as he seeks a second term in the U.S. Senate. The 52-year-old Republican makes it clear that his future and that of Republican presidential candidate John McCain are tightly interwoven. "My re-election, I think, will benefit South Carolina because if he gets to be president, South Carolina's interests will have a receptive audience due to our relationship," Graham said in a recent interview. "I want to help him do the hard things." McCain recently made his first stop in the state since winning South Carolina's January primary, and Graham pumped his fists...

Katherine Jenerette says she has entered the Republican primary for the First District Congressional seat out of frustration with the GOP. "The Democrats have a home team advantage now," Jenerette says, "and Republicans need a congressman who can go toe-to-toe with them. We've had a Republican Congress for six years, and we can have more of the same or we can have someone in there that will make a difference. "I am not afraid to say what needs to be said and push legislation for family and values, fiscal responsibility, national security and subjects like immigration and border control. Republicans...