Free Republic

As Democrats make their case to voters around the country this fall, one challenge is that some of the bluest parts of the country — cities on the West Coast — are a mess. Centrist voters can reasonably ask: Why put liberals in charge nationally when the places where they have greatest control are plagued by homelessness, crime and dysfunction? I’ll try to answer that question in a moment, but liberals like me do need to face the painful fact that something has gone badly wrong where we’re in charge, from San Diego to Seattle. ...the truth is that too...

Sen. Lisa Murkowski has won re-election in Alaska, dealing former President Donald Trump another loss in what has largely been a miserable midterm cycle for his hand-picked candidates in competitive Senate races. Murkowski, one of only seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump at his second impeachment trial, survived a challenge from Trump-endorsed Kelly Tshibaka, a former Alaska Department of Administration commissioner, in the state’s first Senate election to be decided by ranked-choice voting. Rather than limiting voters to one choice, the format allows for candidates to be ranked in order of preference. Neither Murkowski nor Tshibaka, the top two-vote...

A letter sent to the city of Flint, Michigan, on Tuesday reveals how the city disproportionately hired more Democrats than Republicans as poll watchers in violation of state statute. According to a demand letter filed by the attorneys of Pure Integrity Michigan Elections, Michigan law requires equal representation of Republican and Democrat poll workers at polling locations. During Michigan’s August 2 primary, however, Flint hired 422 Democrats compared to just 27 Republican poll watchers. Additionally, for Flint’s Absent Voter Counting Board, only 4 Republican inspectors were hired compared to 56 Democrat election inspectors. This is in direct violation of Michigan...

Sen. Joe Manchin, the moderate West Virginia Democrat whose vote the party will almost surely need to pass laws this year, signaled Sunday that he may be open to reforming the filibuster, a procedural rule that requires 60 votes for many measures, effectively dooming most legislation.

Incentive programs for electric cars and solar panels mostly benefit those who can afford those things, while regulations that drive up the cost of energy hurt those who can't afford much to begin with. ... a growing rift on in the environmental world between those who favor the state's far-reaching "green" policies—and those who want to hector us to use less energy. "Wealth is a prominent driver of demand for residential energy, ... a constant theme from the environmental community when it comes to every resource-related policy debate, from electricity production to fossil fuels to water availability. Activists talk about...

The Kansas Legislature continues to grind toward a tax agreement today. It’s tempting to snicker at the chambers’ inability to actually pass a budget after working at it for three months, but we should cut lawmakers some slack. Remaking an entire state takes time. Much has been made of the continuing gridlock in our national government, brought on largely by the polarized nature of our two major political parties. Divided national government, in our time, is a recipe for dysfunction. But a much different dynamic is playing out in state governments. There, one-party control is becoming the norm. According to...

The decline of the California Legislature from an institution once considered to be a model for other states to something held in disdain by nearly 90 percent of voters is a case study in unintended consequences. Misguided and misnamed "reforms" – professionalization, term limits, campaign contribution limits and lobbying restrictions, etc. – conspired with an ever-changing social and economic reality and self-serving political hijinks, such as gerrymandered districts, to weaken the Capitol's ability to function. The Legislature's comic opera efforts to fix a chronically unbalanced state budget testify to its impotence. Each fiscal failure – they are now happening every...

For registered members of California's minor parties, Proposition 14 isn't just about winning or losing elections. It's a matter of survival. "It pretty much wipes us out," said John Reiger, former congressional candidate for the Peace and Freedom Party. Proposition 14 would create a "top two" primary in which candidates of all party affiliations run on one primary ballot. The two candidates who win the most votes, regardless of party, would face off in the general election. The system would not apply to presidential primaries. Supporters say the change would let voters choose the best candidate and give the 20...

Would that this was an April Fools trick, but it’s not. There’s still more bad news from Detroit. Detroit is a cesspool of corruption and is beyond credible efforts to save it from its inexorable slip into oblivion. Given the massive budget shortfalls facing Democrat controlled cities around the country Detroit aka “Cesspool City” will be only the first of a string of failed cities plaguing America’s revival efforts. The list of outrages coming from Cesspool City are the things horror movies are made of. *Coleman Young’s twenty years in office which started and accelerated the “White Flight.” *The election...

The pitched battle over health care has unleashed a rash of vandalism and attacks directed at politicians, with at least 10 House Democrats reporting death threats or incidents of harassment or vandalism at their district offices over the past week. More than 100 House Democrats met behind closed doors Wednesday afternoon with representatives of the FBI and the U.S. Capitol Police. The lawmakers voiced what one senior aide who was present described as "serious concern" about their security in Washington and in their home districts when they return this weekend for the spring recess. Usually only the congressional leadership has...

Threats Linked To Health Votes Prompt Security At least 10 Dems receive threats; gas line cut at Perriello brother's home. At least 10 House Democrats are receiving access to increased security after receiving threats linked to their votes on the health care overhaul bill signed into law on Tuesday. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said at a Capitol Hill press conference that he is concerned by a rash of at least four incidents of vandalism targeting lawmakers who voted to approve the legislation, which did not receive any Republican votes. Concern about possible violence escalated Wednesday after a severed gas...

Today, Shep Smith reported (over-sensationally, as always) that our Congress members are receiving death threats because of their health care "yes" vote. While I am by no means condoning death threats, in typical Shep Smith fashion, he joined in the Democrat's pity party by stating, "Why would anyone do such a thing over just a vote?" Excuse me, Shep.. JUST A VOTE? Has Shep been following the UNdemocratic process by which this health care bill was passed? The meetings CLOSED to Republicans, the outright ignoring of American citizens anger about this bill while labeling them as Unamerican, astro-turf, Nazi fanatics?...

After Democratic lawmakers were targeted by death threats and vandalism, House Democrats met with members of the Capitol Police today to discuss security concerns. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip James Clyburn held a press conference this afternoon on Capitol Hill, saying members had raised concerns and that Capitol Police told them to address any suspicious activity around the Capitol. "Any member who feels themselves at risk is getting attention from the proper authorities," Hoyer said. At least 10 Democratic lawmakers have complained of threats or other security concerns.

House Democrats are expressing concerns about their personal safety following protests over health care legislation. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Wednesday that officials from the FBI and Capitol Police briefed Democrats on how to handle perceived security threats.

Pelosi: Getting health bill more important than bipartisanship By Jordan Fabian - 03/24/10 02:34 PM ET Getting healthcare reform done was more important than getting Republican votes for the measure, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday. The top House Democrat said that despite the Democrats best efforts to attract GOP support for the overhaul, Democratic leaders thought it best to forge ahead with existing legislation without Republican votes instead of making more changes to get Republican votes. In an interview set to air on PBS' "Newshour" Wednesday night, host Jim Lehrer asked Pelosi if she was comfortable with a...