Free Republic

Every vote counts. That's especially true for Montana Democrat Jon Tester, who faces the toughest Senate reelection race in the country this November—which may help explain why he privately met with a professional pole dancer earlier this month. Tester’s public schedule reveals a private meeting with Tiffany Rose and Jamie Goguen on Sept. 19, between two Senate floor sessions. Rose is a Montana resident and self-described "pole dance instructor" with tens of thousands of followers on social media. A spokeswoman for Tester did not respond to a request for comment. Such a meeting is peculiar for Tester, who represents a...

When the mayor of Richmond, Calif., and a gaggle of activists and homeowners showed up at the Wells Fargo Bank headquarters in downtown San Francisco this month, they were on a mission to speak with the bank’s chief executive. They wanted the bank to drop a lawsuit aimed at stopping Richmond’s first-in-the-nation plan to use the government’s constitutional power of eminent domain to “seize” hundreds of mortgages from Wells Fargo and other financial institutions. … Wells Fargo, three other banks and even the Federal Housing Finance Agency think otherwise. The banks have filed two lawsuits alleging that the plan is...

More Americans than in 2009 say Republican Party's views are about right by Jeffrey M. Jones PRINCETON, NJ -- In the past two years, Americans have become increasingly likely to describe the Democratic Party's views as "too liberal" (49%), and less likely to say its views are "about right" (38%). Americans' views of the Republican Party, on the other hand, have moderated slightly, with a dip in the percentage saying the GOP is too conservative from 43% last year to 40% today, and an increase in the percentage saying it is about right, from 34% to 41%.The recent increase in...

<p>FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON ON NOT CAPTURING BIN LADEN: 'At least I tried. That's the difference between me and some, including all the right wingers. They ridicule me for trying. They had eight months to try, they did not try. I tried. So I tried and failed'...</p>