Republican in name only

(Difference between revisions)*State Senator Allan Kittleman of [[Maryland]], for promoting homosexual [[special rights]][http://voices.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2011/02/gop_senator_announces_support.html GOP senator announces support for Md. same-sex marriage bill]*State Senator Allan Kittleman of [[Maryland]], for promoting homosexual [[special rights]][http://voices.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2011/02/gop_senator_announces_support.html GOP senator announces support for Md. same-sex marriage bill]*[[Texas]] Speaker of the House Joe Straus==RINOs currently not holding political office====RINOs currently not holding political office==

A RINO (Republican in Name Only) is an officeholder or candidate who is a member of the Republican Party, but holds views to the political left of most Republican voters. The term "RINO" describes politicians who claim to be Republican but are in fact liberal, and therefore generally debase the winning conservative coalition base of the Republican Party.

RINOs are often Republican only to the extent it serves their own interests, and will abandon conservative principles as soon as it is in their own interests to do so. RINOs often provide support for raising taxes, abortion as a right, gay rights and gun control. Some RINOs have connections with Planned Parenthood or corporations that support goals of population control; other RINOs pay lip service to pro-life values while in practice not advancing those values.

Double standards by RINOs are common: a birther comment by Romney during his campaign was supposedly a "nothing", but Todd Akin's pro-life comment would somehow "absolutely" could cost RINOs control of the U.S. Senate![1]

RINOs, like Democrats, typically come from states in New England, the Mid-Atlantic; or states on the Left Coast. A less-used term is cafeteria conservative, for a person who picks and chooses which conservative principles to believe, as a person might choose foods in a cafeteria instead of ordering the full-course menu selected by the chef at most restaurants.[2] In contrast to RINO's and cafeteria conservatives, movement conservatives understand that since conservative philosophy is a coherent whole, it is untenable to discard part of it without discarding all of it.

The RINO targets of attack argue they follow middle of the road policies and are not liberals; they claim they get results, and insist that without them the Congress would be totally controlled by liberal Democrats and Republicans would rarely have any success. Conservatives respond that in the heyday of "Rockefeller liberalism" in the GOP the Democrats always controlled Congress, and the GOP only took power when Newt Gingrich launched a national conservative "Contract with America" in 1994, ending 40 years of Democratic control of the House. The notion that we need to elect Democrat-lite type of politicians is false. The election cycles of 2010 and 2012 proved that many RINO candidates are unelectable. RINO candidates wasted millions of dollars; Carly Fiorina, Meg Whitman, Scott Brown, Linda McMahon, and many others could not connect with the people in liberal blue states.

In recent Republican primaries, voters have been rejecting establishment RINOs in favor of those with stronger conservative principles. Their commitment to self and not party is evident in their refusal to endorse the candidate that beats them. In some instances, they refuse the will of the voters and their party by running for office on an independent ticket. It is important to vote for someone who's more conservative on the issues rather than for a Republican because anyone can join a party and be they can be RINOs.

if (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); } Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, for supporting homosexuals serving in the military and giving amnesty to illegal immigrants.[6] Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts after his support of gutting Arizona's immigration law and yet being the swing vote responsible for keeping Obamacare upheld. As Supreme Court Justices officially have no party, he is more of a "conservative in name only". Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus Former President Theodore Roosevelt, because he regulated the economy and used social justice. Former Congressman Steve LaTourette of Ohio Former Press Secretary James Brady, for being a major gun control advocate Fred Karger, for supporting abortion and the homosexual agenda. Karl Rove, for supporting the big government GOP establishment's agenda his whole career and attacking those who oppose it. Former Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, for supporting the Homosexual Agenda. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, for supporting DADT repeal and being pro-abortion. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, for supporting DADT repeal and failing to condemn same-sex "marriage" and abortion. Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson supports same-sex marriage and abortion (although he opposes abortion once the fetus becomes viable outside the mother's body). After switching to the Libertarian Party in 2012 to run for President, he openly admitted that he governed New Mexico for eight years as a RINO, even using the phrase "Republican in name only" on multiple occasions. The Libertarian Party is liberal on social issues (with the exception that they support gun rights) but are fiscally very conservative. Former Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania supported ObamaCare and switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party to give the latter a 60-40 edge in the Senate and allow them to enact cloture on the Republican filibuster. Former Senator Lowell Weicker of Connecticut, who left the party and formed his own local one in 1990, then became an Independent in 1995. Former Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont, who left the Party and became a Democrat in 2001, giving control of the Senate to the Democrats. Former Representative John Anderson of Illinois, who became an Independent after losing his party's presidential primary in 1980. Former Governor Buddy Roemer of Louisiana, who became an Independent after losing his party's presidential primary in 2012.

A majority of conservatives distrust RINO John McCain even though many of his policies are that of a true conservative. Key RINO principles rejected by McCain include support for gay rights, support for abortion, and support for earmarks. He has positioned his career as a bipartisan moderate, reaching across the aisle whenever possible. This is also his downfall. The era of reaching across the aisle passed -- when statist, socialist Democrats became Senators. His major political blunders mostly came during the 21st century political period. He was against both the Reagan and Bush tax cuts, and employed class warfare rhetoric in trying to stop the tax cuts from taking effect. His support for amnesty was the complete opposite of what conservatives wanted. He has always complained about enhanced interrogation techniques, calling them "torture". In non-election years, he likes to trash conservative positions and icons in order to get the media's and Democrats' approval. However, during the election he refused to go after Barack Hussein Obama's associations with Jeremiah Wright. He believes in the junk science known as global warming, and has supported cap-and-trade programs. Another Middle East war, without a goal, without full commitment to win, without Congressional approval- McCain supports the President. It didn't stop there and in July 2011, he called the Tea Party, the people that care about fiscal sanity in Washington, they are "hobbits".

The sacrifices he has made serving this country cannot be overlooked. John McCain has earned war hero status but also the status as a D.C. zero.

? http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/08/todd-akin-rape-missouri-senate-race-reince-priebus-/1#.UDpUhNZlQ7s? James Carville & Mary Matalin: He Said, She Said? http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/15/ohio-sen-portman-now-supports-gay-marriage/? http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46578.html? http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/56112240-90/civil-com-gay-hatch.html.csp? http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/is-jeff-flake-arizonas-next-john-mccain/? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/23/ileana-roslehtinen-become_n_977464.html? GOP senator announces support for Md. same-sex marriage bill? http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/us/politics/prominent-republicans-sign-brief-in-support-of-gay-marriage.html?_r=2&? http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/lincoln-chafee-to-switch-parties-sources-say-91994.html

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Republican in name only

(Difference between revisions)*State Senator Allan Kittleman of [[Maryland]], for promoting homosexual [[special rights]][http://voices.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2011/02/gop_senator_announces_support.html GOP senator announces support for Md. same-sex marriage bill]*State Senator Allan Kittleman of [[Maryland]], for promoting homosexual [[special rights]][http://voices.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2011/02/gop_senator_announces_support.html GOP senator announces support for Md. same-sex marriage bill]*[[Texas]] Speaker of the House Joe Straus==RINOs currently not holding political office====RINOs currently not holding political office==

A RINO (Republican in Name Only) is an officeholder or candidate who is a member of the Republican Party, but holds views to the political left of most Republican voters. The term "RINO" describes politicians who claim to be Republican but are in fact liberal, and therefore generally debase the winning conservative coalition base of the Republican Party.

RINOs are often Republican only to the extent it serves their own interests, and will abandon conservative principles as soon as it is in their own interests to do so. RINOs often provide support for raising taxes, abortion as a right, gay rights and gun control. Some RINOs have connections with Planned Parenthood or corporations that support goals of population control; other RINOs pay lip service to pro-life values while in practice not advancing those values.

Double standards by RINOs are common: a birther comment by Romney during his campaign was supposedly a "nothing", but Todd Akin's pro-life comment would somehow "absolutely" could cost RINOs control of the U.S. Senate![1]

RINOs, like Democrats, typically come from states in New England, the Mid-Atlantic; or states on the Left Coast. A less-used term is cafeteria conservative, for a person who picks and chooses which conservative principles to believe, as a person might choose foods in a cafeteria instead of ordering the full-course menu selected by the chef at most restaurants.[2] In contrast to RINO's and cafeteria conservatives, movement conservatives understand that since conservative philosophy is a coherent whole, it is untenable to discard part of it without discarding all of it.

The RINO targets of attack argue they follow middle of the road policies and are not liberals; they claim they get results, and insist that without them the Congress would be totally controlled by liberal Democrats and Republicans would rarely have any success. Conservatives respond that in the heyday of "Rockefeller liberalism" in the GOP the Democrats always controlled Congress, and the GOP only took power when Newt Gingrich launched a national conservative "Contract with America" in 1994, ending 40 years of Democratic control of the House. The notion that we need to elect Democrat-lite type of politicians is false. The election cycles of 2010 and 2012 proved that many RINO candidates are unelectable. RINO candidates wasted millions of dollars; Carly Fiorina, Meg Whitman, Scott Brown, Linda McMahon, and many others could not connect with the people in liberal blue states.

In recent Republican primaries, voters have been rejecting establishment RINOs in favor of those with stronger conservative principles. Their commitment to self and not party is evident in their refusal to endorse the candidate that beats them. In some instances, they refuse the will of the voters and their party by running for office on an independent ticket. It is important to vote for someone who's more conservative on the issues rather than for a Republican because anyone can join a party and be they can be RINOs.

if (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); } Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, for supporting homosexuals serving in the military and giving amnesty to illegal immigrants.[6] Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts after his support of gutting Arizona's immigration law and yet being the swing vote responsible for keeping Obamacare upheld. As Supreme Court Justices officially have no party, he is more of a "conservative in name only". Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus Former President Theodore Roosevelt, because he regulated the economy and used social justice. Former Congressman Steve LaTourette of Ohio Former Press Secretary James Brady, for being a major gun control advocate Fred Karger, for supporting abortion and the homosexual agenda. Karl Rove, for supporting the big government GOP establishment's agenda his whole career and attacking those who oppose it. Former Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, for supporting the Homosexual Agenda. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, for supporting DADT repeal and being pro-abortion. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, for supporting DADT repeal and failing to condemn same-sex "marriage" and abortion. Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson supports same-sex marriage and abortion (although he opposes abortion once the fetus becomes viable outside the mother's body). After switching to the Libertarian Party in 2012 to run for President, he openly admitted that he governed New Mexico for eight years as a RINO, even using the phrase "Republican in name only" on multiple occasions. The Libertarian Party is liberal on social issues (with the exception that they support gun rights) but are fiscally very conservative. Former Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania supported ObamaCare and switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party to give the latter a 60-40 edge in the Senate and allow them to enact cloture on the Republican filibuster. Former Senator Lowell Weicker of Connecticut, who left the party and formed his own local one in 1990, then became an Independent in 1995. Former Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont, who left the Party and became a Democrat in 2001, giving control of the Senate to the Democrats. Former Representative John Anderson of Illinois, who became an Independent after losing his party's presidential primary in 1980. Former Governor Buddy Roemer of Louisiana, who became an Independent after losing his party's presidential primary in 2012.

A majority of conservatives distrust RINO John McCain even though many of his policies are that of a true conservative. Key RINO principles rejected by McCain include support for gay rights, support for abortion, and support for earmarks. He has positioned his career as a bipartisan moderate, reaching across the aisle whenever possible. This is also his downfall. The era of reaching across the aisle passed -- when statist, socialist Democrats became Senators. His major political blunders mostly came during the 21st century political period. He was against both the Reagan and Bush tax cuts, and employed class warfare rhetoric in trying to stop the tax cuts from taking effect. His support for amnesty was the complete opposite of what conservatives wanted. He has always complained about enhanced interrogation techniques, calling them "torture". In non-election years, he likes to trash conservative positions and icons in order to get the media's and Democrats' approval. However, during the election he refused to go after Barack Hussein Obama's associations with Jeremiah Wright. He believes in the junk science known as global warming, and has supported cap-and-trade programs. Another Middle East war, without a goal, without full commitment to win, without Congressional approval- McCain supports the President. It didn't stop there and in July 2011, he called the Tea Party, the people that care about fiscal sanity in Washington, they are "hobbits".

The sacrifices he has made serving this country cannot be overlooked. John McCain has earned war hero status but also the status as a D.C. zero.

? http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/08/todd-akin-rape-missouri-senate-race-reince-priebus-/1#.UDpUhNZlQ7s? James Carville & Mary Matalin: He Said, She Said? http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/15/ohio-sen-portman-now-supports-gay-marriage/? http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46578.html? http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/56112240-90/civil-com-gay-hatch.html.csp? http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/is-jeff-flake-arizonas-next-john-mccain/? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/23/ileana-roslehtinen-become_n_977464.html? GOP senator announces support for Md. same-sex marriage bill? http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/us/politics/prominent-republicans-sign-brief-in-support-of-gay-marriage.html?_r=2&? http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/lincoln-chafee-to-switch-parties-sources-say-91994.html

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Republican in name only

(Difference between revisions)*Former Senator [[George Voinovich]] of [[Ohio]]*Former Senator [[George Voinovich]] of [[Ohio]]*Former Senator and HUD Secretary [[Mel Martinez]] of [[Florida]]*Former Senator [[Gordon Smith]] of [[Oregon]]*Former Senator [[Gordon Smith]] of [[Oregon]]*Former Congressman Steve LaTourette of [[Ohio]]*Former Congressman Steve LaTourette of [[Ohio]]*Former Congressman [[Lincoln Diaz-Balart]] of [[Florida]]*Former Congressman [[David Rivera]] of [[Florida]]*Former Congressman [[Christopher Shays]] of [[Connecticut]]*Former Congressman [[Christopher Shays]] of [[Connecticut]]*Former Press Secretary [[Scott McClellan]]*Former Press Secretary [[Scott McClellan]]*Former Press Secretary [[James Brady]], for being a major gun control advocate *Former [[New York City]] Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]]*Former [[New York City]] Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]]*Former political adviser [[Steve Schmidt]], for slandering [[Sarah Palin]] and for supporting [[same-sex "marriage"]].http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/us/politics/prominent-republicans-sign-brief-in-support-of-gay-marriage.html?_r=2&*Former political adviser [[Steve Schmidt]], for slandering [[Sarah Palin]] and for supporting [[same-sex "marriage"]].http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/us/politics/prominent-republicans-sign-brief-in-support-of-gay-marriage.html?_r=2&*Former Press Secretary [[James Brady]]*Former Vice President [[Dick Cheney]], for supporting the [[Homosexual Agenda]], being a [[Neocon]] and supporting the [[NSA]] domestic spying program.*Former Vice President [[Dick Cheney]], for supporting the [[Homosexual Agenda]], being a [[Neocon]] and supporting the [[NSA]] domestic spying program.

A RINO (Republican in Name Only) is an officeholder or candidate who is a member of the Republican Party, but holds views to the political left of most Republican voters. The term "RINO" describes politicians who claim to be Republican but are in fact liberal, and therefore generally debase the winning conservative coalition base of the Republican Party.

RINOs are often Republican only to the extent it serves their own interests, and will abandon conservative principles as soon as it is in their own interests to do so. RINOs often provide support for raising taxes, abortion as a right, gay rights and gun control. Some RINOs have connections with Planned Parenthood or corporations that support goals of population control; other RINOs pay lip service to pro-life values while in practice not advancing those values.

Double standards by RINOs are common: a birther comment by Romney during his campaign was supposedly a "nothing", but Todd Akin's pro-life comment would somehow "absolutely" could cost RINOs control of the U.S. Senate![1]

RINOs, like Democrats, typically come from states in New England, the Mid-Atlantic; or states on the Left Coast. A less-used term is cafeteria conservative, for a person who picks and chooses which conservative principles to believe, as a person might choose foods in a cafeteria instead of ordering the full-course menu selected by the chef at most restaurants.[2] In contrast to RINO's and cafeteria conservatives, movement conservatives understand that since conservative philosophy is a coherent whole, it is untenable to discard part of it without discarding all of it.

The RINO targets of attack argue they follow middle of the road policies and are not liberals; they claim they get results, and insist that without them the Congress would be totally controlled by liberal Democrats and Republicans would rarely have any success. Conservatives respond that in the heyday of "Rockefeller liberalism" in the GOP the Democrats always controlled Congress, and the GOP only took power when Newt Gingrich launched a national conservative "Contract with America" in 1994, ending 40 years of Democratic control of the House. The notion that we need to elect Democrat-lite type of politicians is false. The election cycles of 2010 and 2012 proved that many RINO candidates are unelectable. RINO candidates wasted millions of dollars; Carly Fiorina, Meg Whitman, Scott Brown, Linda McMahon, and many others could not connect with the people in liberal blue states.

In recent Republican primaries, voters have been rejecting establishment RINOs in favor of those with stronger conservative principles. Their commitment to self and not party is evident in their refusal to endorse the candidate that beats them. In some instances, they refuse the will of the voters and their party by running for office on an independent ticket. It is important to vote for someone who's more conservative on the issues rather than for a Republican because anyone can join a party and be they can be RINOs.

if (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); } Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, for supporting homosexuals serving in the military and giving amnesty to illegal immigrants.[6] Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts after his support of gutting Arizona's immigration law and yet being the swing vote responsible for keeping Obamacare upheld. As Supreme Court Justices officially have no party, he is more of a "conservative in name only". Former President Theodore Roosevelt, because he regulated the economy and used social justice. Former Congressman Steve LaTourette of Ohio Former Press Secretary James Brady, for being a major gun control advocate Fred Karger, for supporting abortion and the homosexual agenda. Karl Rove, for supporting the big government GOP establishment's agenda his whole career and attacking those who oppose it. Former Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, for supporting the Homosexual Agenda. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, for supporting DADT repeal and being pro-abortion. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, for supporting DADT repeal and failing to condemn same-sex "marriage" and abortion. Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson supports same-sex marriage and abortion (although he opposes abortion once the fetus becomes viable outside the mother's body). After switching to the Libertarian Party in 2012 to run for President, he openly admitted that he governed New Mexico for eight years as a RINO, even using the phrase "Republican in name only" on multiple occasions. The Libertarian Party is liberal on social issues (with the exception that they support gun rights) but are fiscally very conservative. Former Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania supported ObamaCare and switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party to give the latter a 60-40 edge in the Senate and allow them to enact cloture on the Republican filibuster. Former Senator Lowell Weicker of Connecticut, who left the party and formed his own local one in 1990, then became an Independent in 1995. Former Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont, who left the Party and became a Democrat in 2001, giving control of the Senate to the Democrats. Former Representative John Anderson of Illinois, who became an Independent after losing his party's presidential primary in 1980. Former Governor Buddy Roemer of Louisiana, who became an Independent after losing his party's presidential primary in 2012.

A majority of conservatives distrust RINO John McCain even though many of his policies are that of a true conservative. Key RINO principles rejected by McCain include support for gay rights, support for abortion, and support for earmarks. He has positioned his career as a bipartisan moderate, reaching across the aisle whenever possible. This is also his downfall. The era of reaching across the aisle passed -- when statist, socialist Democrats became Senators. His major political blunders mostly came during the 21st century political period. He was against both the Reagan and Bush tax cuts, and employed class warfare rhetoric in trying to stop the tax cuts from taking effect. His support for amnesty was the complete opposite of what conservatives wanted. He has always complained about enhanced interrogation techniques, calling them "torture". In non-election years, he likes to trash conservative positions and icons in order to get the media's and Democrats' approval. However, during the election he refused to go after Barack Hussein Obama's associations with Jeremiah Wright. He believes in the junk science known as global warming, and has supported cap-and-trade programs. Another Middle East war, without a goal, without full commitment to win, without Congressional approval- McCain supports the President. It didn't stop there and in July 2011, he called the Tea Party, the people that care about fiscal sanity in Washington, they are "hobbits".

The sacrifices he has made serving this country cannot be overlooked. John McCain has earned war hero status but also the status as a D.C. zero.

? http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/08/todd-akin-rape-missouri-senate-race-reince-priebus-/1#.UDpUhNZlQ7s? James Carville & Mary Matalin: He Said, She Said? http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/15/ohio-sen-portman-now-supports-gay-marriage/? http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46578.html? http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/56112240-90/civil-com-gay-hatch.html.csp? http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/is-jeff-flake-arizonas-next-john-mccain/? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/23/ileana-roslehtinen-become_n_977464.html? GOP senator announces support for Md. same-sex marriage bill? http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/us/politics/prominent-republicans-sign-brief-in-support-of-gay-marriage.html?_r=2&? http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/lincoln-chafee-to-switch-parties-sources-say-91994.html

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Republican in name only

(Difference between revisions)* Former Senator [[Arlen Specter]] of [[Pennsylvania]] supported ObamaCare and switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party to give the latter a 60-40 edge in the Senate and allow them to enact [[cloture]] on the Republican [[filibuster]].* Former Senator [[Arlen Specter]] of [[Pennsylvania]] supported ObamaCare and switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party to give the latter a 60-40 edge in the Senate and allow them to enact [[cloture]] on the Republican [[filibuster]].*Former Senator [[Lincoln Chafee]] of [[Rhode Island]], who became an Independent in 2007.*Former Senator [[Lincoln Chafee]] of [[Rhode Island]], who became an Independent in 2007. Turned Democrat in 2013.http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/lincoln-chafee-to-switch-parties-sources-say-91994.html*Former Senator [[Lowell Weicker]] of [[Connecticut]], who left the party and formed his own local one in 1990, then became an Independent in 1995.*Former Senator [[Lowell Weicker]] of [[Connecticut]], who left the party and formed his own local one in 1990, then became an Independent in 1995.

A RINO (Republican in Name Only) is an officeholder or candidate who is a member of the Republican Party, but holds views to the political left of most Republican voters. The term "RINO" describes politicians who claim to be Republican but are in fact liberal, and therefore generally debase the winning conservative coalition base of the Republican Party.

RINOs are often Republican only to the extent it serves their own interests, and will abandon conservative principles as soon as it is in their own interests to do so. RINOs often provide support for raising taxes, abortion as a right, gay rights and gun control. Some RINOs have connections with Planned Parenthood or corporations that support goals of population control; other RINOs pay lip service to pro-life values while in practice not advancing those values.

Double standards by RINOs are common: a birther comment by Romney during his campaign was supposedly a "nothing", but Todd Akin's pro-life comment would somehow "absolutely" could cost RINOs control of the U.S. Senate![1]

RINOs, like Democrats, typically come from states in New England, the Mid-Atlantic; or states on the Left Coast. A less-used term is cafeteria conservative, for a person who picks and chooses which conservative principles to believe, as a person might choose foods in a cafeteria instead of ordering the full-course menu selected by the chef at most restaurants.[2] In contrast to RINO's and cafeteria conservatives, movement conservatives understand that since conservative philosophy is a coherent whole, it is untenable to discard part of it without discarding all of it.

The RINO targets of attack argue they follow middle of the road policies and are not liberals; they claim they get results, and insist that without them the Congress would be totally controlled by liberal Democrats and Republicans would rarely have any success. Conservatives respond that in the heyday of "Rockefeller liberalism" in the GOP the Democrats always controlled Congress, and the GOP only took power when Newt Gingrich launched a national conservative "Contract with America" in 1994, ending 40 years of Democratic control of the House. The notion that we need to elect Democrat-lite type of politicians is false. The election cycles of 2010 and 2012 proved that many RINO candidates are unelectable. RINO candidates wasted millions of dollars; Carly Fiorina, Meg Whitman, Scott Brown, Linda McMahon, and many others could not connect with the people in liberal blue states.

In recent Republican primaries, voters have been rejecting establishment RINOs in favor of those with stronger conservative principles. Their commitment to self and not party is evident in their refusal to endorse the candidate that beats them. In some instances, they refuse the will of the voters and their party by running for office on an independent ticket. It is important to vote for someone who's more conservative on the issues rather than for a Republican because anyone can join a party and be they can be RINOs.

if (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); } Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts after his support of gutting Arizona's immigration law and yet being the swing vote responsible for keeping Obamacare upheld. As Supreme Court Justices officially have no party, he is more of a "conservative in name only". Former President Theodore Roosevelt, because he regulated the economy and used social justice. Former Congressman Steve LaTourette of Ohio Fred Karger, for supporting abortion and the homosexual agenda. Karl Rove, for supporting the big government GOP establishment's agenda his whole career and attacking those who oppose it. Former Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, for supporting the Homosexual Agenda. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, for supporting DADT repeal and being pro-abortion. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, for supporting DADT repeal and failing to condemn same-sex "marriage" and abortion. Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson supports same-sex marriage and abortion (although he opposes abortion once the fetus becomes viable outside the mother's body). After switching to the Libertarian Party in 2012 to run for President, he openly admitted that he governed New Mexico for eight years as a RINO, even using the phrase "Republican in name only" on multiple occasions. The Libertarian Party is liberal on social issues (with the exception that they support gun rights) but are fiscally very conservative. Former Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania supported ObamaCare and switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party to give the latter a 60-40 edge in the Senate and allow them to enact cloture on the Republican filibuster. Former Senator Lowell Weicker of Connecticut, who left the party and formed his own local one in 1990, then became an Independent in 1995. Former Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont, who left the Party and became a Democrat in 2001, giving control of the Senate to the Democrats. Former Representative John Anderson of Illinois, who became an Independent after losing his party's presidential primary in 1980. Former Governor Buddy Roemer of Louisiana, who became an Independent after losing his party's presidential primary in 2012.

A majority of conservatives distrust RINO John McCain even though many of his policies are that of a true conservative. Key RINO principles rejected by McCain include support for gay rights, support for abortion, and support for earmarks. He has positioned his career as a bipartisan moderate, reaching across the aisle whenever possible. This is also his downfall. The era of reaching across the aisle passed -- when statist, socialist Democrats became Senators. His major political blunders mostly came during the 21st century political period. He was against both the Reagan and Bush tax cuts, and employed class warfare rhetoric in trying to stop the tax cuts from taking effect. His support for amnesty was the complete opposite of what conservatives wanted. He has always complained about enhanced interrogation techniques, calling them "torture". In non-election years, he likes to trash conservative positions and icons in order to get the media's and Democrats' approval. However, during the election he refused to go after Barack Hussein Obama's associations with Jeremiah Wright. He believes in the junk science known as global warming, and has supported cap-and-trade programs. Another Middle East war, without a goal, without full commitment to win, without Congressional approval- McCain supports the President. It didn't stop there and in July 2011, he called the Tea Party, the people that care about fiscal sanity in Washington, they are "hobbits".

The sacrifices he has made serving this country cannot be overlooked. John McCain has earned war hero status but also the status as a D.C. zero.

? http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/08/todd-akin-rape-missouri-senate-race-reince-priebus-/1#.UDpUhNZlQ7s? James Carville & Mary Matalin: He Said, She Said? http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/15/ohio-sen-portman-now-supports-gay-marriage/? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/23/ileana-roslehtinen-become_n_977464.html? GOP senator announces support for Md. same-sex marriage bill? http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/us/politics/prominent-republicans-sign-brief-in-support-of-gay-marriage.html?_r=2&? http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/lincoln-chafee-to-switch-parties-sources-say-91994.html

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In budget proposal rollout, Obama to meet Republican senators next week

President Obama will meet with 12 Republican senators next Wednesday, an effort at bipartisan outreach as he rolls out his budget proposal.

According to Bloomberg, Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) has been tasked with building the guest list for the meal, and the location has not yet been set.

It's Obama's second bipartisan powwow since mid-March, when he sat down with a dozen Republican senators for a meal many attendees praised for its candor and sincerity.

This time, however, Obama may face pushback from the senators on his budget, to be released next week, which will call for tax increases on the wealthiest Americans and corporations. In exchange for those increases, Obama plans to offer entitlement reform and Social Security cuts, but Republicans blasted the proposal when it was previewed on Friday.

Obama also recently told supporters at a fundraiser for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that he wants to take back control of the House and return the Speakers' gavel to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), an assertion that's not likely to win him friends in the GOP.

And a dismal jobs report out on Friday will likely fuel criticism from Republicans that Obama isn't doing enough to help the economy, further complicating next week's outreach efforts.

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Republican Senator Makes The Conservative Case For Universal Background Checks

At a town hall in Oklahoma on Monday, Sen. Tom Corbun (R-OK) made perhaps the best argument to convince conservative gun owners that they should support required background checks on every single gun purchase. Taking the recent debate over gun regulations from the political to the personal, Coburn told constituents that universal checks are “the responsible way” for gun owners to ensure that they don’t sell their own guns to “someone you wouldn’t want to have it”:

Those on that list will include felons and people with mental instability. A concern that gun owners are on that list or one separate to it was discounted by the senator, a fact that has been and continues to be checked on by his staff on a regular basis.

“I’m for enhanced background checks because it’s a way for you to go online to make sure you’re not selling your gun to someone you wouldn’t want to have it,” said Coburn.The responsible way is to check them against this [National Instant Criminal Background Check System] list and they don’t know that you did it.”

“About 80 percent of criminals get their guns from us (responsible gun owners).

Coburn didn’t suggest that this check would stop all gun crime, however, he was positive it will slow it down a significant degree.

Currently, private sales are exempt from background checks, and it’s estimated that 40 percent of firearm sales are completed without a check. According to Bloomberg News, “A 2004 Bureau of Justice Statistics survey of inmates convicted of gun crimes found that 80 percent acquired the weapons through a private transfer.” Ninety-two percent of Americans want to change this grim statistic, and support a background check on all sales.

As members of the Senate debate new gun regulations, Coburn has gone back and forth on his support of universal background checks, expressing concern that the government could use such a system to keep a record of all gun owners. A recent spat over this detail led Senators to factor Coburn out of negotiations on a bill.

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Kirk becomes second Republican senator to support gay marriage

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) announced his support for same-sex marriage on Tuesday, becoming the second sitting GOP senator to do so.

"Same-sex couples should have the right to civil marriage," Kirk said in a statement on his blog.

"Our time on this earth is limited, I know that better than most," continued Kirk, who returned to the Senate earlier this year after a lengthy absence to recover from a stroke. "Life comes down to who you love and who loves you back — government has no place in the middle."

Kirk's statement came the same morning that Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) also announced that he supports same-sex marriage.

Kirk joins Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who switched positions in March, as the only sitting Republican senators to support gay marriage.

Last week, the Supreme Court held hearings on challenges to California's Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage and the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The legal challenges brought a flood of high-profile Democratic senators, including many from swing states or traditionally GOP strongholds, publicly supporting gay marriage.

Besides Carper, seven other Senate Democrats have endorsed same-sex marriage in recent weeks: Sens. Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.), Mark Warner (Va.), Bob Casey Jr. (Pa.), Kay Hagan (N.C.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Mark Begich (Alaska), and Jon Tester (Mont.).

Polls also show growing acceptance among the public of gay marriage, leading many in the GOP to adopt a softer stance.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) last week said her position on the issue was "evolving." And fellow Republican Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) said that while he supported traditional marriage, he believed it "inevitable" that a 2016 GOP presidential contender could openly support gay marriage.

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After RNC Calls For Hispanic Outreach, Republican Governor Eliminates Latino Affairs Office

The Republican National Committee devoted much of the attention of its “autopsy” report to improving party outreach to people of color. The report noted it is “imperative that the RNC changes how it engages with Hispanic communities to welcome in new members of our Party.” Yet, if the autopsy report had any effect at all, it appears to be short-lived. Since last week, top Republicans have dodged discussing immigration reform with citizenship, while one congressman used a racial slur to describe Latinos.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory’s (R) contribution to this effort is to unexpectedly close the state’s Latino Affairs office, an office that normally engaged with Latino leaders on policy, offfered bilingual assistance for disaster victims, and collected demographic statistics on the state’s 800,000 Latino residents.

The governor’s office said it will shift some of the office’s duties to a general office for community and constituent affairs. “We are committed to serving the needs of all of North Carolina’s citizens,” McCrory’s chief of staff said. “We don’t segment our constituents by race or cultural background, any more than we separate them by age or gender.”

But Latino advocates criticize the decision. Executive Director of Latin American Coalition in Charlotte Jess George told McClatchy, “The message from Raleigh is that Latinos in North Carolina don’t matter.”

Just before closing the Latino Affairs office, North Carolina pursued a controversial driver’s license design that would distinguish young undocumented immigrants’s licenses by a pink stripe and the words, “NO LAWFUL STATUS” printed across. The state somewhat modified the design when it faced community backlash.

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Republican Congressman Attacks Sasha And Malia Obama

Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

This week, Breitbart News broke a long-standing security protocol and published a story detailing the precise location where President Obama’s daughters are vacationing this week. On Wednesday, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) used the report to attack the First Daughters for taking a vacation.

King’s comments came during an appearance on Mickelson in the Morning, an Iowa-based radio show. A caller, Carla, brought up sequestration and proceeded to criticize the Michelle Obama and her daughters for taking a vacation in the Bahamas. King agreed — “Carla, you’re on point and on the mark all the way through” — before criticizing them for also taking a vacation last year in Mexico. “That was at our expense, too,” King bemoaned.

CALLER: When I see the First Lady and the beautiful girls going off to the Bahamas waving goodbye to us, it’s really hard to stomach. When we’re tightening our belts, either all of us should do it or none of us should do it. This, I am pretty tolerant, I always have been, I usually shut my mouth. This is not acceptable.

KING: Carla, you’re on point and on the mark all the way through. […] You’re right on the president. He needs to show some austerity himself. Instead he wanted to tell America how bad it was going to be. […] We’ve got the president doing these things. He sent the daughters to spring break in Mexico a year ago. That was at our expense, too. And now to the Bahamas at one of the most expensive places there. That is the wrong image to be coming out of the White House.

Listen to it:

This notion that the Obamas are living a life of excess is beginning to take hold among conservative members of Congress. At the CPAC conference earlier this month, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) smeared Obama for enjoying “the perks and the excess of the $1.4 billion presidency,” a charge that “fail[s] on the facts in simple fairness,” according to CNN.

King is strongly considering running for Iowa’s open Senate seat in 2014. His potential candidacy is already causing consternation among establishment Republicans who worry that he will be a Todd Akin-redux, appealing only to far-right conservatives and turning off everyone else.

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Top Republican Governor Admits Conservatives Have Lost The Battle Against Marriage Equality

Republican Governor Scott Walker (WI) — a likely GOP candidate for president in 2016 — admitted on Sunday that young conservatives support marriage equality for gays and lesbians, suggesting that the Republican party cannot sustain its opposition to same-sex marriage into the future.

Responding to Sen. Rob Portman’s (R-OH) embrace of equal marriage rights during an appearance on Meet The Press, Walker said that the issue of marriage equality did not animate his governor’s race, but admitted to host David Gregory that the next generation of Republicans will expect the party to join the growing popular consensus in favor of full marriage rights and will not be interested in pursuing campaigns against gay people:

GREGORY: Are younger conservatives more apt to see marriage equality as something that is, you know, what they believe, that is basic rather than as a disqualifying issue?

WALKER: I think there’s no doubt about that. But I think that’s all the more reason, when I talk about things, I talk about the economic and fiscal crises in our state and in our country, that’s what people want to resonate about. They don’t want to get focused on those issues.

Walker also questioned why the government sanctions marriage in the first place, noting, “an alternative [would be] to say not have the government sanction it, period, and leave that up to the churches and the synagogues.”

New research released earlier this month found that “while 53 percent of eligible voters support marriage equality, 83 percent believe same-sex marriage will be legal nationwide within five to 10 years.” A majority of Republicans under the age of 30 also said that they “support marriage equality at the state level.”

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South Carolina Republican Suggests GOP Opposes Medicaid Expansion Because Obama Is Black

Confederate flag flying on grounds of South Carolina's state capitol

On Tuesday, the South Carolina House rejected extra Obamacare funding for the state’s Medicaid program. One Republican legislator offered a novel reason for the Republican majority’s decision: the President’s race.

State Rep. Kris Crawford’s comments came during the early stages of the state Medicaid debate in late January. Crawford suggested that it was politically beneficial for Republicans (who run a Statehouse that flew the Confederate flag in front of it as recently as December 2011) to oppose any political initiatives spearheaded by a black man:

Rep. Kris Crawford, a Republican from Florence and also an emergency room doctor, supports the expansion but expects the Republican caucus to vote as a block against the Medicaid expansion.

“The politics are going to overwhelm the policy. It is good politics to oppose the black guy in the White House right now, especially for the Republican Party,” Crawford said.

South Carolina’s voter ID law was blocked last year by the Department of Justice on grounds that it violated the Voting Rights Act. The author of the law admitted to receiving, and responding positively to, racist emails in support of the law.

Governor Nikki Haley’s (R) steadfast opposition to the Medicaid expansion is becoming increasingly lonely; a wave of Republican governors have recently accepted federal assistance in providing health care for their poor citizens. South Carolina hospitals, who strongly support the expansion, have gone so far as to ask that their taxes be raised to pay for it.

(HT: David Graham.)

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Statement by the President on Republican Filibuster of Caitlin Halligan

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For Immediate Release March 06, 2013 Statement by the President on Republican Filibuster of Caitlin Halligan

I am deeply disappointed that despite support from a majority of the United States Senate, a minority of Senators continues to block the nomination of Caitlin Halligan to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.  Nearly two and a half years after being nominated, Ms. Halligan continues to wait for a simple up-or-down vote.   In the past, filibusters of judicial nominations required “extraordinary circumstances,” and a Republican Senator who was part of this agreement articulated that only an ethics or qualification issue – not ideology – would qualify.  Ms. Halligan has always practiced law with the highest ethical ideals, and her qualifications are beyond question.  Furthermore, her career in public service and as a law enforcement lawyer, serving the citizens of New York, is well within the mainstream.

Today’s vote continues the Republican pattern of obstruction.  My judicial nominees wait more than three times as long on the Senate floor to receive a vote than my predecessor’s nominees.  The effects of this obstruction take the heaviest toll on the D.C. Circuit, considered the Nation’s second-highest court, which now has only seven active judges and four vacancies.  Until last month, for more than forty years, the court has always had at least eight active judges and as many as twelve.  A majority of the Senate agrees that Ms. Halligan is exactly the kind of person who should serve on this court, and I urge Senate Republicans to allow the Senate to express its will and to confirm Ms. Halligan without further delay.

Blog posts on this issue March 09, 2013 5:45 AM ESTWeekly Address: End the Sequester to Keep Growing the Economy

In his weekly address, President Obama says that businesses have created jobs every month for three years straight – nearly 6.4 million altogether, and have added 246,000 new jobs in February. We must keep this momentum going, and that’s why the President recently met with Republican leaders to discuss how we can replace the harmful, arbitrary budget cuts, called the “sequester,” with balanced deficit reduction.

March 08, 2013 6:33 PM ESTFirst Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry Present International Women of Courage Awards

Mrs. Obama and Sec. Kerry celebrate International Women's Day by honoring nine extraordinary women.

March 08, 2013 5:55 PM ESTEmpowering All Women to Reach Their Full Potential

President Obama has made promoting gender equality and advancing the status of women and girls central to our foreign policy and national security strategy, including by leading by example at home.

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Illinois Republican Legislator Compares Gun Regulations To Castration

State Rep. Jim Sacia (R-IL) (Credit: Lane Christiansen)

In a rant on the floor of the Illinois House of Representatives Tuesday, State Rep. Jim Sacia (R) objected to statewide gun violence prevention efforts comparing them to castration.

As the right-wing Red Alert Politics reported, Sacia screamed that the bill was being forced by Chicago legislators because they have a “runaway gun problem.”

SACIA: Don’t blame the rest of us. This isn’t about Democrats, it’s not about Republicans. It’s because Chicago wants a warm fuzzy. “Let’s pass a bill that will eliminate assault rifles.” Last year, there were more people killed with hammers than with assault rifles. Here’s an analogy folks, I ask you to think of this: You folks in Chicago, want me to get castrated because you’re families are having too many kids. It spells out exactly what is happening here! You want us to get rid of guns. … You bet I used Chicago as an example, because you’re the folks that want this craziness.”

Watch the video:

While gun violence is a huge problem in Chicago, the problem is by no means limited to the Windy City. In 2012 alone, a school shooting rocked Normal, a gunman shot five people in a Decatur nightclub, and a gunfight broke out a Rockford nightclub. In 2008, five students Northern Illinois University students were killed by a gunman in DeKalb, Illinois.

Sacia joins a long list of Republicans who dismiss gun violence prevention efforts by suggesting guns are less dangerous than everyday household items.

Last month, Sacia wrote on his personal website that “Gun free zones are killing fields for the deranged.” He also lauded an Australian grandmother for engaging in vigilante justice with an illegal gun, noting that after her granddaughter was raped, “the grandmother personally hunted down the two rapists. She shot one’s manhood completely away and significantly shortened the other’s abilities.”

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The Nine Republican Men Who Won’t Consider Any Version Of The Violence Against Women Act

Nine Congressmen — all male Republicans — voted Wednesday against a resolution to allow the U.S. House to consider re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The vast majority of House Republicans (214) and all 200 House Democrats voted for rule, which will allow votes Thursday on the watered-down GOP version of the bill and (assuming that fails), the bipartisan Senate plan.

The nine Republicans were Representatives Paul Broun (GA), Scott Garrett (NJ), Louie Gohmert (TX), Tim Huelskamp (KS), Walter Jones (NC), Steve King (IA), Thomas Massie (KY), Tom McClintock (CA), and Matt Salmon (AZ).

Three of the nine — Gohmert, Jones, and King — voted for the watered-down Republican version of the bill last May, making their opposition to even bringing up the bill now a surprise. King said of the 2012 bill, “I supported VAWA in 2005 and am doing so again to see to it that victims of domestic violence and sexual assault have access to the resources and protection when they need it the most.”

While apparently none of the opponents has released a statement on today’s vote, some explained their opposition to last year’s bill. Huelskamp, in a letter to constituents, noted that he does not believe the federal government has a role in funding protection against domestic abuse. “This is a matter that should be left to our states,” he wrote, and Congress “should not be in the business of handing out grants conditioned on how states do or do not prosecute criminals.”

McClintock, in explaining his 2012 vote against VAWA, argued: “This is a feel-good measure that uses ‘Violence Against Women’ as an excuse to vastly expand a dizzying array of government grant programs, hamstring judges who are attempting to resolve and reconcile highly volatile relationships, add $1.8 billion to the nation’s debt and generally insinuate the federal government into matters the Constitution clearly reserves to the states. Federal grants of all kinds (essentially gifts of public money with little or no oversight) are out of control and ought to be abolished — not expanded.”

The landmark 1994 law, authored by then-Senator Joe Biden, expired more than a year ago.

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Top Republican: Obama Should Avoid Looming Budget Cuts By Delaying Health Care To Millions

A top Republican is suggesting that President Obama delay health care services to millions of middle and lower-income Americans to offset the automatic across-the-board budget cuts that will go into effect on March 1 if Congress does not reach a spending deal.

Appearing on Meet The Press on Sunday, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) advised Obama to put off implementing the Affordable Care Act’s health care exchanges that are due to go online in 2014 and the expansion of the Medicaid program to offset the looming sequester cuts:

JINDAL: Just delay the Medicaid expansion, delay the health care exchanges so they can work with states on waivers, on flexibility. You can save tens of thousands of dollars there and you’re not even cutting a program that’s started yet — just delaying.

Delaying implementation of these key coverage expansion provisions would throw the law into chaos and deny health services to millions of Americans, many of whom are at or just above the federal poverty line and are struggling with medical bills. 771,600 adults and 124,200 children currently go without health care coverage in Jindal’s home state of Louisiana, for instance. The governor has declined to move forward with a state-run exchange for consumers to buy insurance, leaving its operation to the Department of Health and Human Services, and opted out of the Medicaid expansion under the law.

Defunding the Affordable Care Act has become a popular sequester offset on the right. Last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said the government should protect the Defense Department from automatic spending cuts by slashing $1.2 trillion from the law. “Well, all I can say is the Commander-in-Chief thought — came up with the idea of sequestration, destroying the military and putting a lot of good programs at risk. It is my belief — take Obamacare and put it on the table,” Graham said.

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The Supreme Court Will Hear A Republican Party Lawsuit To Make Citizens United Even Worse

Billionaire casino mogul and major GOP donor Sheldon Adelson

The Supreme Court’s election-buying decision in Citizens United v. FEC enabled wealthy corporations to spend unlimited money to change the course of American elections, and a subsequent lower court decision gave the green light to super PACs funded by unlimited donations from millionaires, billionaires and corporations. Today, the Supreme Court announced it would hear another case — brought by none other than the Republican National Committee — that would go even further towards transforming American democracy into the Wild West.

Despite recent election-buying decisions permitting unlimited donations to super PACs and other groups that exist independently of campaigns and political parties, federal law still limits individual donations to candidates and to the parties themselves. In the next election cycle, these limits include a $2,600 cap on individual donations to a single candidate, and an overall limit of $123,200 in contributions to candidates, political party committees and similar organizations. The Republican Party’s lawsuit seeks to eliminate most of these limits on election-buying — most importantly, by removing the $123,200 cap on total contributions.

As the unanimous lower court decision upholding this cap explained, removing it would corrupt our election system even more by allowing billionaires to launder as much money as they want through political party committees to individual candidates:

Eliminating the aggregate limits means an individual might, for example, give half-a-million dollars in a single check to a joint fundraising committee comprising a party’s presidential candidate, the party’s national party committee, and most of the party’s state party committees. After the fundraiser, the committees are required to divvy the contributions to ensure that no committee receives more than its permitted share, but because party committees may transfer unlimited amounts of money to other party committees of the same party, the half-a-million-dollar contribution might nevertheless find its way to a single committee’s coffers. That committee, in turn, might use the money for coordinated expenditures, which have no “significant functional difference” from the party’s direct candidate contributions. The candidate who knows the coordinated expenditure funding derives from that single large check at the joint fundraising event will know precisely where to lay the wreath of gratitude.

Significantly, this opinion was written by Judge Janice Rogers Brown, who is one of the most conservative judges in the country. Brown previously authored an opinion suggesting that all labor, business or Wall Street regulation is constitutionally suspect, and she once compared liberalism to “slavery” and Social Security to a “socialist revolution.”

As a lower court judge, however, Brown was also required to follow Supreme Court precedents. The five conservative justices who gave us Citizens United, by contrast, are not.

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BREAKING: Republican Virginia House Speaker Kills GOP Senate Gerrymander Scheme

Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Bill Howell (R)

Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William Howell (R) killed the Inauguration Day sneak attack by Senate Republicans who hoped to pass a massive mid-decade gerrymander. Howell ruled that the Senate’s amendment to a House bill making minor technical corrections to the House legislative maps were not germane, as it was a “vast rewrite” and would “stray dramatically” from the legislation’s original purpose.

When a Republican colleague requested a ruling on the amendment’s germaneness, Howell told his colleagues:

[Germaneness] prevents the presentation to the House of propositions that may not be reasonably anticipated, and for which they may not be properly prepared. A proposition of a narrow or limited scope may not be amended by a proposition of a more general nature… even though they might be related… I am going to rule that Senate amendments are not germane and out of order.

The Senate passed the controversial maps on January 21 on a party-lines vote. The measure passed 20-19 because Senator Henry Marsh (D), a legendary civil rights leader, was absent attending President Obama’s inauguration.

Virginia Senate Republican Leader Tommy Norment blasted Howell’s ruling Wednesday, saying: “The entire Senate Republican Caucus is deeply disappointed by Speaker Howell’s unilateral ruling today.” Norment added: “The Virginia Senate Republican Caucus remains committed to correcting the egregious hyperpartisan [2011] gerrymander that has resulted in the current tortuously drawn Senate districts.” The “hyperpartisan” maps passed on a 32-5 bipartisan vote in 2011, with Norment voting for the maps.

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Republican Congresswoman Likens Regulations Of For-Profit Colleges To The Holocaust

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC)

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) compared efforts to regulate the for-profit college industry to the Holocaust during a speech Tuesday. Speaking at the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Foxx invoked a famous Holocaust maxim in order to defend for-profit colleges against increased scrutiny. “They came for the for-profits, and I didn’t speak up,” the North Carolina congresswoman said.

Insider Higher Ed has the details:

In criticizing the private college presidents, Representative Virginia Foxx, the North Carolina Republican who leads the subcommittee on higher education, adapted the famous statement from the German theologian Martin Niemöller on Germans who ignored Nazi persecution. (“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a communist.”)

“‘They came for the for-profits, and I didn’t speak up…’” Foxx said. “Nobody really spoke up like they should have.”

Even if her choice of words is shocking, her willingness to stand up for the industry is of little surprise. Foxx is heavily-financed by the for-profit college industry. As the Center for Responsive Politics reported, “In her first year on the [Higher Education and Workforce Training] subcommittee, Foxx picked up at least $48,668 from PACs or individuals affiliated with for-profit colleges.”

Though Foxx is readily willing to advocate on behalf of an industry that saddles students with debt and leaves them with few employment prospects, she paradoxically dislikes people who take out student loans. Said Foxx on a radio show last year, “I have very little tolerance for people who tell me that they graduate with $200,000 of debt or even $80,000 of debt because there’s no reason for that.” In fact, many of the students with such large amounts of debt can trace their troubles to the fact that largely unregulated for-profit colleges are extraordinarily expensive.

Foxx is no back-bencher in the GOP caucus. She was elected to her party’s leadership last year to serve as Secretary for the House Republican Conference and has been touted as a possible Senate candidate in 2014.

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Meet The Four Republican Senators Who Think The Violence Against Women Act Is Unconstitutional

Since then-Delaware Senator Joe Biden first authored the law in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has earned bipartisan praise for providing vital protections against domestic violence and assistance to victims. But of the eight Senators — all Republicans — who voted Monday against even considering VAWA renewal, at least four apparently did so because they believe the bill is unconstitutional.

Several of these senators have expressed similarly radical views about the constitutional role of the federal government in other contexts. Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-UT) claimed that national child labor laws, Social Security and Medicare violate the Tenth Amendment, for example; and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) once led a Tenth Amendment project at a conservative think tank and co-authored a paper proposing an unconstitutional process to nullify the Affordable Care Act. The four senators who claim that the Violence Against Women Act is unconstitutional are:

1. Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID): In a statement, Risch explained: “It is at the state and local level where I believe enforcement and prosecution must remain. The federal government does not need to add another layer of bureaucracy to acts of violence that are being handled at the state and local level. In addition to my 10th Amendment concerns, this legislation raises additional constitutional questions regarding double jeopardy and due process. I opposed this legislation, however well intended it was, because it is another effort of the federal government extending its reach into the affairs of state and local jurisdictions.” 2. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY): In a 2012 letter explaining his opposition to last year’s VAWA re-authorization attempt, Paul wrote: “Under our Constitution, states are given the responsibility for prosecution of those violent crimes. They don’t need Washington telling them how to provide services and prosecute criminals in these cases. Under the Constitution, states are responsible for enacting and enforcing criminal law. As written, S. 1925 muddles the lines between federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement.”3. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT): In 2012, Lee claimed VAWA “oversteps the Constitution’s rightful limits on federal power. Violent crimes are regulated and enforced almost exclusively by state governments. In fact, domestic violence is one of the few activities that the Supreme Court of the United States has specifically said Congress may not regulate under the Commerce Clause. As a matter of constitutional policy, Congress should not seek to impose rules and standards as conditions for federal funding in areas where the federal government lacks constitutional authority to regulate directly.”4. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX): A Cruz spokeswoman told ThinkProgress: “For many years, Senator Cruz has worked in law enforcement, helping lead the fight to ensure that violent criminals—and especially sexual predators who target women and children—should face the very strictest punishment. However, stopping and punishing violent criminals is primarily a state responsibility, and the federal government does not need to be dictating state criminal law.” While the statement does not explicitly call VAWA unconstitutional, his previous comments leave little doubt that that is what he means.

These senators’ apparent belief that the federal government cannot constitutionally play a role in preventing violence against women is not even shared by most Republican members of Congress. 216 House Republicans agreed just last year that the Constitution does not prohibit a version of the Violence Against Women Act. The Supreme Court did strike down one piece of VAWA in 2000, but it left most of the law intact.

While the other four Senators who voted against the “motion to proceed” did not respond to a request for an explanation of their votes, Sen. Tim Scott (R) voted for the watered-down House version of VAWA last year and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) claims he supports a scaled-back version of the legislation.

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