Free Republic

Plain talk: Limbaugh should be ashamed, but isn't By Dave Zweifel October 27, 2006 Rush Limbaugh may not be this country's most disgusting human being, but he surely ranks among the top 10. You're undoubtedly familiar with his latest outrageousness - claiming that Michael J. Fox was really faking those Parkinson's disease palsied shakes when he cut campaign ads for candidates who, like Wisconsin's Jim Doyle, favor embryonic stem cell research. Fox, who came down with Parkinson's about 15 years ago and was forced to essentially retire from his acting career, thus became the latest victim of the well-honed Republican...

Even the most "moderate" Democrat politicians in America today are ready to retreat from Iraq – essentially raise the white flag of surrender, sue for peace and demonstrate to the world, once again, that the U.S. is an unreliable ally in the cause of freedom. Take your pick: Jim Webb, the challenger to Sen. George Allen in Virginia, was a Marine who served as Ronald Reagan's Navy secretary. From his resume, he looks like a guy I could support to be in the U.S. Senate. But, just to become a Democratic Senate nominee in a large state these days means...

The National Black Republican Committee has a hard time appealing to African Americans. But, every election cycle, Republicans remember that it is no longer an advantage to be the party of white sanctuary, anchored in the South. They dust off their cross-race appeals, revive the memory of the "party of Lincoln." This year the Republican committee was bankrolled to put a radio ad on the air laying claim to the Rev. Martin Luther King as a Republican. The ad, of course, is an insult. King was reared in Atlanta in a family that was opposed to segregation -- and thus...

After some of us began to ask which part of the war on terrorism Democrats support, Larry Kudlow put the question directly to Rep. Barney Frank on CNBC's "Kudlow & Company." Frank said: "What part of the war on terrorism do I support? I voted for war in Afghanistan." On "60 Minutes" last Sunday night, aspiring House speaker Nancy Pelosi denounced the war in Iraq as not "part of the war on terror." The war on terror, she said "is the war in Afghanistan." So that's it. The one part of the war on terror — or "so-called war on...

RUSH: Ladies and gentlemen, I want to talk to you for just a second about Republican Senate candidate Thomas Kean, Jr. in New Jersey. This is a brave man. This is a man who deserves your attention and your support. This is a man who in the midst of the war on terror and the war in Iraq, has demanded the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld. That's so courageous! I was so moved when I heard this demand from this Republican. It's not many Republicans that have this kind of courage and have these guts -- and he wasn't through there!...

(LOUISVILLE) -- Thursday was an intense day filled with attacks in the 3rd district Congressional race. According to Republican incumbent Anne Northup, Democrat challenger John Yarmuth lacks the ethics and trustworthiness to be a congressman. WAVE 3's Jeff Tang spoke with both candidates on a muddy day along the campaign trail. ... Northup also accused her challenger of failing to pay taxes on his employees, and said he misled voters by lying about where and how he printed campaign flyers. John Yarmuth is a congressional scandal waiting to happen. He has broken the laws all through this campaign. ... Yarmuth...

The progressive lamestream press says that democrats are poised to regain political power this November, for the first time since removed from power in 1994. Conservatives across this land are worried that they could wake up to Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House and/or Harry Reid as Senate Majority Leader. Something worthy of worry for sure… But Democrats know a few things that many conservatives fail to grasp. --Democrats must win in November to avoid a complete collapse of their Party. --Democrats can’t win without the help of Republican voters. --Secular Socialist Democrats control the DNC, but are a...

That's the story this morning from The New York Times' Adam Nagourney, who leads off an otherwise newsless and self-evident article (Basic thesis: the parties are strategic utility maximizers. My reaction: Wow...what a scoop! We haven't known that for 20+ years!) with this explosive lead: Senior Republican leaders have concluded that Senator Mike DeWine of Ohio, a pivotal state in this year's fierce midterm election battles, is likely to be heading for defeat and are moving to reduce financial support for his race and divert party money to other embattled Republican senators, party officials said. The decision to effectively write...

Over the past couple of months, but especially since the Mark Foley scandal broke, there has been a relentless undercurrent of fear that the Republicans will lose control of the United States House and (somewhat less likely) the Senate. The political fallout from this would be bad enough—John Conyers (Dork-MI) has already called legal experts together to draft Articles of Impeachment against Bush. The President would be completely distracted from fighting the War on Terror…as Clinton claims he was during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. (You know, actually receiving a Lewinsky while on the phone with other officials didn’t distract Bill;...

It is now a month away from the mid-term elections and we might as well not hold them. I mean the MSM has already declared the Democrats to be the overwhelming winners. Not a doubt about it. The reason is that Mark Foley is gay. That's it. The Democrats will win FOR SURE in November because Mark Foley is gay. See, according the Democrat and MSM hopes, the "fundies" as they are called will stay home and not vote because Mark Foley is gay thus giving the victory to the Democrats. To ensure they stay home, Lawrence O'Donnell and...

Print out the flyer below and distribute it gun shops, gun shows and gun clubs/ranges. Stand there and urge people to vote for their gun rights (which is almost always to vote Republican with rare exceptions in local races). This is something that I have done or tried to do in every election cycle since 2000. These are going to be very tight races in some cases and the key to our victory will be TURNOUT! If you can’t do this pass the word to a friend who can. And don’t get discouraged. In six years I have gotten exactly...

Criticizes the Media For Trying To Supress Conservative Vote.

At least liberals are finally exhibiting a moral compass about something. I am sure that they'd be equally outraged if Rep. Mark Foley were a Democrat. The object lesson of Foley's inappropriate e-mails to male pages is that when a Republican congressman is caught in a sex scandal, he immediately resigns and crawls off into a hole in abject embarrassment. Democrats get snippy. Foley didn't claim he was the victim of a "witch hunt." He didn't whine that he was a put-upon "gay American." He didn't stay in Congress and haughtily rebuke his critics. He didn't run for re-election. He...

RUSH: (story) "Newt Gingrich said yesterday that Denny Hastert handled this whole situation appropriately and dismissed a call for Hastert's resignation by the Washington Times. 'I don't agree with that,' Newt said. 'I think it's very premature, very inappropriate.' Gingrich was in Lexington, Kentucky, to give a speech to the University of Kentucky Sanders Brown Center On Aging Foundation." Hastert's getting some support someplace. LA Times story today: "Foley Scandal Shakes GOP." This is by Janet Hook and Ronald Brownstein. "Hastert, who was elevated to his post during the turmoil caused by the sex scandal involving President Clinton on Tuesday...

As I sit here, Mark Foley has just checked himself into rehab for, of all things, alcoholism. Which strikes me as very peculiar, seeing as how he wasn't forced to resign from Congress for drunk driving. If he's trying to suggest that he isn't a pervert, I'm afraid most of us will remain unconvinced. Heaven knows that when I was younger, I often got awfully goofy when I drank, but the booze never made me hanker after 16-year-old guys. But I guess you can't blame Foley for trying to bamboozle us. After all, he's just another in a long line...

Following is a transcript of George Allen's two minute piece that aired across Virginia tonight. You can also watch the video on YouTube here: Good evening I’m George Allen, For more than a decade with Susan by my side, I’ve had the honor of serving you; as Governor, and now in the United States Senate. Virginians expect to hear us address the real issues you care about. Over the past several weeks that hasn’t been the case. Some of this I’ve brought on myself. But the negative personal attacks and baseless allegations have also pulled us away from what you...

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the 44-year incumbent Democrat, has agreed to participate in his first campaign debate since 1994. Kennedy will face off with Kenneth B. Chase, his Republican challenger, for 30 minutes on a New England Cable News forum hosted by Chet Curtis at a time and date that have yet to be announced.

Well it looks like the Democrats are retrying some of the same tired old campaign propaganda lines for the 2006 Election. First, after whining endlessly about spending in the $488 Billion Defense bill just passed, they are now recycling the "The Military is broke because of Iraq" nonsense. Hmm the MIlitary is broke yet Democrats do not want to spend the money to fix it? Then there is the other charge repeated endlessly how President Bush never asked us to "sacrifice" for the war effort. Very well. I am more then willing to sacrifice my share of the Department of...

There he was again Wednesday -- Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha complaining out loud about the U.S. military presence in Iraq, squealing about a civil war and about how the result of America's abandonment of Iraq could not possibly be any worse than the current situation. As usual, he was flanked by military veterans, who like Murtha intend to use their service time as a qualification for obtaining national political office. These days, when Murtha hops around the country trying to further demoralize America's servicemen and women fighting World War III, he takes along like-minded liberals to defend the integrity of...

New Allen Ad Could Be Devestating For Jim Webb

Detainee Rights: When the president asked the House to give him and our armed forces the tools to fight the war on terror, it should have been a slam-dunk. But 168 lawmakers said "no" — nearly all of them Democrats. Obviously, the Democrats think they're playing to their base — the Moveon.org and Netroots hard left that opposes America defending itself against terrorist predators. But beyond that, what could they be thinking? Ex-President Jimmy Carter, the worst commander in chief in over a century and the man arguably most to blame for today's terrorist mess, said "we're in much more...

HELENA - Tom Ridge, the former and first head of the federal Department of Homeland Security, took after Democratic Senate candidate Jon Tester on Wednesday, saying his call to repeal the federal Patriot Act is "ludicrous." Ridge, who said he was asked by former Republican Montana Gov. Marc Racicot to share his views with Montana reporters, said Tester's recent call to repeal the Patriot Act is "unfathomable, almost inexplicable." Tester, a Big Sandy farmer and current president of the Montana Senate, is challenging U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont. In a debate with Burns in Butte on Saturday, Tester said he...

HELENA - Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jon Tester's campaign filed a complaint Tuesday charging that a corporate sponsor with close ties to Republican Sen. Conrad Burns received premium reserved seats at a Butte debate in violation of federal election law. Montanans for Tester filed the six-page complaint with the Federal Election Commission over what happened in a debate between Tester and Burns Saturday night in Butte. The Montana Standard, Resodyn Corp. and Rhodia Chemical Co., sponsored the debate, with Resodyn and Rhodia each paying $200 to help rent the theater, while the Standard kicked in the other $100, plus some...

Received this morning in my throw away email address. From: "Bill Clinton" {dccc@dccc.org} Subject: The Difference Between Us and Them Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 11:42:43 -0400 Contribute NOW before September 30th to take advantage of the DCCC's 3-to-1 match. Dear Lewis, The stakes have never been higher. The opportunity has never been greater. In fewer than 40 days, we have the opportunity to send America in a new direction and elect leaders who will bring the change this nation desperately needs. The governing philosophy of the Republicans leading America today could be described as divide and conquer. Time after...

But with a few notable exceptions, the Democrats are mostly ducking the hard question of what to do next. They act as if all those America-hating terrorists will evaporate back into the sands of Anbar province if the United States pulls out its troops. Alas, that is not the case. That is the problem with Iraq -- it is not an easy mistake to fix. An example of the Democrats' fudge on Iraq was highlighted yesterday by Post columnist Dana Milbank in his description of retired Maj. Gen. John Batiste's appearance before the Senate Democratic Policy Committee. Senators cheered Batiste's...

Whenever I hear my fellow conservatives talk about sitting out the election in November, I want to grab them and shake them until their teeth rattle. Anything that puts Democrats even an inch closer to appointing federal judges should be more than enough reason to get every right-winger off the couch and down to his polling place. In case you think I'm engaging in election year hyperbole, consider Judge Stephen Roy Reinhardt. He has been the mainstay of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit for the past quarter of a century, ever since Jimmy Carter foisted him...

As President Bush comes off a series of speeches designed to reassure the American people, a classifiesd report from the nation's 16 spy agencies tells a different story. According to an estimate from the National Intelligence Council, the war in Iraq is making the threat of terrorism worse. America is less safe today than it was after Sept. 11, 2001, because the conflict is creating more extremists... The White House says the leaked portions of the report are incomplete and out of context. One of the aides emphasized that they believed taking the fight to the terrorists was, in their...

LOS ANGELES - Movie producer Stephen L. Bing is believed to have set a new California campaign contribution record with Thursday's announcement that he has donated an "unprecedented" $40 million to Proposition 87, the oil tax initiative on the November ballot. While other wealthy activists have contributed large sums to their own political campaigns, no individual is known to have contributed this much to a ballot measure in California. Airline executive Al Checchi, for instance, gave more than $40 million to his 1998 gubernatorial campaign before losing the Democratic primary. Former President Bill Clinton praised Bing for his $40 million...

WASHINGTON — Conservative activists are heaping criticism on Sen. John McCain for fighting President Bush over proposed rules for the interrogation of terrorism suspects, a dispute that has reopened long-standing divisions between the maverick Republican lawmaker and his party's establishment. The attack from the right, which coalesced over the weekend, could undercut McCain's effort to woo Bush backers and other party regulars for an anticipated 2008 presidential bid. His position on terrorism prisoners has fueled critics' skepticism about McCain's conservative credentials. "This very definitely is going to put a chilling effect on the tremendous strides he has made in the...

Congress06 2006 US Congressional Control Market Market: Name: CONGRESS06 Description: 2006 Congressional Control Market Open Date: 06/01/06 12:00 PM Close Date: Assets: Name Description RH_RS06 $1 if Republican House, Republican Senate in 2006 election RH_NS06 $1 if Republican House, Non-Republican Senate in 2006 election NH_RS06 $1 if Non-Republican House, Republican Senate in 2006 election NH_NS06 $1 if Non-Republican House, Non-Republican Senate in 2006 election

As Democrats get more desparate, they are continuing their deception and fear mongering of Republicans. Received this one this evening; From: "Karin Johanson, DCCC Executive Director" {dccc@dccc.org} Subject: Race Update: Republicans Run Away Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 15:57:14 -0400 BREAKING NEWS: Bob Ney pleads guilty. Today, disgraced, retiring Congressman Bob Ney pleaded guilty in the federal investigation surrounding the admitted felon and former Republican super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff. News reports indicate that Ney delayed the announcement to avoid "influencing" the special election to replace him. Just another example of the widespread corruption of Bush's Rubber Stamps. Dear Lewis, They can...

This meeting was for Kansas City and Saint Joseph. This was the first NRA-ILA activism meeting I have ever attended, so I don't really have a reference point. That being said... The NRA has put together a 13 minute movie on the gun confiscations during Katrina that is incedibly powerful. I hope they stream it so we can spread it around (unlike the LaPierre/Peters debate that we had to buy). This movie will convert moderate anti-gunners as well as motivate the 80 million gun owners who aren't NRA members and who don't vote. The NRA rep said the movie isn't...

The principal financial backer of a statewide parcel tax initiative has apparently stopped funding the drive, leaving supporters without the kind of cash, staff and ads typically needed for a full-fledged campaign. Political consultant Rick Claussen said he has advised Netflix CEO Reed Hastings to "let go" of Proposition 88, which would establish a $50 parcel tax on all property for public school funding. "Because of the anti-tax sentiments right now, we took a look at the measure and felt it was better to let go of this one and regroup and decide where we might go in the future,"...

Matt Lauer had a chuckle at the expense of his guests - then took Dems to task. Michael Smerconish scolded a Republican. And Meredith Vieira gave further evidence of a style looser than that of her perky predecessor. That's the nutshell wrap on the first half-hour of this morning's Today. Politics first. Lauer opened his interview with the folliclely-challenged duo of James Carville and Philly radio host Michael Smerconish by rubbing his own less-than-hirsute pate and observing with a laugh in the shot captured here: "First time in a long time I feel like I have a luxuriant head of...

We're throwing a giant party to turn out progressive voters in key Congressional districts. At our National Call for Change Phone Party on September 16-17, we'll gather in living rooms and kitchens across the country, cell phones in hand, to win back Congress. We still need a party in (your city)—can you host? Big Event Tomorrow: Rep. Sherrod Brown of Ohio will kick off our Progressive Vision speech series with a spirited address on achieving health care for all. You're invited to watch this landmark event live at 12:30 PM Eastern (9:30 Pacific). Dear MoveOn member, We're throwing a party...

Zogby and the Wall Street Journal released a poll only two weeks after their last one. It represents a loss of 3.5 for Casey and a gain of 1.2% for Santorum. The Romanelli factor is unknown. Casey's lead has dropped from 9% in July and August to 4.1% today. The margin of error for poll was 3.3%. The polling was done between August 29th and September 5th, which means that only the last three days of polling would have covered the Meet the Press debate. The Casey performance's effect on this poll may be minimal. A 4.1% difference is closer...

Former first lady Nancy Reagan on Friday asked Virginia Democratic Senate candidate James Webb to not use a television commercial that shows former president Ronald Reagan praising Webb, his former Navy secretary. In a letter faxed to Webb at 5 p.m., the chief of staff of the Reagan Library in California urged him to not use footage from a speech by the former president at the Naval Academy in 1985. Webb is trying to unseat Sen. George Allen (R) in November's election. The speech lauded Webb and his achievements. "Using the president's name, image or likeness implies endorsement which is...

Rick Santorum (R-PA) was recently as many as 20 points behind. He had shown clear signs of making a strong come-back, pulling to within single digits, apart from a fluky-seeming Gallup/USA Today poll showing him trailing by 18. Then he trounced Bob Casey, Jr. in the debates. Now, there are rumors he has pulled to within the margin of error, and the source is none other than Casey's own polling! [National Review]: An internal Casey polls shows Santorum within the margin of error. [National Review Citation]: Casey's handlers are at loggerheads as far as when/if/how to go negative. The fear...

A really good election round up site is at CSPAN - surpringly! And at this point the site shows it is pretty much impossible for the Dems to take over the House and basically impossible to take over the Senate. On the right hand side of the site they have a small summary table for the House, Senate and Governorships. For the house the have it 203 seats dems (including safe, favor and lean) to 220 seats reps with 12 toss ups. If the dems take all the toss ups (highly unlikely) then the reps will have a majority 220-215....

TWO FACTORS will work against Republicans trying to retain control of the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate on Nov. 7 -- and they both have to do with the downside of being the party in power in Washington. First, there's President Bush. I've covered politics long enough to have lived through this cycle before -- the scorn which insiders in both parties heap on a White House in its second term, when every mistake made by an administration has been magnified and dissected. In another five years, Americans will look back at the Bushies' achievements. Today, the focus...

WASHINGTON — President Bush, warning Americans that "terrorists are still active... and still trying to kill our people," announced Wednesday the transfer of 14 key terrorist suspects from secret CIA custody to the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. He also announced that he was asking Congress to pass legislation that would allow the United States to try the terror suspects for war crimes. "The families of the 9/11 attacks have waited patiently for justice," Bush said in making the announcement. Issuing a warning to terrorists around the world, the president...

I spoke last week with a former top-level member of the Reagan administration, who has humbly faded into anonymity, but who is a very devout and pro-life Christian and a wondrously strong prayer warrior. This person was pleading... most assuredly not expecting me to post to such a forum... for prayers for the election of Liuetenant Governor Michael Steele to the United States Senate. She insists he is a wonderful man, dedicated profoundly to prayer. He is a daily communicant, a grace of extraordinary devotion among Catholics. Please pray for the election of Michael Steele, and if you live in...

Just filled up for $2.65 a gallon. That is down about $.30 from Aug 1st. Usually gas prices take a big drop after Labor day not before. So what is up with this? What are you all paying for a gallon where you are at?

Can't post the article but check it out! http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aHczjrHrbtxo

Some conservatives are alleging that the president suffers from an inability to communicate with the American people, and there may be some overrated truth to this. But in a news conference last Friday, we saw George W. Bush at his communicating best. Following a meeting with his economic advisors at Camp David, the president let ’er rip, stating that “The foundation of our economy is solid, and it’s strong. Because of the tax cuts we passed, American workers and families and small businesses are keeping more of the money they earn. And they’re using that money to drive this economy...

There are two main reasons why pundits are so bullish about a Democratic capture of the House of Representatives. The first is the generic ballot. The second is the high voter negatives on "right track/wrong track" questions. These two bits of evidence underlie the "tidal wave" metaphor we see everywhere, which implies that voters are going to act nationally this year.I dealt with the first issue in my last column. If you correct for the systemic pro-Democratic skew inherent to the generic ballot, you will see that - as of today - it is essentially predicting a draw. And, much...

Well, we have the MSM's drum beat slogan firmly established. It is increasingly being used time and again since the British uncovered their terror plot last week. Republicans are merely "using" this whole terror thing as a tactic to get votes. It couldn't be that we REALLY face terrorism, that is is something to be worried about and discussed seriously, right? Nah, it must just be a dirty GOP trick! Today, CNN has posted a story from their senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, titled "Can the GOP use the terrorism issue to win -- again?, Suspected plot to blow up...

Black Conservative Grassroots...

Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesday, anti-Iraq war candidate Ned Lamont beat Sen. Joseph Lieberman in Connecticut's Democratic primary. On Thursday, British authorities arrested more than 20 British Muslims who were plotting to blow up American airliners over the Atlantic Ocean. Tuesday was a victory for the angry antiwar Left that set the tone in the Democrats' 2003-04 presidential cycle and seems likely to set the tone again in 2007-08. Thursday was a reminder that there are, as George W. Bush has finally taken to calling them, Islamic fascist terrorists who want to kill us and destroy our way of life....

The foiled terrorist plot to explode airliners over the Atlantic reminds voters that the horrors of warfare they see unfolding on their television screens in Iraq and Lebanon could yet come home to America. There is no doubting the seriousness of the threat the British security forces uncovered, yet there is something disquieting about the way Republicans jumped on the story to reinforce their message coming out of the Connecticut primary that anti-war Democrats can’t be trusted with national security.