Free Republic

The challenge facing any political institution based on artifice lies in selling its delusions to the voting public. A glance at the record demonstrates that the American left has an outstanding record in bringing this off. Events of recent months show that it has not lost its touch. In 2014, a virtual avalanche of nonstop high-level governmental propaganda cascaded throughout the national media intended to snow-blind the average American voter.  Here is a compilation of the most outrageous claims of a 21st Century statist government: 1. The border is less porous than it’s been any time since the 1970s. --...

Best (or worst) mugshots of 2014: A year-end round-up of America's strangest, funniest and most humiliating booking photos of the past year **SNIP** They are cautionary tales of what not to do when you're planning on breaking a law--like wearing an 'I love meth' t-shirt while using the drug, wearing a 'Drunk as s***' shirt while driving under the influence or selling marijuana while proclaiming 'All my friends are baked' on your person. Perhaps what these photos are trying to tells us is to just steer clear of novelty t-shirts. Other ways to avoid having your mug shot make it...

**SNIP** Over the past few years, the number of security incidents at federal agencies involving the potential exposure of personal information has skyrocketed -- from about 10,400 in 2009 to more than 25,500 in 2013, according to the Government Accountability Office. There’s no data yet this year on the total number of breaches at agencies in 2014. But with the year almost in the rearview mirror, Nextgov takes a look back at the 10 most impactful, high-profile or otherwise eyebrow-raising federal agency breaches. 1. White House Hacked The Obama administration has made cybersecurity a key priority, so it must have...

**SNIP** The San Francisco Democrat was a fairly high-profile member of the California Legislature, but not a flamboyant one or one who was the subject of gossip and rumor. And that’s probably why the news in March landed with such a bombshell, when the 66-year old former psychologist was arrested and charged with not only corruption, but also with allegedly participating in a scheme to smuggle illegal weapons into the United States. The irony was impossible to miss: gun trafficking charges against a Democrat who made a name for himself as a fierce advocate of gun control, a politician who...

Have Republicans disrupted Democrats’ demographic advantage?Working-class white voters continued their decadeslong defection from the Democratic Party. The president was a major drag on his party, particularly given a challenging Senate map. Turnout was historically low, even for a midterm election. The 2014 Republican landslide has both parties poring over the data, hoping to glean insights about the current state of the electorate before the 2016 elections. But it might take until the next presidential cycle to answer the most pressing question: Is Republicans’ 2014 success the result of significant changes in how voters view the two parties, or is the...

It would be the height of churlishness for even the most inveterate leftist to deny the import of someone who made Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People" list, and then the Smithsonian Institution's "100 Most Significant Americans Of All Time" list. Both affirmations were earned by former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. To then accept Governor Palin as "American Achiever of the Year 2014" would be for most, if not all on the left (and to be fair, many in the GOP) no doubt a bridge too far. However, such partisanship should not stand in the way of...

A trouncing! A tsunami! A shellacking! That's the conventional wisdom about last month's midterm elections. But it's wrong. Yes, the GOP picked up 12 seats in the House and gained at least seven seats in the Senate, but calling that a shellacking requires closing your eyes to some really big numbers. First, the average pickup for the opposition party in midterm elections that take place in the sixth year of a presidency is 29 seats in the House and six seats in the Senate. Second, 60 percent of voters told exit polls they were either "dissatisfied" with Republican leaders in...

Merry Christmas Freepers! Merry Christmas Freepers!

In the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Ringside Politics bestowed its first "Turkey of the Year" award to then New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin for his woeful leadership, bad judgment and embarrassing statements. Since then, we have been recognizing "turkeys" from both of the major political parties. For example, in 2014, we gave the "Turkey of the Year" award to a very worthy recipient, Republican House Speaker John Boehner. After years of putting the spotlight on "turkeys" we are pleased to announce our first "Champion of the Year." For 2014, there is no one more qualified for this honor than...

Wendy Davis, who lost the Nov. 4 gubernatorial election to Republican Greg Abbott, has won Texas Monthly magazine's coveted "Bum Steer of the Year" award for her "train wreck" of a campaign. The annual awards take a snarky jab at Texas politicians, odd news stories and personalities. Fromer winners include Anna Nicole Smith, Gov. Rick Perry, Lance Armstrong and Tom Delay. This year's cover depicts Davis stepping in a cow patty while wearing the bright pink Mizuno "Wave Rider" sneakers she donned during her 2013 filibuster against Texas' new abortion restrictions that brought her into the national spotlight. The magazine...

Last night, lawmakers released the massive, 1,603-page, $1.1 trillion spending bill that will fund the government for the coming year. Here are a few things Heritage experts have learned about the “cromnibus." The bill: Funds most of the federal government through September 30, 2015 while extending funding for the Department of Homeland Security until February 27, 2015. Does not block funding for President Obama’s amnesty. Makes only minor tweaks to Obamacare, but leaves the big-government health program otherwise intact. Continues the education spending spree, and in fact increases spending on K-12 and higher education.

A year-end review of 2014's Bible and religious movie lineup. In the beginning…of 2014…was the promise of Bible movies. And was it good? As 2014 dawned, it looked like the year the Hollywood seas would part for Bible and religious movie offerings. Three Bible epics were in development for nationwide release by major studios: Darren Aronofsky’s “Noah,” Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s “Son of God,” and Ridley Scott’s “Exodus: Gods and Kings.” Moreover, none other than superstar Angelina Jolie was directing a biopic of an evangelical lion and war hero Louis Zamperini. A slew of smaller films aimed at the...

There's no sugarcoating it. The November 2014 election results marked a serious setback for Democrats, the anti-ultra right alliance and the broad people's coalition led by labor. The fight for jobs at living wages, workers and immigrant rights, racial and gender equality, for climate justice and peace proceeds under more unfavorable conditions. The election resulted in a wave of victories for the Republicans and ultra right that may have surpassed 2010. However, while the GOP claims otherwise, it was not a mandate for right-wing policies. Grassroots efforts by labor and its allies mobilized millions of voters. Tens of thousands of...

When Democrats rebounded after George W. Bush’s presidency, the reasons were obvious. Bush’s devastating and costly war begun under erroneous pretenses; the administration’s failures in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; the precipitous fall into the Great Recession; and a charismatic Barack Obama waiting in the wings. When Republicans rebounded with a big win last month after six years of a Democratic Senate and presidency, the reasons are not so plain to see. ******************************************************* It’s impossible to discount the role of the media in shaping the opinion of the electorate in any era. So when the media repeatedly cites anti-Obama sentiment...

In the days since Election Day, and during the coming weeks and months, the message from the White House has been and will be put forth endlessly as accepted wisdom, the lie repeated often enough until it becomes truth: that Americans voted for Congress and the White House to “work together.” That what they want is government action to solve their problems. This assertion, which is not just wrong but disprovable, serves the White House purpose of quieting conservatives who are willing to muck up business as usual in order to scuttle or at least make a vigorous point about...

Arizona's 2nd District: Challenger Martha McSally (GOP) clings to a 179 vote lead against Ron Barber, the incumbent, who is still finding missing votes. Louisiana's 5th District: Jamie Mayo, the only Democrat candidate with 28%, faces a Saturday runoff with Ralph Abraham, who garnered 23% against a crowded GOP field of six candidates.

* MailOnline exclusively obtained a draft copy of the legislation under consideration by conservatives in the House * It says 'no part of any appropriation,' including 'funds or fees collected' can be used by 'any agency to implement' Obama's immigration directives * House Republicans will discuss the legislation at a closed-door meeting tomorrow on Capitol Hill * The language could be part of a must-pass bill that would keep the government's doors open beyond next Thursday * The White House reiterated its preference today that Congress pass a yearlong appropriations billThe White House said on Monday that it would veto...

Sen. Mary Landrieu is relying on a close group of staunch Democratic supporters as she makes a final push to save her Senate seat from Republican challenger Rep. Bill Cassidy ahead of a Dec. 6 Louisiana runoff election. The momentum seems to favor Cassidy. The GOP quickly coalesced behind Cassidy after the general election in November in which Cassidy and Landrieu received the most votes, but neither won enough to avoid a runoff. Cassidy has received a fresh round of endorsements from big-name 2016 contenders, including Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ken., and Texas Gov. Rick Perry....

No, red state women didn't save the party. But Ebola was a phony GOP-made crisis and Dems shouldn't have cowered. Thanksgiving is a great time for writers to reckon with whatever we got wrong over the year – and to be grateful that in this day and age we get to write every day, and put mistakes behind us quickly. So with the 2014 midterm election rapidly disappearing in the rearview mirror, I thought I’d reckon with my one big political mistake this past election cycle, as well as one big thing I got, sadly, right. In July 2013, long...

By the time this piece goes to press, America, for better or worse, will have a newly elected majority of Republicans sitting in the US Senate. Or at least that’s what the smart money, the boys in the back room say about how this 2014 off-year election will go down. So how do they know? Well there are several touchstones to tell us. Litmus paper tests to tell which way the wind will blow, you know? Polls they’re called. The public will. The voters’ choice. And why not? Ain’t that what democracy’s all about? Before the election, pollsters gather information...