Free Republic

I remember "Dan's bake sale" years ago. It's where a caller was trying to raise money in order to buy the Limbaugh newsletter. The crowds where large (80,000). I wonder if the conservative movement needs another "bake sale".....its own Woodstock.

Sarah Palin sat down Friday night with Tribune-Review political reporter Salena Zito for a wide-ranging interview that covered the economy, education, energy and the Alaska governor's approach to governing. It was Palin's first face-to-face interview with a print reporter as Republican vice presidential candidate. John McCain's running mate was in Pittsburgh for a fundraiser at the Westin Convention Center Hotel, Downtown. Palin: Energy independence ... certainly will stimulate our economy, circulating the dollars that we're presently spending overseas and in other countries; ... but also the clean coal technology that we got to be able to tap into; and the...

Floridians, when you cast your ballot on the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment this year, look at Massachusetts, California – and now Connecticut. Contrary to claims of the liars attempting to scare Floridians into voting against the marriage amendment because of the false assertions that the measure is about everything other than marriage, the Connecticut Supreme Court’s 4-3 ruling today legalizing “gay marriage” is the latest reminder of why we need Amendment 2. This is not an academic, esoteric debate. The Florida Marriage Protection Amendment (also known as Amendment 2) is Floridians’ chance to settle the definition of marriage in our...

Los Angeles - Emphasizing the urgency of California’s Proposition 8--ProtectMarriage.com, today the Connecticut Supreme Court legalized gay marriage by a narrow margin, 4-3. Close votes also defined gay marriage in the states of Massachusetts and California. The State of Iowa was also scheduled this week to hear arguments on same sex marriage. In answer to today’s decision, the Protect Marriage Coalition and its volunteers are stepping up efforts and continuing their unprecedented grassroots campaign across the state of California. This weekend hundreds of thousands of lawn signs will appear on lawns in every community. Church services in some African American...

Whither Conservatism? by: Jesse Masai, October 10, 2008 For anyone disillusioned about the current health of the conservative movement, the Heritage Foundation is the place to have been on October 7. There, at its Allison Auditorium, Harvey C. Mansfield delivered a lecture on the movement’s future as well as a constitutional basis for it. The William R. Kenan Jr. professor of Government at Harvard University delivered the lecture in honor of Russell Kirk, one of the patron saints of the conservative movement. He said: “Conservatism is faced with three important dilemmas: Should it be compassionate, interventionist, international?” He suggested that...

October 10, 2008 All That Darned ConservatismBy Randall Hoven Did you realize that we conservatives got all we wanted and that's what screwed up just about everything, from hurricanes and Iraq to the global financial meltdown?  That's a rapidly-developing propaganda theme being disseminated in the Big Media. Case in point: Thomas Frank (What's the Matter with Kansas?) in the Wall Street Journal. "Over many years of ascendancy, conservative Republicans have filled government agencies with conservative Republicans and proceeded to enact the conservative Republican policy wish list -- tax cuts, deregulation, privatization, outsourcing federal work, and so on. "And as a...

Modern conservatism began as a movement of dissident intellectuals. Richard Weaver wrote a book called, “Ideas Have Consequences.” Russell Kirk placed Edmund Burke in an American context. William F. Buckley famously said he’d rather be governed by the first 2,000 names in the Boston phone book than by the faculty of Harvard. But he didn’t believe those were the only two options. His entire life was a celebration of urbane values, sophistication and the rigorous and constant application of intellect. Driven by a need to engage elite opinion, conservatives tried to build an intellectual counterestablishment with think tanks and magazines....

We, as parents, are well aware of the importance of our teachers who teach and program our children. We also know how important it is for our children to play with good-thinking children growing up. Sen. Barack Obama has grown up with the teaching of very angry, militant white and black people: the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan, William Ayers and Rev. Michael Pfleger. We cannot say we are not affected by teachers who are militant and angry. We know too well that we become like them, and Mr. Obama will run this country in their mindset. The Democratic Party,...

RUSH: What a sad state journalism must have to be in. We know it is, but it was on display last night, the sad state of journalism. You know it's bad when they have to drag Tom Brokaw out of Jurassic Park to moderate the debate. What happened to Brian Williams? What happened to Charlie Gibson? What happened to Katie Couric? Why go to Jurassic Park? Folks, I am sitting here, all I can do today is laugh. I've been having so much fun getting ready for today's show and I'm going to share it with you, greetings, great to...

If you couldn't tell from my post below, I think the McCain housing plan is a disaster. It's Dodd-Frank on steroids. I didn't get the chance to ask any questions in the conference call earlier, but here is what was one my mind: 1. Why are you replicating the Dodd-Frank legislation bailout in your plan? Their plan gave $300 billion to FHA to guarantee failed mortgages. It passed in July. Shouldn't we give that some time to work? 2. Why does your plan empower the Treasury Secretary to buy up these failed mortgages and renegotiate them? Shouldn't that power be...

I was a Fredhead way back when.. before Fred was on the trail. Before anyone else was pushing him. Today, I still like Fred. But I am disappointed beyond words in his refusal to lead. This PAC is too "politics as usual". Yeah, Fred's on my side, but this is "normal behavior". We are in an extraordinary time. Leadership is proactive. It is relentless. It stakes out a path and dares others to follow it. And right now, America is drowning in foolishness and irresponsibility by our elected officials. There's lots of voices not being heard. But nobody is exerting...

[B]oth Democratic and Republican nominees for President, self-professed agents of reform, followed the cattle call to back the bailout. Sen. Obama, who claims to be the messiah of change, sure is showing his true colors in two huge decisions – first by his appointment of politics-as-usual Joe Biden and now by his vote to pass this economic bailout bill and drive us deeper into debt. And, quite frankly, Sen. McCain is also disappointing me at this point. At the Republican Convention, John talked about bringing the power back to the people. So he chose Sarah Palin, and finally gained my...

The plot: It's the Fourth of July, and a goofy grandfather, Leslie Nielsen, is telling his grandchildren a fairy tale about the grinch who stole Independence Day. Only it's not a grinch. It's Michael Moore, er . . . "Michael Malone." And it's a true story, not a fairy tale. Moore/Malone wants to eliminate the Fourth of July and has enlisted a number of liberal groups to do it with him. Meanwhile, Islamic terrorists want to recruit Moore to do a terrorist movie for them, to make it easier to recruit jihadists. Moore's nephew is in the military and wants...

WHEN IS JOHN McCAIN ACTUALLY GOING TO JOIN BATTLE WITH HIS OPPONENTS IN THIS CAMPAIGN? I have grown so discouraged with John McCain's inaction; his seeming lack of commitment; his refusal to take the fight to the enemy in this Presidential Campaign, that a few moments ago I submitted the comments below to his Official Campaign Website. For all I know they may be deleted and totally disregarded by the operatives at his end. But they relect my true feelings at this juncture.

The bailout bill that the U.S. Senate passed late Wednesday night is not the remedy for what ails this nation's economy. While we are all anxious to take action to help America recover from it's current financial crisis, it does us no good to pass a bill that does not address the underlying problem before us, and that's the credit crunch. After the defeat of the original proposal in the House on Monday, Congress had an opportunity to really address some of the shortfalls of the failed bill. Instead they loaded on millions of dollars in pork barrel spending and...

RUSH: CNN ran a report last night on the Situation Room -- we have a montage of this report -- claiming that I am the one who stopped the bailout and if the president wants this thing, he needs to call me. The correspondent here is Elaine Quijano, and she is speaking to their Republican consultant here in the piece, John Feehery: RUSH ARCHIVE: Screw the market. Okay, I'll take that back, not screw the market, but let me tell you something. When the government fails to pass a socialism bill and the market goes south, let it go south....

Sen. George Voinovich will vote for the latest financial bailout bill tonight "with a heavy heart." He explains in a statement: "I have spent my entire career focusing on eliminating debt at the local, state and federal level so we don't pass it on to our children and grandchildren. While deciding to vote for a package of this magnitude feels like being punched in the gut, the thought of what would happen to average Americans if we didn't do this is much more painful. I am, however, very pleased to see that any profit we may make off this deal...

In Washington over the last week, there were lots of ideas about what a bailout of Wall Street ought to look like. But none had less chance of becoming law than the plan put out by the core of the House GOP caucus, the conservatives known as the Republican Study Committee. The members of this group (which has more than its share of extremists and buffoons) offered as the cure to our current woes the removal of regulations on businesses and a suspension of the capital-gains tax, as though they were the congressional equivalent of those Japanese soldiers hunkered down...

RUSH: I'm going to tell you why we're having fun here, because we're getting the truth out. This is a program exclusively devoted to the truth, a relentless, unstoppable pursuit of the truth. I don't say this bragging even though I can because it ain't bragging if you can do it. I'm watching everywhere, there's one exception, there's a couple people on Fox and one person on CNBC that's getting this right. Other than that, this program and other similar programs on talk radio are the only place you can go to get the truth about what is happening here,...

RUSH: I've gotta check the transcripts of the first half hour of this program today. There's a story that's just been posted by Politico and also at CBS News on their website. The headline to this story is: "House GOP Mocked by Rush." Now, as far as I remember, I said, "God bless the House Republicans," today. "House GOP Mocked by Rush." For those of you in the House GOP -- those of you on The Hill listening, those of you who know people on the Hill -- I did not mock the House GOP today. I got on conservative...

Conservatism Can Be Revived: Unmasking Neocons Just a Beginning By Joseph Baldacchino Despite the apparent momentum of the Republican Party in the presidential race, it is clear that the party is tottering on the edge of intellectual and moral bankruptcy. Americans by overwhelming margins have had their fill of the George W. Bush Administration, and they have little faith in the GOP's nominee to succeed Bush. It is only because the Democrats have put forth a candidate who raises even more serious doubts that the Republicans may be able to avert electoral disaster. Americans are tired of the Administration’s policy...

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 The Legacy of "Conservatism" An interesting question: what now amid the wreckage can be seen as the legacy of "conservative" governance over the past 38 years (from the time of Reagan's ascendance) - what did it accomplish? The answer that begs to be spoken: not much. Or maybe: too much (destruction). While the stock market is higher than it was in the 1980s, a good deal of its rise was the result of the fiscally responsible Clinton 90's. The national mood is about where it was at the end of Carter's term. Military morale is likely...

RUSH: I want to dedicate today's Dow Jones Industrial Average, it's at about 269, up at the moment, to the Republicans in the House of Representatives for their boldness yesterday. Greetings, ladies and gentlemen, Rush Limbaugh, the Excellence in Broadcasting Network, and three hours of broadcast excellence, as you have come to know, love, and expect, straight ahead for the next three hours. Telephone number, 800-282-2882. The e-mail address, ElRushbo@eibnet.com. I was going to say, I can't believe how wrong everybody's getting this. Then I have to stop and think, yes, I can believe how wrong everybody's getting this, because...

I've been getting grief for not supporting John McCain. Some may say, in fact, I'm being dangerous or petty at the expense of our nation by not being a dutiful Republican. As if surely any Republican President is better than any Democrat President. Most will say that it's selfish to just let Obama win the White House simply because I differ from our nominee. What with a more-than-likely Democrat House and Senate, stepping aside and letting Obama win will shut us totally out of power and give him free reign to do as he pleases, after all. They ask: Where...

The ultimate example of opportunistic politics before good government was displayed in Washington over the past several days. Political operatives from both sides of the aisle did everything in their power to create a government-based solution to the financial crisis facing our country; a government-created problem. In the end the US House of Representatives voted down the highly contentious Wall Street bailout bill mostly due to the fact that we are within the 30-day window when voters do not forget actions taken by their elected officials. If only the public’s attention were always so focused. In the end 90 House...

It was just two days short of being an October surprise. A historic House vote on the Paulson bailout plan became historic for a reason no one expected: It went down to defeat, and not by a narrow margin. As the Dow plummeted 777 points, Republicans and Democrats took to the microphones to play the blame game, no holds barred. Superficially, both parties are to blame: 133 Republicans and 95 Democrats voted against, large numbers in both caucuses. But a majority of Democrats voted in favor. Republicans said a harshly partisan speech by Nancy Pelosi turned off about a dozen...

I’ve seen and heard the anecdotes about McDonald’s franchises getting denied credit spread everywhere over the past week. Stop pounding the panic button. Don’t blame the bailout flame-out. Memo to the McChicken Littles: The sky is not falling because we refused to fork over $700 billion to failing banks. The inconvenient truth: Bank of America said it is not freezing any current or new lines of credit to McDonald’s Corp. franchise owners, despite reports citing an internal memo from the fast-food giant advising franchisees of the contrary. Bank spokesman Larry DiRita said the Charlotte-based bank will continue to honor its...

Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn was among the conservative Republicans who bucked both parties’ leaders to kill the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 on Monday. She explained her reasoning to National Review Online editor Kathryn Lopez. Kathryn Jean Lopez: Monday morning on Bill Bennett’s radio show, you said you were leaning “no.” What solidified that no? Marsha Blackburn: Hearing from my constituents in the district solidified the “no” vote. We had phone calls and e-mails by the thousands. They did not want a bill that would favor Wall Street over the taxpayer. Lopez: Are you concerned by your vote you...

As the November election approaches, there remains a contingent of the conservative base who still refuses to get behind John McCain. While that number has slowly dwindled over time, some still steadfastly oppose the Arizona senator. Certain states will likely decide the election, and if the vote is close in these states, conservatives who either refuse to vote or choose to vote for a third-party candidate instead of McCain could help, in effect, elect Barack Obama. One conservative who refuses to back John McCain is Joseph Farah, founder of WorldNetDaily.com. In a column in August, Farah elucidated his position. Writing...

God has given to men all that is necessary for them to accomplish their destinies. He has provided a social form as well as a human form. And these social organs of persons are so constituted that they will develop themselves harmoniously in the clean air of liberty. Away, then, with quacks and organizers! Away with their rings, chains, hooks, and pincers! Away with their artificial systems! Away with the whims of governmental administrators, their socialized projects, their centralization, their tariffs, their government schools, their state religions, their free credit, their bank monopolies, their regulations, their restrictions, their equalization by...

I listened in on a phone conference this evening with anti-bailout conservatives, congressional staffers, and other Hill insiders. With only one exception, the groups and individuals on the call all opposed the bailout in its current form. They also concurred that this deal is worse than the one Paulson proposed — on constitutional, policy, and fiscal grounds. Phone calls to congressional offices continue to show overwhelming public opposition to the massive, unprecedented government giveaway. Nevertheless, GOP House Minority Leader John Boehner and the House Republican leadership have thrown in the towel. Make room for them on the couch with Gingrich...

RUSH: All righty, so Barack Obama, "call me if you need me," went to the gym this morning, took a quick shower, got in his airplane, headed for Mississippi, told the reporters he's been in constant contact, he'll stay in contact, he'll be available if he's needed. McCain, about a half an hour ago, said, (paraphrasing) "Okay I'm going to go down to Oxford, I'm going to do the debate, and I'll come back here to Washington, DC, to continue to work on this over the weekend." Greetings, my friends, Rush Limbaugh, the EIB Network, it's Friday. JOHNNY DONOVAN: Live...

Not every black person falls to the dark side of liberalism. Watch this hilarious video which promotes conservatism through humorous theater. "A fight breaks out between Darth Barack and one of the common folk, when Obama demands his vote, and is told no!Political satirical kung fu light saber fun!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbW64215HA8&feature=related

An Alaska mayor writes to a California newspaper: “Dear Editor,” Palin wrote in 2002. “San Francisco judges forbidding our Pledge of Allegiance? They will take the phrase ‘under God’ away from me when my cold, dead lips can no longer utter those words.”

Give John McCain credit where credit is due. A so-called "maverick" and ideological Liberal-Independent in Republican clothing, his dance to the mythical Center (Left, in reality) was clearly not working and his campaign was floundering. In one bold stroke, he did what he needed to do. In picking Sarah Palin as his running mate, McCain re-energized the core conservative base of the Republican party and suddenly vaulted ahead of Obama in the polls. You can talk all you want about Palin's appeal to women and her folksy style, but she is what McCain is not; a card-carrying conservative to the...

Okay, I don't know what the solution to this crisis is, but we all know that this bailout is NOT it. I've heard several people on these boards talk about this not being the time to stand up for our conservative beliefs, and I think that is b.s. This is the time when our conservatism is needed the most. We are about to fundamentally shape the nature of this country in a way that would make our founding fathers sick. This nation was founded on conservatism, though it was called "classic liberalism" at the time. Rolling over and accepting this...

The Culture Project Explained The Culture Project is devoted to the idea that cultural renewal cannot be achieved through politics alone. Culture shapes politics. The opposite mentality has limited the right’s long-term political success in the past half-century, because people’s basic assumptions come from our liberal-dominated culture—from the education system, entertainment, and the media—and these are all areas that conservatives have largely abdicated to the left the last 40 or 50 years. We cannot move America back to the values our country was founded on solely through politics. Only a serious, conscious effort toward cultural renewal can do that. The...

The Culture Project Explained The Culture Project is devoted to the idea that cultural renewal cannot be achieved through politics alone. Culture shapes politics. The opposite mentality has limited the right’s long-term political success in the past half-century, because people’s basic assumptions come from our liberal-dominated culture—from the education system, entertainment, and the media—and these are all areas that conservatives have largely abdicated to the left the last 40 or 50 years. We cannot move America back to the values our country was founded on solely through politics. Only a serious, conscious effort toward cultural renewal can do that. The...

I need help with the philosophy of International Trade. What is the conservative view of International Trade? Thank you, Jonathan

Kill the bailout: Phones ringing off the hook; student loans, car debt added to proposal By Michelle Malkin • September 23, 2008 10:27 PM We don’t have to have this trillion-dollar bailout shoved down our throats. You can make a difference. Phones are ringing off the hook. Peter Viles at L.A.Land: A key quote in this morning’s Senate hearing about the Paulson bailout is worth repeating. This comes from Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat: “Like my colleagues, my phones have been ringing off the hook. The sentiment from Ohioans about this proposal is universally negative.” Not “overwhelmingly negative.”...

1. Keep spending within constitutional limits. The Tenth Amendment restricts the size of government, and that should always bear out in the federal budget and spending. That means understanding income and export taxes were unconstitutional to our founders, which if applied today would be two of the greatest economic stimulus packages. 2. Return to a pay-as-you-go government. If we don't have the money, we don't spend it. Period. No more debt. No more bailouts. No more spending. As Thomas Jefferson once wrote to Fulwar Skipwith in 1787, "[T]he maxim of buying nothing but what we had money in our pockets...

I've been thinking alot about this election season as of late. I've looked back at the ups and downs, the highs and lows of this whole festival we call the presidential elections. What a roller coaster ride it has been, and that ride has brought me to this thread and feeling the need to vent a bit. When this whole zoo kicked off, I was and to a large degree remain a full-throated supporter of Duncan Hunter. One can only imagine how energized the conservative cause would have been with a Hunter/Palin ticket if that had occurred. For whatever reason...

THE MORE I LISTEN TO AND READ ABOUT “the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate,” the more I like him. Barack Obama strikes a chord with me like no political figure since Ronald Reagan. To explain why, I need to explain why I am a conservative and what it means to me. In 1964, at the age of 16, I organized the Dallas County Youth for Goldwater. My senior thesis at the University of Texas was on the conservative intellectual revival in America. Twenty years later, I was invited by William F. Buckley Jr. to join the board of...

Different activities, different virtues The recent remarks of former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, asserting that none of the major party candidates for President or Vice President could run a major corporation, prompt me to set forth some thoughts I regard as fundamental to a true conservative understanding of the world. One of the hallmarks of conservatism according to Russell Kirk is its respect for the particular. Sadly too many so-called conservatives at the turn of the 21st century fail to embrace the respect of the particular. Just as those on the left seem to think that all human activities can...

Last week, the Barack Obama campaign ran an ad against John McCain. The ad didn't target McCain on policy or even on personality -- it targeted him on his age. While a picture of a disco ball is seen, followed by one of McCain in huge square-framed glasses, the narrator announces, "1982!" "John McCain goes to Washington. Things have changed in the last 26 years. But McCain hasn't. He admits he still doesn't know how to use a computer. Can't send an e-mail After one president who was out of touch, we just can't afford more of the same." It...

THE CONSERVATIVE ELITES ATTACK! In today's New York Times, David Brooks launches a critique of Sarah Palin, essentially concluding that her populist appeal is dangerous and ill-conceived. He yearns for the day when "conservatism was once a frankly elitist movement," one that stressed "classical education, hard-earned knowledged, experience, and prudence." Brooks, like a handful of other conservative intellectuals, believes Palin "compensates for her lack of experience with brashness and excessive decisiveness." Well, at the risk of appearing brash, let me say that I am glad to see my old friend finally pushed to the point where he has to make...

THE CONSERVATIVE ELITES ATTACK! In today's New York Times, David Brooks launches a critique of Sarah Palin, essentially concluding that her populist appeal is dangerous and ill-conceived. He yearns for the day when "conservatism was once a frankly elitist movment," one that stressed "classical education, hard-earned knowledged, experience, and prudence." Brooks, like a handful of other conservative intellectuals, believes Palin "compensates for her lack of experience with brashness and excessive decisiveness." Well, at the risk of appearing brash, let me say that I am glad to see my old friend finally pushed to the point where he has to make...

Observing the Sarah Palin phenomenon, does anyone feel like they're trapped in a singularly creepy remake of "Night of the Living Dead"? George W. Bush has been a political corpse for years. But Palin resembles a female version of Bush, brought back from the grave to win the election. You wouldn't think that the Republicans would want to exhume Bush. After all, his presidency has been a historic disaster, and the American people know it. But Bush was successful at one thing: winning elections. With its policies and ideology in ruins, Bush's political game plan is all that the GOP...

I am seeking sources on the internet that describe the real demographics of conservatives. I am to give a presentation and want it to be a fact based discussion of how we really are (not as the media portrays us - red-neck, gun toting, racists or blue-blood elitist, country club WASP's). Please direct me to data that I can use to tell them who we are....

I was born and lived in Philadelphia for 25 years. I moved away when I married, but still have family there. I was aware that The Bulletin, which used to be a great afternoon paper until it shut down many years ago, was revived four or five years ago. I have not seen a copy of it until today. Having vowed not spend one dime on either the Daily News or the Inquirer, both liberal, racist rags, I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by the content of the Bulletin. I imagine the circulation is minuscule, but I wonder...