Free Republic

If this Republic can once again remember what American leadership looks like, our greatest days are indeed ahead. Let us never again become enraptured by a cult of personality promoting empty rhetoric that is anathema to our fundamental principles and beliefs. As de Tocqueville stated, “America is great because America is good, when America ceases to be good it will no longer be great.” Leaders inspire people to dream great dreams and bring them to fruition, not sell us products. Watch this video — less than a minute. It will make you cry.

That line in a speech during the annual Education Minnesota conference last week put Megan Olivia Hall, the state’s teacher of the year, in the line of fire. Hall, a grade 7-12 science teacher at Open World Learning Community in St. Paul said: I think about all of the teachers in the St. Paul Public Schools who gave up our cost of living raise in 2010 in an effort to limit class size in our district. Teachers are persistent and responsible and generous because we believe every child in America, regardless of circumstances of birth, deserves a decent chance at...

The White House has invited all House Republicans to a meeting on Thursday but Boehner limited the group to 18 Republicans who hold leadership positions. "President Obama is disappointed that Speaker Boehner is preventing his members from coming to the White House," White House spokesman Jay Carney. "The president thought it was important to talk directly with the members who forced this economic crisis on the country about how the shutdown and a failure to pay the country's bills could devastate the economy," he said.

Just announced on Fox.

Skeptics and deniers can make all the noise they want, but a landmark new report is unequivocal: There is a 95 percent chance that human-generated emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are changing the climate in ways that court disaster. Atmospheric science is difficult because there are so many variables involved. But, the infamous "hockey stick" graph showing global temperatures rising over time, first slowly and then sharply, remains valid. Sea levels will continue to rise because of warming — water expands as it heats — and because of glacial melting. "A large fraction of anthropogenic climate change...

<p>WASHINGTON — California Sen. Barbara Boxer’s Capitol Hill office was locked, with a sign reading, "Office closed due to government shutdown."</p> <p>Much of her staff has been furloughed. The number of staffers answering calls has been scaled back. Casework has been suspended.</p>

It's hard to keep up with the mind-numbing flood of putrid malfeasance gushing from Barack Obama (or whatever his name is), the communist Democrats and the detestable "RINO" Republicans in Congress. And while we try to monitor the constant barrage of lies, anti-Americanism and criminal behavior of these people, it's easy to lose sight of what's going on at the state and local levels. Who has time to chronicle everything? So, it's no surprise that living down here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, I missed news of the June mayoral election up in our state capital, Jackson. While I can...

The aborted Capitol Hill debate on military action against Syria put President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner in a rare place — on the same side. But each found himself sharply at odds with lawmakers of his own party. As Washington turns its attention to critical domestic issues this week, the turbulent political environment facing the nation’s leaders was put in sharp relief. With declining public support, the president must fend off GOP attacks on his signature health-care law, the Affordable Care Act, as his administration prepares to launch a centerpiece of the effort, online insurance marketplaces, in just...

Michelle Obama, who has for years been suggesting "Let's Move," Wednesday added a new directive in her campaign against obesity: "Drink up." The president's wife called on Americans to drink at least one extra glass of water daily. "That's it - it's really that simple. Drink just one more glass of water a day and you can make a real difference for your health, your energy, and the way you feel. So Drink Up and see for yourself," she said.

Reuters) - The Obama administration has delayed a step crucial to the launch of the new healthcare law, the signing of final agreements with insurance plans to be sold on federal health insurance exchanges starting October 1. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notified insurance companies on Tuesday that it would not sign final agreements with the plans between September 5 and 9, as originally anticipated, but would wait until mid-September instead, according to insurance industry sources. Nevertheless, Joanne Peters, a spokeswoman for HHS, said the department remains "on track to open" the marketplaces on time on...

“I think that Dr. King would be amazed in many ways about the progress that we’ve made,” he said. “What he would also say, though, is that the March on Washington was about jobs and justice,” he added. “And that when it comes to the economy, when it comes to inequality, when it comes to wealth, when it comes to the challenges that inner cities experience, he would say that we have not made as much progress as the civil and social progress that we’ve made, and that it’s not enough just to have a black president.

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama sought a progress report from state officials on Wednesday on the rollout of his signature health care law, stepping up his profile on the issue as the launch of a key provision of the law nears on October 1. Obama spoke by videoconference with the officials responsible for setting up new online health insurance exchanges that are at the heart of the program. These markets will offer private coverage at federally subsidized rates to individuals and families with low-to-moderate incomes. With the launch date less than five weeks away, the administration faces a daunting challenge...

The Republican Party is spending its summer engaged in traditional, old-timey fun, like this massive tug-of-war between congressional leadership and conservative members and activists over Obamacare. The leadership is diligently trying to pull the party toward an intricate legislative solution to the dispute, while the base is organizing all of its friends over to yank everyone off a cliff. That's a little strong, but perhaps not too much. There's a to-hell-with-it feel to the Republican base's opposition to Obamacare. If Democrats in the Senate or the White House won't vote to kill the program, a program central to conservative critique...

Cue up the indignant reactions: President Barack Obama and his family are about to go on an eight-day vacation on the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard, an elite playground for the East Coast wealthy set. Often the criticism of a president's vacation is partisan in nature, which is why White House spokesman Jay Carney dismissed a question about it when asked whether Obama's vacation was too extravagant. "I would just check what they said six years ago," he said, referring to a period when a Republican president, George W. Bush, was in office. Bush, who vacationed at his Texas ranch...

Unlike Clinton who actually knew how to govern and be a strong leader (even though often in the wrong direction), Obama is a worthless punk from the streets of Chicago who can't cope with the fact that he is neither white nor black, but a sad mixture of sleazy parents. But he and his leftist advisors are smart enough to create distractive news items that the lap dog press will happily trumpet to cover up all of his stupid mistakes that are now becoming blooming scandals.

Obama hailed hard-core communist revolutionary Ho Chi Minh today as a pretty open guy who was actually inspired by the Founders...

Touting his government efficiency programs, President Obama today directed his cabinet to craft a management agenda that allows the federal government to be “smarter, quicker and more responsive to the needs of the American people.” “Taxpayers deserve the biggest bang for their buck, especially at a time when budgets are tight and we’ve got to do a lot more with less,” he said. ”I’m going to keep on doing what we can administratively, but we sure could use Congress’ help.” “Particularly at a time when Congress is saying they want more efficient government, they give a lot of lip service...

Exclusive!!! NSA Leaks Journalist Glenn Greenwald, Addressed a Marxist-Leninist Conference Trevor Loudon June 12, 2013 Glenn Greenwald, the Guardian journalist who helped Edward Snowden launch the NSA leaks scandal, addressed a radical Marxist-Leninist conference in 2011. Get the details!http://www.trevorloudon.com/2013/06/exclusive-nsa-leaks-journalist-glenn-greenwald-addressed-a-marxist-leninist-conference/

South African riot police clashed with protesters in Soweto on Saturday shortly before a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama. Armed police fired stun grenades to disperse the crowd of several hundred protesters, who had gathered outside the Soweto campus of the University of Johannesburg, where Obama was due to address a town hall meeting with students.

PRETORIA, South Africa - Nelson Mandela "opened his eyes" and smiled after being told of President Barack Obama's imminent visit to South Africa, his daughter said Tuesday, adding to speculation that the two men might meet. The 94-year-old remains in a critical condition, South Africa’s government said Tuesday as relatives gathered at his home for a family meeting that local media reports described as “urgent.” The anti-apartheid campaigner and democracy icon has been in hospital with a lung infection since June 8. His condition was downgraded over the weekend from "serious but stable" to “critical.” Obama is due to leave...