Free Republic

Anthea Butler Democrats will lose in 2018 if they don't shut up about civility and shout about our democracy dying Rejoice, Republicans, you will have another majority on your hands, because Democratic messaging for the 2018 election cycle is nonexistent. Harsh? Not even. The unimaginative leaders of the Democratic Party — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez — have been playing nice and talking about the virtues of "civility," while the Republican Party has been accusing Democrats of backing Communism and supporting the violent street gang MS-13. (Trump has...

Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., tried to ease the tensions between himself and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the insurgent Democrat who defeated the 10-term congressman in last month’s primary, after she bashed the incumbent last week for not getting his name off the ballot in the general election. “I don't want to take anything away from her win,” Crowley said Sunday on CBS News’ “Face The Nation.” “I did not do as I preached. I didn't remind folks of my accomplishments. I just took that for granted I think.” Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter on Thursday accusing Crowley of purposely staying in the race,...

OWENS CROSS ROADS, Ala. - An Alabama 13-year-old found dead in a wooded area last month was beheaded after she saw two men stab her grandmother to death, an investigator testified Thursday. The grisly details of Mariah Lopez’s slaying came out during the preliminary hearing of Yoni Martinez Aguilar, AL.com reported. Aguilar, 26, and Israel Gonzalez Palomino, 34, are each charged with two counts of capital murder in the deaths of Lopez and her 49-year-old grandmother and legal guardian, Oralia Mendoza. Palomino is also charged with possession of methamphetamine. Members of the middle schooler’s family wept as Investigator Stacy Rutherford...

Like you’re surprised? Planned Parenthood of New York City — claiming Big Apple residents “have more sex than anyone else in America. (Woo! We did it!)” — wants to “make sure that everyone has access to the sexual and reproductive health care services they need.” To that end, the organization launched a fundraising campaign this week aimed at millennials — and it broadcasts its intent in no uncertain terms: “Protect our freedom to f***.” ‘Proud to provide abortion services’ Planned Parenthood of New York City noted that in addition to being “proud to provide abortion services,” donations “will go toward...

Democrats hold a massive voter lead in states that require party registration, a gap of 12 million that could be key to whether the party takes control of the House and Senate in the fall midterm congressional elections, according to a new analysis. Overall, 40 percent of voters in 31 party registration states are Democrats, 29 percent are Republicans, and 28 percent are independents, according to a new report of July numbers from the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. The states include several with key battles over House seats such as California, New York, Florida, and Pennsylvania. The lead...

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Friday called on President Trump to cancel his summit with Russian President Vladi­mir Putin in the wake 12 Russian intelligence officers being charged with conspiring to hack Democrats during the 2016 presidential campaign. “Glad-handing with Vladimir Putin on the heels of these indictments would be an insult to our democracy,” Schumer (N.Y.) said in a statement less than an hour after Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein detailed the new charges at a midday news conference. Trump is scheduled to meet with Putin on Monday in Helsinki. During a joint news conference Friday...

Actual title: Democratic Congressmen Accuse Paul Ryan Of Political Stunt For Calling For Vote On THEIR ‘Abolish ICE’ Bill — Say They’ll Vote No Three Democratic congressmen declared on Thursday that they will vote “no” on their own legislation if House Speaker Paul Ryan puts their bill on the floor. Reps. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Adriano Espaillat of New York introduced the Establishing a Humane Immigration Enforcement Act earlier Thursday, which would abolish ICE within one year of enactment, and also assemble a commission tasked with setting up a new immigration enforcement agency. .... The...

So much for Democrats coming together in New York’s 14th congressional district. A feud erupted Thursday on Twitter between Democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and outgoing Democratic Rep. Joseph Crowley -- the longtime congressman Ocasio-Cortez shockingly defeated in New York’s primaries last month. The victor claimed the incumbent is now mounting a third-party bid. “.@repjoecrowley stated on live TV that he would absolutely support my candidacy,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Thursday. “Instead, he’s stood me up for all 3 scheduled concession calls.” The 28-year-old progressive Democrat added: “Now, he’s mounting a 3rd party challenge against me and the Democratic Party- and against the...

Yesterday we posted about uber-ambitious New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is furiously trying to out-promise a fellow pro-abortion Democrat running for governor in his commitment to extending , amplifying, and expanding abortion. Cuomo holds a press conference Monday warning state Senate Republicans to immediately reconvene to pass the “Reproductive Health Act” which is even more radical than Roe. If not, he threatened, voters will send Senate Republicans packing. (The state Assembly is safely in the hands of pro-abortion Democrats.) Tuesday gubernatorial rival Cynthia Nixon does Cuomo one better at her rally. Waving a coat hanger (these people are nothing...

A man has reportedly been injured in a knife attack by multiple people in broad daylight on a busy Manhattan street. The incident was reported at 1.30pm on Thursday in Greenwich Village. A 911 caller told police that several suspects were involved during the attack outside 11 W 14th Street. The suspects reportedly fled in a white Mercedes-Benz with New York license plates. Police are currently canvassing the area for suspects and have requested an ambulance for someone with an injury to the face. This story is developing.

Hearing with FBI agent goes off the rails after GOP congressman asks how many times he lied to his wife about cheating on her A congressional hearing devolved into chaos Thursday afternoon when Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas attacked FBI agent Peter Strzok over his extramarital affair with FBI lawyer Lisa Page. While accusing Strzok of lying under oath, Gohmert said, "I can't help but wonder when I see you looking there with a little smirk, how many times did you look so innocently into your wife's eye and lied to her about Lisa Page?" The House chamber quickly broke...

<p>CLYDE, N.Y. — Police in upstate New York say a woman falsely accused someone of rape for not giving her a ride home.</p> <p>The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office says 27-year-old Jessica Gallagher of Clyde was charged Sunday with false reporting of a crime. Deputies say Gallagher told police she was abducted by a man she met on a dating app before being blindfolded and raped.</p>

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has asked the offices of all 93 U.S. attorneys to each provide up to three federal prosecutors to assist the Justice Department in reviewing government records of President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the New York Times reports, citing a letter it obtained. Why it matters: The Times notes that this is an unusual move because department attorneys are not typically responsible for carrying out such a task. "The production of documents could slow down a confirmation hearing that has already shaped up as a sharp partisan battle. Democratic lawmakers say they want to...

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) held a joint call Tuesday to announce their efforts to comply with a June 26 federal court ruling mandating children under five years old in HHS custody be “reunited” with parents if they were separated at the border. U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw, in response to an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lawsuit, set a July 10 deadline to reunite the families and refused to provide additional time for the government to use DNA testing to determine if the people in question are even the 102...

A Democratic candidate for a seat in the California state assembly blames Israel for committing genocide against the Palestinians and has offered her support for anti-Semitic Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Maria Estrada, a candidate for California’s District 63 representing the southeast suburbs of Los Angeles, garnered the second most votes, some 28 percent, in a top-two primary on June 5 for the November election. She will run against incumbent and fellow Democrat Anthony Rendon, who also serves as Speaker of the California State Assembly. In an op-ed published in the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, Rabbi Abraham Cooper and...

The “Unmasking Antifa Act of 2018,” legislation introduced in the House, carries a potential 15-year prison sentence for those caught engaging in behaviors typically associated with the “antifa” movement of anti-fascist activists. Under the act, anyone “wearing a mask” or in disguise who “injures, oppresses, threatens, or intimidates any person … in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege” is subject to a fine or up to 15 years in prison. The bill was introduced in the House last month but received renewed attention on Tuesday after alt-right personality Mike Cernovich encouraged his followers to call their...

Already preparing for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined abortion activists this week to push for measures to protect abortion on demand. Cuomo, a Democrat who is up for re-election, signed an executive order Tuesday directing state agencies to make rules forcing health insurers to cover all forms of contraception, including those that may cause abortions, the Journal News reports. The governor also urged the state legislature to pass a radical pro-abortion bill that would keep abortion on demand legal if Roe is overturned. Surrounded by abortion activists Monday at a...

At CityLab, Gabriel Metcalf wrote that he specifically moved to San Francisco for its progressive policies but that those policies have caused a housing shortage of epic proportions. “San Francisco progressives chose to stick with their familiar stance of opposing new development, positioning themselves as defenders of the city’s physical character,” he wrote. And: “Over the years, these anti-development sentiments were translated into restrictive zoning, the most cumbersome planning and building approval process in the country, and all kinds of laws and rules that make it uniquely difficult, time-consuming, and expensive to add housing in San Francisco.” Likewise, New York’s...

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer launched a preemptive attack Monday on President Trump’s looming Supreme Court pick, saying the nominee must “share their personal views” on abortion in order to be confirmed. Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat, said senators should no longer accept general promises of fealty to precedent, and will instead demand...

NEW YORK—Adorama, an electronics store on West 18th St. in Manhattan, bills itself as, “more than just a camera store.” On July 5, the store found itself uncomfortably involved in more than cameras, as it became embroiled in the heated feelings surrounding the Walk Away Movement. Brandon Straka, the founder of the movement that encourages Democrats to walk away from their party, had gone there to purchase media equipment for his burgeoning role as a mediator between the left and the left’s apostates: Democrats who find themselves on a spectrum from loving President Donald Trump to hating the hatred of...