Free Republic

Brent Batten: Gov. Palin fights back against her criticsBy BRENT BATTEN 11:12 p.m., Wednesday, September 3, 2008 ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Florida delegation to the Republican National Convention is less than 30 percent female. You wouldn’t know that, looking at the convention floor Wednesday night. State Party Chairman Jim Greer asked male delegates to give up their floor seats to women alternates and guests during the speech of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the party’s first female nominee for vice president. “When the convention looks down on Florida, they’re going to see women,” Greer said. That maneuver will quickly be...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was not happy with Sen. Joe Lieberman’s speech before the Republican National Convention Tuesday night.

We ran into actor Matthew Modine (remember "Full Metal Jacket"?!?) at Denver's La Rumba restaurant and, while the Obama supporter had plenty to say about John McCain's policies, he also had plenty of critiques of McCain's military service -- a topic that almost no one dares denounce. "I mean, he got shot down three times!" said Modine, taking on one of McCain's most lauded personal accomplishments. "That's not success!" While on a bombing mission over North Vietnam, McCain was shot down and held as a prisoner of war. When McCain's father was named commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam, the...

I made a fun little video of a screaming anti-war protester yesterday. This woman originally says she's there to stop the war. But then continually says she's running out of food. Then she starts screaming.. and her blabbering rivals anything Ted Kennedy's ever said. "We are going hungry!!!!"

While the Democrats had their week of unchallenged propaganda about their party – how perfect it is and how terrible the Republicans are – the latest good news about the economy and the average adjusted gross income went unnoticed. Once again, when Democrats don’t like the facts, they just ignore them with the help of the mainstream media. On August 26, Investor’s Business Daily reported data from the Internal Revenue Service showing that the average U.S. income had increased every year for five straight years through 2006. In fact, the $58,029 average was $739 higher than the peak year of...

Obama's speech electrifies Kenyans11:59, August 31, 2008 Kenyans on Friday joined the world in celebrating U.S. Democratic Party nominee Senator Barrack Obama's acceptance to vie for the presidency and thus become first black American to run for the top seat. Dozens of Obama's close relatives stayed awake across the country, particularly, Kogelo village, the family homestead, on Thursday night, awaiting his acceptance speech in Denver. According to local dailies on Saturday, thousands remained glued to their television screens on night to follow the proceedings live from the United States as a five-km dust road stretch to Sarah Obama's homestead remained...

<p>SHE'S just a beauty queen.</p> <p>She's another Dan Quayle.</p> <p>And ironically, the biggest criticism of Sarah Palin, John McCain's veep choice, is she has no experience. Funny, coming from the Barack Obama camp.</p> <p>Following McCain's announcement of Palin - the first female to be put on a GOP ticket for the White House, and only the second in US history - the Obama campaign skipped the niceties and blasted her as the "former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience." She's also a governor of Alaska (my home state), the first woman in that office and the youngest elected in state history. She has an 80-plus percent approval rating. She has turned the state upside down with her reformist zeal and has made enemies of the Republican establishment.</p>

Geraldine Ferraro, the first Vice-Presidential candidate of a major political party (Dems ‘84) feels that Sarah Palin’s candidacy will draw a lot of Hillary’s supporters who feel that Dean, Obama and the Media gave Hillary (and women) a raw deal in this election cycle to support the McCain/Palin ticket.. (this comment)

Wow. I, fortunately, missed the wonderful event. From what I gather, Chris couldn't hold it in and longer and said something like - "My critics come after me about my emotions of certain politicians but right now to hell with my critics..."

SPRINGFIELD, IL — It is unclear who was responsible for providing water to attendees of an August 21 event featuring Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama, where an estimated 150 people were treated for heat-related illness, including 17 who required hospitalization, according to an August 26 article in the Journal Star. Justin DeJong, spokesman for Obama for America in Illinois, said the Obama campaign worked with Downtown Springfield, Inc. (DSI) to provide water for the crowd. DSI volunteers sold water for $2 per cup at three locations near the plaza. Springfield Mayor Tim Davlin said in the article that the city...

Nagin Returns To New Orleans Due To GustavWritten by: BayouBuzz Staff NEW ORLEANS, LA (August 27, 2008) - New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, who was a key speaker this morning for the Oregon, Washington and Minnesota delegations at the Democratic National Convention, has decided to return to New Orleans immediately to closely monitor Hurricane Gustav. Gustav, which has hit the southwest coast of Haiti and is threatening Cuba, appears to be on a likely course toward the U.S. Gulf region. The area, which will mark its third anniversary of the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on August 29,...

Temporary holding area described for RNC arresteesPublished - Wednesday, August 27, 2008 ST. PAUL (AP) — Demonstrators arrested on misdemeanor charges at the Republican National Convention could end up in a temporary holding area near the county jail, where they would get food and drink and likely be processed in just a few hours, officials said Tuesday. The holding area will be on the first floor of Ramsey County’s Emergency Communications Center, where police vehicles are usually stored. Sheriff Bob Fletcher wouldn’t say whether holding cells were being set up inside. The center is near the jail and part of...

DEFIANT Hillary Clinton loyalists marched through Denver today to vent anger at the outcome of the bitter Democratic primary race in a final show of support for their beaten idol. Just hours before Senator Clinton was to address Democrats in a speech that party officials hope will heal the schism caused by the nominating battle, more than 1000 supporters of the former first lady paid vocal tribute to her campaign. Despite the calls for a unified front heading into November's presidential election, it is clear that some of Senator Clinton's supporters will never be able to forgive Barack Obama for...

The Comeback Kid is having a convention comeuppance. Bill Clinton was supposed to beam at the side of his wife at the Democratic convention as she was crowned their party's presidential nominee. Instead, he will have reason to wince as their upstart rival, Barack Obama, is coronated. "Must be killing him," Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen told The Associated Press.

By Michelle Malkin  •  August 26, 2008 11:49 AM [youtube video ad at link]Here is the ad Barack Obama doesn’t want you to see. Pass it on. I cannot stress how outrageous the Obama campaign’s attempt to silence the creators of the Ayers ad is. Mr. Hope and Change is applying Chicago-style mafia tactics to intimidate those who want to alert the nation to Obama’s troubling ties to, and longtime relationship with, the unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist. Obama’s lawyers and minions are playing hardball with TV stations that have dared to air the ad. They have the gall to champion campaign finance...

DENVER - Democrats bickered among themselves Tuesday about how hard to attack John McCain as the party's former dominant couple — Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton — took center stage at Barack Obama's political coronation. Convention strains persisted between Obama and some former Hillary Clinton supporters even as the New York senator prepared to issue a prime-time call for unity and unqualified support for Obama. Republicans brought out a new ad pointedly invoking her past criticism that Obama wasn't ready to lead.

The 2008 Convention: Americans Gathering To Change The Course Of A Nation Program Schedule Monday, August 25 – One Nation Barack Obama’s story is an American story that reflects a life of struggle, opportunity and responsibility like those faced by Americans everyday. The opening night of the Convention will highlight Barack’s life story, his commitment to change, and the voices of Americans who are calling for a new direction for this country. Monday’s headline prime-time speaker will be Michelle Obama. 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM (LOCAL) Call to Order The Honorable Howard Dean Chair, Democratic National Committee Former Governor of...

It's time for the banners, the bumper stickers, the funny hats, the passion-fueled delegates and the parade of Hollywood stars - from Kanye West to Annette Bening - that signal the start of the Democratic National Convention here Monday. But there is a Mile High City reality check for 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and his vice presidential choice, Joseph Biden: How high is the bounce? Indeed, the drama and the diplomacy, the emotion and the calls to action that will percolate inside the Pepsi Center here at the four-day gathering of party faithful - 50,000 guests, including 15,000...

I waded in today to the crowd of old hippies and punks that call themselves Re-create 68. Basically anarchy was the theme and they were quite a herd of cats......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVi4rUzf-0Q As a person who is partly of african american descent, I just want to say the comparisons between MLK and Obama are pathetic.

Critics accuse Barack Obama of presenting himself as some kind of Messiah (see "Hurry Up and Wait," WORLD, March 22/29, 2008). His speech upon clinching the Democratic nomination claimed for the event a cosmic significance that future generations would look back upon: "This was the moment," he said, "when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal." His campaign slogans exhort us to "Believe." One of his posters gives biblical concepts a new object: "Faith. Hope. Change. Barack Obama for President." But Obama's messianic image is more than just over-the-top political rhetoric. Many Americans...

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., defended Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman on Wednesday after the former Democratic vice presidential nominee accepted a speaking slot at next month's Republican convention in Minnesota. "He has a close personal relationship with John McCain. I don't fully understand why he does," said Reid, who said Lieberman called Tuesday from the Republic of Georgia to alert him to the move. "I told him last night, 'You know, Joe, I can't stand John McCain.' He said, 'I know you feel that way,' " Reid said. But Reid said he would continue to resist calls from the...

Some Democrats urge delay in building a U.S. missile system in Eastern Europe By Eric Lipton Published: August 20, 2008 As the Bush administration speeds ahead with plans to construct a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, some Democrats in Congress want to put on the brakes, saying it has not been adequately tested.

Last week raised important questions about whether Barack Obama is strong enough to be president. On the domestic political front, he showed incredible weakness in dealing with the Clintons, while on foreign and defense questions, he betrayed a lack of strength and resolve in standing up to Russia’s invasion of Georgia. This two-dimensional portrait of weakness underscores fears that Obama might, indeed, be a latter-day Jimmy Carter. Consider first the domestic and political. Bill and Hillary Clinton have no leverage over Obama. Hillary can’t win the nomination. She doesn’t control any committees. If she or her supporters tried to disrupt...

Denver cabbies fear being stiffed by delegates' vouchersBy Daniel J. Chacon, Rocky Mountain News Updated 07:45 p.m., August 19, 2008 The 5,000 delegates coming to Denver for the Democratic National Convention will each be getting $40 transportation vouchers. But the vouchers may be worthless in the eyes of some taxi drivers. City Councilman Michael Hancock said some taxi company owners are concerned that their drivers won't accept the vouchers out of fear that the Denver 2008 Host Committee won't reimburse them. "We want to make sure that taxi drivers feel confident that they'll be taken care of ... and that...

The central focus of Sunday's four-hour Assembly debate over the long-stalled state budget was the Democrats' $6.7 billion package of new taxes. Republicans complained loudly that with California's economy mired in recession, raising taxes would be counterproductive, making the state less hospitable to business and propelling investment elsewhere. Democrats countered that there's no evidence that California's above-average tax burden has stymied business investment or profits. Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, was especially adamant on that point, citing statistics about the state's robust – until recently – economy. Leno's floor speech was tinged with irony, however, because he's carrying legislation that...

SACRAMENTO — Assemblyman Sandre Swanson is convinced that the only way to avoid lengthy budget stalemates in the future is to strip the minority party of what he calls its out-sized influence. The Oakland Democrat is among a handful of East Bay lawmakers who want voters to overturn the constitutional requirement that two-thirds of the Legislature must approve the budget. Now in its 50th day, the budget standoff is threatening to spill into next month as both parties remain far apart on finding a solution to the state's estimated $15.2 billion deficit. "It just has to change, and citizens will...

In the least credible and most vicious corner of the internet, liberal bloggers at the Daily Kos are accusing John McCain of plagiarizing from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. The story Solzhenitsyn told was of a prisoner who drew a cross in the dirt in a Soviet Gulag. McCain's story is of a guard who drew a cross in the dirt in a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp. The only similarity between the two stories is a cross in the dirt, but it is hardly an unlikely coincidence that there were practicing Christians in both Russia and Vietnam, or that in the prisons...

"Everybody is starting to whisper that if Obama has any prayer of winning, he has to choose Hillary. And if he chooses Hillary, he's going to have to have somebody taste his food and start his car for him every day."

Dems detail religious eventsDemocratic National Convention will demonstrate that party members are people of faith Associated Press Vail, CO Colorado DENVER, Colorado - Pastor and Democratic National Convention Committee CEO Leah Daughtry says the Democratic National Convention will demonstrate that party members are people of faith. **SNIP** Social activist Sister Helen Prejean and Islamic Society of North America President Ingrid Mattson are among those to be featured at an unprecedented interfaith service Aug. 24 to open the gathering. During the convention, the Faith Caucus will meet in a separate venue on topics including how an Obama administration would engage people...

LAKE FOREST, Calif. — When John McCain and Barack Obama appear on the same stage today, they will vividly demonstrate the reach that has made the Rev. Rick Warren among the most significant evangelists of his generation. He's a megastar who leads the nation's fourth-largest church and reaches thousands of ministers through the Internet and crusades against poverty and AIDS. That globe-trotting work and his successful book — "The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?" — puts him at the vanguard of a movement that inspires young, socially conscious Christians. But his willingness to soft-pedal political issues...

Prostitution To Rise With DNC, Group SaysHelp Offered To Women Wanting Off Streets Lane Lyon, 7NEWS Reporter UPDATED: 5:04 pm MDT August 9, 2008 DENVER -- In addition to politics and protests, one nonprofit group said Denver will see an increase in prostitution during the Democratic National Convention. "It's kind of a no brainer, it's going to be here,” said Carol Lease, executive director of The Empowerment Program. The 22-year-old Denver-based group is dedicated to helping woman struggling with life issues such as arrests drugs and HIV/AIDS. Lease said she's worried area police might be overly aggressive in targeting some...

For DNC protesters, it's all in the detailsOrganizers meet about child care, legal aid, housing By Jeff Kass, Rocky Mountain News Saturday, August 16, 2008 They discussed child care and police brutality. Rock music and the news media. Housing and text messaging. Planning a protest involves a lot of diverse details. On a recent Thursday night in a downtown Denver park, some 35 protest organizers sat cross- legged and talked about how to lead possibly tens of thousands of demonstrators during the Democratic National Convention Aug. 25-28. A lot goes into it - and demonstrators are getting better at it....

DENVER (CBS4) ― With the Democratic National Convention less than two weeks away, CBS4 has learned some of what security planners are preparing for. Multiple law enforcement sources talked to CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass about their contingency plans, provided they were not identified. Planners have studied past protests from around the world and looked at tactics used by demonstrators in previous protests. They're hoping that research will help them respond effectively to whatever might occur in Denver during convention week. The Secret Service has been sharing information with local security authorities. One of the major concerns: protestors using cars to...

Candidate for Jefferson seat still off ballot NEW ORLEANS -- A judge's order that New Orleans school boardmember Jimmy Fahrenholtz cannot run for Congress in the September 6 Democratic primary will stand for the time being. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal turned down requests to block the order as well as a request for a quick hearing. Thomas Robichaux, an attorney for Farhenholtz, said he plans an appeal this week to the U.S. Supreme Court to get Fahrenholtz on the ballot. **SNIP** But a judge disqualified him for falsely stating that he did not owe campaign finance fines...

Deal: Clinton's Name Will Be Placed in Nomination at Dems Convention August 14, 2008 11:09 AM ABC News' Kate Snow reports: A deal has been brokered between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that will allow Clinton's name to be placed in nomination at next week's Democratic nominating convention, sources close to the Clinton camp told ABC News. "Both sides agree that it is in the best interest of party unity and making sure that everyone's voice and vote is honored to make sure her name is put into nomination," a person close the negotiations said. "It's to honor everyone...

Be sure to READ THIS!!New FTC Rule Could Apply To PelosiBEHOLD the Power of the People, and the Power of  Nancy: "most open, most honest, and most ethical Congress in history"Nancy: "and Democrats promise to work together in a bi-partisan way for all Americans."What is the truth about Nancy?"Madam Speaker has a substantial amount of money invested in Clean Energy Fuels Corporation." dontgo"T Boone Pickens runs CLNE, this is the company Nancy has invested in, and apparently, the push is Natural Gas, which is the focus of the $5 billion in Ca. tax money and $5 billion in fed money...

I have been reading for some time about Barack Hussein Obama's birth certificate controversy. At first I dismissed it because I thought there was no way the Democratic Party would allow someone who is not qualified to run for the office of President. I now understand that at least half of the state attorney generals in the country will challenge Obama’s residency before certifying his nomination. Lawsuits will be filed to clarify Obama’s birth in the United States. Until today I simply believed that Obama was born in Hawaii. After doing some research I found it is not so clear...

HILLARY Clinton would be the Democrats' White House nominee today if former presidential hopeful John Edwards had come clean earlier about an extra-marital affair, a top aide to Senator Clinton believes. "I believe we would have won Iowa, and Clinton today would therefore have been the nominee," Howard Wolfson, who was the combative communications director for Senator Clinton's doomed campaign, said on ABCNews.com today. Mr Wolfson also said Senator Clinton's campaign knew about the affair but kept quiet. "Any of the campaigns that would have tried to push that would have been burned by it," he said. Former senator Mr...

Stuart Shepard shares how to save 40 cents a gallon on gas – and how stealth taxes hurt struggling families...VIDEO

Obama Is Handily Winning...a little deduction from the polling Too many people use inductive reasoning, let's use deductive reasoning to figure this out. Just as a refresher, deduction moves from general to specifics, whereas induction looks at particulars and tries to make a generality. So lets start with assumptions (these are what you'll need to knock down) 1. Polling hasn't been reliable this cycle. 2. Polling companies want to get make correct predictions. 3 Given 1 and 2, polling organizations will be more cautious/conservative in their polling. 4. Getting the winner is far more important than the margin for political...

Mainstream media finally pounce on Edwards' affair'It's good to see public acknowledgment that our story was accurate all along,' says the National Enquirer's editor. But what took so long? By Matea Gold, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 8:47 PM PDT, August 8, 2008 NEW YORK -- The mainstream media's near-silence about a tabloid report that former presidential candidate John Edwards had an extramarital affair with a campaign worker ended abruptly Friday when he admitted the relationship to ABC News. **SNIP** The Enquirer first published a story in October about a relationship between Edwards and a campaign worker, quoting unnamed sources....

The repeated thud-thuds you heard were the wheels of the bus -- driven first by abortion-rights advocates Emily's List. Then by former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. and then presidential contender Barack Obama himself, all rolling over congressional wannabe Nikki Tinker, who is a black woman. Her offense -- and it was an especially stupid one -- was tasteless attack ads. One linked U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a white, Jewish man, to the Ku Klux Klan. (Doesn't she know the Klan hated Jews just as much as black folk?) The other ad charged Cohen was voting against prayer in school...

Noted political expert and gaseous far left windbag Michael Moore advises the Democratic Party how to lose the Presidential election.With a heaping helping of contempt for American voters, to pander to the Guardian’s audience. Keep saying nice things about McCain. Like how he’s been “good on global warming� and campaign finance. Keep reminding a country at war that he and he alone is a war hero. Not to mention an all-round good guy. Say that enough and what happens? The same thing that happens when you repeat over and over, “Apply directly to the forehead� - people start to believe...

Qwest, union talk contract ahead of conventionsBy SANDY SHORE AP Business Writer Friday, July 11, 2008 - Page updated at 02:10 PM DENVER — Qwest Communications and its largest employee union have started negotiations with the hope of agreeing on a new contract ahead of two political conventions that are counting on the company for telecommunications services. A contract covering about 21,000 workers is scheduled to expire Aug. 16, a little more than a week before the Democratic National Convention in Denver. The Republican National Convention begins Sept. 1 in St. Paul, Minn. Denver-based Qwest committed $6 million worth of...

Bill Clinton will speak on the third day of the Democratic National Convention, FOX News has confirmed. The former president has been scheduled to address the convention on Wednesday, Aug. 27, before the speech by the Democrats’ vice presidential nominee, according to a senior Democratic source familiar with the situation. The news comes on the heals of statements by Hillary Clinton that she might ask for her name be offered for a roll call vote at the convention — a formality, since she already has withdrawn from the Democratic race and thrown her support behind Barack Obama, the presumptive nominee....

Gingrich: GOP ready to shut government down over drillingBy Lisa Desjardins CNN Radio updated 1 hour, 26 minutes ago WASHINGTON (CNN) -- He led Republicans into government shutdowns in the 1990s, and now, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich indicates his party is seriously considering another shutdown threat to force a vote on offshore oil drilling in September. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is drawing attention to a Republican call for offshore oil drilling. House Republicans brought Gingrich to the Capitol on Wednesday, partly to revive media coverage of their speech-making protest in the chamber, now in its fourth day. The...

Academy award winning actor George Clooney is set to host a fundraiser for Barack Obama in Switzerland next month. The event, taking place on the evening of September 2 in Geneva, Switzerland will be split into two parts: a reception and a dinner. According to Obama’s National Finance Committee, tickets for the reception where Clooney will speak are going for $1,000, followed by a dinner at the home of NFC member Charles Adams for $10,000 a plate. Space for the dinner is limited to 75 guests.

Overall, Democrats deserve credit for being forthright about intending to close much of the state's budget deficit with new taxes, in contrast with Republicans who say they want deep reductions in spending but refuse to say what should be cut. That said, the details of how Democrats would generate more than $10 billion in tax revenues, roughly two-thirds of the projected 2008-09 deficit, leave much to be desired – even if one accepts the underlying premise that the state's fiscal problem is essentially a lack of revenues. The plan's core is tapping the most affluent Californians through higher income taxes,...

The trend of the tracking polls hasn't been good of late. Rasmussen, which is a quite reputable poll, has Obama and McCain tied today -- and with leaners (basically people who haven't made up their minds, but are forced to choose for the poll), McCain is up by one point. This is the first time that McCain has tied or beaten Obama in the poll, Obama has always been up. Not anymore: The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows the race for the White House is tied with Barack Obama and John McCain each attracting 44% of...