Free Republic

“That’s Not Happening and It’s Good That It Is”A quick and dirty guide to regime propagandaGaslighting getting you down? Feel like the regime has dialed the Megaphone up to, and past, eleven? You’re not crazy. It’s definitely happening and likely to get worse as our masters’ ability to cope with reality further worsens—or worse, they gain the complete and absolute control they seek. They’re both scornful and terrified of dissent, which explains why they incessantly shriek at us and lie to our faces.So, to help you navigate the twitstorm, I present a guide to seven of the regime’s most common,...

"We're sending this mailing to you, your friends, your neighbors, your colleagues at work and your community members to publicize who does and does not vote." The letter let Adams know that the senders intended to mail an updated chart after the Nov. 4 election. Increasingly, political groups across the country are utilizing publicly available voter lists and other databases to send mailings that use what researchers call "social pressure" to get people to vote. The most forceful threaten to expose an individual's voting record, or lack thereof, to peers. ...was sent by a political action committee called the Opportunity...

.........Earlier this week, [Obama] waded into state politics, sharply denouncing Walker for signing legislation in Wisconsin that prohibited mandatory union dues. "Even as its governor claims victory over working Americans, I'd encourage him to try and score a victory for working Americans - by taking meaningful action to raise their wages and offer them the security of paid leave," Obama said in a statement. In both instances, he signaled he was not going to entirely ignore the 2016 contest or its main players if there was an opportunity to advance his own agenda. "We're going to engage in this dynamic...

Washington - Republicans in Congress are launching bids to nullify Obama administration rules that would speed up union elections and set new air pollution standards for the nation's oldest and dirtiest power plants. The rarely used tactic requires a simple majority for passage. Both have a chance at clearing the Senate, but a vote would force some Democrats to take a public stand on two volatile issues in an election year.

VIDEO:Pelosi: GOP Budget Will Deprive Seniors Of Meals

Wisconsin senators' absence raises questions on tacticBy Eric Johnson – 17 mins ago CHICAGO (Reuters) – As demonstrators wrangled on Saturday over Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's move to weaken public unions, analysts weighed the consequences of 14 Democratic senators' decision to flee the state to stall the bill's consideration. **SNIP** "As far as the constitution goes, there is nothing that expressly forbids their actions," Copelovitch said. "But if the same thing that is happening in Wisconsin spreads to other states, there should be explicit rules written to forbid it." Senator Jon Erpenbach said Friday that the senators were prepared to...

Reid: Dems will use 50-vote tactic to finish healthcare in 60 daysBy Michael O'Brien - 02/20/10 01:44 PM ET Democrats will finish their health reform efforts within the next two months by using a majority-vote maneuver in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said. Reid said that congressional Democrats would likely opt for a procedural tactic in the Senate allowing the upper chamber to make final changes to its healthcare bill with only a simple majority of senators, instead of the 60 it takes to normally end a filibuster. "I've had many conversations this week with the president, his...

Republican challengers across the country have found a new way of capitalizing on the roiling emotions surrounding congressional health care town hall meetings. Driven by intense voter interest in the topic, the almost-certain promise of media coverage and the opportunity to upstage incumbent Democrats, GOP candidates in state after state are holding their own health care town halls — and reveling in the subsequent publicity bonanza. The health care events are proving to be a boon for those seeking to oust incumbents, delivering the most precious of political commodities — voter attention and local press coverage. Florida Republican Allen West,...

President Obama’s budget director said the White House would consider using a Senate procedural tactic so that only 50 votes would be rquired to pass major healthcare and energy reforms. Peter Orszag, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said the administration would prefer not to use the budget reconciliation process to push through its package. But he added: "We have to keep everything on the table. We want to get these.... important things done this year." Orszag called healthcare in particular "the key to our fiscal future."

US warns over Iran talks tactic President Ahmadinejad had rejected previous US requests for talks The White House has expressed scepticism over an offer by Iran to hold talks with the US on Iraq. US National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said he was concerned it could be simply "a device" to divert pressure from Tehran's nuclear ambitions. He said the US had suggested a dialogue last year but had received no response. Iran's apparent enthusiasm now - days before the UN Security Council meets to discuss its nuclear programme - has raised suspicions, correspondents say. The US ambassador to Iraq,...

The U.S. Army in Iraq has at least twice seized and jailed the wives of suspected insurgents in hopes of "leveraging" their husbands into surrender, U.S. military documents show. In one case, a secretive task force locked up the young mother of a nursing baby, a U.S. intelligence officer reported. In the case of a second detainee, one American colonel suggested to another that they catch her husband by tacking a note to the family's door telling him "to come get his wife." The issue of female detentions in Iraq has taken on a higher profile since kidnappers seized American...