Free Republic

Freshman lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dropped a hammer on Joe Lieberman on Thursday, after the onetime Democratic vice presidential candidate said he feared her brand of high-tax socialism could doom the party's chances for long-term dominance in Congress. 'I certainly hope she’s not the future and I don’t believe she is,' Lieberman said in a Fox Business Network interview. He retired in 2013 after serving 24 years in the U.S. Senate. The 29-year-old Ocasio-Cortez retweeted the 76-year-old's sentiment with a four-word rejoinder: 'New party, who dis?' 'Who dis?' is a common response to a text message from an unknown number. Among...

Many Baby Boomers already dread “the talk” –- suggesting their aging parents surrender car keys –- but now two geriatric experts say another thorny, family question must be asked of some elderly folks. Is it time to give up your gun? In a recently published paper, the two physicians offer a five-point checklist meant to help caregivers assess whether firearms remain safe in the hands and homes of older Americans, particularly if the gun owners are exhibiting unclear thinking or depression. “Just like with some (older) people, it’s not if you should stop driving, but when,” said Dr. Ellen M....

A former employee of Magic Johnson says the basketball legend fired her for being seven minutes late to work — a delay she blames on his request for a turkey sandwich. Lanita Thomas filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court this week saying her dismissal over tardiness was actually a “pretext” for ageism. She is 45 years old.

Individuals 55 and older would lose their right to keep and bear arms under a provision that’s expected to be included as part of a comprehensive United Nations Global Arms Trade Treaty. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke about the impetus behind the controversial measure at press conference over the weekend in New York City, the site of the final negotiations between the 193 Member States. “Regulating the international transfers of both weapons and ammunition is a key component of a robust arms trade treaty, as is limiting civilian access to small arms and munitions,” said Ban Ki-moon. “There’s an...

Looks like Washington Post Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt sort of put his foot in his mouth -- or his pen as the case may be -- in an April 27 editorial where he as much as called America's older workers "lumbering" and less talented than "younger, nimbler" employees. In a nation that has one of its largest blocks of citizens in the "older" category, those over 40, it seems like Hiatt just insulted the largest number of Americans. Not the best way to sell newspapers, eh? In his headlined "600,000 Bad Hires? Making Federal Jobs Cool Once Again," Hiatt...

In a campaign year marked by flare-ups surrounding comments that have offended one group or another, John McCain and Barack Obama have moved on to the next sensitive battleground: the question of McCain’s advanced age. As some Republicans see it, Democrats are deliberately talking in code about the presumptive 71-year-old GOP nominee as part of an attempt to highlight his age.“It is code; there is no question it is,” Ed Rollins, a Republican strategist who helped lead President Ronald Reagan’s 1984 reelection campaign, said when age surfaced as an issue. “They are trying to raise doubts.”MSNBC host Joe Scarborough repeatedly...

Not waiting until the actual Friday release of John McCain's medical records, on Thursday's World News anchor Charles Gibson (who's 65) and Dr. Tim Johnson (who at 72 is older than McCain) speculated about McCain's health. Gibson wondered about “psychological damage” from his POW captivity. Assured there's no evidence of that, Gibson jumped to wonder how much longer McCain has to live, a question which led Johnson to warn, that while McCain may live another 16 years, there's a decent chance he'll develop “dementia.” Gibson asked: “There's also an enormous amount of medical records involving the time that he was...

Dirty pool? Just a few days ago, Barack Obama scoffed at the suggestion he was playing the age card when he accused John McCain of "losing his bearings." But check out the way the Obama campaign has now chosen to say that it wouldn't leave the playing field in Michigan and Florida to its Republican opponent: "We're not going to let John McCain wander around in those states unchallenged anymore." Wander around? Like the nice ol' feller from down the block found ambling down the street in his bathrobe who has to be gently led back home?

Is John McCain Ronald Reagan or Bob Dole? Or, more to the point, will McCain be perceived as the vigorous, wood-chopping proclaimer of “Morning in America” or as a cranky senior senator prone to gaffes and the occasional stage tumble? The sensitive question of age — one of the trickiest and most unpredictable in the political playbook — has been touched upon only glancingly since McCain became the de facto GOP nominee. But it is certain to hover over a candidate who will be 72 by Election Day. For all the ink spilled on whether the country is ready for...

Who’s too old now, Jack? The Tribune-Democrat Fri, May 02 2008 — Visitors to The Tribune-Democrat’s Web site were asked in a poll last week: “Is John McCain, 71, too old to serve as president of the United States, as Congressman John Murtha says?” With 556 votes cast during two days, the results were: No, 64.6 percent; Yes, 34.7 percent; and I don’t know: 0.7 percent.Murtha wasn’t the first person to weigh in on the John McCain age issue. He won’t be the last. But we wonder whether one day he’ll wish he hadn’t.“This one guy running is about...

As they map out a strategy against Republican presidential candidate John McCain, Barack Obama and his advisers plan to emphasize big themes and generational contrasts. .... More broadly, Obama will be using the theme of "yesterday versus tomorrow," with McCain billed as the candidate of the past and Obama as the candidate of the future. This would also bring the age issue into the campaign. McCain would be the oldest person ever sworn in as president, at 72, and many Americans have expressed concern to pollsters that the Arizona senator is past his prime.

It's alright Keith, he was a POW for 5 1/2 years, you were a sportscaster. You absolutely have the authority to insult him. By the way Keith, you ever taken an auto Kalashnikov butt to the jaw like senator McCain? Had you ever, you might have been the one who needed the Depends... Keith Olbermann...today's biggest...douche...in the world...

I hate Macs Charlie Brooker Monday February 5, 2007 The Guardian Unless you have been walking around with your eyes closed, and your head encased in a block of concrete, with a blindfold tied round it, in the dark - unless you have been doing that, you surely can't have failed to notice the current Apple Macintosh campaign starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, which has taken over magazines, newspapers and the internet in a series of brutal coordinated attacks aimed at causing massive loss of resistance. While I don't have anything against shameless promotion per se (after all, within...

<p>VINALHAVEN, Maine - Idyllic here, with long lazy days by the sea. Sophia, 6, and Lila, 4, splash in the plastic pool in front of the house. Their parents are going for a row. I am the presiding grandmother in this faraway place of peace and beauty, so protected from the gathering storm of world events.</p>