https://freerepublic.com/tag/by:kddid/ en-us Tue, 8 Nov 2016 15:59:20 GMT Focus Forum 15 https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3490946/posts When the alarm went off this morning, my fingers didn’t hunt for the snooze button. I began my morning ritual as if it was any other day – but it wasn’t any other day. I was genuinely pumped at the prospect of voting. I’ve never been this excited to vote in a presidential election (I’m sorry I missed the opportunity to vote for Ronald Reagan). I even have a photograph of myself standing next to George H.W. Bush, but my memories of that moment don’t compare to what I felt this morning. I left the house earlier than normal and... freerepublic https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3490946/posts#comment Tue, 8 Nov 2016 15:59:20 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3475199/posts Many small-business owners and academics aren’t buying into President Obama’s claim that the 5.2 percent rise in household income last year translates into an economic rebound. Truth be told, it could be the opposite...On Sept. 13, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that median household income jumped $2,800 -- slightly more than 5 percent in 2015. While speaking at a rally in Philadelphia for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, President Obama called it a “big deal ... the single biggest one-year increase on record.”..But many Americans see it as a case of “been down so long it looks like up to me.” While... cbsnews.com https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3475199/posts#comment Fri, 30 Sep 2016 14:42:27 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3433740/posts Monday on Yahoo Global News ardent “Never Trump” activist and conservative blogger Erick Erickson said he can not vote for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Erickson said, “If the Republican Party wants to go in his direction, I guess I’m not a Republican anymore. I never signed a party oath.” ... I think Hillary Clinton is unfit for the office as well, but she certainly does have the qualifications.” He added he would not vote for Clinton as well, adding, “I find them both appalling.” www.breitbart.com https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3433740/posts#comment Wed, 25 May 2016 13:48:14 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3433734/posts Not only does Erick Erickson want Mitt Romney to restart a search for a third-party candidate to challenge Donald Trump, he also wants Romney to consider being that person. The conservative blogger wrote for The Resurgent on Friday that he would "gladly work for a Romney Presidency given the choices between" Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and Trump. . . . Romney has also refused to back the presumptive Republican nominee, attacking Trump for refusing to release his tax returns and previously saying "Trumpism has become associated with racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, vulgarity and, most recently, threats and violence." Politico https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3433734/posts#comment Wed, 25 May 2016 13:30:49 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3418837/posts What if Trump or Cruz is elected and manages to build the wall? What if Trump or Cruz is elected and manages to control immigration from countries where the citizens hate our way of life? What if Trump or Cruz is elected and exposes – and rids us of - the corruption in D.C.? What if Trump or Cruz is elected and enacts legislation that helps to turn our economy around and bring back jobs? What if Trump or Cruz is remembered as – at least – a Reagan-Lite? On the other hand, what if Trump is what many of... kddid https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3418837/posts#comment Fri, 8 Apr 2016 16:34:45 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2515664/posts Choosing not to pay has consequences beyond damaged credit scores. CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- "Strategic defaults" are on the rise as more borrowers who are underwater on their home loans decide it's not worth it to stay current on their payments each month. That trend could have repercussions for the housing market, and for borrowers, in the future. Strategic defaults are when borrowers who owe more on their homes than they're currently worth choose to stop paying their mortgage but continue to meet other financial obligations, according to a definition by Morgan Stanley in a research report on the topic. In... marketwatch.com https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2515664/posts#comment Tue, 18 May 2010 03:28:47 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2326851/posts ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Federal Elections Commission has found that former Gov. Sarah Palin's political action committee gave excessive contributions to two well-known Republicans. The problem is highlighted in a letter sent to SarahPAC treasurer Tim Crawford. Crawford told The Anchorage Daily News that the problem has been fixed. He said SarahPAC has sorted out the $5,000 contributions to Sens. John McCain and Lisa Murkowski, and the campaigns have already refunded $200 each. The FEC also is looking for more information on work that people were paid to do on the SarahPAC disclosure report. Travel invoices also need to be... AP via Newsmax https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2326851/posts#comment Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:41:24 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2316129/posts There is no guarantee that President Barack Obama will be able to avoid critics of his healthcare proposal when he hosts a town hall meeting in Belgrade, Mont., on Friday. Local officials in Belgrade and neighboring Bozeman personally oversaw the handing out of passes Thursday in much the same fashion that a venue would dole out tickets to a rock concert. Hundreds of people seeking to attend the president's event began lining up Wednesday afternoon, and camped out overnight in the parking lots of the two local municipal buildings. . Gibbs said he believes the media have been disappointed that... Washington Times via Newsmax https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2316129/posts#comment Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:37:18 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2297426/posts She was greeted like a rock star in Unalakleet, a fishing village on the Bering Sea. She danced with Eskimos in Kotzebue. And she watched grizzlies at a wildlife sanctuary on the Kenai Peninsula. In all, Sarah Palin has been on eight trips outside her Anchorage base since announcing her resignation two weeks ago. Is this a farewell tour, the start of a possible presidential campaign for 2012? . . Mrs. Palin said she is eager to resume life as a private citizen. "Once I am 'Sarah Palin, Alaskan,' I can really call it like I see it," she said.... Newsmax https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2297426/posts#comment Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:01:27 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296841/posts Who’s to blame for the subprime housing bubble? A popular answer – especially on the right side of the aisle - is Massachusetts Democrat, Barney Frank. Is it true? Frank doesn't think so. .. Frank not only denies it, he shifts the blame to the Bush administration. When it came to a Republican bill to reform Fannie and Freddie, President Bush gave his own party "the one finger salute," he colorfully says. Second, Democrats not only did not cause the crisis, they were aginst subprime lending all together: . . Finally, the real estate crash was not something even the... Yahoo https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296841/posts#comment Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:14:48 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296796/posts For all the attention generated by last year's presidential race, census figures show the share of eligible voters who actually went to the polls in November declined from 2004. According to the data, more older whites opted to stay home compared with 2004, citing little interest in supporting either Barack Obama or John McCain. AP via Breitbart https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296796/posts#comment Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:17:06 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280124/posts There’s not enough racial diversity among the congressional staff on Capitol Hill and activists want corrective action. “Given such poor numbers, let’s acknowledge that there is something broken about the process,” said Citigroup lobbyist Paul Thornell, a former aide to Al Gore and former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota. He added that there are “few intentional strategies in place to promote minorities.” The solution, say critics of the status quo: fully embrace the so-called “Rooney rule,” named after Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney. The rule requires that NFL teams interview at least one minority prospect when filling... Newsmax https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280124/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:53:18 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2205786/posts The NAACP is accusing Wells Fargo and HSBC of forcing blacks into subprime mortgages while whites with identical qualifications got lower rates. Class-action lawsuits will be filed against the banks Friday in federal court in Los Angeles, Austin Tighe, co-lead counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, told The Associated Press. Black homebuyers have been 3 1/2 times more likely to receive a subprime loan than white borrowers, and six times more likely to get a subprime rate when refinancing, Tighe said. Blacks still were disproportionately steered into subprime loans when their credit scores, income and... AP via Yahoo https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2205786/posts#comment Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:08:44 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2130554/posts The former Republican presidential nominee had only kind words for his running mate, though he didn't address anonymous accounts that she wasn't prepared. LOS ANGELES -- In his first interview since conceding the presidential election, John McCain said Tuesday that Sarah Palin did not damage his presidential bid and he dismissed anonymous criticism aimed at her following their crushing defeat. "I'm so proud of her and I'm very grateful she agreed to run with me. She inspired people, she still does," McCain told Jay Leno during a "Tonight Show" interview taped for broadcast Tuesday night. "I couldn't be happier with... Foxnews https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2130554/posts#comment Wed, 12 Nov 2008 04:51:01 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2114321/posts Stop the presses — CNN is taking responsibility for falsely stating that National Review magazine called Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin “incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt or all of the above.” “I think ideology has now overridden any kind of journalistic ethics at all,” Fox News host Bill O’Reilly told his audience when he learned of the distortion. “And I think that’s the bottom line here.” An interview with Palin that aired Tuesday on CNN’s The Situation Room touched off the controversy. CNN correspondent Drew Griffin twisted the meaning of a National Review column during a question he posed to Palin about... Newsmax https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2114321/posts#comment Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:23:24 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1920691/posts MOUNT KELUD, Indonesia (AP) - More than 25,000 villagers were refusing to leave their homes on the slopes of a killer Indonesian volcano on Sunday despite warnings by scientists the peak was poised for a powerful eruption, officials said. "They believe it will not erupt," said Sigit Raharjo, a spokesman for the local government close to Mount Kelud in the heart of the country's densely populated Java island. "They are being very foolish. All we can do is ask them to leave." Kelud - one of more than 100 active volcanos in Indonesia - has been on the highest alert... AP https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1920691/posts#comment Sun, 4 Nov 2007 04:06:20 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1915083/posts Microsoft, the $51 billion computer-software giant, is not satisfied with simply being the major systems provider for most computers in America -- it also wants to hold your personal medical records, and everyone else's in the country. The Redmond, Wash.-based firm started by Bill Gates sees this as good business, and even plans to offer advertising along with computerized searches of your records. "Our goal is to become an advertising powerhouse," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer tells Advertising Age. "Today, we're the No. 3 seller of Internet ads. We're determined to allocate the talent, the resources, the money, and the innovation... NewsMax https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1915083/posts#comment Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:27:29 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1882089/posts In light of concerns over subprime lending, some economic experts say minorities and low-income Americans will face more obstacles to getting credit, and the government must take steps to further regulate the industry. Generally, subprime loans are mortgages given to borrowers with low credit scores from a history of paying debts late or not paying debts at all. Because subprime borrowers are seen as high risk, their loans carry interest rates that are at least two percentage points higher than those offered to borrowers with better credit. "Debt can be a tool and is an important ingredient for families' upward... CNSNews via NewsMax https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1882089/posts#comment Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:14:45 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1872225/posts The U.S. is retrofitting its B-2 Stealth bombers with massive bunker-buster bombs -- a move that could be a prelude to an attack on Iran and its nuclear facilities. Iran has refused to comply with international demands that it stop its nuclear weapons programs. Experts have noted that a U.S. or Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear program could be difficult due to the large number of installations -- some of which are buried deep underground in hardened bunkers. In a recent NewsMax Magazine, Kenneth R. Timmerman's report "The Coming War with Iran: 6 Days of Hell" predicted the U.S. would... NewsMax https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1872225/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jul 2007 01:52:46 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1870927/posts WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson is replacing his acting campaign manager with former senator and energy secretary Spencer Abraham and Florida GOP strategist Randy Enright. Thompson spokeswoman Linda Rozett said acting campaign manager Tom Collamore, former vice president of food and tobacco giant Altria, still will advise the campaign. Collamore has helped organize the campaign for Thompson, who has not officially jumped into the race. Thompson has established a "testing the waters" committee that allows him to raise money for a presidential bid. He is expected to formally kick off his candidacy in September. "The Friends of... AP via Drudge https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1870927/posts#comment Tue, 24 Jul 2007 19:59:57 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1867947/posts Nelson Mandela marked his 89th birthday on Wednesday by launching an international group of elder statesmen, including fellow Nobel peace laureates Desmond Tutu and Jimmy Carter, to tackle the world's problems. As birthday tributes poured in, Mandela said the group of "elders" would use almost 1,000 years of collective experience to dream up solutions for seemingly insurmountable problems like climate change, HIV/AIDS and poverty. The leaders, who include former Irish President Mary Robinson and former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, would also use their political independence to help resolve some of the world's most intractable conflicts. "Using their collective experience,... NewsMax https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1867947/posts#comment Wed, 18 Jul 2007 19:39:00 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1817951/posts Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton says the United States has had an opportunity to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the Muslim world in the aftermath of 9/11, but the Bush administration has squandered precious time to do so. Clinton, who called the administration's actions "regrettable," told the Sunday Citizen newspaper of Laconia, N.H., that "We need to get back to a much more vigorous diplomatic outreach effort. The president won't talk to countries that he doesn't agree with. We've never had a president who was so unwilling to engage in processes with people who, yes, are adversarial to our interests,... NewsMax.com https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1817951/posts#comment Mon, 16 Apr 2007 03:33:30 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1811981/posts WASHINGTON -- The announcement Wednesday by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that his government would release the 15 captured British sailors and marines came after an intense and often bitter internal debate, sources in Tehran told NewsMax. The capture of the British naval inspection team was clearly a coordinated effort by the Iranian government aimed at demonstrating Iran's ability to confront the U.S.-led multinational forces in Iraq and to divert international attention from the nuclear showdown. The decision to release the hostages showed the limits of Iran's power and the fears of some leaders that too much provocation could backfire. Within... NewsMax https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1811981/posts#comment Wed, 4 Apr 2007 19:20:19 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1811612/posts Lagging behind his opponents in fundraising and under fire for his support for the war in Iraq, Sen. John McCain moved Tuesday to shake up his presidential campaign. NYT's Adam Nagourney is set to detail the behind-the-scenes action, newsroom sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT. "Nagourney will lead the front page on Wednesday," says an insider. MORE McCain is revamping his campaign finance effort, including adopting big-dollar fundraising techniques pioneered by President Bush, and is delaying his official campaign announcement in order to deliver what his aides said would be a major speech seeking to explain his support for President Bush's... The Drudge Report https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1811612/posts#comment Wed, 4 Apr 2007 02:40:47 GMT https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1804995/posts John Edwards is suspending his campaign for President, and may drop out completely, because his wife has suffered a recurrence of the cancer that sickened her in 2004, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, an Edwards friend told The Politico. "At a minimum he's going to suspend" the campaign, the source said. "Nobody knows precisely how serious her recurrence is. It’ll be another couple of days before there’s complete clarity." "For him right now he has one priority which is her health and the security of the two young children," said the friend. As for the campaign, "You don't... The Politico https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1804995/posts#comment Thu, 22 Mar 2007 15:23:49 GMT