Free Republic

Why are some Republicans so dissatisfied with democracy? Immediately after Ohio voters set an example for strong participation in direct democracy while soundly rejecting Issue 1, a measure clearly aimed at curtailing abortion, the authoritarian far right was deeply into the blame game. Issue 1’s supporters blamed “out-of-state dark money groups” and lack of time for their defeat. Ohio’s Republican secretary of state Frank LaRose called the vote “devastating.” The sputtering was telling. Because this is what the Republican anti-reproductive freedom crowd claimed it wanted along: the chance to turn the question of abortion over to the states and let...

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) is more than 30 points ahead of her closest Republican challengers following the shake-up of the GOP candidate field, according to a new poll. The poll, conducted by Target Insyght and published by Deadline Detroit, showed Whitmer with a 34-point lead over businessman Kevin Rinke and real estate broker Ryan Kelley, a 36-point lead over chiropractor Garrett Soldano, a 37-point lead over conservative media personality Tudor Dixon, and a 39-point lead over pastor Ralph Rebandt.

Ukraine landed a significant blow on Russia Saturday after it allegedly killed a large group of bloodthirsty Chechen special forces dispatched to assassinate the country's president Volodymyr Zelensky. The armed group - famed for their barbaric violence and human rights abuses - are said to have been obliterated after their convoy of 56 tanks was blown to smithereens near Hostomel, just northeast of Kyiv, by Ukrainian missile fire on the second day of the Chechens' deployment. It is unclear how many died - but the number is likely to run into the hundreds. Their deaths were announced as officials in...

Two national polls released on Tuesday and a New Hampshire poll released on Monday, show Donald Trump is crushing the rest of the Republican presidential field in the race for the GOP nomination. A Bloomberg Politics national poll found Trump way ahead with 21 percent support to just 10 percent for his nearest competitor, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. A CBS national poll released on Tuesday also showed Trump with a huge lead. In that poll, Trump garnered 24 percent support. Jeb Bush was in second place with 13 percent support. The two national polls came a day after a...

Bechtel Corporation, the company that built Metro’s Silver Line in Northern Virginia, is bringing hundreds of jobs to that area, but it’s coming at the cost of Frederick, where the global engineering and project management firm is based, a move that is sparking frustration and anger. The news hit Frederick like a ton of bricks. Nobody is happy about it—not politicians, not merchants.

A Glimpse Ahead Timothy Snodgrass The Impossible Will Come Alive In 2005 01/28/05 In January of 2004, as we began to intercede for the New Year the Holy Spirit gave us the prophetic slogan, "The Seas will Roar in 2004". This year we were given a new slogan, "The Impossible will come Alive in 2005". As the veil of darkness begins to come down over nations and regions, along with great shakings will come great breakthroughs; signs, wonders, healings and a spectacular release of miracles in impossible circumstances. This year, although we are ultimately poised to gain much ground, there...

I think that it has been well established that "conservatives" or whatever it is they call themselves these days (e.g., storm troopers) in matters concerning politics value little more than the state's power in which they imagine themselves to participate and the supposed glory that war and domestic national securitism brings to them. Now strictly speaking this is a delusion, because their only access to power lies in the accidental agreement of their opinions with those of the managers of the state. This access will evaporate as soon as the state does something that displeases our conservatives. It is always...

Crushing double defeat at polls for Berlusconi By Bruce Johnston in Rome (Filed: 29/06/2004) The Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi suffered one of the worst setbacks of his political career yesterday when he was badly defeated in local elections, including in his provincial stronghold around Milan. In two rounds of elections his centre-Right coalition, which swept to national power three years ago with the largest majority in post-war history, lost 52 out of 63 provincial council contests. The centre-Right also lost 22 out of 30 mayoral races. Trouble at home: Silvio Berlusconi at the Nato summit yesterday Critics said the...