Free Republic

Congressional Speech, Military Orders, and the Danger of Half-TruthsIn recent days, a group of six members of Congress created controversy by telling active-duty military personnel that they “do not have to obey illegal orders.” Their statement, while rooted in a true principle of military law, has caused confusion and concern among legal experts, Pentagon officials, and veterans. Understanding why requires looking at two separate systems: the constitutional protections granted to members of Congress, and the strict doctrine governing obedience to orders within the military.1. Constitutional Protections for Members of CongressThe U.S. Constitution grants members of Congress several key protections to...

Only eight percent of Americans believe Democrats “won” the government shutdown battle, a weekly survey from the Economist/YouGov found.The survey asked respondents, “In your opinion, who won the shutdown battle?”Across the board, a plurality, 39 percent, said “neither” side won the shutdown battle, followed by 35 percent who said Republicans. Only eight percent deemed Democrats the victors.Even Democrats themselves are aware that their side lost. Only 14 percent of Democrats surveyed said Democrats won the shutdown battle, as 25 percent said Republicans and 45 percent said neither side. A slight majority, 52 percent, of Republicans said their side won the...

Good question. Maybe the inflation of the Biden Regency has impacted the prices of political campaigns? Of course, Republicans don't seem to have the same issues with donors as Democrats. Nor do they have the same leftover bills that Kamala Harris left the DNC, either. DNC chair Ken Martin paints the move to tap credit as a sign of investment, but the New York Times doesn't quite buy it:The Democratic National Committee took out a $15 million loan last month to replenish its shrunken coffers before elections in Virginia and New Jersey and to keep operations fully funded entering 2026,...

The subcommittee is continuing to probe how two pipe bombs were planted on Jan. 6 outside both the Democratic and Republican Party headquarters. The House's select subcommittee on January 6th on Thursday released new surveillance camera video during the alleged timeframe when a pipe bomb was discovered outside the Democratic National Committee building in Washington, D.C., on the day of the 2021 Capitol Hill riot. “The moments before and after the discovery of the pipe bomb at the DNC are an important aspect of our investigation as we continue to try and unravel the events surrounding the planting of these...

The Democratic Party is now engaged in a great Civil War, testing whether this party, or any party, conceived and dedicated to wokeness, equity, multiculturalism, and lunacy, can long endure. Sorry, Abe, it fits. The answer to that question is self-evident. All one has to do is follow the money. It's not donor money, per se. I have written about Democratic donors remaining on the sidelines during this civil war, which has dramatically affected fundraising for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and establishment Democratic politicians. "The Democratic National Committee has raised $99 million so far this year, not even close...

Despite calls for many Democratic politicians and pundits to temper their inflammatory rhetoric, this week has proven a further escalation in this dangerous form of rage rhetoric. DNC Chair Ken Martin just told MSNBC’s “The Beat” that “we may be nearing” the moment when “elections don’t matter and then the resistance looks completely different.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on people to “forcefully rise up.” With political violence on the rise, these leaders are clearly fueling the mob in hopes that they and their party can ride the wave of rage back into power. History suggests that it is...

On Thursday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “The Beat,” DNC Chair Ken Martin stated that the Democratic Party’s job right now is to win elections, and if “we are truly in a dictatorship and an authoritarian regime here has completely shredded the Constitution, then party doesn’t matter, and then elections don’t matter and then the resistance looks completely different” “and we may be nearing” that moment, but for now, their job is winning elections. Martin said, “[L]et me say to you, what is the role of the Democratic Party in this moment? Our job is to win, to win elections. That is...

Most Virginians have “accepted the apology” of state attorney general nominee Jay Jones for his disturbing, violent threats about a Republican legislator, a top Democrat is saying. However, recent polling and betting odds cast doubt on that claim. Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin said in an interview published Friday in Politico that Jones’s violent texts in 2022 about killing Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert were “reckless and unacceptable.” However, he also said that Virginia voters were forgiving. “I believe that most Virginians have accepted that apology and that they’ll elect Jay Jones as the next attorney general,” Martin...

VIDEOA couple of years ago, Harvard's white affirmative action student, David Hogg, attempted to enter the real world of business by launching a company called "Good Pillow" as a competitor to MyPillow. During his very brief endeavor that lasted mere weeks Hogg hadn't even bothered to register his company's name as a trademark and someone else grabbed the "Good Pillow" name. Since Hogg discovered that real work was much to be much too burdensome, he chose the much easier path of being a professional grifter. As a result he glommed onto an election grift called "Leaders We Deserve" which apparently...

Rising amenability to socialism is causing Democrats to freak out. While the national socialist media is busy ignoring the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska, there are two other closely related stories of note that show the current state of affairs. The first is that Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) suggested that socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and other Democrat socialists should “create their own party.” The beginnings of an ideological civil war within the ranks of the party. The flip side is that polling from Gallup and Rasmussen shows significant support for this collectivist ideology — meaning that...

During the recent gathering of Democrat Party bosses in Minneapolis, there was no shortage of deranged rhetoric, usually about the dark doings of the “dictator” Trump. But the most delusional diatribe was delivered by DNC Chair Ken Martin, who unintentionally captured why Democrats have been unable to recover from their drubbing last November – and why their prospects aren’t much better moving forward. Martin opened the first session of the three-day meeting with a predictably dull speech full of progressive platitudes and mangled metaphors that ended with this bizarre call to arms: “The Democratic Party has to stop trying to...

Democratic Party strategist James Carville unleashed fury over the DNC’s recent summer meeting, which opened with a “land acknowledgement” and pushed progressive social policies that Carville has long called on the party to abandon. “Let’s talk about the land for a second,” said Lindy Sowmick, treasurer of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) and self-styled “indigenous queer woman,” at the start of the party’s annual summer meeting. “The DNC acknowledges and honors the Dakota Oyate – the Dakota people – who are the original stewards of the lands and waters of Minneapolis,” Sowmick continued. “The Dakota cared for the lands, lakes...

A major liberal dark money group is reportedly paying Democratic social media influencers thousands of dollars a month to promote progressive messaging online, WIRED reported Wednesday. Influencers who participated in the program could receive up to $8,000 per month, according toWIRED. The program, run by Chorus, a nonprofit arm of the influencer marketing platform Good Influence, is funded by theSixteen Thirty Fund, a major Democrat-aligned dark money group. In June, dozens of Democratic influencers with a combined following of at least 13 million were contacted about the Chorus Creator Incubator Program, which was pitched as a way to “expand their...

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta is among the party's leaders calling for Democrats to become "more aggressive in making life better for people." It was a common theme as more than 400 DNC committee members from all 50 states and seven territories huddled this past week for their summer meeting, which was held in Minnesota's largest city. As Democrats hunger for more forceful resistance against President Donald Trump's sweeping and controversial agenda, DNC Chair Ken Martin kicked off the three-day confab by targeting the president, arguing Trump's acting as "a dictator-in-chief" and that his...

Democrat Party leaders gathered in Minneapolis this week for the DNC summer meetings, billed as a critical opportunity for the party to “turn the page” on a turbulent 13 months starting with former President Joe Biden’s early exit from the presidential race last July. But from literally the opening minutes of the event, it became clear that Democrats either have no real interest or are completely incapable of reforming the aspects of their party that have left them hopelessly out of touch with everyday Americans. Just when it seemed Democrats might finally be realizing how exhausted most people are of...

It has been fully recognized since the November election that the Democratic Party has been hobbled more than a three-legged gelding, but things refuse to improve for that lot. Throughout this year, the party has seen its prospects withering across the board, whether it is in internal operations, public approval, voting efforts, fundraising, or media outreach. And much like the condition of the national media industry, there is no desire exhibited by them to change what is not working. And this week it became even worse. It was announced that the Bill Gates Foundation was suspending its monetary involvement with...

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient. – The Apostle Paul, Romans 1:28 If stupid is as stupid does, would it be safe to say that Godless is as Godless does. Those blue state wonders who say ‘thoughts and prayers’ are a waste of time have run roughshod over about three-quarters of every American in the country. They have disregarded the lives and the faith of children. That is an offense that Christ took time to specifically describe,...

Many of our readers will remember the funeral that the Democratic Party staged for Paul Wellstone after he died in a plane crash shortly before the 2002 election. Democrats from around the country attended, and the event quickly became a political rally. It was televised nationally, and most viewers were repelled by the crass partisanship on display. Wellstone’s campaign manager apologized, but the damage was done, and days after the funeral Norm Coleman was elected to the Senate over substitute candidate Walter Mondale. Last night, the City of Minneapolis–the Democratic Party–held a “vigil” for the victims of Robin Westman’s attack...

From dollars to Gaza and messaging to polls, nothing is going right. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) held its annual summer meeting this week in Minneapolis, beginning on Monday, August 25. The party no doubt went into the three-day event hoping to find some direction as it fumbles with messaging and faces plunging poll numbers, party division, fundraising issues, and a massive drop in voter registration. Instead, the event was another tiresome display of cognitive dissonance and wishful thinking: a lot of talk about change without displaying a willingness to break away from the destructive path it continues to...

The Democratic National Committee’s summer meeting opened Monday, with one of the first items on its agenda being a “land acknowledgement.” The DNC’s meeting comes weeks after a Quinnipiac poll showing only 19% of respondents approved of the party’s congressional leadership was released, while the party also dealt with infighting and difficulty meeting fundraising goals. After reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and brief remarks from the pastor of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota’s church, DNC Chairman Ken Martin introduced the next speaker. “Now please welcome a friend of mine from the Minnesota DFL, the treasurer, her name is Lindy...