Free Republic

In the nearly three weeks since President Donald Trump struck Iran, conventional wisdom has set in that his base is sticking with him on the war. It’s true that Trump’s base hasn’t ditched him in huge numbers — and an overwhelming number of MAGA supporters, especially, say they support the war. The opposition from the likes of Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Megyn Kelly and other influencers hasn’t translated to wide swaths of the GOP base itself. But Trump has alienated some significant portions of his base, and he’s risking alienating more. A fresh batch of polling in recent days...

Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn) objected to Vice President JD Vance's decision to temporarily halt federal Medicade subsidies to his state pending further investigation of the Walz Administration misuse of public funds, saying "doesn't this fool realize that we've already distributed the federal money to unqualified recipients? We need more federal money in order to take care of the folks that should've been taken care of by the money we misused. The Republicans are only hurting these needy folks." Vance pointed out that "dozens of Minnesota state employees have blamed Gov. Walz for enabling or ignoring the misuse of those funds....

The Republicans' "Big Beautiful Bill" (BBB) enacted last year cut the nationwide federal tax burden by billions of dollars. In Oregon that amounted to more than $300 million in cuts. Rep. Nancy Nathanson (D-Eugene) introduced state legislation to convert the federal cuts into state tax increases, saying "enriching taxpayers is not a high priority for us in Oregon. Folks who previously paid higher taxes to the feds can afford to keep paying those higher taxes to the state government." The Representative dismissed the intent of the BBB to stimulate business investment as "not as important as funding increased budgets for...

During an interview with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif) told the Black mayor and mostly Black audience "I'm like you. I can't read. I'm a 960 SAT guy--you know, the kind of guy who's a 'C' student on his good days. I'd be the perfect president to represent your interests. I wish I was Black so you'd believe me." Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) took offense, saying "You're not like us. Black folks have built empires, created movements, outworked, out-hustled and outsmarted people like you. Stop using your mediocre academics as a way to patronize us." Newsom defended...

New York City's democratic-socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani explained why he requires two forms of IDs to shovel snow, but opposes IDs for casting a ballot. "Casting a ballot is a human right that should not be infringed by requiring the voter to prove his or her identity," the Mayor said. "It would be like requiring an ID to be allowed to breathe. In contrast, shoveling snow is a job that pays $30 per hour of labor. It would be fiscally irresponsible for me to spend public money without knowing who I am paying to do the work." "Republicans say that...

Sensing that the combined US/Israeli attack on Iran presented him with an opportunity to boost his foreign policy credentials heading into to anticipated run for president in 2028, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif) asserted "the corrupt and repressive Iranian regime must never have nuclear weapons. The leadership of Iran must go. But that does not justify the President of the United States engaging in an illegal, dangerous war that will risk the lives of our American service members and our friends. President Trump is putting Americans at risk abroad because he is unpopular at home." Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) said "the...

It turns out that in addition to fraudulent payments of federal aid in Minnesota meant for feeding children and providing daycare to children of working parents it has been revealed that fraudulent payments for autism therapy must now be added to the list. In testimony given in Congress it was pointed out to Gov. Tim Walz, that in 2017 about $1 million in federal funds was paid to help fight autism. In 2024, $343 million was paid. Walz admitted being totally ignorant and unembarrassed by this revelation, saying "I'm not a financial genius. I am only a governor. I can't...

In 2020, 65% of Virginia's voters approved a Congressional district map that resulted in the state electing six Democrats and five Republicans--a 55% to 45% split--to represent the state in Washington, DC. The Democrat majority in the state legislature is presenting a new map that is expected to result in the state electing ten Democrats and one Republican--a 91% to 9% split--to represent the state in Washington. The ballot language asks voters: "Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia's...

In 2012, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif) won election to Congress by ousting 20-term incumbent Democrat Pete Stark in the general election. During the campaign Swalwell mocked Stark, saying "Stark lives in Maryland--2,850 miles from the district he claims to represent. I live in the district. I will make sure that I commute to Washington and always stay connected with my district. That means driving the roads of my district, shopping the businesses of my district, and the basic requirement, sleeping under a roof in the district." Swalwell, now the leading candidate in the race to replace the retiring Gov. Gavin...

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is urging the state government to reduce the estate tax exemption from its current $7 million threshold down to $750,000 and raise the tax rate on estates from its current 16% to 50%. "Ideally, there would be no private property," he said. "Why should a person who has stolen millions of dollars from the collective be allowed to pass any of it to his heirs. In the Communist Manifesto, Marx called for the abolition of private property. When a person dies all that he possesses should be seized by the government so it can...

Cuban citizen Pedro Quiala Carmenate says "there's no food, there's no electricity and there's no medical care. Now that Trump has liberated the people of Venezuela from the brutal rule of Nicolas Maduro, we are hoping he will liberate Cuba from President Miguel Diaz-Canel's Communist tyranny." Founder of the Patriotic Union of Cuba José Daniel Ferrer asserted "the majority of Cubans want the Americans to intervene because they are living through the worst period of the 67-year dictatorship. As we achieve a historic transformation in Venezuela, we're also looking forward to the great change that will soon be coming to...

The latest poll of registered voters from NBC News found that President Trump was viewed less unfavorably than the two leading Democrats contenders for the 2028 presidential nomination. Trump's percentages were 41% positive to 53% negative for a net -12%. Gov. California Gavin Newsom's were 27% positive to 45% negative for a net -18%. Former Vice-President Kamala Harris' were 34% positive to 51% negative for a net of -17%. Comparisons for the Republican and Democrat Parties were similar. Voters rated Republicans as 37% positive to 51% negative for a net -14%. Democrats were rated 30% positive to 52% negative for...

Rep. Nancy Mace's (R-SC) motion "to publicly release all reports on investigations into members of Congress regarding allegations of 'sexual harassment or of a sexual relationship with a member of their staff" was voted down by 357 to 65 vote. Mace said "the professed concern for the victims being publicly humiliated 'phony.' Any Member who votes against this resolution is voting to protect the cover-up instead of the victims. Nobody in Congress should get to play by a different set of rules. We need to shine a light on every single case the House Ethics Committee has been sitting on."...

In his state of the union speech, President Trump asked members of Congress to stand to show their support for the concept that "the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens." While the Republican contingent had no qualms about acknowledging this responsibility, not a single Democrat did. In the Democratic response delivered by Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va), she pointed out that "American citizens are among the wealthiest in the world. They are capable of protecting themselves. There are billions of folks in other countries who need America's help. Former President Biden invited tens of millions of...

In four years of operation, Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D-Calif) $236 million mental health CARE Court program has helped 22 individuals. Initial estimates projected that 12,000 to 50,000 would be helped. The Governor denied the program was a flop. "Look, it's not as if there was no benefit," he said. "Almost two-dozen individuals got the care that they needed. It was a better deal than the Somali daycare fraud that siphoned off billions from the public coffers of federal and state governments. Besides, if we hadn't made this investment no one would've been helped. So, I ask my critics, 'what would...

Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va) ran on a platform of making Virginia more affordable. Now she and the expanded Democrat majority in the legislature are set on imposing new taxes on dog walking and grooming, guns and ammunition, storage facilities, dry cleaning, home repairs, electric leaf blowers and electric landscaping equipment, and creating some new income tax brackets. The Governor admitted that "these new taxes seem like they will raise the cost of living for the folks that spend money on these items. However, none of the things we're putting new taxes on are necessities. No one needs to own a...

The FBI's seizure of ballots, documents, and machinery used by Fulton County in the 2020 presidential election was challenged by Fulton County election Commissioner Marvin Arrington. "Look, we went through all this nonsense in November of 2020," he complained. "At that time everyone agreed that Trump lost the election. The media declared Biden the winner. Judges determined that Trump lacked standing to challenge the results. Reexamining the outcome at this late date isn't worthwhile and could destabilize the country if it turns out that some mistakes were made." FBI Director Kash Patel pointed out that "the 'lacks standing' grounds used...

At the most recent Grammy Awards, singer Billie Eilish asserted that "no one is illegal on stolen land." While her intent was to denounce the deportation criminal aliens being conducted by Immigration, Customs and Border (ICE) officers, the Tongva tribe has called for her "to be evicted from the land that was stolen from us." Chief Anthony Red Blood Morales explained "we appreciate her admission that she is occupying land that was stolen from our people. We look forward to her agreeing to exit this land or propose an equitable rent or leasing fee to continue her occupation of our...

While the mainstream media is trying to portray deporting illegal immigrants as an unpopular policy, a survey from Cygnal Polling indicates this policy is popular. Nearly two-thirds of voters think that illegal immigration is a serious problem. This includes 97% of Republicans, 71% of "swing" voters, 60% of independents, but only 33% of Democrats. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) discounted these results "because these polls only include registered voters. If elections were really restricted to this narrow constituency we would be worried. However, many states governed by our Party don't limit ballots to only those who are registered to...

The last week has been kind to its newly-innaugurated democratic-socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. A massive blizzard left mountains of snow in the streets, more than a dozen homeless inhabitants froze to death, and rats are feasting on uncollected garbage piled up everywhere except right outside his Gracie Mansion residence. "I'm new to the job," the Mayor reminded everyone. "I know the burdens will get heavier, but right now I struggle to imagine how it could be better." Hmm, maybe haul away the garbage and snow plow the streets? Could that make things better?