Free Republic

Jack and the Beanstalk and Party Realignment  Every since Ronald Reagan's landslide victory in 1980, along with Republican control of the Senate and a 33-seat pickup in the House of Representatives, students of American politics have investigated, debated and debunked the theory of party realignment in that case. But the 1994 GOP takeover of Congress, and the gains in both houses of Congress that accompanied George W. Bush's election and re-election in 2000 and 2004, have raised the question again. I believe the trend is pretty obvious, but these elections are at best watersheds, which becomes apparent once we...

"Stolen Honor" Morphs Into Broader Sinclair Documentary  The long-awaited Sinclair Broadcasting Company production about "Stolen Honor" was, according to a company press release, always intended to be a documentary in the customary sense of the term. Appearing tonight at 8 (7 p.m. central) on 62 stations in 39 markets to 24 percent of the television households, "A POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media" will go beyond the Swift Boat Veterans (and POWs) for Truth documentary previously expected.  "The news special will focus in part on the use of documentaries and other media to influence voting, which emerged during...