Free Republic

Three famous quotes explain the inevitability of the “Schumer Shutdown” — why it always had to happen, what the Democrats really want, and why it’ll all be over within 10 days. But first, an observation that illustrates a larger point: The greatest PR mistake Israel made in Gaza was giving a damn about civilian casualties. By historic standards, an enemy death toll of roughly 65,000 after 720+ days of intense urban warfare is preposterously low. (That statistic, by the way, is self-reported from Hamas, which has every incentive to inflate its numbers, and makes no distinction between civilian and military...

For political junkies who cut their teeth on “60 Minutes,” “Meet the Press,” CNN, and Fox News, longform podcasts were a godsend. Finally freed of commercial restraints and surface-level superficialities, longform podcasts took you beyond the talking points, treating audiences to a deep dive of a topic’s intricacies. Even when the podcast host had limited knowledge of the subject matter (Joe Rogan, I’m looking at you), the benefit of the longform platform was that it facilitated an open-ended, free-floating conversation where both sides learned more about the other. But there was an important catch: It only worked when both sides...

Of all the Middle East peace plans that’ve been proposed since 1948, President Trump’s was the first one that featured bearded dancers and casinos. His video representation of “Trump Gaza” (that he posted online) speaks for itself:CLICK ABOVE ARTICLE LINK FOR THE VIDEO One of the PR benefits of adopting an over-the-top persona is, you can’t ridicule what’s already ridiculous. The Economist dubbed the “Trump Gaza” A.I. video “a weird new genre of political communication,” where policy proposals are insulated from controversy under the pretext of absurdism.It’s also funny. And those cocktails look yummy:Donald Trump shares wild AI video clip...

I’m sort of the Forrest Gump of American scandals: Either via proximity, professionalism, bad luck, or random happenstance, I’ve been involved in a ridiculously large number of ‘em. Since the 1990s, I’ve worked closely with Kato Kaelin (OJ Simpson scandal). I’ve already written about my work with Michael Vick (dogfighting scandal). More recently, I got roped into the Gen. David Petraeus scandal. (I don’t know how to fact-check this, but I think I’m the only PR pro in my entire industry who’s ever had his media records (including off-the-record conversations) subpoenaed by the Obama administration.) I’ve even had the misfortune...

Tom Landry, Don Meredith, and Tex Schramm are all spinning in their graves. (Roger Staubach is still alive, but if he was dead, he’d be spinning like a dreidel, too.) America’s Team has hit rock bottom. Jerry Jones purchased the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 and assumed the title of general manager. (Nobody realized it at the time, but apparently, it was a lifelong title.) The first head coach he hired — Jimmy Johnson — worked out extremely well. The early-to-mid-'90s Cowboys were disciplined, talented, and very successful. But Johnson only lasted five seasons. (He was fired after not drinking shots...

ARLINGTON, Texas – Jerry Jones turned 82 on Sunday and as birthdays go, this one might have aged him more quickly than some others. Earlier this week, Jones announced that an IndyCar race would be staged in the streets surrounding AT&T Stadium, an indication that the business of Jones and the Dallas Cowboys remains quite good. The results, though, are another story. For the last nearly three decades of his life, Jones has proclaimed for anyone who would listen that his singular goal was to win another Super Bowl, a prize that has eluded the Cowboys since the 1995 season....