http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/2008/ en-us Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:31:53 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417980/posts HOUSTON — The man accused of trying to bring down a Detroit-bound U.S. airliner on Christmas Day spent two weeks in Houston last year attending a seminar conducted by a Web-based Islamic education center. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417980/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:31:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409225/posts One of every six U.S. employers that closed permanently in 2008 was in California, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration using bankruptcy court data. However, one in nine employers that opened in 2008 was in California. The net result was almost 47,000 fewer companies with employees in California by the end of 2008. The data are part of the Census Bureau’s Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010. The state had 45.1% more business “deaths” than “births,” one of the steepest changes. Note that many of the closures were started in other years. In California’s case many of those... OC Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409225/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:49:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402673/posts John McCainÂ’s choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate is sitting very well with a lot of American voters, according to the latest FOX News poll. The new survey also shows that—among all four candidates running—Palin (at 33 percent) is seen as most likely to understand “the problems of everyday life”—barely outpacing Barack Obama (32 percent), and finishing significantly ahead of both McCain (17 percent) and Joe Biden (10 percent). Among independent voters, PalinÂ’s lead over Obama on this score widens to 13 points (35 percent to 22 percent). -——snip-——A solid majority of voters (54 percent) say... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402673/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 10:21:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402333/posts (snip) So I really, of course—I wish we'd had done better. Of course we made mistakes and of course there were all kinds of things, if you had to do over again, I would do X or Y. But I look back on it in its entirety as a remarkable, incredibly wonderful experience. So, looking at it that way, you respect the winner and try to assume the role of loyal opposition. And obviously that means that when you can be loyal and find ways to be loyal, do it. There are too many things happening domestically and national securitywise... Newsweek http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402333/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 21:38:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2392149/posts In October of 2008, Senator Obama's campaign accused Senator John McCain of planning to gut Medicare. ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (AFP) — Barack Obama's White House campaign Monday accused John McCain of plotting to impose savage cuts on government-run health care programs that insure the elderly and the poor.It was the latest attack from the Democrat's camp over an emotive issue that is taking on new urgency at a time when many Americans fear losing their jobs and thus the health care coverage that comes from their employers... "This plan would be a disaster. It would dramatically reduce the quality of... Bluegrass Pundit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2392149/posts#comment Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:21:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2388783/posts Depictions ‘took place entirely in her imagination,’ says Wallace. NBC NEWS and NEWS SERVICES NEW YORK - Former McCain campaign senior adviser Nicolle Wallace says Sarah Palin's book "Going Rogue" is "based on fabrications," and that the basis for Palin’s depictions of her and former McCain campaign director Steve Schmidt as villains "took place entirely in her imagination." In a statement to The Rachel Maddow Show, the former McCain spokesperson repeatedly used the word "fiction" to describe Palin's narrative and echoed criticisms by other former McCain staffers. "She [Palin] probably has a legitimate complaint that things could have been better... MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2388783/posts#comment Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:24:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385945/posts WASHINGTON – Sarah Palin's new book reprises familiar claims from the 2008 presidential campaign that haven't become any truer over time. Ignoring substantial parts of her record if not the facts, she depicts herself as a frugal traveler on the taxpayer's dime, a reformer without ties to powerful interests and a politician roguishly indifferent to high ambition. Associated Pravda http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385945/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:24:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380499/posts <p>Sure, Election Day 2009 will scare moderate Democrats and make passage of Obamacare more difficult. Sure, it makes it easier for resurgent Republicans to raise money and recruit candidates for 2010. But the most important effect of Tuesday’s elections is historical. It demolishes the great realignment myth of 2008.</p> NationalReviewOnline http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380499/posts#comment Sat, 7 Nov 2009 01:04:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379572/posts Sure, Election Day 2009 will scare moderate Democrats and make passage of ObamaCare more difficult. Sure, it makes it easier for resurgent Republicans to raise money and recruit candidates for 2010. But the most important effect of Tuesday's elections is historical. It demolishes the great realignment myth of 2008. In the aftermath of last year's Obama sweep, we heard endlessly about its fundamental, revolutionary, transformational nature. How it was ushering in an FDR-like realignment for the 21st century in which new demographics — most prominently, rising minorities and the young — would bury the GOP far into the future. One... Investors.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379572/posts#comment Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:50:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2378344/posts Eighteen months later, Nevada Republicans have completed a count of all delegate ballots from last year's state convention. A group of disaffected Republicans says it feels vindicated after a Friday night count of missing ballots from the April 2008 gathering showed three delegates for U.S. Rep. Ron Paul should have been sent to the national convention. Paul supporters said they felt party leaders cheated them out of a place at the national convention when they abruptly recessed the convention before delegate ballots from the state's 2nd Congressional District could be counted. The district was allowed to choose three of the... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2378344/posts#comment Wed, 4 Nov 2009 15:44:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372974/posts With lots of cable news shows, the feast of the 2008 election has lead to famine in 2009. Countdown with Keith Olberman’s ratings are in the famine range as well, with October year over year ratings down 53% in the cable news target adults 25-54 demo, and down 53% in average viewership. Although I don’t have a trend chart, October is also Olbermann’s lowest rated month so far in 2009 in both 25-54 and average viewers. TV By The Numbers http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372974/posts#comment Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:19:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371628/posts CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) —Nevada Republicans who supported Ron Paul in last year's GOP presidential contest announced a political action committee Monday to oppose the U.S. Senate bid of former state party chairwoman Sue Lowden. Robert Holloday, spokesman for the Fair Nevada Elections PAC, said Lowden's handling of last year's state convention when delegate selections were stopped amounted to betrayal. "Sue Lowden's leading role in improperly halting the delegate election disqualifies her for any position of trust in government," Holloday said. "Our group hopes to raise awareness of the dismal record of Sue Lowden and to oppose her election to... The Mercury-News, San Jose, Calif. / AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371628/posts#comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:14:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2359816/posts William White predicted the approaching financial crisis years before 2007's subprime meltdown. But central bankers preferred to listen to his great rival Alan Greenspan instead, with devastating consequences for the global economy. William White had a pretty clear idea of what he wanted to do with his life after shedding his pinstriped suit and entering retirement. White, a Canadian, worked for various central banks for 39 years, most recently serving as chief economist for the central bank for all central bankers, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. Then, after 15 years in the world's most secretive... Der Spiegel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2359816/posts#comment Sun, 11 Oct 2009 03:18:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2352249/posts WASHINGTON - Mitt Romney had already sent out invitations for his Phoenix fund-raiser, offering supporters the chance to meet him in a Chase Field luxury box over a $300-per-person lunch or a $3,000 VIP reception. But when former rival John McCain called with an offer to be listed as host for the event in his hometown, Romney happily went back to the printer for a new invitation with McCain’s name emblazoned on it. Yesterday, McCain’s gesture helped Romney’s political action committee raise about $80,000. It also consummated an 18-month rapprochement between two competitors who battled for the 2008 GOP presidential... The Boston Globe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2352249/posts#comment Thu, 1 Oct 2009 05:09:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2340549/posts "I in my life have been abused, also. I mean just with an ex‑husband, a husband, you know, that just beat the hell out of me, you know, a few times and then, you know, I killed him." Veritas Visuals http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2340549/posts#comment Tue, 15 Sep 2009 23:15:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2333200/posts (snip) Listening to Sen. McCain's elegy, however, I found myself increasingly bothered. "We disagreed on most issues," McCain said at one point, "but I admired his passion for his convictions ... ." Really? Kennedy was the farthest-left liberal during nearly five decades in the U.S. Senate. McCain, just one year ago, campaigned for president, proclaiming his conservative convictions. And without doubt, Kennedy's wholehearted support of Barack Obama helped to torpedo McCain's campaign. Perhaps one moment disturbed me most: "When we worked together on the immigration issue," McCain recalled, "we had a daily morning meeting with other interested senators. He and... The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2333200/posts#comment Sun, 6 Sep 2009 04:37:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2332388/posts Last year, many at NRO and other conservative news organizations, including myself, wrote quite a bit about William Ayers, and Jeremiah Wright, and Michael Pfleger, and Tony Rezko, etc. And more than a few Obama supporters, and more than a few mainstream media voices, thought that the criticism was wildly overhyped and Obama's ties to those types were irrelevant, because as president, Barack Obama would never put anyone in his administration with such controversial, paranoid, extreme, and anti-American views. In light of Van Jones, all of those folks who said we made too much out of Ayers and Wright and... NRO http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2332388/posts#comment Fri, 4 Sep 2009 20:37:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2321227/posts BOSTON -- Political blogs are abuzz with a rumor that former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is moving to Rhode Island. The rumor was first reported Saturday by the Anchorage Daily News, which said the gossip is that Palin has “finally decided” what she is going to do with the rest of her life. Her plan, the column said, is to settle “in Rhode Island with $7 million from her book and a contract with FOX.” The Boston Channel (Channel 5) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2321227/posts#comment Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:19:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2314523/posts Report: DNA Test Confirms that John Edwards fathered mistress’s child The National Enquirer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2314523/posts#comment Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:14:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2309302/posts "When you are running for President, everything should be public..." youtube.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2309302/posts#comment Thu, 6 Aug 2009 02:36:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2308110/posts Mayor Bloomberg said Tuesday he never thought he was on the short list to be Republican Sen. John McCain's running mate last year -- even though a new book claims he was one of the six finalists for the coveted slot. McCain's staff took Bloomberg's chances seriously, the book claims -- especially when they were told to set up a short podium for the still-secret vice-presidential candidate. "When I told them to lower it for someone who was 5-7, they thought it was Bloomberg," McCain aide Davis White says in "The Battle for America 2008: The Story of an Extraordinary... The New York Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2308110/posts#comment Tue, 4 Aug 2009 19:08:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2303333/posts In 2005, when I was working as a speechwriter in the South African parliament, a far-left faction of the ruling African National Congress spun a yarn that accused the leader of the opposition, the intelligence minister, and the Mossad of colluding to frame Jacob Zuma, the faction's chosen presidential candidate. Intelligence agents loyal to Zuma bugged the opposition's parliamentary offices and produced a bogus document that they claimed was a transcript of Internet chats between Zuma's supposed opponents. It was all nonsense, but the conspiracy theory galvanized Zuma's supporters, who soon pushed him to the top of the ruling party... American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2303333/posts#comment Wed, 29 Jul 2009 05:22:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2300548/posts There are, of course, a whole lot of truly baffling things about the Birther movement and its theories. But perhaps one of the most puzzling is this unanswered question: If President Obama really were born in Kenya, why didn't the McCain or Clinton campaigns dig up the evidence and publicize it? Why has that task fallen to the ragtag crew that is the Birthers, led now by Orly Taitz, a dentist/lawyer/real estate agent who got her law degree online and is regularly admonished for having little, if any, idea how to properly file her court papers? Turns out there's an... Salon http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2300548/posts#comment Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:54:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2288569/posts Okay it's official. Obama's completely distasterous start, disregard for the Constitution and American people, non-citizenship, cluelessness on the economy, foreign policy, healthcare, taxes, gun rights, civil liberities, traditional marriage, bailouts, industry take overs, ethic corruptions, lavish personal spending, general love and appeasement of socialist dictators, complete reinvention of Jimney "Cricket" Carter and now plummeting aproval numbers have finally convinced me he's not ready to be president. me (formerly Obushma: Because he's way past Bush---he's Carter now) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2288569/posts#comment Thu, 9 Jul 2009 02:44:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2288373/posts Many pundits and commentators assume that they live in the same world as the current group of 16-20 somethings currently gathering all the media and political attention. Yet even if they have barely crossed the ’30 mark’ their world is still vastly different from ours. To point out a few differences, most of us learned to drive on two to three dollar a gallon gasoline and don’t consider it too bad, we’ve never really looked anything up in an encyclopedia except for an assignment, the internet is a part of our daily social lives rather than an addition to it,... The Politicizer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2288373/posts#comment Wed, 8 Jul 2009 21:57:15 GMT