http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/dnctalkingpoints/ en-us Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:42:02 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2417792/posts It has come to this. A newspaper in one of America's biggest cities has so sold out to extremists, left-wing ideology that it has throw logic, facts, and reality to the four winds in order to sell Obama's socialist healthcare policies. In a recent editorial the Chicago Sun-Times has absurdly determined that healthcare is a "right." Unfortunately for truth and reality, the Sun-Times is simply wrong. As we all know, the Senate has been engaging in a debate on Obamacare. But back on June 16 before the lesser light of the Kennedy clan passed away, Senator Edward Kennedy included a... Publius Forum http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2417792/posts#comment Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:42:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416929/posts From President Barack Obama's historic inauguration to Tiger Woods' surreal fall from grace, 2009 has proved to be a tumultuous time in American history. As the year comes to a close, we take a look back at the political controversies, celebrity scandals, and public outrages that most defined the end of this decade. JanuaryOBAMA INAUGURATION STIRS RACIAL TENSIONS With the economy teetering on the edge of collapse, the nation's first African-American president is sworn into office under what many commentators consider the most difficult domestic circumstances since the Great Depression. His skin color continues to provoke debate: While Rush Limbaugh... The Week http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2416929/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:42:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2410444/posts The health care debate began for real in June when ABC devoted an entire hour to Obamacare in a special edition of ABC's Prime time hosted anchor Charlie Gibson and (now incoming anchor) Diane Sawyer. Called "Questions for the President: Prescription for America" the special aired on June 24, 2009, from the East Room of the White House. Basically Obama was given solo airtime to pitch his health care agenda both in prime time and later that evening on Nightline. To make matters worse, Conservatives for Patients' Rights (CPR) a group that opposes Obamacare tried to air commercials giving the... National Center/The Lid http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2410444/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:05:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408628/posts The landmark election Saturday of America's first big-city lesbian mayor in Houston represents more than just a milestone in identity politics. It also signals an unmistakable evolutionary step in national politics, one that provides further evidence of a trend that helped make Barack Obama president: growth-oriented communities like the Texas metropolis, rather than aging big cities or nostalgia-inducing small towns, are setting the course of the country's political direction. Houston is one of a set of fast-growing cities and expanding suburbs whose changing face and increasingly post-racial politics helped make Barack Obama president. Their politics are defined by some of... Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408628/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:24:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407518/posts Speaker Pelosi named finalist for Time magazine 'Person of the Year' By Jordan Fabian - 12/14/09 05:21 PM ET House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is among the seven finalists chosen for Time magazine's annual "Person of the Year," according to media reports on Monday. Other finalists in the realm of politics include last year's winner President Barack Obama, Afghanistan commanding Gen. Stanley McChrystal and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. "Look, she's the first woman Speaker of the House. She's the strongest Speaker of the House in decades," Time managing editor Richard Stengel said of Pelosi on NBC's "Today" show. "She... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407518/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:04:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2407315/posts Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz presented quite a paradox in a Charlie Gibson profile Monday. The retiring ABC World News anchor said that "it’s time to move on" since objectivity is "less of a marketable commodity." But Kurtz also underlined how Gibson dared to keep airing live coverage of Ted Kennedy’s funeral until they were able to broadcast the reading of Ted Kennedy’s letter to Pope Benedict. These passages came late in the article: Gibson worries whether broadcast networks will be able to support sizable editorial staffs in an era of declining audiences, when cable news channels are louder... Newsbusters.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2407315/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:40:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404141/posts "As long as people believe in absurdities, they will continue to commit atrocities." —Voltaire "Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true." —Demosthenes A long, long, long time ago, many people believed the Earth was flat, but for more than the last 2,000 years few educated people have subscribed to this delusion. The story (included in some textbooks used in American schools) that Christopher Columbus' 1492 voyage was the first proof that the Earth is round and not flat is deceitful historical revisionism, nothing more. For (literally) thousands of years, people... The Idaho Mountain Express http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2404141/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 23:55:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403164/posts A predictable update to yesterday’s Change. Every time I post a poll that’s bad news for conservatives, some denialist will show up in the comments to insist that (a) all polls are bunk and/or (b) this particular pollster is particularly bunk-ish. You and I call that person a troll. Obama calls him his press secretary. No video, but I like to imagine that he punctuated this with the fingers-in-the-ears “la la la la” routine while reporters shouted follow-ups. The punchline? Gallup’s numbers, at 47/46, were actually better than the numbers The One’s been pulling at Rasmussen and CNN lately. Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403164/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 21:36:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402906/posts Democrats are debating the tactic of labeling Republicans the “party of no.” Senior strategists in the party argue the label at best has outlived its usefulness, and at worst will do nothing to win new Democratic votes in the 2010 elections. “The Democrats are making an enormous mistake when they say the Republicans are the party of no,” said Paul Begala, the veteran Democratic strategist who worked in President Bill Clinton’s White House. Democrats began describing the GOP as the party of no after every House Republican voted against the $787 billion economic stimulus bill in February. The label has... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402906/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 16:32:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401993/posts Executives at National Public Radio recently asked the network’s top political correspondent, Mara Liasson, to reconsider her regular appearances on Fox News because of what they perceived as the network’s political bias, two sources familiar with the effort said. According to a source, Liasson was summoned in early October by NPR’s executive editor for news, Dick Meyer, and the network’s supervising senior Washington editor, Ron Elving. The NPR executives said they had concerns that Fox’s programming had grown more partisan, and they asked Liasson to spend 30 days watching the network. At a follow-up meeting last month, Liasson reported that... The Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2401993/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 14:25:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398506/posts Having urged the president to honor his commitment to the Afghan war, we Republicans must honor our commitment to support him as he fights it. Given the public unenthusiasm for the conflict, there will be political temptations to “go rogue” on the president, if not now, then in the summer of 2010. That will be our test, for us to pass as the president has passed his. I know many Republicans and conservatives will say: “Hey – the Democrats did not give President Bush support when he most needed it.” Correct. They didn’t. And the country suffered for it. The... Hot Air http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398506/posts#comment Wed, 2 Dec 2009 16:38:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397337/posts Yglesias opines: "I know some liberals who are excited about the prospect of a joke candidate like Sarah Palin or Dick Cheney getting the GOP nomination in 2012. Not me. The basic fact of the matter is that power tends to alternate between the two political parties. Ultimately, the nation’s interests require both parties to nominate the best people possible. So I hope the Republicans find someone who’s very smart and compelling and does an excellent job of identifying and explaining the flaws in Barack Obama’s approach. Cheney couldn’t possibly win a presidential election...unless somehow he could, in which case... The Atlantic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397337/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 02:32:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2397078/posts "Members of the Health Access protest group stage a crime scene-like 'body pile-up' as part of their campaign against what they say is the poor state of US Healthcare in Los Angeles" Daylife Photos http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2397078/posts#comment Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:08:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392785/posts Senator Inhofe: Well, on this thing, it is pretty serious. And since, you know, Barabara Boxer is the Chairman and I’m the Ranking Member on Environment and Public Works, if nothing happens in the next seven days when we go back into session a week from today that would change this situation, I will call for an investigation. ‘Cause this thing is serious, you think about the literally millions of dollars that have been thrown away on some of this stuff that they came out with. Melanie Morgan: So what will you be calling for an investigation of? Senator Inhofe:... senate.gov http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392785/posts#comment Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:22:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390155/posts Psalms 109:8, Anti-Obama Web Cry: 'Let His Days Be Few; and Let Another Take His Office' A nice sentiment? Maybe not. The psalm reads, "Let his days be few; and let another take his office." Presidential criticism through witty slogans is nothing new. Bumper stickers, t-shirts and hats with "1/20/09" commemorated President Bush's last day in office. But the verse immediately following the psalm referenced is a bit more ominous: "Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow." The slogan comes at a time of heightened concern about antigovernment anger. Earlier this year, the president's senior adviser, David... ABC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390155/posts#comment Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:07:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2390018/posts Texas' gay marriage ban may have banned all marriages AUSTIN — Texans: Are you really married? Maybe not. Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and Democratic candidate for attorney general, says that a 22-word clause in a 2005 constitutional amendment designed to ban gay marriages erroneously endangers the legal status of all marriages in the state. The amendment, approved by the Legislature and overwhelmingly ratified by voters, declares that "marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman." But the troublemaking phrase, as Radnofsky sees it, is Subsection B, which declares: "This state... Fort Worth Star-Telegram http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2390018/posts#comment Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:51:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390046/posts "But as I realized back in my Wasilla mayor days, life is too short to hold a grudge." By the time the reader reaches that pronouncement on page 321 of "Going Rogue," Sarah Palin has nursed enough grudges to last a lifetime. She describes the McCain campaign's chief strategist Steve Schmidt's "rotund physique" and his penchant for smoking to "keep his cognitive connections humming along." She claims that her Troopergate nemesis Hollis French earned the nickname "Gunny" after he listed himself as a Marine Corps private when he "merely attended a weeks-long military course during college." Media strategist Nicolle Wallace... New York Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390046/posts#comment Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:15:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2388429/posts Uninsured patients with traumatic injuries, such as car crashes, falls and gunshot wounds, were almost twice as likely to die in the hospital as similarly injured patients with health insurance, according to a troubling new study. The findings by Harvard University researchers surprised doctors and health experts who have believed emergency room care was equitable. "This is another drop in a sea of evidence that the uninsured fare much worse in their health in the United States," said senior author Dr. Atul Gawande, a Harvard surgeon and medical journalist. The study, appearing in the November issue of Archives of Surgery,... CBS News / AP (Obama) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2388429/posts#comment Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:18:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2387974/posts After a week of blame throwing centered around the Fort Hood shooting, including a round of highly placed stories leaked by anonymous government sources, the shooters motivations are still cloudy. Was he motivated by radical jihadist hatred of America, mental illness, alienation, fear of deployment, or all of the above? As details emerge, President Barack Obama has called for a review of all intelligence surrounding Hasan and whether agencies shared information and acted correctly. The review, headed by John Brenan, assistant to the president for homeland security, is due Nov. 30th. Meanwhile the critics on the right are using the... The Dallas Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2387974/posts#comment Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:48:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2387630/posts ABC’s Good Morning America finally picked up on the deep bow President Obama performed for the Emperor of Japan over the weekend. Co-host Diane Sawyer ran through how other U.S. Presidents have greeted either Emperor Akhito or his father, the late Emperor Hirohito over the years — some bowing, some not. Sawyer claimed that Americans are “not trained to greet royalty” and “it’s just too confusing.” Actually, the government employs lots of experts on culture and protocol to make sure that our presidents are fully “trained” on what to do when they represent our government overseas — which is not... Newsbusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2387630/posts#comment Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:31:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2387511/posts Barack Obama left his 2.6 million fans on Twitter, the social networking website, bemused, disappointed and mildly irritated by admitting on Monday that he had never used the service himself. "Let me say that I have never used Twitter," he told students in Shanghai. "I noticed that young people are very busy with these electronics. My thumbs are too clumsy to type in things on the phone." During his election campaign, Mr Obama portrayed himself as "connected" to the people through Twitter and his ever-present blackberry phone. Some of his more understanding fans asked if it was any real surprise... Telegraph (U.K.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2387511/posts#comment Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:01:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2385846/posts Freepers!...we're losing the image war. Photographs of the wounded at Fort Hood do not circulate among the major media. The wounded in Vietnam were commonly depicted in a way which maximized the public disgust with the war effort but the victims of jihadists are not shown in such an emotional way. The blood of civil rights demonstrators and marchers were commonly shown in the '60s and the image of the murdered and mutilated Emmett Till is a common icon to this day. But there is a lack of circulation of 9-11 pics (outside conservative media), mall shootings, Jihad victims, and... Self http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2385846/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:23:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385748/posts The new focus of the investigation is a manipulated suicide for the insurance money. National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385748/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:46:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384706/posts Had CNN spliced footage of a sparsely-attended Capitol Hill rally to discredit the reports of large numbers of attendees to the 9/12 rally in September, conservatives would have rightly howled about media bias. What will conservatives say about Fox News splicing footage of the 9/12 rally into coverage of Michele Bachmann’s otherwise well-attended rally last week? Jon Stewart gives Fox News a well-deserved poke in the eye for fudging the footage, as well as exposing rather clearly its source: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384706/posts#comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:42:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2382377/posts It’s an Obama infomercial! No, a Lesbian Night on the Fox channel? Wait, it’s a soft porn comedy hour on a major American television network. Actually, it's none of the above. It’s the premiere of the Wanda Sykes Show, a new one-hour program competing in the late night lineup. But at this juncture, it’s hard to tell what the show really is. The much buzzed “late-night show by the first gay black woman” with warnings of adult language and content conjures up an array of possibilities. Sadly, none of them really go anywhere in this perplexing presentation masquerading as hip.... Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2382377/posts#comment Mon, 9 Nov 2009 20:37:42 GMT