Free Republic

New polling brings good news and bad news for beleaguered Republicans yearning for a comeback in the Age of Obama. The encouraging message suggests that Americans strongly prefer conservative policies and values to the liberal approaches preached by the president. On the other hand, the same polls indicate that the two revival strategies most commonly discussed by the GOP will both lead to political dead ends. Neither a shift to more moderate positions nor an emphasis on rousing, uncompromising, us-vs.-them right wing rhetoric will bring Republicans back to power in Washington D.C. The only workable strategy for long-term GOP gains...

For those Americans who want to fight back against the menacing expansion of government and the insanely irresponsible spending of the Obama administration, there is only one way to succeed: electing more Republicans to high office. If the public fails to elect GOP candidates for the Senate, the House, governorships, state legislatures and, ultimately, the presidency there is simply no way to derail the leftist agenda that menaces liberty and prosperity. Many sincere patriots will object to this formulation, insisting that we must elect more conservatives, not just more Republicans. The question then becomes, if the needed conservative candidates arent...

My wife Diane seldom gets upset about politics. But President Barack Obama’s recent demonstration of megalomania in insisting on beginning the school year by simultaneously addressing all public school kids in the United States elicited a concise response: “it’s sick.” In addition to her Ph.D. in psychology, Diane holds an M.A. in Education, and both primary and secondary teaching credentials in California. She has raised and educated our three kids, each of whom received some combination of home schooling, parochial education, and public schools. What bothers her (and many courageous teachers across the country) is the crude attempt by the...

“MOST VALUABLE BOSSES” At a time of economic pain and insecurity, populist outrage inevitably focuses on corporate leaders who pocket huge paychecks despite the wretched performance of their companies. For instance, since Kenneth D. Lewis took over as top executive of Bank of America in April, 2001, the firm’s annual return of -8% (as reported by Forbes Magazine) significantly trailed the record of the S & P 500, but Mr. Lewis has received compensation that averages more than $30 million annually. Fortunately, many other bosses offer a wholesome contrast to the well-publicized instances of lavish pay for poor performance. Since...

The other day I was listening to Michael Medved going on one of his rants against the "birthers", those individuals who question Barack Obama's eligibility to serve as president of the United States because of the lack of evidence that he is a natural born American citizen. Medved referred to them as 'pathetic losers', lumping them in with conspiracy theorists who believe 911 was an inside job. He also took a swipe at Joseph Farah and his outstanding news website World Net Daily, for devoting a lot of coverage to the story. What Medved fails to realize is that to...

Listen at link.

Oscar Levant, a famous pianist and media star of the 1930s and ’40s, battled for decades against mental illness, surviving several painful hospitalizations. He once declared: “There is a fine line between insanity and genius. I have erased that line.” The late Michael Jackson erased the same line—and blurred many other distinctions in the course of his extraordinary career. In an unprecedented way, he obliterated the dividing line between black and white in terms of personal identity and mass appeal. He developed a vast crossover audience of white fans (and international fans in every continent), at the same time that...

DISMISSING AND DISTRUSTING THE PROFIT MOTIVE In most quarters of our society there’s no shame in possessing money (or the flashy signifiers of wealth and comfort) but there is an odd unease over admitting the means by which those resources were acquired. We all benefit from the unparalleled and prodigious productivity of the capitalist system but feel uncomfortable in embracing the pursuit of profit at its very core. Recent surveys, for instance, display startling levels of contempt for leaders of business, reflecting the assumption that entrepreneurs and executives count as sleazy, greedy, selfish and unreliable. In February, 2009, a Harris...

Judges should never show special "empathy" for the downtrodden and unfortunate. To do so not only undermines the integrity of the legal system, but goes against Biblical morality. How do we know? Because the Hebrew Scriptures are explicit and unequivocal on this issue, as I explained in a column a month ago. The controversy over the Sotomayor nomination gives that column fresh (and, if I do say so, prophetic) relevance. In fact, I suspect that in her confirmation hearings Judge Sotomayor will display the good sense to back away from some of the most controversial recent statements that she has...

Judges should never show special "empathy" for the downtrodden and unfortunate. To do so not only undermines the integrity of the legal system, but goes against Biblical morality. How do we know? Because the Hebrew Scriptures are explicit and unequivocal on this issue, as I explained in a column a month ago. The controversy over the Sotomayor nomination gives that column fresh (and, if I do say so, prophetic) relevance. In fact, I suspect that in her confirmation hearings Judge Sotomayor will display the good sense to back away from some of the most controversial recent statements that she has...

Widow of Douglas Zembiec 3 years ago, I made a Veterans Day post transcribing a letter Michael Medved read on his radio program, The Three Big Lies About Vietnam. Here is that segment of the show; it requires 3-and-a-half minutes of your time, and I'll be very much surprised if they are 3 minutes you'll want back, after listening. (Excerpt) Read more at Flopping Aces ...

My Fellow Texans, I will be moderating a very special event, Monday, April 27th, as Dallas/Ft. Worth based News Talk 660 KSKY Radio welcomes nationally syndicated talk hosts Mike Gallagher, Michael Medved, and Hugh Hewitt for their kickoff of the "Obama First 100 Days" National Tour at the Special Events Center in Garland, Texas. America has seen significant change since January 20th and Texans, like you and I, have a lot to say about the direction we’re currently headed. I am honored to have been invited to moderate this significant event, one that gives everyone an opportunity to voice their...

The ferocious fight over the Obama budget exposes some of the deepest differences between liberals and conservatives, contrasting not only their goals for the country but their desires for themselves. All human beings feel a drive for power, but leftists and right-wingers express that urge with opposing (and often irreconcilable) strategies. They employ very different means in pursuit of power in part because they seek distinctive ends: at the most basic level, liberals want enhanced control through political authority while conservatives crave greater sway through accumulation of personal wealth. Understanding the true nature of this distinction clarifies the most polarizing...

As many listeners know by now, Michael Medved's dad, David Medved, passed away last night after a battle with Lymphoma. Luckily, Michael and his brothers were able to be with him in the hospital last week and share some very good time together as a family. While they knew their dad was dying, his passing did happen sooner than expected. I spoke with Michael about his dad on Michael's show today (I filled in). Michael had a stop-over in New York on his way to attend the funeral, and wanted to use the time to express his love for his...

Conventional wisdom suggests that public opinion has moved decisively- perhaps irrevocably - to the left, but recent polls actually express confusion and contradictions in the national mood. Far from the “sea change,” “tectonic shift” and “political revolution” that heavy-breathing pundits impute to the glorious dawn of the Age of Obama, major surveys show a glaring contrast between personal admiration for the President and widespread skepticism about the effectiveness of his policies. For instance, a CNN/Opinion Research survey showed that a huge majority of Americans (67%) don’t expect the increased spending in the stimulus package and the budget to improve their...

If you’ve got only eight minutes to confront a world leader whose impact and outlook you’ve despised and denounced for decades, then what’s the best way to take advantage of the interchange? That was the dilemma facing me last Friday when former President Jimmy Carter agreed to a brief interview on my nationally syndicated radio program.

It’s happened again. My most quoted article, “What’s Up With White Women?” has been cited in another new book: Michael Medved’s The 10 Big Lies About America: Combating Destructive Distortions About Our Nation (Crown, 2008). I was tipped off by a friend who was reading the book. Here is what Medved wrote: An American Indian academic and musician named David A. Yeagley (an enrolled member of the Comanche Nation) tells a sobering story about one of his students at Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City. A “tall and pretty” girl with amber hair and brown eyes, she spoke out in a class...

Michael Medved has said that he will interview Jimmy Carter on today's show. He has consistently called Carter "The Worthless One". He has repeatedly dared Carter to come on his show. Apparently, Carter has accepted. It will occur in the second or third hour. Medved's show has just begun. It runs from 3-6 Eastern, noon-3 Pacific. Hopefully, this will come off. If you aren't near a radio, and wish to listen, click the link and then click the LISTEN LIVE button.

How worthless is Jimmy Carter? Haley Barbour, Governor of Mississippi, makes the point that when an opposition party seizes control of the White House from its rival, that party almost always holds the Presidency for two terms at least. This means that the odds heavily favor Barack Obama’s reelection in 2012. In the last 112 years, an opposition party took over the presidency eleven times (McKinley in 1896, Wilson in 1912, Harding in 1920, FDR in 1932, Eisenhower in 1952, Kennedy in 1960, Nixon in 1968, Carter in 1976, Reagan in 1980, Clinton in 1992, George W. Bush in 2000)....

How worthless is Jimmy Carter? Haley Barbour, Governor of Mississippi, makes the point that when an opposition party seizes control of the White House from its rival, that party almost always holds the Presidency for two terms at least. This means that the odds heavily favor Barack Obama’s reelection in 2012. In the last 112 years, an opposition party took over the presidency eleven times (McKinley in 1896, Wilson in 1912, Harding in 1920, FDR in 1932, Eisenhower in 1952, Kennedy in 1960, Nixon in 1968, Carter in 1976, Reagan in 1980, Clinton in 1992, George W. Bush in 2000)....

Michael Medved spent about an hour of today's show ranting against "birthers". He had a couple of people call in and was accused of being a pretend conservative. The show was entertaining, but a little infuriating. Sometimes Medved is good, but his staunch support for the Rino McCain through the primaries and now his ridiculing of conservatives who believe this issue is Constitutionally critical, is frustrating. He seems to think that most of us believed we could block the fraud Obama from taking office. I never really thought the Supreme Court would have the back bone to reject Barak. I...

As he prepares to leave the White House after eight monumentally eventful years, what's the right standard for judging the performance of George W. Bush? The basis for answering that question has changed radically over the course of the last seven years, very much to the president's detriment. After the devastating attacks of September 11, 2001, and Bush's almost instantaneous rebirth as a determined "War President," most Americans expressed clear ideas of what they expected of the commander in chief. The conventional wisdom of the time declared that his presidency would rise or fall based on his ability to keep...

I am listening to Michael Medved right now. He has some choice words for people who filed those suits on the Obama birth certificate issue. Among other things, he describes them as "fringies" and "crazies." He also described those who are holding a vigil outside the SCOTUS building awaiting tomorrow's decision as pathetic and sad. Medved predicted that SCOTUS would throw out the case and it would take them 4 minutes or less of deliberation (he was probably employing a bit of hyperbole about the 4 minute thing). Needless to say, he's right on this. :) If you want to...

The savage terror attacks in Mumbai send three powerful messages to all Americans who are willing to pay attention: 1. The threat of Islamo-Nazi terror remains real and urgent, and Americans must not take our safety for granted. While both the public and the president-elect focus almost exclusively on our dire economic challenges, we tend to dismiss the possibility of new terrorist attacks on American soil. Exit polling after the presidential election showed that less than one-in-ten considered terrorism a serious issue for the candidates; the unheralded but significant success of the Bush administration in the seven years since 9/11...

Join Michael Medved as he tours the country promoting his new book, "The 10 Big Lies About America." Michael will be making a rare Southern California appearance at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, Wednesday December 3rd, at 12 Noon. ... Watch Michael broadcast his show LIVE across the country from 12noon - 3pm. ... Reserve your seat today by filling out the form at the link.

...The big lies about America all work to undermine the sense of honor and gratitude that ought to inspire every citizen, particularly in this Thanksgiving season...

ELTON JOHN SOLVES GAY MARRIAGE CONTROVERSY Posted by: Michael Medved at 1:40 PM Thursday, November 20, 2008 One of the world’s most prominent gay entertainers offered some rare common sense on the explosive issue of same sex marriage. In New York City for a gala AIDS benefit, rock legend Sir Elton John appeared with his long-time partner, David Furnish. “We’re not married,” he told the press, “Let’s get that straight. We have a civil partnership…I don’t want to be married! I’m very happy with a civil partnership. The word ‘marriage,’ I think, puts a lot of people off. You get...

MORE people have come forward claiming to have seen a Bigfoot-like creature in the Wanstead and Woodford area. Last week we revealed how fitness instructor Michael Kent saw a peculiar-looking Bigfoot-like animal emerge from trees near the Hollow Ponds area of Epping Forest, on the border between Wanstead and Leytonstone.

“It ain’t so much the things we don’t know that get us into trouble,nineteenth-century humorist Josh Billings remarked. “It’s the things we know that just ain’t so.” In this bold and brilliantly argued book, acclaimed author and talk-radio host Michael Medved zeroes in on ten of the biggest fallacies that millions of Americans believe about our country—in spite of incontrovertible facts to the contrary. In The 10 Big Lies About America, Medved pinpoints the most pernicious pieces of America-bashing disinformation that pollute current debates about the economy, race, religion in politics, the Iraq war, and other contentious issues. The myths...

The following is from an interview of John Lott by Dave Bose, substituting for Michael Medved on the Michael Medved radio show. Lott is currently a professor at the University of Maryland and is the author of "More Guns, Less Crime" and "Freedomonics." Lott taught at the University of Chicago the same time Obama was an instructor at Chicago. The transcript picks up approximately half way through the audio file... Dave Bose: Just before the break, Professor Lott, I was mentioning that actually know Barack Obama. You met at the college. John Lott: We were both at the University of...

Despite the fact that leading polls continue to indicate a close Presidential election, and point to the very real chance of an upset victory for the McCain-Palin ticket, too many conservatives have begun to embrace a bizarre form of defeatism. According to this destructive logic, a Republican defeat in 2008 counts as not only inevitable, but necessary; some disgruntled voices on the right argue that a decisive win for Barack Obama might actually help the conservative cause in the long run. This notion contradicts both common sense and historical precedent and rests on five deeply damaging and ultimately demented myths....

The current financial crisis is painful and unpredictable, but no serious economist believes it will last more than four years. That means that President Obama (or, for that matter, President McCain) will be able to campaign for re-election with the claim that he arrived during “the worst economy since the Great Depression” and brought America back to prosperity and growth. If the next President handles our economic challenges with skill and wisdom, we will likely see the beginnings of recovery by the end of 2009 or early in 2010. If the new chief executive responds in a clumsy, misguided manner...

Some conservative activists, despairing (prematurely) about the chances for victory on November 4th, argue that an Obama win could be a blessing in disguise. According to this logic, The One would occupy the White House for only One term and whatever big government, liberal programs he managed to enact could be swiftly repealed by some future "true conservative" champion. Yes, it’s true that some changes by liberal presidents can be erased by future conservatives – for instance, George W. Bush cut the top marginal tax rate to 35%, after it had risen to 39.6% under Clinton (it’s sure to go...

Final returns are still weeks away, but it's not too early to acknowledge one of the big surprises of the presidential election of 2008: the disastrous decline of fringe party candidates in a year that once seemed ripe for their efforts. As recently as November, 2007, CNN's Lou Dobbs flatly predicted that neither a Democrat nor a Republican could win the White House this time: the certain victor, he declared, would be an Independent or the representative of some newly emergent protest party. His book, "Independents Day: Reawakening the American Spirit," became a major bestseller. On a similar note, Douglas...

Of all the distortions, misstatements and outright lies in Joe Biden’s truly appalling performance in the Vice Presidential debate, no passage counts as more perplexing than the following utterly addled recollection: “When we kicked – along with France, we kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon, I said and barack said, ‘Move NATO forces in there. Fill the vacuum, because if you don’t know--- if you don’t, Hezbollah will control it.’ “Now what’s happened? Hezbollah is a legitimate part of the government in the country immediately to the north of Israel.” I defy any rational observer to explain what, precisely, Biden was...

Joe Lieberman, who has been campaigning tirelessly for John McCain, will be on the Michael Medved show this hour (1pm PST) to discuss why John is now attending the debate and what the plan is.

On Michael Medved show, Biden said Hillary Clinton may be more qualified than him to be VP, and might have been a better pick than him.

Does it make sense to compare Barack Obama to Abraham Lincoln? In order to answer widespread objections to the Democratic nominee’s lack of leadership experience, his supporters have developed the annoying habit of citing the sainted sixteenth president as another titanic, world-shaking and divinely anointed figure who ascended to the presidency after few prior accomplishments in politics. According to this misleading analogy, Lincoln lacked an appropriately presidential resume, just as Obama does, and shocked the political establishment of his time in much the same way that today’s Democratic candidate threatens business-as-usual in Washington. True believers feel confident that the absence...

When the McCain and Palin families assembled together on stage at the conclusion of the Republican Convention in Minnesota, I felt profoundly encouraged about the future. There are seven McCain children, and five Palins—for a total of twelve offspring for the ticket. Among the Democrats, Senator Obama has two children, and Senator Biden has three – for a total of five. Meanwhile, in an interview scheduled for broadcast this Monday, Michelle Obama told TV host Ellen DeGeneres “I’m done” when asked if she wanted another child. “This campaign is that child,” she said. Of course, it’s possible that some of...

As I walked out after viewing John McCain's nomination acceptance speech into the balmy Northwestern evening, with the sun still illuminating the apricot clouds on the horizon, I looked up at the row of houses just across the street, and saw, through each of their front windows, eerily identical TVs showing the same giddy delegates and reporters and pundits at the Republican National Convention. John McCain's speech was moving, smart and well-delivered for his television audience on streets just like this one across America. The nominee punctuated his words with many wide smiles, grinning during a pause for disruptive protesters:...

Is the United States a land of limitless horizons, where hard work and big dreams enable people of humble background to scale dizzying heights of privilege and power? Or is this a society of slammed doors and blocked opportunities, of a trapped middle class and shattered hope, where ordinary people can only provide a better life for their children with the help of an activist government and dramatic new policies? The Denver Democrats insist that both descriptions are true, and they fail to acknowledge the obvious contradiction in the two primary messages of their convention. On the one hand, they...

Monday, August 25, 2008 GOP VEEP CHOICE: RECONSIDERING KAY Posted by: Michael Medved at 2:28 AM Most importantly, her conservative credentials are solid – and far more consistent than either Romney’s or Pawlenty’s. The American Conservative Union gives her a lifetime rating of 90.27, and a 2007 rating of 88—placing her among the more conservative Republicans in the Senate. On abortion, she’s always called herself “Pro Life” and NARAL Pro-Choice America—the leading pro-abortion lobbying group – has given her ratings of mostly 0% (like McCain) and never higher than 20%. She worked for a while as a legal correspondent for...

THE OBAMA-BIDEN TICKET IS THE FIRST TICKET OF EITHER MAJOR PARTY IN SIXTY-EIGHT YEARS IN WHICH NEITHER THE CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT EVER SERVED IN THE MILITARY! At a time of war, the Democrats give us something the nation hasn't seen in more than two generations: a ticket where neither of the the running mates ever wore a uniform of any kind. Shouldn't Republicans make a big deal of this? Consider the history-- 2004 -- GOP -- Bush served in National Guard/ DEMS- Kerry served in the Navy 2000---GOP -- Bush served in National Guard/ Al Gore served in the Army...

The selection of Joe Biden as Barack Obama’s running mate changes the whole dynamic of the Veep choice now facing John McCain. Sure, Biden brings credibility and experience and reassuring familiarity to the Democratic ticket, but he hardly adds sizzle or novelty. The Democrats feel that they’ve got enough pizzaz with their standard bearer, so it doesn’t hurt that they take a Vice Presidential contender with all the excitement of boiled Brussels sprouts. I hope that this choice now gives John McCain reason to reconsider the safe, reassuring possibilities of Mitt Romney or Tim Pawlenty—apparently, the two leading contenders for...

Sunday, August 24, 2008 OBAMA-BIDEN: FIRST TIME IN 68 YEARS A TICKET WITH NO MILITARY EXPERIENCE Posted by: Michael Medved at 2:18 AM THE OBAMA-BIDEN TICKET IS THE FIRST TICKET OF EITHER MAJOR PARTY IN SIXTY-EIGHT YEARS IN WHICH NEITHER THE CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT EVER SERVED IN THE MILITARY! At a time of war, the Democrats give us something the nation hasn't seen in more than two generations: a ticket where neither of the the running mates ever wore a uniform of any kind. Shouldn't Republicans make a big deal of this? Consider the history-- 2004 -- GOP -- Bush...

DNA evidence and photo evidence to be presented at a PRESS CONFERENCE to be held on Date: Friday, August 15, 2008 Time: From 12Noon-1:00pm Place: Cabana Hotel-Palo Alto (A Crown Plaza Resort) 4290 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, California 94306

Believe it or not, the news of the day that is likely to be of the most lasting significance is this: AN ACTUAL BIGFOOT, SASQUATCH, HAIRY MAN OF BIRCH CREEK, HAS BEEN FOUND!!!

Democratic strategists loudly insist that the tawdry sex scandal consuming John Edwards will do no damage to the Obama campaign. Despite the very public embraces between the former North Carolina senator and the presumptive nominee, Obama apologists (can we coin a new term-- "Obamapologists"?) dismiss the Edwards case as an irrelevant distraction. After all, they say that their man never seriously considered his former rival as a potential running mate or even for a major cabinet post, so the unfolding disgrace of a one-time elected official bears no connection to Barack's visionary campaign of hope, change, and global redemption. For...

I have just talked with Robert Barrows, R.M. Barrows, Inc., Advertising & Public Relations, Burlingame, California, who informed me the following release has been distributed to news agencies worldwide. It is now in the hands of the media at large, and they will be going with this story. The embargo on the news is lifted. Therefore, here it is for Cryptomundo readers.

Last November, radio host Michael Medved was made a Senior Fellow at the anti-evolution “think tank” known as the Discovery Institute, and he has some rather interesting things to say about “intelligent design:”