Free Republic

WEST TISBURY, Mass. — The wind, rain and gloom that have curtailed most outdoor activities for the past three days have done little to keep President Barack Obama from enjoying his Martha's Vineyard vacation. While he's been able to sneak in two rounds of golf, he told reporters Tuesday he's "doing a lot of reading" at the farm compound he's rented for the first family. "I'm having a great time," he said. The president made the remarks, his first in public since heading out on vacation last week, as he escorted first lady Michelle Obama from the State Road restaurant....

There was more good news about the economy today. The Conference Board announced that consumer confidence is now at its highest level since May 2002. Yet, on Tuesday’s “Hardball,” host Chris Matthews just couldn’t admit on television – with people watching – that the economy is actually doing well. Instead, he stuttered, stammered, and referred to the current economic condition as “not terrible.” Yep. 4.8 percent unemployment and 17 straight quarters of positive economic growth in Matthews’ view is “not terrible.”In a segment featuring Pat Buchanan and former Clinton transportation secretary Rodney Slater, the threesome were discussing potential changes in...

Unlike the other major broadcast network Sunday talk shows (as reported by NewsBusters), NBC’s “The Chris Matthews Show” led with Thursday’s historic elections in Iraq, while mentioning the surveillance scandal raised in a New York Times article Friday as almost an afterthought. Then, after the break, Matthews began on another topic that is likely much more of a concern to Americans than the legality of wiretaps on terrorists, illegal immigration. After introducing his guests – Joe Klein of TIME, Andrea Mitchell of NBC News, David Brooks of The New York Times, and syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker – Matthews went right...

Is anyone else watching Chris Matthews's embarassing attempt to exploit the mistake involving Purple Hearts given to soldiers from the Iraq War who didn't deserve them?

I just got back from taking my Niece to the Airport. I mean Jacksonville, the Superbowl, Airport. This is the shirt i was wearing... I noticed a man coming in from a flight and staring at the shirt. He walked by and looked at me and I said to my Sister "That looks like Chris Matthews"..but of course we said no way. But a few minutes later the pager system says " Chris Matthews go to Concourse B". He came and it was him!! NO wonder he was staring so hard oat my shirt and glaring at me!!! HAHAHAHA...wanted to...

Apparently Senator Edwards had a close brush with the truth some months back, though like the proverbial "broken clock" that shows the correct time twice each day, he didn't linger for long on the cusps of reality. According to Edwards, we live in a split society, which he described as the "two Americas." Edwards attempted to portray this nation as being divided between the "haves" and the "have nots," by which he delineated between those who are financially well-off, as opposed to others who struggle to make ends meet. However, another far more insidious divide exists across the nation, as...

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Greeted by an enthusiastic crowd, John Edwards kicked off a farewell tour as U.S. senator Monday but left little doubt he wasn't saying goodbye to politics. "One thing you can count on is that this fight is not over," the former vice presidential candidate told supporters. The visit to western North Carolina's largest city was the first of six stops Edwards plans across the state over three days. "It's just good to be home," Edwards said after arriving more than an hour late for the rally. "My blood pressure goes down when I cross the line...

Scientists have taken action to save France's feathered national emblem, le coq gaulois, by cryogenically preserving the endangered cockerel's sperm. Panic set in when it was disclosed that only 200 individuals remained, mostly owned by amateur breeders. The brightly coloured cockerel, one of France's oldest native animal species, is synonymous with French fighting spirit – at times arrogance – and is famously unleashed on to the football pitch before games involving the national side. Due to a semantic crossover, the Latin word gallus means both cockerel and Gaul and it has come to stand as a symbol of France's distant...

I enjoy this forum, but lately I've noticed a troubling tendency for posters here to descend into horrible and immature name-calling. Such name-calling, and extremism without reason does nothing but harm our cause. It turns off casual lurkers and readers of this forum. It provides fodder for this forum to be demonized and non-respected elsewhere. Below I provide a few examples. I call on Freepers to stop using such terms voluntarily. If that doesn't work, I call on the moderators to warn, if not censor, posters who use such terms. I realize that Democratic Underground uses even more ridiculous terms...