Free Republic

Last week in Terre Haute, Ind., Mr. Obama explained that the people he had in mind “don’t vote on economic issues, because they don’t expect anybody’s going to help them.” He added: “So people end up, you know, voting on issues like guns, and are they going to have the right to bear arms. They vote on issues like gay marriage. And they take refuge in their faith and their community and their families and things they can count on. But they don’t believe they can count on Washington.” This is a remarkably detailed and vivid account of the political...

Senator Barack Obama fought back Saturday against accusations from his rivals that he had displayed a profound misunderstanding of small-town values, in a flare-up that left him on the defensive before a series of primaries that could test his ability to win over white voters in economically distressed communities. For a second day, Mr. Obama sought to explain his remarks at a recent San Francisco fund-raiser that small-town Pennsylvania voters, bitter over their economic circumstances, “cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them” as a way to explain their frustrations. Acknowledging Saturday that “I didn’t...

I attended the Council for National Policy meeting last week in New Orleans and listened to John McCain address the who's who of Hillary Rodham Clinton's vast right-wing conspiracy. It was another chance for McCain to, in his words, "not just unite, but reignite the base." How did the crowd think he did? Let's just say it's hard to ignite anything with cold water and no fire. He talked about two legs of the Republican stool - spending/taxes and national security. But the third leg - social issues - went unmentioned. When questioned, he failed to connect with the people...

G.O.P party-line bombast has failed to generate the level of buzz needed to effectively counter the looming Democrat invasion on the Presidency and Congress. I do admit it is a tall order overcoming an irrelevant American Idol side-show addicted to whether a black or woman might become the first to attain the Presidency. Republicans would not be playing third fiddle to a freak show if they had anything of substance for voters to chew on. Even Drudge has been headlining Democratic races with only cursory attention paid to Republicans. If Republicans had individuals running on truly visionary policies energizing the...

MCLEAN, Va., Nov. 5 /Standard Newswire/ -- Today the Fred Thompson campaign announced the addition of Shannon Royce, an experienced social conservative coalitions director and former Executive Director of The Arlington Group, who will be joining the Thompson Campaign to serve as Grassroots and Special Projects Director. Shannon Royce most recently served as Executive Director of the Arlington Group where she managed a coalition of over 70 organizations advocating on numerous pro-family initiatives. In that capacity, she coordinated coalition efforts on behalf of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. A former Legislative Assistant to Senator Slade Gorton and...

..Until recently, its pastor, Terry Fox, was the Jerry Falwell of the Sunflower State — the public face of the conservative Christian political movement in a place where that made him a very big deal. ...So when Fox announced to his flock one Sunday in August last year that it was his final appearance in the pulpit, the news startled evangelical activists from Atlanta to Grand Rapids. Fox told the congregation that he was quitting so he could work full time on “cultural issues.” Within days, The Wichita Eagle reported that Fox left under pressure. The board of deacons had...

Success in politics depends on the ability of a candidate or a party to forge and maintain coalitions. One of the most successful coalitions in modern political history has been the "Reagan Coalition", which brought together economic and social conservatives under the umbrella of the Republican Party. Preserving that coalition brought the Republicans great success, including occupancy of the White House and twelve years of control over the House of Representatives. The coalition that Reagan fashioned is fraying, however, and is on the verge of unraveling. The causes are many, but the coup de grace is likely to be the...

Why is the forum endorsing a specific point of view for a Republican candidate for President by placing a link to anti-Guiliani articles on the header?Giuliani Truth File - In his own words and deeds. There are folks on the forum with both points of view and one should not be supported over the other.

JACKSON - A bill designed eventually to outlaw abortion in Mississippi is on its way to Gov. Haley Barbour. The state Senate gave final approval to the bill Thursday, accepting a version passed by the House last month. Senate Public Health Committee Chairman Alan Nunnelee, R-Tupelo, earlier this session steered to passage a bill that would ban all abortions unless the life of mother is in jeopardy and in cases of rape. Had that bill become law, it probably would have resulted in a court challenge to Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortions. But the...

The Libertarian Vote by David Boaz and David Kirby David Boaz is executive vice president of the Cato Institute. He is the author of Libertarianism: A Primer and editor of The Libertarian Reader, Toward Liberty, and Left, Right & Babyboom: America's New Politics. David Kirby is executive director of America's Future Foundation and a graduate of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The main theme of political commentary in this decade is polarization. Since the battles over the impeachment of President Clinton and the Florida vote in 2000, pundits have been telling us that we're a country split down the...

Pragmatic Americans Liberal and Conservative on Social Issues Most Want Middle Ground on Abortion Released: August 3, 2006 Summary of Findings Americans cannot be easily characterized as conservative or liberal on today's most pressing social questions. The public's point of view varies from issue to issue. They are conservative in opposing gay marriage and gay adoption, liberal in favoring embryonic stem cell research and a little of both on abortion. Along with favoring no clear ideological approach to most social issues, the public expresses a desire for a middle ground on the most divisive social concern of the day: abortion....

Important issues abound in the nation's capital, but the "moral" ones tend to be the most difficult to resolve. It is hard to compromise on abortion, stem cell research, and gay marriage. Yet the answer often is easy, if not obvious. Government should just do nothing. Consider the battle over stem cell research. I don't claim to know the value of embryonic stem cell research. Given the wonders of modern medicine, new discoveries are likely to emerge. However, those who would benefit from bountiful federal subsidies have an incentive to oversell their cause. Surely opponents are right to raise a...

by Mark Finkelstein June 29, 2006 Do you know the joke about the guy who goes to the doctor and is informed he needs an operation that would cost $25,000? When he asks if there are any cheaper alternatives, the doc responds, "well, for $75, I can touch up your X-rays." That's Barack Obama's approach to healing the Dems' affliction when it comes to dealing with religious conservatives on social issues He's not looking to change the substance, only the appearance. In introducing Obama, GMA's Robin Roberts did describe him as "one of the Democrats' rising stars." But I think...

One of my favorite tidbits about Hollywood that I've gleaned from the starstruck press is that a great many of its most accomplished stars don't allow their staffs to look them in the eye. I'm not making this up. It has been reported that Barbra Streisand not only discourages eye contact among staff, but that she required hotel workers to leave her presence only by walking backward. Jennifer Lopez - who had 75 attendants help her prepare for a cameo on "Will & Grace" - is also reputed to forbid her subalterns to look into the windows of her soul....

I hope this post isn't construed as hate speech--it is reality! I'm female, about 5'5, Caucasian, and 140 pounds, aka not big. This happened to me on the NYC subway last week. Not at the hands of my husband, or any white male, but a BLACK WOMAN. What would the activists say? I mean it doesn't fit into a PC "category" or anything. ------- At about 5:30 p.m. during the typical rush hour, I was getting off the train. There was this stocky, slow-moving woman going up the stairs, and because it was rush hour in the rain, people were...

At the risk of further provoking the brilliant George Will, I must say that the national Democratic Party's approach to Christians is analogous to an abusive husband in complete denial, seeking reconciliation when it suits his purposes, but otherwise engaged in a pattern of abuse. Just like certain abusive spouses, the party can't live with Christians but can't live without them (politically). No matter how distasteful some may find our chronicling of it to be, the systematic abuse is demonstrable, as I documented in my book. Nevertheless, significant confusion persists over these issues, among many on the Left and the...

While the liberal media has always criticized the late Pope John Paul II’s "conservative" views on abortion, contraception, gay marriage, and other pressing moral issues of our time, analysts are now pointing to the Pope’s moral influence in American politics. Trends indicate that millions of Catholics have changed their party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, largely influenced by the Pope's teaching on the "Culture of Life." "Pope John Paul had a very important indirect effect in moving traditional Catholics who regularly attend Mass toward the Republicans over the years of his papacy," John Green, a political scientist at the University...

Evangelical activist says it's time to find common ground on abortion and other issues. Jim Wallis, convener of Call to Renewal, has been calling on Christians to see political involvement beyond the perennial issues of abortion and gay rights. Wallis, a registered Democrat, is an evangelical leader in the faith-based Left and a frequent critic of George W. Bush. His profile has been raised as national Democrats have started to talk to him about how they can better reach out to values voters in the wake of Republican victories on November 2. The Democratic National Committee is meeting today in...

Code: ZE04102507Date: 2004-10-25Compendium of Church's Social Doctrine PublishedWritten by Pontifical Council for Justice and PeaceVATICAN CITY, OCT. 25, 2004 (Zenit.org).- For the first time, the Holy See has published a Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. "We do not put forth hypotheses or say anything that has not been said before by the popes," said Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, which wrote the work. He presented the volume to the press today. The compendium, currently available only in Italian and English, is 525 pages long. It includes 190 pages of indexes...

Democratic operatives have unleashed against my President the meanest and most unrelenting smear campaign I have ever seen – and I’m no youngster. Many stories have been circulating around the web. Billionaire George Soros will spend $25 million in the final two campaign weeks in his attempt to ruin President Bush’s reelection chances. Senator John Kerry demands Sinclair Productions not air the broadcast of “Stolen Honor” before Election Day unless he gets equal airtime. An Ohio judge ruled to allow voters to cast ballots outside their districts in that state, a move that encourages election fraud. Ralph Nader’s name has...

....Many political scientists believe that the polarization of the parties, and the electorate, had its roots in the culture wars of the 1960s. The debates over the Vietnam War, women's rights and most of all civil rights, knocked apart Franklin D. Roosevelt's already fracturing New Deal coalition, a diverse amalgam of Southern whites, urban voters, minorities and Catholics that had made up a majority Democratic Party for many years. Over the next several decades - with highly polarizing presidents like Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton underscoring the cultural clashes - Southern Democrats headed to the Republican party, drawn to its...

The Washington Times www.washingtontimes.com Runaway courtsBy Newt GingrichPublished September 23, 2004 The Supreme Court's dismissal of Michael Newdow's case looked like a defeat for those who would remove "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. In truth, it was not.     Dismissed on procedural grounds, the core issue in the case was set aside to be dealt with in another case at another time. But the court tipped its hand when five of the eight justices sent a clear signal that the first time they get a clear shot at this issue, they will rule in favor of stripping the...

The Religious "Right" The Compatibility of Christianity and Republicanism... [John Mark Reynolds] 6/18/04 Why should a Christian be a Republican? First, no political party should dominate our thinking. Christianity is not just first in my view of the world; it is the only view of the world. Having said that, it seems important to me to work for and with the Republican Party and not just stand on the edge of the field being critical. No party is perfect, but the Republican Party maximizes my ability to make a difference. So why am I a Republican? The Republican Party has...

As we enter the season of celebrating Pride in the LGBT community, Americans should embrace the diversity that makes our nation strong and recommit ourselves to ensuring that all Americans receive equal rights. I am proud to have fought for equal rights for gay Americans, but unfortunately, so much still remains to be done. I am committed to using the power of the White House to advance equal rights for all Americans, including gay Americans. Together, we can help America keep her promise of liberty and justice for all. The Bush administration repeatedly uses gay rights as a political tool...

THE BUSH CAMPAIGN has performed well since John Kerry wrapped up the Democratic presidential nomination on March 2. But not nearly well enough. The Bush TV ads have been crisp and clever and have put Kerry on the defensive. Speeches by the president and the vice president and a host of Republican officeholders have added to Kerry's distress. But there's a giant hole in the Bush campaign. Social and cultural issues, important to so many Americans who don't call themselves Republicans, have been all but ignored.These issues--especially gay marriage--may cause discomfort when raised among elites inside the Washington-New York-Los Angeles...

A Tale of Two Attorneys General by George W. Liebmann Not since the arbitrary A. Mitchell Palmer, President Wilson's last Attorney General, was succeeded by the corrupt Harry Daugherty in the Harding administration have the two parties united to so debase federal law enforcement. Janet Reno, President Clinton's third choice as Attorney General, carried out the swiftest partisan purge of U.S. Attorneys since that of the Kennedy administration. She supported renewal of the misguided special prosecutor law. At the behest of feminist groups, against the unanimous advice of the Judicial Conference, she secured adoption of Rule 415 of the Federal...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE GOVERNOR DAVIS ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LEGISLATION 08/13/2003 Bills Reduce Teen Pregnancy; Make Emergency Contraception Available At Pharmacies SACRAMENTO Governor Gray Davis today announced his intention to sign a package of five bills regarding issues affecting the reproductive health of women. "Since 1983, I have been a staunch supporter of reproductive freedom and the ability of women to obtain high quality, low cost, reproductive health care services in a safe setting," Gov. Davis said. "These bills further that goal; we will allow women greater access to emergency contraception and help reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy...

Pfc. Jessica Lynch will be flown to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., soon. She has been isolated from media coverage of her rescue and has no idea what awaits her when she regains her health. Private Lynch survived the ambush in Iraq of the Army's 507th Ordnance Maintenance Company, but can she survive the ambush of the feminine forces of political correctness that placed her in harm's way. These people want to use her to promote their theory that men and women soldiers are the same. This thesis is, of course, unprovable. While women may be just...

North American Report/Fatherhood At-Home Dads Gather and Bond by Kristyn Komarnicki in Des Plaines, Illinois At a November 21 convention in suburban Chicago, 100 American men gathered to network, listen to experts, and exchange strategies for improving job performance. But any resemblance to corporate America ended there. Dress was casual, the atmosphere noncompetitive, and topics included ways to support working spouses, tips on defusing a two-year-old's temper tantrums, and the desire to see more diaper-changing tables installed in men's restrooms. Giving voice to the growing ranks of men engaged in full-time fatherhood, the third annual At-Home Dads Convention in Des...

When Eric and Jody courted during graduate school, they assumed that when the time came to raise a family, Eric would work and Jody would stay home with the kids. Six years later, things looked different. "I liked my job, but Jody loved hers," says Eric. "Jody made lots more money than I ever could have. It became clear to each of us that she should work and I should stay home. We came to this decision through a lot of prayer and by discussing it with our church friends ad nauseum."Three children later, Eric is passionate about being a...

Does anyone know of an answer to this question? I have been pondering it for some time now. What can the evangelical church do to address pertinent social issues without becoming to sociological?

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gray Davis said yesterday that his Republican rival, Bill Simon, can't hide his unpopular views on social issues from voters by changing the subject. "It really doesn't matter what Bill Simon wants to talk about or what Gray Davis wants to talk about. The public owns this election. They're entitled to hear about any issue of importance to them," he said Simon, the Republican nominee for governor, has said that if his opposition to abortion rights comes up he will try to "change the topic," because he believes a governor can do little to alter rights...

<p>With Bill Simon preparing for high-profile Republican backing, Democratic governor Gray Davis went on the offensive yesterday, charging that the GOP candidate is "out of touch and out of sync" with California.</p> <p>During an appearance in San Francisco, Davis called Simon's decision to hire an activist with the controversial Traditional Values Coalition "a big mistake" and "an attempt to lead us in a direction most Californians don't want to go."</p>