http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/tnr/ en-us Tue, 7 Oct 2008 00:00:34 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2099107/posts Perpetually fretting Democrats will not want to accept it. The campaigns themselves can't afford to believe it. Many journalists know it but can't say it. And there will certainly be some twists and turns along the way. But take it to a well capitalized bank: Bill Ayers isn't going to save John McCain. The race is over. John McCain's candidacy is as much a casualty of Wall Street as Lehman or Merrill. Like those once vibrant institutions, McCain's collapse was stunning and quick. One minute you are a well-respected brand. The next you are yelling at the messengers of your... The New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2099107/posts#comment Tue, 7 Oct 2008 00:00:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2097735/posts <p>The political word today is that the Republicans will return to personal attacks on Obama and Biden to draw attention away from McCain's erratic performance during the days before the passage of the Great Rescue/Bailout/U.S.-as-Sweden bill. We are supposedly to hear again about the Reverend Wright, the unreverend Tony Lezko, and William Ayers, the unrepentent Weatherman.</p> The New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2097735/posts#comment Sun, 5 Oct 2008 02:17:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2091655/posts Your humble correspondent is of the opinion that, without even knowing who wins the election in November, one can easily determine the winner by simply looking at the screen shots of liberal members of the MSM on the day after the election. Are the faces of Brian Williams, Katie Couric, Chris Matthews, etc. mournful? That will pretty much tell you who won the election the previous day. Likewise, simply by reading an analysis of last night's debate in Oxford, Mississippi in liberal publications, one can determine who won that debate without even watching it. It is called reading the liberal... NewsBusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2091655/posts#comment Sat, 27 Sep 2008 09:50:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2087406/posts No rest for the pollsters on Sunday: So ... what's the headline here? Probably the Public Policy Polling survey showing a 46-46 tie there. One wonders if the McCain campaign's internals are telling them something similar, since they are now shifting resources into the state. And Barack Obama was out in Charlotte today. But yet, my model still does not consider North Carolina to be a plausible tipping point state. Why not? Partly because the polling there has hardly been uniformly favorable to Obama -- it was barely ten days ago when SuvreyUSA released a poll showing him down 20... The New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2087406/posts#comment Mon, 22 Sep 2008 01:32:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2086762/posts Jonathan! Oh Jonathan! Paging Jonathan Chait! To paraphrase a certain wide stance senator, you've been a bad boy, a naughty boy. In fact, you're probably even a nasty, bad, naughty boy. You see, you've written a long smear of Sarah Palin in the New Republic where you are The senior editor and yet a certain name was missing in your attack. What was that name? Why, Joe Biden. And why is Chait so reluctant to so much as mention Biden nowadays except in passing? Simple. When it looked like Biden had not a chance in the world of ever being... NewsBusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2086762/posts#comment Sat, 20 Sep 2008 22:33:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2085802/posts Even though the Obama campaign says it is. This one tries to saddle Obama with Franklin Raines, the disgraced former head of Fannie Mae, who, according to the McCain ad, has been giving Obama "advice on mortgage and housing policy" The Obama campaign has now sent out this statement from Raines:"I am not an advisor to Barack Obama, nor have I provided his campaign with advice on housing or economic matters." And Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton goes on to say: "This is another flat-out lie from a dishonorable campaign that is increasingly incapable of telling the truth. Frank Raines... The New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2085802/posts#comment Fri, 19 Sep 2008 13:43:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081173/posts But Obama was also worried about something else. He told Kellman that he feared community organizing would never allow him "to make major changes in poverty or discrimination." To do that, he said, "you either had to be an elected official or be influential with elected officials." In other words, Obama believed that his chosen profession was getting him nowhere, or at least not far enough. Personally, he might end up like his father; politically, he would fail to improve the lot of those he was trying to help. And so, Obama told Kellman, he had decided to leave community... The New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081173/posts#comment Fri, 12 Sep 2008 22:35:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2076286/posts A new political map has been drawn, says The New York Times: With just over eight weeks left until Election Day, the two sides are settling into an unusually broad set of state-by-state face-off... The map is the same as ever, says The New York Times: While McCain aides once believed that his appeal to independents might help him win a traditional Democratic state like New Jersey, and Obama aides thought their candidate’s broad appeal could be a lift in traditionally Republican ones like Montana, the emerging battlegrounds picked by both campaigns so far resemble the Bush-Kerry electoral map in... the new republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2076286/posts#comment Sat, 6 Sep 2008 21:33:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2076254/posts Although the topline results don't make it obvious, it appears that John McCain had a fairly strong night of polling in the daily tracking polls, which are the only numbers we have to look at today. The Gallup tracker now shows Barack Obama leading by 2 points, down from 4 a day ago. When I attempt to estimate the daily results from the topline numbers, however, I get the following: Wednesday: Obama +7.8 Thursday: Obama +2.4 Friday: McCain +4.2 So Obama's numbers are being propped up by a strong night of polling on Wednesday, which will cycle out tomorrow. He... the new republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2076254/posts#comment Sat, 6 Sep 2008 20:33:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2076081/posts ...But his campaign has taken the point a step further, implying that Obama the politician is a direct descendant of Obama the organizer--that he has carried the practices and principles of community organizing into his campaign, and would carry them into the White House as well. This is the version of Obama's biography that most journalists have accepted. In truth, however, if you examine carefully how Obama conducted himself as an organizer and how he has conducted himself as a politician, if you consider what he said about organizing to his fellow organizers, and if you look at the reasons... The New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2076081/posts#comment Sat, 6 Sep 2008 16:04:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2074538/posts I teach at a Catholic university. I study and write about evangelical Protestants. I have no religious convictions of my own. This bothers people who insist that if you are not yourself religious you cannot possibly "get" religion. I leave it to others to decide whether my lack of faith helps or hinders my capacity to understand the subject. But I do know one thing. Because of where I teach and who I study, I have come across some remarkable people I otherwise would never have met. Familiar with the Catholic tradition, I cannot say I am surprised to meet... New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2074538/posts#comment Thu, 4 Sep 2008 14:58:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2073535/posts A very good friend, who is a lifelong Alaskan and one of the smartest people I know, offers this word of caution to those (yes, like me) inclined to take Sarah Palin lightly: At the end of 2005, a close friend called to say that he begun writing speeches and talking points for a certain gubernatorial candidate. "Remind me," I asked. "Who is Sarah Palin?"... The New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2073535/posts#comment Wed, 3 Sep 2008 04:56:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2073253/posts A very good friend, who is a lifelong Alaskan and one of the smartest people I know, offers this word of caution to those (yes, like me) inclined to take Sarah Palin lightly: At the end of 2005, a close friend called to say that he begun writing speeches and talking points for a certain gubernatorial candidate. "Remind me," I asked. "Who is Sarah Palin?" I was dismayed at my friend’s choice of political entree. Why was he wasting his time on a relative nobody, trying to beat an incumbent governor (and former three term senator) in the Republican primary?... new republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2073253/posts#comment Tue, 2 Sep 2008 20:34:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071177/posts At the Tuesday-morning meeting with committee staffers, Biden launches into a stream-of-consciousness monologue about what his committee should be doing, before he finally admits the obvious: "I'm groping here." Then he hits on an idea: America needs to show the Arab world that we're not bent on its destruction. "Seems to me this would be a good time to send, no strings attached, a check for $200 million to Iran," Biden declares. He surveys the table with raised eyebrows, a How do ya like that? look on his face. The staffers sit in silence. Finally somebody ventures a response: "I... The New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071177/posts#comment Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:49:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2070218/posts What a difference a few weeks make. It wasn't too long ago that the liberal media were already congratulating themselves on Barack Obama's "inevitable" victory. Many of those reports crossed the line into flat out gloating in which the election itself was a mere formality on the road to the coronation of the Lightworker. Well, that was then and now it appears that Obama's halo of perfection has become quite tarnished to the extent that the liberal New Republic is worrying if their erstwhile messiah is heading towards a "long, disappointing fall." John B. Judis, a senior editor of The... NewsBusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2070218/posts#comment Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:25:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2067160/posts Now that Barack Obama has chosen Joe Biden to be his running mate, it will be interesting to see how some journalists will distance themselves from their own scathing opinions of Biden in the past. One such case is that of Jonathan Chait, The New Republic editor, who was very downbeat on Biden in a Los Angeles Times article published on February 4, 2007. Of course, back then it was "safe" to be honest about Joe Biden since it looked like his presidential bid was going nowhere. The very title of Chait's article, "Joe Biden’s just a barrel of gaffes," explains the problems the Obama... NewsBusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2067160/posts#comment Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:14:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2067032/posts It's a bright early October morning on Capitol Hill. Joe Biden is bounding up the steps of the Russell Senate Office Building, wearing his trademark grin. As he makes for the door, he is met by a group of airline pilots and flight attendants looking vaguely heroic in their navy-blue uniforms and wing-shaped pins. A blandly handsome man in a pilot's cap steps forward and asks Biden to help pass emergency benefits for laid-off airline workers. Biden nods as the men and women cluster around him with fawning smiles. Then he speaks. "I hope you will support my work on... The New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2067032/posts#comment Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:18:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066552/posts If Joe Biden is indeed Barack Obama's pick for running mate, you can bet John McCain's campaign will go through the primary campaign, hunting for Biden quotes that make Obama look bad. That is fair game. But having spent a little time reviewing Biden's primary run, I've been struck by how cautious Biden was in his statements. Biden talked constantly about the importance of experience--and the fact that he had the most of it. It was the centerpiece of his campaign. But, for the most part, he couched those arguments in general terms. He was usually comparing himself to the... The New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066552/posts#comment Sat, 23 Aug 2008 04:45:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061250/posts Quite interesting discussion between more sane Left with less sane (some would say insane) Left. Leon Wieseltier does include some obligatory jibes at Bush/Chaney but otherwise provides a compelling argument  against reflexive blame Bush, "America made them do it" reaction of the crazy Left. Don't miss some interesting insights by a poster teplukhin2you down in the discussion area (at the TNR) on what might motivate Putin and his band of thugs.Excerpts and highlights are mine. Follow the link to the complete article.  ... My colleague John Judis has flabbergasted me with something he posted on these pages a few hours... The New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061250/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:29:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058788/posts Actually, I don't think the right has played as dirty as this. A Times article by Michael Luo this morning unveils a new netroots enterprise, Accountable America, the unabashed purpose of which is to terrify conservatives from giving campaign money to Republican causes and Republican candidates. It's actually ingenuous. You get a list of past Republican donors and send each of them one, two, many e-mails with the explicit warning that contributing to conservative campaigns may be dangerous to the donor's health. Or, as Luo puts it, "The warning letter is intended as a first step, alerting donors who might... The New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2058788/posts#comment Fri, 8 Aug 2008 22:22:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050983/posts Around midnight on July 16, New York Times chief political correspondent Adam Nagourney received a terse e-mail from Barack Obama's press office. The campaign was irked by the Times' latest poll and Nagourney and Megan Thee's accompanying front-page piece titled "Poll Finds Obama Isn't Closing Divide on Race," which was running in the morning's paper. Nagourney answered the query, the substance of which he says was minor, and went to bed, thinking the matter resolved. But, the next morning, Nagourney awoke to an e-mail from Talking Points Memo writer Greg Sargent asking him to comment on an eight-point rebuttal trashing... The New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050983/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:11:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049194/posts The presidential election has an oddly placid feel to it. Four years ago, the notion that George W. Bush would get another four years in office, actually ratified by a plurality of the voters, was more than any liberal could bear, and, after the election, there was loose talk everywhere about "Jesusland" and wanting to flee to Canada. This time, even though Democrats are extremely enthusiastic about Barack Obama, that life-and-death quality is absent. I think the reason is that a lot of liberals kind of like John McCain. I know I do. The New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049194/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:18:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045780/posts On his first day in office, President Barack Obama will head to the situation room for a video conference with his most important commander, General David Petraeus. If the conversation is chilly, it is not just the awkwardness of virtual chatting. Obama and Petraeus have a history. While Obama has called for withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq, Petraeus oversaw the deployment of more than 30,000 additional troops. To win support from the left, Obama postured as a skeptic of the general's Iraq strategy during congressional hearings. Meanwhile, Petraeus has emerged as something of a hero to the right--and, despite his... The New Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045780/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:05:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032080/posts For almost five long years, many of us have tried to explain to a deaf media and public that President Bush was a victim of the world's intelligence when it came to the whole weapons of mass destruction thing with Iraq. Liberals chanted "Bush lied, people died" and some have called for The Hague to try him for war crimes. So, you can imagine my frustration and near uncontrollable anger when after all that, the Los Angeles Times decides to shock the world... Bush never lied to us about Iraq Bob Parks: Black & Right http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2032080/posts#comment Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:51:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031911/posts James Kirchick, assistant editor of The New Republic, has come under NewsBusters scrutiny for his bias before, of course. Our job is, we all know, to document and analyze that bias. But while we naturally focus on when the media get it wrong, we should have the maturity to point out when those who we criticize get it right. Here is a case when a member of the media that we usually criticize did, indeed, get it right and this time it might get him in Dutch with his lefty pals in the nutroots. After all, the surest way to... newsbusters.org & latimes.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031911/posts#comment Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:56:53 GMT