Free Republic

The most dangerous flaw in the modern news media is their now constant vulnerability of becoming deeply invested in a particular narrative at the very start of a large story, and then having the ensuing tunnel vision prevent them from adjusting their reporting as new facts become available. I am referring here to the news media’s obsession with using “new cases” as by far the most common, and often only, data point for evaluating how the nation is coping with the coronavirus crisis. For more than two weeks, ever since June 19, when new cases in the United States went...

n the modern history of American politics, has there been a group deemed so completely irrelevant, while also being the subject of continuous attacks, even from the president of the United States, as “Never Trump” conservatives? Yesterday, I interviewed conservative commentator Bill Kristol, who is the de facto leader of that movement, of which I am usually a supporter. The conversation was part of my new Individual 1 podcast, which focuses, twice a week, on chronicling the Trump presidency from a conservative perspective. We hit on a number of important topics, including the lunacy of CPAC, whether it would have...

Last night, the dam of media protection for Empire actor Jussie Smollett finally broke, as major news outlets suddenly decided it was safe to report that police strongly believe, backed by evidence, that his story of being a victim of a Trump-motivated hate crime is false. While his high-priced lawyers are still desperately playing the victim card, it appears that Smollett paid the two Nigerian brothers who “attacked” him (and whom he clearly knows) in a conspiracy to create a hoax. This is a fraud in which the mainstream news media might as well have been an unindicted co-conspirator. They,...

Documentary filmmaker and radio host John Ziegler debates Jesse and callers about Donald Trump. He's a "Never Trump" guy, because he believes Trump's not qualified, not conservative or Republican, and has no chance against Hillary... He says there's no path for Trump to get 270 votes in the electoral college, unless the polls are catastrophically wrong on an unprecedented level.

In this modern-day 24/7 news cycle it is very easy to overreact to events and attribute far too much significance to stories which will seem, in retrospect, like nothing more than random data points. I do not believe that is the case with the sudden withdrawal of Scott Walker from the presidential race. Instead, it is my belief that this event -- and, specifically, why it happened the way that it did -- is a seminal moment in the history of the conservative movement, the media, and even our country. Let me first say that, while Walker was my choice...

Long, brutal radio interview between Slaten/Ziegler. Calls out the fools that believe the narrative. The evidence IS overwhelming. And it's on real Penn Stater's and Joe's side. Hate on haters. You believe, and support media lies.

Editorial by John Ziegler Things Most People Still Don't "Get" About the Jerry Sandusky Scandal 6/24/2012 One of the most interesting phenomenon about the biggest news stories of the modern age is that the larger a story is, the bigger the gap seems to be between what people think they know about what happened and what really occurred (this is how most Americans think Bill Clinton was impeached for having oral sex with an intern) . Having communicated, from a contrarian point of view, with literally hundreds of people about the Jerry Sandusky case, I have been struck by how...

A former Los Angeles radio show host is claiming today that Democrat Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008 with the secret assistance of the grand daddy of Republican bloggers: Matt Drudge. John Ziegler, a conservative activist who gained fame in Southern California for his talk shows on LA powerhouse station KFI-AM from 2004 to 2007, wrote in a column he had living proof that at critical points in the last election Drudge erased or blocked from his Drudge Report potent, negative news about Obama. But Ziegler's living proof is now dead: Andrew Breitbart, a former Drudge Report employee, who...

Exclusive: The Real “Game Change” of 2008… Drudge Goes In the Tank for Obama, Blocks Breitbart It is totally understandable that hard core conservatives would like nothing more than for Andrew Breitbart’s shocking death to have some sort of larger meaning. The fulfillment of his promise that college tapes of Barack Obama will insure that he will finally be “vetted” during the 2012 election would certainly achieve that desire. However, I wish to warn conservatives not to get your hopes up. There is no evidence whatsoever that this fantasy will come to fruition. There is also a fascinating story behind...

Editorial by John Ziegler The Death of Andrew Breitbart 3/1/2012 Like a lot of people, I was once "close" to Andrew Breitbart. Andrew was a very popular guy and had a ton of "friends," but at one point I thought our relationship was at least somewhat unique. We appeared to be kindred spirits and fellow Los Angeles-based warriors against media bias and we had worked hand in hand on several big stories. I had him on my old radio many times, he "starred" in my first documentary and I helped him debut his Big Hollywood website with their first big...

Editorial by John Ziegler Does Sarah Palin Want Obama Reelected? 1/28/2012 We certainly live in bizarre times and everyone knows that politics makes for strange bedfellows. But the fact that as of late I (the guy who spent over two years being probably her strongest defender) have been one of the very few on the right pointing out the absurdity and hypocrisy of recent Sarah Palin’s public statements, shows exactly how close we indeed may be to the apocalypse. Palin’s latest Facebook salvo is targeting the Republican “establishment cannibals” for using “Alinsky” tactics against Newt Gingrich in the run up...

There are a couple false "truths" which seem to be dictating much if not most of the Republican presidential race. One is that Newt Gingrich would be a great debater against President Obama. This accepted conventional wisdom is not only bogus; it is a myth of Herculean proportions. It appears that Gingrich's entire argument for the nomination is that he is the guy we want in a nationally televised verbal brawl with the media's all-time favorite candidate. Nary has an opportunity passed when Newt fails to, in his typically egomaniacal style and with great bombast, assure us that all will...

The Six Dirty Secrets of Presidential Politics in 2012... (excerpted) The Conservative Media Has an Incentive for Obama to Win The "dirtiest" little secret on my list is one that, because it is so obvious, I am astonished has not been mentioned in any significant way..... ... The Obama presidency has been a financial windfall for all of them. Fox's ratings have never been higher, Drudge's traffic has never been better (which is rather "ironic," given how blatantly he protected Obama during the 2008 primaries), talk radio has been at least temporarily saved, and dozens of "Tea Party" groups have...

http://rockstarradionetwork.com/shows/broadscast John Ziegler ON THE AIR **LIVE* Monday January 9th, 2012 9 AM- Pacific Time Noon - Eastern Time Interviewed by Kim Goldman & Jackie MacDougall Listen LIVE at the Link ! ** Does the personal life of a potential elected official impact whether you vote for him/her or not? Do you care what happens behind closed doors? MONDAY: We talk about the politics BEHIND the politics with author, commentator and filmmaker John Ziegler. PLUS, we're taking your live calls! 866-404-6519 ** (from Broadcast - Live Internet Talk Radio)

Tuesday, January 3, 2012 Editorial by John Ziegler Sarah Palin: Selfish, Hypocritical, Sellout 1/3/2012 As surreal as it may be, after spending over two years and several thousand dollars defending Sarah Palin at great personal cost, I now find myself in the bizarre position (three years to the day from starting the journey to Wasilla to do the interview of record on her 2008 VP run) of being perhaps the only conservative commentator willing to point out that Palin has now clearly revealed herself to be a selfish, hypocritical, sellout. While she was doing her presidential tease (an act that...

(excerpt...see article for more!) There are plenty of blatantly incorrect opinions about the Republican presidential primary floating around and some of them are perched in some rather prominent places... ... But none that I have seen has been more obviously and dangerously flawed than John Hawkins' column entitled "7 Reasons Why Mitt Romney's Electability is a Myth," which was recently posted at Townhall. ...And since Mr. Hawkins gave seven reasons why Romney's electability is a myth, in the spirit of conservative cooperation I offer the seven most underrated reasons that Romney is indeed the most electable Republican presidential candidate....

Despite what you may have heard from the vast majority of the sports media, we still don’t know for sure what exactly, if anything, Joe Paterno actually did or didn’t do in order to suddenly get fired after 61 years of incredible service to a university he almost literally built. That isn’t my assessment as someone who grew up as a fan of the guy. That is the clear admission of John Surma, who voted for and publicly announced (in one of the most arrogant and tone-deaf press conferences in memory) that the legend of JoePa was officially finished. Amazingly,...

Editorial by John Ziegler My Night With Herman Cain and Why He Isn't Finished Yet 11/8/2011 I have seen a lot of strange scenes in my life and career, but few could ever top the Herman Cain event I attended Monday night for its pure “Alice in Wonderland” feel. I was among about 300 conservatives who attended a private speech the presidential candidate had been scheduled to give for weeks. When dinner was delayed awaiting his arrival, some of us wondered if Cain was going to cancel due to the obvious firestorm surrounding the numerous allegations of sexual harassment which...

Editorial by John Ziegler Cain 2012 Looks a Lot Like Obama 2008, Except with a VERY Different Outcome 11/2/2011 Much has been written about the almost primal desire among conservatives to find the next Ronald Reagan, or at least someone they can get excited about, when it comes to choosing an opponent for President Obama in 2012. A huge number of Republican primary voters and Tea Party members now consider it almost a betrayal of their sacred honor to “give in” and vote for Mitt Romney, even if the evidence is overwhelming that he would have the best chance to...

The current conventional wisdom regarding Herman Cain is that, at best, his campaign is a ticking time bomb certain to implode like those of Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann and Donald Trump already have. At worst, his campaign is already burnt toast thanks to the uncovering of two sexual harassment claims against him from the 1990s. As is often the case, the conventional wisdom is dead wrong. In reality, Cain has never been in a stronger position to win the nomination than he is at this moment. Keep in mind this is coming from someone who likes Cain personally, but who...