Free Republic

With thousands expected to attend President Donald Trump's visit to Southern Illinois, roads in and out of the airport may get congested and some near the airport will be closed during the visit. Here's a list of known routes that will be open. SHORTEST ROUTE FROM DOWNTOWN CARBONDALE 1. Take U.S. 51 north towards De Soto for 2.72 miles to Airport Rd. Turn left and head west for 1.81 miles to the Southern IL Airport. OPTIONAL ROUTES: 2. Take IL 13 west towards Murphysboro for 3.97 miles to Airport Rd. Turn right and head north for 2.23 miles to the...

.........When it comes to the generic-ballot results, however, location matters. Where Democrats dominate, their lead is understandably massive — 30 points, in fact. But in the battleground districts where Democrats expect to pick up seats, that lead evaporates, turning into a five point lead for Republicans, 49/44: Democratic candidates are preferred by a 30 point margin (60% to 30%) in Democratic-held districts, while Republican candidates are preferred by a 15 point margin (55% to 40%) in Republican-held districts. In the 11 California districts deemed competitive by the Cook Political Report, likely voters are divided (49% Republican candidate, 44% Democratic candidate)....

You can bet that the Democrats didn't want to hear this. An analysis of early voting patterns in seven states shows that Republican enthusiasm is putting a damper on the Democrats' dream of a wave election. NBCNews: Republican-affiliated voters have outpaced Democratic-affiliated voters in early voting in seven closely watched states, according to data provided by TargetSmart and independently analyzed by the NBC News Data Analytics Lab. GOP-affiliated voters have surpassed Democratic-affiliated ones in early voting in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Montana, Tennessee and Texas, the data showed. Only in Nevada have Democratic-affiliated voters exceeded Republican-affiliated voters so far in early...

Every big U.S. election is interesting, but the coming midterms are fascinating for a reason most commentators forget to mention: The Democrats have no issues. The economy is booming and America’s international position is strong. In foreign affairs, the U.S. has remembered in the nick of time what Machiavelli advised princes five centuries ago: Don’t seek to be loved, seek to be feared. The contrast with the Obama years must be painful for any honest leftist. For future generations, the Kavanaugh fight will stand as a marker of the Democratic Party’s intellectual bankruptcy, the flashing red light on the dashboard...

The Morris County Republican Victory PACis offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of vandals who tore up campaign signs outside of the PAC’s campaign headquarters in Morristown. “I know Chip Robinson and other Morris Democrat leaders – while I disagree with them strongly on important issues, I know them to be honorable and decent people,” said Rob Zwigard, the PAC’s executive director. “I do not think Mikie Sherrill or her Campaign were at all directly involved in these despicable acts, however, the national and statewide Democrat rhetoric has created an environment where some find this abhorrent...

As a mob of thousands of migrants made their way north from Honduras toward the U.S. border last week, events in a closely-watched congressional race took an important turn. Politico reported that Democrats had pulled resources out of their campaign against Republican Rep. Will Hurd in the 23rd District of Texas. If their national leadership has ceded TX23 — one of the most competitive districts in the country — Democrats’ chance of a Nov. 6 “blue wave” is now in serious doubt. The connection between the American midterm election and the northbound caravan of Honduran migrants is probably not a...

Originally scheduled to be held at the NRG Arena on the NRG Park grounds, President Donald J. Trump's planned Oct. 22 rally for Senator Ted Cruz has been moved to the larger Toyota Center in downtown Houston. Trump had taken some heat from critics for previously promising that the event would be held at the "biggest stadium in Texas we can find" and instead settled for a smallish arena with a capacity of 8,000. The Toyota Center, first opened in October 2003, has a listed capacity of up to 19,000 for concerts and 18,300 for basketball. One of President Trump's...

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) says GOP House leaders put their members in a tough spot by failing to deliver on promises like a border wall, but that Republicans are gaining late traction by casting the election as a choice between job creation or angry mobs. "I like the catch phrase 'jobs or mobs,'" the first-term senator told Hill.TV's Friday edition of Rising. "We either are going to get more jobs or you gonna get mobs. The Democrats are their own worst enemy at this time because they don't have a policy for anything so they are just attacking." Biggs, whose...

The media has battled President Trump from the day he announced his presidential bid. They have attacked him the last two years like all other Republicans, but have consistently failed. Trump’s approval ratings have been relatively consistent with a few rough patches; however, he always bounces back stronger. The legacy media cannot destroy what they did not create.Lesley Stahl with CBS News sat down with Trump for a one-on-one interview. She peppered him with questions about several different subjects. Stahl’s inquiries were “gotcha” in nature, but there was one difference. Trump is not a typical Republican president because he pushed back...

Not Smart: A professor at the University of Mississippi has called on people to desecrate the meals of Republicans by “sticking” their hands in their food and stealing the rest of it because they don’t deserve “civility.” “Don’t just interrupt a senator’s meal, y’all. Put your whole damn fingers in their salads. Take their apps and distribute them to the other diners. Bring boxes and take their food home with you on the way out. They don’t deserve your civility,” James Thomas, an Assistant Professor at Ole Miss, tweeted Oct. 6, the day Justice Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the...

The artwork hanging in the White House depicts the US president drinking with his Republican predecessors They say a picture is worth a thousand words, unless it’s a shredded Banksy, obviously, which is worth around £1m. But how to put a value on the majestic artwork Donald Trump was revealed to have gracing the wall outside the Oval Office, as eagle-eyed viewers of 60 Minutes spotted? So far, we know of two other “artworks” that Trump has: that Photoshopped picture of his inauguration crowd (dude, let it go), and the electoral college map. It is no wonder Trump wanted to...

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said in an interview with CBS This Morning that he feels “pretty good” about the Republicans hanging on to the majority in the House. “Are Republicans going to keep the House?” Host John Dickerson asked Ryan. “I think we are,” Ryan said. “I feel pretty good about it.” The interview came after Ryan, who is leaving Congress at the end of this session, joined Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) at a campaign stop at a defense manufacturing plant in her New York district. Dickerson asked Ryan why he is optimistic about the midterms’ outcome. “I think...

Two Republican candidates running for office in Minnesota were reportedly assaulted in two incidents on the campaign trail this weekend. Police are currently investigating the assaults on the candidates, who are both running campaigns for the Minnesota State House, after they each said during the weekend that they were attacked. Minnesota State Rep. Sarah Anderson (R-Plymouth) claimed one man who identified himself as an anarchist charged at her Sunday afternoon after she confronted him for kicking one of her campaign signs.

On October 16, a New York state trial court judge removed the Republican and Conservative nominees for Judge of the State Supreme Court from the November ballot. See this story. The basis was that the nominating conventions for this office, for these two parties, violated state law. The ruling says the parties may convene a new convention and re-nominate. New York elects State Supreme Court Justices from districts. This incident concerns the Fifth Judicial District, which, this year, is electing four justices. Although the Republicans have been removed from the Republican line and the Conservative line, they are still on...

More than 300 bridges in Connecticut — carrying 4.3 million vehicles daily — are considered structurally deficient. Highways in the Bridgeport-Stamford area are so congested motorists waste 49 hours a year in bumper-to-bumper traffic. And 62 percent of Connecticut’s major roads are in such poor condition they cost motorists $681 annually in vehicle repairs, according to TRIP, a national transportation think tank. Given those challenges, the three men seeking to replace Gov. Dannel P. Malloy could be making transportation the centerpiece of their campaigns. But instead, these candidates for governor are offering mostly modest plans to fix the state’s infrastructure...

Steve Bannon, the onetime close adviser to Donald Trump with wide appeal among the president’s supporters, will highlight an Elma campaign rally on Oct. 24 in a sign of the GOP’s escalating effort to excite its base and turn out the vote on Election Day. Bannon will appear with local Republican candidates at 4:30 p.m. at the Jamison Road Volunteer Fire Co, 1071 Jamison Road, according to organizer Michael R. Caputo. “It’s a ‘Red Tide Rising’ rally to get out the vote for all Republican candidates in the region,” said Caputo, an East Aurora political consultant and CNN commentator associated...

A woman I know frequently tells me that many of the posts she sees on her Facebook page come from people who do not have a religious foundation or simply do not believe in God. Politics is their religion, she says, and like all religious zealots, they will seek out and attack everyone who does not share their political beliefs. It is hard to argue against that, especially when one considers the many outlets for these outbursts, from in-your-face media bias to vocal and angry crowds. This does not paint with the broad brush of blame only individuals or groups...

It now comes down to turn-out numbers. Anyone who plans to stay home will actually be voting for the democrat. Get out and vote only for Republicans Billy Joel once sang, “..the closer you get to the fire the more you get burned, but that won’t happen to us, because it’s always been a matter of trust.” And, likewise America’s 242nd year experiment in self-government, has always been a matter of trust. Our societal framework and the United States Constitution only work when We The People trust our government. Coincidently, we may also know how close any one of us...

Two black gentlemen who have left the Democrat plantation and who fully support President Trump and conservative values - discuss the conservative movement among blacks. Very enlightening and worth watching.

It’s a good time to be in the pain relief industry. Many Americans are likely experiencing headaches from all their shouting while others are experiencing neck pains from shaking our heads so much. The state of politics in America induces maximum pain on those of us who are paying attention. As a co-founder of the Federalist Party, I’ve been asked by many recently why I’ve been so heavily focused on helping Republicans win. I’m not a Republican. I believe the majority of GOP politicians are weak, moderate, self-serving, and not fulfilling their promises. We still have Obamacare. Planned Parenthood is...