US Opinion and Commentary

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Bring Back Balanced Power to Washington

Posted December 28th, 2016 at 11:26 am (UTC-4)
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The American people want their power back. The American people no longer trust their government….They’re tired of watching a money-gobbling, D.C. machine crank out policies that don’t work, don’t help, and don’t line up with what the Constitution says the federal government should and should not be doing.  

How The Once Pro-Women GOP Ended Up The Party Of Trump

Posted October 21st, 2016 at 4:05 pm (UTC-4)
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In the 1920s, it was Republicans who first took the amendment to Congress, and, two decades later, made it an official part of the party’s platform — beating out Democrats, who would follow suit.

Orlando: The LGBT Debate

Posted June 20th, 2016 at 2:29 pm (UTC-4)
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Omar Mateen said he “did the shootings” in Orlando during a 911 phone call just after the initial gunfire took place.
Mateen identified himself as an Islamic soldier and demanded the U.S. “stop bombing Syria and Iraq” according to partial transcripts of three calls Mateen placed to the emergency hotline.
While experts and pundits parse the transcripts and argue over the need to release them in their entirety to determine whether or not Mateen was radicalized on his own or directed by Islamic State or other group, there is strong evidence that homosexuals were Mateen’s target.
For America’s LGBT community, it’s not the first, nor will it be the last time.

How 2016 Will Shape the Future of American Politics

Posted April 26th, 2016 at 10:14 am (UTC-4)
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Imagine a different, more destabilizing, and (frankly) more likely scenario — which is that we’re living through the early stages of an ideological realignment of America’s two major political parties.

The GOP Must Stop Trump

Posted April 11th, 2016 at 8:51 am (UTC-4)
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The Republican Party’s standard deserves to be hoisted by an honorable and decent man, like Romney or Ryan, elected on the convention floor. It is better to lose with principle than to accept a dangerous deal from a demagogue

Will Trump Stop Trump?

Posted April 5th, 2016 at 12:03 pm (UTC-4)
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Trump will under-perform in Wisconsin….Thus, the shake-up in Trump’s campaign on Wednesday is preordained, for several reasons. First, the Wisconsin defeat will provide the alibi, for something already in motion, not considered earlier by Trump, because disgruntled staff was reluctant to petition him.

Paul Ryan: Quietly Aiming for the Presidency?

Posted March 21st, 2016 at 2:36 pm (UTC-4)
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Paul Ryan seems to find power and stature without truly seeking it. In 2012, Mitt Romney chose Ryan as his presidential running-mate to help energize the Republican Party’s base who were drawn to Ryan’s fiscal conservative ideas. In 2015, House of Representatives Republicans turned to Ryan as a compromise candidate for Speaker after the Tea Party wing revolted against the establishment leadership. Ryan’s name is once again being floated, this time as a to bail out a Republican Party faced with the possibility of Donald Trump as its standard-bearer. Ryan has publicly said he is not interested in being drafted by a contested convention as a presidential nominee. But can the highest-elected Republican resist taking a shot at being the highest elected American?

How Spiro Agnew Shaped Republican Rhetoric

Posted February 10th, 2016 at 10:51 am (UTC-4)
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“Nattering nabobs of negativism” is what Agnew branded liberal foes of the administration. In brass-knuckled rhetoric that would foreshadow that of today’s younger Republicans in the House “Freedom Caucus” as well as presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, the vice president denounced “an effete corps of impudent snobs” who encouraged a “national state of masochism.”

Trump & Sanders Win, Bewildering Political Establishment

Posted February 10th, 2016 at 1:14 am (UTC-4)
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Less than 24 hours after Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump and his Democratic counterpart, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, both landed decisive victories in the New Hampshire primary, pundits and columnists began dissecting the outcome. Is this a case of “it’s just New Hampshire, we have long race ahead of us, a lot can change before Novemeber!” ? Or, alternatively, “the American electorate has spoken; the populist movement is here!” ? Hard to say. What we do know is that the establishment machine is a bit gobsmacked. They know Trump doesn’t need or take their money, and Sanders relies heavily on individual contributions. They also know what New Hampshire’s exit polls tell us: namely, that young people really like Sanders over Clinton – and that Trump supporters are willing to show up and vote. It’s not just a reality show anymore.

A Possible Last Stand for John Kasich

Posted February 5th, 2016 at 9:01 am (UTC-4)
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In a year when most Republican rivals have vied to match frontrunner Donald Trump’s often outrageous proposals, highly personalized attacks and establishment bashing, Ohio Gov. John Kasich stands out as a voice of moderation and compromise.

Next Stop: Iowa

Posted January 29th, 2016 at 2:32 pm (UTC-4)
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A year ago, the 2016 presidential race was a bit of a yawn. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush was the presumptive Republican nominee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was headed for a landslide on the Democratic side. A lot can change in a year’s time. Clinton is locked in a tight race with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump’s wildly unconventional campaign has sucked up all the air in the Republican Party. On Monday, the Iowa caucus will turn polling data into actual votes. Historically, an Iowa win has not guaranteed a White House win. But as everyone agrees, this is no ordinary American election season. And with so many other local factors – a majority white population, rural, active evangelicals, the cold weather – predicting the outcome is especially difficult.

GOP insiders: It Was a Rough Night for Ted Cruz

Posted January 29th, 2016 at 12:45 pm (UTC-4)
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More than 4 in 10 GOP insiders — given the choice of the seven GOP candidates on the stage, plus Trump — rated Cruz as the loser of Thursday night’s debate, citing his defensive posture on his past immigration stances and opposition to ethanol subsidies.

Is Donald Trump Really Scared of Megyn Kelly?

Posted January 28th, 2016 at 2:12 pm (UTC-4)
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The real question is how does this play with the independent voters who haven’t backed Trump so far? I can’t believe any will be impressed by Trump quitting the debate.

A Two-way Race by March

Posted January 27th, 2016 at 5:35 pm (UTC-4)
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…[W]hen it comes down to two candidates, many voters who may not have voted for Trump or Cruz as their first choice will have to choose the lesser of these two “evils.” Ironically … the nomination could go to the one who is most broadly acceptable — or least widely unacceptable.

For Trump, Honesty Isn’t Best Policy

Posted January 27th, 2016 at 9:11 am (UTC-4)
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Trump seems to lie, distort or simply make stuff up about anything that fits his narrative that the country has gone to hell, that President Obama is an incompetent weakling and that immigrants are threatening to destroy the nation. When challenged with the facts, Trump almost never backs down.