Early Presidential Prospects

Written by Thomas Sowell

The more optimistic among us may hope that the Republicans will nominate somebody who stands for something, rather than the bland leading the bland — the kind of candidates the Republican establishment seems to prefer, even if the voters don’t.

With 2015 just getting under way, the buzz of political activity makes it seem almost as if we are already in the midst of the 2016 presidential campaign.

Among the Democrats, Hillary Clinton is honing her message to appeal to the mindset of the left wing of her party, whose support she will need in her second attempt to get the nomination as the Democrats’ presidential candidate in 2016.… Continue Reading

‘The Preservation of the United States…Must Come from the Republican Party’

Written by John Biver

A few days ago, two political philosophy professors whose work I studied in college, died on the same day. Both lived long lives, Walter Berns was 95, and Harry Jaffa was 96.

Here is Peter Augustine Lawler writing at National Review (emphasis is mine):

Berns and Jaffa, two legendary teachers and scholars, died last Saturday within hours of each other. What tied them together is they were both students of Leo Strauss, and all of their writing was fundamentally indebted to “disruptive innovations” that Strauss introduced into our understanding of thought and politics.…… Continue Reading

The Dictionary Proves It: Government Means Control

Written by Michael Medved

As the presidential campaign begins to come into focus in the early days of 2015 it should become increasingly obvious that the race will turn on fundamental disagreement about the very nature of government. Democrats believe that government exists in order to help people; since many segments of the populace can always use more help, progressives assume they can always benefit from more government.

Conservatives, on the other hand, tend to see government as a necessary but dangerous force in modern life that must be strictly limited, since government is designed to control people more than to help them.… Continue Reading

LGBTQ Lauds Jeb Bush’s Stand for SSM Ruling

Written by Michael G. Haverluck

Former Florida governor and prospective 2016 Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush might have moved himself further away from the conservative voters he’s been trying to woo by inserting himself in the middle of Florida’s recent courtroom chaos, urging Floridians to “respect the rule of the law” recently changed by a pro-“gay” activist judge to legalize same-sex “marriage.”

The ruling on same-sex marriage by Florida District Court Judge Robert Lewis Hinkle was interpreted this month by state officials as allowing the union that was formerly banned by Florida’s traditional marriage amendment, which protected marriage as only between one man and one woman.… Continue Reading

Newest GOP U.S. Senator: Vicotory an “Exclamation Mark”

Written by Bernie Becker

U.S. Senator-elect Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said Sunday that his election was the “exclamation mark” on this year’s Republican successes.

Cassidy, who unseated U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) in a runoff election on Saturday, said the GOP takeover of the U.S. Senate illustrated how dissatisfied voters were with President Barack Obama, especially in the Deep South.

“If there’s one party for the working people right now, it’s the Republican Party,” Cassidy said on “Fox News Sunday,” pointing to GOP efforts to expand drilling of natural resources and Democrats’ attempts to limit emissions.… Continue Reading

The IRS Scandal Is Not Going Away

Written by Bruce Walker

The IRS scandal is not much in the news these days, but it is not going away.  The more Obama’s minions stonewall this scandal, the more congressional Democrats discount the scandal, the more the leftist establishment media ignores this scandal, the more toxic it will be for the left.  In late November we learned that 30,000 of Lois Lerner’s lost e-mails have been found, but these e-mails have not yet been converted into readable form.… Continue Reading

A Moral Primer: Obama’s Legacy is Government-Induced Chaos at Home, Moral Equivalence Abroad

Written by Victor Davis Hanson

The last but long gasp of the Obama administration is characterized not so much by deceit and incompetence as by growing chaos. Everything appears to be coming apart. The chariot of state now veers up and down with a terrified Phaethon clueless at the reins. Whether it is ISIS, Ebola, Putin, or Obamacare, the common strain is not simple incompetence, but a maladroitness born of intolerant ideological fundamentalism.

Have our government agencies ever seemed more corrupt or useless or both, staffed by political cronies and leftist zealots?… Continue Reading

HHS: Obamacare Premiums Going Up in 2015

Written by David E. Smith

The Associated Press reports that President Barack Obama’s administration has admitted that premiums for health-insurance plans sold on healthcare.gov will increase in 2015. Here’s the AP:

Obama administration officials are acknowledging that HealthCare.gov premiums, on average, will go up next year.

But the same officials say most current customers can still save money if they are willing to shop around a competitive marketplace.

In a report released Thursday, the Health and Human Services Department says premiums for the most popular type of plan will go up an average of 5 percent in 35 states where the federal government is running the health insurance exchanges.

Beware the Status Quo

Written by Michale Medved

President Barack Obama’s proclamation of executive amnesty for illegal immigrants amounts to an outrageous power-grab and sets a dangerous trap for the GOP. Republicans can’t come across as stubborn defenders of the dysfunctional status quo: even if they rolled back every detail of the new White House initiative, our broken immigration system would still need sweeping reform.

Republicans should seize the initiative by passing their own reform bill, rather than fighting unpopular battles on the president’s terms.… Continue Reading

Stupid Myths about Turnout, Demographics and GOP Victory

Written by Michael Medved

You’ve heard the nonsense: Republicans swept the nation because turnout in the midterm elections was shamefully low, with people of color staying home and allowing a surge of old, angry white males to dominate the contests in state after state.

This narrative may make Democrats feel better about the outcome but it bears no connection whatever to facts readily available through exit polls and Election Day tallies.

First, and most obviously, the overall voter turnout wasn’t that bad.… Continue Reading