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Political Commentary

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May 4, 2018

Memo to Trump: Defy Mueller By Patrick J. Buchanan

If Donald Trump does not wish to collaborate in the destruction of his presidency, he will refuse to be questioned by the FBI, or by a grand jury, or by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his malevolent minions.

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May 3, 2018

Ohio’s Primary: The Heart Of It All By Kyle Kondik

Coming off his second term as state attorney general, Mike DeWine (R) has been a clear frontrunner to be the GOP’s gubernatorial nominee for the past several years. DeWine, a former U.S. senator (1995-2007) who has held posts at all levels of government, started the primary season with three major challengers: Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted (R), Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor (R), and U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci (R, OH-16). The attorney general has faced criticism in the past from conservative activists for various perceived apostasies, such as backing a deal over judicial confirmations during the Bush administration and being insufficiently pro-gun for some during his tenure in the Senate. But DeWine’s time as attorney general has allowed him to repair some of these relationships, particularly with pro-gun forces.

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May 2, 2018

The 'Uncle Tom' Card Is Dead By Michelle Malkin

Here is a short list of prominent conservatives and independent thinkers who've been accused by their critics of being an "Uncle Tom" or some other vitriolic variation on the overplayed left-wing theme of being a traitor to their race or gender ("Aunt Tomasina," "Uncle Juan," "Aunt Jemima," "Uncle Wong," etc.):

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May 2, 2018

Propaganda Networks By John Stossel

Why does American journalist Abby Martin report for media run by socialist murderers?    

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May 1, 2018

Goodbye, OPEC By Stephen Moore

I have argued many times on these pages and elsewhere that the shale oil and gas revolution is the story of the decade. Since 2007 U.S. oil and gas output has risen by about 75 percent, and the renaissance is still in its infancy stages.

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May 1, 2018

Smut Night at the Press Dinner By Patrick J. Buchanan

Saturday's White House Correspondents' Association dinner, billed as a celebration of the First Amendment and a tribute to journalists who "speak truth to power," has to be the worst advertisement in memory for our national press corps.

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April 27, 2018

Ban Drones By Ted Rall

We have succumbed, in recent years, to technological passivity, the assumption that there's nothing we can (or should) do about what an older generation used to call "progress." But that's not true.

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April 27, 2018

Macron: The Last Multilateralist By Patrick J. Buchanan

"Together," President Macron instructed President Trump, "we can resist the rise of aggressive nationalisms that deny our history and divide the world."

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April 27, 2018

Trump's Saudi Policy Gamble By Michael Barone

Seventy-three years ago, Franklin D. Roosevelt, on his trip back from the Yalta conference with Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin, held his last meeting with foreign leaders, aboard the USS Quincy in the Suez Canal's Great Bitter Lake. One was with the desert warrior king, Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, who sailed in with seven live sheep and a tent to sleep in on deck.   

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April 26, 2018

Raising the Ceiling, but Not the Floor, on Potential Democratic House Gains By Kyle Kondik

Rep.-elect Debbie Lesko (R, AZ-8)’s victory in a special election Tuesday night fit into the pattern we’ve seen in other special elections this cycle. In a clearly Republican-leaning seat, Lesko won but ran significantly behind Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential performance. Trump won the district by 21 percentage points, whereas Lesko only won by about five points, based on unofficial results. Given the district’s strong Republican lineage, we thought any result in the single digits would be bad for Republicans. Lesko should be fine in the fall as an incumbent — and we’re moving her district to Safe Republican — but we now have had eight federal special elections this cycle in Trump-won, Republican-held seats (including the Alabama Senate election), and while Republicans have retained six of them, only one of those was an easy hold (UT-3).

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April 25, 2018

Alfie and Haleigh and Charlie and Jahi By Michelle Malkin

When British hospital officials tried to pull the plug on 23-month-old toddler Alfie Evans on Monday night in arrogant defiance of his parents' wishes, many Americans took to Twitter to count their blessings that they live in a country that would not allow such tyranny.

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April 25, 2018

Teachers With Guns By John Stossel

What should be done about school shootings?

After the horrible shooting in Parkland, Florida, President Trump suggested that some teachers carry guns. "We need to let people know, you come in to our schools -- you're gonna be dead."

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April 24, 2018

America's Unsustainable Empire By Patrick J. Buchanan

Before President Trump trashes the Iran nuclear deal, he might consider: If he could negotiate an identical deal with Kim Jong Un, it would astonish the world and win him the Nobel Peace Prize. 

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April 24, 2018

The Need for NAFTA By Stephen Moore

Finally, some good news for the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement. CNBC is reporting that a framework for a renewed and improved NAFTA may be coming in the weeks ahead.

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April 20, 2018

Why the Authoritarian Right Is Rising By Patrick J. Buchanan

A fortnight ago, Viktor Orban and his Fidesz Party won enough seats in the Hungarian parliament to rewrite his country's constitution.   

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April 20, 2018

Collusion, Anyone? By Michael Barone

As the likelihood that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia seems headed toward zero, the likelihood of proof of a different form of collusion seems headed upward toward certainty.

The Russia collusion charge had some initial credibility because of businessman Donald Trump's dealings in Russia and candidate Trump's off-putting praise of Vladimir Putin.

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April 19, 2018

Underestimate Trump’s Reelection Odds at Your Own Peril By Kyle Kondik

One might have done better in predicting the 2016 presidential election, or at least in anticipating the very close eventual outcome, by basing a projection of the national popular vote on the findings of several political science models released prior to the election. These models, which were compiled by James Campbell of the University at Buffalo, SUNY and printed in both PS: Political Science and Politics and here at the Crystal Ball, generally pointed to a close election. These models mostly made their predictions several months in advance of the election and were based on the incumbent’s approval rating, the economy, and other “fundamental” factors.

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April 19, 2018

History Suggests Double Trouble For Incumbent Trump By Paul Brandus

President Donald Trump talks of winning reelection in 2020, and he filed papers to run again back on Inauguration Day. But history suggests the person taking the oath of office 33 months from now will be someone else.

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April 18, 2018

Return of the Feckless Chick-Fil-A-Phobes By Michelle Malkin

Move over, Trump Derangement Syndrome. Another unhinged liberal pathology is back:

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April 18, 2018

Hidden Taxes By John Stossel

The cable bill was the last straw, says Kristin Tate. "That's the one that really made me mad."

Comcast included $36 in charges for mysterious things like "utility tax" and "government access fee."