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Political Commentary

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April 17, 2018

The Trillion-Dollar Myth By Stephen Moore

There is an old saying that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, and we've learned that again with the Congressional Budget Office and its latest highly misleading fiscal forecast.

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April 17, 2018

Trump: Prisoner of the War Party? By Patrick J. Buchanan

"Ten days ago, President Trump was saying 'the United States should withdraw from Syria.' We convinced him it was necessary to stay."

Thus boasted French President Emmanuel Macron Saturday, adding, "We convinced him it was necessary to stay for the long term."

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April 14, 2018

The Media Never Gives Peace A Chance By Ted Rall

At this writing, President Trump is considering "the possibility of retaliation in Syria in response to a suspected chemical attack on young children and families in the Syrian city of Douma," reported CBS News. "If it's the Russians, if it's Syria, if it's Iran, if it's all of them together, we'll figure it out," Trump said. "Nothing's off the table," including a military attack by the United States. 

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April 13, 2018

Is Trump Standing Down in Syria? By Patrick J. Buchanan

Wednesday morning, President Trump jolted the nation with a tweet that contained both threat and taunt:   

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April 13, 2018

Speaker Ryan Follows the Lead of Speaker Reed By Michael Barone

One hundred nineteen years ago, Speaker of the House Thomas B. Reed announced that he was, after 22 years of service, resigning from Congress. Reed had been one of the most effective speakers ever. Barbara Tuchman's account, in "The Proud Tower," of how he neutered the minority party has entranced readers for decades now. When Democrats tried to prevent the presence of a quorum by refusing to answer roll calls, he defeated their efforts by simply noting their presence from the chair.   

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April 12, 2018

Exit Paul Ryan: Another Blow to Republican Odds in the House By Kyle Kondik

The political world was rocked Wednesday morning by House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R, WI-1) decision to not seek reelection to his southeastern Wisconsin House seat. That said, Ryan’s departure really should not have come as that much of a surprise. Rumors had been swirling for months that Ryan was not long for the House, and we flagged this strong possibility for Crystal Ball readers more than a month ago when we first listed Ryan’s district on our list of competitive House seats, moving it from Safe Republican to Likely Republican.

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April 11, 2018

War on Science By John Stossel

We've been told conservatives don't believe in science and that there's a "Republican war on science."   

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April 11, 2018

The Student Data-Mining Scandal Under Our Noses By Michelle Malkin

While congresscritters expressed outrage at Facebook's intrusive data grabs during Capitol Hill hearings with Mark Zuckerberg this week, not a peep was heard about the Silicon Valley-Beltway theft ring purloining the personal information and browsing habits of millions of American schoolchildren.

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April 10, 2018

The President's Trump Card for Spending Restraint By Stephen Moore and James Carter

The White House is seriously considering a strategy to cancel tens of billions of dollars of wasteful spending in the $1.3 trillion budget signed by President Donald Trump last month.

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April 10, 2018

Has the War Party Hooked Trump? By Patrick J. Buchanan

With his Sunday tweet that Bashar Assad, "Animal Assad," ordered a gas attack on Syrian civilians, and Vladimir Putin was morally complicit in the atrocity, President Donald Trump just painted himself and us into a corner.

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April 6, 2018

#Neveragain Movement: Settle On A Clear Demand By Ted Rall

Eight hundred thousand people participated in the March for Our Lives rally in Washington on March 24, say organizers with the #NeverAgain movement sparked by the Parkland, Florida school massacre. The turnout was impressive -- but will it lead to new gun legislation?

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April 6, 2018

Syrian Showdown: Trump vs. the Generals By Patrick J. Buchanan

With ISIS on the run in Syria, President Trump this week declared that he intends to make good on his promise to bring the troops home.

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April 6, 2018

Genetics Is Undercutting the Case for Racial Quotas By Michael Barone

"I am worried," writes Harvard geneticist David Reich in The New York Times, "that well-meaning people who deny the possibility of substantial biological differences among human populations are digging themselves into an indefensible position, one that will not survive the onslaught of science."

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April 5, 2018

Notes on the State of Politics By Kyle Kondik and Geoffrey Skelley

Mirror images of vulnerability; two statewide Democrats get upgrades; electoral consequences from #MeToo

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— The partisan structure of the races for governorships and Senate seats are now exact mirror opposites.

— Sen. Angus King (I-ME) and Gov. Tom Wolf (D-PA) get ratings upgrades.

— Rep. Elizabeth Esty’s (D, CT-5) retirement gives Republicans an upset opportunity and is another example of how #MeToo is contributing to a high number of open House seats this cycle.

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April 4, 2018

Caravans, Churches and Criminal Sanctuaries By Michelle Malkin

Open borders tour guides in Mexico illegally shepherding 1,500 Central Americans to the United States border declared victory this week. Mexican officials reportedly are offering humanitarian visas to avert a showdown. But the parade of immigration lawlessness marches on -- with reckless aiding and abetting by churches across the U.S.

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April 4, 2018

Poisonous Taxes By John Stossel

Soda will cost you more in Philadelphia, Seattle, Boulder, Colorado, and a bunch of California cities because politicians in those places voted to tax it.    

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April 3, 2018

The Art of the Trump Trade Deal By Stephen Moore

Is it possible that Donald Trump is winning on trade?  

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April 3, 2018

How Trump's Presidency Will Be Judged By Patrick J. Buchanan

On many issues -- naming Scalia-like judges and backing Reagan-like tax cuts -- President Trump is a conventional Republican.

Where he was exceptional in 2016, where he stood out starkly from his GOP rivals, where he won decisive states like Pennsylvania, was on his uniquely Trumpian agenda to put America and Americans first -- from which the Bush Republicans recoiled.

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March 30, 2018

Does the Pope Believe in Hell? By Patrick J. Buchanan

"Pope Declares No Hell?"    

So ran the riveting headline on the Drudge Report of Holy Thursday.   

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March 30, 2018

Our Time-Tested Parties Aren't About to Fall Apart By Michael Barone

Some days, the Republican Party seems on the verge of splitting up. Its congressional majorities couldn't produce a health care bill and passed an omnibus spending bill its president regretted signing. Prominent never-Trumpers call for the creation of a new political party. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who carried seven counties outside his home state in the 2016 Republican primaries, hints at a 2020 independent candidacy.