Political Commentary

November 22, 2013

'Wild Turkey on the Rocks?' By Froma Harrop

Much we believe about turkeys is not true.

Myth No. 1: They were served at the "first Thanksgiving" feast in Plymouth, Mass. There's no evidence for that.

The Plymouth Colony governor, an observer wrote, "sent foure men on fowling" for the dinner. Fowling is an Old English reference to waterfowl. So ducks and geese were probably on the menu, not turkey.

Myth No. 2: Benjamin Franklin proposed that the wild turkey become the national symbol. He did call the bald eagle a bird "of bad moral Character" and praised the turkey as a "Bird of Courage." But he didn't endorse one bird over the other.

November 21, 2013

War on the Little Guy by John Stossel

Marty the Magician performed magic tricks for kids, including the traditional rabbit-out-of-a-hat. Then one day: "I was signing autographs and taking pictures with children and their parents," he told me. "Suddenly, a badge was thrown into the mix, and an inspector said, 'Let me see your license.'"

In "Harry Potter" books, a creepy Ministry of Magic controls young wizards. Now in the USA, government regulates stage magicians -- one of the countless ways it makes life harder for the little guy.

John Stossel is the author of No They Can't! Why Government Fails, but Individuals Succeed. For other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com.

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November 20, 2013

A Devastating Poll on Obama -- and Obamacare By Michael Barone

"The Affordable Care Act's political position has deteriorated dramatically over the last week." That, coming from longtime Obamacare cheerleader and Washington Post blogger Ezra Klein, was pretty strong language. And it was only Wednesday.

November 19, 2013

Calm in the Health Care Storm By Froma Harrop

The bungled launch of the federal health insurance website has unleashed significant disorder -- but not everywhere. Life remains calm in many states that set up their own health care exchanges.

Some are so confident of the rightness of the health care reforms that they're rejecting President Obama's proposal to let people keep their inadequate health insurance policies.

November 18, 2013

Why Republicans Suddenly Care About Canceled Health Policies By Joe Conason

Amid the current national uproar over the troubles of the Affordable Care Act, it is almost uplifting to hear the deep concern expressed by politicians, pundits, lobbyists and corporate leaders over cancellation of existing health insurance policies. They empathize loudly with the millions of potential victims, whose plight infuriates these worthy observers with fury. They fill hours of television and pages of print with expressions of outrage. Suddenly, everyone in Washington is intensely concerned about Americans losing their health coverage.

November 15, 2013

Colorado a Microcosm for American Politics By Michael Barone

Colorado, writes National Journal's always insightful Ronald Brownstein, is "America, writ small." "A microcosm," he goes on, "of the forces destabilizing American politics."

Of course, Colorado is not entirely typical of the nation. It has America's lowest rates of obesity, for example -- because of a young population and because most Coloradans live a mile or more above sea level. You burn more calories there just getting out of the car and walking to the mall.

November 14, 2013

The Last Farm Bill? By Froma Harrop

Many conservatives want farm bills to stop coupling food stamps to agricultural subsidies. They see the linkage as an unsavory deal between urban Democrats and rural Republicans to waste the people's money.

But not all conservatives are principled conservatives. Principled conservatives oppose the farm subsidies as a monstrous example of corporate welfare. The other kind thinks it can strip spending from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program while preserving the farm rip-offs.

November 12, 2013

Wheels of Misfortune by Froma Harrop

The problem of America's congested roads has long been simple: too many tires vying for a fixed amount of pavement. But with a growing bicycle culture joining the car culture, the difficulties have expanded greatly. The conveyances now travel at very different speeds, follow different rules of the road and expose their operators to vastly different levels of physical vulnerability.

November 11, 2013

Are Politicians who Cut Food Stamps and Deny Health Access Truly 'Pro-Life'? A Commentary by Joe Conason

When Wendy Davis proclaimed that she is "pro-life" -- a description long since appropriated by conservatives opposed to abortion rights -- the right-wing media practically exploded with indignation. How could she dare to say that? But having won national fame when she filibustered nearly 12 hours against a law designed to shutter Lone Star State abortion clinics, the Texas state senator with the pink shoes doesn't hesitate to provoke outrage among the righteous.

November 8, 2013

Lessons for Both Parties in Virginia and New Jersey Elections by Michael Barone

In an August Washington Examiner column, I argued that this year's governor elections in New Jersey and Virginia would have little precedential significance, unlike some other off-year elections in those states.

Boiled down, my argument was that in New Jersey you had a governor who could not lose and in Virginia you had two governor candidates who could not win.

Michael Barone, senior political analyst for The Washington Examiner (www.washingtonexaminer.com), is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a Fox News Channel contributor and a co-author of The Almanac of American Politics. To find out more about Michael Barone, and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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November 7, 2013

A President Christie Would Spell Tea Party's Doom by Froma Harrop

Mainstream Republicans are doing backflips over Chris Christie's frolic to re-election as governor of New Jersey. Here is a Republican who took on public employee unions, spoke out against abortion and gay marriage, and still scored a landslide win in a blue state. And he won Latinos' and women's votes, too.

November 6, 2013

Privatize Everything By John Stossel

The market is fine for some things, people will say, but other activities are too important to be left to the market. Or too complicated. Or too fundamental to our democracy.

I say: Privatize everything.

November 5, 2013

Audacious Wildcatters Trigger Fracking Revolution by Michael Barone

Capitalism, said economist Joseph Schumpeter seven decades ago, is a process of creative destruction. New inventions, new processes, new methods of organization lead to the creation of new profitable and efficient businesses and to the destruction of old ones unable to compete.

November 5, 2013

Americans Keep Moving to States With Low Taxes and Housing Costs by Michael Barone

Where are Americans moving, and why? Timothy Noah, writing in the Washington Monthly, professes to be puzzled. He points out that people have been moving out of states with high per capita incomes -- Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland -- to states with lower income levels.

"Why are Americans by and large moving away from economic opportunity rather than toward it?" he asks.

November 1, 2013

The Problem With Twitter by Froma Harrop

Jofi Joseph was a smart guy -- up to a point. He rose smoothly through the foreign affairs establishment, boosted by a fancy fellowship and political connections. He ended up a staff member on the National Security Council.

But he led a second life on Twitter, using the handle @NatSecWonk to post snide comments about national security leaders. His droppings included such juvenile sexism as, "What's with the dominatrix-like black suit (national security adviser) Susan Rice is wearing at this announcement?" And sophomoric snark: "When was the last time (deputy national security adviser) Ben Rhodes said something not painfully banal and obvious?"

October 31, 2013

End the Fed by John Stossel

I've always avoided reporting on the Federal Reserve. I know it's more important than much of the stuff I cover, but it's so boring. How can I succeed on TV reporting on the Fed? Fed chairs even work at being dull.

Alan Greenspan said he tried to be obscure because he didn't want to spook markets. He called his obfuscation "Fedspeak." It's a far cry from the clarity of his language -- and principles -- when he was young and a disciple of libertarian Ayn Rand.
John Stossel is host of "Stossel" on the Fox Business Network, and the author of "No They Can't! Why Government Fails, but Individuals Succeed." For other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com.

October 30, 2013

Dracula Style By Froma Harrop

Dracula sets the bar high for timeless style. His refined silhouette and eclectic tastes make him an internationally recognizable figure. Fashion writers shifting and swerving through constant change still freeze in the vampire's presence. Some cultural figures, like Audrey, like Cary, like Jackie, create a signature look defying the march of trends. Dracula is one such fashion icon for the ages.

October 30, 2013

Will the Christie Juggernaut Roll over Ted Cruz and Rand Paul? By Joe Conason

With his impending re-election in "Blue Jersey" evidently assured and his national profile rising, Chris Christie is a formidable presidential hopeful. If not always a voice of reason, the blustering governor usually sounds sane in a Republican Party where conspiracy, paranoia and extremism reign. His decision to abandon the state's legal appeal against gay marriage exemplified the canny pragmatism that worries Democratic strategists looking forward to 2016.

October 29, 2013

Little Wars Turn Messy Because of Politics on the Ground - A Commentary by Michael Barone

"The examination of war from an exclusively military perspective, isolated from its social and political context, leads to false conclusions and poor strategy."

That is the conclusion of Emile Simpson, a former infantry officer in the Royal Gurkha Rifles, who served three tours of duty in Afghanistan, in his book, War From the Ground Up.

October 25, 2013

In Shutdown Fight, the Dog That Didn't Bark: Taxes By Michael Barone

Sherlock Holmes famously solved a mystery by noticing the dog that did not bark. In the recent government shutdown/debt ceiling fight, there was a five-letter dog that didn't bark: T-A-X-E-S.

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