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Political Commentary

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March 9, 2023

The Republican Presidential Primary: Still Early, but Maybe Getting Late By Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman

The field remains unformed, but if DeSantis is the real deal, there’s not much room for other challengers to Trump.

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— The calendar year before the presidential primary voting begins is often defined by winnowing, as contenders emerge and then fade.

— But Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are taking up so much oxygen that we may already have the top contenders, with everyone else who runs essentially an afterthought.

— DeSantis is polling well for a non-candidate, but we need to see how he actually performs before assuming that his support is solid.

— If another candidate supplants DeSantis (or Trump), or at least vaults into their stratosphere, don’t necessarily assume it will be someone who is currently well-known now or has a lot of formal political experience.

March 8, 2023

Students Defend Freedom By John Stossel

 Government imposes a million rules. Americans seem to want more!

March 7, 2023

America's $100 Billion Climate Change Flop By Stephen Moore

For at least the last 20 years, politicians in Washington, at the behest of green energy groups, have spent some $100 billion of taxpayer money to fight climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. How is that going for us so far?

March 3, 2023

Lab Leak Story: How Elite Scientists Lied and Concealed the Truth By Michael Barone

When the Wall Street Journal reported in a front-page lead story that the Department of Energy had concluded the COVID-19 pandemic resulted from a leak from China's Wuhan laboratory, you might have argued it was old news. The FBI had already, it turns out, come to the same conclusion and with a higher degree of confidence (moderate) than the Energy Department (low).

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March 2, 2023

Republicans Retain Edge in Electoral College Tie By Kyle Kondik

GOP controls bare majority of House delegations and should continue to in the next Congress.

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— If no candidate receives a majority of Electoral College votes, the U.S. House of Representatives elected in the 2024 election would decide the presidency.

— Republicans are very likely to continue to control enough House delegations to select the GOP nominee as the winner, meaning that 269 is effectively the winning Electoral College number for Republicans, while it’s 270 for Democrats.

— Republicans currently control 26 of the 50 House delegations, the bare majority to win in the House if the Electoral College does not produce a majority winner.

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March 1, 2023

The Stupid Act By John Stossel

After a recent hurricane, Puerto Ricans desperately needed fuel.

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February 28, 2023

Scholars Rank Biggest Spending Presidents as the Greatest By Stephen Moore

Before President Joe Biden entered the White House, he consulted with several prominent historians about how to be a great commander in chief. Their answer: Grow government. Spend, spend, spend. Don't worry about blowing up the debt.

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February 24, 2023

Give Credit to Jimmy Carter By Michael Barone

Jimmy Carter, the 39th and the longest-living U.S. president, has chosen to enter hospice care at age 98. This is a good time to try to place his presidency in history. 

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February 23, 2023

Initial House Ratings: Battle for Majority Starts as a Toss-up By Kyle Kondik

CA/NY vital for Democratic comeback; new maps in NC/OH could give Republicans a buffer.

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— The overall battle for House control in 2024 starts as a Toss-up.

— Relatively similar numbers of Democratic and Republican seats start in the most competitive Toss-up and Leans categories, although Republicans start with a few more targets in large part because of the likelihood that they will benefit from redistricting in North Carolina and Ohio.

— Big blue states California and New York, where Republicans have made key gains over the past couple of cycles, loom large as Democrats plot a path back to the House majority.

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February 22, 2023

Government's Dirty Secret By John Stossel

Classified documents are found in Donald Trump's home!

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February 21, 2023

It's Now or Never for School Choice Everywhere By Stephen Moore

This story could bring tears to your eyes. In Baltimore, Maryland, there are 23 schools in which not one single student tested "proficient in math."

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February 17, 2023

Disinformation Inc vs. the Founding Fathers By Michael Barone

How many people believe, really believe, in freedom of speech? Or, as Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote, not just "free thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the thought that we hate"?

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February 16, 2023

Both White and Nonwhite Democrats are Moving Left By Alan I. Abramowitz

Race, party, and ideological congruence in the American electorate.

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— One of the big stories of American politics over the past half-century has been a growing ideological divide between Democrats and Republicans.

— This has also led to more ideological cohesion within parties, including a dramatic increase among Democrats between 2012 and 2020. Democrats are now as ideologically cohesive as Republicans, which is a big change from a decade ago, when Republicans were significantly more cohesive than Democrats.

— While white Democrats have moved more to the left than nonwhite Democrats have on some issues, both groups have become more liberal since 2012.

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February 15, 2023

Bureaucrats Ban Betting By John Stossel

What will happen in the future? Is there a way to know?

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February 14, 2023

What if Federal Workers Never Showed Up for Work and No One Missed Them? By Stephen Moore

This is one of the greatest federal government scandals of all time.

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February 10, 2023

Will Biden's Primary Schedule Have Unintended Consequences? By Michael Barone

For a president who proclaimed proudly in his annual speech that his policies have made the state of the union good, Joe Biden betrayed a certain insecurity when, just two days before, he caused the Democratic National Committee to change its presidential primary schedule for 2024.

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February 9, 2023

The State of Biden’s Next Campaign By Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman

The president has little real opposition in his own party but remains dependent on weaknesses across the aisle.

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— President Biden’s successful State of the Union address suggested he’s full speed ahead on running for a second term.

— Despite polls showing that even many Democrats would prefer Biden not to run again, he has no real opposition within his own party — and the State of the Union is unlikely to help generate any.

— Biden’s best friend is weakness within the Republican Party, which was on display once again on Tuesday night.

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February 8, 2023

Mike Pompeo Versus Libertarians By John Stossel

 Former CIA Director and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will probably run for president.

February 7, 2023

Why Have So Many People 'Died Suddenly'? By Brian C Joondeph

The Twitter hashtag #DiedSuddenly has been trending based on the plethora of sudden and unexplained deaths among the young and healthy over the past two years. Stories abound and here are a few found at the time of this writing.

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February 3, 2023

We Don't Need Racial Quotas to Showcase America's Diversity By Michael Barone

   The ordinarily fluent and unperturbed Justice Elena Kagan seemed, judging from the transcript, to be sputtering a bit in the oral argument of the Supreme Court's case challenging the racial quotas and preferences used in admissions by the University of North Carolina.