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Political Commentary

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August 16, 2012

The Mixed Legacy of Helen Gurley Brown By Froma Harrop

It took a poor girl from the Ozarks to look upon the candy store of sex and money that was postwar urban America and rearrange the shelves. Helen Gurley Brown was she, the brains behind the racy Cosmopolitan magazine empire and author of the 1962 sensation "Sex and the Single Girl." Was her influence good, bad or an in-between thing? Answer to come.

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August 15, 2012

There Ought Not to Be a Law By John Stossel

I'm a libertarian in part because I see a false choice offered by the political left and right: government control of the economy -- or government control of our personal lives.

People on both sides think of themselves as freedom lovers. The left thinks government can lessen income inequality. The right thinks government can make Americans more virtuous. I say we're best off if neither side attempts to advance its agenda via government.

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August 14, 2012

Spending We Can Believe In by Froma Harrop

When Curiosity touched down on Mars, joy erupted at NASA's lab in Pasadena, Calif., and national pride swelled. America the Demoralized had briefly vanished. Our research instruments were going where no research instruments had gone before. America was back at its game.

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August 13, 2012

Romney-Ryan Ticket Puts Entitlement Crisis at Center of Campaign by Michael Barone

On the USS Wisconsin in Norfolk harbor, a coatless Mitt Romney named a tieless Paul Ryan as his vice presidential nominee.

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August 10, 2012

Can President Obama Survive His Economic Record? by James E. Campbell

Forget Bain Capital, tax returns, whether the President says you built your business or not, Fast and Furious, Romneycare, Obamacare, overseas gaffes and the campaign story du jour. These are side issues and distractions. This presidential election should be primarily about one thing, which is the issue that is perennially most important to American voters: the economy.

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August 10, 2012

Akin Favored In Missouri by Kyle Kondik

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) got the opponent she wanted. But she still enters the general election season as an underdog.

August 10, 2012

Government Has No Business Dabbling in Business By Scott Rasmussen

Just 16 percent of voters nationwide believe it was a good idea for the government to provide Solyndra with loan guarantees. The solar power company went bankrupt and stuck taxpayers with the tab for a half-billion dollars. 

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August 9, 2012

The 'Missing Evidence' in Romney's Tax Records by Joe Conason

Harry Reid has provoked outrage among liberals as well as conservatives, who seem to believe he has violated propriety by repeating gossip about Mitt Romney's taxes. The Senate leader says someone connected with Romney told him that the Republican candidate paid no income taxes for a period of 10 years. Offended by Reid's audacity, commentators on the right have indicted him for "McCarthyism," while others on the left have accused him of inventing the whole story.

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August 9, 2012

Conservatives Outsource Moralizing to Liberals by Froma Harrop

It's a given in many conservative circles that the rise of single-parent families is the biggest cause of increasing economic inequality and that liberals are to blame. The first "given" is correct. The second "given" is entirely in conservative heads -- though a means to play politics without doing the heavy lifting.

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August 9, 2012

More Scared of History Than Destined To Repeat It by Michael Barone

Traumas suffered by a society generations ago can still have a negative effect centuries later.

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August 8, 2012

Wars To End War by John Stossel

On his recent trip abroad, Mitt Romney observed an American taboo by not criticizing President Obama's military policy. But before his trip, he made his position clear. Obama has "exposed the military to cuts that no one can justify," Romney said.

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August 7, 2012

The Grand Old Party's Breaking Up by Froma Harrop

When traditional Republicans tell their tea party wing that they have to negotiate with Democrats, the radicals' frequent response is: No, they don't. One side has to win. But before that fistfight at the edge of the falls can take place, one side has to win within the Republican Party. Civil wars are not pretty.

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August 6, 2012

Supporters of Ted Cruz and Chick-fil-A Break News by Michael Barone

Americans keep behaving in ways that baffle the liberal mainstream media. Two examples figured prominently -- or should have -- in last week's news.

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August 3, 2012

'Kiss My Ass': Fear and Loathing in the Romney Campaign by Joe Conason

If Mitt Romney's purpose in traveling abroad this summer was to prove his credentials as a potential world leader, the verdict is mixed at best. Neither his tendency to utter bizarre insults nor his shallow, ideological approach to policy inspired much confidence, although he managed to garner support from Israel's right-wing prime minister and an eccentric former leader in Poland. (Our allies in the United Kingdom may never want to hear from him again.)

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August 3, 2012

Tight National Race Freezes Electoral College Map By Kyle Kondik and Larry J. Sabato

While no one enjoys dissecting the presidential swing states more than we do, we also recognize that swings in the states are oftentimes uniform -- as in, changes in the national polls will trickle down to the states.

August 3, 2012

The Heavy Burden of Government By Scott Rasmussen

In my hometown, everyone is required to have a landline telephone so local officials can reach us with a reverse 911 call.    

It's a nice idea, but it doesn't work. In my family, we never use the landline. We talk on cellphones. Occasionally, telemarketers call. So do people looking for someone named "Danny," but we no longer answer. So, if a call came from our local government, we'd never hear their message. But when you're building a house and need to pass inspection, it's easier to put in the phone than fight city hall.

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August 2, 2012

Partisan Divide: Eggheads Get What They Wished For By Michael Barone

"Answered prayers," Saint Teresa of Avila is supposed to have said, "cause more tears than those that go unanswered." Especially, I fear, the answered prayers of political scientists.

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August 2, 2012

Politically and Otherwise, the Mountain West Swings by Froma Harrop

When the sun goes down, the new Mountain West comes out swinging. Denver's Larimer Square and LoDo (Lower Downtown) district turns into a multicultural Mixmaster of educated professionals, ordinary folk and tourists jamming bars, hamburger joints, steak palaces and French bistros. Meanwhile, armies of largely Spanish-speaking immigrants work the kitchens and vacuum the deserted offices. For all the legends of the spacious West, the region is one of the most urbanized.

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August 1, 2012

Myths We Live By By John Stossel

The Olympics have gone smoothly despite -- gasp! -- America's team wearing clothing made in China at the opening ceremony. "I'm so upset," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "Take all the uniforms, put them in a big pile, and burn them. ... We have people in the textile industry who are desperate for jobs."

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July 31, 2012

Drought Nation Heads for Dry Federal Well by Froma Harrop

As three-digit temps broil the sidewalks through late afternoon, one walks alone in this charming Nebraska panhandle city. These days, Chadron seems more pan than handle. The only thing breaking the silence is the nearly daily siren summoning local firefighters to a conflagration in the grass and brush countryside. Its source is usually easy to locate. Smoke clouds stand out in the big sky.