Last week, I visited South Florida for four days, and what a shock: Everything was open. The beaches, the hotels, the restaurants (with some sensible safety and social distancing restrictions). The classrooms are full.
"What is America's mission?" is a question that has been debated since George Washington's Farewell Address in 1797.
You expect a certain number of stumbles from a new administration. President Joe Biden's incoming team professed dismay at having to create a coronavirus vaccine distribution program "from scratch," due to its predecessor's handling of the situation, and this week, Biden complained that "we didn't have" a vaccine when he "came into office." He promised to deliver over 1 million a day.
Is President Joe Biden prepared to preside over the worst U.S. strategic defeat since the fall of Saigon in 1975?
— In the second impeachment trial of his presidency, former President Donald Trump was acquitted by the Senate. Seven Republicans joined 50 Democrats in voting to convict Trump.
— The sole Republican running for reelection in 2022 who voted to convict Trump was Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) — she has a reputation as a political maverick.
— Democrats will be targeting a few open-seat contests next year in the Senate, specifically North Carolina and Pennsylvania, where retiring Republicans have been censured by their local parties.
— For now, Senate Democrats probably won’t see much electoral backlash from their votes, though Democrats representing Trump states may feel heat in 2024.
I love my digital devices, but people keep telling me to worry more about my privacy.
In Naperville, Illinois, the school board announced it would distribute $10 million back to taxpayers this year. Yes, a tax refund.
"Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again has only just begun." So said Citizen Trump Saturday on his acquittal by the Senate of the impeachment article of "incitement of insurrection" in the Jan 6 invasion of the Capitol.
When you've been consuming and producing political commentary for many years, you get used to certain recurring themes. One is the imminent disappearance or relegation to permanent minority status of the Republican Party.
It has been a dreadful three months for the Grand Old Party.
What a difference an election makes, one president leaves and a new one takes over, with COVID rules changing on a dime.
Look for House seat openings in Ohio, New Mexico to come up soon.
— With the race for NY-22 settled, 2020’s House elections may finally be fully in the rearview mirror, though IA-2’s results will be reviewed by Congress.
— Before this week, we rated two special elections in Louisiana as safe for either party; with a new vacancy in TX-6, we see an imminent special election there as Likely Republican.
— Two more districts, NM-1 and OH-11, seem likely to host special elections soon, as their incumbents have been designated for positions in the Biden administration.
— Sen. Richard Shelby’s (R-AL) retirement doesn’t impact our Safe Republican rating for the Alabama Senate race.
Last week, I reported on two myths about socialism. My new video covers three more.
Is there even one half-sane Democrat that will stand up and denounce the fiscal atrocity of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion spending bill? Is there not one single patriotic Democrat in the entire country who will speak out? The silence is deafening.
To Parliament, in the London of George III, the Boston Massacre of 1770 and the Tea Party of 1773 were not seen in the same light as they were by the Sons of Liberty in the Massachusetts colony.
Pictures matter. Images convey truths -- and falsehoods -- with an emotional impact that can amplify and sometimes completely overwhelm the messages imparted by words.
When it was learned in 2016 that Russia may have hacked the emails of John Podesta and the DNC, and passed the fruits on to WikiLeaks to aid candidate Donald Trump, mighty was the outrage of the American establishment.
Only a handful of House Democrats and Republicans represent turf won by the other party’s presidential nominee.
— 16 members of the House hold districts that voted for the other party’s presidential nominee in 2020.
— Many Biden-district Republicans are from racially diverse areas, and they often came out on the winning end of rematches.
— Democrats held several Trump seats in both blue collar and suburban areas.
— Overall, the trend of ticket-splitting is on the decline — just a decade ago, it was common to see dozens of crossover districts.
People hate America's big disparities in wealth. It's a reason why, among young people, socialism is as popular as capitalism.
When giving speeches and talking to audiences, I've often been struck by how few Americans, even those who are highly educated, have any idea where the energy they use in their home or business comes from. I've asked college students where the electric power is generated, and they shrug and then point to the electric socket in the wall. The electric currents just come magically through that plug.
