Thomas Paine said that “It is the duty of every patriot to protect his country from its government.” He did so amidst the long shadow of a centralized government which regarded individual rights as secondary to its own. Today, “56%
The 2010 midterm elections are shaping up to be a Democrats nightmare. But the problems for the Democrats and Obama won’t end there. Indeed, the fallout from the 2010 elections will likely carry over into 2012 which may well feature
The retirement of Evan Bayh is the latest heralding of difficult 2010 election year for the Democrats. It is also a symptom of Obama’s mid 40s approval rating. Smart Democrats know that the average midterm election year losses for the
It can be no secret by now that President Obama did not have a signature achievement his first year in office. Of all his major initiatives, health care, cap and trade, civilian trials for terrorists and the “stimulus” bill –
In the wake of his divisive subpar first year, it is plainly evident that Obama has switched to campaign mode. If we recall that Reagan told us that Democrats campaign for President as moderates and govern from the Left, we
Politics is a game of addition – successful politics anyway. Great leaders, when faced with a divided electorate, not to mention difficult economic times, use a limited agenda to forge consensus out of broken paradigms. Once they achieve an initial
President Obama’s State of the Union obviously was a first in more than one way. Obama point blank, called out (to use the modern vernacular) our Supreme Court Justices on national TV. He did so because he politically disagreed with
The Scott Brown triumph heralds an enormous opportunity for Republicans this fall. As I posited in Part 2 of this series, The Top 4 Things Congressional Republicans Must Do in 2010, in order to make the most of the 2010
Reagan famously said that Republicans believe everyday is the 4th of July and the Democrats believe everyday is April 15th. An oversimplification to be sure, but that sentiment was not far from the minds of the Massachusetts voters. Already laboring
These may well be the times that try the souls of Democrat politicians. In the year since Obama took the oath of office, the fortunes of the Democrat Party have changed substantially. Voters, especially Independent voters, now favor Republicans on
The 2010 elections represent an enormous opportunity for Congressional Republicans. As I pointed out in Part I of this series, The Lessons of ’66 and ’94 Loom Over the Democrats, the average loss for the President’s Party, when the President’s
Midterm elections can present a considerable risk for a new President. Often viewed as a referendum on a President’s policies, the last 45 years featured such huge party losses as 54 House seats under Clinton, 48 seats under Ford, and
On the foreign policy front, the Democrats for years have blamed America for the actions of rogue nations and dictators. Indeed, as Mona Charen pointed out at length, in her book Useful Idiots, the Democrats have been all too willing
In hockey, rough sport that it is, it is rare that one player scores three goals in one game. They call that a Hat Trick. In the game of politics, Obama now has managed the Liberal Hat Trick in the
From Guantanamo to Health Care, Obama is certainly seeking to Change America – or more accurately -to accelerate the pace of change from a private enterprise-freedom based civilization to a Big Government-run society. According to Thomas Paine, “It is the
The struggles of the Democrats and the Republicans are making news. The Democrats are learning that it is far easier to make campaign promises than it is to govern. As for Republicans, the party that loses the Presidential election often
Today, Politio reported the the Congressional Democrat Leadership will increase the debt ceiling by $1.8 trillion. There was a time, in Democrat land, that Robert Rubin was thought to be an oracle. During the Clinton years, the Treasury Secretary was
If you would like a pre-Obama Care window into the possible future of American Health Care–if Democrats in Congress are successful in passing their sweeping health care legislation, you need look no further than government imposed rationing of heart disease
By all accounts, future job growth is going to be sluggish at best and we can expect double digit unemployment at least through next year. The Democrats’ response is a $300 billion jobs program. Many Republicans would rather rely on
In what is becoming a perennial affair, the California budget deficit is projected to be over $21 billion in the coming year – including a $6 billion hangover from this year. With the same degree of regularity, in pursuit of
During the Presidential “Media Fest” Campaign of 2007/08, many tried to impress upon the American people that Obama was an empty suit. Quite simply, he had no significant legislative achievement to call his own. Heck, as an Illinois State Senator,
Amidst polls showing flagging public support, the Obama Administration has decided to address the one poll, among all others, that will determine Obama’s political future: the unemployment rate. As Scott Rasmussen points out, the unemployment rate has a lot to
According to the American Historian Will Durant, “Animals claw each other to death, men consume each other by due process of law.” And with that sentiment in mind, it is easy to see why the Obama Administration has made one
At the center of the health care debate is the simple – but profound – question of whether government can deliver services, in this case health care services, better than private enterprise sensibly regulated. President Obama clearly believes that the
As Congress recklessly moves to enact evermore programs in the face of ever larger deficits, it is only a matter of time before they take up the revenue side of deficit equation: Spending – Tax Revenue = the Deficit. Of
