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Political Commentary

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November 8, 2012

Republicans Need to Take Their Party Back By Froma Harrop

Americans wanted to keep the country they know, and said so Tuesday. Now it's time for responsible Republicans to take their party back from the fringe that loses them elections.

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November 8, 2012

When Obama Won, So Did America's Future By Joe Conason

What Barack Obama tried to tell America in the hour of his remarkable victory is that the nation's future won on Election Day. Seeking to inspire and to heal, the reelected president offered an open hand to partisan opponents in the style that has always defined him.

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November 7, 2012

More Government By John Stossel

I expect that by the time you read this, President Obama will have been re-elected. Get ready for four more years of Big Bloated Government.

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November 6, 2012

America Is Two Countries, Not on Speaking Terms By Michael Barone

You know who won the election (or whether we face another Florida 2000), and as I write I don't. 

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November 6, 2012

Nature Has Laws of Her Own By Froma Harrop

My favorite Frankenstorm quote comes from Ralph Lopez, interviewed outside a housing project in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn. "Half the world doesn't have electricity," the 73-year-old said, walking his Chihuahua, Pepe. "I grew up in a cold-water flat with no heat at all. And this is just for a week. So, boohoo."

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November 5, 2012

Going Out on a Limb: Romney Beats Obama, Handily By Michael Barone

Fundamentals usually prevail in American elections. That's bad news for Barack Obama. True, Americans want to think well of their presidents, and many think it would be bad if Americans were perceived as rejecting the first black president.

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November 2, 2012

An Unpredictable End to a Very Predictable Election By Scott Rasmussen

Election 2012 has had few surprises. So it's somewhat surprising that heading into the final weekend of the election season, we are unable to confidently project who is likely to win the White House.

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October 29, 2012

Changing Demographics Won't Mean the End of Republican Party By Michael Barone

When reading one of the endless stories about a just-released poll Thursday night, a pair of numbers struck my eye: 60 and 37.

October 26, 2012

Wisconsin May Be the New Ohio By Scott Rasmussen

In Election 2000, Florida was the decisive state in the Electoral College. In 2004, Ohio was the ultimate battleground that put George W. Bush over the top. This year, it might come down to Wisconsin.

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October 25, 2012

'Access' to Birth Control Doesn't Count By Froma Harrop

Mitt Romney is running ads explaining that he does not object to birth control. But no one questions his stance that women should have, as the ads say, "access" to contraception. They already do. They also have access to Coach handbags and flights to Acapulco. And that's where the Romney smokescreen, intended to close a gender gap favoring Democrats, needs clearing.

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October 25, 2012

Affluent Suburbs Swing to Debate-tested Romney By Michael Barone

Back in May, I wrote a column laying out possible scenarios for the 2012 campaign different from the conventional wisdom that it would be a long, hard slog through a fixed list of target states like the race in 2004.

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October 24, 2012

Greed By John Stossel

On TV, my Fox colleague Bill O'Reilly says, "The recession was brought on largely by greedy Wall Street corporations."    

Give me a break.    

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October 23, 2012

From Poor to Cool in 500 Square Feet By Froma Harrop

Dubach, La., was named "Dogtrot Capital of the World," and how cool is that? Very cool in the "small house" obsession embraced by urban hipsters. A dogtrot house is typically a modest home in which the cooking and living sections are divided by a breezeway (the dogtrot). Another Southern invention is the "shotgun house," a narrow rectangle whose handful of rooms line in a row. Elvis was born in one.

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October 22, 2012

If Obama Wins, Will He Be Another Woodrow Wilson? By Michael Barone

How will this election be seen in history? Obviously, it depends on who wins. If Barack Obama is defeated, the irresistible comparison will be with Jimmy Carter. A one-term president was rejected after pursuing big government programs amid high energy prices and attacks on America in the Middle East.

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October 19, 2012

Bad Arithmetic: Top Romney Economist Admits 'Jobs Plan' Numbers Don't Compute By Joe Conason

When innocent citizens asked about unemployment last night at the town hall presidential debate on Long Island, would Mitt Romney again tout his plan to create 12 million jobs? Unable to Etch-a-Sketch away that often repeated claim -- one that he has hired several conservative economists to endorse -- the Republican candidate had little choice. It's up on his campaign website, it's there in his own well-advertised words, and it is the central appeal of his candidacy for the non-billionaire voting bloc.     

October 19, 2012

As Romney Gains, Senate Remains Challenging for GOP By Scott Rasmussen

When 2012 began, the presidential race looked too close to call, but most analysts thought the Republicans had a good chance to win control of the Senate. The numbers were just too daunting for the Democrats. They had too many seats to defend and too many vulnerable incumbents.

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October 18, 2012

To More and More Women, Romney Is the Safer Choice By Michael Barone

An interesting story from last winter: An email friend who lives in an affluent suburb far from Washington, a staunch Republican, was watching one of the Republican debates with his wife, a staunch Democrat.

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October 18, 2012

Etch A Sketch, Made in China By Froma Harrop

Nine years ago, the Ohio Art Co. closed its Etch A Sketch operation in Bryan, Ohio, and moved the jobs to Shenzhen, China. The 100 laid-off American workers weren't surprised. They'd been training their Chinese replacements.

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October 17, 2012

Bad Rules By John Stossel

We take free speech for granted in America, unlike elsewhere. The furor over that anti-Muslim video is the latest reminder of that.

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October 16, 2012

The Weird Political War Between the Generations By Froma Harrop

A weird war between the generations is growing, and the Republican candidates are the mongers.