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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.

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July 30, 2012

2012 Campaign Very Different Than Kerry vs. Bush by Michael Barone

Does the 2012 campaign look a lot like the 2004 campaign? Many Democrats think so.

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July 27, 2012

Wounded and Pregnant, an Aurora Family Without Health Coverage By Joe Conason

In the wake of yet another well-armed madman killing and maiming innocent Americans, we are again rediscovering the malign influence of the NRA (correctly described by Alan Berlow as the criminals' lobby). But the political salience of the Aurora tragedy extends beyond the usually sterile argument over gun control.

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July 27, 2012

Final Veepstakes Ratings: Pawlenty, Portman Continue To Top List By Kyle Kondik and Larry J. Sabato

And then there were five.

After starting out with more than 20 names a few months ago, we can now count our list of Mitt Romney's vice-presidential possibilities on one hand.

July 27, 2012

Declining Views of the Economy Put Obama's Reelection at Risk By Scott Rasmussen

Consumer confidence fell to the lowest levels of 2012 this past week. Most Americans believe that both the economy and their own personal finances are getting worse. Just 25 percent believe the economy is getting better, and only 22 percent say the same about their personal finances.

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July 26, 2012

Conservatives Backtrack on Long Prison Sentences By Michael Barone

Only a few lonely media outlets responded to the Aurora Mall murders by calling for stricter gun control measures. President Barack Obama and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper made eloquent statements, as did Mitt Romney, but neither the two Democrats nor the Republican called for changes in gun laws.

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July 26, 2012

Badger Cottage Versus Toad Hall by Froma Harrop

Sometimes you need children to set you straight. They are so attuned to what they like and what feels good. The status-value of things doesn't register as much as with adults.

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July 25, 2012

America, the Law-crazed By John Stossel

Over the past few decades, America has locked up more and more people. Our prison population has tripled. Now we jail a higher percentage of people than even the most repressive countries: China locks up 121 out of every 100,000 people; Russia 511. In America? 730.

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July 24, 2012

When Only a Human Will Do By Froma Harrop

I'm a well-trained child of the human-less world of customer "support." I don't ask for much. When I need an answer, I first check the FAQs (frequently asked questions). I visit forums to find others discussing similar problems and sometimes offering good advice.

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July 23, 2012

Booming North Dakota City Shows Wisdom of Markets By Michael Barone

This is a tale of two cities. No, not Dickens' phlegmatic London and passionate Paris. Nor the two neighborhoods Charles Murray contrasted in his recent bestseller "Coming Apart" -- prosperous but isolated Belmont (actually, Mitt Romney's home for decades) and needy and disorganized Fishtown.

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July 20, 2012

Must We Go Here Again? Birthers, Neo-birthers and Right-wing Sleaze By Joe Conason

As the Obama years unfold, observers who lived through the Clinton era sometimes have the eerie feeling that they have been here before -- particularly when directing their gaze toward the far right. The roiling paranoia and hatred that marred American politics when Bill and Hillary Clinton were in the White House has resurfaced in attacks on Barack and Michelle Obama, who like the Clintons have been maligned repeatedly as communist, subversive, Satanic and, above all, illegitimate.

July 20, 2012

Bain Attacks Fail to Shake Up Presidential Race By Scott Rasmussen

Over the past few weeks, President Obama and his campaign team have launched a furious attack on Mitt Romney's record as head of Bain Capital, a highly successful venture capital firm.

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July 19, 2012

If You Like Local Government...By Froma Harrop

A rebounding economy will not be enough to pull state governments out of their fiscal mess, says a new report from the State Budget Crisis Task Force. While health and other costs continue to grow, important sources of revenues are shrinking, the group led by former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker and former New York Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch noted. One of those sources is sales taxes. Some states rely on them heavily for revenues. (Only four don't have sales taxes -- Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon.)

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July 19, 2012

Obama Believes Success Is a Gift From Government by Michael Barone

Perhaps the rain made the teleprompter unreadable. That's one thought I had on pondering Barack Obama's comments to a rain-soaked rally in Roanoke, Va., last Friday.

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July 18, 2012

First Jobs By John Stossel

What was your first job? I stuck pieces of plastic and metal together at an Evanston, Ill., assembly line. We produced photocopiers for a company called American Photocopy.

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July 17, 2012

Are Some Republicans Ready to Deal on Taxes? by Froma Harrop

Nowadays, few politicians will stray from party orthodoxy without also taking unfair whacks at the opposition. Sen. Tom Coburn, Republican from Oklahoma, is braver and more principled than most. But even he felt obliged to take partisan cover in his most recent blast at activist Grover Norquist, enforcer of the absurd pledge never to let anyone's taxes rise ever.

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July 16, 2012

Like Charter Schools, Britain's Academies Aim High by Michael Barone

1776 is a number with great resonance for Americans, but not one you expect to be featured on a British government website.

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July 13, 2012

If We're Headed Toward Greece, Republicans Are Driving Us There By Joe Conason

When Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters on Tuesday that Mitt Romney's foreign investment accounts don't trouble him because "it's really American to avoid paying taxes," he must not have realized that he was calling his party's nominee-to-be a liar.

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