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Political Commentary

Most Recent Releases

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April 7, 2022

Sarah Palin’s Surprising and Possibly Historic Run for the House By Kyle Kondik

How a victory would set her apart from other unsuccessful postwar VP candidates.

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin surprised the political world when she announced a run to replace the late Don Young in Alaska’s at-large U.S. House seat.

— It’s not unusual for VP losers to subsequently win elected office, although in recent decades that has meant simply winning reelection to the job they held prior to being named to a presidential ticket.

— If Palin wins, she will set an obscure historical marker for unsuccessful postwar VP nominees.

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April 6, 2022

Never Admit Anything By John Stossel

President Joe Biden says he never talked business with his son.

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April 5, 2022

Technology and Growth Are the Cures to Climate Doomsday by Stephen Moore

I guess you could mark me down as a "climate change skeptic." I'm not a climate scientist, so I have no expertise on what is happening with the planet's temperature or severe weather events that can wreak havoc on life and property.

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April 5, 2022

Is Global 'Democracy' America's Mission? By Patrick J. Buchanan

"In the battle between democracy and autocracy, democracies are rising to the moment, and the world is clearly choosing the side of peace and security," said President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address.

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April 1, 2022

Turning a Corner, Away from Excessive Risk Aversion by Micahel Barone

It feels like we're turning a corner.

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April 1, 2022

Insult Diplomacy: Does Biden's Vilification of Putin Help? By Patrick J. Buchanan

Several weeks into the war in Ukraine, ABC's George Stephanopoulos asked President Joe Biden if he agreed with those who call Russian President Vladimir Putin "a killer."

March 31, 2022

Biden’s Wealth Tax – More Class Envy Rhetoric By Brain C. Joondeph

President Joe Biden, perhaps looking at the rising budget deficit along with his desire to spend far more money than the U.S. Treasury has in its coffers – not to mention his sinking poll numbers and dim prospects for his party in the November midterm elections – has proposed a wealth tax on the uber rich. The White House calls it the “billionaire minimum income tax” which is neither limited to billionaires nor a tax on income.

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March 31, 2022

The Politics of the Nation’s Fastest-Growing Counties By Kyle Kondik

Trends help illuminate how their states have changed over the past decade, particularly in Florida and Texas.

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— The U.S. Census Bureau recently reported changes in population from 2020 to 2021.

— While the headline findings mainly dealt with population declines, a number of places (particularly in the Sun Belt) are still experiencing substantial growth.

— A little more than 5 dozen counties with at least 100,000 residents grew by 3% or more from April 2020 to July 2021. These counties are spread across 20 states.

— Almost all of these counties vote Republican for president, although GOP presidential performance has eroded in many of them.

— Nearly half of these counties are in Florida and Texas, and the differing presidential trends in these fast-growing counties help illustrate the changing political trajectory of each state.

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March 30, 2022

Let Them In By John Stossel

Millions flee Ukraine.

Where will they go?

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March 29, 2022

Asia's Autocrats Are Calling, Mr. Biden By Patrick J. Buchanan

While President Joe Biden was in Brussels and Warsaw showing U.S. solidarity with Ukraine, the 38-year-old autocrat who rules North Korea made a bold bid for the president's attention.

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March 25, 2022

Another Party Hack President by Michael Barone

"The language people speak in the corridors of power is not economics or politics. It is history." So says former Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, quoted in a column on Ukraine by historian Niall Ferguson.

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March 25, 2022

Is Victory for Ukraine Worth Risking Nuclear War? By Patrick J. Buchanan

During the 70 years that the Soviet Union existed, Ukraine was an integral part of the nation.

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March 24, 2022

Are Latinos Deserting the Democratic Party? Evidence from the Exit Polls By Alan I. Abramowitz

Democratic share of the Latino vote has been highly variable from election to election.

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— One key question in American politics is the trajectory of Latino voters. Donald Trump performed better in 2020 with Latino voters than he did in 2016, particularly in places like South Texas and South Florida.

— However, an analysis of the longer-term trend in Latino presidential voting shows that this growing voting bloc is not necessarily trending one way or the other.

— Presidential incumbency appears to have a stronger influence on Latino voters than on other demographic groups.

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March 23, 2022

Renewable Failure John Stossel

The "Greens" promise renewables, solar and wind power, will replace fossil fuels. After all, the wind and sun are free, and they don't pollute!

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March 22, 2022

The End of the Climate Change Legend by Stephen Moore

For many years now, there has been a spirited debate about whether climate change is science, religion or even perhaps a secret route to socialism. That question remains unanswered, but we've now discovered with certainty that climate change is a political albatross around the neck of the Democratic Party.

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March 22, 2022

Is Ukraine's Partition Zelenskyy's Fate? By Patrick J. Buchanan

"It's time to meet, time to talk ... time to restore territorial integrity ... for Ukraine," said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday.

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March 18, 2022

Ukraine Suggests Dangers of the Eurasian Heartland Axis by Michael Barone

"Who rules the Heartland rules the World Island. Who rules the World Island commands the world." So wrote the geography professor and occasional member of Parliament Halford Mackinder in his 1919 book "Democratic Ideals and Reality."

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March 18, 2022

US Vital Interests Dictate an End to This War By Patrick J. Buchanan

Speaking to Congress, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked for many things from the United States.

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March 17, 2022

Gas Prices and Presidential Approval By Kyle Kondik

There is some connection historically, but that connection is getting weaker.

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE

— President Joe Biden and his party are struggling amidst myriad challenges, including high gas prices. Gas prices have spiked in recent weeks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

— There is some association between higher gas prices and lower presidential approval, although the connection is not particularly strong.

— This association has been weaker over the past decade than it was previously.

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March 16, 2022

A Principled Politician By John Stossel

I dislike politicians. I don't trust people who are so desperately eager to run others' lives.