Everyone Is Essential By John Stossel
Politicians have too much power over our lives.
Throughout the midsection of the United States in February, record frigid temperatures were inconvenient for those politicians who call global warming an "existential threat."
Thursday, in its first military action, the Biden Pentagon sent two U.S. F-15Es to strike targets of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia just inside the eastern border of Syria.
Masks are now a seemingly permanent staple of American life with no end in sight. Mask recommendations change like spring weather, from none to one to two or more, all based on flimsy evidence from the “follow the science” crowd.
The last decade has seen a boom in voter turnout -- for both parties. Between the 2012 and 2020 presidential elections, total voter turnout rose 23%, with Democratic turnout up 23% and Republican turnout up 22%.
"I don't know if he'll run in 2024 or not. But if he does, I'm pretty sure he will win the nomination."
— While the 2020 presidential election saw a record volume of absentee votes cast, not all states made it equally accessible.
— Eased absentee voting rules contributed to higher voter participation rates.
— With higher turnout, President Joe Biden’s performance still tracked closely with Hillary Clinton’s state-by-state results in 2016 — he just performed slightly better across the board.
— All told, the sharp increase in absentee voting in 2020 wasn’t disproportionately beneficial to either presidential candidate.
Today's environmental activists are so hostile to capitalism that they end up killing animals they want to protect.
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.