General

By Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA), House Republican Whip

On Nov. 3, Republicans scored tremendous victories in Virginia, New Jersey and elsewhere. Leading the charge were the same independent voters who helped sweep President Obama to victory last year. In Virginia, 66 percent of those who identified themselves as independents chose Republican Bob McDonnell over Democrat Creigh Deeds. In the traditionally blue state of New Jersey, 60 percent of such voters chose GOP candidate Chris Christie over incumbent Jon Corzine.

By William Moloney, Contributing Editor

What sets America apart from other countries is the extraordinary reservoir of idealism that has been a constant in our  national life from the very beginning.  The national narrative-a.k.a.  The American Dream- has always been about individuals and groups who achieved remarkable things against great odds.  

William Moloney, Contributing Editor

As if the recession wasn’t enough, the summer’s unprecedented bad weather has added to the economic woes of this resort island. Also experiencing very heavy weather these days is the Democratic Party and it looks like getting worse for them before it gets better.

By William Moloney, Contributing Editor
(Wellfleet) is a small Cape Cod community –about 500 people when I was growing up- now part of Massachusetts’ National Seashore Park.  It is also home to a few hardy souls with whom I shared the experience of a one room school house presided over by a septuagenarian female teacher whose reproving glances struck abject fear in our young hearts.

By Richard Westfall, Contributing Editor
Congress passed the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (“BCRA”) in 2002.  That statute substantially regulated many forms of communication directed at candidates for political office.  That same year, Common Cause placed a measure similar to BCRA (Amendment 27) on the Colorado ballot, and it was adopted by the voters that fall.

By Kevin Holst, Contributing Editor
Over the past few years, the Democratic Party and their allied left-leaning groups (the “Left Coalition”) have successfully reshaped Colorado’s political landscape.  Democrats now control Colorado’s General Assembly and Governor’s Office.  In addition, they control the U.S. Congress and the Federal Executive Branch.  Their organizations are influencing our nation and Colorado (e.g., ACORN, MoveOn.org, labor unions, ProgressNow and the Colorado Democracy Alliance).  Building on their successes, the Left Coalition has already pledged $110 million nationally to expand their power in 2010.

By William Moloney, Contributing Editor
When during a particularly bitter Parliamentary debate in 1909 the Liberal Prime Minister Herbert Asquith denounced Conservatives for their “willful, constant, and unyielding opposition” to almost every Government policy, the Conservative leader Arthur Balfour swiftly replied, “May I remind the Prime Minister that the first duty of an opposition is to oppose and when as is now the case Government policies are reckless, feckless, and threatening permanent damage to the country that duty rises to the level of sacred obligation."

By Bob Beauprez, Editor in Chief
Barack Obama, the president who was supposed to be the post-racial president, has made his first nomination to the United States Supreme Court and rekindled the all too familiar memories of a more painful American past.  Associate Justice David Souter tendered his resignation effective this summer.  Obama’s nominee to replace Souter is currently a member of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second District, Sonia Sotomayor.  

By William Moloney, Contributing Editor

(Nantucket)   The wild wintry desolation of this small island is not everyone’s ideal for a seasonal getaway but nonetheless it is a supportive environment for thinking, reading and writing.

Transitions are a great entertainment form- the more so if it delivers a new party as well as a new President.  D.C. real estate folks always vote against  the “in” party because a full blown turnover is always good for business.  Casually strolling around Georgetown or similar neighborhoods one notes the frequency of double parked moving vans further clogging the Imperial City’s already impossible traffic congestion.

By Mark Hillman, Contributing Editor
Ever since Jefferson's Democratic-Republicans first wrested power from the Federalist Party of Washington and Adams, the world has marveled at the orderliness of America's "peaceful revolutions."

By Jon Anderson, Contributing Editor
While President-elect Obama finalizes his Cabinet selections, liberal activists are crying foul over his relatively moderate appointments.  The rising concern amongst conservatives is that President Obama will pacify the left wing of his party by appointing liberal judges.

By Bob Beauprez, Editor in Chief
Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States next January.  Proclaiming a message of “hope” and “change” the articulate young Senator fresh from the Illinois state legislature captivated enough voters to claim an overwhelming electoral margin of victory, albeit a far slimmer popular vote margin than might have been anticipated. 

By Mark Hillman, Contributing Editor
As the dust settles after Election Day, it's fair to say that Republicans deserved the thrashing we received.  Unfortunately, some good Republicans (Bob Schaffer, to name one) lost undeservedly, and some embarrassments (Alaska Sen. Ted "7 Felonies and a Bridge to Nowhere" Stevens) won undeservedly.

By William Moloney, Contributing Editor
Ever since Lyndon Johnson’s dramatic announcement of a Viet Nam “bombing pause” two weeks before the 1968 election the phrase “October Surprise” has been a staple of our political vocabulary. Other examples of last-minute political hand grenades that influenced close elections include Lawrence Walsh’s indictment of Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger in 1992, and the leaking of George W. Bush’s youthful DUI in 2000.

By Mark Hillman, Contributing Editor
Barack Obama says Republicans "are going to try to make you afraid of me." Well, it's hard to imagine how the GOP could conjure up a more fearsome specter of an Obama presidency than the one created by the tactics of his own campaign.

By Mario Nicolais
We are in the midst of an extraordinary election cycle. Never mind twenty two continuous months of presidential races. Never mind millions being spent on senate seats across the county. Never mind the endless ballot facing Colorado voters this fall. Truly extraordinary, and flying below the radar, has been the rise of lawsuits as an election weapon.

By William Moloney, Contributing Editor
Mirroring this extraordinary political year the conventions of both parties were unusual, unpredictable and given to striking twists and surprises. Aside from the continuing guerrilla warfare between the Clinton and Obama camps- a media delight- the truly remarkable aspect of the Democratic convention was the stunning spectacle of the nominee’s acceptance speech. Probably not since the Roman Coliseum mounted extravagant Triumphs for the return of victorious Emperors has the world seen such spectacular pageantry revolving around one man.

By William Moloney, Contributing Editor
In the 19th century Americans took very seriously Washington’s warning against “entangling alliances” which might interfere with the country’s unfolding “Manifest Destiny” of dynamic growth and expansion. A corollary to this belief was that the “Great American Democracy” was a unique-perhaps even divinely inspired-form of political organization vastly superior to the Old World’s tired regimes of aristocratic privilege and downtrodden masses.

By Kevin Holst, Contributing Editor
Global warming is on the lips of every liberal-leaning activist and major news outlet. They tell us that we need to conserve and reduce our carbon footprint or else. Unsurprisingly, this Al Gore led movement has spilled over into the upcoming Democratic and Republican National Conventions.

By Rich Sokol, Contributing Editor
One way to build a lead in the polls is to tell people what they want to hear. But eventually, people begin to notice the inconsistencies. You can only flip-flop so many times.Perhaps Obama’s contradictory words will soon catch up with him. He has a history of clashing statements on Iran and Israel. Following are examples, using his own words. See for yourself.

By William Moloney, Contributing Editor
Rockefeller vs. Goldwater in 1964. McCarthy vs. LBJ in 1968. Muskie vs. McGovern in 1972. Reagan vs Ford in 1976. Kennedy vs Carter in 1980. Hart vs Mondale in 1984.

As history buffs would know each of the above Presidential primary contests was in varying degree long, expensive, emotive, distracting and a delight to the opposing party which invariably triumphed in November usually by a landslide.

Today Republicans watching the Clinton-Obama slugfest are weeping- tears of joy. In a year in which every indicator points to a Republican disaster of potentially monumental proportions, history offers hope to the GOP.

By Bob Beauprez
It is an amazing phenomenon, but apparently there no longer is a left side of the political spectrum. For that matter "liberal" has seemingly vanished as well.