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Commentary by Michael Barone

Most Recent Releases

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November 1, 2010

Obama's Economists Missed What Voters Plainly Saw by Michael Barone

Heading into what appears to be a disastrous midterm election, the Obama Democrats profess to be puzzled.

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October 28, 2010

Public Employee Unions Funnel Public Money to Dems by Michael Barone

Who is the largest single political contributor in the 2010 campaign cycle?

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October 25, 2010

Voters Fed up With Obama's Big, Bossy Government by Michael Barone

Out on the campaign trail, Barack Obama has given us his analysis of why his party is headed for significant losses in the election nine days hence.

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October 21, 2010

Tea Party Neophytes Outshine the Dems' Old Pros By Michael Barone

One of the constant refrains of the so-called mainstream media is that tea party candidates are blithering incompetents and weird wackos. They may do well this year, the refrain goes, but when voters come to their senses, the Republican Party will pay a big price for embracing them.

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October 18, 2010

Dems Find Careers Threatened by Obamacare Votes by Michael Barone

Seven months ago, Speaker Nancy Pelosi spent a busy week rounding up votes to pass the Senate version of the Democrats' health care legislation.

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October 15, 2010

The Democratic 'D' Now Stands for Demagoguery By Michael Barone

I've been in campaign meetings. Sometimes the atmosphere is grim. Your side is down, and you're looking to turn things around.

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October 11, 2010

Can Skinflint Mitch Daniels Win the Presidency? by Michael Barone

It's an ornate office in Indiana's beautifully maintained mid-19th century Capitol, but the 49th governor of Indiana, Mitch Daniels, is not dressed to match the setting.

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October 7, 2010

Dems Turn on Obama Over Iraq, Afghanistan, Gitmo By Michael Barone

It's pretty clear that Democrats are less enthusiastic about voting this year than Republicans. The latest evidence comes from Gallup, which reports that Republicans' 3 percent edge in congressional voting among registered voters increases to 13 and 18 points when you include just those likely and very likely to actually vote.

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October 4, 2010

Pelosi's Vote to Adjourn Could Be Her Last Hurrah by Michael Barone

It happened late Wednesday night, so it didn't get much coverage: Speaker Nancy Pelosi cast the deciding vote when the House voted, 210-209, to adjourn.

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September 30, 2010

Dems Retreat to Coast as GOP Rules Vast Interior By Michael Barone

Here's an exercise for some evening when you're curious about big nationwide trends in this year's elections.

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September 27, 2010

GOP Battle Cry: Repeal Obamacare, Cut Spending by Michael Barone

On Sept. 27, 1994, 367 Republican House members and candidates stood on the steps of the Capitol and endorsed what they called the Contract With America.

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September 24, 2010

Obama's Policies Drag Down Democratic Governors By Michael Barone

In Washington, I'm often asked how many seats Republicans will pick up in the House and whether they'll win a majority in the Senate. But I'm seldom asked anything about the 37 races for governor that will be decided next month (except for Georgia, which will have a runoff if no candidate tops 50 percent).

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September 20, 2010

Dems at War: Public Unions vs. Gentry Liberals by Michael Barone

My subject today is the civil war raging in one of our great political parties, as highlighted in recent primary elections.

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September 13, 2010

Gangster Government Stifles Criticism of Obamacare by Michael Barone

"There will be zero tolerance for this type of misinformation and unjustified rate increases."

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September 10, 2010

Sinking With Obama, Democrats Plan Political Triage by Michael Barone

When you spot the word "triage" in a political news story, you know someone is in trouble.

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September 6, 2010

The Higher Education Bubble: Ready to Burst? By Michael Barone

Imagine that you have a product whose price tag for decades rises faster than inflation. But people keep buying it because they're told that it will make them wealthier in the long run. Then, suddenly, they find it doesn't. Prices fall sharply, bankruptcies ensue, great institutions disappear.

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September 2, 2010

Down With Big Government, Big Business, Big Labor by Michael Barone

Some of the most important things in history are things that didn't happen -- even though just about everyone thought they would.

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August 26, 2010

Redistricting Could Prolong the Democrats' Pain By Michael Barone

Every 10 years, it's time for reapportionment and redistricting. The framers of the Constitution created the first regularly scheduled national census and required, for the first time that I am aware, that representation in a legislature be apportioned according to population.

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August 23, 2010

Stimulus and Health Care Have Democrats on Defensive By Michael Barone

Like many Democrats over the past 40 years, Barack Obama has hoped that his association with unpopular liberal positions on cultural issues would be outweighed by pushing economic policies intended to benefit the ordinary person.

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August 19, 2010

Big Government Forgets How to Build Big Projects By Michael Barone

When I drive from downtown Washington to Reagan National Airport, I often encounter delays on the George Washington Parkway due to construction of a small bridge over an inlet of the Potomac.