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Political Commentary

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July 11, 2013

Health Reform Will Happen, and None Too Soon By Froma Harrop

Obamacare is going ahead. It's happening, and concerted efforts by its foes to scare the public and otherwise delegitimize the health care reforms will be ultimately futile. That doesn't mean that Republican opponents won't try. The question is why, other than crude political posturing, would they want the Affordable Care Act to fail?    

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July 10, 2013

Meddling Overseas By John Stossel

You pay taxes? You contributed to the $2 billion your government gave Egypt this year. And last year. And every year -- for 30 years. Most of it went to Egypt's military. How's that worked out?   

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July 10, 2013

U.S. Right to 'Lead From Behind' on Egypt By Froma Harrop

 "Leading from behind" would seem the right place for America to be in the complex crisis engulfing Egypt. But critics want President Obama up front, telling the Egyptians what's what.

Sen. John McCain complains on a Sunday talk show that Egypt's second coup in 2 1/2 years is "a strong indicator of the lack of American leadership, and influence, since we urged the military not to do that."

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July 9, 2013

With Dems on Defensive, GOP Has Chance to Recapture Senate By Michael Barone

What's the outlook for the 2014 Senate elections? The Republicans once again have a chance to overturn the Democrats' majority, as they did in 2010 and 2012.    

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July 5, 2013

Moral Hazard and Nature By Froma Harrop

We call events caused by extreme weather "natural disasters" when they hit human-built environments. Had there been no shoreline civilization in Superstorm Sandy's East Coast path, we would not have called the happening a "natural disaster," but "nature." The whole thing would have been little more than an exceptionally rainy day.

July 5, 2013

Americans Still Embrace the Spirit of '76 By Scott Rasmussen

Our nation's 237th birthday is being celebrated in many ways that have become familiar over the years. Fifteen percent of Americans will watch a parade; 29 percent will sing patriotic songs; 63 percent will enjoy a cookout with family and friends; 78 percent are likely to see fireworks.

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July 5, 2013

With Its Roots in the Nuclear Family, the Nation Evolves Into America 3.0 By Michael Barone

The Fourth of July is always an occasion to think about what the United States of America has been, is and will be. A good way to reflect on that is to pick up a copy of "America 3.0" by James Bennett and Michael Lotus and ponder its lessons.

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July 4, 2013

For July 4th: Remembering Why the Right Doesn't Own the Stars and Stripes by Joe Conason

Like many men who volunteered for the U.S. Army in World War II, my late father never boasted about his years in uniform. A patriot to his core, he nevertheless despised what he called the "jelly-bellied flag flappers." But in the decade or so before he passed away, he began to sport a small, eagle-shaped pin on his lapel, known as a "ruptured duck." Displaying the mark of his military service said that this lifelong liberal loved his country as much as any conservative -- and had proved it.

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July 3, 2013

The Snowden Paradox By Mark Meckler

Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency whistleblower, is either a hero or a traitor.  We’ve heard him described both ways in no uncertain terms.  So which is it?  I’ve been withholding judgment, I thought, based on needing more facts.  Yet no matter how many facts come out about the case, I remain ambivalent.   In the Snowden situation, I believe we have encountered a paradox.

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July 3, 2013

I Shrugged By John Stossel

Many libertarians, outraged by how our government spies on us, call me a "traitor" because I'm not very angry. I understand that the National Security Administration tracking patterns in our emails and phone calls could put us on a terrible, privacy-crushing slippery slope.    

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July 2, 2013

Investigate Issa! Or How to Apply the Chairman's Own Methods and Style to Him By Joe Conason

Among the many reasons that Americans hold the House of Representatives in low repute -- at historically abysmal levels, in fact -- is the blatantly partisan and ideological misconduct of so many committee chairs. Without any evident embarrassment these mighty politicians deny science, defy mathematics and dismiss every fact that contradicts their prejudices. But bad as these chairs tend to be, none is quite as flamboyantly awful as Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the Government Oversight Committee, a special investigative panel whose latest effort to conjure scandal from nothingness at the Internal Revenue Service would provoke his removal by a responsible leadership.

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July 2, 2013

In U.K. but Not U.S., Young Voters Turn Against Big Government By Michael Barone

A trip to London provides an occasion to compare and contrast British politics and attitudes with those in America.   

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June 28, 2013

Supreme Court Offers Mixed Verdict to Conservatives and Liberals By Michael Barone

This has been a big week for the Supreme Court. In four separate cases, it applied stricter scrutiny to racial quotas and preferences in higher education, overturned part of the Voting Rights Act, ruled unconstitutional the Defense of Marriage Act and dismissed an appeal of a case overturning California voters' ban on same-sex marriage.   

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June 28, 2013

About Those Who Abuse Their Health By Froma Harrop

In addition to being a fine actor, James Gandolfini was smart and rich. He could afford the best medical care the West has to offer and understand the stakes of being so overweight and stressed. Yet he let his weight balloon in an orgy of careless eating and drinking. Did he think himself invincible or assume that he had time to deal with health issues later, his age being only 51? Surely a doctor somewhere read him the riot act, so why didn't he make health a priority?

June 28, 2013

Public Opinion Leads, Politicians Follow By Scott Rasmussen

On Dec. 1, 1955, a churchgoing woman of character refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Ala. Many credit Rosa Parks' courageous action that day with launching the civil rights movement. While I have great respect for what Ms. Parks did that day, however, she did not start the civil rights movement. The movement began long before, and public opinion led the way.

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June 26, 2013

Dems Struggle With Scandals; GOP Can't Agree on Policy By Michael Barone

The two political parties are in disarray. The Democrats are disheartened. The Republicans are disunited.    

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June 26, 2013

The IRS Scandal Is Just Nature Taking Its Course By Mark Meckler

The instinct for survival is coded into the DNA of every living creature, and the Internal Revenue Service is made up of thousands of human beings with that instinct.  As a single department of the government leviathan, the IRS is a good example, too, of the collective survival instinct of the federal government.

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June 26, 2013

Puritanical Government By John Stossel

People say America is a free country. But what if you want to drink, have a cigarette or make a bet? Government often says "no" to protect us from ourselves.

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June 25, 2013

Fighting the Stadium Con: Go Brazilians! By Froma Harrop

Something's gotten into Brazilians that hasn't caught on here, but should. They're out on the streets protesting their government's plan to sink billions into monuments to sport.

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June 24, 2013

Reform the Border Patrol, too By Joe Conason

Immigration reform now seems certain to pass the Senate within days, in an amended bill that could win as many as 70 votes from both parties. The results will improve life for millions of undocumented workers and their families -- but the costs will not be negligible, including a "surge" that will rapidly double the size of the U.S. Border Patrol to 40,00 agents, along with much more fencing and surveillance technology.