Political Commentary

Most Recent Releases

November 16, 2012Mitt Romney's Sneering Farewell to the '47 Percent' By Joe Conason
Trying to explain away his decisive, sweeping and very expensive rout to his disappointed supporters -- those one-percent Republicans -- Mitt Romney offered a new version of the discredited "47 percent" argument that was so ruinous in its original form. In a Wednesday afternoon conference call, the defeated Republican nominee told donors and fundraisers that President Obama had won by lavishing generous "gifts" upon certain groups, including young voters, African-Americans and Latinos.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            November 16, 2012Americans Favor a New Approach to War on Drugs By Scott Rasmussen
More than 40 years ago, the federal government launched a war on drugs. Over the past decade, the nation has spent hundreds of billions of dollars fighting that war, a figure that does not even include the high costs of prosecuting and jailing drug law offenders. It's hard to put a price on that aspect of the drug war since half of all inmates in federal prison today were busted for drugs. 
November 15, 2012To Win, Obama Sacrifices House, State Legislatures By Michael Barone
Barack Obama attended more than 200 fundraisers for his presidential campaign, but he refrained from raising money for congressional Democrats.
November 15, 2012They Led Us to the Cliff but Can't Make Us Jump By Froma Harrop
The tea party now has its own news site. Based at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, the Tea Party News Network describes itself as "the only trusted news source." It focuses on such right-wing heroes as Michele Bachmann and Allen West, who just lost an election for a House seat in South Florida -- though perhaps not on TPNN.
November 14, 2012Did Freedom Win? By John Stossel
Democrats won big last week. So government will continue to grow. Individual freedom will yield.
At least some people with records of supporting liberty were elected: Sen. Jeff Flake in Arizona and U.S. Reps. Justin Amash and Kerry Bentivolio in Michigan and Thomas Massie in Kentucky.
Also, Washington and Colorado voted to allow any adult to use marijuana. (But users beware. Your newfound freedom may be short-lived thanks to that extraordinary human being in the White House -- you know, the one who smoked pot when he was in school. Despite promising that he wouldn't, he has cracked down on pot dispensaries far more often than President Bush did.)
November 13, 2012Polls That Make No Sense By Froma Harrop
Here's a question from a recent national exit poll: "Which is closer to your view? Government should do more. (Or) government is doing too much." More voters said "too much" than said "not enough." Political analysts picked up that response and ran with it for days.
November 12, 2012Obama Wins by Going Negative and Turning Out Base By Michael Barone
Lukewarm. That's the feeling I get from the election numbers.
Turnout was apparently down, at least as a percentage of eligible voters. The president was re-elected by a reduced margin. The challenger didn't inspire the turnout surge he needed.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            November 9, 2012Parenting Politicians Is Hard Work By Scott Rasmussen
One of the strangest aspects of Election 2012 is that voters are demanding change but didn't change politicians. They left Republicans in charge of the House, elected an even more Democratic Senate and re-elected President Obama. They're unhappy with the status quo in the country but left the political status quo in place. 
November 8, 2012Republicans Need to Take Their Party Back By Froma Harrop
Americans wanted to keep the country they know, and said so Tuesday. Now it's time for responsible Republicans to take their party back from the fringe that loses them elections.
November 8, 2012When Obama Won, So Did America's Future By Joe Conason
What Barack Obama tried to tell America in the hour of his remarkable victory is that the nation's future won on Election Day. Seeking to inspire and to heal, the reelected president offered an open hand to partisan opponents in the style that has always defined him.
November 7, 2012More Government By John Stossel
I expect that by the time you read this, President Obama will have been re-elected. Get ready for four more years of Big Bloated Government.
November 6, 2012America Is Two Countries, Not on Speaking Terms By Michael Barone
You know who won the election (or whether we face another Florida 2000), and as I write I don't. 
November 6, 2012Nature Has Laws of Her Own By Froma Harrop
My favorite Frankenstorm quote comes from Ralph Lopez, interviewed outside a housing project in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn. "Half the world doesn't have electricity," the 73-year-old said, walking his Chihuahua, Pepe. "I grew up in a cold-water flat with no heat at all. And this is just for a week. So, boohoo."
November 5, 2012Going Out on a Limb: Romney Beats Obama, Handily By Michael Barone
Fundamentals usually prevail in American elections. That's bad news for Barack Obama. True, Americans want to think well of their presidents, and many think it would be bad if Americans were perceived as rejecting the first black president.
November 2, 2012An Unpredictable End to a Very Predictable Election By Scott Rasmussen
Election 2012 has had few surprises. So it's somewhat surprising that heading into the final weekend of the election season, we are unable to confidently project who is likely to win the White House.
October 29, 2012Changing Demographics Won't Mean the End of Republican Party By Michael Barone
When reading one of the endless stories about a just-released poll Thursday night, a pair of numbers struck my eye: 60 and 37.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            October 26, 2012Wisconsin May Be the New Ohio By Scott Rasmussen
In Election 2000, Florida was the decisive state in the Electoral College. In 2004, Ohio was the ultimate battleground that put George W. Bush over the top. This year, it might come down to Wisconsin.
October 25, 2012'Access' to Birth Control Doesn't Count By Froma Harrop
Mitt Romney is running ads explaining that he does not object to birth control. But no one questions his stance that women should have, as the ads say, "access" to contraception. They already do. They also have access to Coach handbags and flights to Acapulco. And that's where the Romney smokescreen, intended to close a gender gap favoring Democrats, needs clearing.
October 25, 2012Affluent Suburbs Swing to Debate-tested Romney By Michael Barone
Back in May, I wrote a column laying out possible scenarios for the 2012 campaign different from the conventional wisdom that it would be a long, hard slog through a fixed list of target states like the race in 2004.
October 24, 2012Greed By John Stossel
On TV, my Fox colleague Bill O'Reilly says, "The recession was brought on largely by greedy Wall Street corporations."    
Give me a break.    