Political Commentary

Most Recent Releases

August 17, 2023The Atlas of Post-Dobbs Abortion Ballot Measures: Part One By J. Miles Coleman
Comparing ballot issues to partisan races in KS, OH, and MI.KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE— Since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decisions last year, seven states have held abortion-related ballot issues, and abortion rights advocates have won all seven contests.
— In Kansas and Michigan, the pro-abortion rights side broadly outperformed the winning Democratic nominees for governor.
— In Ohio, last week’s Issue 1 ballot question, which was cast as a proxy vote on abortion rights, followed a similar pattern, roundly outperforming now-former Rep. Tim Ryan’s (D) showing in last year’s Senate race.

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                            August 16, 2023College Rip-Off  By John Stossel
It's August. Many young people head off to college.

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                            August 15, 2023How America Kills Its Own By Daniel McCarthy
America is an aging society, but this is no country for old men.

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                            August 15, 2023Is It Time to Ban Electric Vehicles?  By Stephen Moore
The New York Fire Department recently reported that so far this year there have been 108 lithium-ion battery fires in New York City, which have injured 66 people and killed 13. According to FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, "There is not a small amount of fire, it (the vehicle) literally explodes." The resulting fire is "very difficult to extinguish and so it is particularly dangerous."

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                            August 11, 2023Which States Attract Outsiders and Which Don't -- 21st Century Version By Michael Barone
Let's take a time out from reports of indictments and threats of impeachment, from nostalgia for the 1940s days of American scientific creativity and ability to get big things done fast ("Oppenheimer") and the 1950s days of American popular culture appealing to every cultural subgroup without the trigger warnings and apologies for past national misdeeds.
August 10, 2023Ohio’s Issue 1 Smackdown By Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman
The left scores another win in an abortion rights proxy fight; apparent turnout and persuasion edge drives Democratic success.KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE— The pro-abortion rights/Democratic side won yet another fight related to abortion rights on Tuesday night, this time in red-trending Ohio.
— Turnout was robust and likely advantaged the Democratic side. Voter participation was relatively poor across Appalachia, a once-competitive area that has become extremely Republican in recent years.
— Issue 1 seemed particularly unpopular in some usually red suburban counties, although we have to remember that ballot issues and partisan races are different and that Republicans are still in a strong position in Ohio.

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                            August 9, 2023The Fake Climate Consensus By John Stossel
We are told climate change is a crisis, and that there is an "overwhelming scientific consensus."

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                            August 8, 2023The Biden Pardon That Can Spare America By Daniel McCarthy
President Joe Biden has a chance to do the right thing for all Americans -- a brave and unpopular thing that will spare the country excruciating pain next year.

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                            August 8, 2023New Banking Regulations Could Sink the Economy By Stephen Moore
Banking is just about the most regulated industry in America.
August 3, 2023How the Other Half Votes: The United States, Part One By Kyle Kondik
Just 151 out of 3,100+ counties cast half the national vote; gap between top and bottom half expanding.KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE— Just about 150 of the nation’s more than 3,100 counties cast half of the nation’s presidential vote in 2020.
— As we typically see at the state level, the more vote-rich counties are more Democratic, while the thousands of smaller counties that make up the bottom half are more Republican.
— This political gulf has widened. Despite similar overall national presidential margins in 2012 and 2020, the difference between the top and bottom halves expanded about 10 points from 2012 to 2020.
— Joe Biden won 126 of the 151 top half counties, while Donald Trump won 2,548 of the remaining 2,960 counties in the bottom half.
— Trump’s wins among the top half counties were concentrated among the smaller pieces of that group — Biden won all but one of the nearly 50 counties that cast 500,000 votes or more.

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                            August 2, 2023Freedom in Colorado By John Stossel
There is actually a Democratic governor who cares about economic freedom!

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                            August 1, 2023Warren Harding's Real Scandal Was His Conservatism By Daniel McCarthy
Mark Twain said history doesn't repeat but it rhymes. The life of Warren G. Harding rhymes with the presidential politics of our time.

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                            August 1, 2023Will the Biden Administration Ban Cigars? By Stephen Moore
What is it with the Left that they want to ban nearly everything that is fun or convenient? Gas stoves, dishwashers, plastic straws, gas cars, snowmobiles and diving boards. And now the health busybodies want to ban certain cigars.

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                            July 28, 2023The Proximal Origin of a Scientific Fraud By Michael Barone
"We do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible."

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                            July 28, 2023Is the GOP a Serious Political Party? By Brian Joondeph
The GOP, as a political organization, stands for “grand old party.” Does it live up to its name? Or should it be renamed, “gladly out of power”?
July 27, 2023Notes on the State of Politics By Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman
Trump’s beer and wine combo helps him maintain a big primary lead; Alabama’s redistricting machinations.

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                            July 26, 2023Free to Try Stuff By John Stossel
Politicians have big plans for us.
July 26, 2023The Dwindling Crossover Governorships By Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman
Sununu’s retirement, other factors could reduce the number of split presidential/gubernatorial results.KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE— Despite an increasing correlation between presidential and down-ballot results, there are still nine governors who govern states that their party did not win for president. That means there is a higher percentage of crossover governors than crossover members of the Senate and House.
— Still, the number of crossover governors was higher in the recent past.
— While there are lots of moving pieces, including what happens in the 2024 presidential election, we could see even more of a decline in the number of crossover governors in this cycle’s gubernatorial elections.

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                            July 25, 2023Demography Destiny, for Us and China By Daniel McCarthy
Americans have a habit of thinking about China in this light.

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                            July 25, 2023Much of the Hot Air Is Coming From Washington By Stephen Moore
Baby, it's hot outside.