Alec MacGillis, TNR
President Obama's decision to agree to a "fiscal cliff" deal that doesn't address the debt ceiling was premised on the thinking that congressional Republicans will not be as successful at holding the economy hostage in the coming months as they were in the summer of 2011. For one thing, the administration believes the business community, and elite opinion more broadly, will be much more vocal than they were last time around in cautioning Republicans against debt-ceiling hijinx.Is this a fair assumption to make? Well, there are already signs that business leaders...
Ignore DeMint and the Radicals
On December - 4 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post
Smart and sensible conservatives should ignore the drivers of the right-wing loony train and carry on. In a vote, if we ever get that far on a fiscal cliff, the votes of DeMint et al are irrelevant since they are permanent no votes.
Smart and sensible conservatives should ignore the drivers of the right-wing loony train and carry on. In a vote, if we ever get that far on a fiscal cliff, the votes of DeMint et al are irrelevant since they are permanent no votes.
The Looming Crisis of Liberalism
On November - 12 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Charles Kadlec, Forbes
What does Barack Obama’s re-election as President mean for the future of the United States and for the President’s place in history? Both liberals celebrating his electoral victory, and conservatives who fear for the future of the country, may be surprised by the thoughtful, serious and provocative answer to this question in: I Am the Change, Barack Obama and the Crisis of Liberalism by Charles Kesler, best known as the editor of the Claremont Review of Books, but also a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College and a Senior...
What does Barack Obama’s re-election as President mean for the future of the United States and for the President’s place in history? Both liberals celebrating his electoral victory, and conservatives who fear for the future of the country, may be surprised by the thoughtful, serious and provocative answer to this question in: I Am the Change, Barack Obama and the Crisis of Liberalism by Charles Kesler, best known as the editor of the Claremont Review of Books, but also a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College and a Senior...
Cable Warned About Libya Consulate Security
On November - 1 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Catherine Herridge, FOX
You're logged in as On Air Now ›On Air Personalities › Previous Slide Next Slide By Catherine HerridgePublished October 31, 2012FoxNews.comThe U.S. Mission in Benghazi convened an "emergency meeting" less than a month before the assault that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, because Al Qaeda had training camps in Benghazi and the consulate could not defend against a "coordinated attack," according to a classified cable reviewed by Fox News.Summarizing an Aug. 15 emergency meeting...
You're logged in as On Air Now ›On Air Personalities › Previous Slide Next Slide By Catherine HerridgePublished October 31, 2012FoxNews.comThe U.S. Mission in Benghazi convened an "emergency meeting" less than a month before the assault that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, because Al Qaeda had training camps in Benghazi and the consulate could not defend against a "coordinated attack," according to a classified cable reviewed by Fox News.Summarizing an Aug. 15 emergency meeting...
How Would Romney Really Govern?
On October - 27 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Eleanor Clift, The Daily Beast
Planning for a possible Romney presidency is well underway with a transition office open in Washington and the FBI doing background checks on likely appointees. House Republican leaders regularly convene “two scenarios meetings” to calibrate “the tone and tenor” of their response depending on the election outcome. “One thing we don’t know,” says a Republican leadership aide, “is whether a victorious Romney-elect transition would say ‘clear the decks, this is your...
Planning for a possible Romney presidency is well underway with a transition office open in Washington and the FBI doing background checks on likely appointees. House Republican leaders regularly convene “two scenarios meetings” to calibrate “the tone and tenor” of their response depending on the election outcome. “One thing we don’t know,” says a Republican leadership aide, “is whether a victorious Romney-elect transition would say ‘clear the decks, this is your...
Why Obama Is In Trouble In Ohio
On October - 20 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Josh Jordan, National Review
Get FREE NRO NewslettersLog In | RegisterFollow UsOctober 29 Issue Subscribe to NR Renew October 29 Issue | Subscribe | RenewThe CornerThe one and only.Ohio Is Closer than You ThinkJust a few weeks ago, Ohio was a state that was considered almost every media outlet to be a solid lock for Obama. There’s no need to rehash the actual headlines, but some even suggested Romney give up on Ohio and look elsewhere for a path to victory. Before the...
Get FREE NRO NewslettersLog In | RegisterFollow UsOctober 29 Issue Subscribe to NR Renew October 29 Issue | Subscribe | RenewThe CornerThe one and only.Ohio Is Closer than You ThinkJust a few weeks ago, Ohio was a state that was considered almost every media outlet to be a solid lock for Obama. There’s no need to rehash the actual headlines, but some even suggested Romney give up on Ohio and look elsewhere for a path to victory. Before the...
U.S. Dithers as World Feasts on Energy
On October - 4 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Bob Beauprez, RealClearEnergy
Countries around the world are celebrating new oil and natural gas discoveries that hold the promise of greater prosperity for their citizens.Argentina has just announced a find described by YPF CEO Miguel Galuccio as a “mother rock,” a shale formation that elevates the country to having the third largest shale energy potential behind the United States and China.The new discovery of a 3.3 billion barrel oil deposit off Norway’s coast cements that nation’s claim to being Europe’s second largest oil producer.
Countries around the world are celebrating new oil and natural gas discoveries that hold the promise of greater prosperity for their citizens.Argentina has just announced a find described by YPF CEO Miguel Galuccio as a “mother rock,” a shale formation that elevates the country to having the third largest shale energy potential behind the United States and China.The new discovery of a 3.3 billion barrel oil deposit off Norway’s coast cements that nation’s claim to being Europe’s second largest oil producer.
Barack Obama: Says his budget plan "would cut our deficits by $4 trillion."
On September - 6 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | Obama says his budget plan will cut deficits by $4 trillion
Editor’s note: After we published this item, we were alerted that our description of the position of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget contained incomplete information. We reviewed that description, interviewed the committee’s staff again, made changes, and re-published our report on Sept. 19, 2012. The text of our original report is archived here. The ruling remains Half True. Republicans have used the government’s growing deficits as a cudgel to drive Democrats out of office. The strategy worked well in 2010 and, with the nation’s total debt having hit $16 trillion, they are ...
>> MorePriorities USA Action: Says Mitt Romney and Bain Capital are to blame in a woman’s premature death when they closed the plant where her husband worked.
On August - 9 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Pro-Obama group blames Romney in woman's death
An ad from a pro-Obama super PAC suggests that Mitt Romney is responsible for a woman's death. The TV ad by Priorities USA Action has Joe Soptic, who has been used in Obama campaign ads, telling the story of what happened to his wife after Mitt Romney’s company, Bain Capital, closed the GST Steel plant where Soptic worked until 2001. On the screen are these words: "Mitt Romney and Bain Capital made millions for themselves and then closed this steel plant." Soptic says "I lost my health care. And ...
>> MoreRomney Must Make the Case to Break Up the Banks
On August - 2 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Ross Douthat, NYT
My Campaign Stops column this week runs through Mitt Romney’s possible vice presidential picks, and concludes that everything we’ve seen from the Romney campaign suggests they’ll make the most cautious, first-do-no-harm, don’t-rock-the-boat choice possible — which probably means picking the competent, experienced, and completely unexciting Ohio Senator Rob Portman. For further evidence that Team Romney is happy with the course they’re on, here’s National Review’s Robert Costa on the plan to reintroduce...
My Campaign Stops column this week runs through Mitt Romney’s possible vice presidential picks, and concludes that everything we’ve seen from the Romney campaign suggests they’ll make the most cautious, first-do-no-harm, don’t-rock-the-boat choice possible — which probably means picking the competent, experienced, and completely unexciting Ohio Senator Rob Portman. For further evidence that Team Romney is happy with the course they’re on, here’s National Review’s Robert Costa on the plan to reintroduce...
Facebook posts: "USA is #1 in gun violence."
On July - 23 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | Facebook post says the U.S. is No. 1 in gun violence. Is it?
In the wake of the mass shooting in Aurora, Colo., Americans took to social media to express their views on guns and violence. A reader sent us one Facebook post about the extent of gun violence in the United States. It said, "USA is #1 in gun violence. Nearly 100,000 people get shot every year. That's 270 people a day and 87 dead because of gun violence every day." In this item, we’ll look at the first part of that claim -- that the "USA is #1 in gun violence." ...
>> MoreFacebook posts: "More than 43 percent of all food stamps are given to illegals."
On June - 19 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: Pants on Fire! | Facebook post says more than 43 percent of all food stamps are given to illegal immigrants
A reader recently sent us a Facebook post with "10 Illegal Alien Facts." One of them was that "more than 43 percent of all food stamps are given to illegals." We decided to take a look -- and quickly found the claim was preposterous. In March 2012, the most recent month for which figures are available, a total of 46.4 million people received food stamps, so 43 percent of that number would be slightly less than 20 million. For obvious reasons, the numbers of illegal immigrants is much trickier to track. However, the most widely accepted number ...
>> MoreMitt Romney: On President Barack Obama’s stimulus
On May - 18 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: Half Flip | Did Mitt Romney flip-flop on the economic stimulus?
During his 2012 presidential campaign, Mitt Romney has been no fan of the stimulus Democrats passed in 2009. On the third anniversary of its passage, Romney issued a news release titled, "Three Years Later, Obama's Stimulus is Still Failing." Democrats contend Romney has flip-flopped on it. On Nov. 28, 2011, the Democratic National Committee released two videos -- a 30-second version and a four-minute version -- that claimed he had flipped on several issues, including the stimulus: On-screen text: "Opposed the stimulus." Video clip ...
>> MoreMitt Romney: On abortion
On May - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: Full Flop | Mitt Romney evolved significantly in his position on abortion
UPDATE: This article has been changed to reflect that the issues section of Romney's campaign website does address abortion, under the heading "Values." Our ruling remains the same. Mitt Romney has faced years of accusations that he’s flip-flopped on various issues. One issue where Romney has clearly changed his position is abortion. We should note that the Flip-O-Meter rates politicians' consistency on particular topics from No Flip to Full Flop. The meter is not intended to pass judgment on their decisions to change their minds. It’s simply gauging whether they did. ...
>> MoreBarack Obama: Says Mitt Romney "has refused to say whether he would have vetoed or signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act."
On May - 8 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly True | 'Life of Julia' says Romney refused to say if he would sign equal pay law
Equal pay is just one reason Julia, a character created by the Obama campaign, would be better off under the president than under Mitt Romney, a Web graphic claims. The cartoon "The Life of Julia," compares the candidates' impact on Julia at a dozen points in her life. At age 23, she’s shown reading a newspaper with the headline, "Equal pay 4 equal work." She’s starting her career as a Web designer. "Because of steps like the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Julia is one of millions of women across the country ...
>> MoreQuestion and Answer
On March - 21 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Do you think Barrak Obama is a Muslim?
O Yes he is a Muslin
O No he is not a Muslim
O I am not sure
O I do not care
Rules Change May Pave Way To Brokered Convention
On March - 21 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Unlike the 2008 presidential campaign, when Republicans awarded delegates by state, they're now awarded proportionally by Congressional district. While that's increasing the power of many late voting states, it's some party leaders worry no candidate will claim the nomination before the convention.
Why Dreams Of A Contested GOP Convention Are Slipping Away Again
On March - 21 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
With Mitt Romney's win in Illinois, the odds that the GOP will arrive in Tampa without a clear nominee are lower than before. Newt Gingrich might not even be eligible for the floor fight.
It Was Inevitable: Romney’s Win In Illinois Resurrects The I-Word
On March - 21 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Tuesday's relatively easy win for Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney in the Illinois primary has renewed talk about him being the "inevitable" nominee. But pundits still caution that he hasn't wrapped it up just yet.
Romney Looks Inevitable Again, At Least In Illinois (And Maybe After)
On March - 20 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
As has been oft-stated in recent days Illinois, with its more upscale, well-educated and moderate Republicans, especially in the counties surrounding Chicago, was always favorable political terrain for Romney.And true to form, Romney crushed Santorum among those Illinoisans with annual incomes of $100,000 or more. Those are Romney's people and they came through for him on primary-election night.
Illinois: Live Blog And Results
On March - 20 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
A win in the state could essentially solidify Mitt Romney's standing as the inevitable Republican candidate.
Robert De Niro’s Racial First-Lady Joke Was An Obama No-No
On March - 20 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
While DeNiro was clearly being mock ironic by recalling the kind of comments that many whites made about blacks within living memory, he ran afoul of the unwritten rule Obama and his tight knit team of advisers have operated under going back to his 2008 campaign. Anything that reinforces racial divisions or focuses attention on the president's race should be avoided.
House GOP To Unveil Budget Blueprint
On March - 20 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Conservative Republicans controlling the House are expected to unveil a budget blueprint that combines slashing cuts to safety net programs for the poor with sharply lower tax rates in an election-year manifesto painting clear campaign differences with President Obama.
Romney Woos Illinois
On March - 20 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Vernon Hills, Ill. — For Mitt Romney, tonight offers a chance to prove that he can beat Rick Santorum decisively in the Midwest.
“I think Romney will do well. He’ll probably win by five to eleven points,” predicts Dan Curry, an Illinois GOP strategist.
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