National Politics

Republican Northeast Conference, Day 2 Afternoon, Video: Tony Blankley

By Justin Katz | October 8, 2009 |

Columnist, commentator, and long-time Republican figure Tony Blankley spoke during the lunch hour on Saturday. (Full speech in the extended entry.)

Collection of interesting links

By Donald B. Hawthorne | October 7, 2009 |

Charles Krauthammer on Obama’s French Lesson: Sarkozy could not conceal his astonishment at Obama’s naivete Jennifer Rubin on Selling Our Souls Andy McCarthy on If you don’t get Islamic ideology, you don’t get the problem in Afghanistan; follow the links, too Richard Cohen on Does Obama Have the Backbone? Milton Friedman on Greed Steven Hayward…

More of the Same from Kennedy

By Justin Katz | October 6, 2009 |

Hiding behind his quaking fear of “violent rhetoric,” Congressman Patrick Kennedy staged a comfy tele-town hall meeting: Most of the participants — each of whom had their questions screened ahead of time by Kennedy staffers — appeared sympathetic toward changes to the nation’s health-care system. … Tiverton resident Teresa Rudd said she remained on the…

Republican Northeast Conference, Day 2, Video: Thaddeus McCotter

By Justin Katz | October 4, 2009 |

He surely benefited from contrast with our Congressional delegation, here in Rhode Island, and perhaps his dry mid-country humor and his intellectual phrasing appeals uniquely to me, but the Q&A speech with Congressman Thaddeus McCotter (R, MI) was probably the highlight of the conference, from my perspective.

Violence and Fear in Healthcare

By Justin Katz | September 26, 2009 |

Steve Peoples’ article about this morning’s event focuses on Kennedy’s lamentation that heated protests may produce violence — of which (he stated) his family has seen too much. There’s an interesting juxtaposition if we play Peoples backwards, as it were (emphasis added): “Unfortunately, these town hall meetings have been hijacked by these Tea Party folks…

The Distressing Versus the Frightening

By Justin Katz | September 20, 2009 |

The rapid transformation of this country into a European-style socialist democracy is certainly distressing. American life is on its way to becoming more difficult and less free, less innovative — in a word, less American. But it is the combination of that atrophy with the existence of nations seeking to duplicate the international accomplishment of…

Jon Stewart’s Take on the Expose of ACORN

By Monique Chartier | September 19, 2009 |

Courtesy Comedy Central’s Daily Show. [H/T NewsBusters.] The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c The Audacity of Hos www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Healthcare Protests

Curbing Somebody’s Enthusiasm: Some Facts to Reassure Speaker Pelosi

By Monique Chartier | September 19, 2009 |

Once again, instead of a substantive discussion about policies, the focus is on feelings – this time, fear. “I wish that we would all, again, curb our enthusiasm in some of the statements that are made,” Pelosi said Thursday. Some of the people hearing the message “are not as balanced as the person making the…

Ignoring the Lesson Plan

By Justin Katz | September 19, 2009 |

One of the topics that came up on last night’s Violent Roundtable was the failure of mainstream commentators to leaven their mockery of conservative concern about President Obama’s in-school presentation with an acknowledgment of the objectionable suggested lesson plan that stoked the ire in the first place. Host Matt Allen suggested that bias leads such…

The Obama MO?

By Justin Katz | September 18, 2009 |

With the economy at best slowing its wobble (and reason to be wary even about that), the Obama administration has added requirements for “better gas mileage for cars and trucks and the first-ever rules on vehicle greenhouse gas emissions” to its list of desired drags thereon. Note this now-familiar feature: The proposal will cover vehicle…