National Politics

Providence, RI, Tax Day Tea Party Speech

By Justin Katz | April 16, 2009 |

Stream, Download This is one of those times in history when a society must make a decision. Social commentators of the near future will say one of two things about us: If we fail to be heard, then these tea parties, these expressions of outrage across the nation, are the final lunge of a fading…

The One’s Direction of the Mob

By Justin Katz | April 13, 2009 |

Peter Schwartz tallies some recent indicators of political mood: The essence of mob rule is arbitrary and unchecked force, in disregard of all rights. If so, then when the government spends our money with virtually no limits — then trillions of dollars are gleefully disbursed through unrestrained horse-trading and arm-twisting among members of Congress —…

Congressman Langevin Should Tell Us What He Means

By Justin Katz | April 13, 2009 |

Given its title, I had hoped for some blogworthy meat in Rep. James Langevin’s Sunday op-ed, “U.S. needs more control over Internet,” but having read the thing, I’d be hard pressed to describe what he’s proposing. The reader gets this at the beginning: A NEWLY INTRODUCED Senate bill, the Cybersecurity Act of 2009, which would…

A Crucial Matter of Support

By Justin Katz | April 11, 2009 |

Thanks to reader donations and advertising sponsorship, I’ll be able to take Wednesday afternoon off from work in order to attend, blog from, and speak at the RI Tea Party, from three to six on April 15th. Most people, to be sure, don’t keep a little pot of money on the side to enable involvement…

Chris Dodd Picks Up an Opponent

By Monique Chartier | March 29, 2009 |

It’s much too early for such polling to be accurate. So let’s disregard the one point lead that Rob Simmons already has on Senator Chris “Sweetheart Mortgage” Dodd – plus we may jinx Mr. Simmon’s chances – and focus instead on his positions. From today’s Westerly Sun. If he were in the Senate now, he…

President Obama’s Press Conference

By Engaged Citizen | March 24, 2009 |

Listen live on WPRO. Comment here. (In case anyone else has been ranting at a radio or television for the last 27 minutes …)

Geitner and the Administration’s Fiscal Philosophy: the Perfect Match

By Monique Chartier | March 22, 2009 |

President Obama has no intention of dumping Treasury Secretary Geitner. Embattled Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner’s job is safe and the subject of resignation has not come up in his conversations with President Obama despite calls from some in Congress for Geithner to step down, the president said in an interview to be broadcast tonight…

The Substance in the Style on Stem Cells

By Justin Katz | March 11, 2009 |

I remember when President Bush made his announcement about the ban on federal financing of embryonic stem-cell research. He held an evening address, at his desk, and took the time to explain some of the science, present the opposing arguments as he saw them, and explain his decision. You can think what you like about…

UPDATED: Is Obama clueless or are his actions intentional?

By Donald B. Hawthorne | March 7, 2009 |

UPDATED: Roger Kimball: I was having lunch yesterday with a prominent critic of the Spender in Chief, and he raised a possibility that many of us have entertained over the past several weeks: that Obama is simply out of his depth: that he hasn’t a clue about what makes the economy tick and his talk…

Riding the buyers’ remorse train on day 44 of Obama’s presidency

By Donald B. Hawthorne | March 4, 2009 |

Christopher Buckley. David Brooks. Even David Gergen. Jim Cramer. Now Silicon Valley entrepreneurs see their incentives are being altered for the worse: Like the college students who stayed up late to be inspired by his campaign rallies only to find Obama’s first significant action to be a stimulus program that will transfer about a trillion…