National Politics
Senator Lincoln Chafee has decided to join California Sen. Diane Feinstein in calling for the abolishment of the Electoral College. “Under the current system, the only states that get any candidate visits are the battleground states,” said Chafee. “As a Rhode Islander . . . I’d like to see the presidential candidates make an investment…
Each of two recent articles on the troubles in the Netherlands contained interesting quotes on the long-term impact of multiculturism. There is a warning for America in these words as they highlight the ongoing confusion over the meaning of “tolerance.” A quote in the first article said: …tolerance became a pretext for not addressing problems……
This posting relates to a previous posting on the American Founding and also relates to Liberal Fundamentalism and The Naked Public Square Revisited, Parts I, II, and III. Thanks to Power Line for referring to a 1926 speech by Calvin Coolidge on the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. If you ever have any…
Andrew Ferguson of the Weekly Standard takes a fascinating look at the previously behind-the-scenes activities of a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. in an article entitled “A Lobbyist’s Progress: Jack Abramoff and the end of the Republican Revolution.” Here is how the story begins: In honor of the tenth anniversary of the fabled Republican Revolution–for precisely…
After pulling together the two previous postings of The Naked Public Square Revisited, Parts I & II, I returned home this weekend to find the December 27 issue of National Review with its cover article entitled “Secularism & Its Discontents.” In the article, Ramesh Ponnuru offers some further insights into the debate about the public…
I heartily recommend reading Andrew’s
In a story by Howard Fineman, Mitch McConnell casts the current political “divisiveness” in its proper historical context: “It’s naive to assume there would be one collection of views widely held by everyone,” he said. “I’m amazed at all this hand-wringing over the level of discourse and partisanship. It leads me to believe nobody has…
This posting is the second part of a discussion that began with an earlier posting and is related to two previous postings about liberal fundamentalism and the American Founding. Richard John Neuhaus wrote a book entitled The Naked Public Square: Religion & Democracy in America. First published in 1984, it addressed societal trends and the…
Talking about a pro-tax ballot initiative defeated in Oregon during 2002, a Wall Street Journal editorial stated: When the budget issue is framed in terms of higher taxes, voters don’t understand why government should be exempt from the same spending discipline the rest of us live by. “I am a normal person and when I…
Glen Peck of Barrington thinks that: House Republicans have done something truly appalling. They’ve knocked down a Republican House ethics rule that banned House members from holding leadership positions if they’ve been indicted on felony charges. They did it on behalf of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R.-Texas). … This is no mere act of…