One of the most notable but mostly uncovered political developments in recent years has been how enthusiastically many Religious Right leaders have embraced Russia’s anti-democratic president, former KGB official Vladimir Putin. It seems even more remarkable that the Republican Party’s presidential nominee has been lavishing praise on Putin even as Russia maneuvers to diminish America’s influence in the world. As president, Putin has consolidated his power through attacks on the independent media, the persecution of political opponents, and restrictions on civil society. He has annexed…
Rand Paul Lost Because He Wouldn’t Appeal to White Identity Politics
Kentucky senator Rand Paul announced today that he is ending his run for the Republican presidential nomination. “It’s been an incredible honor to run a principled campaign for the White House,” he said in a statement released to the media. “Today, I will end where I began, ready and willing to fight for the cause of Liberty.” Paul’s withdrawal came after he finished fifth-place in the Republican presidential caucuses held in Iowa Monday. In 2014 and very early in 2015, Rand Paul was thought by many…
Donald Trump and the Anti-Libertarian Moment
It hasn’t even been a year and a half since journalist Robert Draper wondered at length in the New York Times Magazine whether America was about to begin a “libertarian moment.” The question seems downright quaint just days before the first actual votes are cast in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Rand Paul, the man whom Draper and many others anointed as the leader of the revolution, has been languishing in also-ran territory for a solid year in local and national surveys….
Mike Huckabee: The Religious Right Is a Giant Scam
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee lashed out against religious conservative leaders Wednesday, accusing them of trying to bilk gullible donors out of money while actually having no desire to pursue goals like outlawing same-sex marriage and banning abortion. “A lot of them, quite frankly, I think they’re scared to death that if a guy like me got elected, I would actually do what I said I would do,” Huckabee said in an interview with Christian Right commentator Todd Starnes. “We would abolish abortion based on…
The Foundations Behind the Left
Over a decade ago, the New York Post’s Ryan Sager published a blockbuster story, showing that “campaign finance reform has been an immense scam perpetrated…by a cadre of left-wing foundations and disguised as a “mass movement.” Based on the astonishing testimony of Sean Treglia, who ran the campaign finance reform effort for Pew Trusts, Sager reported that… …Treglia came up with a three-pronged strategy: 1) pursue an expansive agenda through incremental reforms, 2) pay for a handful of “experts” all over the country with foundation money and…
Donald Trump’s ‘Birther’ Ploy Against Ted Cruz Shows Why He’s Winning
It’s no secret by now that many conservative elites absolutely despise Donald Trump. Many do so because of his policy views which have been said to be incoherent or even liberal. Christian nation conservatives don’t like Trump due to his lower religiosity and history of making remarks indicating a general lack of interest in the ideas they hold dear. Another reason that Trump is so despised by many right-of-center authors and activists is that he’s managed to master the art of politics with no training…
Should Cities Force Homeless People Off the Streets?
After a few unusually warm weeks, freezing winter weather is once again the norm across the country. It’s an annoyance for those of us with residences outside of the Sun Belt but for people who are homeless in those regions, cold weather can literally be deadly. In light of that fact, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday that he’s signed an executive order telling police and social service agencies to force homeless people into shelters. The move recalls a late 90s policy of New…
Sheldon Adelson Just Revolutionized American Politics
Though he’s not exactly a household name, casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson is well-known in politics as one of the largest donors to Republican politicians. He’s also now the owner of one of the premier newspaper properties in America, the Las Vegas Review-Journal newspaper. The purchase is going to revolutionize politics because Adelson will have done something that Democratic billionaires like Warren Buffett have been doing for decades: purchasing newspapers. As of this writing, Buffett’s company Berkshire Hathaway owns 71 newspapers across America including swing states…
Yes, Ted Cruz Did Support ‘Amnesty’ for Illegal Immigrants
Even though immigration is a top concern of only 10 percent of Americans, ever since Donald Trump entered the Republican race talking about deporting illegal immigrants and building a “big beautiful wall,” the debate about the issue has changed dramatically, including for one candidate who’s billed himself as an implacable rock of conservative principle, Ted Cruz. Now that he’s managed to shove aside fellow Religious Right candidates Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum, Cruz is going hard after the other top-ranked candidate besides Trump, Marco Rubio. The Florida senator has…
Media Coverage of Presidential Debates Is More Influential Than the Actual Debates
Ever since John Kennedy and Richard Nixon squared off in 1960, televised presidential debates have become a fixture of American politics. Whether it’s Al Gore’s repeated sighing or George H.W. Bush looking at his watch, there are dozens of moments which the conventional wisdom cites as being influential in the campaign. How much do debates actually move the numbers for the various candidates though? In this particular cycle, good debate performances seem to have been good for former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina who rocketed up…
Does Marco Rubio Actually Want to Win?
It may seem strange to wonder if the man who’s been consistently polling at third-place in the race for the Republican presidential nomination actually wants the job but when you look at how Marco Rubio has been running his campaign, it’s a perfectly reasonable question. As noted by the Boston Globe, Rubio’s strategy in the state of New Hampshire appears to be completely different from using scores of small-scale events with locals, the way that successful candidates in both parties have done for decades with…