Democrats’ dangerous gerrymandering disarmament: New York is the latest state to wave the white flag

New York Daily News May 1, 2022 Wednesday, the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, struck down congressional and state Senate district maps, which heavily favored Democrats, as “drawn with impermissible partisan purpose.” While the decision was split, 4-3, it was almost certainly a correct result under the state’s constitution and a theoretical…

Who Suffers the Most from Government Shutdowns?

The National Interest January 23, 2018 he federal government shutdown of 2018—or, at least, the first one—ended with only one workday missed. To the extent ordinary citizens noticed at all, they likely think it was no big deal. This is especially true with regards to the impact on the U.S. military, who they’ve been steadily…

Normalizing Hysteria

The National Interest November 15, 2016 Critics of Donald Trump, of which I have long been one, have spent the past sixteen months arguing that he is manifestly unprepared by experience and unsuited by temperament to be President of the United States. The Republican national security establishment, in particular, has been at the forefront of…

Generals and Political Interventions in American History

War on The Rocks August 4, 2016 In a curt letter to The Washington Post, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Martin Dempsey, reacting to speeches by two recently retired generals — Michael Flynn and John Allen — before the Republican and Democratic conventions, declared that, “The military is not a political prize.” Dempsey explained: The American people…

GOP Presidential Primary: Why Wild Swings Persist

Christian Science Monitor November 3, 2015 Another day, another poll.  Friday night, IBD/TIPP released a poll showing Donald Trump leading the field by 5. Last night, NBC/WSJ showed Ben Carson up by 6. Aside from the fact that “outsiders” continue to dominate the competition, the real news is the sheer volatility of the poll numbers. Here is the RealClearPolitics average over the…

Is Jeb Bush’s Campaign Dead?

Christian Science Monitor October 26, 2015 While the horse race aspect of campaigning is fascinating for political junkies and the life blood of media coverage, it’s pretty much a fool’s errand a year out. In December 2003, Howard Dean was running away with the race for the Democratic nomination while John Kerry was mortgaging one of…

Why Hillary Clinton Was Clear Winner in First Debate

Christian Science Monitor October 14, 2015 My impression of the first Democratic debate of the 2016 cycle comports with that of the media accounts that I’ve read: Hillary Clinton was the clear winner and, among her challengers, only Bernie Sanders made any impact at all. Clinton has been in the national spotlight for 23 years…

Why Republican Presidential Re-runs are Faring Badly

Christian Science Monitor September 1, 2015. Historically, the Republican Party has tended to nominate the candidate whose “turn” it is. Typically, that has meant someone who made a strong run previously. Mitt Romney in 2012, John McCain in 2008, Bob Dole in 1996, George H.W. Bush in 1988, Ronald Reagan in 1980, and Richard Nixon…

Yes, Red States are Attracting Blue-State Voters. But They Don’t Stay Red

Christian Science Monitor July 28, 2015 An unsigned American Interest article titled “Red States Eat Blue States’ Lunch” reports: The West and the South – not California or the Northeast – are apparently the places to move these days. In a piece on Denver’s economy, the WSJ provides a list of the urban areas that have been receiving the most in-migration…

The Domestic Side of National Security

The Hill February 10, 2015 The Obama administration has released its long-awaited update to the “National Security Strategy.” While ostensibly a report to Congress on the president’s priorities for safeguarding U.S. interests globally, around which to base funding and procurement discussions, a fair amount of the domestic political agenda inevitably creeps in. This go-around, though,…