As numerous Republican officials engage in the distasteful process of finding ways to declare Donald Trump an acceptable nominee – despite everything that was said in the past – it’s important to note that this mother of all flip-flops looks much worse when measured over a 4-year span. Republican commentators who bemoan the party’s shameful status with Trump at the top have … [Read more...] about That time in 2012 when Trump wasn’t allowed on GOP debate stage
Don’t mainstream Trump
WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump's Republican primary triumph means that this cannot be a normal election. Americans who see our country as a model of tolerance, inclusion, rationality and liberty must come together across party lines to defeat him decisively. Many forces will be at work in the coming weeks to normalize Trump -- and, yes, the media will play a big role in … [Read more...] about Don’t mainstream Trump
In a Clinton v. Trump battle, both are likely to lose
Nate Cohn, whose reports for the New York Times are enriched by his interest in demographics, sees Trump as having a "significant disadvantage" in a race against Hillary Clinton. We are, he writes, in a time when "early horse-race polls start to give a rough sense of the November election, and Mr. Trump trails Mrs. Clinton by around 10 percentage points in early general … [Read more...] about In a Clinton v. Trump battle, both are likely to lose
Cartoons: Burning for Trump
Burning for Trump by Clay Jones A lot of Republicans are vowing they won’t support or even vote for Trump. Some are even saying they’ll support Hillary. Many are even burning their voter registration cards. I say give them a month, or less. They’ll come around. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a voter registration card. If I did, I lost it immediately. I’ve needed one to … [Read more...] about Cartoons: Burning for Trump
China is building its first overseas military base in Djibouti — right next to a key US one
US troops sweating away in Djibouti will soon be seeing a lot more of their counterparts from a great economic and military rival: China. Since 2014, this small chunk of the Horn of Africa, little bigger than the state of New Jersey, has been the only place in the world where the warships of the two… … [Read more...] about China is building its first overseas military base in Djibouti — right next to a key US one
It’s time to eat my words
WASHINGTON -- The tweets and emails started immediately after Donald Trump's victory Tuesday night: "You've got a promise to keep, bub." "Get ready to eat it." "EAT IT!!!" To them, I say: Con gusto. Seven months ago I said I would eat an entire column, newsprint and ink, if Trump won the nomination, calculating that Republican voters were … [Read more...] about It’s time to eat my words
Republican Party Isn’t Dead
The Republican party isn't dead, contrary to what one may have read in the New York Daily News or the Boston Globe. To know why the Republican Party isn't dead, one needs only to read the original Republican Party Platform of 1856. Historian Richard Cavendish explains why the Republican Party was founded: "The party was born of hostility to slavery. Back in 1820, the … [Read more...] about Republican Party Isn’t Dead
We’ve Forgotten Recent History
Now that Donald Trump has become the one and only Republican candidate for president, it's worth returning to a column that Henry Giroux wrote in December of last year. Its title was Fascism in Donald Trump's United States. Giroux wrote the column after Trump proposed banning Muslims from the country: Donald Trump's blatant appeal to fascist ideology and policy … [Read more...] about We’ve Forgotten Recent History
Cartoon: Goodbye Cruel World
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Goodbye Cruel World
Q&A: Christopher Walken on Playing Troubled Souls
Christopher Walken knows that he’s known for playing “troubled souls." At 73, he’s at peace with this. There was the obsessed Vietnam vet returning the gold watch to its rightful heir in Pulp Fiction, the mentally disturbed motorist in Annie Hall, the Hessian Horseman in Sleepy Hollow—or maybe you know his heady dance moves in Fatboy… … [Read more...] about Q&A: Christopher Walken on Playing Troubled Souls
Come November… (Updated)
Update: Hillary Clinton, for one, is not waiting until November to remind the American people who the real Donald Trump is. Greg Sargent at the Washington Post tells us: But if there are any lingering doubts over whether the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party are entering into the general election with a sufficiently aggressive posture, this new ad, just out … [Read more...] about Come November… (Updated)
‘It could get a lot worse for Muslims in America’
WASHINGTON -- My neighborhood of Chevy Chase is a leafy and peaceful slice of Northwest Washington. But this week, the news here is of a woman assaulted outside the local Starbucks by a Donald Trump supporter, she says, for the sin of being Muslim. Police on Monday released surveillance video showing a heavyset white woman shouting at, and then pouring a bottle of … [Read more...] about ‘It could get a lot worse for Muslims in America’
Red State: Confirm Garland Now
Leon H. Wolf urges GOP Senators to confirm SCOTUS nominee Merrick Garland ASAP on the conservative blog Red State. Now that Donald Trump is the presumptive nominee, this is not even a close call. There is absolutely no reason to drag this out any longer. Garland is not a great choice, but he is not a terrible one, either. And more than anything, he is old (for … [Read more...] about Red State: Confirm Garland Now
Change beyond slogans
Unlike some who support Hillary Clinton, I have no interest in wishing to see Bernie Sanders stop campaigning any sooner than he wants to. He's fought a noble battle, raised important issues, helped to push the party in a generally healthy direction, and made things far more interesting than they would otherwise have been. Keep giving speeches, Bernie. Keep telling Mrs. … [Read more...] about Change beyond slogans
Emmy Award For 2016 Presidential Contest
The 2016 presidential contest deserves an Emmy Award for being the best mini-series on television. An Emmy for presidential politics? Sure, why not? After all, the current presidential contest has featured plenty of drama, comedy, suspense and surprise plot-twists. During this time last year, who would have guessed that Donald Trump would become the presumptive … [Read more...] about Emmy Award For 2016 Presidential Contest
Kasich Dropping Out: and now there is one (Trump)
2016 GOP candidate and Ohio Governor John Kasich is set to make a televised statement at 5pm this afternoon. The New York Times, CNN, NBC News, and others report that he will announce the suspension of his campaign for president. Kasich tried throughout this bizarre election cycle to position himself as the reasonable moderate in a… … [Read more...] about Kasich Dropping Out: and now there is one (Trump)
Poll: Hillary Clinton Up Big Against Donald Trump in New Poll
Poll at this stage in a Presidential election don't mean much, but a new poll shows likely Democratic Party Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton widening her lead over almost-certain Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump: The general election began in earnest Wednesday, and likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is starting with a big lead against … [Read more...] about Poll: Hillary Clinton Up Big Against Donald Trump in New Poll
Trump, Sanders win in Indiana but Trump-Clinton race is reality as parties face faction defections (News, blog, Twitter roundup)
And so Indiana spoke: settling the Republican 2016 Presidential nomination race in all but vote: billionaire showman Donald Trump massively defeated his chief rival, Tex. Sen. Ted Cruz, who then withdrew from the race. On the Democratic side, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders scored an upset victory over front-runner former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but few professional … [Read more...] about Trump, Sanders win in Indiana but Trump-Clinton race is reality as parties face faction defections (News, blog, Twitter roundup)
Eight $100 million ideas for prison reform in Alabama (Guest Voice)
Eight $100 million ideas for prison reform in Alabama by Stephen Cooper Instead of wrapping an $800 million dollar ($1.5 billion over 30 years) albatross around the necks of Alabamians to build four new "super-max" style prisons, here are eight $100 million dollar ideas, each of which, I respectfully submit, are more efficient and morally sound ways to tackle Alabama's … [Read more...] about Eight $100 million ideas for prison reform in Alabama (Guest Voice)
Bernie Sanders wins Indiana, keeping his movement alive
INDIANAPOLIS — Sen. Bernie Sanders remains on track to lose the Democratic nomination race, but he nonetheless managed to keep his agenda at the center of it with a victory in Indiana over front-runner Hillary Clinton. The lone state that voted Tuesday was a test of the continued potency of Sanders' fight as the Vermonter sought… … [Read more...] about Bernie Sanders wins Indiana, keeping his movement alive