In his article “Why Mark Sanford Matters” Reihan Salam writes for Forbes Magazine: “Unlike John McCain or Mitt Romney, Sanford goes far beyond criticizing earmarks. In the face of a severe recession, he has refused to accept hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid. Recognizing that the military establishment represents an enormous slice of federal spending, Sanford has also declared … [Read More]

It was the winter of conservative discontent. Barry Goldwater had gotten only 38 percent of the vote, and his party had suffered its worst thrashing since Alf Landon fell to FDR in 1936. Democrats held 295 House seats, Republicans 140. They held 68 Senate seats to Republicans’ 32, and 33 governors to the GOP’s 17. Democratic registration was twice that of … [Read More]

Voted as “Best Conservative” by readers in the Charleston City Paper’s annual “Best of Charleston” issue, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was described as follows: “Facing budget deficits and high unemployment, Sanford has opposed the state legislature’s pet projects and the White House’s economic stimulus. The controversial governor’s logic may not be practical, but it is conservative.” In these tough economic … [Read More]

In his campaign and inaugural address, Barack Obama cast himself as a moderate man seeking common ground with conservatives. Yet, his budget calls for the radical restructuring of the U.S. economy, a sweeping redistribution of power and wealth to government and Democratic constituencies. It is a declaration of war on the Right. The real Obama has stood up, and lived up … [Read More]

When President Bush sold the Iraq War to the American people, he claimed that refusing to act was unacceptable as the crisis of global terrorism required immediate action. Said Bush in 2002 “Some have argued we should wait - and that is an option. In my view, it is the riskiest of all options - because the longer we wait, the … [Read More]

When President Obama, the Democrats and only three Republicans succeeded in passing a $787 billion dollar stimulus package last week, Arizona Senator John McCain said “This measure is not bipartisan, it contains much that is not stimulative and is nothing short of generational theft.” McCain is not wrong. But it’s the first time - in a very long time - that … [Read More]

Chastising opposition to his economic stimulus bill last week, President Obama said Republicans “come to the table with the same tired arguments and worn ideas that helped to create this crisis.” Americans, he said, “did not vote for the false theories of the past, and they didn’t vote for phony arguments and petty politics.” When arguing what’s best for America, sound … [Read More]

“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” sayeth Rahm. Opportunistic and cynical, yes. But also savvy political counsel that transformational presidents have always followed. FDR exploited the Depression to launch his New Deal, bring an end to a Republican hegemony of seven decades and make Democrats the majority party, until Richard Nixon picked the lock. While the debate … [Read More]

At least I did until I read this quite terrible argument. Matt’s trying to argue that government will inevitably get larger so we needn’t worry about how much of the economy is swallowed by the Congresscritters….it’s all part of a natural progression, you see? Meanwhile, one needs to understand that, somewhat counterinuitively, when you have a very efficient economic sector what … [Read More]

With a host of near 2 million gathered on the Mall to see him sworn in, Barack Obama delivered an inaugural that was the antithesis of a rallying cry for the “it’s-our-turn!” faithful assembled below. Rather, it was an admonition, a warning to the American people of the gravity of our condition, and an invitation of inclusion to that part of … [Read More]