Category: Politics & Government

My thoughts today are inspired by the following political cartoon and the philosophy behind it. On the one hand, I empathize with the message: Congressmen display an attitude of superiority toward their constituents far too often. Although no congressman would dare be caught referring to his “bosses” as “rabble,” the feeling fills the air. It would be easy to fall in line with this thinking and just call for a wholesale sweep of every sitting congressman/senator. Easy . . …. Read more »

An unusual event took place yesterday as Congressional Republicans held a policy retreat and invited President Obama to come speak with them. He actually came. Afterwards, the Republican leadership said it was a good first step, but no agreements resulted from the gathering. Obama declared to them that he was not an ideologue. I haven’t seen video of the reaction to that statement. It would probably be one of those things Mastercard can’t buy—priceless. The event was televised, unlike the… Read more »

The big political question now is how President Obama will proceed. Will he moderate or push ahead with his plans to remake the economy in his own image? I think voters are upset by both the substance of what he is pushing and the tacky methods being used. I beg to differ with the president’s appraisal of why Massachusetts voters turned to the Republican candidate. They were angry, yes, but that anger was directed toward him and his congressional allies,… Read more »

What has President Obama accomplished in his first year? A lot of people are conducting analyses at this point. Many are coming to the same conclusion: not much. Conservatives are grateful for this result; liberals/progressives are angry—they expected more. Moderate Democrats [an almost-extinct species] are having second thoughts: His primary goal—universal healthcare—is in shambles. Deservedly so. Another key piece of legislation he sought—cap-and-trade—suffered from one major problem: people aren’t so convinced anymore that global warming is a real threat. It… Read more »

The Witness of Whittaker Chambers In the aftermath of the Massachusetts Senate victory for Republican Scott Brown, I thought it might be good to reflect a little on the approach we should have for political action. One of my favorite historical figures is Whittaker Chambers, who became one of the most profound ex-Communists of his time [shortly after WWII]. Chambers had something to say in his masterpiece book entitled Witness that I believe has a direct bearing on what needs… Read more »

I’ve been watching the poll numbers for President Obama. While he’s on a downward slide overall, he’s in particular trouble with what the politicos term “independents.” Just who are these people? Actually, there are two groups I would call independents. The first group is less numerous—people concerned that the political parties are not holding firm to their principles. This group is comprised of probably equal numbers of those on the left and the right of the political spectrum. They tend… Read more »

At a press conference this week, Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas was caught offguard with an impertinent question: “What part of the Constitution do you think gives Congress the authority to mandate that individuals have to purchase health insurance?” Her answer was a model of constitutional scholarship: : “Well, I just think the Constitution charges Congress with the health and well-being of the people.” Sounds definitive, right? I just happen to have a copy of the Constitution at hand. Let… Read more »