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The Election from my Corner of the USA

If I am reading the results correctly, in the precinct where I worked as a poll judge yesterday, turnout was high.  We had a ten minute lull of no voters at midday in a day that began when the doors opened at 6:30 and went until the doors were locked at 7:30.  None of us had seen anything . . . . Continue Reading »

Libya, Protests, and Spin

I hope you will all have seen the news breaking this morning prior to the meeting of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.   I first saw it on Powerline, in a piece by John Hinderaker.   Now, Paul Mirengoff of that site has a piece about leaking classified briefing . . . . Continue Reading »

Politics on the Lincoln Highway

We spent a few days in Bethesda, visiting our son and his lovely wife for an extended weekend, taking advantage of the early Columbus Day official holiday.  (No wonder no one takes Columbus seriously, since his day of memorial wanders around the month like a boulevardier on a stroll.)  . . . . Continue Reading »

We’re Not Listening — Lilla and Levin

I read two articles yesterday about how little the Left and Right listen to each other.  One is thoughtful, by Yuval Levin in The Weekly Standard , ” The Real Debate “, Each party is pulled into this debate by what it sees as the deeply misguided views of the other. Democrats . . . . Continue Reading »

Charitable Considerations

It is no secret that the USA is the most charitable country in the world.  Why? Well, we can be, but Dan Palotta of the WSJ points to tradition through our Puritan heritage and says charity was their response to the tensions within their doctrine, “they could do penance for their . . . . Continue Reading »

Conventions, too.

Anger, self-righteousness, impossible promises, blame: political conventions are for setting a tone.  Here is the Democrats’ tone for the coming months going into the election.  It was not to my taste.  On top of the Republican convention, it felt like an enormous political . . . . Continue Reading »

What’s it all about, Romney?

All right, I do begin to wonder at the direction of our Republicans.  Sadly, my conversion was not through the good points made by my colleagues on the deficiencies of the Republican convention, neither those fierce ones of Mr. Piss and Vinegar, nor the lengthy argument I had with Pete.   . . . . Continue Reading »

Ryan and the Young Voter

I have to agree with Peter Lawler about the resentment younger generations might rightly feel towards Baby Boomers.  However, I ask if Baby Boomers weren’t equally screwed by the Greatest Generation?  Through Social Security and Medicare, that generation got back far more than it . . . . Continue Reading »

Today’s VP-pick Commentary

The WSJ heads an editorial this morning with “Why Not Paul Ryan?Romney can win a big election over big issues. He’ll lose a small one.” Too risky, goes the Beltway chorus. His selection would make Medicare and the House budget the issue, not the economy. The 42-year-old is too . . . . Continue Reading »

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