How Anti-Trump Intellectuals Help Trump
by Pete SpiliakosOur public figures—like Mitt Romney—often turn out to be enslaved to the ideas of bloggers and social media mavens. Continue Reading »
The Romney Disease
by Pete SpiliakosWhen they think they can get away with it, our elite Republicans disparage the idea of tax cuts for the middle class. Continue Reading »
Conservatives and Low-Skilled Workers
by Pete SpiliakosPeople in the Republican establishment have been suggesting that conservatives can either try to appeal to working-class whites by supporting limits to future immigration levels, or they can try to appeal to Hispanics by seeking to increase future immigration levels. The truth is that conservatives have never had to make this choice. In 2012, Republicans chose to alienate both working-class whites and Hispanics. In the future, conservatives should try to appeal to both groups by focusing on the economic priorities of those groups rather than ethnic gamesmanship.In the 2012 campaign, Romney's combination of economic priorities and immigration messaging proved especially toxic. On immigration, Romney advocated no amnesty and hoped that current unauthorized immigrants would self-deport. For Hispanics (and possibly even for Asians—among whom Romney did even worse than among Hispanics), the message was that Romney’s love for business owners was exceeded only by contempt for immigrants (legal and illegal). Continue Reading »
Why I’ll Miss Mitt Romney
by Pete SpiliakosMitt Romney was an unprincipled politician. He was an opportunist and a pragmatist. Still, it’s a pity that Romney won’t be running for president in 2016. A Mitt Romney–Jeb Bush fight might have split the Republican “establishment” and allowed an anti-establishment candidate to win. But Romney could have done more than split one faction of the Republican party. He could have nudged the platform of the Republican party’s establishment faction closer to the beliefs of grassroots conservative voters—and closer to the views of the general public. Continue Reading »
Give The People Some Respect
by Pete SpiliakosMitt Romney is a good guy. He just doesn’t want you to know it. He tithes. He helps the less fortunate. And, Rick Santorum reports, while volunteering at a homeless shelter, Romney acknowledged that the people there “are used to being ignored. Mostly by people like me.” Continue Reading »
Romney has it.
by Kate PitroneI am not presenting much new about the election and the political scientists here have far more information than I do, by profession. However, observing the political scene and responding to the recent posts here, I feel compelled to weigh in. I believe Romney is winning the . . . . Continue Reading »
Obama, Kind of a Jerk, Won
by Carl ScottBut not decisively—Romney always held his own. And I would only say Obama won on the parts of the debates focused on foreign policy. On domestic issues, Romney won. Romney played the gentleman and the minimize-the-exposure strategy. Also a strategic vote-gaining focus on Israel. Very good . . . . Continue Reading »
Arrogance
by Carl ScottSo we now know, if this astounding story from the Daily Mail holds up (via Campaign Spot , which quotes the key stuff), that Jonathan Tobin and I were absolutely right about the reason for Obama’s stumble: he arrogantly believed his own B.S. about Romney, and shirked his prep on the assumption . . . . Continue Reading »
Another Theory for Obama’s Stumble: Arrogant Contempt
by Carl ScottIf you go to the big debate thread below, you’ll see that I offer a couple theories for why Obama did so poorly. You’ll also see that Kate has one I find worthy of further consideration. But whatever collection of explanations we adopt, Jonathan S. Tobin at Commentary offers one that . . . . Continue Reading »
America's most
influential
journal of
religion and
public life
Subscribe
Latest Issue
Support First Things
influential
journal of
religion and
public life
Subscribe
Latest Issue
Support First Things
Filter Tag Articles
Subscribe Today!
