LIFSON: Obama’s Next Two Years
Matthew Lifson, Columnist
When Republicans storm Congress, we will learn whether Obama is a leader capable of growing his office or just a lucky figurehead temporarily enabled by overwhelming Democratic majorities.
BAIN: The Blame Game
Sam Bain, Columnist
When a grown man acts immature, you have what is called a man child. And when you have a President who blames the opposition party instead of tackling problems, you have Barack Obama. President Obama’s two year mark in office is coming up quicker than he seems to know. With his approval rating dropping to 41% and democrats breaking ranks with the party, the president has nowhere to look but inward when considering what went wrong.
MARIN & PETERSON: Recovering the Civil-Military Relationship
Paul Marin & Tim Peterson
To optimize the civil-military relationship is to reinforce its mutual incentive: victory. Both sides must uphold strategies of success over tactics of dominance to ensure a shared objective and recover trust.
McCAFFREY: First Their Hearts, Second in the Cities
A staple in Illinois politics, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley announced Tuesday that he would not seek re-election for his position. Daley has served twenty-one years as mayor, following in the footsteps of his father, Richard J. Daley, who also served as mayor for twenty-one years. While I have a strong contention for the type of Chicago “machine style” politics that the duo made famous, I am impressed by their ability to do what no recent Mayor of New York City has been able to do – retain popularity past a second term.
SIEFF: Austerity and the American Economy
Adam Sieff, Columnist
European nations, facing crisis, have adopted extreme austerity measures and there is a growing call in the US for sharp reductions in funding. But not all austerity is created equal. Hopefully, we won’t find out the hard way.
STROSTER: Craigslist Censorship to Stop Human Trafficking
Lianna Stroster, Columnist
Craigslist users have seen a change in the website’s homepage over the past few days. Under the “services” section, there is now a black “censored” label over the “adult services” tab. Is this new “censored” label a violation of the website’s First Amendment right, or is it not protected because the section has been aiding human trafficking through the World Wide Web?
PETERSON: A Native’s Reaction to CA Prop. 14
Tim Peterson, Associate Editor
There’s no shortage of opinion surrounding open primaries. But does any of it matter right now?
HOLLINSHEAD: Another Day, Another One-Sided Compromise
Kevin Hollinshead, Contributor
President Obama understands that the only realistic solution to illegal immigration is a comprehensive overhaul that supplements border security measures with a crackdown on illegal hiring and exploitative employers, a requirement that illegal immigrants come forward and meet certain requirements in order to work towards citizenship, and reforms of our legal immigration system going forward. But why, then, does his administration keep following the same failed approach of making unmatched concessions to Republicans and expect a different result?
PANDYA: Team Obama – Bench Your Starters
Om Pandya, Conservative
When Obama was elected in 2008, voters who fretted over his lack of experience hoped that he would at least pick advisors from both sides of the aisle that knew what they were doing.
BILBO: Enthusing the Urban Base for 2012
Tyler Bilbo, Democrat
In an ailing economy that features an extraordinarily high jobless rate, Democrats will struggle to build on the gains of 2006 and 2008. As Republicans look to capitalize on the fluidity of the suburban electorate, Democrats need to re-energize core urban constituencies in order to re-elect Barack Obama.
FULHAM: The Democrats Self-Destruct, Again
Peter W. Fulham, Democrat
If anyone had suspicions that Team Obama was indeed hurdling towards implosion, the Democratic party’s catastrophe in Massachusetts last week surely confirmed them. But it’s not too late for Mr. Obama to make amends for failing to address the anger of disenfranchised voters, nor is it too late for the Democrats to prevent a hemorrhage of seats in the House and Senate in 2010.
MARIN: The Myth of 1994
Paul Marin, Liberal Republican
Congress will regain its bipartisan problem-solving spirit only after legislators are punished for their cynical, partisan behavior — in other words, when the myth of 1994 is shattered.
FULHAM: Rahm Emanuel’s Bridge to Nowhere
Peter W. Fulham, Democrat
Seasoned Washington politico Rahm Emanuel is calling many of the shots in the White House, and a careful examination of his record lends important insights into what we should expect from him in the future.
ROGERS: Obama’s Presidency Meets Dukakis – In the Tank
Obama better hope things change by 2012, or we might end up with a new President we can believe in.
MARIN: Lifting Each Other Up
The GOP should fight for their free market solutions to healthcare and not against reform or universal coverage. It is better for them — and for the country.
CARPENTER: When ‘Change’ Meets the Real World
Emma Carpenter, Staff Writer Ideology: Liberal Democrat | Writing From: George Washington University What happens to the value of change when it is promised but never delivered? I fear that [...]
FLOYD: The Myth of Bipartisanship
Malcolm-Wiley Floyd, Staff Writer Ideology: Moderate Democrat | Writing From: New York City “I am in this race because I don’t want to see us spend the next year re-fighting [...]
ROGERS: The President Formerly Known as Hope
The President of the United States should have hope and faith in the American people – not expect it the other way around.
JACOBS: Obama and North Korea: Silence, Again
Guest columnist Alec Jacobs slams Obama’s approach to the North Korean missile crises. Alec Jacobs, Guest Columnist Ideology: Very Conservative Obama’s decisions about when to act and when not to [...]