Autiello: Will True Christianity Please Stand Up?
Nick Autiello, Contributor
The notion that homosexuality is a sin and un-Christian is one that is less than a hundred years old. It is wrong, and has no basis in scriptural or historical reality.
SASSO: The Coming New Year
James Sasso, Associate Editor
As the tumultuous 2011 comes down to its final day, this column could contain an obnoxious summary of the year’s extraordinary events. Rather than once again discussing the protests around the world, the death of Osama Bin Laden, Fukushima, America’s political ineptitude, Europe’s demise or the increasingly frightful weather patterns, here I attempt to predict what 2012 holds in store.
SASSO: Kicking the Can
James Sasso, Associate Editor
For one of the first times in his tenure as Speaker, John Boehner has made a statement with which every American, Republican or Democrat, should fully agree; the two-month Senate bipartisan extension of the payroll tax cut fails to fix the nation’s problems sufficiently. Providing a short-term band-aid to a long-term dilemma contradicts what a responsible government should accomplish, but fits the pattern of contemporary American politicking.
CIOCCI: A Foolish Consistency
Mitt Romney is guilty of serial hypocrisy, Newt Gingrich is guilty of being a public intellectual constantly scrutinized by the media and others, and Ron Paul never ceases to remind me about one of my favorite quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Essays: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”
AKMAN: Jon Huntsman’s Meaningless Campaign
Josh Akman, Columnist
Jon Huntsman did not participate in the CNN Debate in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. Short of his family and small (and getting smaller) campaign staff, no one really noticed. In a bizarre and counterproductive effort to impress New Hampshire voters Huntsman skipped the debate to protest Nevada moving its caucus ahead of New Hampshire’s, which has always been the nation’s first primary. It’s bizarre because no one else skipped the debate. It’s counterproductive because right now, Jon Huntsman is polling 6% in New Hampshire.
SASSO: The 99% Rising
James Sasso
Associate Editor
For the past month a movement has grown out of Zuccoti Park in New York with the potential to grab at the very heart of America’s problems. “We are the 99%” is not simply a catchy phrase used by frustrated jobless Americans , but a commentary on the disgraceful economic inequality that has arisen in the United States since the 1970s.
THERRIAULT: The Political US Economy and Developing Markets
Though emerging markets are increasing shares in consumption and output may simply be attributable to a scale of population, the true power of many emerging economies will be realized as they are tested by time. How can the American economy, which has enjoyed being at the top of the global heap for nearly a century, accommodate and work with these emerging economies to bolster its own position? Politics will surely play a large role.
MARIN: Change Is Needed
Voting in a Republican Congress on Tuesday is a gamble. With the economy in the tank, the Obama Administration needs both a wake-up call as well as political cover for decisions that would be unpopular with the liberal base on economic issues. The imperative for change makes voting Republican a well-placed bet. And should it not live up to its promise, a Republican Congress may be what President Obama needs for reelection.
AKMAN: President Obama, It’s Time to Fight
Josh Akman, Columnist
Democratic candidates in Congress are beginning to fight. As their majorities in Congress are disappearing faster than the ozone layer, Democrats are getting up and getting pissed. Now, as Democrats see a bleak gleam at the end of the tunnel (meaning their losses in November might just be disastrous, not catastrophic), the message to the president could not be more clear: FIGHT.
BILBO: Arizona, BP and a Golden Opportunity for the GOP
Tyler Bilbo, Columnist
Can the GOP accomplish the herculean task of reclaiming the House and the Senate? Thanks to Obama’s failure to intensify Democrats, it’s looking like they can.
RUSHFORD: Sue You, Arizona
Stephanie Rushford, Columnist
Illegal immigration is rooted in economics. US immigration policy errs in focusing too much on undocumented workers and not enough on their law-breaking employers.
LIFSON: Republicans Make the Center a Moving Target
Matthew Lifson, Columnist
If Democrats want moderate bills, they must make liberal arguments and then move to the center only though debate and negotiations. Otherwise, Republicans will just continue to choose new, more conservative positions and move the center with them.
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?
LIFSON: Mayor Newsom, Fix San Fran First
Matthew Lifson, Columnist Ideology: Liberal | Writing From: Brown University In the aftermath of Arizona’s brutal new immigration law, politicians from across the country have been tripping over one [...]
PETERSON: Understanding Immigration Reform
Tim Peterson, Independent
A running commentary on immigration reform. Check this post frequently for new updates!
PETERSON: Illegal Immigrant? Who? Me?
Tim Peterson, Independent
On Friday, Arizona governor Jean Brewer signed into law a controversial bill that codifies racial profiling as an answer to solving the illegal immigration problem. But curbing civil liberties will only create new problems.
SIEG: Immigration in the EU
Emily Sieg notes the state of immigration in the European Union.
PANDYA: Free Markets and Border Double-Crossing
Om Pandya elaborates on racial tension and illegal immigration as economic issues.
WALK & ROGERS: Scenes From the DC Tea Party
Michele Walk, Associate Editor Editorial Conor Rogers, Editor-in-Chief Photography Over the weekend, the largest protest by political conservatives ever descended on the nation’s capital in an outpouring of rage over [...]
BILBO: Si Se Puede? Obama and Immigration Reform
Heartland Democrat says President Obama is focusing on healthcare and the environment, but ignoring immigration at his own risk. Tyler Bilbo, Staff Writer Ideology: Liberal | Writing In: Tulsa, OK [...]