It’s game time for the conservative movement. With the Wisconsin recall fizzling out by the day, it appears that the runoff between Dewhurst and Cruz will be the most important battle for conservatives this year. We must not sit this one out! Last night Dewhurst won by just 10.4 points, despite enjoying a bigger lead in the polls throughout the entire duration of the campaign. | Read More »
For those in the media who suffer mental gyrations over the lack of bipartisanship in Washington, here is a story that exemplifies the obstacle to working together. We all know that there are sharp disagreements over tax policy and immigration policy, but we can all agree that illegal aliens should not receive $4.2 billion in refundable tax credits. Can we? Last July, the Treasury Inspector | Read More »
As we’ve chronicled here in great detail over the past year, House Republicans are no pikers when it comes to conservative legislation. This is especially true when examining the records of House appropriators. Yet, even those big government types have [begrudgingly] agreed to abide by the spending and policy decisions of the House-passed budget when considering the 12 appropriations bills during committee markups. As mediocre | Read More »
You might have thought that we vanquished Dick Lugar from the levers of power a few weeks ago. But if nothing is done to stop the impending 5-year Farm Bill, he might harm us with his regressive policies long past his time in Washington. Last month, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed a 5-year farm bill that continues to serve as one of the most potent | Read More »
“I have said at nearly every climate change hearing that for me I don’t dispute the science. Right or wrong, the debate over the modeling and science appears to be over.” Guess who said that? While those comments appear similar to the sentiments expressed by the likes of Al Gore, it was actually Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton who said it during a | Read More »
Today is the calm before the storm of next week when conservatives will be involved in the marque fight of the cycle; Ted Cruz vs. David Dewhurst in Texas. Nonetheless, there are primary elections in Arkansas and Kentucky today that will provide us with a couple pickup opportunities. Arkansas-4 Blue Dog Mike Ross is headed back to the Democrat kennel, creating a prime pickup opportunity | Read More »
It seems that every week in Washington brings forth another story of Republicans trying to abjure the moratorium on earmark. On Friday, the Hill posted an article on the latest and greatest from the earmarxists: Culberson says he’s been “pounding” the leadership to move on the reforms, as well as “educating” his colleagues on the “urgency” of the situation. “This is an evolving conversation … | Read More »
The liberal cycle of statism, at its core, originates from a government-induced problem. When nobody is paying attention to an issue, liberals swoop in and impose a pernicious regulation or mandate on a private industry. That regulation lays dormant for a number of years like a ticking time bomb. Then, many years later, it blows up the industry. Liberals summarily swoop in to accuse private | Read More »
When it comes to free-market fiscal policy, Republicans are always manufacturing excuses to exempt themselves from their own doctrine on numerous issues. There are always excuses why specific industries must be recipients of government interventions. They say that exporters cannot function without the Ex-Im Bank; farmers cannot subsist without government welfare despite record high prices; the financial markets cannot survive without bailouts. The latest exception | Read More »
Many of us have taken it for granted that all Republicans would work for full repeal of Obamacare. After all, not a single Republican voted for it. However, it is always important to understand the reasons why politicians support or oppose a piece of legislation. When you listen to many prominent Republicans voicing their disdain for Obamacare, you generally hear the following complaints: it raises | Read More »
Well, that didn’t take long. Just one week into the conference committee on the highway bill, Republicans are showing signs of caving on their insistence that the Keystone pipeline be approved as part of the deal. Throughout the past few months, we have been chronicling how Republicans have been apathetic to the underlying vices of the highway bill (S. 1813). They basically told the Democrats | Read More »
People often ask me what can be done to move the elected officials within the Republican Party rightward. Well, for one thing, we need to elect more conservatives. But more importantly, we need those conservatives to obtain positions of power, such as chairmanships of the committees that set our domestic policy agenda. Not surprisingly, all the relevant committee chairmen are either conduits for leadership or | Read More »
“ Once the Democrats know that the debt ceiling will invariably be raised, they have no incentive to play ball. The end result will be another raw deal that is worse than doing nothing.” There is much hullabaloo in the media about John Boehner’s shot across the bow in the upcoming battle over the debt ceiling this fall. Specifically, Boehner warned that he “will again | Read More »
It’s hard to think of a more liberal Republican that occupies a more consequential position in Congress than Fred Upton. It’s not just the fact that the Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, one of the most powerful House panels, is a big supporter of green energy. It’s not just the fact that this same man was the Thomas Edison of the incandescent light | Read More »
We are constantly told by the consultant class that the issue of marriage is a big loser for Republicans. If you listen to the talking points from almost every elected Republican official in recent days, you will hear them say that the whole issue is a “distraction” from the real issues. Simply put, they believe the Democrat talking points that they are on the wrong | Read More »
Over the past few weeks, we’ve observed the Republican form of bipartisanship on display, particularly, with regard to Cantor’s deal to extend the Export-Import Bank. Democrats wanted the extension with a 40% increase in the lending cap, GOP leadership wanted a 13% increase, while conservatives wanted to wind it down. The grand bipartisan deal was finally forged, and the House voted to increase the lending | Read More »
On Tuesday, we noted that there would be many important spending cutting amendment offered on the floor to the Commerce, Justice, and Science bill (H.R. 5326). Well, a number of conservatives offered amendments to cut or eliminate wasteful, harmful, and unconstitutional programs. Most notably, we focused on Mike Pompeo’s amendment to eliminate the stimulus program – Economic Development Administration. The House defeated most of | Read More »
Update: Only 93 Republicans voted against Ex-Im. Here is a video illustration from Heritage Action of what is wrong with the Ex-Im Bank. The House will be voting on the bill under suspension at 2 PM. Call your members now Watching the House debate on CSpan, you’ll see that the problem in Washington is that there is not enough partisanship, not too much.
We had an opportunity to draw a sharp contrast with Democrats over the all important issues of crony capitalism and market distortions simply by doing nothing. How so? Well, the Export-Import Bank reauthorization deadline is May 31. By simply abstaining from the reauthorization – something that can be done with control of just one-half of one-third of government – this bastion of corporate welfare would | Read More »
The big news of the night is that Richard Mourdock absolutely eviscerated John Kerry and Vladimir Putin’s favorite Republican 60-40%, an unprecedented feat going up against a 35-year incumbent. On the other hand, it’s not surprising, and yet, it serves as a potent lesson for the Tea Party going forward. Richard Mourdock wasn’t always this inexorable juggernaut. He was way behind in the polls for | Read More »
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