In the latest Muppets movie, the plot (such as it is) revolves about a villain seeking to destroy the Muppets’ theater. There’s oil beneath the structure, and the evil Tex Richman will stop at nothing to get it. Just in case the subtlety escapes you: he’s the bad guy because he’s rich, he’s mean, and he’s Texan. If you’ve seen this contribution to the cinematic | Read More »
We’re pleased to bring you this commentary on the Texas economic record from Bill Peacock, Vice President for Research at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Texas has been the home of the last two Republican presidents. With Governor Rick Perry now in the fray, we’re fixin’ to find out if Texas can make it three in a row. When examining what makes Texas the benchmark | Read More »
If you don’t know how RedState started seven years ago, here’s the story. It’s a tale of a few guys with a few dollars and a few basic principles who got together and started something small. In the fullness of time, that something small became something big. The cast of characters changed, too: the original three co-founders are now off doing many other things. I | Read More »
I am pleased to bring to you this commentary by the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s own VP for Research, Bill Peacock, on the need to defeat the Texas “Amazon tax” that will be considered by the Texas House of Representatives on Thursday morning. RedState’s Erick Erickson was on the case of the “Amazon tax” back in mid-May, and since then, Neil Stevens has done yeoman’s | Read More »
Here’s a cautionary tale for you from the states — and specifically the state of Texas. By way of full disclosure, I serve as the VP for Communications at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. From April 25th through May 20th, the Texas Public Policy Foundation ran a series of television advertisements — all available on the TPPF YouTube Channel — urging Texans to head to | Read More »
Egypt’s revolution is not over. As I write this, Hosni Mubarak’s reign as autocrat of Egypt ended mere minutes ago. The scenes on Al Jazeera English — the only international-news channel worth watching for the past month — are of a delirium in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. It is a panorama of popular victory unseen since Germans clambered up the Berlin Wall, and it may be | Read More »
You may not have heard about it, but there’s a tremendously important case that will be argued before the Supreme Court of the United States on Wednesday. It’s the Federal Communications Commission v. AT&T, Inc. — and if decided wrongly, it has the potential to transform the federal government’s Freedom of Information Act into a powerful anti-business weapon in the hands of the left. By | Read More »
November 2nd, 2010, will be a big day in American history. It’s the day we vote in the midterm elections that will likely see historic Republican gains in both houses of Congress. It’s also the day that the United States Supreme Court considers the case of Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association. This case stems from a 2005 California law that prohibited the sale of “unsuitable” | Read More »
Tomorrow is primary day in California. By that evening, we’ll know whether Carly Fiorina, Tom Campbell, or Chuck DeVore is the choice of California Republicans to face off against Barbara Boxer in November. This election year is our last, best chance to dethrone the malign queen of the California left, with her black heart and bad ideas — and I hope we make the right | Read More »
Lee Siegel is an eminent cultural critic. I admit to being unsure what a “cultural critic” actually is, or how one ascends to the profession, but I do know that Lee Siegel knows. In this capacity, he writes for The New Republic and The Daily Beast. He writes about things cultural, including RedState. And he gets things badly wrong. Here’s how RedState began, according to | Read More »
It’s the first full week of the new year, which means it’s back to work for most of us. In our case, at DeVore for California, it means back to work winning the Republican nomination for Chuck DeVore to face Barbara Boxer in November. In your case, it means following that race — first between Chuck DeVore and Carly Fiorina (and quite possibly Tom Campbell!), | Read More »
When Ben Domenech, Mike Krempasky and I founded RedState over five years ago, we spent much time discussing the new site’s mission: Would it be conservative first, or Republican first? What happens when the interests of conservatives and Republicans conflict? Are there lines that we as conservatives will not cross for the sake of Republicans; and are there lines that we as Republicans will not | Read More »
Politico (here and here) and Plum Line (here) have gone after the RNC for a fundraising mail “survey” that asked donors how they felt about the possibility “that the government could use voter registration to determine a person’s political affiliation, prompting fears that GOP voters might be discriminated against for medical treatment in a Democrat-imposed health care rationing system.” Though the specific claim might be | Read More »
From the diaries by Erick. Is Carly Fiorina pro-life? The question has come to the fore of late, as she publicly contemplates a candidacy for United States Senate against Barbara Boxer — and as her opponent for the California Republicans’ nomination in that race, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, has publicly questioned her pro-life credentials. (Full disclosure: I’m a member of the DeVore campaign, so read the | Read More »
This piece originally appeared at joshuatrevino.com. Much ink has been spilled in the past 24 hours over a segment from ABC’s Charlie Gibson’s interview with Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. The clip reveals Palin momentarily confused when confronted with a query about “the Bush Doctrine,” by which Gibson refers to the present Administration’s practice of preemptive war (or, to be euphemistic, “anticipatory self-defense”). You | Read More »
This piece originally appeared at joshuatrevino.com. Barack Obama’s acceptance remarks this evening should be a source of relief to every Republican, conservative, and McCain supporter in America. The Democratic nominee for President walked to the podium with every advantage: eloquent, attractive, historic, gifted with a polling advantage, and bathed in the bright lights of one of the great football stadiums of America. He walked away | Read More »
This piece originally appeared at joshuatrevino.com. What Mikheil Saakashvili began at his discretion, Vladimir Putin ends at his pleasure. The Russians have called a halt to their offensive in Georgia, and none too soon for the Georgians. What remains is the postwar settlement, and the American part in it. A look at the situation on the ground speaks to the Russian dominance of the little | Read More »
This piece originally ran at joshuatrevino.com. America’s stake in the Caucasus war just went up. In the past 24 hours, the Russians launched offensive operations beyond the secessionist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, marking a dramatic expansion in their war aims — well beyond the putative casus bellum of protecting Russian citizens. (It should be recalled that these “citizens” are Abkhaz and Ossetian locals | Read More »
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