January 9, 2015
The Fly Swat
It all started with a fly swat. In the years following Napoleon’s demise in France, the last of the Bourbon Dynasty desperately tried to hold on to power. Charles X thought he could restore the monarchy to its formerly potent...
January 9, 2015
John Boehner and the Conservative Disconnect
(This originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank) So, why did two dozen House Republicans vote against John Boehner for speaker? I have been mulling this, and I can’t come up with a satisfactory answer. Is it because he is not conservative enough?...
January 8, 2015
The Movement Needs to Get Its Act Together
I have always considered myself personally conservative, but I am smart enough to know that I am not a “movement” conservative. “Movement” conservatives are ideological activists who stake out positions that are outside of the current debate. They try to...
January 7, 2015
It’s Really Not That Complicated
It’s really not that complicated. I don’t mean to sound like Peter Morini, but when it comes to the vote for Speaker of the House, it really isn’t that complicated. You are either shirts or skins. Red or blue. Republican...
January 6, 2015
Support the Speaker
(This originally appeared in The Hill.) From 1910 to 1943, it was fairly common for some members of the Republican Party to vote for somebody for Speaker of the House other than the choice of the conference. Progressive Republicans initially joined...
January 5, 2015
A Real Education For the New Congress
Since the Democrats took control of Congress in the election of 2006, an astounding 334 House and 70 Senate seats have changed hands. We have 52 new House Members and 12 new Senators coming to the 114th Congress. In the...