Republican
Biden is out
Vice President, Joe Biden, said he will not be a candidate for president.
Said Biden:
“Unfortunately, I believe we’re out of time.”
Read MoreThe difference between political parties
The Trump effect
Republican debates are typically sleepy affairs with 3 to 5 million viewers.
The party faithful and policy wonks tune in while the rest of the country tunes out.
The addition of Donald Trump with his potent disdain for the establishment and political correctness changed things.
Last month, the Fox debate had well over 20 million viewers. Last night’s CNN debate had nearly as many. That’s a lot of people who got exposed to some lively, and frequently intelligent exchanges (less so when Trump was speaking).
Read MoreCommon ground on human abortion
Democrats and Republicans can actually find common ground on the vexing issue of human abortion.
We know abortion has nothing to do with women’s reproductive health. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, it involves a healthy mom carrying a healthy child. Health has nothing to do with the decision…
Read MoreMarco Rubio riding the Bumper Cars at the Iowa State Fair. Good prep for the campaign!
Contempt for government
Donald Trump is not the story.
Yes, Mr. Trump is an entertaining character. He has struck a chord, that’s for sure, with his contemptuous, tell-it-like-it-is approach to campaigning. But the story is the rest of the polling…
Read MoreDonald Trump releases new campaign poster
10 political dynamics of Pope Francis’ new encyclical
The new papal encyclical, Laudato si’, is already a factor in the 2016 presidential election. Democrats are thrilled at having the “appearance” of support from Pope Francis. The Republican Party, which needs Catholic voters to win elections, should pay close attention to the impact of the encyclical on attitudes of Catholics previously skeptical of climate change enthusiasts.
Below I attempt to describe the political dynamics set in play from now until election day that is primarily an attempt to distract Catholic voters from the importance of settled, non-negotiable, Catholic moral teachings about life, marriage, and the family.
Read MoreE pluribus unum
Here’s where things get interesting: liberals have erected a sophisticated network of preferences for these protected classes. About the only unprotected class is white males. Interestingly, since affirmative action was applied to college admissions, we’ve seen male enrollment in colleges plummet from 58% of enrollees in 1970 to 43% today.
Read MoreScott Walker leads Iowa poll
The phone is ringing off the hook.
Yesterday alone, I completed telephone surveys for two political polling organizations. Karen did a couple more in the past few days. We ignored another 4 or 5 calls from political campaigns and survey companies.
The first-in-the-nation Iowa Caucuses are eight months from tomorrow…
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