Columnist. Senior Fellow Ethics and Public Policy Center. Author of Sex Matters
Syndicated columnist Mona Charen is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Institute and a contributor to National Review Online. She is the author of Do-Gooders: How Liberals Hurt Those They Claim to Help (and the Rest of Us). Author of Sex Matters.
The Kavanaugh Factor and the Midterm Elections Republicans have secured their long-term goal: a right-wing majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. There are conflicting expectations for rulings on abortion, immigration, voting rights--and the powers of both the White House and Congress. In this divided nation, public trust in the rule of law is also at stake. How will the bitter battle over Brett Kavanaugh impact next month’s midterm elections?
Is ‘socialism’ dividing the Democrats From Bernie Sanders to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,“socialism” is having a hot summer. Is it the future of the Democratic Party or an easy Republican target? Prominent liberals and conservatives describe the history--and possible future--of a term loaded with many meanings in America’s political history.
Conservatives booed at CPAC Conservative columnist and political analyst Mona Charen was ready to fight at CPAC - the Conservative Political Action Conference. Now she says she was “glad to be booed.” On a special To the Point podcast, we’ll hear how her appearance went and why she and other conservatives feel betrayed by the Trump-Republican Party.
What does 'family values' mean in the Trump era? Kindness, Respect, Character -- Parents work to instill those values in their children. But the country's biggest outsized personality is President Donald Trump, who has made insults and racial epithets his calling card. What's a parent to do when the president uses language that would earn their kids a time-out?
Is CPAC 2017 betraying its roots? The Conservative Political Action Conference dates back to the 1960s, when it started out as a fringe movement trying to influence the Republican Party. It became America's largest annual gathering of right-wing intellectuals, with the capacity to draw some 10,000 people. As it begins this year's session today, it's showing how much the conservative movement has been influenced by Donald Trump and political theater. We hear more about what's happened to CPAC from Mona Charen, a syndicated columnist and senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Institute.
Inside the political circus We break down this wild, wacky circus of an election season.
The presidential campaign goes back to the future America's founding fathers accused each other of crimes, hypocrisy and sexual misbehavior, but times had changed — until last night in St. Louis. As expected, Donald Trump’s comments about groping women, recorded some ten years ago, came up early last night in St. Louis. It was billed as a Town Hall, but some of the toughest questions came from the moderators.
Presidential Campaign: It's the "Woman's Card" v. the "Man's Card" Hillary Clinton would be America's first woman president, and Donald Trump isn't hesitating to use that against her. He's told voters, "To be frank, if Hillary were a man I don't think she'd get 5% of the vote. All she has is playing the woman's card. And the beautiful thing is – women don't like her, OK?" The Clinton campaign says, bring it on — believing the so-called "Woman's Card" can only work in her favor. "If supporting healthcare for women, and equal pay… is playing the 'woman's card' then deal me in!" But research shows that playing the "Man's Card" could mean votes for Donald Trump. Do insults to women just come off the top of his head, or are they part of a calculated campaign strategy?
Dis-Unity on the Road to the White House After yesterday's victories in Wisconsin, Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders both claim the "momentum" has changed in their favor. But, there's much more voting to go before the party conventions this summer, and the battlegrounds are already shifting to New York State. There's a growing conviction that Republican leaders will never allow Donald Trump to win -- and a growing conviction that they won't have any choice. Sanders has Hillary Clinton on the offensive as never before, as both parties appear more divided than ever.
The GOP Civil War Takes Center Stage After another round of televised trash talk between presidential candidates, the Republican Party’s in civil war. We hear about the latest efforts to stop the nomination of Donald Trump.
For GOP "Insiders:" Which "Outsider" Is Worse? The Republican Establishment in Washington is now holding its nose and warming up to the real estate mogul, Donald Trump. The distinctly half-hearted endorsement is based on hatred for Senator Ted Cruz and his frequent attacks on the leadership of his own political party. Conservative intellectuals are caught between a hard-right crusader who doesn’t want to do business and a deal-maker who probably will. As the battle continues for the “heart of the Party,” the voters have yet to be heard from.
The State of the Union Speech: The Rhetoric and the Reality In a State of the Union speech every President speaks over the heads of the Joint Session of Congress to the American people. One of those moments came at the end of last night's address , with victims of gun violence in the audience. A "simple vote" won't be easy in a divided Congress — on gun control, climate change or a whole list of initiatives he said won't raise the deficit "a single dime." We hear divided reaction from an Obama supporter, a critic of "warmed over liberalism" and a progressive with doubts about "follow through."
Rush Limbaugh and the GOP Rush Limbaugh insists that reports of advertiser defections have been exaggerated, but liberal groups say he's taking a lot of hits. It's all about Limbaugh's attack on Sandra Fluke , who testified on Capitol Hill about the need for health insurers to provide birth control to liberate women for the work force and protect against disease. Since Limbaugh attacked the Georgetown law student as a "slut" and a "prostitute," Democrats have accused Republicans of being insensitive to women's rights and issues. How much clout does Limbaugh have with the GOP? Do candidates fear him?
Rush Limbaugh, the Republican Party and Women It's been more than a week since Rush Limbaugh called a Georgetown law student a "slut" and a "prostitute" during his radio show, after Sandra Fluke testified on Capitol Hill about the need for health insurers to provide birth control to liberate women for the work force and protect against disease. Limbaugh insists that reports of advertiser defections have been exaggerated, but liberal groups say he's taking a lot of hits. President Obama has been asked about him, and Republicans are on the defensive about their popularity with women. The top three presidential candidates have said very little, and some conservative writers have said Republicans are "afraid" of arousing Limbaugh's animosity. With an audience of 15 million devoted listeners, how much do his views and opinions reflect those of the GOP as a whole?
The High Cost of Going Negative in the GOP Campaign Mitt Romney out spent Newt Gingirch by five to one in Florida, with an unprecedented avalanche of personal attack ads. Romney says Gingrich can't "whine" [his word] after going negative in South Carolina, and he promises that the campaign will have a happy ending for Republicans. Romney's big win in Florida earned him Secret Service protection, but Gingrich, Santorum and Paul are not conceding anything yet. We look at a nasty campaign and a divided Republican party.
The Kavanaugh Factor and the Midterm Elections Republicans have secured their long-term goal: a right-wing majority on the U.S. Supreme Court. There are conflicting expectations for rulings on abortion, immigration, voting rights--and the powers of both the White House and Congress. In this divided nation, public trust in the rule of law is also at stake. How will the bitter battle over Brett Kavanaugh impact next month’s midterm elections?
What you need to know about the Gas Tax Last year, California legislators increased California’s gas tax by 12 cents a gallon. The revenue raised from the increases, over $5 billion a year, is supposed to be spent on improving transportation in the state. But there’s been a backlash to the gas tax increase, resulting in Proposition 6 on the November ballot. If passed, it would roll back the tax and require all future fuel tax increases to get voter approval.