Ethics and Public Policy Center
Peter Wehner is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a contributing op-ed writer at the New York Times.
Wehner is a former blogger at Commentary magazine. From 2002-2007, he served as deputy assistant to President George W. Bush and director of the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives. He also served in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
Are Evangelicals betraying their principles in pursuit of politics? Evangelicals overwhelmingly backed President Trump in 2016 and remain among his most loyal followers. Prominent pastors offer frequent public praise of the president. This raises the troubling issue: Are Christian conservatives putting politics above religion? Are pastors more interested in becoming political players? And is any of this good for religious life in America?
Is Trump Winning the Nomination by Beating the System? New Jersey Governor Chris Christie endorsed former opponent Donald Trump last week. Christie's own national finance co-chair called that "an astonishing display of political opportunism." This weekend in Birmingham, Alabama, US Senator Jeff Sessions said Donald Trump is leading "a movement." Trump boasted, "I hate to say it. I'm becoming main stream. All these people are now endorsing me." But the Republican "mainstream" is divided. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley calls Trump's nomination, "something we don't want to see happen." There are reports of "frantic" efforts to stop Trump in his tracks — even down to a "brokered" GOP convention in Cleveland this summer. So far, he's beating the Party, the Big Money and the Establishment Media.
The March to Super Tuesday Last Saturday, Democrats in Nevada caucused to choose a presidential nominee. In South Carolina, Republicans went to the polls. As always, there were multiple winners… and losers. Only a fraction of Republicans have voted or caucused so far, but traditional party leaders are facing their worst nightmare. Many don’t even believe Donald Trump is a real Republican, but he could well be this year’s presidential nominee. Can he be stopped? As for traditional Democrats who tried to stack the deck for Hillary Clinton, it’s hardly smooth sailing with so many young people and women feeling the Bern. We hear what to expect before Super Tuesday next week when 13 states will go to the polls.
Why One Republican Won't Vote For Donald Trump Former Alaska governor and former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin endorsed Donald Trump yesterday. The latest national polls have Trump at about 35 percent. The prevailing wisdom has been that a more centrist, party-supported candidate will rise up and take over the contest. But with less than two weeks to go before the voting begins in Iowa, the idea that Trump might actually win the Republican nomination and become the party’s standard bearer is sounding less and less crazy – to some. Today we hear from one Republican who explains why he won’t be voting for Trump .
Insiders and Outsiders in the Race to the White House Ten candidates – the amateurs versus the pros -- made it to the main stage last night for the third Republican presidential debate hosted by CNBC in Boulder, Colorado. Dr. Ben Carson, Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina have never held public office, but they've led — and she has surged — in public opinion polls. Governors and Senators — past and present — are scrambling with new urgency for support of the rank and file—and political funders. We hear some of last night's points of conflict and identify issues that could make a difference. With not a single vote to be cast for 90 days, what do we really know about a race still crowded with horses?
Brinksmanship and the Blame Game Before anyone knew for sure there would be a government shutdown at midnight tonight, Democrats and Republicans were blaming each other. At least in public, there was more talk about political fallout than there was about making a deal, with polls showing Republicans faring the worst. Meantime, the crisis atmosphere has given ideological groups and potential candidates a great chance to raise money from ardent supporters. With a few hours remaining, we look at the options for a possible settlement and at the likely consequences of halting many federal services.
What's the Future of 'Occupy Wall Street?' Demonstrators were evicted this morning from Zuccotti Park, but New York isn't the only city where "Occupy Wall Street" has clashed with local officials. We hear what's happening in other places and ask if the movement has a chance to make political change.
What's the Future of 'Occupy Wall Street?' Around the country, city officials are trying to decide what to do about protests related to "Occupy Wall Street." In Oakland California, there was a violent confrontation with police three weeks ago. Yesterday, the Frank Ogawa Plaza was peacefully evacuated . Early this morning, New York police removed protesters from Manhattan's Zuccotti Park. Today, in what one liberal website calls "the revenge of the one percent,” many came back, insisting that they'll continue what they call a political movement against the entrenched power of financial interests. We hear from New York and from other cities around the country, including Oakland, California, Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Is this a movement with the potential to make political change? Will the response of local governments be important to shaping its future?
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.