Politics of the United States

November 12, 2013

Obamacare ‘Navigators:’ Sleight Of Hand, Subterfuge And Lies

James O’Keefe with Project Veritas, the videographer who brought about the end of ACORN, has now turned his attention to the folks who are supposed to help sign us up for Obamacare: the “navigators.” Continue Reading...

November 12, 2013

‘A Vision of the Impossible’: Taft on Progressives and Panaceas

In a wide-ranging discussion of the Progressive Era in her new biography of Calvin Coolidge, Amity Shlaes quotes a striking excerpt from a little-known speech by President William Howard Taft. Given in the middle of the 1912 election, in which Taft competed (poorly) against Woodrow Wilson and former President Teddy Roosevelt, the speech focuses on the predominant themes and schemes of his opponents, handily highlighting their limits. Continue Reading...

May 13, 2013

Cato Unbound: Conservative-Libertarian Fusionism

I’m a contributor to this month’s edition of Cato Unbound, on the topic of “Conservative-Libertarian Fusionism.” The forum consists of four lead essays from the panelists followed by ad hoc discussion. Continue Reading...

February 20, 2013

Commentary: Is America the Federal Government?

“While president, Calvin Coolidge warned Americans that if it was the federal government that came to their mind when they thought of ‘the government,’ it would prove costly,” writes Ray Nothstine in this week’s Acton Commentary. Continue Reading...

November 09, 2012

The Election’s Biggest Losers

Mitt Romney may have lost to Barack Obama but his was not the biggest loss of the election—at least not economically. Despite the millions the GOP spent to elect their candidate, the real economic losers of the 2012 election, as Joel Kotkin explains, are entrepreneurs: The real losers are small business owners, or what might be called the aspirational middle class. Continue Reading...

November 06, 2012

College Cramming: A Refresher Course on the Electoral College

Whether the Republicans cry “fraud” or the Democrats scream “disenfranchised” we can be certain of one thing after the polls close: the President of the United States won’t be elected today. Continue Reading...

September 23, 2011

Samuel Gregg: GOP Candidates Must Debate Better

Acton’s director of research, Samuel Gregg, has contributed his thoughts on last night’s debate to National Review’s roundup. He was disappointed by the candidates’ performances: “with the exception of Newt Gingrich, substance did not feature highly in this debate.” Continue Reading...

July 01, 2011

Coolidge and ‘the best ideas of democracy’

If we are to maintain the great heritage which has been bequeathed to us, we must be like-minded as the fathers who created it. — Calvin Coolidge. The Wall Street Journal published today a timely, and much needed, reflection by Leon Kass on Calvin Coolidge’s address delivered at the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1926. Continue Reading...

December 07, 2010

Lott on Buckley, Revisited

John Couretas reminded me that I put up a short note about Jeremy Lott’s life of William F. Buckley, but never returned to give the overall review. Please forgive the oversight! Continue Reading...

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