Sunday, July 25, 2010

In Review: No Apology

Courtesy of St. Martin's Press
The Case for American Greatness

Mitt Romney's (R-MA) policy oriented book No Apology hit stores in early 2010, spurring a new surge in book sales just as the rigor from Sarah Palin's (R-AK) book was beginning to wane. Unlike Going Rouge, Romney's book is not a biography, and actually no cohesive life story is ever really presented. Instead the book focuses on what politics should really be about, policy and policy options. The book highlights many of the most controversial and divisive issues facing America today and Mitt Romney faces them unflinchingly and with an excess of data (he literally includes graphs and charts). Well researched and well written, No Apology may become the go to point for a Romney 2012 campaign, much like Barack Obama's two books became a launching pad for him. Exploring issues and providing a variety of answers to issues like the economy, deficits, education, and social problems; No Apology, by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, is a thoughtful and engaging read.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

There's a Storm a Brewin'

Courtesy of Iconphotos
"When a Tornado meets a Volcano"

Two seemingly unstoppable forces are poised to collide over Arizona's controversial immigration law. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R-AZ) is set to spar with the United States Department of Justice as the Obama Administration announces that it will make good on its threat to sue the state. However instead of backing down, Governor Brewer has signaled both to the Administration and to the public that she will not be intimidated saying, in reference to the Obama Administration, "We will meet you in court" and that she has a good track record of winning in court. And with those words, the age old struggle between State and Federal jurisdiction is again headed for another showdown.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Kagan Takes the Stand

Courtesy of Getty Images
Elena Kagan: Supreme Court Justice?

With the announcement of the retirement of Associate United States Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens on April 9th, President Barack Obama found himself with the second Supreme Court Nomination of his first two years in office. He did not make the country wait long for his choice as a replacement and on May 10th President Obama officially nominated US Solicitor General Elena Kagan to be the 4th woman to sit on the country's highest bench. With the confirmation hearing now underway, will Elena Kagan join the likes of Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader-Ginsberg in our nations history books?

Sunday, July 11, 2010

The Power of Tea

Courtesy of Getty Images
A Modern Day Tea Party

During the political maelstrom that gripped the nation in 2009, raging over issues like the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (The Bailout) to the proposed health care legislation, the Tea Party was born. Taking the name in reference to Boston Tea Party of Colonial times and creatively using it as an acronym for the slogan 'Taxed Enough Already,' the Tea party hit the national stage holding local protests and even convening the first National Tea Party Convention, headlined by the 'Conservative Darling' herself, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK). Although more conservatively aligned, the Tea Party covers every spectrum of the Republican Ticket, supporting the anti-military policies of Ron Paul (R-TX) while chanting Sarah Palin's slogan of "Drill Baby, Drill." With new Gallup Polls indicting that 1 in 5 Americans either somewhat or strongly support the Tea Party Movement, one would assume that it would have a large impact on the 2010 Midterm Elections. Let's take a look and see just how powerful this grass roots organization really is.