National
As usual, Noonan’s column is worth reading and this week declares Mitt Romney’s Moment:
It’s been a good week for Mitt Romney. The polls are up, he’s just off a two-day swing through Connecticut and New York, where he hauled in big donors and hard money, and he swept the GOP primaries in Kentucky and Arkansas. On Tuesday Texas will put him over the top and make him, formally and officially, the Republican nominee for president.
Not everything worked—his big education speech Wednesday was wan and pallid—but he’s having a moment. In a telephone interview, he reflected on the campaign, tracing his candidacy’s upward momentum to an increased sense among voters that the country is on the wrong path and, perhaps, a growing sense that he’s proved himself: “I can tell you that we went through those 37 or 38 contests and won the must-win states, and in some cases we started off 10 points behind. And we hustled, worked hard, and convinced the voters.” This produced “the kind of track record that people say, ‘You know, I think if Mitt can keep that up, in November we’re going to see a new president.’”
Another good Memorial Day read is Andrew Napolitano’s column suggesting Freedom is Dying Before Our Very Eyes:
What if Memorial Day reminds us of times when we had more freedom? What if freedom is dying right under our eyes? What if the memory of the past is more fulfilling than the reality of the present?
What if the federal government could write any law, regulate any behavior and tax any event, no matter what the Constitution authorized? What if the majority in Congress rejects the idea of limited government and views the Constitution as granting it blanket power to do whatever it can get away with? What if the constitutional prohibition on the government’s taking of life, liberty or property without due process of law is only for show and is not for real?
What if the House of Representatives seriously considered letting the military lock up whatever Americans the president ordered the troops to arrest, without charges filed or lawyers present or a judge presiding? What if the House seriously debated this idea of indefinite military detention of Americans in America and actually voted in favor of it? What if this unconstitutional monstrosity becomes the law and your right to due process depends on whether you remain with the majority, stay silent or behave properly? What if the Constitution’s guarantees are not guarantees at all, but are subject to the whims of whoever is in power?
Also, a few days ago the WSJ noted mixed messages from Congressional Republicans on a post-Obamacare world and there are some disturbing implications:
Congressional Republicans are divided over what to do if the Supreme Court strikes down all or part of the health-care overhaul next month.
House Republican freshmen from moderate districts say they need to have credible alternatives to present to their constituents if the court—or lawmakers—eliminate the law. They are eager to find ways to replicate popular provisions of the law, such as those requiring coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and allowing young adults to stay on their parents’ insurance plans until age 26.
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Several GOP freshmen say they want to see greater efforts to promote replacement options during this session of Congress. Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio said he was considering introducing legislation in the next few weeks that would require insurance companies to allow consumers to cover adult children on their plans up to the age of 31, charging an additional premium if necessary. But some congressional Republicans have already expressed their opposition to most kinds of federal mandates on insurers.
Sounds like someone needs to have a talk with Rep. Stivers! Read the full article here.
A few quick hits from this week on the national campaign and the upcoming recall election in Wisconsin:
- Poll Finds Support for Public Union Reforms
- New Poll: Obama Leads Romney in Wisconsin, but Gary Johnson Could Impact the Race
- Wisconsin Recall: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42 Among Likely Voters
- The Obama Spending Binge
- Protest Votes Embarrass Obama in Arkansas, Kentucky
- Is the GOP an Echo or a Choice
Today’s video explores Why Independents Will Decide the 2012 Election (click here to view in YouTube):
New Mexico
The Rio Grande Foundation now has an Audio Archives page that allows you to check out weekly radio shows and appearances elsewhere. Definitely check that out this weekend. Speaking of which, also check out RGF’s Paul Gessing writing at NMPolitics.net on gas prices:
Gas prices. The mere mention brings to mind conspiracy theories and worries over “big oil” among many Americans. After a lengthy run-up earlier in the spring, prices have declined several weeks in a row, causing the media to focus attention elsewhere, but it is worth discussing factors affecting gas prices, even when they are declining.
To that end, I will speak as part of a panel at a luncheon with several national and local experts in Albuquerque on May 30.
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The Obama Administration has pushed a variety of anti-energy policies since his election. The most prominent and controversial of these was “cap and trade.” Fortunately, “cap and trade” failed, but that does not clear Obama and his allies in Congress who have continued to oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and recently killed the Keystone XL pipeline. The Obama Administration has also placed strict limits on offshore drilling.
It is true enough, as liberals may respond, that changing these policies tomorrow would not have an immediate impact on oil prices, but having leadership in this country that is pro-energy development would signal to the markets that America is serious about leading on energy. This would put downward pressure on high prices.
Read the full article here.