A liberal in 1962 and one today are likely two different animals. But the concept of those who feel their own sense of "manifest destiny" to be that of imposing their better judgment on everyone else remains a problem in 2013.
Despite on onslaught of national press that seemed to be pushing Elizabeth Colbert Busch toward a victory in the South Carolina special congressional election, former Gov. Mark Sanford, baggage and all, prevailed with a resounding victory. And while I never judge personal lives, it is fair to say that voters in that district overlooked quite a lot in giving Sanford a pass on his past and into the U.S. House.
An ABC News-Washington Post survey shows that well over 70 percent of Americans want the surviving accused bomber of the Boston Marathon to be executed if found guilty in a court of law.
I happened to hear President Obama halfway into his remarks on the evening that the surviving Boston Marathon terrorist was captured.
A Gallup poll released this week shows that almost 60 percent of adults in America believe that wealth is distributed unfairly, with over 50 percent saying that "the rich" should be taxed heavily to accomplish a fair distribution of resources.
As a columnist, I have my own opinions on issues, and from the get-go I opposed expanded background checks for gun purchases because I viewed it as a slippery slope that could lead to more and more lists of honest Americans and more and more control by the government that would own those lists.
This weekend, the NCAA Final Four Championship comes once again to Atlanta. And the indictment of dozens of Atlanta educators and administrators in an alleged test-score-cheating scheme has both locals and the national press buzzing.
Mention his name to most Washington, D.C., insiders and plenty of his GOP colleagues, and you will hear everything from "frustrating" to "crazy." But Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky might be just conventionally unconventional enough to stun his party and the nation in 2016.
If you are over the age of 49, you need to take the story of a comedian and a hopelessly lost television network seriously. And even if you are younger, it's worth considering that you likely hope to live way past 49, as well.
In choosing Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio to become its next pope, the Catholic Church offers those of us who are a part of its membership, and the rest of the world as well, the hope of a spiritual leader who can rekindle the common touch for which Pope John Paul II was so beloved -- and perhaps rid the Church of its reputation for loving the material of this world as much, if not more, than the spiritual.
Being a native of Atlanta, I always resented media depictions and popular culture images of Georgia as a state where everyone wore overalls, had three teeth in their head, and liberally used terms like "ain't" and "gonna" in their daily vocabulary.
The Wall Street Journal of Feb. 27 tells the story in its own headlines. On page C1, the story was, "JPMorgan Pulls Belt Tight," while on C3 the headline read, "Wall Street's Bonus Pool Hits $20 Billion." If that doesn't describe this crazy false recovery we are allegedly undergoing, nothing does.
The president, the politicians and the media will work the public and Wall Street into a frenzy, and we will have another of our national panic attacks leading to an eleventh-hour compromise.
Now we have literally seen it all. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida takes a few sips of water in delivering the Republican response to the State of the Union address, and it becomes the coldest "splash" the media have allegedly seen in years, but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce -- with gasoline as high as we've seen it -- advocates increasing the gas tax, spilling an entire gallon of potentially politically flammable liquid with virtually no media interest.
For most in the political commentary business, labels come and go. I've read reactions to columns throwing about labels like "RINO" (Republican in Name Only) and "Establishment," coupled with others using terms like "radical," "ultraconservative" and "Neanderthal."
Gomer Pyle, USMC, in his 80s, just got married to some guy from Hawaii; some player from Notre Dame had a dead virtual girlfriend who really wasn't alive; and the media are reporting that we've been out of the recession since March of 2009. Well as Gomer would have said, "Golly!"
Speaker John Boehner finally declared this week that President Obama's goal over the next few years is to "annihilate" the GOP.
For years now, we've heard from all types, ranging from the "over-informed" to the just plain ignorant, claiming that under President Obama the nation isn't just moving towards "socialism," but rather in a direction in which liberty truly disappears quickly and tyranny creeps in and takes its place.
For my money, the single most talented voice in the modern history of talk radio is retiring later this month. Not "one of" the most talented -- the most talented.
Oh, the carnage. President Barack Obama played his cards masterfully, as the Republican Party once again caved in one of his endless games of legislative chicken.
