Republicans seek to follow Ronald Reagan’s example to recapture the presidency, but they’re confused about the way he actually won. Reagan didn’t win by mobilizing conservatives: in fact, the percentage of self-described “conservatives” in the electorate in 1980 was only 28 percent—the lowest in the last thirty years! Reagan won by carrying “moderates” and “independents”, overwhelming Carter in the latter group by 25 points!

Polls show that at least 80% of African-Americans disapprove of the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial, leading some conservatives to give up ever making significant progress in the left-leaning black community.

A close-friend wrote to my wife with serious concerns about her nephew, a bright and idealistic young man who came home from his elite university full of indignation about the state of Israel and its alleged destruction of the once flourishing nation of Palestine. In response, I wrote back with a general point about any nation's "right to exist" and four specific questions about the recent history of the Middle East.

The remarkable new film FILL THE VOID is richly romantic, overwhelmingly emotional, and full of inspiring religious overtones.

While economists and politicians celebrate economic recovery, the American people refuse to accept the good news. Only a third of the public sees the nation headed in “the right direction” – a figure that’s dropped ten points since President Obama’s re-election

Democrats regularly insist the GOP has been captured by right wing extremists and only hard-line conservatives can prevail in the primary process.

President Obama blames Congressional Republicans for collapse of his “hope and change” agenda but those claims make no sense in historical context.

As new revelations underscore the administration's epic incompetence in its handling of the Benghazi disaster and IRS abuses, some Republican voices in the House and Senate, along with pundits of every persuasion, have begun to speculate about "the I word" — impeachment.

Roger’s sad departure from the national scene dramatizes the fact that no reviewer today enjoys that sort of influence or prominence. Networks, along with most local stations, no longer employ regular film critics and efforts to revive the old Sneak Previews format of film clips mixed with bickering commentators have all faded or failed.

On talk radio, in internet commentary and at right wing conferences, worried analysts and activists obsess over the dire electoral consequence of "three million missing Republicans" who doomed conservative chances in 2012.

I recently said goodbye to car I had enjoyed and cherished for several years, repeating an experience familiar to most of my fellow baby-boomers.

As Barack Obama prepares for his trip to Israel on March 20th—his first as President—he might consider taking the opportunity to correct common distortions about the Jewish state that his administration has, on occasion, helped to promote

The 2013 Academy Award broadcast generally steered clear of overt political statements, but two aspects of the occasion demonstrated the movie industry’s strong liberal values.

As President Obama prepares his State of the Union Address and the nation looks forward to a Presidents Day holiday, Americans should consider the warning examples of our worst chief executives.

The Great Gun Debate shows American political discourse at its irrational worst; with both left and right promoting panic and hysteria that distracts attention from the nation’s truly menacing problems. Instead of addressing crushing deficits, economic stagnation, political gridlock, and the erosion of middle-class security, politicians and pundits obsess over gun violence—one of the few challenges where the United States has made dramatic progress in recent years.

The president could break the logjam in Washington and move toward a solution of all budgetary problems if he merely asked every American to contribute 2 cents.

Exhilarated by the record number of women elected to both the House and Senate in 2012, giddy commentators have begun suggesting that increased representation by females could cure the poisonous polarization in Washington and repair the broken institutions of our government. A more sober, comprehensive analysis, however, reveals no historical or logical basis to assume that the much heralded influx of female politicos means an automatic improvement in the dysfunctional performance of the legislative branch.

As Washington staggers into a new year, one side of the political spectrum polarizes and paralyzes all ongoing debates due to its irrational reliance on a higher power.

The sad passing of an early star of right wing talk radio highlights some of the profound changes in news broadcasting and the conservative movement in general. Those transformations may seem lamentable in this season of Republican self-flagellation but actually demonstrate an improved ability for right-of-center arguments to play a significant role in the national dialogue.

If Republicans hope to break their wretched streak of disappointing presidential campaigns – losing the popular vote in five of the last six White House contests – they should learn crucial lessons from the only candidate in that dismal span who proved notably more popular than his party’s national brand: John McCain.