Would Republicans Have Been Better off Without the Recall?
Among the Donald Trump faithful, he can do no wrong. The stalwarts did not mind the departure of Reince Priebus and Sean Spicer, who were seen as Establishment Republicans, presumably committed, but insufficiently, to Draining the Swamp. That swamp, candidate Trump implied, was full of the status quo, cronies from both major political parties who […]
Will President Trump and a Republican Congress End Federal Taxable income Deduction for State Income Tax?
(Editor’s Note: This is Part 2 of Arnold Steinberg’s examination of the politics and logic of federal taxable income deductions for state income taxes and the consequences for California.) The conspiracy theoreticians discern in the current atmosphere a Trump scheme, because repealing the state income tax deduction will profoundly affect two egregiously BLUE states – […]
Will President Trump and a Republican Congress End Federal Tax Deduction for State Income Tax?
(Editor’s Note: Arnold Steinberg looks at the politics and logic behind eliminating the deduction of state taxes for federal tax purposes. In Part 1 today, Steinberg offers a background on tax deductibility. Tomorrow in Part 2 he deals with the tax deductibility and California) A good friend and solid conservative is concerned that the Trump Administration wants […]
Will California Finally be in Play?
A statewide survey of registered Republicans in California showed Donald Trump leading Ted Cruz by 37-to-30 percent, with John Kasich at 12 percent. But among likely Republican voters, the numbers were Trump 36 percent, Cruz 35, and Kasich 14. What does this Los Angeles Times survey tell us? It’s true that the Times poll, done in cooperation with the […]
Coasting to More of the Same?
The uproar over the California Coastal Commission’s firing of its executive director may be misguided. The executive director since 2011, Charles Lester is, by all accounts, an honest man. And no one questions his dedication to his work. But although Lester and other enthusiasts of the Coastal Commission say that the Commission’s “work” is, quite […]
Trump Takes the Pledge, What Happens Now?
Right now, unless the Republican party rules change quickly, many party primaries would remain winner-take-all. That means the candidate with the most votes – a plurality of even 25 or 30 percent of a state’s primary vote – could win all the delegates from that state. Many of the party’s seventeen candidates have little or no chance […]
Tonight’s Debate(s)
Debates drive polls, not the other way around. That’s why it was wrong for the Republican National Committee and Fox to average early and volatile polling to decide the ten top candidates for tonight’s debate. Polls that rotate sixteen ballot choices without any titles such as governor or senator favor the candidates dominating the recent news, especially […]
The Former Mayor of Carmel (Clint Eastwood) Could Teach Eric Cantor a Thing or Two
Eric Cantor’s losing campaign spent $168,000…just on steakhouses. That’s more than David Brat’s entire campaign. This is not because David Brat is a vegetarian. We cannot even say that he is a spoiler Brat. I’m not even certain Cantor’s stunning defeat sends a message about crony capitalism. To be sure, Republican leaders play homage to […]
Tony Blankley, 1948-2012
Crossposted on The Weekly Standard Two weeks ago I spoke with Tony Blankley. He was in the ICU at Sibley Hospital in Washington. He was glad to hear from me. He was cheerful, upbeat, optimistic. It seems a problem biopsy following his past battle with stomach cancer had led to troublesome effects, notably internal bleeding, […]