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Sunday, June 26th, 2011 at 7:41am

Conservative Critics of the Libya Campaign Aren’t Isolationist–They’re Realists

Posted by Tom Skypek in 2012 Elections, American Foreign Policy, Conservatism, Current Events

The continued military adventure in Libya, the House of Representatives’ ambiguous rebuke of the President, and the President’s recent speech on Afghanistan, has led to a number of thoughtful articles on the current trajectory of our foreign policy which I wanted to share.

Colin Dueck, GOP Isolationist? No, Just More Jacksonian, RealClearPolitics
Tony Blankley, McCain Is Wrong: GOP Not Isolationist, The Washington Times
George Will, John McCain’s Never-ending War, The Washington Post

Lastly, I wanted to share the piece I wrote for RealClearPolitics, Conservatism Does Not End at America’s Shorelines. Like the three authors above, I, too, was prompted by the misleading comments of Sens. McCain and Graham. What the conservative intellectual movement needs is a substantive, honest debate…

1 Comment Tags: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Isolationism, John McCain, Libya, Lindsey Graham

Friday, February 25th, 2011 at 7:44pm

Atlas Shrugged Movie Trailer

Posted by Tom Skypek in American Politics, Conservatism, Media, Tea Party

Help promote conservative film. Spread the word about Atlas Shrugged. Check out the trailer here.

No Comments Tags: Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011 at 7:53pm

It’s the Oil, Stupid – Part II

Posted by Tom Skypek in American Foreign Policy, American Politics, Conservatism, Current Events, Economy, National Debt, Tea Party

Oil prices jumped 8.5% today as the popular uprisings in Libya continued. This is exactly what I was talking about last week in my post, “It’s the Oil, Stupid.” Instability creates uncertainty and uncertainty drives up oil prices. Because we’re slaves to Middle Eastern crude oil, Washington has to cow-tow to two-bit dictators and the price-fixing cartel OPEC. This is a choice, though. When we get serious about energy independence we can fundamentally change this dynamic. Unfortunately, as I noted last week, “The Obama administration has declared war on the coal industry through its proposed cap-and-trade legislation (and likely forthcoming EPA regulations); the licensing process for building new nuclear power plants has not been accelerated and the administration refuses to grant additional offshore drilling…

No Comments

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011 at 7:21pm

Eric Cantor Continues to Draw Ire of Conservatives

Posted by Tom Skypek in 2012 Elections, American Politics, Conservatism, Tea Party, Virginia Politics

Great piece from Erick Erickson at Red State aptly titled, “Eric Cantor’s Failure of Leadership.”

No Comments Tags: Eric Cantor, RedState

Monday, February 21st, 2011 at 6:01pm

Huckabee Declines to Take Shot At Daniels

Posted by Tom Skypek in 2012 Elections, American Politics, Conservatism, Current Events

Via Tim Alberta at the National Journal:

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) doesn’t like the idea of Republicans calling a “truce” on social issues to focus on fixing the economy — but that doesn’t mean he’s eager to take on the man pushing that message, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R).

“I’m a fan of Mitch Daniels,” Huckabee said on a conference call with reporters Monday, adding that Daniels has “an extraordinary skill set not only to be governor but to be president.”

Huckabee was speaking with reporters one day before the release of his book, “A Simple Government,” in which he writes: “I’ve been criticized many times for talking so much about ‘social issues’ when the real issue now, according to…

No Comments Tags: Mike Huckabee, Mitch Daniels, Social Issues

Monday, February 21st, 2011 at 10:57am

Does Eric Cantor Want a Third Party?

Posted by Tom Skypek in 2010 Elections, 2012 Elections, American Politics, Conservatism, Economy, National Debt, Tea Party, Virginia Politics

The Republican Party doesn’t want the Tea Party movement to spin off and form its own political party. At the presidential level, this would be a disaster, at least in the near-term. However, this is becoming an increasingly greater possibility as elected Republicans in the 112th Congress shrink from their responsibilities, as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor recently did when he, along with 91 other Republicans, voted against the Jordan amendment to cut $100 billion in federal spending.

$100 billion is a drop in the bucket. We have no money. I thought the message of the November 2010 elections was crystal clear: cut federal spending. This message seems lost on many in GOP leadership positions. What we expect are deep cuts and bold proposals. Rand Paul…

No Comments Tags: Eric Cantor, Tea Party

Sunday, February 20th, 2011 at 5:40pm

Cantor and 91 Other House Republicans Cower from Spending Cuts

Posted by Tom Skypek in 2010 Elections, American Politics, Conservatism, Current Events, Tea Party, The American Presidency, Virginia Politics

As Adam Bitely from NetRightDaily.com reported, 92 House Republicans voted against Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Jordan’s amendment to the Continuing Resolution which would have cut nearly $100 billion in spending. Among those voting against the spending cuts were House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy. The real conservatives in Republican leadership positions, Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan and Republican Caucus Chairman Jeb Hensarling, voted in favor of the amendment.

Either you’re serious about cutting spending or you’re not. Despite his tough talk, Cantor let down the voters of Virginia. We have no money. We’re broke. This isn’t the first time that Cantor has failed voters. In 2009, Cantor and 84 other Republicans voted to support the unconstitutional AIG bonus tax. These…

No Comments Tags: Eric Cantor, Jeb Hensarling, Kevin McCarthy, Paul Ryan

Friday, February 18th, 2011 at 9:51am

Book Giveaway and Review: “The Dollar Meltdown” by Charles Goyette

Posted by Tom Skypek in Conservatism, Economy, National Debt, Tea Party

The Dollar Meltdown: Surviving the Impending Currency Crisis with Gold, Oil, and Other Unconventional Investments

by Charles Goyette

Penguin (October 26, 2010)

272 pages.

List Price: $17.00 Amazon Price: $11.56

Charles Goyette has made an important contribution to the conservative and investment literature by distilling complicated economic and financial matters into an easily digestible volume. This is a must-read for conservatives and personal investors in search of a better understanding of a host of economic and financial topics including: the federal bailouts, the national debt, monetary policy and the Federal Reserve, inflation, and the role of gold in currency valuation throughout history.

The author’s thesis is simple: America’s massive national debt, coupled with reckless intrusions by government regulators,…

3 Comments Tags: Charles Goyette, Currency Crisis, Federal Reserve, Gold, Monetary Policy, Oil, SPDR Gold Shares, The Dollar Meltdown

Thursday, February 17th, 2011 at 9:31pm

Put the Students First: Fire the Striking Teachers

Posted by Tom Skypek in American Politics, Conservatism, Current Events

From the Editors at Investor’s Business Daily:

Labor: Unionized Wisconsin teachers should be ashamed of their response to legislation that would end their privilege to bargain collectively. And if such lousy behavior continues, they should be relieved of their duties.

The Wisconsin government is in a financial hole, operating with a $137 million deficit for the current fiscal year ending June 30. Its future is filled with bigger deficits, projected to be as large as $3.6 billion.

One way to cut into the shortfall is to end the public employee unions’ collective bargaining privilege that has landed them the generous salaries and benefits the taxpayers are struggling to pay.

Doing what voters elected him to do, new Republican Gov. Scott Walker introduced a…

1 Comment Tags: Scott Walker, Teachers Unions, Wisconsin

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011 at 11:46am

In Defense of Mitch Daniels

Posted by Tom Skypek in 2012 Elections, American Politics, Conservatism, Economy, National Debt, Tea Party, The American Presidency

God Bless them both but Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin are dead wrong on Governor Mitch Daniels. I’ve listened to Rush for almost a decade and Levin for several years now, and I enjoy them both but their commentary on the Indiana governor is counterproductive for conservatives and is based more on a knee-jerk reflex than an evidentiary claims. What is more, they’ve lost sight of the critical question for conservatives as we approach the 2012 presidential election: who is the most conservative candidate with the most viable path to 270?

For whatever reason, the talk radio giants have elected to mischaracterize Mitch Daniels’s record when it comes to the “social issues,” seizing on Daniels’s “truce” comment from last year. Sound bites aside, as Indiana blogger Josh Gillespie…

3 Comments Tags: Mark Levin, Mexico City Policy, Mitch Daniels, pro-life, Rush Limbaugh