Author: John Hawkins

The GOP’s polling numbers are hideous and still getting worse. In particular, these numbers from AP-Ipsos really jump out at you: “Forty-five percent of self-described conservatives now disapprove of the president….Even 31 percent of conservatives want Republicans out of power….Six of 10 conservatives say America is headed in the wrong direction.” We’ve had high gas […]

Sadly, Andrea Clark has passed away. Her sister Melanie Childers posted this message at the Democratic Underground a couple of hours ago: “Andrea passed away peacefully a little before 3pm today, with her family and her friends at her bedside. We love her so very much and we are going to miss her terribly. We […]

Domestic Bush Says He Would Like To Close Guantanamo (WHAT???) Exit Of C.I.A. Chief Viewed As Move To Recast Agency (Free New York Times Reg Req) Some Lawmakers Wary Of General Running The CIA Democrats Plan Probes Of Bush Administration If It Wins The House (Free WAPO Reg Req) Republican Right Abandoning Bush — 45 […]

RWN returns on Monday. Until then, have a great week-end, enjoy the links below, and consider this an open thread. Where You WON’T See Stephen Colbert Speaking Truthiness To Power Sudan And Largest Rebel Faction Sign Pact To End Carnage Stop The ACLU Send-A-Brick Porter Goss Abruptly Resigns As CIA Chief Pirate’s Cove Palmetto Pundit […]

Question: “Do you think the base will punish the congressional Republicans this November by staying home? Do you think we should? My opinion by the way is that as much as I would love to see some of those nimrods get punished for their behavior (acting like Democrats) I don’t think now is the time […]

Question: “Lionsgate recently acquired the distribution rights to produce a film version of Atlas Shrugged. Rumor is that Angelina Jolie will be cast as Dagny Taggart, with Brad Pitt opposite her as John Galt. Do you like the idea of converting the novel into a movie? Who would you cast in the film’s major roles?” […]

Question: “I was just called up by the NRSC looking for money to re-elect the Republicans. I told the caller I would not send any money to the Republicans until something was done at the border and they built a fence. He proceeded to tell me the supplemental bill the Senate just passed and the […]

Question: “John I’ve been kinda wondering about John McCain. I know he thinks its time for him to be the president, but I also know he has done too many things to anger the base of conservatives. Let’s just say he does not get the nomination. Do you think he would go independent out of […]

Question: “I noticed that video blogging seems to be getting more popular on the web these days. Michelle Malkin has a new website where she feature these video blogs or vlogs. What do you think of vlogs? And where do you think they will be in the future?” — Scorched_Earth Answer: In every way, Michelle […]

Question: “John, what are your thoughts on the Moussaoui verdict?” — Kingfisher Answer: I think it was a big mistake to send Moussaoui through the American court system. It’s simply not properly equipped to deal with foreign terrorists and to tell you the truth, if Moussaoui wasn’t such a huge idiot, he might have beaten […]

Question: “I read that the Shah’s grandson is trying to plan a new revolution in Iran. How long can the US afford to wait on Iranians to deal with the Mad Mullahs?” — Compiled Answer: The truth is, at this point, the general public really has no way of knowing how long we have until […]

Question: “Given the terrible performance of the US Senate and Senate Republicans in particular, I am in favor of repealing the 17th amendment and returning selection of senators to the state legislatures. I believe this will significantly reduce the influence of big money interests and increase the influence of local government at the expense of […]

Domestic Kennedy Car Crash Cover-Up? Kennedy Blames Accident On Sleep Medicine. “Some Time Around 2:45 A.M., I Drove The Few Blocks To The Capitol Complex Believing I Needed To Vote. Apparently, I Was Disoriented From The Medication.” (This Guy Is Too Out Of It To Be In Congress Even If He’s Telling The Truth — […]

Today is Q&A Friday #39 at RWN. So, if there’s a subject you’ve been wanting me to tackle or an issue you want to hear my opinion on, just ask your question in the comments section. Your question can be about politics, ideology, history, blogging, RWN, from a liberal, conservative, or libertarian perspective; heck, it […]

Consider the House’s rejection of Roy Blunt as a “business-as-usual” Majority Leader, their tough stance on illegal immigration, and this statement from Dennis Hastert about the Senate’s ridiculous, pork laden emergency spending bill: “As it’s currently drafted, the Senate’s $109 billion emergency spending bill is dead on arrival in the House. President Bush requested $92 […]

David Frum has written a gloomy piece for CATO about the future of conservatism. To make a long story short, he seems to think that Bush has put out the last sparks of Gingrich’s Republican Revolution and it’s all downhill from here. Here’s a short excerpt that doesn’t truly capture the complexity of Frum’s column, […]

Like a lot of liberals, economist Charles Wheelan simply cannot wrap his mind around the concept of the Laffer Curve. In his latest column, Charles Wheeler explains why cutting taxes absolutely, positively, cannot lead to more revenue flowing into the treasury as a result of the economy being stimulated: “Economist Arthur Laffer made a very […]

Rod Dreher seems like a nice enough guy and his book, Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, Gun-Loving Organic Gardeners, Evangelical Free-Range Farmers, Hip Homeschooling Mamas, Right-Wing Nature Lovers, and Their Diverse Tribe of Countercultural Conservatives Plan to Save America (or at least the Republican Party) was actually advertised on RWN, but to tell you the […]

Surely, the Democrats couldn’t be this thickheaded: “After months of relative quiet, senators raised the prospect yesterday of a return to bitter battles and a possible filibuster over judicial nominations, as the White House urged confirmation of two conservative nominees who have sought approval for years. Democratic leaders said they certainly would filibuster one of […]

Know what this latest pork ridden Senate Bill is for President Bush? It’s an opportunity: “A must-pass Senate bill funding the war in Iraq and hurricane aid for the Gulf Coast faces a vote Thursday, but a veto threat imperils many provisions added by lawmakers. The bill is now about $14 billion more than President […]

Domestic Zacarias Moussaoui: “America, You Lost! I Won.” Moussaoui Gets Life in Prison Acrimony Over Bush Judicial Nominations Resurfaces (Free WAPO Reg Reeq) Nifong To Remain Durham’s DA Initial DNA Test Results May Not Tell Whole Story, DA Says St. Luke’s To Continue Care Of Heart Patient. Decision Eases Uncertainty After Transfer To Chicago Falls […]

Today, I was in on a blogger teleconference with Ken Cohen, Vice President of Public Affairs at ExxonMobil. I actually had to move on at the one hour mark, but Cohen was still going, which is kind of unusual. But maybe that’s because Cohen has probably never been on the line with a group of […]

The data showing that Americans prefer a tough approach to illegal immigration just keeps on coming. Just take a look at this Zogby survey (yeah, I know it’s Zogby and you have to take his polls with a grain of salt, but still….) which actually allows Americans to choose between the Senate and the House […]

Now this is a fun concept: “…(S)everal other celebrities got zinged in a recent poll that asked participants to pick “celebrities we’d least like to fly with.” Model, actress and sex tape star Paris Hilton took “top” honors from 26 percent of people who responded to the survey… …Sitting in second place with 23 percent: […]

People often say that the blogosphere is “self-correcting” and that’s true — for the right side. On the other hand, the left side of the blogosphere is a fountain of misinformation. The left gets it wrong over and over and over again, day in and day out, and as long as the story reflects badly […]

Here’s a rare bird: an online poll that Republicans in Washington would be wise to heed. It’s from Polipundit, a mainstream conservative website that draws exactly the sort of people who normally vote for a straight Republican ticket, donate to campaigns, put up yard signs, talk up Bush to their neighbors, and do all the […]

“We have 50 million Muslims in Europe. There are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe – without swords, without guns, without conquests. The fifty million Muslims of Europe will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades. “Allah mobilizes the Muslim nation of Turkey, and adds it to the European […]

Domestic US Senate To Make New Try At Immigration Law After Huge Protests Republicans Set Sights On Aliens’ Employers Tom Tancredo Pushes On Aides Say GOP Lawmakers Near Tax Bill Deal John Bolton To Kucinich On Sy Hersh’s Piece: “I Don’t Have Time To Read Much Fiction” Mary Cheney Says Her Father Said Exactly What […]

If you want to see how far around the bend the left-wing blogosphere is, just take a look at this post over at Seeing the Forest — the sinister cover-up of Steven Colbert’s stand-up routine at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. Now, before we get started, you’re probably thinking, “Did he just use the […]

— Europe’s attempts to negotiate with Iran have failed utterly and completely. Iran’s foreign minister has said that “Russia and China had officially informed Tehran they would not support sanctions or military action.” That means effective action via the UN is out. So, isn’t it fair to say that we have exhausted all diplomatic options […]