Robert Schlesinger 22 minutes ago

Republicans Push European-Style Political System

By Robert Schlesinger, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

In their ongoing attempt to purify the GOP, a group of Republican National Committee members are cooking up a resolution which would lay out a 10-point platform against which would-be GOPers would be measured. Excessive divergence--getting more than two issues wrong--would result in excommunication from the party.

This is completely reasonable political party behavior ... in Europe, where parties are much more platform- and issue-driven than here in the United States. And it just makes me ask: Why do these Republicans hate the American political system?

Peter Roff 44 minutes ago

Carly Fiorina Aims to KO Barbara Boxer in 2010 California Senate Race

By Peter Roff, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

California has, for some time, been rather inhospitable to Republicans.

The state where Reagan once reigned is now considered one of the most liberal in the nation. California has not voted Republican for president since 1988. All but two of the statewide elected officials are Democrats. The congressional delegation is majority Democrat. And in the state legislature, one-party Democratic rule is considered regular order.

Once a national symbol of entrepreneurial spirit and the ability of a man or woman to remake themselves into a success on the order of their ability, the state is now mired in a morass of taxation, regulation, spending, and debt that should serve as a cautionary tale for the rest of America. Whether the damage caused by the amalgam of labor unions, trial lawyers, state bureaucrats and career politicians who actually run the state can be reversed depends on the caliber of candidate who can be enticed to enter the arena.

Jodie Allen 04:16 PM ET

Why More Favor War in Iran While Support for the Afghan Effort is Dropping

By Jodie Allen, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

Recent polls reveal a curious contrast between the public's current feelings about America's ongoing war in Afghanistan and the possibility of the nation adding another front to its list of military engagements, this one in Iran.

Though most Americans aren't ready to cut and run, an increasing number are having second thoughts about U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. A Pew Research Center November poll finds 56 percent endorsing the initial decision to use force, down 8 percentage points since January. Similarly, a late September Pew poll found support among Americans for keeping troops in Afghanistan until the country is stable stood at 50 percent—a hefty seven-point drop since June. This despite the fact that fully three-in-four Americans see a Taliban takeover in Afghanistan as a major threat to U.S. well-being.

Yet even as enthusiasm for involvement in Afghanistan faded, an October Pew Research survey, found that by a substantial 61 percent to 24 percent margin, Americans said that it is more important to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons than to avoid a military conflict with that country. True, the survey also found hefty support for direct negotiations—but most Americans just don't think they'll work. And when faced with the choice between a nuclear-armed Iran and military action, most Americans choose conflict.

Doug Heye 02:05 PM ET

Bennet's Healthcare Stand Is a Concession to Reality, Not a Profile in Courage

By Doug Heye, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

"I'll risk my job to vote for healthcare," Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet told CNN's John King yesterday. For many on the Left, the statement was a rallying cry of martyrdom. "They may take our freedom, but they'll never take our government-run healthcare," the newly-minted William Wallace of the Senate might say. On the surface, it's the bold statement of a politician laying it all on the line. But scratch the surface just a little bit and one is quickly reminded that however Bennet may vote on Harry Reid's healthcare bill, his job is already at risk.

Mary Kate Cary 01:26 PM ET

Houston’s Bush Tops List of Best Airports for Thanksgiving Travel

By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

This morning's Daily Beast ranks the best and worst American airports, just in time for the busiest travel week of the year. Take a look at the rankings so you'll be prepared for the nightmare if your destination is on the list.

It's no surprise that Newark, New Jersey ranks as the "airport from hell," but let's have a drumroll for the best airport in the United States. I'll give you a hint: it's named after my favorite skydiving former President. Next time you're flying into Houston, check out the statue of him in the middle of the terminal and read about his career as a Navy pilot who flew over 50 combat missions into very dangerous territory during WWII. No wonder operations there are so highly ranked ...

Laura Chapin 10:48 AM ET

Colorado Could Become First State to Regulate & Tax Medical Marijuana

By Laura Chapin, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

DENVER—There was an old hippy saying in the '60s: "If the government figured out a way to tax it, marijuana would become legal." As of last week, Colorado has apparently crossed that Rubicon—at least for the prescribed version.

John Suthers, the state's Republican attorney general, issued an opinion on Nov. 16 that yes, the state of Colorado does have the authority to tax medical marijuana. The opinion was in response to a request for legal clarification from Colorado's Democratic Governor (and former Denver District Attorney) Bill Ritter. The governor's office hasn't indicated whether they support taxing medical marijuana, they simply wanted an official opinion on the state's authority to do so.

Still, Conservatives clapped their hands over a new revenue stream. Liberals are happy that people who are sick and need help will get it. And a cash-strapped state may have found a way to relieve a bit of its budget crunch.

Bonnie Erbe November 20, 2009

Landrieu’s Medicaid Deal Hurts Middle Class Taxpayers Everywhere

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

I know politics is the art of the possible and compromise is key. But I'm sickened by the taxpayer cash being doled out as "walking around money" to lure Democrats into the healthcare fold. Here's what the Wall Street Journal said:

Take Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu. She's now likely to vote with Mr. Reid on Saturday after an amendment was inserted to increase her state's federal Medicaid subsidies by $100 million. The amendment devotes two pages to language making certain that only Louisiana would be entitled to the extra cash.

A Senator's healthcare vote should be based on whether he or she believes in public subsidies, from middle class and wealthy taxpayers, to provide healthcare for low income Americans. It should not be based on the government equivalent of a bribe.

Doug Heye November 20, 2009

Healthcare Comment Illustrates the Sudden Irrelevancy of Jesse Jackson

By Doug Heye, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

"You can't vote against healthcare and call yourself a black man."

So pronounced the Rev. Jesse Jackson the other night at an event held by the Congressional Black Caucus, also known as the CBC, in honor of the 25th anniversary of Jackson's 1984 Presidential campaign. You might not have heard about Jackson's remark. It received some notice, but nowhere near the overwhelming coverage that Jackson's blue comments last year towards Barack Obama or even his tasteless comment that New York City's Jewish voters made the city "Hymietown."

Jackson criticizing an African-American presidential candidate or offering bizarre anti-Semitic remarks are certainly more newsworthy that criticizing a lone Congressman he declined to mention by name—in this case Rep. Artur Davis, a CBC member and gubernatorial candidate in Alabama. But more than that, the African-American electorate and, by definition, its representation is changing to the point that Jackson's comment can be dismissed as irrelevant.

Peter Roff November 19, 2009

House Republicans Tar Moderate Democrats With Liberal Healthcare Votes

By Peter Roff, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

Showing new signs of life after the embarrassing debacle in New York's 23rd Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions and the National Republican Congressional Committee are already pounding some senior Democrats whose vote in favor of Nancy Pelosi's healthcare package may make then vulnerable at the next election.

In new ads designed to run in North Dakota, Arkansas and South Carolina, the committee is raising the issue of the votes Democrats Earl Pomeroy, Vic Snyder and John Spratt cast in favor of Pelosicare by using the words of fellow Democrats who voted against it: