Feature: Latest Reports from Real Clear Politics ‘Opinion Section’

Here are the latest reports from Real Clear Politics ‘Opinion Pages’.

Obamas Economy Is Bad; Clintons Would Be Worse
On Thursday we learned the American economy expanded at an anemic rate of just 0.5 percent in the first three months of the year. It was the worst showing in two years and the third straight quarterly decline in economic growth. The millions of Americans who continue to struggle in the Obama economy have been held hostage by this persistently weak growth. In fact, not only is the so-called “recovery” the weakest since the 1930s, Obama is on pace to become the first U.S. president in history to have never presided over a full year of growth averaging at least 3 percent. Add in the…

Closed Primaries Did Not Stop Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders is so convinced that his campaign was fatefully hamstrung by “closed” primaries in which independent voters could not participate that he is including the end of closed primaries in his list of convention demands. There’s no reason to deem this demand self-serving; at 74 years of age, Sanders will not be running for president again and he apparently wants to create a process in which candidates who follow in his footsteps will have a better shot. Although he has every right to pursue that goal, he’s wasting his time, and squandering his leverage, by…

Obscure Panel May Have Big Effect on GOP Convention
As the possibility of an open convention looms over the GOP presidential primary, the Republican National Committee’s rules panel — which will set the criteria in Cleveland in conjunction with its convention rules sibling — has been dragged to the forefront. But another, less talked-about committee could earn a place in the spotlight: The RNC Committee on Contests. If less high-profile, it is nonetheless similarly pivotal in shaping the outcome of an open convention. In June, it will evaluate challenges to convention delegates selected at the state level, with the power to recommend…

Why the GOP Establishment Wants Ted Cruz
With the pivotal Indiana presidential primary only two days away, and the decisive California contest still six weeks off, many Republican officials are already privately writing off 2016. Amid the wreckage of the turbulent 2016 nominating season, they still have a challenge in front of them: handicapping which of the two flawed finalists will cause the least long-term harm to their Grand Old Party. The conventional wisdom has been that Donald Trump is the bigger menace than Ted Cruz. Certainly, several swing-state Republican senators up for re-election in November worry about The Donald at…

Trumps Feast of Incoherence
The reviews of Donald Trump’s grand foray into foreign policy agreed on one thing, which is that Trump can’t even agree with himself. His Wednesday speech was an exercise in self-contradiction, a feast of incoherence, a walk up the down escalator. He pledges to be the best of friends but threatens to abandon alliances. He wants America to shun nation building but create stability. He plans to spend more money but waste less. He vows to be consistent but unpredictable. He intends to restore respect, even as people around the world lower their opinion of America a bit more every day he remains…

Donald Trumps Choice
SHARON – As the crow flies, the distance from this former industrial town hugging the Ohio border to Indiana, site of this week’s presidential primary contest, is just over 250 miles. That’s about the number of delegates that Donald Trump needs to win the Republican nomination on the first ballot. After the primary bloodbath in Pennsylvania last Tuesday, Indiana isn’t even a must-win for Trump. Barring a meteor slamming into planet Earth, he will be the nominee. Since the day he announced his candidacy, Trump has defied political science, political history, and…

Donald Trump Crosses a Border
Donald Trump had to squeeze through a hole in a fence to speak at the California Republican Convention on Friday. He said it felt like “crossing the border.” Meanwhile, his supporters swaggered into the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport banquet hall as if they owned the place. Maybe they know something I don’t, I shuddered. Before Trump’s talk, I spoke with many party workhorses — the folks who have sustained the GOP in challenging times. They tended to be skeptical of Trump’s credentials as a Republican and of his chance of winning in November. Trump fans, for their part, were in their…

Its Time to Take Action Against Lyme Disease
Lyme disease—a tick-borne illness that can cause debilitating pain, weakness, and fatigue—has long become a painful reality for too many Americans, including in states like Connecticut and New Hampshire. While the disease is still heavily concentrated in the Northeast, it has aggressively spread throughout the mid-Atlantic and Midwest as well. In addition to Lyme disease, there are 13 other tick-borne diseases spread by nine species of ticks throughout the country, with Southern states having the highest number of reported cases. According to a recent study conducted by the…

Growth Anemia: Blame a Collapse in Business Investment
GDP for the first quarter of 2016 came in at a paltry 0.5 percent. That sorry showing follows growth of 1.4 percent and 2 percent in the previous two quarters. If such a thing is possible, the already-anemic economy is actually getting worse. But even worse than that, the latest GDP numbers reveal a collapse in business investment, the real driver of the economy. When businesses don’t spend and invest, they don’t hire and cannot offer better-paying jobs. Business investment and wages are two sides of the same mirror. If a company purchases five trucks rather than 10, there are five fewer…

The GOP Has Been Bad. But Not as Bad as You Think
Republicans, I’m told, were elected to Congress by the people, and yet they’ve done absolutely nothing. This indictment has now mutated into “Republicans gave President Obama everything he wanted,” i.e., the GOP and Obama were basically colluding against the American voter this whole time. Republicans have been dreadful on plenty of fronts — the quality of their advocacy, the spine they show making arguments and the lack of innovation and malleability in the focus of their policies, to name a very few — but resistance to Obama’s legislative agenda was definitely not one of them. If…

The White House Press Corps and the Color Barrier
Saturday night, the 102nd White House Correspondents’ Association dinner takes place in Washington. It’s an event, various media scolds remind us annually, that has gotten way out of hand. If your vantage point is the growing list of parties and garish social events held in conjunction with the dinner — these shindigs occur all weekend — that criticism has some validity. On the other hand, the dinner itself is an occasion that (a) generates scholarship money for deserving journalism students; (b) reminds reporters, editors, and producers — at least for one evening — that the…

As Global Instability Spreads, the "Indigo" Economy Rises
Something strange is happening to our world. The basic principles, rules and values that have long served as the foundation for our lives are falling apart. Fragility and instability are spreading like a virus, infecting countries and continents. Those who only yesterday were on the margins of European politics are bursting onto center stage. Some are left-leaning, like Syriza in Greece and Podemos in Spain. Some are right-leaning, such as the National Front in France, Fidesz in Hungary or AfD in Germany. But all are populist and anti-establishment. And it is not just Europe that is being…

Assessing Ryan; Haleys Stop Sign; Beware Ransomware; Segregated Press Corps
Good morning. It’s Friday, April 29, 2016. Tomorrow night, the 102nd White House Correspondents’ Association dinner takes place in Washington. It’s an event, various media scolds remind us annually, that has gotten way out of hand. If your vantage point is the growing list of parties and garish social events held in conjunction with the dinner — these shindigs occur all weekend — that criticism has some validity. On the other hand, the dinner itself is an occasion that (a) generates scholarship money for deserving journalism students; (b) reminds reporters, editors, and…

Ransomware: A New Crime for a New Century
The fourth part of RealClearPolitics’ series on security issues in the 2016 campaign focuses on digital vulnerabilities. Part 1 was a national overview, Part 2 addressed the economy, and Part 3 dealt with energy and the environment. The kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh Jr., the payment of ransom, and the child’s subsequent murder so gripped the nation in 1932 that the episode was labeled the “crime of the century.” We’re well into a new century now, and criminals are once again demanding ransom from their victims. This time, though, it’s our computers, not…

Make Social Security Part of the 2016 Debate
The 2016 presidential campaign hasn’t been regularly elevated by enlightened debate of the most important issues facing the country. As in past elections, the candidates’ policy prescriptions typically feature fuzzy commitments such as the familiar pledge to cut waste, fraud and abuse, along with unrealistic plans intended to sound bold rather than produce progress. One candidate recently promised to pay off America’s $19 trillion debt in eight years by selling off government assets including buildings, land and natural resources. Would that it were so easy. In reality,…

A Clinton-Warren Ticket?
WASHINGTON — Running mates? It’s not even May, and already we’re talking running mates? Then let me toss Elizabeth Warren’s name into the mix. I’m making several assumptions here — in a year when assuming anything is dangerous. First, I believe Ted Cruz’s desperate gamble of adding Carly Fiorina to his “ticket” will fail. He was right to throw some kind of Hail Mary, but I don’t see how Fiorina attracts enough new support for Cruz to win the Indiana primary on Tuesday. And if he loses there, he’s pretty much toast. Donald Trump’s landslide wins this week in the Northeast gave him…

Reaganism Is Dead
A longtime Republican conservative emailed me after Donald Trump’s Tuesday night romp through the “Acela corridor.” “Is the GOP now the anti-trade, anti-immigrant party?” I don’t think so, but take no comfort in the reason: Republicans haven’t signed on to protectionism and nativism (or at least, only a minority has), but they seem to have lost all philosophical coherence. The lesson of the Ted Cruz campaign is that the party faithful are not nearly as conservative as some had thought. Even among “very conservative” voters in New York, Cruz carried only 27 percent. Were Empire State voters…

Andrew Jackson Gets a Second Look After a Misunderstanding
The inquiring mind of a young friend of mine, a junior at a Washington high school, wants to know: “What’s the meaning of moving Andrew Jackson to the back of the $20 bill?” He doesn’t discount the achievements of Harriet Tubman, who is celebrated in classrooms from kindergarten on. “Everyone knows she was a courageous woman who conducted the underground railway to save slaves,” he says, “but it’s an uneven exchange and a distortion of history to move her to the front of the $20 bill and move Andrew Jackson to the back.” You could take a poll of the kids in school, he says, and you will find…

Donald Trump Isnt the Presumptive Nominee–Not Yet, Anyway
Donald Trump has declared himself, after following up his New York win April 19 with victories in five other Northeastern states Tuesday, the “presumptive nominee” of the Republican Party. Is it a done deal? Not quite. Trump’s 40 percent of total primary votes so far have yielded him 48 percent of pledged delegates — not exactly the unfair system he’s been decrying. He must win about 56 percent of those yet to be chosen to get to the 1,237 majority necessary for the nomination. There are signs in the Northeastern primary results that he may get there. For the first time, he significantly…

GOP Hoosiers Pick Between Bad and Worse
WASHINGTON — In a world where bullying is interpreted as strength, Donald Trump and Bobby Knight would be kings. One of them is testing the proposition. Not Knight, though some in Indiana might prefer him. It is the hidden vice of polite, congenial Hoosiers — like the vicar with a fetish — that they regard the profane, chair-throwing, player-assaulting former Indiana University basketball coach as a legend. In a state where basketball is the fourth monotheistic religion, Knight’s public embrace of Trump — comparing him to George Washington and Harry Truman — might be one of those…

Six Months in, Ryan Focuses on the Big Picture
Six months into a job he reluctantly took, Speaker Paul Ryan is balancing on a narrow tightrope. On the political side, he’s been careful to maintain good relations with Donald Trump, the controversial front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination while dispelling whispers he would step in as the nominee at a contested convention. On top of that he’s been raising record sums for congressional Republicans to maintain their majority on Capitol Hill amid fears that backlash from the presidential race could cost the party control of the Senate and seats in the House. On the…

At Last, America First!
Whether the establishment likes it or not, and it evidently does not, there is a revolution going on in America. The old order in this capital city is on the way out, America is crossing a great divide, and there is no going back. Donald Trump’s triumphant march to the nomination in Cleveland, virtually assured by his five-state sweep Tuesday, confirms it, as does his foreign policy address of Wednesday. Two minutes into his speech before the Center for the National Interest, Trump declared that the “major and overriding theme” of his administration will be — “America first.” Right down the…

Haley Blasts Plan to Bring Detainees to U.S.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley told lawmakers in Washington on Thursday that she will fight to prevent Guantanamo Bay detainees from being moved to the United States. In February, President Obama reiterated his plan to close the facility and move the prisoners to the U.S. detention centers, but new locations have not been determined. In August of last year the Department of Defense contacted Haley’s office to say it was examining the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig in Charleston as a potential place to house the 80 remaining detainees. She and Republican Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas both…

ESPN Fires Curt Schilling–What About Liberal Offenders?
ESPN fired baseball analyst and former All-Star Curt Schilling for mocking the debate about the North Carolina public facilities law. On his Facebook page, Schilling posted a meme (a graphic) with the picture of an aged and overweight man dressed in just enough women’s clothing to prevent flagrant violation of public exposure laws. The photo caption read: “Let him in to the restroom with your daughter or else you’re a narrow-minded, judgmental, unloving, racist bigot who needs to die!” Under the meme, Schilling wrote: “A man is a man no matter what they call themselves. I don’t care what they…

Is College Too Pricey? Wait Till Its Free
As he panders for the youth vote, Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders promises free tuition at public colleges and universities because, he says, “a college degree is the new high school diploma.” Rival Hillary Clinton supports President Barack Obama’s plan to make community college tuition-free — that is, publicly funded. Beware, America: Imagine how expensive college tuition will be if Democrats somehow manage to make more of it “free.” As for value, if Sanders has his way, you can expect the college degree to be the new high school diploma. On the other side of the aisle, GOP…

Why Felons Should Be Allowed to Vote
America has 2.2 million jail and prison inmates, and everyone worries about what will happen when they get out. Some of us worry that they will seek out new victims and commit new crimes. Some of us worry that they will head to the nearest courthouse and register to vote. Last week, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe signed an order restoring voting rights to convicted felons once they are no longer in prison, on parole or on probation. Previously, they were barred from voting for life. He made his decision out to be one of simple humanity. “I want you back in society,” he said of ex-convicts. “I…

Puerto Rican Bonds and the Small Investor
The TV ads flash the noble faces of American retirees and urge Washington to help protect their savings. The back story is kept rather vague. It’s that many older people invested in Puerto Rican bonds. The U.S. territory’s economy is in deep crisis, and it has begun defaulting on this debt. The question here: What prompted ordinary investors to put their savings into Puerto Rican bonds? But first let’s look at who is running the ads. No, the retirees haven’t pooled their Social Security checks to make their case. These ads are being run by hedge funds and other big Wall Street players who…

Trump Escalates His Gender War
Donald Trump has decided that sexism in the quest for victory is no vice. Trump’s supporters have regularly asked why his long string of primary successes has not led his Republican opponents to accept him as “the presumptive nominee,” the phrase he used about himself Tuesday night. The candidate helpfully answered the question by showing that there is nothing normal about his campaign for the presidency. A candidate on the verge of taking it all is usually gracious about his foes inside the party and conscious of the need to broaden his appeal beyond it. But graciousness is…

Significant Premium Hikes Expected Under Obama Health Law
WASHINGTON (AP) — Expect insurers to seek significant premium increases under President Barack Obama’s health care law, in a wave of state-level requests rippling across the country ahead of the political conventions this summer. Insurers say the law’s coverage has been a financial drain for many of them, and they’re setting the stage for 2017 hikes that in some cases could reach well into the double digits. For example in Virginia, a state that reports early, nine insurers returning to the HealthCare.gov marketplace are seeking average premium increases that range from 9.4 percent to 37.1…

A Shifted GOP Race? Cruzs Gambit; Trumps Speech; Theaters Royal Family
Good morning. It’s Thursday, April 28, 2016. Ted Cruz now has a running mate, even though he doesn’t yet have a nomination to go with it, and Donald Trump has offered a foreign policy that goes beyond “Build the wall!” We explore these topics, and others, on RealClearPolitics’ front page this morning, as part of our daily assortment of aggregated stories, polls, videos, and commentary spanning the ideological spectrum. We also have a complement of original material from RCP reporters and contributors, which I’ll tout in a moment. On this date in 1878, one…

The Upsides of an Insane Election
Say what you will about Donald Trump, bless his gold-plated heart, but he’s had one heck of a week. On Tuesday, when voters in five East Coast states went to the polls, literally everything came up Trump. In Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Connecticut and Rhode Island, he won every single county, leaving those who oppose the GOP front-runner with a growing sense of helplessness, despair, or, for the optimists, a sliver of hope that Ted Cruz will win Indiana, even as his “pact” with John Kasich appears more wobbly than Trump’s ever-evolving library of policy…

A First: GOP Leaders Like Trump Speech
If Donald Trump has begun to refer to himself as the “presumptive” Republican nominee, the positive reaction Wednesday by some party leaders and strategists to his foreign policy address seemed to affirm that notion. Speaking from prepared remarks in Washington, D.C. — an unusual format and setting for the bombastic outsider candidate — Trump described U.S. foreign policy under President Obama and, by extension, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as “a complete and total disaster.” “This will all change when I become president,” Trump…