Morton M. Kondracke
| May 17, 2012, Midnight
There are two new books out that you should not wait until summer to read. They recommend pathways to undo political stalemate and avoid the decline of America, so they’re urgent business.
Morton M. Kondracke
| April 19, 2012, Midnight
With Republicans moving ever further to the right and Democrats to the left — though not so far as Republicans are to the right — there really is a crying need for a centrist alternative.
Morton M. Kondracke
| March 5, 2012, Midnight
After serving as America’s political doormat for almost two decades, there are signs that the country’s moderate near-majority is bestirring itself to fight for national sanity.
Morton M. Kondracke
| Jan. 30, 2012, Midnight
I despaired again on State of the Union night that Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels isn’t running for the Republican presidential nomination. His response to President Barack Obama was the opposite of what we’re seeing in the Roman circuses of GOP debates.
Morton M. Kondracke
| Jan. 19, 2012, Midnight
President Barack Obama is far from winning re-election, but his “Truman strategy” — plus some mild improvement in economic conditions — seems to have improved his prospects. And Republicans are helping.
Morton M. Kondracke
| Dec. 8, 2011, Midnight
Do Republicans and Democrats really want to create jobs — or just pretend to do so and blame the other side for high unemployment? If they did want to spur job growth, they’d do what always works to secure more of something — reduce taxes on it. And keep them low.
Morton M. Kondracke
| Nov. 10, 2011, Midnight
I have this optimistic fantasy — that the chairmen of Congress’ fiscal super committee, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), will get together for a “two-pitcher lunch” and agree to “go big” on debt reduction.
Morton M. Kondracke
| Oct. 17, 2011, Midnight
If I had it, I’d bet a lot of money that Mitt Romney will be the 2012 GOP presidential nominee.
Morton M. Kondracke
| Oct. 3, 2011, Midnight
Dismal news about U.S. public education keeps tumbling in, but Congress seems unable to act and Republican presidential candidates seem determined to have America keep slipping behind the rest of the world.
Morton M. Kondracke
| Sept. 7, 2011, Midnight
President Barack Obama’s re-election prospects look dimmer by the day, so — absent an economic turnaround — he’s likely to try to win in 2012 the way Harry Truman did in 1948: by blasting Republicans.
Morton M. Kondracke
| Aug. 4, 2011, Midnight
Clearly, this week’s debt limit deal was better than the alternative — economic catastrophe — but it did not solve the nation’s debt dilemma and it will hurt economic growth and the jobs picture.
Morton M. Kondracke
| July 14, 2011, Midnight
Unless there’s a breakthrough soon, hyper-partisanship, political positioning and ideological rigidity could throw the U.S. economy over a cliff.
Morton M. Kondracke
| June 30, 2011, Midnight
Everyone’s talking — legitimately —about whether failing to reach a debt limit deal would be “catastrophic” or merely “serious.” And about who would get the blame. But what about the upside?
Morton M. Kondracke
| June 9, 2011, Midnight
On one level, this was a bucket-list trip to Europe and Russia. On another, it was a trip through history — and its unmistakable implications for the Middle East.
Morton M. Kondracke
| March 24, 2011, 9:41 a.m.
Unless Congress blows it, the United States has the best chance ever to finally make its public education system world class.
Morton M. Kondracke
| Feb. 24, 2011, 10:37 a.m.
In 2006 and 2008, American voters gave Democrats big victories because they were mad at Republicans. In 2010, they gave Republicans a big victory because they were mad at Democrats.
Morton M. Kondracke
| Dec. 30, 2010, 4:39 p.m.
For inspiration this New Year season, I am going to quote at length one of the most encouraging pieces of Congressional testimony I’ve ever heard. It was delivered in May 2009 by Scott Gordon, CEO of the Mastery Charter Schools, one of six programs awarded $1 million by Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network for work in turning around failing schools.
Morton M. Kondracke
| Dec. 24, 2010, 7:58 p.m.
In December 1994, after Democrats had lost 54 House and eight Senate seats and with President Bill Clinton’s approval rating at 42 percent, I bet my wife $10 million that Clinton would be a one-term president.
Morton M. Kondracke
| Nov. 23, 2010, 2:39 p.m.
In 1946, as the Soviet Union moved to subjugate Europe, Sen. Arthur Vandenberg (R-Mich.) famously told President Harry Truman that he had to “scare the hell out of the American people” to get them to support aid for endangered Greece and Turkey.
Morton M. Kondracke
| Nov. 11, 2010, 3:08 p.m.
Instead of waging nonstop war over Obamacare, Republicans and Democrats should fix it — and a Democratic governor has ideas about how to do it.
