Guest Columns

Winning by Destroying: Trump and Gingrich

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By Robert Reich – When I was a boy and lost just about every sporting event I tried, my father told me, “What counts isn’t whether you win or lose but how you play the game.” Most parents told their kids this. It was part of the American creed. But I doubt Fred Trump passed…

Hard to Believe: It’s Come Down to Hillary or Trump

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Raging Moderate – By Will Durst – Every four years our nation’s electoral eccentricities escalate exponentially and people throw up their hands and shout, “you know, every election cycle is wacky, but especially this one.” But especially this one! With this one, the narrative changes faster than the score of a Wiffle Ball game played…

Robert Reich: It’s Not Over Until It’s Over

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By Robert Reich – This morning I heard from an old friend here in California who said “I’m for Bernie, but he doesn’t really have a chance anymore. So isn’t my vote for him in the California primary just prolonging the agony, and indirectly helping Trump?” I told him: 1. True, the electoral numbers are…

Trump Hits on the Media

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Making Sense – By Michael Reagan – Donald Trump is still no conservative and never will be. He still hasn’t figured out that the mix of insults, bluster and off-the-cuff political statements that won him the Republican Party primary won’t work in the general election. But a lot of us conservatives enjoyed watching him attack…

Has Alabama Governor Robert Bentley Gone Mad?

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Guest Column – By Stephen Cooper – The last time Alabama Governor Bentley penned a column for al.com, I wrote in The Alabama Political Reporter that his op-ed proved he was delusional. But this time, as it concerns his May 29 open letter to all Alabamians (Governor Bentley wants to hear from you), I can’t…

Trump Hits New Low With Attack on ‘Mexican’ Judge

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By Dick Polman – Predictably, America’s Troll is still attacking the federal judge who’s handling the lawsuit against Trump University. On Memorial Day, Donald Trump twice tweeted that the judge he derided last week as “Mexican” (Gonzalo Curiel was born, raised, and educated in Indiana) is “totally biased” against the inherent greatness of Der Leader.…

Gorilla Politics and the Grand Old Party

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Raging Moderate – By Will Durst – A hearty congratulations to conservatives for a seamless transition from party-wide disgust to near unanimous endorsement of a gorilla as their presidential nominee. Considering the tortuous undulations required, this metamorphosis seems to have occurred with shockingly few chiropractic adjustments. Having indulged in the kind of convoluted contortions that…

Look Which Political Party is Crying Now

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Making Sense – By Michael Reagan – Look which party is blowing itself up now and struggling to unify behind a single candidate. Hint: It’s not the Republicans. After all those months of worrying and complaining about having too many candidates, the GOP finally found its 2016 presidential candidate, for good and bad. A couple…

Robert Reich: Advice for Divided Democrats

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By Robert Reich – With the Democratic primaries grinding to a bitter end, I have suggestions for both Clinton and Sanders supporters that neither will like. First, my advice to Clinton supporters: Don’t try to drum Bernie Sanders out of the race before Hillary Clinton officially gets the nomination (if she in fact does get…

Robert Reich: Why Trump Might Win

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By Robert Reich – A new Washington Post/ABC News poll released Sunday finds Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in a statistical tie, with Trump leading Clinton 46 percent to 44 percent among registered voters. That’s an 11 percent swing against Clinton since March. A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, also released Sunday, shows Clinton…

Eight 100 Million Dollar Ideas for Prison Reform in Alabama

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By Stephen Cooper – Guest Column – Instead of wrapping an $800 million dollar ($1.5 billion over 30 years) albatross around the necks of Alabamians to build four new super-prisons, here are eight $100 million dollar ideas, each of which, I respectfully submit, are more efficient and morally sound ways to tackle Alabama’s prison problems:…

Vietnam Should Be Considered a Friend and Ally of the United States

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­By James Rhodes – Special to the New American Journal – HANOI, Vietnam — Political pundit Bill Maher frequents laments over the stupidity and ignorance of the voting electorate in the United States. What amazes me is how grossly understated this phenomena actually happens to be. The most recent case in point is President Obama’s…

Facebook Scandal a Warning for the Future of the Internet

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By Phil Kerpen – A Conservative View – Many conservatives are waving off concerns about Facebook manipulating its Trending News feature because it’s a private company. In addition to legal concerns related to the fact the feature was deceptively misrepresented, there is a bigger reason Facebook’s conduct should set off alarm bells: the company has…

Donald Trump: Not For Sale, but Now for Rent

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By Michael Shannon – A Conservative View – Donald Trump has upended presidential campaign conventional wisdom yet again. In past years, it was traditional for candidates to wait until after inauguration to break campaign promises. Trump isn’t even waiting until he’s the nominee. Before last week’s startling announcement, two of Trump’s biggest applause lines were…

Advice for RV Nomads on Choosing a State of Residence

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By Bob Wells – One of the more confusing parts of being a Nomad is, if you have no permanent home, what state should you live in, what do you use for an address and how do you get mail? That’s always been fairly difficult but after 911 the heightened security around identification has made…

Facebook Needs to Be an Open Book on News Feeds

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“By giving people the power to share, we are starting to see people make their voices heard on a different scale from what has historically been possible. These voices will increase in number and volume. They cannot be ignored. Over time, we expect governments will become more responsive to issues and concerns raised directly by…

Fish Markets Muddy the Water of Capitalism

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By James Rhodes – HANOI, Vietnam – When I taught economics at the college level, my students learned that our capitalistic system which included production, industry, distribution and delivery systems under private ownership operated for profit. All decisions regarding supply, demand, price, distribution, and investments were made by the market and never by the government.…

Abe Lincoln Must Be Rolling Over in His Grave

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By Dick Polman – Here’s the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds….” And here’s the presumptive 2016 Republican…