In case there was any doubt, the results of Saturday's South Carolina primary proved there's a proxy war going on in the Republican Party. While casual observers may see a battle between former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, the real fight is between a party establishment that believes only a moderate can win in November and conservatives who want to block a moderate from winning the nomination.

Read more »

The GOP primary process isn't going according to the usual script. Longtime frontrunner Mitt Romney is stumbling at just the wrong time and no longer looks like the presumptive nominee, Newt Gingrich is surging again but after so many ups and downs, his prospects seem as unstable as his temperament. Ron Paul keeps raising enough money to remain in the race and play a serious spoiler role in state after state. And Rick Santorum, buoyed by the recent news that he actually won in Iowa, has become the anti-Newt in the race to be the anti-Romney. Could these characters and their campaigns be just the opening scenes in what may be a summer blockbuster - a brokered Republican Convention?

Read more »

Seeing "no viable path forward," Texas Governor Rick Perry has suspended his presidential campaign. With one less conservative candidate in the mix, the GOP primary battle will probably last beyond Saturday's South Carolina contest and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will not be able to secure the nomination too quickly if at all. That's the good news.

Read more »

After over five years of running for the GOP presidential nomination, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney shouldn't have anything left to hide, but he apparently does. Mr. Romney is refusing to release his tax returns despite the fact that his vast wealth is already well known and he has admitted that his significant annual income is taxed at around the 15% level. So why not just release the returns?

Read more »

President Barack Obama's desperate class warfare strategy has demonized, demoralized and over regulated job creators in an attempt to win over the unemployed and underemployed. Some on the ideological right have gone to the opposite extreme - defending even the most predatory business practices as noble and all-American capitalism. The result so far? More division between groups of Americans and the very real possibility that November's election will only make things worse. But a much more honest assessment could unite not just Republican primary voters but Independents and all but the most left leaning Democrats too.

Read more »