Jennifer Harper
Articles by Jennifer Harper
Inside the Beltway: Memo to Republicans: Shake the ‘do nothing’ image
Now hear this: The GOP must immediately fire up the engines, jettison old baggage and ride the post-midterm positivity wave. Some 53 percent of Americans now say they want Republicans in Congress to set the nation's course — compared to 36 percent who side with the White House and President Obama. So says a Gallup poll released Tuesday, which also bears a cautionary warning, "But after four years of partisan gridlock, most Americans are not optimistic that the election's outcome will improve things." Published November 11, 2014
Don’t call it polar vortex or snowmegeddon - this is a bombogenesis
Forget the polar vortex and snowmegeddon. The new preferred term of choice is bombogenesis - surely a great name for a band, but in reality, a sudden storm created at the enormous nexus of competing temperatures. Published November 11, 2014
Inside the Beltway: Jon Voight: President Obama ‘must be stopped’
Academy Award winning actor Jon Voight has issued a grass-roots call to arms as the nation honors its military with heartfelt thanks and thoughtful appreciation. He is fed up with President Obama's "executive privilege" and urges Americans to voice some outrage. Published November 10, 2014
Jon Voight: President Obama ‘must be stopped’
Academy Award winning actor Jon Voight has issued a call to arms as the nation honors their military with heartfelt thanks and thoughtful appreciation. He is fed up with President Obama's "executive privilege" and urges Americans to voice some outrage. Published November 10, 2014
Heroic military war dogs get their own float in the nation’s biggest Veteran’s Day parade
No parade rest here. When the nation's largest Veterans Day parade gets rolling up Fifth Avenue in New York City on Tuesday, the warrior dogs will be a part of it. Six former military dogs who saw combat in Iraq and Afghanistan will be aboard a special new float in the big parade - these are canines who sniffed out explosives as "improvised detection dogs" and are each credited with saving the lives of 200 soldiers. Published November 10, 2014
Mitt Romney to Democrats: Distancing yourself from Obama was ‘wrong strategy’
The former presidential hopeful and relentless Republican campaigner had some advice for the Democratic Party: sully your leadership at you own peril. Published November 10, 2014
Inside the Beltway: Guns make a ‘safer home’
"The percentage of Americans who believe having a gun in the house makes it a safer place to be — 63 percent — has nearly doubled since 2000, when about one in three agreed with this," reports Justin McCarthy, a Gallup analyst. Published November 9, 2014
Up in smoke: Less than a third of conservatives favor marijuana legalization
Not everyone has gotten aboard the marijuana happy train. "Legalizing marijuana remains a much easier task in certain places than others. Chiefly, in contrast to high levels of support among liberals and solid support among moderates, less than a third of conservative Americans think marijuana should be legal," says Gallup analyst Lydia Saad. Published November 8, 2014
Mitt Romney ‘stunned’ and ‘speechless’ over President Obama’s letter to Iran
Mitt Romney was in the nation's capital on Friday night, addressing an enthusiastic audience of Israeli Americans, and offering his own straightforward take on recent news that President Obama had sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei suggesting he both sign a nuclear agreement and join a U.S.-led military effort against the Islamic State. "I was frankly stunned that the President of the United States would write a letter of that nature, in effect legitimizing a nation and a leadership which is violating international norms and is threatening the world," Mr. Romney said. Published November 8, 2014
Inside the Beltway: Mitt Romney, Sheldon Adelson, Israeli-Americans … in D.C.
It is a both political and cultural moment: Mitt Romney journeys to Washington Friday to attend the first-ever Israeli-American Council National Conference, an event that some say could yield an interesting narrative. Published November 6, 2014
Drill, baby, drill: Midterm victories signal renewed hope for the Keystone XL Pipeline
There's some "renewed hope" that the Keystone XL Pipeline could have a whole new life following the midterms - like 61 votes in the U.S. Senate in favor of the project. Published November 6, 2014
Inside the Beltway: Memo to the GOP: Stay conservative, stay on message … or else
Some stern advice is arriving for Republicans as midterm fervor cools to lukewarm reality, and GOP credibility comes under scrutiny by voters and critics alike. Published November 5, 2014
Fox News wins the election night ratings race
Well, here's a sobering reality check. Even when politics reach a fever pitch, Americans still pine for crime - or amateur singers. But some stark overnight ratings from Nielsen reveal the ultimate audience winner of the night. Published November 5, 2014
Inside the Beltway: Post-election analysis takes over the world
For analysts and thought leaders, the day after Election Day is just as good as Election Day itself. They get to tell us what it all means. Or doesn't mean. Published November 4, 2014
Former Obama speechwriter to pen TV series about political ‘civil war’
Something else besides an election happened on Election Day Eve. Jon Lovett, a former speechwriter for both President Obama and Hillary Clinton, acknowledged that he will soon pen an entire dramatic series based on partisan discord and the collapse of political institutions for Showtime. Published November 4, 2014
Networks ready for midterm election coverage
The networks are not holding back on their coverage of the midterm elections, showcasing top talent, cutting-edge technology, talking heads and eager field reporters for a night that could be a cliffhanger in some states. Published November 3, 2014
Inside the Beltway: The ‘Obama effect’: Especially chilling in six states
Voter dissatisfaction with the White House will have a stronger effect in a half-dozen states when the midterm elections get rolling on Tuesday, this according to a massive Gallup tracking data analysis of some 15,000 people over four months. Published November 3, 2014
Voter beware: Poll booth ‘selfies’ illegal in New Hampshire - and the ACLU has noticed
Is it better to just wear the cute little "I voted" tag - or take a "selfie" in the poll booth, complete with ballot? In New Hampshire, a newly updated law now prohibits voters from taking a digital image or photo of themselves holding a marked ballot, then sharing it via social media. It's means $1,000 fine for violators. Published November 3, 2014
Inside the Beltway: Republicans granted a grudging victory
Mournful analysts and anchors appear resigned to the idea that the GOP could win the Senate, capping off weeks of coverage that essentially glossed over the impending possibility of Republican victory. Published November 2, 2014
Americans spent $350 million on Halloween costumes — for their pets
The practical translation: Americans will spend $7.4 billion on Halloween this year — that includes $350 million that will go towards pet costumes. Published October 30, 2014
