Jennifer Harper
Articles by Jennifer Harper
Inside the Beltway: Frugal-phobic Congress offers 828 spending bills
Old habits die hard. During the first session of the 113th Congress, members of the U.S. House authored 496 spending bills, compared with 112 bills that would save money. U.S. senators, meanwhile, drafted 332 increase bills and 56 savings bills. Published July 23, 2014
It’s grim: 911 Commission warns terrorism has entered ‘a new and dangerous phase’
It's been a decade since the 9/11 Commission issued a comprehensive report about the terrorist attacks on American soil that "changed everything," according to much of the public. The commission has a new follow-up. The 48-page report released Tuesday is grim, determined and factual. Published July 23, 2014
Inside the Beltway: The evolving White House deflection strategy
Press and public are aware that President Obama will appear at five Democratic fundraisers by the time Thursday rolls around, despite alarming events here and abroad. Initially, the White House reasoned that in times of unrest, business as usual rather than crisis management was the tactic of choice on the world stage. But that's not quite good enough now. Published July 22, 2014
Rick Perry: County jails in Texas have taken in 203,000 ‘criminal aliens’
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has already spent $500 million trying to maintain order and security in the Rio Grand Valley. Published July 22, 2014
Inside the Beltway: White House fundraising — never a dull moment
Learned presidential advisers reason that in times of international turmoil, it's better for the White House to conduct business as usual rather than shift into crisis mode. Who needs it? With that in mind, perhaps, President Obama is off on a West Coast fundraising jaunt on Tuesday. So fire up Air Force One, please; he journeys to Seattle for two private fundraisers on behalf of the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. The locations are swank waterfront homes, the guests number in the hundreds, tickets run as high as $32,400 and the hosts include Costco founder Jim Sinegal. Published July 21, 2014
Poll: 81 percent of U.S. voters believe Russia ‘involved’ in downed Malaysian airliner
"U.S. voters are overwhelmingly convinced that Russia had a hand in the shootdown of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet over Ukraine, but they also strongly believe any punishment should be a multinational one and not come from just the United States alone," says a Rasmussen Reports released Monday. Published July 21, 2014
Netanyahu will take whatever action necessary for ‘sustainable quiet’ in Gaza
A new term for the diplomatic lexicon: "Sustainable quiet". Simply put, it's a strategic goal for the Middle East suggested by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to several news organizations, and the Israeli people themselves. Published July 20, 2014
Inside the Beltway: Putin popularity soars in Russia
Americans might do well to review the pivotal points of the Cold War when the old Soviet Union was in full aggressive posture, billed as a "bear" on the public stage. Russia appears to be looking for a repeat performance while new polling reveals a confident population, suggesting that persistent rumors of "Cold War Nostalgia" in the nation could be genuine. Some current numbers: President Vladimir Putin now has an 83 percent approval rating among Russians — his best numbers in years, this according to a Gallup poll of face-to-face interviews with 2,000 Russians released Friday. Published July 20, 2014
The Republican parade begins: Eight GOP heavyweights head to Iowa
With the Bridgegate scandal in his rear view mirror, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has been re-establishing his public presence, and now visits Iowa with much on his agenda. He is just the start of a long parade of Republicans who will journey to the state in the next few weeks, led by Sen. Rand Paul and Gov. Rick Perry, among many others. Published July 17, 2014
Inside the Beltway: The 2016 fringe candidates come a-runnin’
The outsiders, the also-rans, the determined individualists — the Federal Election Commission has been besieged by presidential candidate filings from lesser-known Americans in "a massive uptick" compared to the 2012 presidential race. Published July 16, 2014
Ready to rumble: Ready for Warren Vs. Ready for Hillary
Looks like the high profile political action committee Ready for Hillary has some company. Launched Tuesday, Ready4Warren.com is a new campaign website to support a potential presidential run by Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Published July 16, 2014
Inside the Beltway: America still dreams of ‘President’ Ben Carson
There's something about Ben Carson that gives many Americans great pause. Perhaps it is his plainspoken logic and calm demeanor that resonates with those who wish the former pediatric neurosurgeon and best-selling author would run for president. They are willing to put their money where their thoughts are. In less than a year, the National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee has raised $7.2 million; Dr. Carson is not involved with this new political action committee, which now boasts 95,000 individual donors and 17,000 volunteers. Published July 15, 2014
Progressive-Palooza: Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren head to ‘Netroots Nation’ this week
It must be an election year - which could worry one political party in particular. Vice President Joe Biden himself is among the Democratic heavyweights who will attend Netroots Nation, which begins on Thursday in Detroit and is billed as "the largest gathering of progressives and the Democratic activist base" by organizers. Published July 15, 2014
Inside the Beltway: Surprise: the world still likes America
"A country's brand is a valued commodity, especially when that nation is the world's largest economic and strategic power. And, in 2014, America's image remains strong in much of the world," states a surprisingly forthright, massive analysis of "global attitudes" from the Pew Research Center which found, essentially, that much of the planet still likes America. Published July 14, 2014
Rick Perry’s burden: Texas already spent $500 million on border crisis
Critics say Texas Gov. Rick Perry is trying to politicize the border crisis only to bolster a potential White House run in 2016. Yes, there could be some of that going on, but Mr. Perry also has a succinct reason for speaking out, loudly and often, about the surge of young illegal immigrants: The Lone Star State has already spent a half-billion dollars on the situation. Published July 14, 2014
Inside the Beltway: White House grade slips to ‘F’
Inquiring minds wonder if there's a "G" in the grading repertoire. And that does not stand for "good." Pollster John Zogby has given President Obama an "F" this week for the White House performance on the global stage, and the researcher has no imminent good news for the president. Published July 13, 2014
Pot reluctance: Presidential hopefuls get skittish talking about weed
Political observers say presidential hopefuls in both parties are increasingly reluctant to weigh in on the legalization of marijuana, either for medicinal or recreational use. It's complicated. The law enforcement backgrounds of many elected officials creates some hesitation around the pot issue. Published July 11, 2014
Inside the Beltway: Bolton bolsters the ‘national security’ candidate
Americans must have considerable interest in supporting "national security candidates" as the planet grows more dangerous and the midterm elections approach. John R. Bolton reports that between his political action committee and super PAC, he's raised a cool $2.3 million in the second quarter of the year, with a record $4 million to date and $3 million cash on hand. Published July 10, 2014
Got justice? 60 percent of Americans say Supreme Court ‘gets too mixed up in politics’
Despite low public profiles, justices in the U.S. Supreme Court have not escaped public scrutiny. The nation pays particular attention when high profile cases draw media attention, and controversy. And now the public has weighed in on the court itself. A new survey finds that 60 percent of Americans now say the entire Supreme Court "gets too mixed up in politics." Published July 10, 2014
Inside the Beltway: What will become of the Obama legacy?
The president has some 30 months left in office, and the dreaded "L" word looms — "L" as in "legacy." As his days in the White House dwindle down to the proverbial precious few, Mr. Obama's legacy building is likely to commence sooner rather than later. The hunt will be on for authentic achievements with quantifiable gains and laudable forays across the aisle. When analysts and pundits finish squawking about it all, the historians will emerge to sort things out, a process that can take decades. Published July 9, 2014
