Jennifer Harper
Articles by Jennifer Harper
Inside the Beltway: 32 names crowd GOP presidential poll
A sleeping giant awakening? The Republican National Committee is on war footing as the competitive gleam in chairman Reince Priebus' eye grows ever brighter. Published February 6, 2014
What Obamacare mandate? The rapidly expanding Hobby Lobby flexes its muscle
Amid the politics, an unfriendly news media and the complexities of Obamacare, the Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. have a big announcement. The Oklahoma-based, family-owned arts and crafts retailer soon will open 70 new stores around the nation, bringing the number of retail locations nationwide to 626 - including its first stores in Oregon and Vermont. Published February 6, 2014
Inside the Beltway: Happy birthday, Ronald Reagan
Three cheers, hip-hip hurrah. Those who fret that the 103rd birthday of Ronald Reagan on Thursday would come and go without much ado can take heart. There's big, cheerful doings planned in the tenth year since his passing. Published February 5, 2014
Jay Leno: Goodbye ‘Tonight Show,’ hello politics?
Some say comedic kingpin Jay Leno should enter politics. Ronald Reagan did it — along with other stars such as Sonny Bono, Clint Eastwood and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Published February 5, 2014
73 percent of Americans would not venture to Sochi games, even if they had the money
The threat of terrorism and tales of unfinished, unhygienic hotels dominate headlines about the Winter Olympics, which are nevertheless set to generate half a trillion in advertising revenue and licensing fees. Despite the cozy commercialism, the event makes people nervous. Published February 5, 2014
Inside the Beltway: The dawn of ‘integrated conservatism’
Common sense could be the operative motto for the Grand Old Party as it seeks to articulate a viable message and identify appropriate standard bearers while the 2014 midterm season fires up and rattles down the campaign trail. The clock is ticking. But the thinkers are thinking. Published February 4, 2014
Jay Leno’s biggest target: Bill Clinton, more jokes about Democrats than Republicans
Is Jay Leno a Republican or a Democrat? We may never know the answer to that question. But one thing is for sure. The outgoing NBC "Tonight Show" host beat up on Democrats more than he did Republicans, at least according to the numbers. Yes, there's a study, released just as Mr. Leno exits his longtime late night perch. Published February 4, 2014
No dithering: Tea party rolls out community organizing, ‘conservative style’
Tea party organizers are intent on repeating the 2010 midterm elections, when heartland candidates swept through a number of important races, proof that grassroots folks were alive, kicking and politically engaged. Published February 4, 2014
Inside the Beltway: Community organizing, conservative style
Tea party organizers are intent on repeating the 2010 midterm elections, when heartland candidates swept through a number of important races, proof that grassroots folks were alive, kicking and politically engaged. Published February 3, 2014
Inside the Beltway: Does America need a hip GOP?
What with all its social media and excruciatingly current references, the whole world appears to know the White House is hip, and very skilled at being hip. Does this mean the Grand Old Party should up its pop culture factor as two big elections approach, and proverbial "big tent" thinking beckons? Published February 2, 2014
CDC advice for Americans headed to the Winter Olympics: ‘Use latex condoms’
Those who wonder if the Centers for Disease Control is making proper use of tax dollars should note that the federal agency has released a list of "healthy recommendations" for anyone venturing to the Winter Olympics in Sochi. The advice is practical. And personal. Published February 1, 2014
Inside the Beltway: Romney is the ‘parking lot’ for GOP voters
It is news that should secretly please Mitt Romney, a man who insists he won't ever run again for president, and so there. Some voters, however, have not forgotten him, and Mitt nostalgia lingers. Published January 30, 2014
Booze moment: Study finds that liberals and socialists drink more
Liberals and socialists like to hit the sauce: A scientific study found that those who engage in unhealthy behaviors such as excessive drinking are significantly more likely to lean left politically. Published January 30, 2014
Independence: Jesse Ventura says he’d run for president as a member of no political party
Former Minnesota governor and pro-wrestling kingpin Ventura still eyes the big ring. The big political ring, that is. And it is a place with a lot of moving parts these days. Published January 30, 2014
Inside the Beltway: State of the Union — a $40 billion tab
Lofty rhetoric with a lofty price: the National Taxpayers Union has conducted a line-by-line analysis of President Obama's lengthy State of the Union address to discover that the actual price tag for all those words would add $39.995 billion a year to the deficit. Published January 29, 2014
Inside the Beltway: So are you already dreaming of CPAC?
For those weary of Obamacare, the State of the Union address, progressive caterwaul and ongoing talk of a Republican identity crisis: the Conservative Political Action Conference is just 36 days away. Published January 28, 2014
Inside the Beltway: State of the Union — just another re-run?
Let's hope the nation witnesses talk of substance rather than skimpy political theater when President Obama steps before the nation for his fifth State of the Union address on Tuesday night. Yes, let's hope so, considering that only about a fourth of Americans definitely plan to tune in, says at least one major poll. Published January 27, 2014
Inside the Beltway: White House culture gets even odder
Gravitas and serious-minded strategies at the White House appear to be giving way to entertainment as the State of the Union approaches. Though the American public is eager for straight answers on many topics, behind-the-scenes creative folk on President Obama's staff have crafted jaunty promotions for the annual primetime speech on Tuesday night. Published January 26, 2014
Inside the Beltway: The State of the Union spectacle begins
It is political theater at its most frantic: the State of the Union address — SOTU in popular parlance — may now stand for "so too" much. Published January 23, 2014
Inside the Beltway: Miss Mitt yet?
This will be the week when a cross section of Americans will re-evaluate and possibly even rediscover Mitt Romney. They'll get some Mitt nostalgia. In 24 hours, the much ballyhooed documentary "Mitt" publicly premieres on Netflix, produced and directed by one Greg Whitely, who spent much time with Mr. Romney during the best and the worst moments of the 2012 presidential race. Published January 22, 2014
