Jennifer Harper
Articles by Jennifer Harper
Inside the Beltway: Rarefied revels of OSS
There is an authentic intensity about the annual OSS Society awards dinner, an autumnal rite that celebrates the Office of Strategic Services — OSS — the agency created during World War II by Army Maj. Gen. William J. Donovan that was the predecessor of the CIA. The time has come again. Published October 24, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Obamacare lost in translation
Gentlemen, start your engines and let the FOIAs begin. Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus already has filed a Freedom of Information Act request to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services asking for information on the number of Americans who have enrolled in Obamacare. Now comes another request, with an interesting demand. Published October 23, 2013
Inside the Beltway: The Allen West brand expands
"Steadfast and loyal" are the bywords of a vigorous new outreach from Allen B. West that closely resembles a news site. He is clearly in touch with his inner journalist through AllenBWest.com, meant to be a platform for an unapologetic conservative message. Published October 22, 2013
Inside the Beltway: It’s the cookie monster that’s besetting health care sign-up
At long last, a methodical IT guru actually subjected himself to the trials and tribulations of the faulty Obamacare sign-up site to reveal the true source of its design challenges, which could take 30 days to fix. Published October 21, 2013
Inside the Beltway: John Boehner’s guerrilla war
House Speaker John A. Boehner is not done with the Affordable Care Act; there's some health stealth in mind to undermine Obamacare — we're talking smart and pesky tactics rather than one big, bunker-busting bomb here. Published October 20, 2013
Inside the Beltway: The grim aftermath of the shutdown
Finger waggling and earnest talk: It's time for Republican soul-searching and a GOP gut check, say observers who found little nobility in the extended effort by some conservative Republican lawmakers to defund the Affordable Care Act at all costs. There's a price to pay, warns Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform, and it starts in 2014. Published October 17, 2013
Inside the Beltway: So now what after votes on shutdown?
The agreement on the shutdown and the debt ceiling is no guarantee that lawmakers and the White House will behave. They are addicted to spectacle and hand-wringing political theater that garners press coverage, while masking inactivity or indecision. Published October 16, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Whew! The end is not near
Brinkmanship, blinkmanship and partisan cliffhangers have prompted dire speculations that the United States is going down, with its best days in the past — you know, just like Rome. Published October 15, 2013
Inside the Beltway: White House website woes
Add this one to the list of government-shutdown victims, fresh from the official White House website: "Due to Congress's failure to pass legislation to fund the government, the information on this website may not be up to date. Some submissions may not be processed, and we may not be able to respond to your inquiries." Published October 14, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Seeking enlightened conservatism
"Clearly something is not working in the GOP and hasn't since its nervous breakdown caused by George W. Bush and exacerbated by the political consulting classes. The only part of the GOP that makes sense now is the tea party movement," Craig Shirley — a Ronald Reagan biographer and presidential historian — tells Inside the Beltway. Published October 13, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Shoring up the wobbly GOP at Values Voter Summit
Will the liberal media heed the Values Voter Summit? The annual gathering opens Friday in the nation's capital for three days of smart, authentic and, yes, fervent talk about faith, freedom and politics, as told by 66 speakers with much on their minds in troubled times. The opening line-up in the first hours tells all: GOP Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas and Tim Scott of South Carolina, plus GOP Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Dr. Ben Carson and Mark Levin. Published October 10, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Ventura likens political parties to gangs
Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, who has been toying with a White House run himself, is convinced that Americans should not have to pay taxes during the federal government shutdown. Published October 9, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Potholes more popular than Congress
How low can Congress go? Alas, voters have a more favorable opinion of the IRS, jury duty, hipsters, potholes, cockroaches, mothers-in-law, toenail fungus, public radio fundraising drives, motor vehicle departments, hemorrhoids and even "dog poop" than they do of Congress. Published October 8, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Obama’s trillion-dollar question
So how many people actually have signed up for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act? Uh-h-h-h, no one seems to know. In the past week, President Obama and officials within his administration avoided answering the trillion-dollar question by either claiming the numbers weren't available yet or that they had no access to the data. Published October 7, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Redskins as in spuds
President Obama's comment that the Washington Redskins should consider changing their name to avoid offending Native Americans has generated much discussion, both pro and con. Published October 6, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Stripping down for Obamacare
Attractive women wearing nothing but a smile and flesh-colored underwear emblazoned with the motto "Are You Covered?" strolled the most popular shopping areas of Denver in the name of the Affordable Care Act this week. Published October 3, 2013
Naughty number? Obamacare hotline’s vulgar suggestion
Dialing for depravity? There's more than a glitch involved in the great national campaign to get Americans to sign up for Obamacare. The new toll-free consumer number associated with the Affordable Care Act uses an unfortunate sequence of numbers that unfortunately spells out 1-800-F***-YO. Published October 3, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Just blame the shutdown on the GOP
Republicans have been almost universally blamed for the government shutdown in melodramatic reports from the White House, amplified by a sympathetic liberal media. The press, however, literally teed up the blame game many days ago. Published October 2, 2013
Doves and peaceniks no more: These Democrats relish the role of bullies
Democrats, who have long posed as the party of peaceniks and doves, have been anything but during the great rhetorical war of 2013. In fact, the party of George McGovern and Jimmy Carter has been mad as hell as of late, leading an offensive of bombastic insults and rhetorical bullying that has dominated the government shutdown. Published October 2, 2013
Inside the Beltway: A GOP charm offensive toward the American public?
Vilifying Republicans has become a cottage industry among Democrats who are under the impression that aggressive, insulting talk about one's political rivals is a sign of authority and purpose. Yeah, well. Published October 1, 2013
