Jennifer Harper
Articles by Jennifer Harper
Filmmaker kills idea for Hillary Clinton documentary
So much for one of the three "Hillary" film projects destined for American audiences. Charles Ferguson, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind the project, has backed out following his encounters with Hillary Rodham Clinton's associates. Published September 30, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Festering anger at the federal government
Confusion over Obamacare, shutdown hysteria and continued partisan discord have yielded results: Public anger at the federal government is at the highest point on record. So says a Pew Research Center survey gauging the ire and frustration of Americans. Published September 30, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Conservatives with grit
What? Something else was going on besides the House Republican war on Obamacare? Well, yes. Conservatives displayed newfound resolve and grit at the Conservative Political Action Conference in St. Louis on Saturday, an intense one-day gathering in Missouri that attracted scores of lawmakers, public officials and astute heavyweights. Among their messages to an enthusiastic audience: Published September 29, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Republicans ready to rumble at CPAC
"The nation is looking for a change in leadership. Many Americans wake up every day wondering if we are descending rather than ascending as a nation. And most of our citizens want to rally behind hopeful alternatives to our current path," American Conservative Union Chairman Al Cardenas tells Inside the Beltway. Published September 26, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Conservatives value their values
The mainstream press continues to rant about the divisions in the Republican Party and the bodacious behavior among certain conservatives. But those very same conservatives will soon gather in a show of unity and resolve, boasting an all-star lineup. Lest critics forget, the Values Voter Summit is scheduled for mid-October in the nation's capital, and the tenacious heavyweights are ready to rumble, whether journalists pay attention or not. Published September 25, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Observations du jour
"The GOP establishment is so mad they have momentarily stopped attacking Sarah Palin," declares National Review contributing editor Jeffrey Lord, commenting on Republican reaction to Sen. Ted Cruz and his determination to derail the Affordable Care Act. Published September 24, 2013
News media’s revolving door to Obama White House blurs lines of objectivity
News media and politics in the age of Obama have grown uncomfortably close. So many journalists have found employment in the Obama administration that the phenomenon has become a story itself, with a dozen news organizations tracking the cross-pollination between the two and speculating on the implications. Published September 24, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Cruz crucible
The press has proclaimed that it's the moment of truth for Sen. Ted Cruz — the day of reckoning, the week that will make or break his career. Or words to that effect. Journalists have pulled out the handy dramatic narrative that places the Texas Republican in a high stakes trial by fire as he seeks to defund the Affordable Care Act, while keeping the federal government open for business. Published September 23, 2013
Inside the Beltway: GOP adults in the room
"Anti government ideologues," "wolf in wolf's clothing," "legislative arsonists," "totally irresponsible, completely juvenile," "destructive." And so goes House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's assorted descriptions of some Republicans or Republican activities, uttered by the California Democrat in a single interview with CNN on Sunday. Published September 22, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Obama’s lousy press
Presidential historians often say that unfriendly news coverage typically comes with the territory for a second-term president. Indeed, President Obama has been negotiating an unfamiliar, unfriendly media landscape in recent days, one that has sprouted negative reviews of his leadership, and not necessarily from his conservative critics. Published September 19, 2013
Inside the Beltway: In God they don’t trust
Will they lean left and favor progressive Democrats? A political phenomenon has emerged with the launch of the Freethought Equality Fund, the first political action committee that supports candidates who are humanists, atheists or agnostics — and advocates for the rights of "nonbelievers" and the separation of church and state. Published September 18, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Gun ‘control’ becomes gun ‘reform’
The language has changed: the press appears to prefer term "gun reform" over "gun control." There's a reason for this. Published September 17, 2013
Inside the Beltway: The ‘nontheists’ get political
Arriving this week: the Freethought Equality Fund PAC, the creation of the Center for Humanist Activism. Organizers say the new political action committee will support candidates ready to advocate for the "equal rights of nonbelievers." Published September 15, 2013
‘Emily Gets Her Gun’ author is celebrated at book party
She took aim, and fired. Washington Times senior opinion editor Emily Miller's very personal take on Second Amendment rights and politics is right on target, and has resonated with the public. Published September 12, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Fox News amps it up
Though they have dominated national cable news ratings for the past 140 months, Fox News is upping its game. Consider chief news anchorman Shepard Smith, who appears to be morphing into the proverbial newsman-of-the-future. He has just been named managing editor of a newfangled breaking-news division, headquartered on a reinvented set that has even warranted its own title: the Fox News Deck. Published September 12, 2013
‘Emily Gets her Gun’ event draws industry heavyweights to Obama’s back yard
She took aim, and fired. Washington Times senior opinion editor Emily Miller's very personal take on Second Amendment rights and politics is right on target, and has resonated with the public. Published September 12, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Airing the GOP’s laundry
These were once internal family squabbles, dismissed as growing pains for a Republican Party in search of itself. Now they are public family squabbles under the careful scrutiny of major pollsters who ponder the ongoing "internal dissent" in the GOP, and its potential side effects. Published September 11, 2013
Inside the Beltway: 4,383 days after 9/11
"Twelve years ago this month, nearly 3,000 innocent men, women, and children lost their lives in attacks meant to terrorize our nation. … On Sept. 11, 2001, amid shattered glass, twisted steel, and clouds of dust, the spirit of America shone through. We remember the sacrifice of strangers and first responders who rushed into darkness to carry others from danger. We remember the unbreakable bonds of unity we felt in the long days that followed." — from President Obama's proclamation issued Tuesday, recognizing the anniversary of 9/11. Published September 10, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Will Obama go Oval on Syria?
The enormous lead up to President Obama's prime-time speech to the nation Tuesday night has reached a crescendo, leaving the historically minded to wonder whether Mr. Obama will use the ultimate White House backdrop to make his case for a military strike against Syria. That would be the Oval Office, of course, the bulliest of the bully pulpits and a place of much gravitas. Published September 9, 2013
Inside the Beltway: The Obama media blitz
It is industrial strength media and a methodical broadcast blitz. President Obama will grant separate sit-down interviews on the Syria matter to NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox News, CNN and PBS on Monday afternoon at the White House, all to air on the respective networks Monday night. Ideally, the interviews will function like trailers of an upcoming blockbuster — namely, Mr. Obama's live, prime-time speech to the American public on Syria about 24 hours later. Published September 8, 2013
