Jennifer Harper
Articles by Jennifer Harper
Inside the Beltway: Much too much information
Not long after the Iraq war began, another conflict also was underway between news organizations and the Pentagon, tasked with supplying information to the restless press in a 24/7 marketplace without compromising the safety of troops or the security of the mission. Then Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was often on the hot seat, facing down journalists and their demands for more, more, more. Published August 8, 2013
Ron Paul counting on his natural enthusiasm on his own news channel
He's no slick TV anchorman. Ron Paul is the first to point that out, just as he prepares to launch the Ron Paul Channel, an online news network that goes live Monday, featuring all original content and audience-driven interactive technology. Published August 8, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Ron Paul, media mogul
And now we know: Ron Paul will launch the feisty Ron Paul Channel on Monday with all original programming either live or on demand, available by subscription for $9.95 a month from the one-time Libertarian presidential hopeful. He says 200,000 potential subscribers expressed interest within hours of the project going public. Published August 7, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Very robust Reince Priebus
Many have complained that the Grand Old Party has gotten "squishy" on policy and in demeanor, lacking the backbone of a more robust era. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus appears ready to challenge that perception, and likely will provide some show-stopping political theater in the near future. Published August 6, 2013
Washington Post buyer Jeff Bezos offers ‘liberaltarian’ perspective
Jeff Bezos, the Internet mogul buying The Washington Post, is no stranger to politics. It's just that his politics don't fit the normal labels of Washington. Published August 6, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Here comes the church vote
There is an emerging voter demographic for Democrats to ponder, one that gathers on Sunday with good cheer and deep thoughts: motivated and engaged churchgoers. Consider that 97 percent of theologically conservative pastors are registered voters, and the vast majority are Republicans. Published August 5, 2013
Amazon’s Bezos buys Washington Post for $250M
In a stunning coup, Internet billionaire Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com fame announced plans Monday to buy the Washington Post Co.'s flagship newspaper and its newspaper publishing business for $250 million. Published August 5, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Calls for a ‘national animal’
If the bald eagle weren't our "national animal," what would be the most popular choice for the role? The bison wins, according to a YouGov poll released Sunday, cited by 22 percent of the respondents. Published August 4, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Red state ready to rumble
There will be some belligerent squawking in the liberal media in the wake of the fifth annual Red State Gathering, organized by columnist and RedState.com founder Erick Erickson, and staged in a spiffy New Orleans hotel starting Friday. Mr. Erickson expects hundreds of conservatives to show up, along with the proverbial thought leaders of the movement, and "happy warriors," he says. Published August 1, 2013
Goats to help tend historic grave sites in the nation’s capital
Forget the dog days of August. It's goat days of Washington. Published August 1, 2013
Inside the Beltway: August whets the Democratic appetite
Democratic operatives and activists have declared it's now "Action August," and they've targeted specific Republicans during what's normally sleepy summer recess time. We're talking Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Reps. Eric Cantor of Virginia and Peter T. King of New York, plus Govs. Rick Perry of Texas and Chris Christie of New Jersey. To name a few. Published July 31, 2013
Might D.C.’s all-local NewsChannel 8 go national?
An intriguing and promising by-product has emerged from the $985 million sale of Allbritton Communications Co. and its seven TV stations to Baltimore-based Sinclair Broadcast Group, a deal that Sinclair CEO David Smith deems a "once-in-a-lifetime event." Published July 30, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Al Jazeera America’s C-SPAN connection
The news channel goes live in less than three weeks. That would be Al Jazeera America, already peopled with veterans hailing from CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, PBS and ABC. Now add C-SPAN to the list. Libby Casey, morning host and producer for C-SPAN's much esteemed "Washington Journal," has signed on as the incoming network's official Washington correspondent — one of the nine new hires who will lead regional bureaus. Published July 30, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Martha’s Vineyard tail numbers
Succinct commentary from far beyond the proverbial Beltway often trumps insider hubbub, particularly when presidents go on vacation. The first family is presumably counting down the days until they can achieve escape velocity from the nation's capital and spend eight days on sparkling Martha's Vineyard in mid-August. Published July 29, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Huma Abedin for NYC mayor
From the same political landscape that produced the persistent notion that Hillary Rodham Clinton should run for president here comes part two of such thinking. There are calls for Huma Abedin to run for mayor of New York City, even as her husband Anthony D. Weiner clings to the wreckage of his own campaign for that office following the most recent revelations regarding his sorry sexting habits. Published July 28, 2013
Inside the Beltway: The GOP and the ‘Mile High Club’
There's data for everything. Tucked away in a new Public Policy Polling survey on airline travel was this question to 800 registered voters: "Are you a member of the Mile High Club?" Well fasten your seatbelts, folks. Republicans win this one. Published July 25, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Sarah Palin courts the farm vote
One can't get much more grass roots than this: Sarah Palin is the keynote speaker Thursday at an agricultural "field day" near Baltic, S.D. — population 1,090 — situated on the scenic banks of the Big Sioux River in the eastern corner of the state. Published July 24, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Ron Paul, media mogul
In characteristic folksy but aggressive style, Ron Paul has become a media mogul of sorts. The former Texas lawmaker and Libertarian presidential hopeful already has drawn the help of one Hollywood celebrity in his zeal to launch the Ron Paul Channel, a high-definition news network available online by subscription. Published July 23, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Anti-Hillary Stealth Mission
"We have a straightforward mission, and we have only one reason to exist. And that is to make sure that Hillary Clinton never becomes president of the United States," Garrett Marquis, spokesman for Stop Hillary PAC, tells Inside the Beltway. Published July 22, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Citizen Ted Cruz
The noisiest hubbub over the birthplace of Sen. Ted Cruz has not started yet. But it will. The Texas Republican, 42, was born in Canada, which has prompted critics to question his eligibility to run for president. "My mother was born in Wilmington, Del. She's a U.S. citizen, so I'm a U.S. citizen," Mr. Cruz told ABC News, when queried about it. "I'm not going to engage in a legal debate. The facts are clear." Published July 21, 2013
