Jennifer Harper
Articles by Jennifer Harper
Inside the Beltway: Gun tour countdown
As promised by the White House, President Obama will fire up Air Force One on Wednesday and journey to Colorado to "continue asking the American people to join him in calling on Congress to pass common-sense measures to reduce gun violence." Published March 31, 2013
Inside the Beltway: GOP + U.N. = Very little
"Republicans are much less likely to say the United Nations is doing a good job, and to believe the U.N. has a necessary role in the world, than are Democrats," points out a Gallup poll. Published March 28, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Obama’s ‘founding’
The talk is a call to arms — and a cultural indicator that Republicans and conservatives should note. Democrats are borrowing a page from the tea party playbook, using dramatic language and historic reference. But this message is not from heartland folk. It is a contrivance from the most loyal of President Obama's loyalists. Published March 27, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Walker’s aggressive memoir
The recall, the demonstrations, the rogue charm? It will be on book shelves in the fall. Here comes "Unintimidated: A Governor's Story and a Nation's Challenge," penned by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. But wait. A memoir of intent such as this could equal White House aspirations. Published March 26, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Truly gun-free
News outlets have reported with much fanfare that President Obama will soon fire up Air Force One and travel around the nation in campaign mode, making his case for gun control. And in its own halting way, the White House officially confirmed this Monday during the daily press briefing, where a hefty part of the questions targeted assault weapons, background check and sales, plus gun-related violence. Published March 25, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Lawmaker march madness
A spate of Democratic lawmakers are using March Madness to raise some campaign funds as the NCAA men's basketball tournament arrives in the nation's capital. Published March 24, 2013
Inside the Beltway: CBS is the Clueless Broadcast Network
The 2.4 million-member American Legion is mighty vexed with "The Amazing Race" after the CBS reality show featured the wreckage of a B-52 bomber shot down during the Vietnam War. The plane is now the centerpiece of a monument celebrating "defeat of U.S. imperialists." Published March 21, 2013
Inside the Beltway: The nose knows no more marijuana
Narcotics dogs have one less job to do in the state of Washington. Now that marijuana has become legal within the borders, many law-enforcement agencies, including the Seattle Police Department and Washington State Patrol, will no longer train their drug-sniffing canines to alert handlers to marijuana. Published March 20, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Shalom, Mr. President
The press already has billed President Obama's first jaunt to Israel since entering office as yet another charm offensive, a "symbolic visit" or simply a photo op. The White House does not appear to be festooning the four-day trip with any fancy predictions either. Published March 19, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Apres-Priebus
Alas, the Grand Old Party needs grand old changing. So says Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who is convinced the weary GOP needs a fancy new identity, as outlined in the "Growth and Opportunity Project" study released with much ado Monday. Published March 18, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Jake Tapper takes the lead
Broadcast debut of note Monday: that would be CNN's "The Lead," showcasing the he-man talents of Jake Tapper, who has managed to sidestep the land mines of broadcast to emerge with his own show, credibility intact. Published March 17, 2013
CPAC 2013: Conservative youth ready to rumble
The CPAC crowd reaffirmed its heroes with gusto: God, Ronald Reagan, the late Andrew Breitbart, Barry Goldwater, the Founding Fathers, William F. Buckley Jr., Sen. Rand Paul and a new entry to the traditional roster — the young. Published March 17, 2013
Inside the Beltway: CPAC world
Old Glory is a presence at the Conservative Political Action Conference. There are four immense American flags surrounding the main stage where all things CPAC transpire. There's some magic here of the Reagan variety. Published March 14, 2013
Inside the Beltway: The dawn of CPAC
One thing's for sure about the Conservative Political Action Conference, which begins Thursday. It starts bright and early at 8 a.m. sharp, and on a note of traditional patriotism and respectful gravitas, countering critics at Politico who already have declared that "CPAC muddle mirrors GOP mess," and deemed the event a "carnival." Published March 13, 2013
The Washington Times extending reach with cable network
Herring Broadcasting, owner of the Wealth TV network, and The Washington Times announced Thursday that they have joined in a strategic partnership to create a new national cable news network called One America News, set to debut nationwide this summer. Published March 13, 2013
Inside the Beltway: The Koch brothers’ doozy
"A doozy. A bombshell. It's a doozy wrapped in a bombshell exploding inside a Drudge siren." And so reads the headline from the L.A. Weekly, the West Coast insider publication that first broke news that Charles and David Koch — dutifully described as "infamous right-wing billionaires" — were interested in buying The Los Angeles Times, along with other media properties from the bankrupt Tribune Co. Nothing has been confirmed, but the idea already has gotten the press in a dither. A sampling of speculations that quickly emerged: Published March 12, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Obama’s elusive victory
The Obama administration is not necessarily winning the sequester game, despite blaming Republicans for the nation's economic woes, employing nimble rhetoric and staging melodramatic public events. Many Americans are not buying the buoyant White House talking points: a strong plurality of likely voters believe economic conditions in the U.S. are worsening, and the federal spending cuts will only compound the problem. So says a new poll from The Hill. Published March 11, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Maryland senator’s bill to counter punishment for gun images in schools
Young children have been suspended recently from the nation's public schools for brandishing a toy bubble-blowing gun, for pointing their fingers in a gunlike matter or for mentioning a toy Nerf gun in casual conversation. The latest uber-caution can be found in Baltimore, where a second-grader was suspended after his teacher determined that he nibbled a strawberry Pop-Tart into a gun shape. Published March 10, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Still crying for Rep. Paul Ryan
Republicans apparently have not forgotten the earnest face and serious economic insights of Rep. Paul Ryan. The former vice presidential hopeful bests potential 2016 presidential contender Sen. Marco Rubio and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in theoretical matchups with Vice President Joseph R. Biden and Hillary Rodham Clinton, says a new Quinnipiac University poll of registered votes. The numbers: Published March 8, 2013
Inside the Beltway: Publicity prowess
In the fine art of strategic prattle, House Democrats are "outhustling" Republicans, grinding out more press releases than their GOP rivals. Published March 6, 2013
