Ralph Z. Hallow
Articles by Ralph Z. Hallow
New ACU director takes aim at debt, poverty, big government
NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW: The American Conservative Union's newly named executive director is setting an ambitious strategy, hoping to motivate and provide tools to conservatives that will help them reverse the growth of government, the mounting national debt and the spreading poverty he believes threaten the foundation of America's freedoms. Published December 16, 2013
Jindal v. Obama: The new school choice battle; La. voucher fight revives reform led by conservatives
Two decades ago, while George H.W. Bush was still president, Republican governors like Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin began in earnest their long-brewing war on underperforming public schools. Published November 26, 2013
Chris Christie’s coup: George W. Bush appears on his behalf at GOP summit
Gov. Chris Christie arranged a surprise luncheon visit for his colleagues from former President George W. Bush — an appearance that sent the chattering class into a tizzy with its 2016 overtones. Published November 22, 2013
GOP governors lay out own agenda with Washington gridlocked
In the absence of a clear agenda from a Congress widely labeled as dysfunctional, Republican governors used their annual meeting to identify broad policies they believe the nation needs to embrace, ranging from education, public employee-pension and tax reform to regulatory relief, transportation and energy infrastructure. Published November 21, 2013
Walker, Christie: The tale of 2 very different GOPers on a quest for the presidency
Republican governors gathered Wednesday in Scottsdale, Ariz., for their annual confab, with the tale of two very different colleagues looming large. Published November 20, 2013
Rick Perry visits Israel again, insists GOP won’t be bruised by Ted Cruz
In another early sign that the 2016 Republican presidential nomination field may be crowded with big-name contenders, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is in Israel — again. Published October 20, 2013
Cruz, allies ready for next battle with ‘Surrender Caucus’
The rowdy, stubborn species of conservatives who forced the 16-day shutdown of the federal government and brought the nation to the brink of default see only victory in their loss in the debt-ceiling battle. Published October 17, 2013
Tea party preps for fight with GOP ‘Surrender Caucus’ after declaring moral victory
ANALYSIS: The rowdy, stubborn species of conservatives who forced the 16-day shutdown of government and brought the nation to the brink of default can only see victory in their loss in the debt-ceiling battle. Published October 17, 2013
Cruz control: Inside GOP’s great divide on Obamacare
When Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell bumped into Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus near Capitol Hill recently, the discussion turned to the man who has become the undisputed public face of the government shutdown: Republican Ted Cruz. Published October 7, 2013
Conservatives fear another split Republican vote, with path for Christie win
If New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has any chance of securing the Republican presidential nomination, he just might have to thank such darlings of the tea party movement as Rand Paul and Ted Cruz for an unlikely path to victory. Published September 29, 2013
Gov. Rick Perry: Texas Democrats misuse prosecutor power to punish Republicans
Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday accused Democrats in his state of punishing Republican opponents by misusing prosecution power and the courts because Democrats "can't get what they want at the polls." Published September 19, 2013
Scott Walker’s 2016 dilemmas: Paul Ryan and re-election vs. a chance for presidency
ANALYSIS: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's record ordinarily would have conservatives dreaming of a 2016 White House bid, but two hurdles stand between Mr. Walker and a presidential nomination run. Published September 18, 2013
Perry to meet Maryland GOP on job-hunting visit
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, on a planned mission to woo businesses away from Maryland, has also scheduled a last-minute meeting with the state’s Republican Party leaders. Published September 17, 2013
Iowa GOP to Obama: Heartland doesn’t want war with Syria
In a highly unusual move, Iowa's two top Republican party officials are publicly urging President Obama not to go ahead with plans to bomb Syria. Published August 30, 2013
Boston gathering exposes rifts in GOP, despite Priebus’ best efforts
Once again attempting to achieve the impossible for a single party in a two-party system, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus did his best at the RNC's summer meeting here to show respect for the many competing strains of thought in his party. Published August 18, 2013
William Clark, former Reagan security adviser, dead at 81
William P. Clark, a national security adviser to President Reagan and Interior secretary, died Saturday after a battle with Parkinson's disease. He was 81. Published August 10, 2013
EXCLUSIVE: Inside RNC, a rules fight brews over lawyer’s tactics
For most of the past two decades, Ben Ginsberg has been a brusque, hard-driving lawyer who has won the admiration of some and disdain of others as one of the Republican Party's behind-the-scenes legal fixers. Published August 8, 2013
Newt Gingrich sees major Mideast mistakes, rethinks his neocon views on intervention
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says the U.S. military interventions he has long supported to promote democracy in the Middle East and elsewhere have backfired and need to be re-evaluated. Published August 4, 2013
Hispanic win: ‘California can be Republican again’
According to the logic of politics, Leticia Perez should have handily won the heavily Democratic and Hispanic district in California's central valley, and her failure to do so has Republicans eager to develop a victory template for struggling GOP candidates elsewhere in the deep-blue state and across the country. Published July 29, 2013
Rand Paul to Chris Christie: You need to talk to more real Americans
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, leading the opposition to drone killing of U.S. citizens and to massive government surveillance of U.S. citizens email and phone records, fired back at fellow Republican Christie Christie, the New Jersey governor, who had attacked the Kentucky Republican for opposing massive government surveillance of U.S. citizens. Published July 26, 2013