James P. Pinkerton - Page 8

Articles by James P. Pinkerton

PINKERTON: How Republicans Should Address the Hostile Obamacare Town Halls

The fate of Obamacare dominates the news—again. Eight years ago, anti-Obamacare Republicans and Tea Partiers were on the offensive. Today, it’s pro-Obamacare Democrats, perhaps joined by “astroturf” activists, on the offense. Congressional Republicans have had plenty of time to think through their preferred alternative to Obamacare in the seven years since it was signed into law. So what is the hang-up? Part of the problem is the GOP has never really come to grips with the basic question: Do Americans have a right to health insurance?

Chuck-Grassley-Town-Hall-Garner-Iowa-Feb-21-2017-2-Getty

PINKERTON: Trump Lays Down the Law to Big Pharma, Embraces the Cure Strategy

President Donald Trump made big news on January 31, when he met in the White House with top pharmaceutical company executives. Or at least he deserved to make big news, because the issues he raised in the West Wing’s Roosevelt Room will prove to be central to the health, and wealth, of every American.

Donald-Trump-Pharma-Meeting-White-House-DC-Jan-31-2017-Getty

PINKERTON: The Future of Trumpcare — What Is Seen and What is Not Seen

As we await the debut of the Trump administration’s healthcare policy, perhaps it will be helpful, providing a useful context, if we step back and consider the wisdom of the 19th century free-market economist, Frédéric Bastiat. In 1848, in an essay entitled “What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen,” Bastiat argued that shortsighted people look only at immediate and obvious effects, which could be harmful, while farsighted people look to longer-term and not-so-obvious effects—which could be beneficial.

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 13: Health care activists rally down the street from Trump Tower to

‘The Populist Explosion’: New Book Explains Rise of Trump, Sanders, and the Populist Future

Whither populism? Is the insurgency associated with Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders a flash in the pan, or is it something real The answer to that question, of course, depends on who does the answering. Most of the Republican establishment, along with the Democratic establishment—which some describe as the “Uniparty”—would prefer to believe that the populism of Trump and Sanders is temporary, that is, a nightmare from which they will soon awaken. Meanwhile, the Trumpians and the Sandersistas see themselves as part of a long-term force, even the winning force, within their respective parties. Yet now comes an author with an arresting argument: He believes that the Trump and Sanders groups, currently in different political parties, might yet find themselves fighting on the same side—perhaps even in the same party.

Bernie-Sanders-Supporter-Donald-Trump-Supporter-Getty

James Pinkerton – The October Surprises: Donald Trump and Mike Pence Remind Us that This Is a Change Election 

1. The October Surprise

Remember the “October Surprise”? I sure do. Back in the 1980 presidential campaign, the October Surprise was the rumor that the incumbent president, Jimmy Carter, vexed as he was by the Iranian hostage crisis, would pull off some shocking ploy—such as gaining the sudden release of the hostages—as a way of winning that year’s November election. That October Surprise never happened, of course, and maybe we’ll never really know if it was ever anything more than a figment of someone’s imagination.

The Associated Press

James Pinkerton: Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms Are from 1941: We Need New Freedoms in the 21st Century 

1. The Old Four Freedoms

In his 1941 State of the Union address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt articulated his vision of the American social contract, which became known as the “Four Freedoms.” These were, “freedom of speech,” “freedom of worship,” “freedom from want,” and “freedom from fear.” Those big ideas have defined much of the 20th century—and not just in America.

The Associated Press

James Pinkerton – The Democrats vs. The Deplorables, Part Two: The Immigration Flashpoint 

In an earlier article, “The Democrats vs. The Deplorables: The New Class Struggle Comes to the Midwest,” this author detailed the Democrats’ systematic campaign against the interests of American energy workers, many of them unionized—a curious stance for the presumed party of working people and labor unions. In this piece, I will outline an even more curious stance: the Democrats’ systematic campaign against American border security and American sovereignty.

GettyImages-452665836 rio grande

Part II: A Manifesto for the 60 Percent: The Center-Right Populist-Nationalist Coalition

Second of two parts

In Part One, we were witness to the power of the 60 percent majority, and we saw how our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, welded together the center-right majority of his day to achieve historic reform—there’s a reason why TR is immortalized on Mt. Rushmore. And we also saw, more briefly, how our 37th president, Richard Nixon, also built a center-right majority.

The Associated Press

Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump on Labor Day

The headline in Sunday’s Detroit Free Press was revealing: “Trump’s trade talk resonates for some union members.” Here, in what was once the citadel of organized labor, there’s anxiety—and curiosity. How will working people vote this November? For Hillary Clinton? Donald Trump? Or perhaps another candidate?

Hillary-Wary-L-and-Donald-Trump-AP-Photos-640x480

Donald Trump, Meet Harry Truman; Hillary Clinton, Meet Tom Dewey 

It was a headline that launched headlines. On August 24, Politico, the buzzy Bible of the Beltway, put these words atop its homepage: “Hillary Clinton’s run-out-the-clock strategy: The Democrat aims to ignore the email and Foundation controversies, seeing a shrinking calendar as her friend.”

Trump points AP Hillary_Clinton waves Reuters

Hillary Clinton’s Worst Week—Yet, According to the MSM, Her Best Week

If the 2016 presidential race is tightening, how come the Main Stream Media is acting as though it’s widening? Indeed, why is the MSM indicating to us that Hillary Clinton is going to defeat Donald Trump in a landslide? Why are Republicans being told that they should abandon all hope of winning the White House?

CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 17: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks to sup

‘Extreme Vetting’: Donald Trump’s Proposal on Homeland Security Harkens Back to Past Victories 

1. Trump Shakes Up the Debate Over Keeping Americans Alive

Donald Trump is talking about homeland security in clear-cut language that Americans can easily understand—and so of course the left is furious. Today’s Democrats, and their handmaidens in the Main Stream Media, just hate it when Republicans emphasize getting tough on lawlessness and terror. Indeed, liberals shudder when they hear the words, “law and order.”

The Associated Press

The Specter of De-Gentrification: The Once and Future Suburb

1. Urban Renaissance—or False Dawn?

One of the most consequential societal trends in the last thirty years has been gentrification. In many American metropolises, gentrification has turned the term “inner city” on its head. The old image was of a poor, blighted ghetto; the new image is of an affluent yuppie/hipster playground.

2455537064_99efab4518_n

How Trump Can Win: Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Yes, I thought about that headline before I wrote it. Hey, I read the polls, too, and right now, for Republicans, they’re bad. I understand that the last ten nationwide surveys listed on RealClearPolitics show Hillary Clinton ahead of Donald Trump by an average of 5.5 percent. If that victory margin were to hold, Clinton would win in November with a popular-vote advantage somewhere between that of Barack Obama’s 2008 margin and his 2012 margin—which is to say, an electoral college landslide.

FILE - In this Friday, April 15, 2016, file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donal

The Emerging Trumpian Majority

Something big is happening in American politics—bigger than this election. And so even if we can’t precisely predict the winner this November, we can know the general contours of American politics in the decades to come: populists on one side, elitists on the other.

silver

We Can Win the War on Terror — If We Want To

We may never be able to prove that Omar Mateen, the killer in Florida, was directly in cahoots with some ringleader in the Middle East, but without a doubt, he was influenced by those ringleaders.

Chicago Tribune

The Church of Arlington National Cemetery

There’s not a lot of talking at Arlington. Even chatterboxes find themselves hushed by the endless rows of white headstones, solemn signposts of heroism, sacrifice, and duty. Yet still, Arlington speaks to me. It is there, for example, that I learned about both justice and the rule of law.

A member of the US Army looks on after placing American flags at graves at Arlington Natio

Trump’s Mission: Make America Great Again; Peace with Honor—Through Deal-Making

As we shall see, peace with honor often comes from crafty diplomacy. Or, as Donald Trump might put it, peace through deal-making. No doubt at least some pointers about grand-strategy deal-making were covered in Trump’s May 18 meeting with Henry Kissinger, the 92-year-old former national security adviser, secretary of state, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. After all, Kissinger still stands as the beau ideal of a US diplomat.

The Associated Press