Thomas Del Beccaro

We live in The Divided Era of American politics – an Era defined by a roughly equal number of Democrats and Republicans, high partisanship and close Presidential elections.  Independent voters often hold sway and candidates court the middle in order to win.

It’s simply hard to imagine this passes for a Presidency. At what point does he become simply too much for the senses? Sure we have had some interesting and bad Presidents before – recently in fact. Nixon changed our view

While Obama tours the country promoting his personal donation plan, the Republican Presidential hopefuls are in a pitched battle for the nomination and arguing which tax simplification plan is best. Threatened with the possibility of rate cuts, the Media and

American political fortunes have long been tied directly to the economy… so you would think that politicians would do a better job understanding how to improve the economy. We know consumer demand is down – because consumers don’t have the

Signs of debt crisis strain are everywhere these days. Despite over $14 trillion in US debt, the Left is calling Republicans extreme for wanting major cuts. On the other hand, Obama has no written plan but is acting like a

If you look at statements made by Ben Bernanke over the last several years on the US economic outlook, they are not a model of consistency, let alone confidence building. Indeed, they reflect an economy that appears to be stopping

Politicians, being what they are, tend to have an inflated view of what they can do. Some claim to create jobs while others claim to raise taxes. In truth, they are limited to passing political laws. Once enacted, those laws

Since the beginning of government, the ambition of those who spend money has rarely been matched by the ability of citizens to pay for government. Modern day America, California or Greece are not exceptions to the rule, just examples of

All across the land, it would seem that there is but one story to be written regardless of the locale – and budget cuts are that story. For years, rational legislators and commentators have warned American voters, and those legislators

What is going to happen next in Egypt? According to Mubarak, “the result will be extremism and radical Islam.” Others aren’t so sure. What is certain is that the risk factor in the Middle East has risen again. That means

Once again, the World is witness to the revolutionary aspirations of a people long suppressed. Today it is Egypt. Yesterday it was Tunisia and decades before that Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Iran. The Russians endured their own revolution in the

The Media is aflutter these days about the imminent return of the economy. Of course, it marks a stark contrast to the manner in which they covered the Bush economy. In the months leading up to the 2008 election, the

During the 2008 campaign, Obama claimed that the rich didn’t “need” the Bush tax cuts. Despite an economy that hasn’t responded to his record deficit spending – otherwise known as the “stimulus” – Obama and his talking heads still oppose

In politics, there is an old adage that if they are not shooting at you, you are irrelevant. If so, you may well be able to judge the relevancy of someone by the amount of fire they are drawing. A

If something stays the same, has it been cut? The answer is a resounding YES in the Alice-in-Wonderland world of Demo-nomics. Of course, I am speaking of the Democrats’ claims that Republicans are holding middle class tax cuts hostage when

The New York Times’ headline said it all: “Democrats plan political triage to retain House – Fear Republican Wave.” Indeed, there will be a wave of losses for the Democrats stretching from coast-to coast this Fall. No clearer indication of

What a difference a year makes in the character of Democrats. In 2009, the Democrats in Congress were believing press accounts about the demise of the Republicans Party and the conservative movement. Amidst those false tailwinds, the Congressional Democrats took

Recently, I wrote an article stating that our national political discussion has moved beyond philosophy. Many voters think that government has lost any semblance of common sense when it comes to spending. Economically, the discussion lacks common sense as well

Pollsters and pundits alike most often concentrate on the marquee political races. The Florida Senate race garners national attention because of its intrigue and its national implications. In California, there is a battle for Governor that will decide the direction

American political history includes periods so distinctive that they came to be known as Eras. They include The Jacksonian Era (1820s), The Gilded Age (1830s to 1890s) and The Progressive Era (1890s-1920s). There was also the Era of Good Feelings

California is facing nearly The Toughest of Times. We face historically high unemployment, perennial budget crises and more. Don’t think it could get any worse? Think again. If Jerry Brown is elected, in one short stroke, he could deal a

The focus of American politics is often on the East Coast. The interplay between Washington DC and the major media outlets on the East Coast often results in West Coast politics being as much as an afterthought as college sports

Recent polling has made it clear that the top concerns of the voters are the two sides of the same coin: out of control government spending and deficits. For decades on end, the wise have warned that a reckoning day

As the saying goes, this would be funny, if it was not so serious. As each day of the Obama Administration wears on, the disconnect between reality and the Administration, between America and Washington, just keeps growing. Consider these examples

The longest days of summer are proving to be even longer days for Obama. His approval ratings are mired in the mid 40s, primaries herald losses for Democrats and the Gulf Oil spill is turning out to be more slippery

Nearly every election year, a series of analysts and candidates suggest to American voters that the election that year may be the most important of its age. In retrospect, few can argue that the election of Obama has not been

The days of pausing between primary and general elections are over. The stakes for election these days are simply too high. Our problems are great and we need leaders up to the task. Jerry Brown, in but two days, proved

Plain and simple: Meg Whitman will be the next Governor of California. After a long primary season, the general election matchup is set. Brown v. Whitman. Yesterday v. Tomorrow. Here are your 7 reasons why Meg Whitman will be the

The United States’ economic troubles are mounting and already prodigious. While it’s true that Obama inherited a mess – created by government – he has made our economic problems progressively (pun intended) worse. Amidst that failure, however, Obama has accomplished

Hillary Clinton touched off an age old discussion this week about whether the rich are paying their “fair share.” It is, of course, one the Left’s most used demagogic cries and one of its biggest proponents is former Labor Secretary

Recent financial headlines provide a remarkable glimpse into America’s future if we stay on the same track we are now. From Bloomberg news we learned: “US Stocks fluctuate amid concerns European debt crisis hasn’t run course.” Meanwhile, the IMF predicted

Just four months apart, there were very different results in the special elections for the “Kennedy Seat” and the “Murtha Seat.” Each race was to replace a long-standing Democrat icon. Each race held out high hopes for Republicans in an

Three times in the television era, voter anger has led to midterm losses approaching or exceeding 50 seats for the President’s Party. In 1966, 47 seats were lost, 48 seats were lost in 1974 and 52 seats were lost in