Articles by David Keene
As John Sears prepared to wing his way west for a 1975 meeting with former California Gov. Ronald Reagan at which he intended to convince Reagan to hire his team to run Reagan's 1976 campaign against President Gerald R. Ford, I asked him what made him think that Reagan would turn things over to him. Mr. Sear's answer proved prophetic. He said, "because he's had a hundred people tell him that he ought to be president, but I'll be the first to tell him how to do it."
Published
January 27, 2015
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Some years ago, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in responding to personal attacks on him as an "Uncle Tom" or worse observed that to the left, being black had less to do with skin color, genes and ancestry than with one's political ideology. That is certainly true for today's "progressive" Democrats who believe that they not only have a right to the support of every minority and female voter ever born, but that the apostasy of any who reject them makes them worthy of derision and attack as somehow inauthentic.
Published
January 21, 2015
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The word last week that 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney is thinking about a third run for the Oval Office took many Republicans and particularly many establishment Republicans by surprise. The Bush family's latest contender had already made it clear that he will run and his friends were working to clear the field for him, the talking heads were anointing him as the "adult" in the race, and other wannabes were supposedly reining in their ambitions.
Published
January 13, 2015
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The race for the presidency never ends. More than a few politicians lusting after a desk in the Oval Office begin planning years and even decades in advance for the day when they'll get their shot.
Published
January 8, 2015
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Last week's police shootings in New York City have rather predictably set off an epidemic of finger-pointing. In the 1990s, when Timothy McVey blew up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, President Clinton hinted not very subtly that the real fault lay with the "militia" movement. Later, politicians and some pundits blamed Sarah Palin, of all people, for the shooting of Rep. Gaby Giffords of Arizona, and when an emotionally disturbed Adam Lanza killed his mother, stole her guns and wreaked havoc in Newtown, Connecticut, two years ago, a chorus of finger-pointers blamed not Lanza, but the National Rifle Association and the manufacturer of the guns he used.
Published
December 25, 2014
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My daughter enlisted in the Army not too long after Sept. 11, 2001. Before she was through, she managed to survive two tours in Iraq and a year in Afghanistan. Upon her return, she bought herself an AR-15, the semi-automatic version of the rifle she carried while on active duty. She takes it to the range and enjoys shooting.
Published
December 16, 2014
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The American Revolution, and all that has followed, serves in many ways to explain the history of Americans and guns. From the farmers who confronted British regulars at Lexington and Concord to the men and women on the front lines fighting today as part of the War on Terror, Americans have relied on and developed a unique relationship with and appreciation for firearms and the shooting sports.
Published
December 16, 2014
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Barack Obama is so yesterday. The elitists who supported him as the great "progressive" hope are abandoning him in droves as his popularity plummets. The Washington Post describes him as having the "worst" year of anyone in Washington, and as Republicans prepare to take over the Senate, he looks more and more like a lame duck incapable of delivering much more of anything to his base.
Published
December 16, 2014
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It was 1952 and as a seven year old who had a Sunday School perfect attendance record for a year, I was presented with my very own King James Bible. I still have it and still refer to it.
Published
December 11, 2014
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Republican and Democratic presidential wannabes are beginning to focus on 2016, evaluating their chances and building on the contacts and chits they've accumulated over the last few years. Some have been at it for some time, some are still thinking about running. While many candidates are being discussed or having their supporters see about getting them discussed, this long list will shorten in the months ahead.
Published
December 8, 2014
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President Obama discounted November's election results because turnout is lower in midterm than in presidential elections, but there is reason to believe that his treatment of his base contributed to the decision of many Democrats to not bother going to the polls in what everyone recognized as a crucial election.
Published
November 25, 2014
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Phil Gramm, an avid waterfowler, and I were sitting in a duck blind on Maryland's Eastern Shore waiting for the birds to fly and discussing conservatism, politics and the Senate. After analyzing a few of his colleagues, the senator from Texas asked me, "What are the four most dangerous words a senator can utter on the Senate floor?"
Published
November 18, 2014
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In a very real sense, the modern conservative political movement began with Barry Goldwater. Had it not been for the Arizona senator it might have taken years or even decades for conservative ideas to break into the political mainstream, Ronald Reagan would be remembered today not as one of our greatest presidents, but as a "B" movie star and television host, and many of those who since the 1960s shaped our nation's politics would not have had an opportunity to do so.
Published
November 17, 2014
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Few young conservatives even remember Phil Crane, who passed away over the weekend, but he was one of the most significant conservative leaders and politicians of his generation.
Published
November 10, 2014
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In the run-up to every election, Americans are told they must vote because "this election is the most important of our lifetime." Usually these words are spoken by candidates for whom every election is the most important of their lifetime — because they can be career-killers if they lose.
Published
November 3, 2014
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As Election Day approaches, most analysts are focusing on campaign optics and poll data — who spends more on television or wins debates few voters watch.
Published
October 29, 2014
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History tells us that seemingly inconsequential decisions can sometimes change the world in ways that no one would have predicted at the time they were made.
Published
October 27, 2014
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Liberian health care workers have threatened to strike unless they receive higher pay for working with Ebola patients.
Published
October 20, 2014
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The Democratic Senate candidate in Kentucky refuses to even say she voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. Democratic senators running for re-election in New Hampshire and North Carolina tell reporters they don't want their party's president to campaign for them.
Published
October 13, 2014
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Although signs of the political wave Republican leaders have been praying for may be peeking over the horizon, it's been late in coming this year as many contestable Senate, House and gubernatorial races have remained up in the air for months.
Published
October 3, 2014
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