Thoughts on the present discontents

[Valin]

Power Line:

Scott Johnson

2/25/13

 

Thanks to Peter Collier and David Horowitz, my long-time heroes, for inviting me this weekend and for the honor of appearing on this panel alongside David and Ralph Reed.

 

Thinking about where we go from here brought to mind the words of our greatest president in his most incendiary speech: “If we could first know where we are and whither we are tending, we could better judge what to do and how to do it.”

 

I think we all pretty much know where we are and what we’re tending to. It’s why we’re here this weekend. I’ll paraphrase Lincoln and say we’re now far into the fifth year since a policy was initiated with the avowed object and confident promise of fundamentally transforming the United States.

 

Looking back at the election, it’s worth asking how we got here – because just about everything we thought we knew about politics and presidential elections proved to be false. Or at least just about everything I thought I knew.

 

 

(Snip)

 

[Valin]

Conservatives Contemplate Purgatory -- in Paradise

Troy Senik

2/25/13

 

Yesterday, the David Horowitz Freedom Center concluded its annual West Coast Retreat, which is my favorite conservative conference for one simple reason: it takes place a block away from my home. It's the only one of these conclaves where I get to walk my dog in between sessions.

 

The conference hosts a wide array of conservative politicians and thinkers (this year's group included Ricochet's own Victor Davis Hanson, Andrew Klavan, and John Yoo) over the course of three days. It also takes place in one of the most beautiful spots in California, which is helpful when you've got folks in the humor that all of us on the right have been in lately. A few nuggets from the proceedings:

 

-- Those who think the Tea Party incapable of nominating serious candidates need to get themselves to a speech by Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson as quickly as possible. Smart, articulate, relatable, and no-nonsense, he’s exactly what I imagine most of us would want out of a member of the upper chamber. John Yoo and I spent some time talking to him after his speech and I can also report that he’s probably the most well-adjusted United States Senator I’ve ever met.

 

(Snip)

 

 

And Here We Go......

 

 

 

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