David Keene
Columns by David Keene
DAVID KEENE: Black voters for Obama get nothing but disrespect
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
DAVID KEENE: ‘Put up or shut up time’: America expects the Republicans to match big talk with action
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
In the beginning there was Goldwater
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
DAVID KEENE: Phil Crane, a positive force of modern conservatism
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
DAVID KEENE: A voting opportunity of a lifetime
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
DAVID KEENE: A liberal dose of campaign ground and pound
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
DAVID KEENE: When ‘A Time for Choosing’ changed the world
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
DAVID KEENE: A new, unimproved Ebola czar
Liberian health care workers have threatened to strike unless they receive higher pay for working with Ebola patients. Published October 20, 2014
KEENE: Avoiding the Obama virus on the campaign trail
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
KEENE: Signs of a coming Republican wave
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
KEENE: Colorado’s Second Amendment wildfire
Last year, in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shootings in Connecticut, the Obama administration and then-New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg worked to put together a "coalition of the willing" to join them in a war on the Second Amendment and hit upon Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper as a likely recruit. Published September 29, 2014
KEENE: How Bill Clinton oversells his rescue of Haiti
Bill Clinton never stops. Last week while he and Hillary were in Iowa, Mr. Clinton continued his nonstop campaign to sell his unique take on his own accomplishments. Published September 23, 2014
KEENE: The third-party candidate conundrum
Republicans, political strategists and pundits are beginning to notice that in almost every close Senate race in the country, there are one or more third-party or independent candidates on the ballot who could conceivably decide which major candidate will prevail in November. Published September 15, 2014
KEENE: Too much fun for the anti-cigar spoilsports to allow
It is increasingly difficult to escape the consequences of Washington's foolishness even in the remotest corners of the republic. Published September 8, 2014
KEENE: The devious designs of Operation Choke Point
President Obama wasn't kidding about acting on his own if Congress won't go along with his plans to "fundamentally transform" the country that elected him president. Published August 25, 2014
KEENE: Going down in flames in the war on fossil fuels
It's been a bad year for Al Gore and his global warming buddies. Published August 18, 2014
KEENE: Pointing the presidential finger over Iraq
President Obama can't help himself. Even as he ordered airstrikes on the Islamic State forces in Iraq threatening to starve, shoot or behead as many as 50,000 refugees trapped on a mountaintop, he had to try to assure the world, his fellow citizens and perhaps, most importantly, himself that the mess wasn't his fault. Published August 11, 2014
KEENE: A confident and clueless president
President Obama returned from his full-time job as the Democratic Party's fundraiser-in-chief to host today's U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. Published August 4, 2014
KEENE: Why Israel needs to destroy the tunnels
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has the support of something like 84% of his fellow citizens for his effort to destroy the dozens of tunnels Hamas has dug under Israeli territory over the last few years because every Israeli knows that they allow Hamas fighters to infiltrate their country to kidnap and kill Israeli civilians or worse. Published July 31, 2014
KEENE: The lone soldier
Earlier this week, an estimated 20,000 Israelis gathered in Haifa for the funeral of a 21-year-old from South Padre Island, Texas, who had come to Israel, joined the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), and died in fierce fighting in Gaza. Published July 31, 2014
