AUTHOR

Lou Zickar

  • In this edition

    With the first presidential debate set for August 6th, many Republicans are now wondering whether history will repeat itself again. Will the House and Senate become passive bystanders and watch the political focus shift to the campaign trail? Or will the GOP Majority defy history by shaping the agenda on Capitol Hill? Precedent exists for…

  • In this edition

    On Feb. 22, 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower appeared before a Joint Session of Congress and laid out his vision to build America’s interstate highway system. Sixty years later, the system that Eisenhower built stands in a state of disrepair. And the Highway Trust Fund that was intended to pay for new construction is instead…

  • The Ripon Forum: The First 50 Years

    The first edition of THE RIPON FORUM was published 50 years ago this past January. To mark the occasion, we thought it would be a good time to look back over the last half-century at some of the individuals and ideas that have been featured in our pages. It’s an impressive list.

  • In this edition

    According to the latest polls, trust in government is at an all-time low. Depending on who you talk to, this may either be a good thing or a bad thing. For some on the right, it may be a good thing because it is consistent with their core belief that government has gotten too big…

  • Editor’s Note: In This Edition

    For years, fiscal gurus and budgetary experts have been warning us about the long term implications of spending more than we take in. The economy will collapse, they warned. Social Security and other important programs will become unaffordable. The standard of living that millions of people had grown accustomed to will no longer exist. For…

  • In This Edition

    One of our goals for each edition of The Ripon Forum is to focus on a particular issue or theme. This current edition is no different. But as we began work on it, we began to wonder whether we had failed to accomplish this goal. This edition does, after all, feature as its cover story a terrific…

  • The Rise of Value Voters

    “To reach independents, Republicans not only need to tap into the frustration they have over the growth of government, but tap into their desire to make government work.”

  • Medicare’s Crisis of Accountablility

    Accountability seems to be a watchword in Washington these days. It is preached by the President, spoken by the Speaker, and has become a standard component of Democratic rhetoric this year.

  • Editor’s Note: In This Edition

    by LOU ZICKAR

  • The Coming Generational Shift on Capitol Hill

    “When Republicans won control of the House of Representatives on November 2nd, it represented not just a partisan shift on Capitol Hill, but a generational shift, as well.”

  • In This Edition

    One year before the last presidential election, THE RIPON FORUM ran an essay entitled,“Entitlement Reform: The 800 Pound Gorilla of the 2008 Campaign.” 

  • Moderates and the Wimp Factor

    Lou Zickar, the Ripon Forum’s Editor, challenges moderate Republicans to be tough rather than live up to their reputation of being soft. “To counter this perception, moderate Republicans need to find the fiscal equivalent of a pork rind – something that will let them demonstrate their fiscal resolve and commitment to reducing the national debt.”

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