In this edition
Earlier this year, I was having a conversation with two veteran GOP lobbyists, and, like so many other conversations in Washington these days, the topic turned to the political environment and the air of uncertainty that has descended upon this town.
By Ripon Society
Debate
The American Military: At the Tipping Point
The U.S. military is in a crisis. Decades of underfunding and continuous employment have taken their toll. Just three of the U.S. Army’s 50 combat brigades and only half the Air Force’s fighters and bombers are fully ready for a major conflict with a serious adversary.
By Ripon Society
Debate
The American Military: It is not too small. Rather, its responsibilities are too many.
Military retrenchment is not popular in the Republican Party. But America’s coming financial infirmity may allow no other course.
By Ripon Society
Suitcases Full of Propaganda for the Digital Age
Nearly 30 years after the end of the Cold War, Russian efforts to undermine the transatlantic alliance represent a clear and present threat.
By Ripon Society
A National Crisis Needs a National Response
The drug epidemic is gripping America, with West Virginia one of the hardest-hit states. But no community is immune from the suffering.
By Ripon Society
The Virginia Bellwether
The stakes are high in Virginia, where the GOP is trying to win back the Governor’s mansion, and the Democrats are running against Donald Trump.
By Ripon Society
A View from Dubuque County, Iowa
Dubuque County does not neatly fit into the standard media picture of Trump Country. In a county with fewer than 70,000 total registered voters, Democrats hold a roughly 10,000 voter edge over Republicans in terms of registration.
By Ripon Society
A View from Northampton County, Pennsylvania
At first glance, Northampton County, Pennsylvania might not seem like “Trump Country.” Despite some remnants of the steel industry that once dominated the local economy, there are few obvious indicators of the Rust Belt settings that were at the heart of Donald Trump’s electoral triumph in 2016.
By Ripon Society
A View from Trumbull County, Ohio
Trumbull County is very much a working class microcosm of Ohio. To that end, perhaps the most important thing to know about presidential politics in the Buckeye State is that Ohioans always sell their 18 electoral votes to the highest bidder.
By Ripon Society
A View from Macomb County, Michigan
Macomb County has an interesting and important history in American politics. Located northeast of Wayne County, home of Detroit, Macomb was a destination beginning in the 1970s for many white blue-collar workers who were tied to the automobile industry.
By Ripon Society
A View from Kenosha County, Wisconsin
While Kenosha County has reflected the Republican trend, there is continuing Democratic support. Trump carried the county by less than 1,000 votes. By contrast, Barack Obama in 2012 had a vote margin of nearly 10,000. Notably lower voter turnout in 2016 helps explain the difference.
By Ripon Society
The “OT’s” … the Obama-Trump Counties
A chart of the 208 counties won by Donald Trump in 2016 after they were won by Barack Obama in 2012 & 2008.
By Ripon Society
Great Expectations
As Donald Trump reaches the six month mark of his presidency, the media predictably is focused almost solely on the short term. But Republicans need to look through a different lens and play a smarter long game if they are going to be successful.
By Ripon Society
Ripon Profile of Bill Cassidy
The physician and Louisiana Senator discusses his priorities on Capitol Hill and the challenge facing the residents of his home state that he is working to address.
By Ripon Society
Name: Bill Cassidy