Topic

Whitney Blake

52 articles 2006–2017

9/11 and the Millennials

Whitney Blake · September 10, 2017

The millennials—perhaps you may have read about them somewhere along the line—are the largest generation in American history. Roughly speaking, they were born between 1980 and the early 2000s and this wide span, plus the sheer magnitude of their numbers, has created a taxonomy problem: There are so…

12 Ways in Which Trump Upended Conventional Wisdom

Whitney Blake · November 25, 2016

While the Democrats reflect and Secretary Hillary Clinton wanders around the wilderness (literally), here are some observations for the establishment of both parties, the #NeverTrumpers, and those still in shock—i.e. the vast majority of Beltway insiders who somehow overlooked "flyover country" and…

Is Trump Gaining Among Black Voters?

Whitney Blake · November 7, 2016

This presidential election cycle has defied conventional wisdom in so many ways that the list is about as long as Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses. Who would have thought a year ago we'd find ourselves here—with these specific candidates and many an "October surprise"—with less than 24 hours…

Police Conclusion: Rolling Stone UVA Rape Story a Work of Fiction

Whitney Blake · March 23, 2015

Four months after the publication of an infamous Rolling Stone piece depicting a violent gang rape at one of the University of Virginia's fraternities, and the magazine's subsequent retraction due to numerous inconsistencies and gross journalistic malpractice (see Philip Terzian's "A Credulous…

Rolling Stone Rolls Over

Whitney Blake · December 6, 2014

Two weeks ago, Rolling Stone published a bombshell piece that rocked the academic world. In the story, author Sabrina Erdely detailed a horrific crime — a gang rape at one of the fraternities at the University of Virginia that allegedly took place two years ago.

Second Time’s a Charm?

Whitney Blake · October 6, 2014

Voters in Connecticut’s gubernatorial election this November will face a familiar choice as Republican Tom Foley squares off against Democrat Dan Malloy. Four years ago, in a nail biter for what was then an open seat, Malloy won by 0.5 percentage points, or just 6,404 votes. 

It Took U.S. 'Several Days' to Figure Out Who Bombed Libya

Whitney Blake · August 27, 2014

With lawmakers ratcheting up pressure on Obama to take action in Syria, few in the administration have been paying close attention to Libya, apparently. As Fox News's Jennifer Griffin reported last night on Special Report with Bret Baier, the United States was baffled for days as to who conducted…

D.C. Gun Ruling Could Open Door To Universal Carry Laws (Updated)

Whitney Blake · July 29, 2014

In a surprising decision, a federal judge overturned Washington, D.C.’s open and concealed carry ban this past weekend. While the ruling has received some fanfare, few reports have paid attention to the section in the order that invalidated D.C.’s firearms residency requirements. Just lifting the…

No Shore Thing

Whitney Blake · October 20, 2008

Maryland's first congressional district doesn't usually generate headlines. It's a reliably Republican district that a moderate, Wayne Gilchrest, has held comfortably for nine terms. Yet Gilchrest lost the Republican primary in February to the staunchly conservative Andy Harris--a three-term state…

Housebroken 'Blue Dogs'

Whitney Blake · May 5, 2008

When Democrats swept the 2006 midterm elections, several freshman House Democrats won on conservative platforms. A number of these so-called "Blue Dog" Democrats hail from districts that President Bush carried at least once. But the House belongs to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, not to Bush, and the Blue…

Strategery

Whitney Blake · December 27, 2007

THE HOUSE AND SENATE squeezed through last-minute bills in a marathon session last week akin to the final exams period some members' college-aged children just muddled through. A bleary-eyed, sleep deprived House and Senate finally emerged with the passage of some key pieces of legislation on…

Big Labor, Big Plans

Whitney Blake · November 19, 2007

Organized labor did well in the new Democratic Congress, winning a hike in the minimum wage and impeding the free trade treaties backed by President Bush. (The Peru trade deal passed this week, but it was held up for months by Democrats, as the South Korea, Columbia, and Panama deals continue to…

No Alternative Yet

Whitney Blake · November 18, 2007

SHOPPERS HAVE STARTED to kick their holiday spending into high gear, but they shouldn't splurge on anything they were expecting to pay back in six months with their tax refund checks.

Fool's Gold

Whitney Blake · November 7, 2007

IN AN ATTEMPT to overhaul an 1872 mining law, the House quietly passed the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act last Thursday, imposing royalty taxes on the mineral mining industry. Rep. Nick Rahall, chair of the House Natural Resources Committee and a sponsor of the bill, says it will protect the…

Labor of Love

Whitney Blake · July 20, 2007

WHILE THE OVERNIGHT "SLUMBER PARTY" in the Senate made headlines Tuesday night, a vote that night in the House on an amendment to the Department of Labor appropriations bill was largely ignored, but its significance was anything but trivial.

Gunfight at Alumni Corral

Whitney Blake · April 30, 2007

Even in America's fractious conservative movement, you don't often see William F. Buckley Jr. and George Will facing off on opposite sides of an issue. Much less would you expect the dispute to occur over a trustee election at a university neither attended. But Dartmouth trustee elections in recent…

Lots of Sizzle, Little Steak

Whitney Blake · April 30, 2007

SENATOR JIM DEMINT has led a crusade against pork barrel spending during his tenure in office, successfully blocking the omnibus spending bill last winter, pushing for various lobbying reforms, and even chastising his fellow Republicans for some of their earmark indulgences. Most recently, he…

DeMint Condition

Whitney Blake · April 9, 2007

Being in the minority in the Senate is not necessarily fatal. Ask Jim DeMint of South Carolina, chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, a caucus of conservative senators that includes most of the Republican Conference. DeMint has managed to wage and win a handful of battles since the Republican…

Labor's Payoff

Whitney Blake · March 3, 2007

ORGANIZED LABOR may want to celebrate the House vote March 1 that one newspaper headline touted as a "payoff" for the $56.7 million that unions contributed to Democrats in the 2006 midterm elections. The passage of H.R. 800, the "Employee Free Choice Act," is indeed a milestone for big labor, which…

The Last One Standing

Whitney Blake · January 15, 2007

The resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in December left only one cabinet member who's held her position since the beginning of the Bush administration--Labor Secretary Elaine Chao. Her longevity is due in part to her fierce loyalty to the president, which has raised the ire of some in…

The Thumpin'

Whitney Blake · November 17, 2006

THE MAIN LINE that the media took away from Bush's post-election press conference was, "It was a thumpin'." It was plastered on the front pages, played repeatedly in sound bytes that led the evening news, and mulled over by the pundits until their faces turned blue. However, if you read the whole…

The Border Campaign

Whitney Blake · November 2, 2006

THE IMMIGRATION DEBATE in Congress is one of a handful of polarizing issues at the forefront of this election season. In Arizona's District 8, which sits adjacent to the Mexican border, immigration is the issue. When asked to name the single most important issue when choosing a candidate, 45.8…

Extra, Extra,Reid All About It

Whitney Blake · October 30, 2006

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS investigation of Harry Reid's Las Vegas real estate razzle-dazzle has made a splash equivalent to a drop of water compared with the tidal wave of media attention surrounding Mark Foley. But that doesn't mean the Senate's top Democrat should escape further scrutiny from…

Dorm Daze

Whitney Blake · October 6, 2006

IT'S NO SECRET that the American electorate is generally uninformed when it comes to politics--only 61 percent can identify the vice president. And it's also not a big surprise that students are no exception--a 2000 study discovered that 99 and 98 percent of college seniors could identify Beavis…

And Bringing up the Rear

Whitney Blake · September 18, 2006

LIEBERMAN VS. LAMONT is the Senate race the whole country is watching. But seldom mentioned amid all the chatter about the two Democrats--the incumbent, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, running as an Independent, and Ned Lamont, who defeated him in the primary--is the fact that it is actually a three-way…

A Republican Grows in D.C.

Whitney Blake · September 4, 2006

TONY WILLIAMS, the 26-year-old son of NPR correspondent and Fox News contributor Juan Williams, is cut from the same cloth as the older Williams in some ways, but definitely not in others. Father and son both hold heterodox opinions on matters of race, for instance, but the younger Williams…

The Mythology of Minimum Wage

Whitney Blake · August 16, 2006

THE RECENTLY DEFEATED minimum wage hike proposal in Congress has resulted in a regurgitation of economic misinformation. Here's a sampling of the propaganda: