FDL Review

FDL Review is a big fan of John James, the 2018 Republican candidate for U.S. Senate from Michigan, and we are happy to see that he is running again this cycle. This time, James is up against little-known incumbent Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.


James' entry into the race has caused the Cook Political Report to shift their rating of the Michigan Senate race from "Likely Democratic" to "Lean Democratic." They observe,

James was the GOP’s U.S. Senate nominee in 2018. He got very little attention last cycle, and yet managed to raise $12.7 million, and take 46 percent to 52 percent for Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow. According to GOP strategists, Peters begins the cycle in a considerably weaker position than Stabenow was last cycle.
From a numbers standpoint, James is crushing it. Cook notes, "If fundraising is any indication of how competitive a race will become, Democrats have to be a bit disheartened by the 3Q FEC reports. James outraised Peters, taking …

On Friday, the U.S. federal deficit hit a seven-year high. The New York Times responded to the news with an editorial from Alan Rappeport, who says that President Donald Trump "has allowed deficits to balloon by enacting sweeping tax cuts and increasing government spending." Rappeport expounds on this claim by writing,

The deficit is growing in large part because tax receipts are falling, as Mr. Trump’s 2017 tax cuts continue to siphon revenue from the Treasury. The numbers reflect the fact that Mr. Trump’s most significant legislative achievement is not paying for itself, as Republicans have said it would. In fact, tax revenue for the last two years has fallen more than $400 billion short of what the Congressional Budget Office projected in June 2017, six months before the tax law was passed.
However, this take is not accurate. The deficit is skyrocketing because of rapidly-increasing federal spending, not because of a decline in tax revenues. In fact, tax revenues are on an…

Between September 26th and October 3rd, Investor's Business Daily and TechnoMetrica conducted a poll of 900 adults. The poll, which has a margin of error of 3.3 points, reached respondents on mobile and landline phones.

69% of Americans are not satisfied with the country's "direction ... in terms of morals and ethics," compared to just 28% who are satisfied. 9% are "very satisfied" whereas 44% are "not at all satisfied."
While President Donald Trump has a 43% approval rating, 54% of respondents identify his leadership as "very strong," "strong," or "moderate."

48% give the president an "A" or a "B" for his handling of the economy, while 39% give him a "D" or an "F." This could be the result of his handling of U.S.-China trade relations, as 48% give him a "D" or an "F" in that area.
50% believe the president's "actions related to the Ukraine," wh…

The Constitution of the United States, as written by the Founding Fathers, is the most brilliant governmental compact ever established. Senator Daniel Webster, a member of the Great Triumvirate, was right on the money when he said that the document is “the work of the purest patriots and wisest statesmen that ever existed, aided by the smiles of a benign Providence.”


The Constitution is a simple document, but its elegance is extracted from the fact that it brilliantly established three federal branches that hold limited power and jurisdiction. These national institutions check one another and are in turn subject to further checks by state governments. Central power is limited, and the states reserve the remaining mandate for governance. Overreach by Washington, D.C. is constrained and individual liberty is maximized.

However serene the arrangement, contemporary political movements are generally in support of moving away from the Founders’ Constitution. Advocates for authoritarian popu…