'The Fourth Way'
5:00 PM, Jan 08, 2017
Hearings on President-elect Trump's Cabinet nominees open this week and all should be concluded after a day or two with positive committee votes and rapid floor votes of confirmation. Not a single nominee appears yet to be in any way endangered, and while interest groups on the left are furiously fundraising off of cries of alarm and doom, the "Reid Rule" adopted by Senate Democrats in 2013 means the GOP's majority in 2017 will give the new president the team he wants, and quickly. It also mean Read more
Memo to the young DC job seeker
5:00 PM, Jan 01, 2017
So you want to join the Trump Administration? Be a special assistant to a Cabinet secretary? Carry a briefcase in the White House? I get it. I did too, out of law school and fresh from a clerkship in 1984. And I was lucky — very lucky — to work for two great attorneys general, William French Smith and Edwin Meese, and then White House Counsel Fred Fielding and his deputy Dick Hauser as they served as the personal lawyer for Ronald Reagan. Heady stuff when you are in your 20s. Of course you want Read more
Some Boxing Day advice from the servants
12:03 AM, Dec 26, 2016
Happy Boxing Day. We servants of the Republic get to give direction this day of the year. So here goes. (Spoiler alert: My new book "The Fourth Way: A Conservative Playbook for a Lasting Republican Majority" makes most of these arguments at greater length.) First, don't delay the nomination for the vacancy on the Supreme Court until Sen. Jeff Sessions is confirmed as attorney general, as he will be. In fact flood the zone with the new justice's name and the 14 nominees for the open seats on Read more
Winter isn't coming
4:00 PM, Dec 18, 2016
One more week of Beltway Christmas parties, followed by a week of faith, and football, and then the nation's capital reconvenes in a still-stunned state. No less an American icon than Henry Winker — from "Happy Days" to "Arrested Development" to a sleigh full of fine films — tweeted a question last week: "Why does our political underpinning seem so 'shifting sand unsettling' at his moment?" A good question, that, and one we will discuss together on Monday's program, but here's a first whack. F Read more
Pruitt and Puzder: A pair of brilliant nominees
5:00 PM, Dec 11, 2016
With two nominations late last week, President-elect Trump has telegraphed seriousness about a frontal assault on the out-of-control regulatory state. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is a brilliant, principled, amiable and effective chief legal officer of a state and former state legislator (as well as minor league baseball team owner). He's also on the board of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which telegraphs that he's a man of faith, of good conduct and deep ethics. Mostly Read more
Does Gen. Mattis have a strategy for shaping the 'media battle space'?
5:00 PM, Dec 04, 2016
Donald Rumsfeld served his second tour of duty as Secretary of Defense from Jan. 20, 2001, to Dec. 18, 2006. He is one of America's most accomplished public servants. And he was arguably the best prepared secretary of defense, having not only served in that job before, from Nov. 20, 1975 to Jan. 20, 1977, but having also been White House chief of staff, America's ambassador to NATO and a congressman, among many other successes. He had also been a Navy pilot. He knew Washington, D.C., he knew th Read more
Deep breaths, everyone. All will be well.
5:00 PM, Nov 27, 2016
It stood to reason that 2016 has a few more surprises up its very large sleeves, and that The Ohio State University's double-overtime 30-27 win over Michigan's Wolverines would be among them. Not that the Bucks' winning The Game is a jolt. Ohio State has won 12 of the schools' last 13 meetings. But there had never been an overtime in the history of The Game. Now that there has been, it is only fitting and proper that the Bucks own a perfect record on that score. A past intern on my radio show, Read more
The 'Constitution Spring'
5:00 PM, Nov 13, 2016
Long-time residents of California know what the aftermath of a major quake is like. Even those completely uninjured and complete strangers to personal or property loss are jittery for weeks or even months. They hate to be stuck under overpasses. They loathe being in Los Angeles' very tall buildings when the inevitable aftershocks roll through. It's very, very disconcerting, even for the untouched. It's terribly hard for those wounded or who lose loved ones. Eventually, however, nearly everyone Read more
The choice
5:00 PM, Nov 06, 2016
Former Missouri Senator Jim Talent made a comprehensive five part closing argument for Donald Trump for president here . Larry Arnn, the president of Hillsdale College — speaking for himself and not his community of teachers, students and staff at Hillsdale — made an argument about both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump which ought to be read or listened to in its entirety but which can be summarized fairly by stating that Trump must be the choice for those people concerned that the growth of Read more
Francona's example for GOP: Stick with what has worked in the past
5:00 PM, Oct 23, 2016
If 2016 trends stay true, the "Sweet Meteor of Death" (#SMOD on Twitter) will hit the earth — specifically, at Progressive Field in Cleveland — in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 with the score tied and the Cleveland Indians' Mike Napoli at bat. The Cubs' Jon Lester will have dueled with the Tribe's Corey Kluber through 6 scoreless innings, with Bryan Shaw, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen holding the Chicago line-up scoreless in their turns in relief of Cluber. And Arlodis Chapman will be Read more
The GOP's crisis
1:34 PM, Oct 09, 2016
Political parties have been around since politics emerged from the stranglehold of the strongest and extended out to even the most limited of franchises. "Parties" existed even within the courts of absolute kings. "Factions" are how Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay referred to them in "The Federalist Papers," and they appeared on American soil in something like their modern form almost as soon as the Constitution in which they went unremarked upon was ratified and Hamilton and Mad Read more
Hillary's contempt for Bernie's folk
5:00 PM, Oct 02, 2016
Basement-dwelling baristas of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your "I'm With Her" signs. "Bernie Sanders is the real deal," you thought, but Clinton just thought you hopelessly naive, underemployed at best with few prospects, and oppressed by Obamacare premiums that no one expected to have to pay. You, said Clinton, wanted free stuff. You, said Clinton — in so many, many words — are not so bright. Thus in the release of another fundraiser tape did Clinton's and elite media's force Read more
Welcome to the new Sunday morning
5:00 PM, Sep 18, 2016
An IED — or two or three — in New Jersey intended to blow up runners in a race to support Marines wounded in the wars. An IED — or two or three — in New York City intended to kill or maim civilians. A suspected "home-grown, self radicalized" jihadist dresses as a security guard and slashes a half dozen or more innocents in St. Cloud, Minn. Welcome to the new Sunday morning. After enjoying "Peyton on Sunday Morning" ads all month, most Americans expect church, family and the NFL on the first Read more
When Hillary's Supreme Court decides redistricting cases
5:00 PM, Sep 11, 2016
Voting has begun in the 2016 election as North Carolina opened its (very) early balloting by absentee on Friday. Voting is said to be heavy among the half of Donald Trump supporters who Hillary Clinton has categorized as being in a "basket of deplorables." It seems irrational to vote this early in an election cycle in which jarring slanders on millions of Americans arrive suddenly, as well as horrific events shattering the news cycle with alarming but predictable regularity. Pray that another O Read more
Clinton stumbles at start of final sprint
5:00 PM, Sep 04, 2016
Hillary Clinton's fragile presidential bid enters the start of the Labor Day-triggered fall sprint staggered by two enormous blows to her already reeling campaign. The FBI's report of its investigation of Hillary's illegal server is so full of damning details that it will take a village to recount them. My personal favorite is that 13 Blackberrys and 3 iPads she used as secretary of state are missing. Play "16 Candles" and think of the fact that the FBI's best agent on all things al Qaeda, Joh Read more
The resentment election
7:33 PM, Aug 28, 2016
Some presidential elections are fueled by fear. Ronald Reagan won in 1980 because the country was afraid of developments at home and abroad. Some contests run on gratitude and hope, including Reagan's re-election and President Obama's first win. Some, as with the election of George H.W. Bush and President Clinton's re-election, are simply safe bets. And throughout American history some elections have been driven by resentment and revenge. 2016 seems to me to be one of those, ranking with the Read more
Once more into the Supreme Court breach
5:00 PM, Aug 14, 2016
Third time's a charm. Or not. Over the last two weeks I have tried to use this space to persuade #NeverTrumpers that their opposition to Donald Trump, no matter how deeply principled on their part, should yield to the manifest damage that would be done to the rule of law in the United States by even one, much less two or more, appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, should she become President Hillary Clinton. No need to repeat the arguments. Read them Read more
Counting the cost of a Supreme Court lost to the Left
5:00 PM, Aug 07, 2016
A week ago in this space I wrote in support of Donald Trump. I gave three reasons for voting for Trump, beginning with the most important: the fate of the United States Supreme Court. The fact is that the confirmation of even one Hillary Clinton nominee to the Supreme Court will turn the court in a hard left, almost certainly irreversible direction. This isn't really debatable. But my premise that this reality compels a vote for Trump turns out to be very debatable. Since that column appea Read more
Zinke: 'Interior is in the energy biz,' OKs 1st coal sale in over 1 year
03/15/17 06:25 PM
Trump's budget doesn't care about propping up DC home prices
03/16/17 12:01 AM
Byron York: Donald Trump, reluctant Obamacare warrior
03/15/17 11:21 PM
It's the Supreme Court, stupid
5:00 PM, Jul 31, 2016
Of course I am voting for Donald Trump. You should be too if you are a conservative. Let me break this down into three arguments, the first of which is Trump's trump card on the #NeverTrumpers. If Hillary Clinton wins, the Left gavels in a solid, lasting, almost certainly permanent majority on the Supreme Court. Every political issue has a theoretical path to SCOTUS, and only self-imposed judicial restraint has checked the Court's appetite and reach for two centuries. That restraint will be Read more
Winners and losers in Cleveland
4:00 PM, Jul 24, 2016
The Baja 500 GOP Convention in Cleveland went off road early and stayed there, and if at times it felt like Yosemite Sam was driving and Wile E. Coyote co-piloting, in the end Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and his principal spokesman, Sean Spicer, grabbed the wheel and got over the finish line in one piece and with spectacular ratings. So who "won" and who "lost" during this week of perfect weather on the lake? WINNERS The city of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. I'v Read more
Trump makes a governing choice
4:00 PM, Jul 17, 2016
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is the friend of all and enemy to none in the conservative movement and the broader GOP. He is smart, experienced and — crucial in this cycle — affable and amiable, the two descriptors least used in 2016 and most needed in the country right now. Pence served a dozen years in Congress, and I got to know him on the radio and then at a House GOP retreat he organized in Baltimore as 2010 opened, a retreat at which Pence dueled a bit with President Obama. The Indiana govern Read more
Reversing the spiral
4:03 PM, Jul 10, 2016
A week from today I'll be back in #TheLand where the debris from the Cavs championship parade will still be visible in a few corners. It was just June 22 when 1.3 million residents of Northeastern Ohio crammed into downtown to celebrate the region's first championship since 1964 and its first NBA crown ever. The greatest comeback in hoops history lofted what would have been an incredible celebration in any year to heights (and crowds) not imagined. And it was all peaceful. Despite the less th Read more
What we know about Clinton's server
4:00 PM, Jul 03, 2016
The FBI interviewed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for many hours on Saturday morning. On Saturday afternoon CNN Senior Producer Teddy Davis tweeted "Sources tell CNN's Evan Perez: expectation is that there will be announcement of no charges in Clinton email probe w/in next two weeks or so". After I — and perhaps others — pointed out that no source could make such an assertion unless he or she had been in the interview with Clinton, Davis — full disclosure, a fellow with whom I Read more
Cleveland wins at last
6:00 PM, Jun 26, 2016
There are a number of ways one can drive from Warren, Ohio, to Cleveland, and their merits are debated endlessly among the North Eastern Ohio folks ("NEOs we are called these days) from the Mahoning Valley. I have always favored taking Route 422. Others prefer the turnpike, a contrarian few insist that Route 5 to 14 is the best bet. Mostly these debates are in the context of having to get to First Energy Stadium, Progressive Field or Quicken Loans Arena before kick-off, the first pitch or tip- Read more
Responsible citizens have to choose
4:00 PM, Jun 19, 2016
It is a binary choice — that is obvious at least to every active duty member of the American military. Either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will be their commander in chief. Either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will select the secretary of defense. Either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will select the secretaries of the Army, Air Force and Navy, the service chiefs, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the nine heads of the Combatant Commands. Either Hillary Clinton or Donal Read more
When it comes to the Clintons, always follow the money
4:00 PM, Jun 12, 2016
To former President Bill Clinton's and former senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's long, long list of scandal, impropriety and simple embarrassment add two new entries: the curious cases of Rajiv Fernando and Laureate University. Fernando appears to be a simple Clinton enthusiast who raised and contributed large sums to Clinton campaigns and the Clinton Foundation. On Friday it was reported by ABC News that Mr. Fernando was placed "on a sensitive government intelligence board even Read more
Ghosting for Donald, The Trump Tower Chats, Number 1
4:00 PM, Jun 05, 2016
The setting: Donald Trump's Office, Trump Tower. Monday, June 6, 2016. 4 PM EST. Donald Trump is seated behind his desk. A single camera feeds the shot to all networks that want to carry it. They all want to carry it. "Good afternoon. I, of course, am Donald Trump, and this is my office in Manhattan's most spectacular high rise, the Trump Tower. Some people say it is the most spectacular building in the world, and they might be right. They might be right. But this is the office I have occupi Read more
Never #NeverTrump: Hillsdale's Larry Arnn
4:02 PM, May 29, 2016
Larry Arnn thinks Donald Trump can beat Hillary Clinton. That matters because Arnn is easily among the handful of most influential conservative intellectuals in the country. Arnn is the president of Hillsdale College, "the Lantern of the North" I call it, having swiped that designation from Elgin Cathedral, which lies in ruins in the north of Scotland. (It was first burned — and much of Elgin with it — in 1390, by the Wolf of Badenoch. "This was the name given to Alexander Stewart , the y Read more
How Trump can quiet conservative angst
4:00 PM, May 22, 2016
With 23 weeks until Election Day, Donald Trump — the unlikeliest, most unconventional nominee of a major party in modern times — faces two challenges. The first is to rally the 30 percent of the GOP faithful who remain at least reluctant to rally to his banner; the second is to lower his unfavorable ratings among the general electorate. (Gallup's numbers from last week led the polling giant to remark that "Trump has a significantly more negative image than has been the norm for his party's n Read more
Will you find a new voice?
4:00 PM, May 15, 2016
The following is a condensed version of the commencement address I delivered on May 14 at Ashland University. It is a high honor to be invited to your big day. My belief is that almost everyone who has walked across a stage and received a degree, whether high school, college or graduate school, remembers something of that day, their excitement, their hopes and dreams, their accomplishments, their optimism. Your parents share in all of that. And in the enormous relief that comes with the e Read more
